"So, Lisa, this is your first dare," Natalie said. "You will go out in public in a short skirt, with no underwear."
My wife Lisa and I were dumbfounded. We stared at Natalie, our therapist. We had started seeing her for couples therapy a month ago.
"Why?" I asked, squirming on the couch.
"Well, Paul," Natalie said, leaning back in her leather chair. "We've discussed your jealousy quite a few times. This scenario will let you explore if that jealousy is always a bad feeling."
"But what's in it for me?" Lisa asked.
"What's in it for both of you," Natalie said, "is getting back to uncharted territory in your relationship. The reason why everything feels so exciting and fresh early on when two people meet, isn't just novelty. It's the uncertainty. You don't know what this person will do tomorrow, let alone the next second. If you can get some of that unpredictability back into your lives, I promise you sparks will fly."
"So are you really going to do this?" I asked as Lisa stood in front of her wardrobe. We had just come home from our surreal appointment with Natalie.
Lisa bit her lip and looked at me. "I don't know, Paul. It's embarrassing. What if someone sees me?"
"We could just let it go," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "Quit therapy and try to work things out on our own."
"We have tried, Paul. But we both know it's not working. We have to do this, if not for us, so for the girls."
I shrugged. Our girls. Nothing was more important than our two little daughters. So we had to try everything to save our marriage.
Lisa bit her lip nervously, her eyes scanning the array of clothes in front of her. Finally, she pulled out a red minidress that barely covered her ass and slipped it on. "I guess I'm really doing this," she said, turning to face me.
We left the house and made our way to a busy shopping district. Lisa still had panties on under that short dress. Her big curvy ass looked really something.
"OK, remember Natalie's instructions," Lisa said to me. "Stay fifty yards away at all times, do not interfere or talk to me."
"Understood," I mumbled.
"Here we go," Lisa said and slid her panties down and put them in her purse. Then she stepped out of the car and walked towards the shopping district. I trailed behind her, my eyes glued to her swaying hips. My cock twitched in my pants as I watched men turning around to check out Lisa's ass. I could hear their murmurs and whistles, and a pang of jealousy shot through me. I had never felt so vulnerable.
As Lisa walked down the busy street, she began to get bolder. She swayed her hips more, flaunting her curves.
She moved with a new air about her, almost as if Natalie's audacious task had set her free. It was like watching a bird let out of its cage for the first time...terrified but exhilarated. Watching from a distance, unable to talk, to touch... God, it was a form of torture. Each man's glance, each passing whistle, it was a punch to my gut.
I watched, my heart racing, as she walked along the shopping street.
There she was... Lisa. My Lisa. In that damned short dress. On any other day, any other circumstance, I’d have savoured the sight. But not today. Today, it was a dare. A twisted game in the name of therapy. A catalyst to uncover jealousy I didn't need to be reminded of.
And then a man came up to her. Someone she must have known from before, maybe an ex? My jealousy flared up stronger than before.
When we came back to therapy the next day, Lisa and I sat far from each other on Natalie's couch.
"So, tell me about your little dare!" Natalie peeked at us over the rim of her glasses.
Lisa blushed and picked at a piece of lint on her dress. "I don't think Paul enjoyed it."
"Let's hear from you first, Lisa," Natalie continued. "We won't interrupt you."
"Well, it was the strangest feeling at first. Walking down the street, feeling the absence of underwear. It was as if I was a totally different person at first. But then I noticed how men were looking at me, especially when they thought I wasn't looking. When I knew they were looking, I almost felt tingly. It's so embarrassing, but I almost liked it. It's like they were undressing me with their eyes and I could do nothing about it."
I leaned forward and clenched my fists. "But then you met that man. Tell her about that."
Natalie waved her hand. "Before we get to that, Paul, I want you to put into words how you felt. What you thought. When you saw your wife and that other man?"
"I was jealous," I said. "I was terrified. If I had been by her side I would have punched that guy out and taken Lisa home."
"So you were jealous," Natalie said. "Why?"
"Well, I guess knowing she had no panties on. That she was bare under that short dress. And so close to another man."
"OK, back to you, Lisa," Natalie said. "What was your experience?"
"I heard someone call my name. So I turned and saw Roy coming up the street. He was a guy I worked with before, back when I was teaching. And I almost panicked. I was so focused on the dare, and hadn't expected bumping into someone who knew me. He started chatting. How's life, long time no see, that kind of thing. And I felt so self-conscious about my lack of panties."
"It looked like you flirted with him!" I exclaimed.
"That was just me being nervous and awkward," Lisa muttered.
I swallowed hard, replaying the situation in my mind. "But he flirted with you, right?"
"No, not really. He just complimented me on my dress."
"Now it's your turn, Paul," Natalie said. "What was your experience?"
"I was jealous! I was angry. I was worried."
"When was the last time you've had such strong feelings for your wife?" Natalie leaned forward, looking straight into my eyes.
"I..." My jaw dropped. "A very long time ago."
"This is what we are going to explore going forward," Natalie said, looking at her notes. "Uncovering strong feelings. Lost feelings. Find back to that spark. How about you, Lisa? What feelings arose during and after your dare?"
"I guess there's a part of me that felt like I had taken a step towards freedom today," Lisa said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Natalie asked.
"It was like I stepped outside of my marriage. I stepped outside my normal life and tried something dangerous and new. And I liked it. It was exhilarating. It was a step towards the wonderful, adventurous life I once had."
"Anything else?"
Lisa picked at another piece of lint on her dress and looked down. "I felt like I was a slut. Walking around half-naked like that. It was embarrassing and I hated myself for it. I wanted to get home and take a shower."
Natalie nodded and glanced at her watch. "Time to wrap it up for today. I have another challenge for you until next time. Another dare."
"OK," I lay back in bed, only wearing boxers. "There are supposed to be dares from our therapist written on cards in this envelope. I am supposed to read them to you, and you will follow the instructions."
Lisa nodded. "Did Natalie say what the dare was about?"
"No, just that I should just wear boxers, and you should be in your underwear."
"OK, open the envelope," Lisa said. She sat next to me on the bed, wearing white cotton panties and a matching bra.
I opened the pink envelope and read the first card. "It says, 'Lisa, tell Paul about the last time you fucked another man, probably before you were married. Be explicit in the details. Paul, just listen and ask polite questions.'"
Lisa rolled her eyes and sighed. "This is going to be embarrassing."
"Just follow the instructions."
Lisa nodded and took a deep breath. "OK, I guess I will start with the last time. It was in a bar. This guy came up to me and said he had eyes only for me. And he asked if I would like to have dinner with him tomorrow. I was surprised and so flattered, so I said yes."
"So he took you out?"
"Yes, to a very expensive restaurant. Afterwards he took me to an even more expensive hotel. I didn't know what to do. I had never been in a hotel like that, and it was so fancy. He took all of my inhibitions away."
"What happened then?"
"We went to the room. Well, let me tell you, that man knew what he was doing. I thought 'Why not?' so I started undressing. My heart was beating fast, and I was very nervous. But I felt liberated."
"What came next?"
"Well, when I was totally naked, he was still fully dressed. He got into bed and started kissing me. It was exciting to have him take control, to tell me what to do. He eventually pulled my legs over his shoulders and fucked me. It was very passionate. And very unlike me."
"What do you mean?" I felt the jealousy and humiliation bubble up inside me again picturing my wife in this sordid scene. "Be explicit with the details, remember?"
"It's not like me to be so forward. I'm normally very reserved. But in that moment I was so uninhibited and confident. It was amazing."
"So, he fucked you?"
"Yes, and he came inside me. I knew I could get pregnant. But I loved it. I loved that he had taken me like that. I loved that I had given myself to him."
We were quiet for a minute before I read the next card: "'If Paul is erect now, Lisa will start giving him a handjob. Lisa will tell Paul about the oldest man she ever had sex with.'"
Lisa gasped. "The card says that?"
I nodded.
"OK," Lisa said.
I was already rock-hard and throbbing in my boxers. I felt myself blush as Lisa snaked her hand into the front of my boxers and pulled out my cock. She slowly stroked it up and down.
I felt shame and humiliation. Lisa was about to tell me about some other man, some...older man! The shame was like a lance through me.
"OK, the oldest man I ever had sex with," Lisa said. "I guess it was when I was nineteen. I met this guy at a party. I was a little drunk, so I flirted with him. And he was very aggressive, and very strong. He took me outside the party and kissed me. He was so aggressive. Kissed me like I was his."
"Did he kiss you here?" I pointed to her lips.