Walking The Line Ch. 03

Their exchange on Saturday morning both calmed Chris's nerves and exacerbated his stress further, in a weird, paradoxical fashion. He left feeling dirty, but not in the way he expected to.

Truth be told, he's still not sure what he's looking for. Baring his soul felt far too intimate, but realistically, likely less intimate than baring his genitals. He never had an epiphany after either instance, so he's still flying in the dark.

He's thought about the concept of revenge more, wondering if it was only applicable to Avery's situation or his as well. He knows that deep down, below the murky surface of his conscious mind, lies his subconscious reasoning for all his actions up until now. But he doesn't want to dive into it. He just wants to choose for himself without all the messiness of unpacking his hurt.

He can't make a choice about Hazel; that's too much to ask of himself. But he can make a choice with Avery. He can make continuous choices with Avery until he's ready to deal with Hazel.

And it's not like Avery won't get anything out of it. She very clearly needs the stimulation; her husband is courteous but not particularly warm. Chris can't imagine he's perfect in bed, though he doesn't want to imagine that for multiple reasons.

Chris shoots her a text, tentatively agreeing to their game for now, at least until he can get back on his feet. He's not sure why with Avery of all people, and why now of all times, and not months sooner. But once again, it's something he doesn't want to unpack. He just wants to remain in the present moment, and Avery is willing to make those allowances for him, if not to a weird extent.

Perhaps she gets off on the sense of danger, but Chris is appalled when he returns home from work one night to find that out firsthand.

"Great news!" Hazel bounds up to him, reaching up to plant a kiss on his cheek. He leans down to allow it, appreciating the gesture even as his chest tightens automatically.

"What is?" He asks, setting his laptop bag down in the entryway of their home as he makes to remove his shoes.

"We've been invited over for dinner tomorrow night! Avery just called to let me know."

Chris feels his blood run cold as his hands still. He's still bent over, untying his shoelaces, his mind racing to assess the situation.

Does Hazel know? Is this a test? Why in the hell would Avery do this, knowing Chris's intentions with her?

"Honey? Isn't that nice?" Hazel calls back to Chris, already having wandered farther into the house without a second thought.

Well, that answers his first question.

"Yes, of course." He says back, grateful that she can't see his face now. He's sure that she'd be able to read him like a book, and his affair would be over before it even officially started.

--

Dinner is about as awkward as one would expect, which is to say, not at all, at least not for the women.

They carry on like nothing in the world is wrong. To her credit, Avery has a perfect poker face. It's almost a little scary how she can vividly prattle on despite the circumstances. And Hazel is as outgoing as ever, if not a bit overeager, considering they were invited to visit, and not the other way around. It's been a while since their neighbors have felt so... neighborly. However, it's all just smoke and mirrors.

Sam nods along with his wife, smiling at all the correct times, but never engaging. Chris thought it was odd before at the party, but taking a peek under the hood revealed more than he expected, and now he's seeing discrepancies in everything.

They sit across from each other, a fact for which Chris is grateful until the exact moment he isn't. As if they weren't already pushing their luck, Avery decides to be cheeky and extend her leg, brushing against his calf, and then his thigh with her foot.

She continues talking with Hazel about anything and everything, never once looking at Chris. It's almost a good enough act to fool him, if she weren't getting so dangerously close to his crotch.

He clears his throat, face threatening to go hot when he feels three sets of eyes on him.

"Are you alright?" Hazel asks, genuine concern coloring her tone.

Avery nods in agreement, far too enthusiastically for his liking.

"Yes, it's just a bit spicy for my palate. Still delicious though!" He tacks on at the end just in case. He knows that Avery will get the message, but he doesn't want to seem rude to the two who aren't clued in on their little cat and mouse game.

"Not a spice fan, eh?" Sam asks.

"I am," Chris hastily corrects, "but it doesn't like me."

"Tell me about it." Sam laughs, sounding a little bitter. "It's always giving me heartburn, but I can't seem to stay away from it."

"I grew up down south, so it comes with the territory," Avery says. It takes Chris by surprise, as she doesn't have a dialect, but he's not all that knowledgeable about such things in the first place.

"Do you cook Cajun food often?" Hazel asks, inserting herself into the conversation easily. Seemingly ever the extrovert, she can't help herself.

Hazel continues the conversation, unaware that her husband has broken out in a genuine sweat when Avery begins to toy with his crotch with her shoe.

It's a scene right out of a cheesy rom-com, and not something he can allow her to get away with.

He uses one hand to continue eating, but lets the other rest on his lap. After a moment of making sure the coast is clear, he grabs her foot and then ghosts his fingers up along her leg. He can't reach far, but it doesn't matter. She reacts instantaneously.

She narrows her eyes, minutely glaring at him over a strategic sip of water.

Chris rejoins the conversation easily, seeing as it's still on food and spice. "I like hot sauce, I just feel like there's a time and place." He says, grinning when Hazel rolls her eyes.

"You big baby, you just can't handle it at all."

"I have to agree with your wife." Avery chimes in, nodding playfully in their direction. "Spice is good with everything."

"Not dessert." Chris shoots back; the perfect gotcha.

"Speaking of," Avery begins, standing up quickly in one fell swoop, and taking her obnoxious leg with her. "I should bring it out."

And so they eat dessert without much incident, save for Avery literally licking her fingers clean of whipped cream, which was partly due to Hazel egging her on. Together they're monstrous, a dynamic duo of bubbly extroverts.

Under different circumstances, they all could have gotten along, maybe even had a threesome. It seems comically outlandish but less ridiculous than whatever it is they're doing right now.

Later that night, once Hazel is fast asleep, Chris texts Avery, demanding an answer.

C: What the hell was all of that?

A: All of what?

She sends a GIF of someone winking, and Chris snorts but otherwise doesn't play along.

C: Literally everything. Inviting us over, touching me like that. Aren't we overplaying our hand?

A: It won't be believable unless we're all naturally close. Your wife won't suspect you being over here as much if we set it up correctly.

Chris pauses as Avery shuffles in her sleep, smacking her lips and then returning to rest. Her breathing is heavy, so he knows she hasn't awoken. Still, every minute spent with Avery feels like they're pushing their luck in some way.

C: This is just weird

A: This is how cheating works. Unless you want to get caught...? It could be kinky.

C: The way in which I would be punished is likely to be far from kinky.

A: Well then my point still stands, we need plausible deniability.

It's still far too deceptive for Chris, but he can admit that it's a bit exhilarating--just a bit.

Avery spends a few minutes typing, backspacing, and then retyping. Chris is about to give up and assumes she fell asleep on her phone when she finally sends a text that makes his heart skip a beat.

A: We can finish what we started earlier.

C: How?

A: Come over, duh

C: Right now?

A: No. A year from now, I'll pencil you in.

Chris takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly to avoid sighing. He wants to be annoyed but just can't. He feels more awake than ever, and even if he says no, he doubts he can get back to sleep without alleviating himself.

Two birds with one stone, he figures.

C: Give me a sec, I need to sneak out.

A: You sound like a teenager. You don't need to sneak out of your own house.

C: You do when you're married.

Chris closes his phone and doesn't bother to wait for a reply. He slips out of bed and tiptoes across the room, observing Hazel to see if she wakes. She's always been a heavy sleeper, but it would be just his luck for her to have insomnia tonight of all nights.

Luckily, she begins to quietly snore as he stuffs his legs into a pair of sweats, so he knows he's in the clear. He scurries off into the cool spring night and forgets all about his sleeping wife the moment he sees Avery's door open in anticipation of his arrival.

"Hey there." Avery grins at Chris, who arrives a bit out of breath but still in one piece.

"Is Sam asleep?" Chris whips his head around, searching for more souls, but the house is still and quiet, completely dark save for the moonlight filtering in through the windows. It gives him deja vu from the party just last week.

"No, he figured he'd watch and let us do our thing."

"You're oddly sarcastic," Chris notes.

"And you're oddly dense."

"Do you always tease the people you're about to sleep with so mercilessly?"

Avery hums and skips around Chris, a bit too loud for his liking, but their house is so big that he can only assume they're safe from being detected by Sam, especially if he's all the way upstairs.

"Just come over here." She grabs Chris's arm and drags him to the couch. The teasing is lighthearted and pleasant, easily taking their minds off more serious matters, but Chris admits that he likes kissing even more. And so he decides to let their faux-conversation go for now.

She pulls him down onto the couch so they're sitting side by side, and she immediately latches onto his lips, picking up from where they left off last time.

She's eager, likely pent up in the same way he is. What happened at dinner left him wanting, desperately so. Maybe that was her plan all along, but he doubts that she expected him to retaliate, and now they're both ridiculously horny.

The kissing doesn't last long, as they're both far too desperate for release. Despite his edginess, Chris knows he has to repay Avery for what she did last time, and he has every intention of doing so now.

He breaks the kiss to trail his tongue down her neck. She gasps in surprise and then shivers as the cool air hits her skin. He mouths kisses on the nape of her neck, and then sucks gently along her collarbone.

"You're good at that." She sighs, obviously delighted. Chris grins as he continues to pepper kisses along her neck and collarbone, swiping his tongue occasionally as well for good measure. It's a taste of what's soon to follow.

He can't remember the last time sex was this exciting and not a chore. He doesn't think he wants to remember either; he wants to stay in this moment, be entirely focused on the woman in front of him now. He slides off the couch and kneels on the floor as he continues to mouth against her stomach, reaching her pelvis quickly.

"Wait, are you-"

"I never got to repay you for the night at the party."

Avery squirms, fingers opening and closing as if to push him away or pull him closer, like she can't make up her mind on what she wants to do.

"You don't have to."

"I know." Chris shrugs. "But I want to."

He hikes her skirt up slowly and places more open-mouthed kisses on her underwear. He can feel its lace on his tongue and lips; it's far too naughty for daily use, leaving him curious about its implication.

"Did you plan this?" He asks between quick licks.

Avery breathes quickly through her nose, clearly affected by his actions, but manages to maintain her composure enough to answer. "Not this."

"But you planned to ask me over tonight?"

She nods, and although it's hard to see in the dim lighting, he notes how her cheeks flush.

"Did you know that I would say yes?" He scoots her underwear to the side and swipes his tongue along her lips, stopping just short of her clit.

"I hoped." She breathes out, staring transfixed down at him, waiting with bated breath. He has nothing else to say now, though, as he's satisfied with her answer and the outcome.

He's such a hypocrite. Earlier in the week, he was on the fence about the morality of the whole thing, and now he desperately wants to make her squirm in the same way she forced him to earlier. Perhaps she's right; revenge is at the heart of this sex, but maybe it doesn't have to be a bad thing. He hasn't felt this invigorated in so long, perhaps she truly does understand a thing or two about extramarital affairs, and he should take a page out of her book.

That train of thought leads down dangerous roads, so he decides to forget about it for now. He has a bad habit of being in his head too much, and figures if anything can curtail such a thing, it ought to be the heat of the moment.

He lets his more primal instincts guide him as he tries to suppress the cautious and meticulous side of his personality. He doesn't know what he wants to get out of all of this in the grand scheme of things, isn't sure about how to enact revenge on his wife, or even if that's what all of this is. But he does, at the very least, know that Avery deserves a taste of her own medicine.

Chris latches onto Avery's clit and begins to suck gently, careful not to overstimulate her, though he's eager to dive straight into the action. He lets his left hand massage her entrance, rubbing soothing circles on her pussy, and can tell by the way that she's beginning to leak that she must feel similarly to him.

He continues to tease her entrance by letting his fingers roam about, but never delve deeper, saving that part for later. He caresses her entrance as he continues to worship her clit, alternating between sucking it and licking to see how she reacts.

Her breathing picks up pace every time he flattens his tongue out and slowly licks her from top to bottom. He watches her from his kneeling position on the floor and wonders if she's also having flashbacks to the other night at the party.

Avery throws an arm over her face to stifle a moan when Chris flicks the tip of his tongue against it.

He stills, not sure if he heard her correctly. He decides to do it again, and then again, as long as he continues to receive continuous positive reactions.

The house is eerily quiet, dark, and ominous. It's not lost on Chris that they could be caught at any moment; they don't have any privacy from her husband to speak of, far too exposed without a door and a lock to hide behind. But he's too focused to care, too preoccupied with the way Avery sighs and rolls her eyes back, eyelashes fluttering as she takes in the wonderful sensations that Chris's mouth provides.

He quickly flicks his tongue against her clit once more as he slowly sinks two fingers into her wet entrance, pleased by how easily they slide in. She's sufficiently worked up, squirming on the couch as she tries to control her body. It jolts and shivers without her permission, and she seems unable to stop it.

Chris idly wonders how she'd look with his cock stuffed in her. Would she be unable to contain her voice? Would they be caught then?

They're not out of the woods yet, seeing as she hasn't come. A problem that Chris feels should be rectified quickly.

Once again, they sadly don't have the luxury of time. Not with a witness sleeping peacefully upstairs. Once Avery is sufficiently adjusted, he hastens his pace.

He curls his fingers up and begins searching for her G-spot. He fumbles about at first, clumsy fingers shaking in excitement, prodding the wrong spots. But after a moment or two of fumbling about in the dark, Avery's voice pitches up as she cries out into her arm, and he knows that he's got her.

"Yes," she groans, arms still covering her mouth to muffle her voice. "God, you're so good at this." She laughs, a bit out of breath, "I shouldn't have let you leave after dinner."

Chris spits on his other hand and begins to massage her clit slowly as he speaks. "Would you have been the dessert?" He asks, voice gravely from arousal. Seeing her worked up so much has gotten his cock standing at attention, but he can't focus too much on that right now. He wants to learn Avery's body, enjoy it just as she enjoyed his the other night.

"You know it." Her head flops back onto the couch as her chest heaves. Chris notices the way that she grips the arm of the sofa, and smiles to himself as her entire body goes rigid.

He returns his mouth to her clit, swallowing her up and then swiping his tongue from side to side rapidly. He tries to pull out all the stops, every technique he's ever learned from his own sex life and porn to get this woman off.

He's not sure why, but he feels this odd desire to impress her. To leave her breathless and astonished. Perhaps it's his pride, but maybe it's something else entirely.

"Don't stop." She whispers, pleading with Chris, who has no intention of doing so. He leverages his fingers and massages her G-spot slowly, hoping to build the sensations on top of each other.

"God," Avery says, letting her head fall to the side as she continues to watch Chris with wide eyes.

"You're so wet." He murmurs between quick swipes of his tongue, saliva accumulating beautifully along her most sensitive spots. There's a slick sound that comes from every quick press of his fingers. She's thoroughly soaked, and it's glorious.

"Only for you." She murmurs between broken moans. She whines as he sucks hard on her clit, and her back goes rigid as her mouth falls open quickly.

"Yes!" She whispers harshly. "Right there, don't stop." Her chest begins to heave as her moans increase in tempo, becoming more desperate as her climax quickly approaches.

Her pussy tightens around Chris's fingers, threatening to cut off circulation from the force of the grip, but he pays it no mind. He thrusts further in, fingerfucking her in earnest as he dutifully sucks on her clit, mouthing rapid circles around it as he entices her to come.

Her hips jerk under his hold, but he remains steadfast. He grins as her body shivers and jerks.

"Please, please, please," she begs, moaning the words out like a silent prayer. Her mantra continues until she's only mouthing the words, no sound coming from her lips as she stares wide-eyed at the ceiling.

Her orgasm comes crashing down all at once as she lets out a final low whine. She gasps as her entire body quivers, and Chris has to physically fight to keep his mouth latched onto her pussy. "I'm coming! Fuck!" Her voice still comes out as a whisper, but has a bit more bass to it.

She spasms around his fingers as Chris rocks into her as fast as he can. He doesn't slow his pace, knowing he's found just the right spot and rhythm. He fucks her through it, staring into her now shut eyes as ecstasy washes over her.

"Ugh-" She moans as her body comes to a still, one final low groan escaping her lips as her eyes groggily open and refocus on Chris, who is now grinning up at her.

She looks thoroughly fucked out of her mind, hair sticking to her forehead at odd spots, the rest tousled beautifully. Chris blinks slowly, taking in her beautiful form, despite mainly being clothed.

She's never looked hotter, and the thought scares him a bit.

"Where'd you learn to use your tongue like that?" She asks, grinning cheekily at him and mirroring his expression.

Chris shrugs, chest swelling with pride at the compliment. "I get around."

"Your wife is one lucky woman, a damn shame she threw it away if that's what she's getting."

"A damn shame indeed." Chris chuckles as Avery giggles, chest still heaving from exertion as she comes down from her high.

Despite discussing his wife in such a context, he remains hard, enjoying the afterglow with Avery. He expected to feel more guilt, perhaps some anger or sadness, but instead he feels excited. Thrilled, even, at the prospect of Avery finding him suitable in any sense.

His heart doesn't twist in pain as they laugh at the prospect of his wife being so foolish. Instead, it soars, beating fast in excitement at the prospect of what's to come.

Perhaps he can get used to this arrangement after all.