Chapter Four: The RulesThey spent the rest of Sunday establishing boundaries

  Leena made a list on her ptop while Jack paced the living room, trying to articute what he was and wasn't comfortable with.

  "No kissing," he said. "On the mouth. That's too intimate."

  Leena typed. "Okay. What else?"

  "We stay together. In the same room. I need to be able to see you."

  "That makes sense."

  "And we can stop at any time. Either of us. If one of us says stop, everything stops."

  "Of course." Leena looked up at him. "Anything else?"

  Jack thought. "No solo dates. If we're doing this, we do it together. As a couple."

  "Agreed." Leena saved the document. "I'll send this to Rider and He. Make sure we're all on the same page."

  "When are we seeing them again?"

  "They invited us to dinner next Saturday. Just the four of us. Low pressure." She closed her ptop. "We don't have to do anything if you don't want to. We can just talk. Get to know them better."

  Jack nodded, though his stomach was already churning at the thought.

  The week passed in a strange haze. Jack went to work, processed insurance cims, had lunch with colleagues. Everything was normal on the surface. But underneath, he felt like he was living in a dream—or a nightmare.

  Leena seemed lighter. Happier. She hummed while cooking dinner, ughed more easily at his jokes, initiated sex twice that week. The sex was good—better than it had been in months. But Jack couldn't shake the feeling that she was thinking about someone else.

  On Wednesday night, as they y in bed after making love, Jack asked, "Are you thinking about him?"

  "Who?"

  "Rider."

  Leena was quiet for a moment. "Sometimes."

  The honesty hurt more than a lie would have. "What do you think about?"

  "Just... what it was like. How different it felt." She rolled toward him. "But I think about you too, Jack. More than anyone. You're my husband. That doesn't change."

  "Doesn't it?"

  "No." She kissed him softly. "This is just sex. Fun. Exploration. It doesn't mean anything deeper."

  Jack wanted to believe her. But as he held her in the darkness, he couldn't shake the feeling that something fundamental had already shifted between them.

  Saturday arrived too quickly.

  They drove to Rider and He's house in silence, Jack's hands tight on the steering wheel. Leena had dressed carefully—a blue dress that hugged her curves, heels that made her legs look endless. She looked beautiful. She always looked beautiful.

  "You okay?" she asked as they pulled into the driveway.

  "Fine."

  "You don't seem fine."

  "I'm fine, Leena." He turned off the car. "Let's just get this over with."

  Rider answered the door with a wide smile. "Jack! Leena! Come in, come in."

  The house smelled like garlic and wine. He appeared from the kitchen, wearing an apron over a tight bck dress. "Dinner's almost ready. Make yourselves comfortable."

  They sat in the living room, drinks in hand, making small talk. Rider asked about Jack's work. Jack asked about Rider's. It was all very civilized, very normal. Like they were just two couples having dinner.

  Except Jack couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in this house st week. Couldn't stop seeing He beneath him, couldn't stop hearing Leena's cries from the other room.

  "So," Rider said, leaning back in his chair. "Leena sent us your rules. We're good with all of them."

  "Good," Jack said stiffly.

  "Though I have to say, the no-kissing rule is interesting. Most couples don't care about that."

  "Well, we do."

  "Fair enough." Rider sipped his wine. "Everyone has their boundaries. The important thing is respecting them."

  He called them to dinner. They ate—pasta, sad, bread—and the conversation flowed more easily with food and wine. Rider told stories about his work, about clients he'd nded, deals he'd closed. He was charismatic, Jack had to admit. The kind of person who commanded attention without trying.

  And Leena was hanging on his every word.

  Jack noticed the way she leaned forward when Rider spoke, the way she ughed at his jokes, the way her eyes lingered on him. It made Jack's chest tight.

  After dinner, they moved back to the living room. More wine was poured. The conversation turned to the "lifestyle."

  "We've been doing this for about five years," He expined. "Started at a club in the city. Met some great people, had some amazing experiences."

  "What kind of club?" Leena asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.

  "A swingers club. Very exclusive, very safe. Everyone's tested regurly, everyone's vetted. It's not like what you see in movies—it's actually quite elegant."

  "Do you still go?"

  "Sometimes. But we prefer private parties now. More intimate." He gnced at Rider. "More control over who we're with."

  "That makes sense," Leena said.

  Jack said nothing. He just drank his wine and tried not to think about what was coming.

  Finally, Rider stood. "So. Should we move this upstairs?"

  Jack's heart hammered. "I don't know if I'm ready."

  "That's okay," He said gently. "We can just talk. Or we can do something low-key. Whatever you're comfortable with."

  "What's low-key?" Jack asked.

  Rider smiled. "How about we start with just watching? You and Leena can be together, and He and I will be together. Same room, but separate. No pressure to interact."

  Jack looked at Leena. She nodded encouragingly. "That sounds okay. Right, Jack?"

  It didn't sound okay. But Jack found himself nodding anyway.

  They went upstairs to the master bedroom. It was rge, with a king-sized bed and soft lighting. Rider dimmed the lights further, creating an intimate atmosphere.

  "You two take the bed," Rider said. "He and I will use the chaise."

  Jack and Leena sat on the bed, awkward and uncertain. Across the room, Rider was already undressing He, his hands confident and sure. She moaned softly as he kissed her neck, her colrbone, her breasts.

  "Don't watch them," Leena whispered, turning Jack's face toward her. "Watch me."

  She kissed him, and Jack tried to focus on her. On the familiar taste of her mouth, the familiar feel of her body. They undressed each other slowly, and Jack tried to pretend they were alone.

  But he could hear He's moans. Could hear the wet sounds of Rider fucking her. Could feel Leena's attention drifting toward them even as she touched Jack.

  They made love—slow, careful, quiet. Leena came, but it felt perfunctory. Like she was going through the motions. And when it was over, she immediately turned to watch Rider and He.

  They were in the middle of it—He on her hands and knees, Rider behind her, fucking her hard. It was raw, primal, nothing like the careful lovemaking Jack and Leena had just shared.

  "God, that's hot," Leena breathed.

  Jack felt something crack inside him. But he said nothing. Just y there, watching his wife watch another man fuck his wife, and wondered how he'd ended up here.