Philip said, “My love.” He held Chetana, and she put her arm round his back, just under his shoulders, her other hand touching his face. Jayavardhini slid forward, between the two of them, and kissed Chetana and then Philip.

Philip kissed Chetana a kind of temporary farewell, and turned to Jayavardhini.   “We’re going to meet a lot, Jayavardhini. I mean often. Probably in this bed.”

Jayavardhini looked at him. Something sad in his tone as he said that dismayed her. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“I think it is, Jayavardhini, so long as you do. I meant, of course it is. I’m just saying to you… I’ve been mourning my wife, and I suppose I’ve had an idea that going with other women would disrespect her memory.”

Jayavardhini said, “That’s stupid!” Chetana smiled at her and nodded. 

Philip looked down. “I thought I was going to be a widower, probably the rest of my life.” Jayavardhini stroked his arm. “Then I fell in love with Chetana, though I never really thought that would have any sexual consequences.”

Chetana laughed. “I’m a consequence?’ So Philip had to whisper in her ear and make her laugh, then smack her bottom. Ah, thought Jayavardhini, who had never seen Chetana be deferential before. No wonder she can’t give a proper spanking, any more than I could. Just now, Chetana is in the same mindset as me. It was all very unexpected.

Philip turned his attention back to Jayavardhini.

“And then being in love with Chetana did have consequences. We became lovers. And… I know, or at least Chetana says –” Chetana pushed him – “All right, I know because Chetana says so, that you want me.”

Jayavardhini shook her head. “Why are all the half-way acceptable men so stupid? I kissed you, in the passage. I wouldn’t have thought you needed Chetana to tell you I want you.”

“I’m very out of practice. Though I was probably never very good at reading signals. I’m just trying to say I’m going to be unsure of my ground sometimes. So, yes, I want to fuck you as well. But I’m bad at saying this kind of thing. Until Chetana started educating me, I wouldn’t have said anything. So, I know that I want you too. I want to fuck you.”

Chetana clapped. Jayavardhini felt something givein her lower belly, a little ball of desire gathered just a little above her cunt. The words, ‘I want to fuck you’, are words of power. She said, feeling it was inadequate, “Well, good.”

Then he put his hand on her ass, which, because she was pleased the mood had lightened, and the things that needed to be said were said, she waggled for him.

Then he squeezed her ass, hard. She knew he was going to treat her very differently from Chetana, with her unexpected diffidence. He might still be shy, at this stage, but she could not doubt his enthusiasm.

“Also, I’m going to give you that second spanking you need so badly. I mean, that you need for moral and character-building reasons.” He was smiling again.