Chapter 6- Venturing Out

Once they had made the greeting rounds, Aggie led them to the bar where they could order drinks. Darren was disappointed the place only served beer and pre-made drinks in a bottle. He sorely needed a whiskey. He knew he should have gone with his gut instinct outside and just driven them home. He could tell by the look on his wife's face that she hadn't a clue as to what she had gotten them into and was just winging it. Her winging it was scaring the hell out of him. People vanished from places like this, never to be seen or heard from again, and that wasn't just the Criminal Minds show screaming the warning at him, either. He knew Chelsea was desperate to start this new adventure, but he didn't think she was this desperate.

"Coors Lite, please," he said to the bartender and then gestured for Chelsea to order.

"Mike's Hard Lemonade."

"So, your maiden voyage, huh?" Aggie said, sticking to the two of them like glue. "I'm glad you chose us to be your first venture out. This is just a meet and greet but Tim and Carol Conway hold parties at their house. They couldn't be here tonight. Something about work and an emergency with the networks. Tim's an IT guy, so he seems to always be busy."

The bartender handed them their drinks, and Darren took a long pull of his beer before turning around to join the conversation. The others Aggie had introduced them to all seemed to have some odd quirk or two about them, and he had to admit, this wasn't what he had envisioned at all. He knew he sounded like a snob but he was hoping to meet more normal people, people who showered or seemed to care about their appearance. There was just nothing attractive about some of these people to make him want to get up close and personal with them. If he was truly honest with himself, these people scared him. A harsh judgment, he knew, but it was the truth. While he wasn't really expecting Ken and Barbie types, he did expect clean clothes and showers. It was probably a good thing the bar lights were dimmed down because he was afraid what full light would reveal.

"How about you?" Chelsea asked Aggie when Darren finally turned back around to join the conversation. "How long have you been in the lifestyle?"

"About five years, I guess. I honestly didn't know there was a lifestyle until an old boyfriend introduced me to it. Once I was in, I didn't want to get out. I mean, the adventures, the passion, the sex without judgment—what's not to enjoy about it?"

"The others of your group," Darren started, and then gestured to the others without trying to seem too obvious about what he was doing, "are they all… This age range? We were kind of hoping to meet some people closer to our ages." And hygiene.

Aggie looked around, frowning. "Yeah, I know it's a scary bunch." She turned back to Darren and Chelsea. "The parties that Tim and Carol throw have a wide range of people from all different ages and background, with their own kinks and likes. I'm sure you'll find someone there to connect with whom will get your juices flowing. The two things I love about this lifestyle is that there's something for everyone and the acceptance everyone has for each other."

Darren nodded, knowing full well he wasn't that open and accepting. There were lines he didn't want to cross and standards he wanted to maintain. He didn't think there was anything wrong with that, necessarily. There was a difference between wanting to be friends with someone and hopping into bed with them. While they were green at this, it didn't mean that they had to sleep with everyone, did it? Was there a rule somewhere that said once you've dipped into the pool, you have to swim with everyone? He glanced around Tucker's Hideaway and shivered. God, I truly hope not.

Chelsea and Aggie continued talking, Chelsea agreeing with the nonjudgmental aspect of the lifestyle and hoping that it was the case with everyone. There were things Darren knew his wife wanted to explore, and she wouldn't be free to do that if she thought someone was going to make fun of her or look down on her. Chelsea Davenport loved her image and wouldn't risk it just for a little kinky fun. Of course, they were standing in an ancient bar with some scary individuals, so Darren wasn't sure his wife's judgment was up to par.

Taking a deep breath, he scolded himself mentally. He was being too rough on those around him, and he needed to relax. No one could make them do anything they didn't want to do, and there was no excuse for not being nice to people. After all, they opened up their world to them and were being extremely friendly. While he had kept his thoughts to himself, he was still thinking like an ass and needed to rein it in some.

"How often do they have these parties?" Chelsea asked. Darren took another sip of his beer and focused on the conversation before him.

"Once a month in their home. There are usually quite a few people who attend, each for different reasons. You always have your voyeurs, of course, those who just want to watch others having fun. Then there are those who like to hang around open-minded people because they just love the atmosphere. Of course, then there are those who are there to have sex and will be doing it all night long. The Conways have a nice house with a pool and outside bar area. There are three bedrooms, two they use for private play and one open room for group play. It can get pretty wild in there, so you may just want to watch first before jumping in. Of course, no one has to do anything they don't wish to do, so there's never any pressure to play."

"To play?" Darren asked.

Aggie shrugged. "Just the term used for having sex."

"Ah." He nodded as he took another sip of his beer, making a mental note to study up on the lingo of the lifestyle. He didn't want to agree to something accidentally he didn't want to do.

"Of course, there are other meet and greets, and then people just meet up and have fun," Aggie said. "It's all about what you're comfortable with and want to do. I've made some great friendships in this lifestyle that have lasted beyond the bedroom. It's nice being able to hang around people and not worry about what you say or if someone hugs a spouse too long or something. For the most part, it's the safest environment you can find to just be yourself. It's about the only place where I've truly felt like I belonged."

"That's the main thing to me," Chelsea said. "Finding some place where you fit in without people looking at you weird. I want that freedom."

Aggie smiled as she reached out and touched Chelsea's arm. "Well, you've come to the right place."

Darren glanced around at the others, wondering what type of people they would refuse.