It was our first time there, but we were by no means made to feel unwelcome. I held fast to my husband’s hand, and he squeezed mine in reassurance. We didn’t stare but it was hard not to – couples were actively engaged with other couples, and I felt a buzz of excitement as I realised that soon, he and I would be with another couple, sharing each other with them.
The host lead us to the bar, where were almost immediately spotted by another couple similar to us. She was in her 30s, he too, and they looked average and appeared to be hard workers.

They introduced themselves and smiled warmly.
We laid out the ground rules, so we all felt comfortable with how things would proceed. Oral was fine to start with, and then we’d agreed to let them know if we wanted to go further. He made me feel at ease, and I could tell that my husband felt okay too – he kept smiling at me like a school kid. The other couple were parents like us, and had told their babysitter they were going to a movie and wouldn’t be home until very late. They told us they were staying in town, but there was no pressure to go anywhere with them – they explained they had to be up early for work and the hotel merely saved them the trip home. We didn’t feel rushed or pressured, and I knew that if I wanted to leave I could any time. It had all the hallmarks of a business contract, but wasn’t.
We took our drinks into another room, and started very slowly. Once, she even came over to me and kissed me softly on the lips. I knew then that we’d be coming back again, and soon.