The Power of the Ring, Ch. 08

This story is a continuation of the previous chapter. To better understand the context and situation, reading the previous entries are highly recommended.

***

She wasn't quite true to her word. She had told Vadim that they would be giving his expensive necklaces to their cabby as a tip. That was completely true. The cabby that stopped in front of the club and picked up the large bare-chested man and the seductively gorgeous woman clad only in a shirt was not only paid his fare but given one of the gold chains as a tip.

However, instead of going back to their room as she had said, they had their driver bring them a few miles away to the Hudson River. There, they spent time together walking in Hudson River Park, enjoying the view and the relative peace and quiet the middle-of-the night hour afforded them.

Finding a secluded and relatively dimly lit spot overlooking the water, they stopped walking. There, she put her hands on the railing and took in the view of the water and the city. He moved into place behind her, putting his hands just outside of hers and pressing his body up against her. She responded by pushing back contentedly into him. Both were silent and still for several minutes. His right hand then slid up her body to the front of his shirt that she wore. Quickly popping open a button, he slid his hand underneath the shirt and gently held his hand there on her upper chest at the top of her breasts. Her left hand came up and rested on top of his outside the shirt. With a subtle motion, she shifted his hand downward a bit, moving his hand fully down to the swell of her breasts, fingers beginning to wrap around the side of the left. She turned her head and pressed her cheek back into his bare chest, holding him there and breathing the scent of him in as deeply as she could.

Soon his other hand opened a button by her waist and slipped his hand under her shirt, dragging across her abs, and gripping onto her right side, wrapping her up in his arms. She brought one arm up to his broad shoulders, while the other found its' way into one of his pants pockets and worked close to his center until her fingers found his cock and moved it over into her fabric-covered hand. Neither continued to push the envelope. Instead, they stood there, only marginally in view of the late-night public, in close intimate contact and with neither saying anything.

For a while, the only sounds they focused on were the sound of the water on the pier nearby and the sound of their partner's breathing. "Do you feel better?" he finally asked her.

"Hmm?" she asked, unsure of what he meant.

"Back at the nightclub," he elaborated, "What happened there. It seemed like it was just something you needed to do."

"It just kind of... happened," she explained, "I really can't explain it." She glanced up to his face. "Do you think it was wrong of me?" she asked.

Before he could say anything, he subtly tightened his grip around her body. "No," he reassured her, "No, I don't. I don't know completely what to make of it, to be honest, but I don't think it was a bad thing. Not with a guy like that. It was a lot more than he deserved. And it was a lot less risky than any option I had to get us out of there."

"OK," she nodded, seeming to relax from a tension that had crept into her unawares, "I'm glad. Like I said... I didn't plan to do that. When he wouldn't leave me alone, I knew something had to be done. But when I got a glimpse into his mind..." Her words trailed off as she shuddered.

He nodded his agreement. "I feel the same way," he told her, "I don't know if I would have, though, until I saw what you saw."

"Really," she inquired, "You went along with a whole lot before you got the same picture I did."

"Well... you had a bit to do with that. You made sure I really had no interest at all in stopping."

"Yeah..." she answered with a touch of embarrassment, "About that... it just popped into my head and I just ran with it. I should have talked it over with you first. I'm sorry."

"No apologies necessary," he assured her, "I trust you completely. I just was in such a different head space then, I'm glad I didn't do anything you would object to."

She shook her head and pulled his arm tight to her to kiss it. "No," she told him, "You don't have to worry at all. Baby... I know you completely. Inside and out. I don't know a whole lot about everything, but in this regard, I'm kind of an expert. You don't have anything in you that could do something to me that you think would hurt me or upset me."

She broke from their embrace and turned towards him. "Back in the club," she said, "When I let you loose, you were like an animal. Like... literally."

She took his hands. "I'm not exaggerating," she insisted, "The thoughts racing through your head were just... primal. At the beginning, it really felt like I was trying to keep control of a rabid bear." She looked down at his feet for a moment. "But then," she said, "I realized something. You're not something I need to control. You love me. You. Love. Me. So then I let you go."

His eyebrow rose in confusion.

"You were a raging ball of hormones and instinct," Anna continued, "Like... the alpha male other alpha males submit to. And I felt guilty for a second, so I let you loose. And you didn't do anything."             

She brought his fingers to her mouth and kissed them. "For all that time," she continued, "You were either set to 'fight' or 'fuck'. And you were totally off the leash. But you never did anything bad or irresponsible. And even though you wanted to dominate that piece of trash -to show him not that you were the bigger dog, but that you were a giant wolf and he was a poodle -you didn't hurt him. You pleased me. Don't get me wrong... " she trailed off as she looked up at him with a delicious smile, "You fucking took what you wanted from me. But you gave me everything I wanted right back. Because every fiber of you is a good person at the core. And every part of you is totally in love with me."

He nodded in agreement. "I can't argue," he said, "I remember everything. And I did take exactly what I want from you. But there was never a time -never so much as a single stroke -where I wasn't thinking about you and making you feel just as good." She kissed his chest.

"But," he admitted, "If I'm going to be honest, some of the focus I had on making you feel good was because I knew that the better you felt, the better you'd make me feel."

She chuckled at his obvious admission. "Oh, that was pretty apparent," she said with a laugh at his expense, "But you made sure to take care of me while you... took care of me. It was like watching what a real alpha male is supposed to be. The strongest. The biggest. The most powerful and capable. And never having to show it off. Because everyone just knows. And never using all that power to hurt someone without needing to. Even though you can. You're just better than that. Even though you're clearly the dominant one, everyone is better off because you're there." It was time for an admission of her own.

"I actually thought it was really hot," she confessed.

Her blushing confession piqued his interest. "Oh really," he wondered, "Like... how hot?"

Her face flushed even more. "Really, really hot" she whispered, a smile on her face while she bashfully tried to hide her face in his chest. "Stupid hot. Like... 'cream my panties' hot."

He thought for a moment. "So," he mused, "If that's something that you like..."

She didn't wait for him to finish before she emphatically shook her head. "No," she stated, "No, I couldn't do that. I like you just the way you are."

He nodded his head as he locked eyes with her. "I know that," he assured her, "With every fiber of my being I know that. But we're in uncharted waters here. And we're going to be growing as people for a long while, I'd imagine. You know what's in me. You know who I am. And you can keep that."

He smiled as he gently kissed her forehead. "I'm fine with it," he reiterated, "Do it."

She hesitated. His hands firmly held her at the hips and rubbed her reassuringly. "I appreciate how you held reigns so the changes didn't go to my head at first," he said, "But it's more familiar to me now than I could have imagined. I think it's time you relax and let me step into this."

He felt the change in him subtly. Without realizing it, he squeezed her hips tightly in his hands, pulling her instinctively closer to him. He could feel the desire bubbling a bit more to the surface. The confidence becoming a bit more prominent. A sense of aggression swirling a bit more prominently below the surface.

"There," she said, "I think that's it. I think you better reflect how your body chemistry changed proportionally."

He raised his eyebrow, not quite picking up on what she was trying to communicate.

She reiterated. "I just made it so you're an accurate reflection of the overall increase in masculinity that you have, without having you deal with the massively increased levels that made it so you got to... " She gestured to his body as a whole.

"That."

He made a quick self-assessment. "I guess that's fair," he replied. The difference was almost unnoticeable, but was there if he looked for it. The best way Don could describe it was as if dust had been cleared off a lens. The picture was still the same. Still visible. Still clear. Just sharper and more defined, if you will.

But as he looked down at her, he did notice one thing. "A beard?" he asked as he raised a hand to his face. "Are you serious? You made me grow a beard?"

She began laughing uproariously. "You could cut it, if you want," she said, "And it's pretty short. I just wanted to try it out."

He continued to rub at the foreign objects now growing out of his face. "Do you like it?" he asked.

"Ummm... Yeah," she answered, blushing, and biting her lip seductively, "Yeah, I do."

He began to scratch his face idly. "I'll try to get used to it," he said, now laughing right alongside her, "I guess if I'm named after Thor now, a beard probably should come with the territory."

He punctuated his next sentence with a playful swat on her left ass cheek. "But next time, could you just ask me to stop shaving for a while? We can still do normal people shit, you know. Having it pop out like this is really itchy."

A short time later, the two hailed another cab. A short trip, a payment, and the last remaining gold chain handed over as a tip, and the two were back in their hotel. The in-room hot tub was discussed, but instead the two chose to take the time to enjoy the walk-in shower that adorned the other side of the suite's bathroom. By the time they got out, the order they placed from room service was waiting outside the door. Both still naked, they took the tray -and the assorted fruit and large carafe of water -that came on it and walked out to the balcony.

As the last traces of night loomed over the city, they spent time taking in the skyline, watching the cars far below, and gazing out beyond the city to the horizon. They set up the tray on the table next to the comfortable couch that was part of the tasteful patio furniture on the balcony. They both intended to spend their last remaining hours in the city -the last remaining hours of the vacation that changed their lives- in their room. Or, at least, on the balcony.

It had been an amazing week and a half. The best of their lives -maybe the best of anyone's lives. The two lovers wished to close out this first chapter of their new lives with no one but each other. Relaxing and decompressing. At least, in their own way.

The thought of an hours-long marathon anal sex session was discussed but eventually vetoed by both of them. Instead, they both wanted to be able to be face-to-face and eye-to-eye while they made love.

They'd have ample time to catch up on anal sex when they got home.

He sat on the couch, throbbing and erect, pre-cum running down his massive shaft. She walked up to him, one hand putting a grape from the room service tray in her mouth and the other reaching for the part of him that belonged inside her. She straddled him, putting one foot on the couch and opening her legs and displaying the creamy nectar that was now dripping from her lips. The remaining grape in her hand she fed to her lover as she fed her lover into her and slid slowly down to meet him.

As their bodies joined together and their pubic bones touched, they both felt truly complete. Over the past week and a half, the raw carnal lust had not abated. However, every time they coupled, the sense of connection -of completeness -had increased. They both exhaled at the same time.

Opened up and stretched out. Sheathed and buried.

And it. Felt. Right.

They both began to move with each other. Neither was in a hurry. Both would get where they wanted to go when they got there. However many times they got there. Naked and in the open air of the balcony in the middle of New York, neither was pursuing the glances of others.

If people saw them, they saw them. The eyes of others could avoid them or gaze directly at them, and it didn't matter to the pair joined as one on the balcony. Anyone who wanted to watch their lovemaking was more than welcome to do so and share in the experience.

It seemed so normal to them now. Their connection was no longer something intensely and hedonistically pleasurable that they both longed to experience. That was undoubtedly there, but as they moved deeply within and along the core of their lover, they both remarked to one another how much the act of love felt normal. It was slowly becoming their baseline. They had both noticed that the longer they spent physically disconnected from each other, the more they yearned to return and join together into one body.

Connected as the same flesh had rapidly become the time where all was right with the world and everything was as it should be. The two of them made into one body.

They enjoyed the feeling of flesh on flesh and the warm friction that slowly built between them as they made love. But along with their lovemaking, they talked. Joked. Laughed. Shared memories about their trip.

Ate.

Drank.

Kissed.

Came.

There on the couch they shared in the joyous reminiscence of their time away and explored with each other the fresh memories that would live in their hearts and minds forever. All while sharing in each other's bodies.

The time passed slowly. The first rays of dawn peeked out from beneath the horizon and the first rays of sunlight danced on the glass of the New York City skyline. During that time, the two lovers were sharing memories of their exploration of the rocks on the bay during their trip. The different types of geological formations. The animal life and plant life in the area. Don falling clumsily into the water when trying to climb out onto the rocks. Anna picking up a shell and being scared to shrieking when the legs of the crab within it popped out and wriggled.

Pauses in the conversation were made to laugh, to interject, to sip water, to eat some berries, or to ride out an orgasm. But, then the conversation continued. Neither one chased down their climax. It was allowed to slowly build and heighten the joy of the moment they shared, until the inevitable release allowed them to begin building up all over again.

The new day's sun was now pink and emerged from its' slumber. Still, their bodies rocked slowly together on the couch on the balcony. They talked about things that were gone forever from their old lives. Her inability to reach anything on the top shelf of their kitchen. His ability to buy any more clothes off the rack at a store. There was even talk of the next time they'd be able to take a vacation, and ideas for where they would go.

The sensation, the pleasure, the explosions of ecstasy all swirled around them wrapped up in an intimate close connection that gave them not a care in the world. As the light brightened into early morning, they spent time coupling while watching the city's awakening. The people walking out onto the street. The streetlights going out. The people pausing in their apartments and looking out their window at the man and woman making love on the balcony.

They snuck occasional glances at the nightstand clock in the room, which was visible from the balcony. The time was approaching where they would have to leave to catch their plane. The time came to disconnect from one another to take a shower. Both opted to forego a shower.

If they smelled like sex, they smelled like sex. Because the type of sex they smelled like was enticing to anyone around to notice it.

As their time slowly drew to a close, he latched onto each of her nipples in turn, draining them of every drop of milk. She knew his excuse that he was just trying to 'make sure she didn't get uncomfortable' was a blatant lie -her body's milk production was never too much nor too little. She didn't offer a note of complaint, as she celebrated in the sensations his sucking and licking of her nipples was giving her, and gave herself willingly to the breast orgasms he gave her. Her squeezing and massaging of his cock never allowed his current state of arousal to relax and, after he was done nursing, each was able to enjoy the coaxing of one more, intense, leisurely orgasm from the other.

As they uncoupled from one another, she sank to her knees and sucked his cock clean, while rubbing the copious amounts of cum that spilled forth from her blissfully satisfied pussy all over her body. She took a silent pride in her magical craftsmanship.

Her husband pumped out a ridiculous amount of cum. And all of it tasted wonderful and moisturized her skin. If it wouldn't have been so comically self-congratulatory, she would have given herself a pat on the back. Once she drank a final orgasm from him and finished cleaning his mighty cock, she decided to pat herself on the back anyway.

She and her husband shared a long laugh when she explained to him what she was doing.

Their suitcases were hastily packed and each were cursorily dressed. She was silently thankful again as she slipped on another tight dress and took a sidelong glance into the mirror. No makeup. No bra. No underwear. Just a beautiful face and a wet-dream of a body. She indulged herself a momentary lack of humility.

Damn she looked good.

But this time she had her husband to thank. He had granted her the body she'd always dreamed of -and then some.

He enjoyed his pat on the back with a snorting chuckle. Before he could return the favor to her, she delivered the congratulatory gesture once more to herself as she watched her naked husband dress.

Damn she does good work.

They left the hotel laughing, smiles bright and wide on their faces, and hand in hand. Feeling satisfied, invigorated, and incredibly, amazingly, alive.

And, as they spoke about several hours prior, they slept -he leaning against the wall of the plane and she snuggled in his large, enveloping arms -the whole plane ride home.

***

They returned to the home that they'd never been to. The one that they moved into and had decorated and furnished, yet never seen before. The home that they had made memories in that weren't -yet were -real.

Once they walked through the front door, shut it behind them, and put down their bags, the cognitive dissonance stopped them in their tracks. They knew exactly what it would look like -every nook and cranny. But they were seeing those old memories for the first time.

Room by room, they walked through the house that they had painstakingly crafted into a home that they had never yet set foot in. Everything was just where they left it. Where it should be.

If they had ever been there in the first place.

Neither spoke a word until they both sat down on the couch in the living room. "This is... " he said, trailing off as he thought for the right word.

"Weird." She said, completing his sentence for him.

He looked at her and chuckled. "I couldn't have said it better myself," he said with a smile.

The silence crept back. They both looked around the living room of their home, still trying to get used to the fact that they were there due to magical manipulation of reality. That almost everything they knew had changed to some degree, and that they were the only people who remembered.

She turned towards him and comically offered her hand to him to shake. "Anna," she greeted her husband.

He laughed and returned the salutation. "Don," he said, "Nice to meet you." She smiled at him.

"Nice to meet you as well," she replied, "Wanna fuck?"

Both exploded in laughter, which seemed to ease the confused tension. They both seemed to relax after that, grabbing their luggage and bringing it upstairs to their room. "Well," he quipped as they both walked up the stairs, "If nothing else, it's nice that these suitcases feel so much lighter." "Tell me about it," she agreed as she easily moved the large suitcase up the stairs behind her husband, "Before we left, I was totally gonna have you take this back upstairs for me."

They returned to the familiar brand-new confines of their bedroom. They took it in with different eyes now. It was a fairly large master suite. The walk-in shower and oversized tub were an expense that was well worth the price they paid. The floor plan of the bedroom allowed a good amount of space for moving around, with the bed on one wall, a loveseat on the opposite wall, and a huge walk-in closet taking up one side of the room. It was nothing overly extravagant, but it was clear that they put the most effort into the room that they would value the most.

The bed wasn't much larger than the one they had in their old home before they got ahold of the ring. The bed frame, however, was now solid wood and much sturdier. Even though he knew he had never experienced it or set eyes on the bed before, he distinctly remembered how he would always curl up his large frame diagonally across the bed and tangle up his legs with his wife's. He couldn't help but notice that he had found his nights spent in that position ever since the ring changed their lives. He found that the more of his flesh touched the flesh of his beloved, the better they both slept.

She hopped and bounced into a seated position on the bed. "Yup," she confirmed, "Pretty comfy. Sturdy frame."

"It better be," he commented, "For the amount of payments we have left on the damn thing."

He moved the suitcases over to the hamper but, before he could open them, she called out to him. "Nope," she said, "Uh-uh." She got up from the bed as he looked at her with bewilderment.

"Even though we've technically 'been living here'", she explained, "This is still our new home and a new life. So, I'm instituting new house rules." She motioned to him.

"Strip," she ordered.

"Huh?" came his puzzled reply.

"You heard me," she chided back at him, "Lose the clothes. I'm not going to have a sex goddess in the same house as a sex god and be covered by clothes." As she explained this, she kicked off her sandals and lifted her dress over her head, getting completely nude in the blink of an eye.

"I," she said, gesturing at her absolutely magnificent body, "Look fucking amazing naked. And you are absolutely delicious without clothes." By this time, he had already begun to take off his shirt. "And there's no reason," she continued, "That I shouldn't get to look at the body that makes me so wet whenever I damn well please."

"Agreed," he confirmed with a smile as his pants fell to the floor. Both were now completely naked and standing before each other. He took in a breath as he felt himself engorge and point at the object of his desire.

"Now look at this," she said, gesturing to the huge, leaking cock sticking out powerfully from his body, "How would I have known you need attention if you had your clothes on?"

A loving smile spread across her face as she walked towards her lover. "My baby has needs," she purred as her hands came into contact with his body, "And remember we discussed this: My body was made to satisfy your needs. And your body was made to satisfy mine." She slowly wiped a finger into the folds of her pussy. Glistening and wet, she brought them to her man's lips, where he hungrily sucked them clean. "What do you think," she asked playfully, "Do you think that I have some needs that you need to attend to?"

He smiled and -in a flash of movement -picked her up in his arms. His smile grew bigger and more playful as he briefly made eye contact with her. Then, he swung her body backwards and then reversed direction and threw her towards the bed.

She yelped as she felt herself fly no less than ten feet through the air before she hit the bed with a bounce. Her frightened cry turned to uproarious laughter as she realized that -while flinging her such a big distance, he still retained enough strength and control to assure that her landing was as gentle as possible.

Before she could say anything, her husband exploded into the air, powerful legs carrying his huge frame the same distance until he landed with a thud on the bed, bouncing her body back up into his.

"Oh, wow," she quipped as she felt her body open up and welcome his inside, "I can see why we spent so damn much money on that sturdy bed frame." They laughed together until their lips met. Her legs and arms locked around him driving him in rhythm into her as his hips took care of both of their needs.

For the first actual time, the two lovers shouted each other's new names as they cried out their release laying on the bed that would host countless hours of lovemaking in the future.

Now they both were properly starting their new lives. Now they were both finally home.

***

The two spent the next several days trying to fit into a life that already had its' own routine and sense of normalcy. Just not one they had ever actually been privy to. One of the largest things that eased that transition was the memories of the reconstructed reality that already lay within their minds.

Working their way through the everyday of their new life together was often a matter of calling upon the experiences that they remembered, yet never actually had. They utilized them as a guidepost and -almost without exception -found them to be the habits and routine and day-to-day aspects of life that made the most sense. Soon, it began to seem as if the old memories that existed in their minds-the ones created by actual experiences the two lived in the part of their lives before the ring -became increasingly foreign.

Both had to admit, upon settling into their new daily lives, they were immeasurably happier and closer to one another. A normal day consisted of waking and showering together. Breakfast was prepared by whoever felt most inclined to do so. On days that he wasn't working directly with a client, they spent their time at their office and rode to and from work together. At the company's site, they both shared an office. It was modest in size but left enough room for their desks, their files, and a comfortable couch by a coffee table in the corner. They both had a set agreement where they would make love in the office at least once per week.

Lunch in their life prior had never been a spectacular affair. It was the meal most likely to be forgotten and most likely to be eaten alone or in a rush. Now, whenever their lunch times found them together, they opted to forego food. Instead, they took advantage of the magic imbued within themselves and nourished the other with their bodies. They normally sat together, she on his lap, as he held her tight and drank from her breasts. She, in turn, would take him into her mouth and suck him dry, enjoying the interconnectedness they shared during oral sex to experience an orgasm along with him.

Most evenings found the two back at home. Dinner was typically eaten after they enjoyed a workout together at the home gym they had built within their 3 car garage. It left no room for vehicles inside, however it was a small price to pay for privacy. They could work out without any prying eyes on them. No one to unrepentantly oogle her tight, voluptuous body. No one to marvel at the fact that he was lifting weights that were in excess of currently-held world records. In addition, any gym clothes were appropriate gym clothes -even none at all. And there was no spot in the entirety of their gym that was not acceptable fuck in, on, or around, whenever the mood took them.

Winding down at night was similarly done together. Typically, the two would watch a movie or read a book. However, it was almost always done naked and on a chair or couch, joined together as one person. That form of relaxation was leisurely in pace and a gradual slow burning way to decompress from the day when needed. They both came when they came and finished their day in calm, serene, contentment.

It was almost unthinkable now to them to not spend at least some time every day connected to each other. Both had taken to referring to the gradual, leisurely sex they had while doing something else as their 'recharge time'. She just didn't feel the same unless she was stretched and full and warmed from the inside. He just didn't feel the same unless he was nestled in the hot, tight, wet depths of his bride. They both joked that they would stay joined together constantly if they could. However, there was a significant amount of truth in that statement. More than once, they had found that they both went to sleep naked and snuggled together -as normal -only to find that they had coupled their bodies together during the night. And almost every time this happened, the discovery only assured that they wouldn't be uncoupled from one another for some time.

The temptation to isolate from the rest of the world was great. The eruptive intensity of their lovemaking combined with the ever-deepening connection it forged between them could not be matched by anything else anywhere. And for the first few days, both were admittedly hesitant to talk in-depth with any friends or family members from their old life. Satisfying love life aside, both were more than a bit intimidated by the changes that had been made in the world around them and the doubts about how seamlessly they'd integrate with those who had been closest to them. Whether or not those they cared about the most would relate to them the same way now that their lives had been changed -and all the surrounding reality along with it -had been the elephant in the room since their plane lifted off to head home.

The first person they tested that with was Brigit -easily the two's best friend. Brigit had known the couple for several years, and the three had become so close they were practically family. They first met when the lovers -long before they were known as Don and Anna -were just recently married and living in their first apartment together. Brigit lived two doors down from them and, at the time, was herself freshly divorced.

Brigit was a few years older and had brought herself up from a bad childhood. A ward of the state, she spent much of her youth moving from home to home, only knowing true stability when she met someone, fell in love, and married young. The marriage -for several reasons -didn't last and, in the years following her divorce from Mike, her first husband, she would express more than a little regret at the emotional immaturity on both their parts that ended their marriage. However, once the three friends first met, it wasn't long before they bonded over many shared mutual interests, the anxiety and excitement of their new chapters in life, and their close physical proximity to one another. The three quickly grew close, often finding themselves spending the evening together in one apartment or the other several nights a week, doing anything from watching movies, eating, or talking.

Their friendship remained strong when each of them moved away from the apartment complex. Brigit was known and well-liked by the families of her two best friends. Friends of one of the three became friends of all. In much the same way, the not-yet Don and Anna always tried to be as supportive as possible in Brigit's relationships. When a new man entered her life, dates were often doubled, and time spent in each other's company as three people transformed into time spent as four.

Inevitably, the two would be the ones Brigit would turn to for comfort after each failed relationship. On at least one occasion, she sought help from her friends to enable her to leave a situation that had become toxic and abusive. On the opposite side of things, Brigit found herself the prime confidant in the couple's relationship and would often lend a listening ear whenever the couple's lives together hit a rocky patch. Brigit was often the calm and loving voice that enabled another perspective to be considered and hurts to be healed long before they turned into scars. Each of the three, in turn, cared about the happiness of the others just as much -and sometimes even more so -as their own.

Which is why Don and Anna were a bit disappointed when they met their friend for dinner. The three got together on the weekend after Don and Anna returned from their life-altering trip. They sat down at a table in the Thai restaurant they three went to often. However, for the past several months, they had almost always attended as four people. Jared, Brigit's boyfriend, was conspicuously absent.

Hugs were exchanged with pleasantries as the three sat down. Obligatory small talk was made as drinks and orders were taken. Before any inquiries could be made about Jared's absence, however, it was Brigit who began to ask questions.

"OK," she began, "Enough of the chit-chat. How was your trip?"

"It was wonderful," Don replied.

"It was amazing," Anna agreed, "It was totally worth all the work it took to go."

Brigit beamed with a smile of shared happiness. "So," she said, "I know you brought pictures."

And that's when the reality of the situation hit Don and Anna. Before coming to dinner, both understood that the details of their trip couldn't be shared. Magic rings and ascension to sexual godhood were in and of themselves preposterously unbelievable, to say nothing about the incidental warping of reality to facilitate a seamless transition into the new phase of their lives.

They both knew that details would have to be generic and vague. The two had even spoken about some of the stories they would tell in lieu of the truth. But the fact that neither took a single picture on their once-in-a-lifetime trip was something that hadn't crossed their minds. Until that moment.

Not to mention so much of their trip was spent fucking that any pictures they took would more likely than not be for private viewing only.

"Uhhh..." Don stammered, thinking on his feet, "We brought a camera in our carry-on and it must have gotten banged around when we hit some turbulence during the flight. Once we got there, the damn thing didn't work."

"So... what..." Brigit countered with a gently chiding smirk, "You forgot about your phones?"

"Kinda," Anna replied. Which, of course, was completely correct. Upon becoming walking embodiments of sexual power on earth, screaming past all limits of human orgasmic bliss, and pouring gallons of bodily fluids into one another in uncounted hours-long sessions of passionate, wet, explosive lovemaking, taking a picture of sand and water came in a far distant second place.

"Neither of our phones had any service," she explained weakly, "And we didn't have any real place to put them when we went to the spa or the beach, so we eventually just forgot about them. They stayed in a pocket of one of our suitcases for most of the time there."

"Unbelievable," Brigit laughed, throwing up her hands in playful frustration, "How am I gonna live vicariously through you guys if you can't be bothered to take a single picture?"

"Well, we do have some," Don observed. He produced his cell phone and was able to show Brigit the sparse handful of pictures he had taken upon their initial arrival at the resort. He would have had no recollection of them at all had he not gone back and looked a few days before and confirmed that the one or two pictures that included he or Anna now showed their new bodies instead of the ones they began the journey with.

Still, he was able to show the dozen or so pictures to Brigit in order to give her an idea of where they stayed. The few pictures -taken over less than 45 minutes of total time -showed a few views of their room, one or two of the other features and buildings at the resort, and a handful of photos of the view off of their balcony.

Sparse and incomplete though it may have been, it was enough to satisfy Brigit's curiosity until after their food had arrived at the table.

"The room looked really beautiful," Brigit mused in between bites of rice, "I'm guessing you probably didn't leave it for at least a day or so."

Anna nodded. "You'd be right about that," she agreed, "But unfortunately, way too much of that time was spent passed out and napping."

Brigit shrugged in response. "Nothing wrong with that," she countered, "I'd love to be able to take a nap somewhere I could have the window open and breeze blowing off the ocean."

"Well," Don observed, "You won't have to wait all that long. You and Jared are going on that cruise in a few months, right?"

He suppressed a yelp as he finished the sentence, taken by surprise by Anna kicking him under the table. He'd always been somewhat obtuse when it came to certain things, but apparently his bride had already deduced the reason for Jared's absence at dinner without it ever being mentioned.

"Yeah..." Brigit hesitated, "That's probably not going to be happening..." Her fork began to idly toy with her food as Anna reached out and took Brigit's hand in hers.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," she said. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Brigit shrugged. "Not much to tell," she offered, "Things just... didn't work out. The writing was on the wall for the past month or so."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Don said, "Did you two have a falling out? That is -if you don't mind me asking."

"No, not at all," Brigit replied, a note of appreciation for her friend's concern in her voice, "I just wish I could give you two a better answer. It just... ended. Our hearts weren't in it anymore. I can't really explain it better than that."

"That really sucks," commented Anna, "How are you going to handle cancelling your trip? Are you gonna be on the hook for any of the money?"

Brigit nodded. "Yup," she affirmed, "All of it. We got a great deal and were able to save even more by paying in advance. But you don't get a deal like that on a refundable ticket. Best I could be able to do is put it off a year."

Don's eyes widened. "Oh, shit," he muttered, "I'm so sorry, darlin'".

Brigit brushed him off casually. "It's not all that bad," she confessed, "Jared actually paid me back for a good portion of it."

Don's saddened shock turned into a pleasant surprise. "Wow," he mused, "That was pretty good of him, at least."

Brigit nodded. "It totally was," she agreed, "Like I said... he's a good person. And we didn't get in a fight, or anything. We were just too different. We tried to make it work, but we eventually we realized we were trying too hard to make the relationship viable. When we discussed the trip after we agreed to go our separate ways, we both agreed we probably sprung for the cruise because we realized somehow our relationship was failing."

Anna nodded, "I can see how that might happen," she said.

"Yeah," Brigit mused, "But it's good. I let him keep a lot of the things we bought together. He helped cover some of the cost of the trip. And I end up getting to go on a vacation still. It's gonna be kind of a downer being solo... but I think 7 days in the Caribbean is a good enough consolation prize." Don and Anna were happy that their friend's comments ended with what appeared to be a genuine smile on her face.

Still, she changed the subject. "So back to what we were talking about," Brigit diverted, "We can talk about my future vacation later. You just got back from yours. So, spill it. What else did you two do?"

"Well, Anna managed to spring for an overnight boat rental," Don began. He was silenced by another kick to his shins from his wife.

"Wow," Brigit exclaimed, "You had a boat to yourselves for a whole night?" Don only nodded, realizing the metaphorical door he had probably opened with his comments. It wasn't more than a second before Brigit metaphorically walked right through it. "That sounds awesome!! What did you two do??"

They fucked. They fucked so many times. They came. They had so many orgasms they lost count. That night was spent exploring their new bodies and hedonistically reveling in the fact that their climaxes were magically intensified beyond what any human had ever experienced. And that every orgasm would be better than the last. In just that night alone, their climaxes had been so frequent and often that they put a great deal of distance in the intensity of the orgasms they began the night with and the orgasms they ended it with.

So much distance. So... so much distance.

It was Anna who decided to detour around the truth of their night by steering into the reality of it. "If we're being honest," she stated, "We headed out off the coast, laid anchor in the dark away from harbor lights, and fucked until we couldn't fuck anymore."

"Mmm," Brigit mused, "That sounds absolutely fantastic."

All three had long since opened up enough to one another that they could talk without much embarrassment about their intimate life. Later on, Don and Anna would both comment on the ease of discussing sex after the ring had changed them. Sex had almost no taboo to it, and was as perfectly natural to talk about in depth as it was to speak of eating or sleeping. However, at this particular time, both Don and Anna were just grateful that Brigit as more than willing to assume that the end of their lovemaking on the boat was caused by fatigue, as opposed to running out of night.

"So, what else did you guys do on your trip," Brigit continued, "Besides each other?"

Anna shrugged. "Nothing overly exciting," she lied, "A lot of relaxing. Walking on the beach and swimming in the ocean. We did a little bit of sightseeing. Honestly, we enjoyed the fact that we could slow down because there wasn't an abundance of things to do."

"What about the spa," Brigit asked, "The pictures you showed me of the spa area looked beautiful."

"He did schedule a couple's massage," Anna replied. To her credit, she didn't flinch a bit when her husband now took his turn to kick her under the table -potentially a little bit too eager to administer his bit of turnabout.

"Ooooh," Brigit remarked at Don, "How was that? I'm guessing by the looks of it that the spa was more high-end with a lot of stuff you could do."

"It was one heck of a massage," Don responded, editing the truth significantly, "And they had a therapy pool we got to use for a bit afterwards. Kind of like a glorified hot tub."

"Sounds nice," Brigit replied as Don was grateful no more questions were posed about what happened during the massage or in the pool.

The conversation paused for a bit. "Sounds like you had a relaxing trip," Brigit summarized, "A bit lame, maybe... but relaxing." All three chuckled a bit at that and the conversation segued into things Don and Anna could actually talk about -sights they saw, details about the food, or the amenities of the resort. She even was curious about their lay-over in New York. However, once they explained that they tried going to a club, but had a bad experience with an asshole and decided to go back to their room because they were both tired, Brigit seemed to be satisfied with that answer.

By the time that dinner was over, the three all felt that they had adequate time to catch up. In addition, the lovers also were glad they could provide what appeared to be the first diversion their friend had had since her breakup. All exchanged goodbyes and were on their way home before 10.

On the way back home, the two lovers' main topic of discussion was the ending of their best friend's relationship. First and foremost, both were incredibly saddened by Brigit's breakup. She truly was a wonderful woman, but she was also one that had more than her share of disappointments, many of which weren't her fault. She had been so happy initially, however neither Don nor Anna could deny the fact that -in hindsight -they both saw that Brigit and Jared's relationship had been running out of steam. Neither of them could argue the fact that they wanted what was best for their friend, but neither could ignore the fact that she seemed to have been steering rudderless in her life for some time.

Neither of them ever met Mike, Brigit's ex-husband. However, they both saw the toll her divorce took -especially as their friend grew and matured and came to grips with the fact that she herself played a part in the failure of what could have been a happy relationship. Though once Brigit had moved beyond her divorce, her personality eventually blossomed and she developed into a vibrant outgoing and engaging person.

Who seemed to be in a rush to 'undo' the 'mistakes' that led to her divorce. As a result, she seemed to be a person who flip-flopped between being too hesitant to commit, or committing too easily. Don and Anna, throughout the years, had watched good people drift away from their friend, as well as bad influences be allowed too close of an access or -in the case of an abusive relationship -any access at all.

Still, neither Don nor Anna ever judged Brigit. That aspect of her life caused her enough grief on her own without her best friends contributing to it. Regardless, they both realized that their happy and healthy marriage -although rooted in love and backed by hard work -had more than its' share of luck and serendipity as factors in its' success. Now even more so. Their love for Brigit was -and always would be -non-negotiable and constant regardless of the ups and downs in her life.

Even though they still wished nothing but ups for her.

The two got home, parked their car, and walked in the front door. They both had agreed to clean up and head to bed early upon getting home. Sex, as always would take care of itself. As they both walked up the stairs to the second floor, it became apparent that sex would be taking care of itself sooner, rather than later.

He went to the bathroom to get a drink of water and, no sooner than he did so, he heard his wife urging him to come to the bedroom. He saw her by the window, which she had just opened to let in a cool night breeze. As soon as he walked in, he noticed that she had turned off the light he himself had just turned on. Before he could ask anything, she put a finger to her lips to shush him and beckoned him to the window.

He was able to see them fairly clearly. Out the window, he could see across the street and into the bedroom window of their neighbors on the opposite side. Their neighbors -a couple several years older than themselves that they were friendly with named Pete and Erin -were visible through their window and backlit by a light in their own room. They were both laying down on the bed naked, Erin sitting astride her husband and riding him. In the distance, Don was able to hear, faintly, moaning from the couple who obviously had their bedroom window open as well.

He felt Anna's hand idly rubbing his arm as she watched the couple across the street. "They're making love," she said blissfully.

Don nodded sarcastically. "Yup," he agreed, "That's most definitely what it looks like."

She playfully swatted him on the arm. As she began to reply, her hand drifted down his front and began expertly undoing his belt. "It's so beautiful," she commented, moving on to unbutton her husband's pants, "Let's join them."

His eyebrow raised. "Do you mean like-"

Anna interrupted. "No," she clarified, "I'm not talking about going over there. But let's watch them while we fuck, too." It took her a few seconds to move his underwear down around the growing appendage that was enthusiastically responding to her suggestion.

"Do you think that's appropriate?" he asked. Her actions provided much of the answer he was looking for, as she shed her own clothes.

"Baby," she cooed, "What's the harm? They're obviously enjoying themselves. And what they're doing is beautiful and sweet and wonderful." She grinned as her eyes flashed with their familiar golden light. "And it's going to be amazing for them," she added.

As he asked her what she meant, he noticed the volume and intensity of the jubilant vocalizations across the street become noticeably louder. "This is gonna be the best sex of their lives," she added with a smile. She walked up to the window of their darkened room and leaned forward, presenting herself to her husband. "And we're gonna share it with them," she added.

She looked back at him and gave her ass a little wiggle, showing off how wet she had become by displaying the small droplets of her slippery, delicious nectar that were freely flowing from her. He, too, had started dripping, a small yet steady stream of pre-cum was flowing from the tip of his erect hard cock.

"Now," she said with a wink, "Get in here. Come home where you belong. Do what you were made to do." He was helpless. He couldn't even hope to argue with her. He did belong in her. And he was made to satisfy her amazing body, just as she was made to coax every drop of liquid ecstasy from him. And her body... Her body was his home.

He took an exaggeratedly wide stance to bring his hips down where they needed to be and sank deep within her. Impossibly deep as only he could go. And she gripped him in return with a level of sensual perfection that only she was capable of. He reached around her and grabbed her breasts. As his hands found purchase on her body, she flexed her toes into the carpet and grabbed onto the window. They both steadied themselves for what was to come.

Exerting his will, he ensured that the magic within them would not allow their sounds to leave the room. She stretched out on her own and focused their vision on the sight before them. Coaxed unknowingly by the magic from their neighbors across the street, Pete and Erin shared an intensity of passion that they had never known before. On the opposite side of the street, Don and Anna watched as they themselves made love. Explosions of wet euphoria ripped through their bodies again and again as they watched joyfully at that act of love being expressed physically by their neighbors. Although he wouldn't have thought as much when they started, Don found himself eventually becoming as caught up and blissful and invigorated as Anna and found that the sharing -in some small way -in the physical bliss of another brought a new sense of wonder to their lovemaking.

When Pete and Erin -exhausted and fully satiated by the best sex of their lives -drifted off to sleep, Don and Anna came down from their own triumphant and intense joining and walked directly into bed. He lay down on his back and, before his head even hit the pillow, he knew what his wife silently needed. As she crawled into bed, he guided her on top of himself. She sank down on him all the way to the hilt and nestled down on his chest. She fidgeted for a moment before she found a comfortable position. He pulled the blanket up over them both. As soon as he did so, they were asleep in moments. He on his back, his huge erection lost inside her welcoming body, she clinging to him and contentedly impaled on his shaft. They slept there as one person, soundly, deeply, contentedly, and unmoving.