Children of a Lesser God

Chapter 762: The Surprise Invitation

Helen and Kelly got themselves ready and with Laz in tow, they dragged him to a rather nice restaurant that required additional payment, of which Helen was more than happy to pay. As they sat there eating and talking about lots of stuff that Laz was barely able to pay attention to, he noticed lots of other couples dining and enjoying their time as well.

Laz turned to the women and couldn’t help but ask,

"Doesn’t it feel strange to be on a couples cruise alone?"

The women looked at one another before turning back to Laz and laughing.

"Yes and no. Seeing everyone around here and being happy with their own spouses or significant others can make me feel a little jealous. But then again, they are happy in their relationship... at least right now they are. Maybe some of them are even pretending to be happy while secretly thinking about their lover or some hook up they had recently while hiding everything from the other person. What you see on the outside is not always what’s going on behind closed doors," Helen explained, while gesturing around her.

"My husband and I would always put on a good little show whenever we were out and about, or visiting with friends or family. Neither of us wanted to show the cracks that had been forming for a while and we didn’t want to deal with it either. This whole cruise was something I came up with... a last chance to see if it was worth fixing what had been broken for a long time. But like a shattered coffee cup, you can glue the pieces back together, bit by bit, even if it takes forever. But once broken, it can’t be fixed again," Helen then said, drinking down the glass of wine in front of her and signaling for another.

"As for me... I loved my boyfriend and at one point, thought we would be together forever. I would have my career and he would have his after college but we would always make time to travel, see the world, do everything we wanted together before we settled down and got married, start a family, buy a house, have a dog. There are lots of things I wanted to do in life... but after college was over, he didn’t even bother trying to find a job in his field. Instead, he just worked at the same bar he did during college, hitting on drunk college chicks and playing video games when he wasn’t going out with his buddies. I don’t even know if he cheated on me, but I was always sure he probably did. Still, I gave him time, thinking to my self, ’he just needs to get this out of his system. He was with me all four years during college and even before that in high school, so once he gets enough of this, he will finally move his life on.’ I thought that, but it never happened. A few years went by while I was moving up in my law firm while he just wasted his days at our apartment, doing nothing but waking up late after coming home late. I finally booked and paid for this trip as a way to get him out of his comfort zone, hoping that this would be a way for him to see how much more there is to life... and well.... you saw what happened. Lost his shit just because I wanted to do something a little more fun that he would allow. Well...maybe it’s my fault? Maybe I shouldn’t have set him up as the man in my own fantasy without really figuring out if that’s what he wanted. It was unfair of me. But at some point, when two people want different things and to live different ways..."

"They no longer can travel the same path. You’re totally right dear and shouldn’t feel bad about it. Were you wrong? Probably... but it isn’t wrong to dream. And besides, you’re still young enough to find what you’re looking for. Your life isn’t over until it’s over. And with that thought, that’s why I’m personally ok with being here. Even if I’m alone, I will enjoy every minute of it that would have been hell with him otherwise," Helen interjected before answering Laz’s question.

"Same. I wanted to do a cruise and while this isn’t exactly what I would have booked for myself... I don’t think I would have had the guts to come on a cruise by myself. So like Helen said, I’d rather be here alone then not here at all," Kelly added.

"That a girl. And besides, we’ve got a man whose not ours to keep us company and a handsome one at that. Life could be worse," Helen laughed and they began desert. With the check though, there was a surprise card waiting for them, one that Helen picked up and read.

"Desire something a little more fun? Diverse and varied interests? You’re not alone. Special members only gathering for those of distinguished taste. Event room two. Tonight at eight o’clock. And that’s all it says... OH... You must be joking..." Helen said as her eyes went wide before she starting laughing.

"What is it? Come on you... share the joke," Kelly said batting at the laughing Helen’s arm.

"It’s a swingers meet up. I only noticed the upside down pineapple after I got done reading. I heard they had gathering’s like this, but I wasn’t sure. My ex wanted to go more than once, but I didn’t trust him even then, either to be ok with other women or to not lose his shit at me for being with other men. And the key is the pineapple is on the ’2’ portion of the room. While there is something going on in event room two, the members only portion indicates that not everyone can join unless they know the secret," Helen said to both Laz’s and Kelly’s rapt attention.

"And that is?" Laz asked, not understanding.

"The ’2’ actually means ’5,’ hence why the pineapple was around it. You have to flip it around to know. So there’s a fun event happening at room two, but the real event will be in event room five," Helen explained while looking bright eyed at Laz.

"You wish to go?" Laz asked, seeing her face.

"Yep. Men can’t go alone though, that’s the rule. Otherwise there would be a ton of guys and not a lot of women. Women can go alone if they wish, but that doesn’t usually happen at this kind of thing. You don’t have to get busy with anyone you don’t want to though, my ex-husband used to stress that point when he was trying to get me to go along. In fact, he used to make it pretty clear that I wasn’t to do more than flirt. But you can still go and mingle with other couples. I’ve been interested ever since he brought it up, but like I said... wasn’t going to happen. Still... since he’s out of the picture... what do you think?" Helen said, practically tugging on Laz’s sleeve.

"I mean uh..." Laz said before turning to look at Kelly. But when he saw the look in her eyes, he knew that she wanted to go as well, especially after hearing that didn’t have to do anything more than talk to other couples if they didn’t want to.

"Yeah. Alright. Fine. I didn’t have any plans for tonight anyway. Although I did want to go to the makeup yoga class tomorrow..."

"Sure we will. I thought that was already decided. Oh. One other thing I should mention. They will probably have side booth areas set aside for those interested in experiencing one another, but due to the nature of the meetup, there might be times when people get in on in the main room. It’s frowned upon, but be warned. Also, there are times when some couples are invited into the side area’s to watch other couples. So just keep an open mind about these things and if you have an opinion, best keep it to yourself," Helen warned. While she hadn’t participated before, her husband had said a lot about it.

"Fair enough... I kind of want to watch another couple have sex... It sounds exciting. I’ve seen porn before, but watching it happen right in front of me..." Kelly said, before trailing off, her face bright red.

Laz then got dragged back to his room while the women went to get changed, again. ]

"Wearing a suit is probably a good idea... but best to not to make it your best suit. Things can sometimes be... messy. Just a casual but refined look is your best choice," Helen had advised before disappearing back into her room.

Laz was ready in a few minutes, wearing a long sleeved silver shirt and black slacks with a intricate elven belt that had come from his time with the elves. The silver patterns along the belt gave it the look of a vine wrapping around his waist. He then put on a leather bracelet that matched. It gave him a somewhat wild yet refined look, even if his other arm was still in a sling.

He was waiting outside when Helen and then Kelly joined him. They had traded their nice dresses for standard black dresses that showed off their curves along with some simple silver jewelry. While it wasn’t something they had talked about, the fact that they all kind of matched made them laugh for a long moment before Helen took one arm and Kelly took the other, making their way to event room number five.