The Spice Cabinet - Challenge 1

Author's Note: This story was inspired by a writing prompt from the Author's Hangout. Thank you, Nightscream89. Hope you enjoy it. The couple is working on spicing up their sex life, so the stories will get spicier as the series continues.

Prologue

"Good afternoon, Gloria, Dan, welcome. Have a seat and tell me what brought you here."

A couple in their early thirties came in to the ferny, wood-paneled office of Dr. Cheryl Coleman, her forty-five years betrayed only by a few white hairs, black, beautiful, and buxom, and author of "Get the Spice Back In Your Marriage". Dr Coleman held a PhD from Stanford in psychology, specializing in couples therapy.

They sat on the couch, about forty centimeters apart but holding hands. It was a very plain Scandinavian style couch, with a firm foam slab cushion. Dr. Coleman had selected it because it was an unbroken rectangle, with no seams, buttons, or loose cushions to give a suggestion of boundaries. It allowed couples to sit at their comfortable distance, which was valuable information. Three-quarters of spouses who sat at the opposite ends of the sofa divorced within a year.

Gloria, a fit Hispanic-looking woman with her chestnut-brown hair in a wavy ponytail, answered first. "Dan and I have been married for ten years, ever since we graduated from Adamson. We love each other and are committed to staying married. But our sex life is humdrum."

"When Gloria gave me a copy of your book, I realized that once-a-month missionary wasn't enough for her, either." Dan was a hair over six feet tall, a little portly in the ex-athlete way, but still handsome. His white-blond Brillo pad of hair looked like that on some action movie semi-star who was in two films and then was never heard from again.

"So, you want to improve things? I assume you have tried just having sex more often, or you wouldn't have made this appointment."

"We did, and to use your metaphor it moved us from skim milk to mayonnaise, not even vanilla."

"Well, maybe vanilla once." Gloria smiled at Dan and winked. Dan squeezed her hand back.

"I'm sure you know from my appointment fee that I'm expensive. But as a successful couple told me, it's still cheaper than a divorce lawyer, much less two of them."

"I know. And we're not rich. But we want to grow old together, always have, and we decided that avoiding fifty years of bedroom boredom was worth it." Gloria nodded her agreement.

"I am working on another book. If you give me permission to use some of your story as source material, names changed of course, I can cut you a break. My publisher has budgeted for that, and I think you two might really benefit. If you do, and you let me quote you, they will pass on a very small portion of their sales revenue to me to rebate the fees. They were very good to me with the advance, and so I am able to give you base level access for free and a 50% break on office visits."

They looked at each other and nodded. "Let's do it," said Gloria.

"You're willing to write up intimate details, knowing that I and, hopefully, lots of other people will read them?"

"I think so. I was an English major, I can type and mostly make okay sentences."

"Umm, Gloria, I think Dr. Coleman meant about the content part. Yeah, I am okay with that," said Dan.

"Oh, sure, right. Yes, no problem there, I hope we get to make some 'intimate details'." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, making Dan blush.

Dr Coleman smiled at them. "I think you'll be very successful following this plan." She gave them each a folder outlining the plan. Each week, they'd get an email with a particular challenge. They had to complete the challenge and journal about their experiences. Sometimes, especially early on, the challenges might be things they already were doing. As they progressed, new challenges would stretch them, sometimes inspiring them and sometimes being way outside their comfort zone.

Dan and Gloria each signed their email agreements, their pledge to be open and honest in their journaling, and their release forms for use of their stories. Dr. Coleman took the forms and documents, shook their hands again, and said, "You'll get the first email as soon as my receptionist gets you into the system. One last thing, though. I want you to kiss each other, right now, right here."

They did, embracing and at first with just a peck until Dr. Coleman's "kiss each other like you mean it" They transitioned to a nice, long open-mouth kiss and tight hug. "Fine. First challenge begins today. And remember, take it seriously but mostly, have fun. That's what sex is supposed to be." She ushered them out in time for them to blend in with the other patrons of the suburban office building.

As Gloria was driving home with Dan, they discussed the visit. "I hope this works out. I read her book from the library, a few months back, and liked it enough to share."

"She was really encouraging in person, too. What do you think, Gloria, will she be on TV in the next year or two?"

"If her plan works. And I had the idea that being told what to do will be just what we need. I do know that we haven't kissed like that for a long time."

Dan checked his phone as they were turning on to their street. "There's a message. Do you want me to read it to you now, or should we wait and read it together?"

"Oh, let's wait. We'll be home in a few minutes."

They parked and went inside. Gloria took out her phone. "Ready?"

The First Challenge

They opened their first challenge at the same time.

Vanilla challenge: Have sex in any manner you want this week, but at least twice, separated by a minimum of 24 hours. (twice in one session doesn't count, but have fun.)

Dan had the same thought that Gloria voiced. "Shall we get started, or wait until tonight?"

"Sweetie, my vote is that we get going. Screw cooking dinner, we'll order delivery."

"Okay, I'm game to screw instead of cooking dinner." She unbuttoned her shirt a few buttons and flashed some cleavage at him. "Let's go get naked."

They went into the bedroom and closed the blinds. They undressed, and Gloria slipped between the sheets, then flapped the covers back to reveal her still-firm breasts, slim torso, oval bellybutton, and the thick black triangle at her crotch. "Come on in, husband of mine."

Dan's erection showed his increasing readiness. He lay beside his wife and kissed her, remembering how their kiss in Dr. Coleman's office had grown from the perfunctory peck that was now their usual, to the more tender kisses of their earlier years.

They kissed each other deeply, lying on their sides with their arms around each other. Before long, Gloria's hand slid down to stroke him. This was her signal that she was ready for Dan's exploration of her private parts. He circled her small brownish aureole with a fingertip, causing it to pucker around the edges as the nipple stiffened and protruded even more. Dan dropped his hand to her pussy and began spreading her wetness up and around her clit as Gloria rolled onto her back.

Dan leaned over and kissed her breasts and nipples, continuing to stimulate her clit and vulva, until she pulled him on top and guided him in. He kept a hand in place on her mons to massage her clit, and restrained his own thrusting until he felt her own involuntary movements. When he was sure she was close to orgasm, he gave his pelvis full rein to move as it wanted to. Within a few strokes, Gloria's breathing deepened and became panting, and he could feel her vaginal muscles squeezing him as she came. This triggered his release, too, and he pumped into her. When he rolled off, Gloria grabbed a washcloth from the nightstand and shoved it into her crotch to soak up excess fluids.

It was pretty much the same as it always was: close, mutually satisfying, and very routine.

"I do love you, Dan."

"And I love you, Gloria. Being told that I'm supposed to make love with you gives me the permission I haven't been giving myself."

"I see that point. It's almost, kind of, a turn-on, knowing that we're following challenges that someone else made up. And in a day or two, we can finish this week's challenge."

"That makes me think -- we need an agreement that these challenges are never chores. If we want to avoid one, because it makes us uncomfortable, I think talking it out will be super helpful. And we can email Dr. Coleman for an appointment if it seems too much."

"Yeah. Let's seal that with a kiss." They did. "And in a day or two, we can seal it with a boink."

Dan concurred. "What should we order? Pizza? Thai?"

"Not to be an ethnic stereotype or anything, but I want enchiladas. Call Pepito's."

"Will do, my spicy Latina lover."

"Oh, bullshit. You know I can only speak enough Spanish to talk to my grandma, who thinks it's 1972 and calls Nixon 'that crooked pendejo'." She kissed him, stood up, and dressed again.

Dan rolled out of bed, already thinking about being told he had to make love with this amazing woman. The idea was oddly stimulating to him.

Three days later, they were on the couch, watching a detective show on Netflix, having cleared away the meatloaf and butternut squash Dan had made for supper.

Gloria turned off the TV when the episode ended. "Are you ready to make love again?"

"Well, I'm in the living room, and I still have my clothes on. So no, but I could be in a few minutes."

"See you soon, doofus. I'll be ready in a few minutes too." She winked, and disappeared into the bedroom.

Dan was impressed. Gloria rarely initiated sex any more, so maybe the challenge prompt was helping. He felt his penis swelling, urging him to shut up and go get naked.

He did, and Gloria welcomed him to bed with a display of her nudity again. But his time, she reached out and took his cock in her hand immediately. "I am feeling extra turned on by being told that we should make love."

"Me too. We need to report that when we journal." He kissed his wife, who returned the kiss and brought Dan's hand to her breast.

They continued kissing, and Dan had already fingered her nearly to orgasm when she said "I want to be on top this time". Gloria pushed him back and straddled him. Dan liked this position, because it allowed him better access to finger her clit, and so she usually came faster and harder. As she slid over him, welcoming his body into hers, he knew that they were each going to be 100% on board to go with the Spicy Challenge plan.

Dan discovered that with only a couple days between orgasms, he wasn't going to shoot so quickly as when it had been weeks. This was proven out as Gloria's building orgasm had her sitting straight up and shivering slightly, and Dan was able to hold off even as she flopped forward to tickle his chest with her hair, then with her nipples. He took a breast in each palm as Gloria continued thrusting, pulling both of them to orgasm.

"Wow! That was twice!" It was fairly uncommon for Gloria to come twice in one session.

"I thought so," replied Dan. "I could tell I was lasting longer because of having come recently."

"Dan, honey?"

"What?"

"It's within the rules if we go for three, right?"

~~~

Dan's Journal, Week 1

So far, one week in, this challenge has been great. It was honestly a turn-on to be TOLD to have sex. And I had forgotten that I can last quite a bit longer if I've orgasmed recently, more so now that I'm thirty-two than when I was twenty-two

The most impressive part of this week's challenge is that Gloria even suggested we make love a third time this week. Previously, it had mostly been me initiating sex, which was frustrating because I sometimes felt like I was begging. I can't remember the last time we made love three times in one week.

~~~

Gloria's Journal -- Week One.

This week's challenge was to make love twice in one week, and I'm proud to report that we exceeded that goal by 50%. We started right away when we got the challenge, and that was the same as always. It was nice, it was bonding and comforting, I came. But it wasn't the wild passion we had in college. I suppose that's because we aren't nineteen any more, with the surging hormones and the explorations we used to have of each other. I'm kind of looking forward to the next challenge. We agree that the challenges have been kind of thrilling to accept -- we're being directed, guided in restoring and growing our passion.