Episode IV: The Rise & Fall Of April Rain
Disappointed by our most recent experience in Portland, we decided to return to the formula that had worked so well for our initial club nights. Thus, we made plans with Lois and Clark to attend a, couples champagne night. We stayed at their house, taxi’d together into town, and felt relieved that all the club regulars were back “in the house” this time. The feeling of “community” was apparent once again. I noticed feeling a sense of calm, less nervous energy and more excitement to be back in the club. We hit the dance floor and enjoyed reuniting with Sophia and her husband, Sol. I found myself focusing on the song lyrics of Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night.” I smiled at the song’s irony and the recognition that our return to the club was becoming a naughty pattern. I greeted Sol with a hug. Comically, my fishnet top became enmeshed with the buttons on his shirt. I couldn’t get unattached from him! Fortunately, he smiled, and acted like a true gentleman. Using his body builder physique, Sol simply lifted me up under the arms and transported me off the floor. I quickly fixed the wardrobe malfunction and returned to my waiting husband’s arms.
Meanwhile, Sophia was dirty dancing with Clark in a dark corner. This was routine for Sophia, an amazing dancer who is not shy about getting VERY close with her dance partners. It was flirtatious but completely harmless from my vantage point. For Lois, however, it was not okay. She stood on the side, arms crossed, delivering the death glare toward Sophia and Clark. This was the first time we witnessed drama in this environment. Lois was subtle, she suddenly came down with an “upset stomach” that demanded Clark’s attention for the rest of the night, but we learned that possession and jealousy were alive and well despite all the lifestyle pretenses.One breakthrough highlight of the evening came in the form of a new friend who nicknamed herself April Rain. We met on the dance floor when April approached us and commented on my sex appeal. “I want to take you with me up to the cage” she said boldly. The cage was a dancing platform (shaped like a bird cage) at the center of the dance floor. It was a prime location for sexy women to exhibit their best moves and their bisexual desires. I smiled at April. She was a little older than us, an exotic forty something woman with sexy curves. She was definitely oozing with confidence. My husband chimed in: “I would love to watch Genie dance with you in the cage. If you can convince her, you would be my hero!” April looked at me again. She delivered a diplomatic proposition. She would gladly take me up there once I felt ready… I appreciated her sensitivity as I never respond well to pressure. In that moment, I was feeling my normal “spotlight-shy” self and gave her a hug as I declined the offer. It felt like a wonderful moment of good faith, and I had no doubt that a nice connection was forming.
The DJ shifted into Pitbull’s “I Know You Want Me” and I was instantly inspired to cut loose. I grabbed April by the hand and explained “Let’s do it!” My husband was stunned to watch the two of us make our way into the cage. He was smiling from ear to ear looking like he had arrived in an erotic paradise. Simulating sex with April, my inhibitions seemed to have disappeared completely within the cage. Despite my focus on April, I continuously smiled at my husband below as well, and reached out to flirtatiously hold his hand at several points. Yes, a barrier had been broken, and this would not be our last interactions with April Rain.
April had successfully opened a door that had been locked inside me throughout our 20 year marriage. Her confident bisexuality and respectful diplomacy set me at ease, allowing me to feel open about upcoming adventures. During the 6 weeks that followed our first meeting, we exchanged countless emails with April. We thoughtfully constructed plans for a “date” that avoided any explicit promises or expectations. We would reunite with April and her husband for drinks, party together on the dance floor, and just allow things to unfold. We carefully explained to them how we enjoyed our adult adventures but had many limitations. “We don’t kiss other people… We don’t have “full swap” intercourse with others… We are clear that our own relationship comes first. Our marriage is the cake, and our play friends are the icing on the cake.” Our hopes about April, however, could not be constrained… The girl-girl fantasy was nearing reality. And I could not be more excited.
Spring time in Oregon is a notoriously wet season. But the night we arrived for our next rendezvous felt like a dramatic scene from an epic movie. A major rainstorm cascaded upon the city at the exact moment that we arrived. Our car slowly inched through the city streets as pedestrians scrambled to find cover from the pounding rain. Was this some kind of supernatural warning? We pulled into a parking garage and waited for the rain to subside. After about 10 minutes, we decided it was safe to proceed on foot. April and her husband were waiting for us at a table in the middle of the bar. They stood up to greet us, both of their eyes wandering over my sexy outfit, a tight fitting black dress with black fishnets and sexy boots.The dancing hours began with “Uprising” by Muse, a fitting anthem for our 5th visit to the club. I stepped away to visit the powder room while the 3 of them danced near the cage. My husband was razzing April’s husband for mistakenly calling him Max during our first meeting. It had become our “inside” joke, a nickname that we would playfully use throughout the night. As I returned to the dance floor, I saw April stepping away from the boys and pulling herself up into the cage. Memories flooded my brain: April and I dancing in that cage just 6 weeks earlier. In this moment, she danced alone, her tan curves showcased by a sexy little black dress. April’s exotic face was overshadowed by the breasts that she playfully revealed to an appreciative audience. She used her hands to playfully stimulate her nipples and then carefully returned the girls back to their original covered positions. I was feeling unusually flirtatious and groped my husband’s ass while I delivered a wet kiss to his lips. “Did I miss anything,” I asked? He looked at April and smiled. I gave him another quick kiss and then exclaimed “Oooh, Rhianna, I have to dance to this song!” The 4 of us were reunited on the dance floor and the evening was off to a wonderful start.
Several hours of dancing had taken a toll on April and she initiated her desire to find a private room. This time I was ready. The 4 of us settled into a nice space and April was anxious to show off the massage skills she had learned during her stint as a therapist. The small play room was very dark, and I was happy to remove my clothes so April could begin her soft and tender work on me. It didn’t take long for the boys to join in with their own tender touches, still limited to their own ladies only. My husband starting kissing my breasts, and invited April to join him. All 4 of us were naked by this point and I had become the center of attention. I gave April consent to touch me anywhere she pleased, and she took turns with my husband as they used their fingers to inspire my first climax of the evening.
Despite April’s obvious desires, she was very patient with me, and the 2 of us did not kiss. The bigger surprise however, was April’s request to give my husband some oral delight. He was shocked by the question and thrilled with my response: “Sure, go ahead.” April proceeded to enjoy his fully erect cock within her mouth. She whispered into my ear about his considerable size. “He has some some impressive girth!” She was taking his cock deeply into her mouth as her husband entered her from behind. I was passionately kissing my husband as he quietly groaned with sensual desire. April’s oral skills were clearly exceptional. And this was the first time he had received oral from another woman since before we were married. The excitement was too great for him to contain and he pulled away his throbbing penis away from her mouth, “tapping out” as a courtesy. She was a bit surprised and later explained that she enjoyed continuing throughout the process, a swallowing specialty that she took some pride in. Wow! That was something I rarely ever did for him and she was ready to give him that pleasure on our first play time! “That’s what I get for being so polite” he joked, clearly wishing we had clarified all that in advance.
As 2 a.m. approached, our fabulous night came to an end. Promises of future adventures floated in the air. Our group chemistry was locked in, and all 4 of us knew we would enjoy many nights in the months ahead. I was not ready to interact with her husband yet, but we knew that future visits could potentially change that. I felt thankful that everyone was being so patient with me. We hugged and said our goodnights, carefully covering back up as we ventured back out into the stormy night.
Unfortunately, that evening storm was not the only unstable force in the life of April Rain. Just below the surface, a toxic cliff was closing in on April and her husband. Her text notes began turning very dark. She opened up about how jealous she was feeling about her husband’s interests in other women. She shared that she had asked him if they could take a break from the lifestyle, and he refused. She wrote that she was feeling trapped. She wanted to step back toward monogamy, but he was threatening to leave her if she would not continue. Despite lengthy dialogue about “how much closer they had become since joining the lifestyle,” their married days were numbered.
I learned that April loved playing with women, but never overcame jealousy about her husband’s desire for other women as well. A downward spiral ensued. Their marriage was over within months. Severely depressed, April texted me from a rehab clinic, and shared a little bit about her struggle to maintain her will to live. This episode shook us up, revealing a dark side of the glorified lifestyle world. The new friendship vanished quickly as April decided to leave her lifestyle memories far behind. We felt sad for our new friend, but promised to maintain our focus on each other. The two of us invested many hours toward open conversation, and maintaining our commitment to using these adult adventures as nothing more than our “icing on the cake.”
Our Takeaways From Episode IV…
1. Ethical non-monogamy is not for everyone. With a few experiences, many people truly move beyond jealousy and possessiveness. It can be one of the most liberating aspects of the lifestyle journey. But for some, the transformation is very difficult. We recommend that couples proceed slowly, at the pace of the partner who is least comfortable with sharing sexually.
2. The lifestyle can have a giant magnifying impact on couples. The duo’s strengths will be magnified, but the weaknesses will be magnified as well. Typically, couples who were struggling (prior to entering the lifestyle) will only get worse as those struggles get magnified in the LS environment.
3. Pay close attention to the dynamic between couples being considered as new friends or play partners. How truly connected are they? Is one partner dragging the other person into the lifestyle scenarios? We are very cautious about proceeding with couples who are not on the same page.
