Karen has helped her best friend Rachel get over her lingering grief by treating her to a makeover and to a boudoir photo session. While at the photography studio, Karen finally allowed her feelings towards Rachel to be known after fifteen years of close friendship.

* * *

After putting on their clothes, bidding Doug farewell and leaving the studio, it slowly dawned on both Karen and Rachel what had just occurred. They walked down the street in Covent Garden in silence.

Karen realised that she had finally acted on the desire that she had repressed for nearly fifteen years. While Karen had often made fun of Bob, her husband, for silently lusting after Rachel at parties and on vacation years ago, before Rachel's husband died, Karen had also thought about what it would be like to make love to Rachel.

Rachel, for her part, was amazed at the impact that Karen's attempt at seduction was having. Rachel was very confused, but felt more happy than she had been in years, even though she had never before considered sex with a woman. Her encounter with Karen had been her first sex of any kind in the decade since Stephen’s death, and she was savoring every moment of it. She had surprised herself by getting naked and masturbating in front of her best friend (and being photographed by a stranger at the same time!), but that really did not matter. Rachel's mind was focused on three things: the fact that she was still capable of enjoying sex, what it would be like to have a real liaison with her best friend and what the future now held for her.

After a couple of minutes, Karen spoke. “A lot has happened today, and I think it has all been for the good. You look so beautiful, and I really meant what I did at Doug’s. However, I think we both have a lot to think about. It’s getting late, and my husband is taking me to dinner tonight. Let’s talk tomorrow and try to see each other over the weekend.”

Rachel agreed, and after a long hug, Karen headed to the garage where her car was parked, and Rachel hailed a taxi back to Belsize Park, where her new flat was located.

That evening, the now-familiar routine of cooking dinner for one did not seem so miserable for Rachel. After dinner, rather than idly watching television to fill time, she lit a candle, poured a glass of wine and drew a warm bath. Rachel settled in, and she eventually pleasured herself into an intense orgasm, her second of the day. Rachel now was confident that her life was changing for the better, although she really hadn’t a clue what was going to happen next.

Karen did not have the luxury of having much time to think. Bob got home shortly after Karen, and after a long week of work, he wanted to go to a local restaurant for dinner. Karen listened to him talk about his latest work project and the latest email from their son at university, but all the time she was really thinking about the direction her relationship with Rachel should now take.

Surprisingly, it was Rachel who called Karen on Saturday morning.

“Karen,” she said, “I don’t know how many times you and Bob have invited me over for dinner since I moved back to London, but I realise the only time you have been over to my place was when I moved in. Why don’t the two of you come over for dinner tonight? I may be fucked-up, but I am still a pretty good cook.”

 “That sounds like it could be a good idea," Karen said. "Seven-thirty?"

Rachel had a lot of shopping to do on a sunny Saturday, but groceries for now were the least of her concerns. Within twenty minutes, she was heading down the Northern Line for an afternoon of girly shopping among the classy shops on Bond Street. Afterwards, she could swing by the Food Hall at John Lewis, buy what she needed for a simple but semi-elegant dinner, and grab a taxi back home in plenty of time to cook.

Karen was in a fog for most of the day, and Bob knew it. He tried to engage his wife in conversation, but got little in reply, and she seemed to be sending lots of time on her computer. Karen had not told Bob much about her day with Rachel, except that she had treated Rachel to a makeover and that her friend now looked and felt a lot better. For his part, Bob was always happy to see Rachel, although he was dreading what could be another sad and dreary Saturday evening with a lonely widow.

When Karen came down the stairs to head for Rachel’s, Bob thought that his wife was dressed rather fetchingly for dinner with Rachel. Karen wore a cream-coloured silk blouse that did not quite hide the lacy bra she wore underneath. She also was wearing her tightest black jeans and a pair of black stilettos. He found it strange that she was bringing along her laptop, but Bob said nothing.

However, if his wife’s attire surprised Bob, he was downright shocked when they arrived at Rachel’s. Rachel had made sure that her hair looked just as glamourous as when she left the salon the day before, and her makeup was applied perfectly. She wore a tight grey cashmere V-necked jumper that displayed her breasts a bit provocatively, a trim black leather skirt that ended a couple inches above her knees and tall black boots with a spiked heel.

Instead of a dowdy, unhappy widow, Rachel looked like a MILF, and quite a scrumptious-looking one at that.

Rachel greeted Karen with a sisterly embrace and then hugged Bob, making sure that he would be aware that there were indeed tits hiding under her jumper.

Bob stepped back and said to Rachel, “Karen will tell me off for being blunt, but what in the hell happened to you? Is this what you and Karen were up to yesterday?”

Karen made her usual face to signal that her husband was sounding like an idiot. But Rachel, knowing Bob’s good humour, said, “Actually Karen can take credit for the hair, makeup and and badly needed attitude adjustment. I will actually claim credit for the clothes and boots, which I bought today on Bond Street. Do I look okay?”

Karen, who had already taken in Rachel’s appearance from head to toe and back again, answered before Bob. “You look fantastic, Rachel, truly delectable!”

Bob thought his wife’s compliment was worded a bit strangely, but shook it off and said, “You look truly wonderful, Rachel. If you do not mind me saying, but I have not seen you this attractive since before… you know. You look at least ten, no, fifteen years younger.”

Rachel soaked in the compliments. Part of her was intrigued by what Karen said, but despite her first lesbian encounter the previous day, Rachel was still very much interested in men, even if her best friend’s husband was off-limits.

Bob’s praise also triggered another emotion. For the first time in more than a decade, she had not sobbed when someone had alluded to Stephen’s death. She suddenly knew that she was truly starting to put the years of misery behind her.

“Thank you for the compliment, Bob, especially when your wife looks so gorgeous tonight,” Rachel responded. “How about a drink? Why don’t you make yourself comfortable on the sofa, while go into the kitchen and make some cocktails? Karen, could you give me a hand?”

As soon as Karen entered the kitchen, she spotted a large pitcher of what appeared to be margaritas, along with three salt-rimmed glasses, all ready to be served. She looked to her friend with a quizzical expression, but Rachel was already putting her hands on Karen’s shoulders and heading in for a soft kiss on the lips.

“I have been thinking about you all day,” Rachel whispered, so Bob would not hear. “I cannot get you and what happened yesterday out for my mind.”

“Same here,” Karen confided, stepping back so that neither could take anything further. “You should know that I have not told Bob anything about the photo shoot. However, Doug already has sent me a link to the raw photos that he took yesterday. I didn’t think it would be appropriate to look at them before you did, but I thought it might be fun to take a peek after drinks and dinner. That is if you don’t mind Bob seeing you naked and fiddling with yourself.”

Rachel reminded herself that Bob was off-limits, but she was excited by the idea nonetheless for so many reasons. “What would Bob think?” she asked.

“Well, I’ve known my husband for twenty five years, and he never has shied away from looking at photos of a naked woman masturbating, and especially one that he used to have the hots for… that is before she turned into an old hag!” Karen then laughed at her reference to what Rachel called herself the day before.

“I must say,” Karen continued, reaching over to grab a feel of Rachel’s leather-covered ass, “that a certain old hag cleans up pretty well when she feels like it.”

“Don’t get the hag heated up,” Rachel said, gently removing her friend’s hand from her own backside. “We better make some cocktail-making noise so Bob does not wonder what we are doing, I think I need a drink, probably more than one.”

The pair emerged from the kitchen with the pitcher, glasses and some snacks. Drinks were poured, toasts exchanged and then the girls told Bob all about yesterday’s visits to the hairdresser and the cosmetician, but not the photo shoot. Rachel amused Bob and Karen about stories from her shopping spree earlier that day, although she left out her visit to the London branch of Victoria’s Secret.

Dinner was lasagna, which was baking in the oven.

After her second margarita, Rachel returned to the kitchen to get everything ready.

As soon as they were alone, Karen gave her husband a big kiss and asked him what he thought of the ‘new’ Rachel?

“It’s goddamn amazing,” Bob said. “Rachel looks and acts like she did when we first met her. In fact, if you don’t mind saying, she looks even better with the new hairstyle. But, what I don’t understand is how a haircut and some makeup could possible turn the morose Rachel that we have known and tried our best to love for all these years into this vivacious creature in a leather miniskirt?”

Bob paused for a moment and looked his wife straight in the eye. “I know that you think I am a fool about most things, but I have my suspicions that you have not told me everything that happened yesterday. I would like to know what in the hell is going on.”

Karen patted her husband on the knee. “You’re not a fool, but just be patient. I think if you play your cards right tonight, you’ll get your answers.”

Moments later, Rachel asked Karen to come to the kitchen to give her a hand. Bob was told to open the bottle of Merlot on the dining table and to have a seat. Dinner was soon served, followed by a luscious strawberry torte Rachel had bought at Waitrose.

Bob offered to clear the table and deal with the dishwasher, and during his absence, Karen got her laptop out of her bag and connected to Rachel’s broadband network. When Bob emerged from the kitchen, he was told to sit on the sofa next to his wife, with Rachel sitting on the opposite side of Karen.

“Bob, I admit that we did not tell you about our activities on Friday,” Karen said, fiddling with the laptop. “After Rachel got her makeover, I thought we should get some photos taken so Rachel could see just how stunning she can look when she tries. The photographer has posted the rough, unedited images on a private site.”

Bob was expecting to see some portraits of Rachel, but when Karen clicked on the tab that said ‘slideshow’, an image of Rachel, dressed only in lingerie and a short silk cover-up, filled the screen. While her body certainly looked sexy, her face was grim, bordering on unhappy. After several seconds, another shot of Rachel, in a slightly different pose but with the same sullen expression, appeared.

Bob was shocked, partly due to Rachel’s state of undress but also because she looked so unhappy. He was about to say something, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

After three more similar images, the words ‘Act II’ appeared on the screen. In the next image, Rachel was reclining sexily on the sofa. Her wrap was pulled back from her body, and her right breast peeked out from her bra. She was staring at the camera with an expression that bordered on lust.

Bob was now really taken aback, not only because of Rachel’s semi-nudity, but because she looked like a woman who was ready to be fucked. He let loose a soft whistle, turned to Rachel and said: “Is that really you?” Karen playfully slapped he husband, while Rachel simply muttered, “Oh wow, look at me.”

The slideshow continued, with Rachel’s appearance becoming even more sexually changed. As the photos progressed, she first lost the wrap, then the bra and finally her knickers, and it was clear by both the position of her hand between her legs and the expressions on her face that this usually dour woman was heading for the ultimate self-pleasure. Bob was treated to full views of Rachel’s 34C breasts, her shapely ass and at times even the wispy hair surrounding her pussy. He also noticed that as the slideshow continued, Karen's hand moved to Rachel’s thigh and even crept slightly underneath the hem of her friend’s skirt.

Finally, the screen showed Rachel lost in orgasm, with her nude breasts thrust into the air.

Bob looked to the two women speechlessly, worried that anything he would say would be truly inappropriate. So, he turned his attention back to the laptop. The image disappeared, and the words “The Interlude” appeared on the screen.

Karen gasped and immediately tried to shut down the slideshow, but she was so nervous that she fumbled and failed. The first image that appeared showed Karen approaching the sofa wearing the low-cut, short red nightgown. By now Karen simply stared at the screen in horror. Another image appeared seconds later, showing Karen embracing Rachel. The third pictured Karen and Rachel in a full snog. In the next image, Karen was lying on top of Rachel with their tongues intertwined; the hem of Karen's skimpy chemise had been pulled up so that her entire ass was on display. The final image showed Rachel lying on the sofa with the cups of her bra pulled down; Karen was sucking on Rachel’s right nipple.

The slideshow then ended, leaving three people sitting in silence for different reasons.

Karen at first could not believe that Doug had taken photos of these intimate moments, but then she remembered no one told him not to do so. She was embarrassed, and she wondered why she had not looked at the photos before letting her husband see them.

Bob could not believe that his wife would have such an intimate encounter with her best friend, and was even more surprised that she would show him the evidence. Had it gone any further? Still, being a true male, he was turned on nonetheless.

As for Rachel, she could feel her knickers dampen as the slideshow continued. Once it concluded, she had to gather up all her strength not to jump on Karen, even with Bob sitting beside her.

To break what could only be described as an awkward silence, Bob finally let out another whistle and said, “Why don’t you invite me along the next time you gals have a day out?”

Karen began to cry. “Oh shit,” she sobbed, “you weren’t supposed to see those last photographs. I didn’t know that that the photographer took them. I am so sorry, Bob. I don’t know what to say, but please do not hate me.”

Before Bob could say anything, Rachel rose from the sofa, stood in front of her friends and calmly explained to Bob what had really happened: how Karen had thought that being photographed in lingerie would raise Rachel’s self-esteem, how Rachel felt bullied and nervous, and finally how Karen interceded and found a way for Rachel to relax on camera. Nothing more took place than what he had seen in the photos.

Rachel looked directly at Bob. “I never ever wanted to be with another woman,” she explained. “I can't speak for Karen, but what happened yesterday seemed so natural and so beautiful that I will never forget it for as long as I live. In those brief moments, and they were all too brief, Karen managed to totally change my attitude toward life.

“I don’t know what happens next, but I do know that you two need time alone. Why don’t I go make some coffee?”

Karen was still sobbing as Rachel left the room and finally looked towards her husband with sad, red eyes. Bob simply reached over and hugged his wife. After a moment, he spoke to her softly.

“I think I understand what happened, and while I must admit I am really shocked, I also think you did a beautiful thing. I know you too well, my love, so I know that you truly meant to seduce Rachel. You weren’t play-acting, and I know it. I can live with that, but only as long as you still love me, too.”

Karen cried even harder, and finally squeezed her husband’s hand. “Of course I love you, and if you want, I shall never see Rachel again. I will never feel for Rachel what I feel for you. I must admit that I have always been sexually attracted to her, but I did everything I could to repress it. That’s why I used to tease you about staring at her breasts and her ass at the beach… I wanted to hide my own feelings.

"Yes, I would love to have sex with Rachel, but our marriage means the most to me.”

Bob sat in silence, all the time holding his wife. Suddenly, he reached, gently turned her head towards his and kissed her. The kiss was soft, but there was more passion behind that kiss than any he had given her since perhaps their wedding day.

He pulled away slowly, stood up and walked towards the kitchen. “Rachel, could you please come back in her and bring some coffee if it’s made? I really could use a cup.”

After a moment, Rachel reappeared with a cafetiere and cups. She poured and handed a cup to Bob.

“Please sit down,” he told Rachel, who sat beside the still-weeping Karen. “This has been a helluva evening, and I am pretty sure it has not turned out as any of us had planned. But, hey, shit happens. But what I have seen here tonight isn’t shit, it’s love. A very deep, beautiful love.

“We all need to think about what is happening. What I propose is that I walk back to our house, and you and Karen remain here. All of us have a lot to talk about, but I already know that I have never loved my wife more. I also know that my affection for you, Rachel, has not changed. If anything, it has grown, because it is so much easier to be close to a happy person than someone who is so sad.

“I won’t stand in the way of anything that happens between the two of you as long as that does not stand in the way of my love for Karen. If it does, then I guarantee there will be trouble.

“I think I have probably said enough. I will get my coat and, since it is a nice evening, have a nice, reflective walk home.”

Bob walked over to the sofa, and both women rose, He first turned to his wife, hugging her and kissing her gently. He then gave Rachel a similar embrace and kiss, whispering, “I am so very happy to see you happy.”

He picked up his coat and opened the front door.