Chapter 22: The Love Nest

Jack sat down on the daybed that June had put in the guest room. It wasn’t very comfortable, basically a mattress with a bunch of overstuffed pillows placed against the back. He wondered why she hadn’t gotten a real sofa. He looked around the room feeling a little puzzled by the changes. She had redecorated the guest room without telling him about it until that evening.

He went over to the recliner that she had put on the other side of the room and sat down on it. It was much more comfortable than the daybed. Tilting the recliner back, he looked at the small television with a built-in VCR wondering why she would change the guest room in that fashion. The remote control was on a small table by the chair. Next to the remote control was a note. Idly, he picked up the note and read it with a frown. He wondered why she wanted him to watch the television in this room when the living room had a much larger and better television.

He sat up straight with his mouth open when the video started on the television. It took a second for the sound of the door closing to register. His wife glided over to the daybed and settled herself on it. He grinned at the sight of her wearing an identical outfit to the woman on the Playmate Video that was playing on the television.

Happier than he had been in ages, he said, “Bunny, you look great.”

Upon hearing him call her Bunny, June smiled at her husband. It had been years since he had called her that. She said, “I hoped you would like it.”

The transparent gown showed more than it hid. Even from across the room he could see the dark aureoles that contrasted so sharply with her pale white breasts. He licked his lips at the thought of going over to her and getting her naked.

Suddenly concerned about Lisa coming in and seeing them, he asked, “What about Lisa?”

“She helped me decorate the room. She knows not to come in here,” June answered with a smile. The room was Lisa’s idea although June was halfway convinced that Lisa wanted to use it herself with Harry, occasionally.

She adjusted her pose so that her legs were curled up under her and she was leaning back with her weight supported on one arm. After adjusting her hair she moved her hand down to caress her breast. Women didn’t really sit around looking like that except in male fantasies. She was presenting him with his fantasy.

Jack glanced at the television and noticed that his wife was arranged just like the woman on the screen. The sight gave him an immediate erection; a response to her that he hadn’t had in years. He was unable to take his eyes from her while she moved from time to time to emulate the woman on the television.

Adjusting himself, he said, “I’ve got my Bunny back.”

The minor adjustment wasn’t lost on June. It excited her to know that she had that effect on him despite the damage that the years had done to her body. She wasn’t fat, but was what many call full figured. Once upon a time, her shape had been considered extremely sexy. She had nice soft curves, large soft breasts, and just enough padding to soften the joining of bodies. She had read once that Marilyn Monroe was considered overweight by modern standards, but that was the body type Jack loved.

Now that she was the subject of his attention, it dawned on her how much she had missed his appreciation for her body. She played with her hair while answering, “Bunny is happy to be back. Why don’t you get a little more comfortable?”

It didn’t take him a minute to get undressed. He sat back in his chair and fondled his erection while watching her move from pose to pose. This was just like it had been when they had first married.

Unable to hold back, he said, “You are every man’s wet dream.”

It was the highest compliment that Jack would give a woman. He was placing her on a pedestal occupied by every playmate of the month since Playboy had first come out. She undid the little ribbon holding the top closed. It fell open exposing a major percentage of her breasts.

She asked, “Do you like what you’re seeing?”

“Oh, yeah.”

The poses in men’s magazines had become ever more explicit over the years. The action on the television became less artful and more obvious. June wasn’t sure that she appreciated that change. Teasing and hinting at treasures seemed much more effective in getting a man’s attention and holding it.

Sweating and exhausted from the intense love making session, Jack lay beside his naked wife running a finger around on her. The transparent gown she had been wearing was on the floor where he had thrown it.

He sighed and said, “I missed my Bunny.”

“I missed being your Bunny,” she replied feeling content.

The daybed was surprisingly comfortable when lying down and Jack was tempted to fall asleep. The only thing keeping him awake was his happiness at having the woman he had married back. He was so happy that he wasn’t even going to ask how much setting up the room had cost. As if she read his mind, she said, “Lisa and I bought everything at garage sales. We decorated the room for less than two hundred dollars.”

“Wow,” Jack said surprised at how little she had spent. There were still a few hurt feelings lurking in his heart, but this surprise had gone far to eliminate a lot of them. He sighed and said, “You should have been a playmate.”

Smiling, she said, “I’m your mate and you’re free to play with me any time you want. I guess that makes me your playmate.”

“We’ll have to wait for those times when Lisa is gone,” Jack said.

“She knows not to come in when the door is closed,” June said.

“But...”

“But nothing. We agreed to respect her privacy when Harry is over here. She’s agreed to respect our privacy when we are in here. We can wear whatever we want in here and she’ll never know,” June said. She had a long talk with Lisa about that when they had started this little project.

“It just feels a little strange to know that she knows what is going on in here,” Jack said.

“As far as she is concerned we are having a Victorian Tea Party,” June said.

The comment made Jack laugh. He knew that it wasn’t true, but just like he ignored what Lisa was doing with Harry he could ignore her knowing. He leaned over and kissed his wife, deciding that life was good for a change. He felt himself hardening.

He wasn’t the only one to notice his growing erection. Stunned, surprised, and pleased, June said, “Again?”

He gave the answer she wanted to hear when he said, “My Bunny.”

A purr of contentment rose from deep within her. He hadn’t made love to her two times back to back like this since Lisa had been conceived. She wondered how it was that she could have gone over seventeen years without a man desiring her enough to want to do it twice.

Dressed in his boxers and robe, Jack wandered into the kitchen to get a glass of milk before heading to bed. Much to his surprise, Lisa was at the kitchen table drinking a glass of milk and eating a cookie.

She smiled and asked, “What did you think of mom’s surprise?”

Embarrassed to be talking about it with his daughter, Jack said, “It was a nice surprise. You two did a very nice job setting up a den.”

“Den? Is that what you call it?” she asked. Grinning, she said, “I thought a bunny home was called a warren.”

“Uh, yeah,” Jack answered nearly dropping the carton of milk.

Watching her father, she realized that he wasn’t that good at showing his emotions. From what she had heard while they were in the room, it was obvious that he had been very pleased with the surprise. She wondered why she had never noticed that before now. Feeling a little sad by the years of misunderstanding, she said, “I’m happy, now.”

“Good,” he answered wondering what had provoked that comment.

Knowing that he had no idea what she was talking about, she said, “I mean that I’m really happy, now that I’ve gotten to know you better. Up until now, it was like I was living half a life.”

Jack finished pouring his milk and returned the carton to the refrigerator before replying. He wasn’t used to talking about his feelings, but knew this was one of those times when it was probably required. He replied, “I’m a lot happier, too.”

“I can tell. I guess that I’ve never known the real Jack McCullum,” Lisa said watching her father.

Puzzled by the comment, he took a seat at the table and a sip of his milk while trying to figure out how to answer. The delay in responding to her comment made Lisa wonder if she had said something wrong. There were times when her insecurities still rose up and nagged at her.

Unaware of the little twinge of doubt that ate at Lisa, he answered, “There isn’t that much to know. I’m a man who works hard to support his family and that’s about it.”

The simple summary of how he viewed himself, floored Lisa. She said, “I never knew that you liked fishing.”

“Well, I haven’t done it in years,” Jack said shrugging his shoulders. He hadn’t expected her to know about that since the subject had never come up in the past.

“I didn’t know that you knew how to build things,” she said. Watching him build the boat had been fascinating. She’d never seen anyone build something out of wood before. It amazed her to see that stack of wood slowly turn into a boat.

“I’m just a man. That’s what men do to relax. We build things,” Jack said as if he was explaining the obvious.

Lisa realized that Jack meant a lot more when he described himself as being a man than just identifying his gender. It was a major revelation to her. She knew that she could use talking about men as a way to get him to talk about himself.

She said, “I guess I’ve never understood what it is that makes a man a man. Could you explain it to me?”

Now that he wasn’t the subject of discussion, Jack relaxed and said, “Well, men are just men. I don’t know if I can really explain it. We are what we do, I guess.

“We like to work with our hands and build things. Some men like to fix cars, others like to work with metal, and some of us like to work with wood. I like working with wood.

“Men like to go out into nature. Some men hunt, some fish, and others play golf. Now, there’s a bunch of boys that like riding their dirt bikes. It’s all the same thing. It’s a chance for a man to get outdoors and relax. I never understood those guys that like to go to ballets and operas. It makes me wonder if they are really men.