I.
Dwayne had managed to edit the rough video and various camera angles to create a finished product for Tara and Tim which did not include any of my participation in the events. 'Tricks of the trade,' Dwayne called it. There were some protests and offers for more money, but Dwayne insisted that his personal ethics precluded him from including any images of participants who had not provided prior consent. Even if those individuals would grant their consent after the fact, it had the presumption of applied pressure and would be unethical. In short, Dwayne got me off the hook of winding up in a sex tape which would be out of my control. For that I was grateful.
Dwayne made it clear that even I was not entitled to a copy of any of the footage either, as it was not within the prior arrangement with Tara. It was only within my 'official' capacity as a member of the production crew that I was able to join him in his basement studio and view the footage as a part of the editing process. I suspected Dwayne would have made a good entertainment lawyer. Dwayne did go so far as to tell me the happy couple seemed particularly enthused about the girl-on-girl stuff. He cautioned me against getting drawn into any interactions with Tara inside her home or anyplace else they might be able to hide a camera. He seemed to hold a low opinion of other people's ethics when it came to personal privacy.
I had to admit the footage of Tara and I together was pretty hot; made all the better in my opinion by Dwayne's participation. I was certain I would not have gone as far as I did with Tara if Dwayne had not started making me feel so very good in that moment. Even so (and maybe I am just trying to justify why I could be excluded from the footage), I did not fully understand why Tara and Tim would want all the extra footage at the end. From a production standpoint, the big ending for Tara was when she orgasmed beyond her capacity to process it and started quivering. It was a natural end to her scene. What happened after felt like I butted in and tried to steal the show. I know that's not what happened but still, this was supposed to be a sex tape for Tara and I found myself literally in the middle of it. To drive the point home, the footage from the tripod camera was playing on a monitor while Dwayne and I edited together in his basement studio. It had a perfect profile view of Tara laying on the bed, me on my knees with my face between her legs, and Dwayne standing at the foot of the bed fucking me from behind. See? Me right there in the middle of the frame, between the two of them. I actually felt a little guilty about it. I should have just kept my clothes on. Maybe things would have ended differently.
"They really wanted all this in the video?" I asked, sitting with Dwayne in the studio.
That was not really my question. The thing I was struggling with was that even without a video evidencing my participation in Tara's tryst with Dwayne, it seemed evident at this point that Tim was aware of my involvement. This complicated matters in the neighborhood landscape.
"Well, not technically. According to Tara they wanted two videos. The first was what they agreed to and paid for; a hot video of Tara with another man. What they offered more money for was a second shorter video that focused mainly on the interactions between you and Tara," Dwayne explained.
"According to Tara?" I asked, seeking clarification.
"Oh, yeah. Tim was very hands off. He actively sought to avoid communicating directly with me. But judging from the enthusiasm for the extra footage and the extra money they were offering for what would amount to a much shorter second video, that felt like the motivation of a horny husband who wanted to get his hands any and as much sexy footage as he could," Dwayne elaborated. "Hence my concern they might try to find a way to make that magic happen again between you and Tara and get it on video that time."
This was why I was a little on-guard the next time I encountered Tara on one of her jogs while I walked my dog. This time she seemed to be the one to catch up to me by 'happenstance' rather than me bumping into her when I saw her jogging and decided to come out to walk my dog. She bounced up to me in a jogging set comprised of a scant pink sports bra and a pair of booty shorts that were short enough to show off a bit of her bare booty. I tried not to notice. Or at least not be noticed noticing.
"Hey, Nancy," she greeted as she jogged up to me.
"Hey, Cutie," I returned, immediately questioning my choice of casual greeting.
I tried to cover. "You seem to be going for the young, bouncy, and cute look today." That did not make it sound any better.
"Thanks! When I saw it, I immediately thought of how cute you looked in your pink bra and panties set and had to have it." She let that comment linger for a moment, then shifted. "Hey so, I'm glad I bumped into you. The weather is warming up a little. I was thinking it would be fun to get together again. Ya' know, for a cookout or something. Only this time the guys don't have to shiver while they work the grill."
"That would be great. We would love to have you two over again," I said, heeding Dwayne's advice about not getting drawn into their home.
I paused for a moment considering if I had not over committed. I was not entirely sure I wanted them in my house either at this point. Yet, I could not help but recall the sensation of kissing her lips and feeling her bare skin in my hands. I really did not mind being in her presence. She and her husband were pleasant company after all. I suppose I could not fault them for wanting the full edits of Tara's big night out with Dwayne and me. The rough-cut video was pretty steamy stuff.
"That's fantastic!" Tara replied, breaking my chain of thought. "I'll text you. We'll line something up... soon."
Tara started to jog away. The turned and jogged backwards for a few steps and called back, "See ya' later, Sexy!" Then spun around again and jogged off.
Well, that's what I get for giving my sexy tart of a neighbor a pet name. Now we were flirting with each other.
...
II.
"Never catch a falling knife," Tom said.
"The dead cat bounce," Tim replied.
"What in the world are you two talking about?" I asked as Tara and I joined the men on the patio with a tray of food for them to cook on the grill.
"Oh, we are just exchanging strange terminology for stock trading in the investment world," Tom explained, taking the tray of food.
"Sounds fascinating," I feigned, brushing my hands free of any seasoning.
"You guys need any drinks? We've got NA beers and alcohol-free gin inside?" Tara chimed in.
"I'd love one of those alcohol-free gin and tonics, if we have the stuff," Tom said.
"We sure do," I confirmed.
"May I have one too?" Tim asked.
"Absolutely, Tim"