A New Way of Seeing Things Pt. 03 Ch. 18

Standard disclaimers.

This is a story about sexual exploration and, open relationships. Open relationships can and do happily exist; but they are not for everyone. If you do not believe it is at all possible for open relationships to exist without damage to any and all involved parties, please do yourself a favor and don't waste your time reading this.

Also, this story takes place in a world where STDs don't exist and only babies planned for and wanted do—in other words, a fantasy world. Any resemblance to real-life people is purely coincidental.

*****

The house was quiet when Cricket arrived. That was not unexpected; she knew Tim and Gwen had planned a day out with friends and was glad they had chosen to go to the lake today. The young woman worried that her seemingly constant presence was making the Nelsons alter their own lives to accommodate hers, but still she lacked the resolve to limit her weekends with them, and this was a nice compromise. Cricket was flattered that she had earned enough trust to roam their property at will, but of course, she thought, if they trust me enough to let me watch them have sex then being left alone with access to the refrigerator is a pretty easy reach.

Cricket made sure all the chores were done before saddling Marvin and working on some exercises in the field below the woods. They were dutifully performed, as they had been since she had learned them as a student growing up at the various riding academies, but the cool shade and freedom of the wooded trail beckoned and Cricket wasted no time spurring her mount towards the canopy of trees at a gentle gallop after completing the prescribed routines.

The horse was very willing to comply. His human always smelled happy now, a pleasant development and welcome change from her constant worry and sadness before he had come to live here. He was content to be wherever she was, and her mood was his as well. He snorted defiantly at the imagined unknowns hiding in the trees about them and tossed his head at the opportunity to take to the trail and show his bravery.

Cricket shed her shirt when the path demanded they slow to a walk, confident her small breasts could handle their unrestricted movement at this pace, the air drying the sheen of sweat and making her nipples turn hard. The trail to the overlook and picnic table soon opened to her right, exactly where horse and rider had learned it would be; with a gentle nudge of her heel Marvin turned.

She stopped the horse in the shade before the open grass beyond and dismounted with the ease of someone who had done it thousands of times before. Marvin was loosely tethered to a nearby branch to cool and rest while Cricket strolled a little further to the edge of the tree line, to where the shade abruptly ended like a curtain lifting on glorious sunlight, and sat down.

It was nice here, beautiful...the view, the smell of pine, the sound of songbirds, and the leaves fluttering in the breeze. The young woman would never have called herself a country girl before her marriage, growing up in well-ordered suburbia on the edges of several big cities, and had only moved to a more rural part of Georgia because Daniel's new job required it. He had considered it being banished to a little backwoods hell-hole and couldn't wait to get out, but Cricket had grown to enjoy the slower pace and relative peace, a bright spot in the disaster that had been her marriage. She could quite easily live here, picturing a little house and barn in this clearing, and wondered if the Nelsons might be willing to sell it someday. She laughed at the idea and shook her head; there was the matter of food and rent and school loans and Marvin's room and board to be settled before the idea of owning her own place could even be dreamed about. But it could be hers for the moment, savoring the shade's coolness on her bare back and breasts, the wall of mid-day heat discernible just a few feet in front of her. The breeze might be nice on her bare legs and bottom, she thought with a giggle, kicking off her boots and discarding her riding breeches. She was again the little wood fairy she had often pretended to be as a child when arguing parents or obnoxious schoolmates required an escape into the imaginary forest she ruled. The fairy had been dressed in brightly-colored silks and sparkly gauze then, but that was before she had learned to appreciate the feel of air and sun against her skin. Fairies are creatures of nature and magic, and nature's creatures don't need clothes, so naturally fairies should be naked, she reasoned with a smile.

Cricket lay back, looking up at the moving ceiling of leaves above with the blue sky peeking between them, wondering how long she could lie here and still be at the house when the Nelsons returned. Her finger idly traced lines across her bare stomach, up underneath her breasts then down to where her thatch began, making her shiver. A need had been building for several days, one that had been occasionally dulled but not satiated by the gifts from her friend in her bedroom drawer. Would the sun and water have made Gwen too tired for something more than sleep tonight, or would her focus be on her husband?

It's her responsibility to satisfy Tim's needs, not your perversions, Cricket grumpily reminded herself. That's on you, and there are other people out there besides Gwen and Tim to be perverted with. But doing—that—with a strange woman was out of the question; Gwen was right that it was something special friends shared, and a stranger would never begin to reproduce the feelings she got when doing "that" with her best friend. A man would be more suitable for base sexual gratification, straight-out down-and-dirty humping, but even with no need for any sort of emotional attachment she was not yet ready to enter into a use-and be-used situation. Besides, finding one was still a problem; approaching a man for a trade of physical pleasures was just not a conversation she could ever imagine herself starting. And certainly not with anyone at work, which is the only place she ever really came into contact with someone possessing the necessary equipment. Gossip spread fast even from office to office and branch to branch, and she had no desire to have her name added to the list of the company sluts.

With a deep exhalation she, cleared her mind, closed her eyes and let her fingers travel farther, smoothing over the swell of her breasts and brushing against nipples now erect from excitement rather than chill, down further below to where her pubic mound gave way to labia swelling in anticipation. Her legs came apart on their own accord, opening to her fingers and the world. She idly wondered if Gwen's velvet-wrapped steel will, that ability to make a horse gladly do as she politely commanded, worked on men as well and if it could be learned. It would be so much easier, she thought, if I could just point at some guy and say take your clothes off so I can fuck you. She laughed at the thought, doubting that even in her fantasies she possessed the necessary skills to bend a man to her will.

Maybe a younger man, also inexperienced and unsure of himself, might do her bidding, she rationalized ...there was that intern, fresh out of high school, he was kinda cute in a geeky way...her finger dipped to spread her growing wetness over sensitive lips. Maybe being the older woman with a full-time position at the bank might make her an authority figure in his eyes. She imagined instructing him to meet her at a local hotel or else-the fantasy allowed her to have the money for a hotel room and the power to deliver an ultimatum-and ordering him to get naked and stand for inspection as soon as he stepped into the room. He was already hard—she had heard young men walked around with perpetual erections—and Cricket, still dressed in her best business attire, confidently circled him as if sizing up her prey. Skinny, maybe even a little bony, but a nice smile and a cute butt, with a penis like Tim's and not at all like Daniel's. She could sense he was not arrogant but eager to please, and judging from the speed with which he had followed her order to undress, obedient, too. Yes, this practice pony would be a suitable ride. She instructed him to lie on the bed, reveling in his complete attention as she teased him while slowly unveiling her own body. She did not let him touch her when his mistress finally joined him on the bed, not yet, running her own hands over his bare skin in exploration, the distant memory of the feel of a man coming back to her. Unlike her ex, he did nothing to discourage her thorough examination of his cock as she looked for responses to certain grips or strokes, practicing, always practicing, mimicking the things Gwen did to make Tim groan with approval. Cricket tasted the young man next and was not disparaged for wanting to perform such a nasty act, getting a soft 'oh' as he instinctively thrust his hardness up against her searching tongue. There was the same faint hints of musk and saltiness she had found on her friend's lips after they had been wrapped around Tim's shaft. The young man was made to gasp and squirm for what to him seemed like an eternity before Cricket lay back against the pillows in her fantasy hotel bed and demanded the young intern return the favor, something he did with skill and enthusiasm. She outwardly maintained her collected composure, controlling her body's reaction to his searching tongue, unwilling to expose her true vulnerability to him just yet. His mistress eventually deemed herself satisfied with his efforts and he was finally allowed to mount her, but only after sternly being instructed "not to come too fast," like every other man afforded this privilege before had. He obeyed faithfully, still grunting in her ear with each powerful thrust when Cricket's fingers delivered her orgasm. Marvin paused his shaking off of a particularly bothersome deerfly ensure she was in no danger as his human rhythmically writhed and chirped.

She lay there recovering her breath and senses, the breeze cool against her sweat-soaked skin, chiding herself for the utter ridiculousness of that particular fantasy. Young and timid was sure to equal inexperienced, and she was not qualified to play the role of teacher. Besides, in real life her dalliance would have ended with him spinning his own version of events, telling everybody how the stuck-up bitch in Finance had begged him to fuck her.

***

Cricket awoke from where she had fallen asleep on the couch, alert to the sound of a truck pulling into the driveway over the soft drone of the TV weather report. She rose and glanced at the clock—after midnight-before checking to make sure she had gotten dressed again after spending the afternoon and evening prancing about the house wickedly naked, suddenly worried it might not be Gwen and Tim after all.

The door opened and she smiled as Gwen entered, nude from t-shirt down to sandals. "Lose something?" the young woman asked with a smile, eying her friend's bare hips and legs meaningfully.

The Lady sighed and began to recite the list. Decency, common sense, morality, sanity..."Took them off in the truck," Gwen offered matter-of-factly. "They were in the way. Everything go alright here? Horses okay?"

Cricket was momentarily distracted by Tim's entrance, checking to see if he was similarly attired, disappointed he was not. "Uhh, yes, everything was fine, horses are fine," the young woman finally replied, focusing on the eyes of the bottomless woman in front of her. "I think Dart was a little peeved it was Marvin and not him going out today."

"He'll get over it," Gwen said with a yawn, stretching her arms over her head and bringing the shirt's bottom up to just below her belly button. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. Coming to bed?"

"Uhh, yes, okay..." Cricket hesitated. That sounded like an invitation, but was it? Screw it, she decided, more afraid of missing what might happen in her absence than being told she was in the wrong place. Thankfully Gwen gave the impression her friend's choice of where to sleep was completely natural and correct, and the two women were already naked and side by side under the covers when Tim joined them. Cricket's curiosity was already advancing theories as to what exactly had happened in the truck. She was disappointed when it became obvious there would be no answers or activity as sleep was the only thing on her bedmates' minds. The aroused young woman scolded herself for even expecting something more rather than just the comfort of the soft warm body she was even now snuggling in to. Her excitement simmered as she nodded off.

She slept soundly, the movement of the others as they got out of bed waking her. Cricket watched discretely as Tim bent to pull on his underwear, ass thrust out at her while his dangling cock and balls peeked from between his thighs. Gwen didn't bother dressing, and the young woman took that as her sign she was not required to either. Breakfast was an interesting affair, two naked women and a fully dressed Tim, and the casual exhibitionism inflamed the young woman's lust.

They got into their riding breeches and boots at the last possible moment before heading out to the barn after breakfast, shirts carried but not worn as they started up the hill. "Good time at the lake yesterday?" Cricket asked.

Gwen smiled. "A very good time. Our friends have a beautiful spot up there." She paused. "Listen, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. I'm hoping you can do me a favor."

"Anything!" Cricket replied eagerly. "You know that."

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like a job for a weekend. Not sure when yet, exactly, but you'd get paid for it."

"Of course I'll do it! And you are not paying me anything. Marvin, room, board, remember?"

"I haven't forgotten, and how can you say yes when you don't even know what the job is yet?"

"Doesn't matter. I owe you so much, whatever it is is the least I can do. So, what's the job?"

"Well, I've been asked to pose for some photos, horse and rider, that kind of thing...I'd like you along as a sort of groom, someone to keep an eye on things if I get busy or distracted."

"You're posing for photos? You mean, like professionally? Like for a magazine spread or something?"

"Oh God, they better not be!" Her friend laughed nervously. "Photos for a private collection. The person who is commissioning the work owns the horse and is supplying a groom, but I'd prefer somebody I trust with me just to make sure I'm not missing anything."

"I'm flattered you'd ask me and of course I'll do it, but wouldn't you want Ali or KD, instead?"

Gwen laughed. "Not for this, no. I trust you, and since you've already seen me a certain way..."

"Certain way? What does that mean?"

Gwen took a breath and stared at the dirt path passing below her. "I'll be posing nude."

"Nude? While riding a horse? Like Lady Godiva?"

Gwen began to tell the young woman Natalie had guessed the same thing, but held back. "Maybe, I don't know...the photographer didn't give me many details, just that some nudity will be required. They keep telling me it'll be art, you know, tastefully done."

"Who wants you to pose for this kind of...art?"

Gwen took another breath. "Remember that lingerie party I went to a little while back?"

"How could I forget!"

"Do you know who Sylvia Danning is?"

"Do I know who Sylvia Danning is? As a very junior banking professional, yes I know who Sylvia Danning is. As a former competitive equestrienne, yes I know who Sylvia Danning is..." Cricket's eyes widened. "Wait, was she at the lingerie party?"

"It was at her mansion. She hosted it and found out I rode, got a report on me from..."Gwen paused, "an old instructor of mine, and invited me back to ride with her at her stables. I guess I passed some sort of test and she asked me to pose for something that she wants to put in one of her houses she's redecorating."

"You rode with Sylvia Danning, one of the best-known equestriennes in America, and definitely the richest...well, it sounds like she has excellent taste as well. It definitely makes sense why she would ask you."

"Not to me, but she did, so like an idiot I said yes."

"Wow...just wow. But you really want me there, too? Are you sure? I mean, is she going to let a commoner like me anywhere near one of her horses? I have to imagine we're talking something with world-class lines and therefore very, very expensive."

"Why wouldn't she? You're an excellent and knowledgeable horsewoman—we both know money can't buy horse sense, and so does she. In fact, if she's looking for someone with a particular look and impeccable equestrian skills like she claims, then you should be the one posing. But I made it a condition of me accepting that if she wants me, she has to let me have you. You're the only one I trust for this."

"Like I said, I'm flattered you'd ask me...Tim knows about this, right?"

"Tim knows, but he's about the only one—Alison and KD don't even know. So you have to keep it all just between us, okay? Mrs. Danning is very protective of her privacy, almost as much as I am." The Lady scoffed at that last assertion. Getting naked in front of complete strangers was not exactly something you did to maintain privacy.

Gwen spent the rest of the ride trying her best to answer the questions Cricket peppered her with, telling her about the Danilo's visit the morning before. "Oh, and before I forget," she asked. Tim and I have to go to Atlanta next weekend. I'm being fitted for wardrobe for this thing. Think you might be able to stay overnight and take care of the horses? Would it make you nervous being here alone overnight?"

"No, that's fine, be happy to," Cricket said distractedly, "but wardrobe? I thought you were posing nude?"

"Only for some of the pictures, I guess. So they're getting my measurements, and I thought Tim and I could make it a weekend away."

"Sounds like fun," Cricket said with a smile. They rode in silence for several moments before the young woman spoke again. "I know I'm being nosy, and you can tell me it's none of my business, but it's been driving me crazy ever since you got home last night...I have to guess most people come home from the lake with all their clothes. What happened?"

Gwen smiled mischievously, a long-unused expression for her that was finally getting more practice. "I told you. I had all of my clothes. I just wasn't wearing them."

"Yes, but why not?"

"We were in the mood, so we pulled off the road for a bit and took care of things. It was dark and we were halfway home and I thought Tim might like it if I didn't put my shorts back on."

Cricket giggled. "Whoa! You guys are so wild! I was hoping it was something like that!"

It was Gwen's turn to laugh. "Hoping? Why?"

"Sorry," the young woman said, blushing as her giggling faded away. "It just sounds like such a wild spur of the moment thing to do. I think it's so cool how you do...things like that...whenever you want, anywhere and anytime. I don't have to tell you how lame my own life is, so I guess I'm living vicariously through you. Wish I could have been there to see it."

"Three in the truck would have been pretty tight."

"You know what I mean. I just really like seeing you and Tim together. It's...I don't know, it's wrong and sexy and beautiful and exciting all at the same time, I guess. Normal people being kinky, not anything I ever imagined happening, and Daniel certainly didn't give me any reason to think I was wrong. And besides," she added, suddenly feeling the need for some sort of further justification, "you and Tim are my education. I always learned best by watching other riders, then trying to repeat the motions later. I want to be ready when later comes for that."