Eros Imagined

Dinner date to ecstasy

Janet was busy garnishing a feta and avocado salad when the doorbell suddenly chimed.

'That must be them,' Bradley said, glancing across at his wife.

'Go and answer the door and let them in then,' Janet instructed as she bustled over to the hob, lifted a pot lid and stirred the contents. Bradley put down his computer magazine and ambled out of the kitchen feeling extremely contented with life. In between learning about the latest advances in computer graphics, he had been chatting companionably with his wife. They had drawn much closer together since Janet began helping him test the EROS machine, in the process rediscovering many of the reasons why they had been attracted to each other in the first place. Their renewed sexual intimacy had transferred from the virtual to the real world, sparking their relationship into life after years of moribund matrimonial stasis. Bradley had almost forgotten how nice it was to curl up naked next to someone in bed. Janet's flannel nightdresses and his tartan patterned pyjamas had been the first casualties of their rekindled romance, donated to a local charity shop in a purge of each other's least favourite clothing. Grinning happily to himself, Bradley sauntered down the hallway and opened the front door.

'Hello Bradley,' Lucy greeted him.

'Hello! Please come in,' he replied with a welcoming smile.

His guests stepped into the hallway and removed their coats. Despite having little interest in fashion, Bradley recognized that the authors of the EROS scenarios were a very stylish couple. John was wearing a dark, slim fit jacket with a patterned maroon shirt, grey chinos and a pair of ankle length, leather boots. Lucy looked ravishing in a tight-fitting red dress, black stockings and red high-heeled shoes. Her face was beautifully made-up, with just the right amount of eye shadow, mascara and lipstick to emphasise her finely chiselled features, which were framed by her lustrous mane of shoulder length black hair. Enamelled pendant earrings, a distinctive silver necklace and a selection of rings provided the finishing touches to her air of sensual sophistication.

'Come and meet Janet, she's busy in the kitchen,' he said leading them down the corridor.

Janet looked curiously at their visitors. It was the first time she had met her husband's new business partners. John looked nice but she still had reservations about Lucy, whose maddeningly svelte figure made Janet feel small and dumpy by comparison. Worse than that, Bradley had shown her photographs of Lucy wearing items of revealing lingerie that Janet wouldn't be seen dead in. In Janet's experience, nice girls didn't dress like that and they certainly shouldn't let their partners take photos of them if they did. But now, thanks to her husband's latest invention, Janet had become a vicarious participant in John and Lucy's extraordinary sexual fantasies. Janet's involvement in the EROS testing process required her to wear virtual versions of Lucy's exotic fetishware collection, the very same clothing she had derided when Bradley had first shown her pictures of their dinner guest. Rubber dresses indeed! Janet sincerely hoped none of her friends at the Women's Institute ever found out.

'Hello John, hello Lucy, it's so lovely to meet you both at last!' she gushed.

'It's lovely to meet you too Janet,' Lucy responded warmly, leaning over to peck Janet's cheek.

'The food smells delicious,' John enthused.

'I'm trying something new, I hope you like it,' Janet cautioned.

'I'm sure it will be wonderful,' John declared with a boyish grin.

'Well let's wait and see,' Janet smiled, already won over by John's easy charm and good looks.
'Take our guests to the dining room Bradley, I'll bring the starter through in a minute,' she instructed her husband.