Carry That Weight: Beast Of Burden

"Okay Tom," she giggled, "I'll be good. Now turn out the lights and come to bed."

Damn, woman, I thought to myself. It's not you being good I'm scared of!

Like a good husband, I did what I was told, turned out the lights and crawled into bed. I quickly found myself hovering on the edge of the bed trying not to make contact with the lovely creature lying next to me. When my right buttcheek fell off the bed for the second time I felt her muffled laugh.

"Tom, it's going to be pretty difficult to hold me all the way over there isn't it?"

I could hear her smile even in the pitch black darkness.

"Oh!" I heard her gasp.

"What?" I replied alarmed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry Tom. I forgot to ask you which side of the bed you slept on!"

"Amber, this is fine. You chose the perfect side."

"Really?"

I felt her roll over next to me. Her warm breath gently caressed my cheek as she pressed her soft form into my side. Snaking my arm around her I pulled her tightly against me and kissed the tangled mop of hair that buried itself into my chest. I heard her soft sigh as she wrapped her arm around me.

"Goodnight, Tom," she whispered.

"Goodnight, beautiful," I said gently hugging her and kissing the top of her head.

I heard her muffled chuckle and her warm soft lips as she gently kissed my chest. Soon I could feel her deep steady breathing and knew she was asleep. Sleep eluded me as I cuddled this amazing woman while I fought to hold back any thoughts of violating her trust. Mercifully, sleep finally found me.

The next morning I found myself draped around a soft bundle of warmth. I felt my hand cupping an incredibly soft, flannel covered breast as my thumb absent mindedly teased a rock hard nipple. Even more distressing was my morning erection was nestled deep in the warm flannel fold of her incredibly soft ass.

I slowly began to remove my hand when I felt her gently grab it and place it back over her breast. She slowly wiggled her butt, pressing it even more into me.

"No," she whispered, "please, not yet."

I tightened my grip around her and felt her melt back into me. A few minutes later I felt her soft snores. For the first time in a very long while I felt an incredible peace and fell back asleep with a smile on my face.

I woke with a warm gentle kiss and opened my eyes only to stare into the greenest eyes I'd ever seen. That they were attached to a beautiful face that was grinning at me brought a genuine smile to my face.

"Thank you," she cooed. "I've really missed this."

"I didn't realize you and Jeff weren't... umm... I mean I didn't know ..."

"No," she chuckled, "I mean yes we still are but no, that's not what I meant. What I meant was it's been a long time since I felt that safe."

"Safe?" I snorted, "Amber you've no idea how many times I almost lost control and ravaged you last night."

Her eyes widened as her smile broadened.

"Thank you," she said softly. "Tom you've no idea how good you are for my ego."

She reached over and kissed me softly on the lips again.

"Besides," she said smiling, "I trust you."

She giggled and rolled over, springing out of bed.

"I'm starved! Let's eat!" she yelped as she bolted back into her room.

I lay back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

Shit! I yelled a refraining echo inside my head. You may trust me but I sure as hell don't!

We ended up having a very pleasant breakfast and spent the rest of the morning checking into the conference and mingling. We listened to a good, but way too long, presentation by a famous keynote speaker.

Lunch was a nice buffet and was basically a meet and greet. Amber and I were well received and were pretty popular, well, Amber was. Afterwards, we were back in our rooms discussing whether we should go down to the pool and work on our much neglected tans, or hit a few of the breakout sessions at the conference.

"Amber are you sure?" I said still studying the conference program. "Several of these workshops look pretty interesting. Are you sure you don't want... holy shit!"

She stood in the doorway wearing an emerald green bikini. Her milky white skin indicated a winter without much sun and she still carried fifteen to twenty extra pounds of baby weight but all it did was to make her look more voluptuous and soft.

Her breasts were bigger than Ashley's but that could've been because of the pregnancy. While Ashley was lean and fit due to her aerobics and yoga, Amber was on her way to becoming a pinup model with a definite hourglass shape. Her stomach wasn't washboard flat and had a small womanly pooch to it but most of the extra weight had settled in her breasts, hips and butt. It made her bikini stretch tightly across her body. Her nipples were prominent under the shiny material and she had a noticeable camel toe. In short she looked like a beauty queen built for sex!

"Umm, Tom?"

"Yeah?"

"Not too fat for a bikini?" she said with concern.

"Good god no! Why would you ever think that?"

"Well because you were staring," she said softly.

"Well, get used to it. As soon as you show up poolside every male's eyes will be on you."

"Probably, wondering if this fat soccer mom knows she shouldn't be wearing a bikini!"

"What?" I snorted. "Where did you pick up that bullshit?"

"Tom," she said calmly obviously trying to control her emotions. "I just found out my husband fucked my cousin who's ten years older than me because I was too fat and ugly!"

"Amber, I'm sorry. I've been trying to deal with this for almost a year. I forgot this is still very fresh for you. Please forgive me."

"Of course you're forgiven," Amber sighed. "You've been one of my few bright spots these past two weeks."

She stepped forward and buried herself into my chest. I could feel the heat of her body as she smashed her warm breasts into my stomach. The smell of her hair, the warmth of her soft skin and my body reacted like one would expect. Amber giggled when she felt the growing bulge in my pants.

"Amber, if you were wondering what effect you still have on men, I believe that should answer your question."

"Is this going to be a problem if we go to the pool?" she said her eyes dancing.

"Probably," I sighed. "Hopefully the pool is cool and I can hide my excitement under a big beach towel."

"It'll be okay Tom," she grinned. "I'll be good."

She lied.

She used every opportunity to flirt and tease me all afternoon, in between the steady stream of interested male admirers. More times than I could remember she used me to deflect their obvious advances. I would've been a little annoyed but she was having such a wonderful time basking in the attention that I found myself enjoying it as much as she did.

That night we went to a party held by the conference sponsors. It was officially a mixer for the attendees. Amber wore a beautiful sea green cocktail dress while I ended up in a tie, sports coat, and slacks.

We mingled briefly before Amber pulled me out on the dance floor. I protested briefly, trying to remind her there was a reason Ashley and I never went dancing with her and Jeff. The reason was because my dancing skills closely resembled a walrus wearing clogs.

After the third time I stepped on her foot, Amber stared up into my eyes. It was obvious she wanted to dance, and just as obvious I couldn't.

"Amber I'm sorry," I said loud enough to be heard over the music. "I'm afraid slow dancing is about all I'm able to do."

She grinned broadly and wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed herself tightly against me, resting her head on my chest. I instinctively wrapped my arms around her and enveloped her as we slowly swayed.

I'm sure we looked foolish slowly swaying to the pulsating dance beat of the music but I couldn't have cared less. I was holding a raven-haired angel in my arms and thought I was the luckiest man in the room.

Afterwards, it was evident if Amber wanted to dance she would need to find another dance partner. She didn't have to look far. When the first guy asked her to dance Amber looked at me with pleading eyes like she needed my approval. Of course, I consented with the stipulation she save the slow dances for me. After that, they descended on her like seagulls after popcorn.

I don't think she missed more than a couple songs all night long. There was always some guy trying to sweep her off her feet. There were more than a few times I had to remind myself we weren't a couple.

I could tell Amber was attracted to several of her dance partners, but two of them really caught her eye. The first was a very handsome fortyish hospital administrator from Chicago named Stan. I didn't like him immediately, he seemed too arrogant, too sure of himself. The other one was as bad, he was a very tall good-looking pharmacist from Tampa, named Allen. He seemed too nice if you know what I mean. Of course my feelings towards the pair may've been tainted by a little jealousy.

Amber was faithful to her promise to save the slow dances for me. There were only three that we weren't together. After the first one with Allen, she suggested I ask a tall attractive redhead who was sitting at Allen's table to dance. I ended up quieting my fears and finally asked the next time Amber danced with Allen.

Her name was Bridgette and she graciously accepted my invite. She was a very tall slender woman with a crooked cute smile and a laugh that melted any fears I had. I held her close but not too close and we talked a little as we enjoyed each other's embrace. She told me she was a doctor from Jacksonville and she was Allen's cousin. That brought a smile to my face.

When Amber went to dance with Stan I used the opportunity to ask Bridgette again and she happily accepted. This time I held her much closer and I felt her warm, lithe body conform to mine. She gently put her head on my shoulder as we danced and I could feel her give a soft little sigh.

It was a very different experience for me, holding this tall beauty. I couldn't help but compare the feeling to holding Amber and that of course led me back to thoughts of holding Ashley. Each woman was different and yet very much the same. Regretfully, the song ended and I had to escort Bridgette back to her table.

The rest of the evening I watched Amber blossom with the attention. She was quite simply the belle of the ball. Later as we were crawling into bed, I looked at her and saw that she had a pensive look on her face.

"Amber, are you okay? Do you want to sleep in your own bed tonight?"

"No!" she stated focusing her entire attention on me. "Are you kicking me out?"

"No, I'm not stupid. And besides... I've grown accustomed to your face."

I chuckled and her concerned face morphed into a beautiful smile.

"Just my face?" she giggled.

"Well..."

We got into bed and Amber rolled over and pressed herself into me. As we spooned she grew quiet again.

"Amber?"

"Just remembering this evening."

"You were very popular, as always."

"Jealous?"

"Yeah, more than a little."

"Good," I heard her muffled whisper as she snuggled her butt back into me.

"Amber," I snorted, "you danced with every good looking guy in south Florida tonight. You can't tell me you noticed me turning a little green with envy."

She rolled over and stared me in the face. I could tell I was about to get a stern lecture but then her face softened and she smiled.

"Tom," said slowly as if speaking to a child. "When you were dancing with that Bridgette woman, did you notice how attracted she was to you?"

"Well she seemed to enjoy dancing with me."

"Is that what you'd call her draping herself all over you during your second dance?" She chuckled. "In case you missed it, dork, her eyes never left you until she was safely and securely snuggled into your shoulder."

"I ah..."

"I know, you didn't notice it. Sometimes you men can be so damn dense. Tom, if you would've asked her there was a pretty good chance she would've taken you up to her room and banged the hell out of you, and that was only after two dances!"

I was silent, simply because I didn't know how to respond to that.

"So," she continued, "do you think Bridgette is beautiful?"

"Yes, she's different from you but still very attractive."

"And do you still think Ashley is beautiful?"

I paused before answering.

"Yes," I said softly, "She'll always be beautiful to me, regardless of what she's done."

"And you've told me you thought I was beautiful on several occasions, do you still feel that way?"

"You know I do."

"Good."

She snickered at some personal joke then continued.

"Well then, by your own admission you have three beautiful women hoping to share your bed! One was draped all over you tonight, another has been trying for months to get you to love her again and the third has been throwing herself at you all week! So I don't want to hear any more of this shit about you not being attractive, okay?"

We both laughed softly.

"Amber, you've no idea how good you are for my ego."

"Sweetie, you've no idea how good I could be to you!"

She kissed me on the nose and rolled back over.

"So," I said as she became quiet again. "What did you think about your group of admirers?"

"Interesting," she said softly.

"Two in particular?"

"Was I that obvious?"

"No," I said quietly to the back of her head, "not to those who don't know you... but I noticed."

"Well, they were very interesting."

"And very good looking. One even looked like a male model."

"Stan," she laughed. "Yes he was very handsome. He's here with another couple he works with in Chicago. They're meeting up with some other friends, a couple from LA and another from right here in Miami. They're going to have a party in a rented penthouse suite Friday night the day before the conference ends.

"Tom, I was invited to go so there would be four couples. I'm... I'm thinking about accepting."

"Okay," I said softly. "I didn't like him. Of course I didn't like any of the guys who danced with you and those that got to hold you, I liked even less."

"So it's okay if I go?"

"Amber, I'm not your husband or your boyfriend. I'm some second, third, fourth removed cousin or some kind of relation!"

I felt her laugh and continued.

"But I'm also a friend, one who cares very deeply for you. We're here to have fun and try to figure out what we want to do with our marriages. So far we've spent the entire trip together, not that I'm complaining. If you need to see what else is out there I won't be hurt or feel abandoned. You've given me so much attention these last couple of days that I feel better about myself than I have in a very long time.

"I just want you to be careful. You're still in the early stages of finding out your marriage wasn't as strong as you'd once thought it was and there are a lot of confusing emotions all wrapped up in that. Besides that, you're a very attractive woman and there'll be all types of men chasing after you. Some could be dangerous. Remember, I'm only a call away."

"Thank you," she whispered. "So what about you, are you going to ask Bridgette out?"

"No," I said quietly. "I'm not looking to date anyone on this trip. I'm afraid it wouldn't pass the boyfriend/husband test."

"And this does?" she giggled as she wiggled her butt in my groin.

"Probably not," I snorted. "But it hasn't gone so far I couldn't look Ashley in the eye and tell her I haven't cheated. Maybe that's naïve but it's how I'm looking at things."

We silently lay there and I held her for a few moments.

"So what about Allen?" I asked softly.

She sighed and was strangely quiet.

"He's a problem."

"Really? That surprises me. He seemed to be very much the gentleman when he asked if you would dance with him."

"Oh he is! He even asked about my relationship with you, just to make sure he wasn't crossing any boundaries by dancing with me. I told him we weren't a couple but more like friends without benefits! Then I confessed I was trying to decide if I wanted to save my marriage. I'm not sure why I felt so safe with a stranger to tell him that but I did.

"At the end of the dance he asked if it would be appropriate to ask me out to dinner tomorrow night. He gave me his number and told me to call if it was."

"It sounds like he was trying to show you he was interested without getting involved in your martial situation. Seems like a decent guy."

"That's the problem."

She sighed deeply and continued.

"With Stan it's all about having fun and partying but with Allen it's more intimate, much more a couple type of thing. To be honest, Tom, he's the type of guy I could fall in love with. I haven't even begun to think like that yet!"

"So what's the problem? I'm sure if you tell him he'd back off. In fact, if you don't call him he'll probably take it as an answer and leave you alone."

"Well... I got wrapped up in the moment and accepted."

I felt her brace herself.

"Alright," I said cautiously, "if he's really the gentleman he seems to be, I'm sure if you called him he'd understand."

"Well, I kind of told him okay as long as you and Bridgette joined us."

I could tell she was holding her breath, unsure how I would react.

"Okay, beautiful," I sighed, "when and where are we meeting them?"

"So you're not mad?"

"No. How could I be mad knowing I'll get to spend the evening with two beautiful women?"

Amber giggled and turned off the bedside light.

"Thank you, Tom," she whispered as she fell asleep.

We went out and tasted the South Beach nightlife with Allen and Bridgette the next evening. Speaking for myself I had a blast. The weather, the food, the music, and the company were wonderful. We even ducked into a couple of night clubs to dance. Well, Amber, Allen and Bridgette danced; I usually looked on in envy. Those few slow songs were reserved for Bridgette, since Amber had latched onto Allen.

By the time we'd crawled into bed that night, even a normally chatty Amber was exhausted. There was very little pillow talk as we fell asleep immediately.

The next day was pretty uneventful. We even sat in on a conference workshop. I couldn't help but notice that Amber was getting excited, anticipating her outing with Stan and his group. She said they'd planned on hitting several of the clubs before returning to the penthouse suite.

I ate a nice quiet supper at one of the local restaurants and then went back to the hotel and had a nightcap out by the pool. I was enjoying watching the people but then heard a cheerful voice which brought a smile to my face.

"Hey sailor, come here often?"

I looked over and saw Bridgette's bright, crooked smile.

"No ma'am," I grinned. "It's my first shore leave."

"Oh, a virgin!" she laughed. "This is going to be fun!"

I stood and invited her to join me. We spent the next couple of hours talking and laughing. Her hospital stories had me laughing so hard my sides had begun to hurt. However our revelry was interrupted by a call on her cell.

"Hello? Hi, Allen," she answered grinning.

I watched her face morph into a look of concern.

"No, no. I agree. As a matter of fact he's sitting right here. Okay. Okay we'll meet you in the lobby. Give us a few minutes. Okay bye."

Bridgette sighed as she put her cell away and looked at me.

"Well this has been fun but I'm afraid we're needed in the hotel bar. That was Allen and he said Amber was down in the bar and she wasn't doing well. He wanted to approach her but was concerned it wouldn't be appropriate since he knew she was out tonight with someone else.

"He said she's obviously drunk and upset. I told him we'd meet him in the hotel lobby."

We quickly made our way back into the hotel and joined up with Allen. When we entered the crowded hotel bar, I saw Amber at a table with two other women. One I recognized as being part of Stan's group. The three women were having an intense discussion. Whatever the two women were saying had Amber looking very confused.