“Are you tired too?” I asked Sarah.

“I wouldn’t mind going to bed for a while,” she said, her eyes giving away her meaning.

She went to the kitchen door and spoke to Sita, then returned.

“I told her we’d be out this evening so she won’t need to cook. She’ll go and visit her family, probably go to the market on the way back.”

We went back inside the house and into our bedroom. Sarah slipped out of her clothes, and I followed suit.

She knelt on the bed, and I followed and knelt facing her. I took her face in my hands and kissed her lightly on the lips. She smiled against my mouth.

I moved my hands to her breasts, stroking them gently, and she closed her eyes. My fingers brushed across her nipples and she gasped quietly. I bent down to begin to use my mouth on her breasts and nipples, and she gave a little moan of pleasure.

As I continued to suckle her, alternating between one nipple and the other, I slid a hand between her legs and stroked the soft fur of her mound, then moved my hand lower, entering her with one finger and gently stroking her clitoris with my thumb. She reached down and wrapped her fingers around my already-erect penis, moving her hand up and down slowly.

I paused in my attentions to her breasts and lifted my head; she smiled, and bent to use her mouth on my nipples for a while.

I gasped. “Don’t take me too far,” I said.

She took her hand from my penis but continued to suckle and lick my nipples, as I moved my fingers on her wet opening.

I moved round behind her, reaching to cup her breasts and again stroke her nipples with the tips of my fingers. Then I moved one hand down to touch her clitoris, and the other to slide my fingers into her from behind.

When my fingers were slippery from her, I withdrew them, and moved my hand back a little so that I could touch her rear opening and carefully press one fingertip a little way in.

“Mm,” she said, her voice taking on the throaty quality it always did when I touched her there. “I want you to take me that way this time.”

I leaned over to the bedside table, where Sarah had put a bottle of hand lotion. On impulse, I checked in the top drawer. As I’d expected, I found the slim plastic cylinder Sarah had carried in her bag already there.

I handed Sarah the toy, and she slid it slowly into her wet opening, then began to move it with her fingers, angling it so that it pressed on her clitoris.

I poured lotion onto the small of her back, allowing it to run down. Then I made sure my penis was well lubricated, and pressed my hard tip against her pink star.

She pushed her hips back against me, and I carefully moved a little way inside her, then slid the remainder of my length into her. I wrapped my arms around her, cupping her breasts, and began to move slowly inside her.

She continued to stimulate herself with the toy, and I felt her begin to approach her climax. I moved more urgently inside her, and as she began to gasp and her muscles began to tense, I reached my own orgasm and emptied my warm fluid into her. She cried out as she felt me climax, and her orgasm took hold of her fully. I held her tightly as she shook, then relaxed back against me, our bodies still joined.

I guided her down to a lying position and pulled the sheet over us. The long journey and the heat finally got the better of me, and I slept.

***

The sun was lower in the sky when I woke. Sarah was still in my arms, breathing quietly.

I checked the time on Sarah’s watch, which she’d put on the table by the bed.

“Five o’clock,” I said quietly into her ear. “What time does the Commander expect us?”

She stirred. “About six, then we go over to the club for dinner at seven.”

“OK. I’ll make sure the girls are awake.”

I got up and pulled on my clothes, then went to look in on the girls. They had taken off their shorts and were lying on the bed in their t-shirts, their arms around each other, still asleep.

It seemed a pity to disturb them, but I knew they were looking forward to drinks with the Commander. I bent over them and poker oyna kissed first Amy, then Laura, on the cheek.

Amy stirred first. “Mmm,” she said, “I feel much more rested now.”

Laura opened her eyes. “Definitely,” she said. “Is it time to get ready?”

I nodded. “Have you decided what to wear?”

“We brought some long summer dresses,” said Amy. “We thought we’d try to look quintessentially English, at least at first.”

She stood, and pulled off her t-shirt, standing in only her panties. She reached for her bra and put it on, fastening the clasp in front and settling her breasts comfortably in the lacy cups. Then she pulled the long dress she’d chosen over her head and smoothed it over her body.

“You look fantastic,” I said.

“I feel like I need a hat to go with this,” she smiled.

“I’ll get you one when we go shopping”, I promised.

Laura got out of bed and dressed likewise, choosing a lacy camisole instead of a bra.

“I can get away with it,” she said. “Not quite so well-endowed as you, eh, Amy?”

“I think you’re both perfect,” I said. They grinned.

“Shall we see if Sarah’s ready?” I suggested. We went across to the other bedroom, where Sarah was just putting in earrings.

“Looks like we’re all set,” she said. We went out of the house, and Sarah led us along a path, edged with white-painted rocks, to the other side of the compound.

We went into a low wooden building, and through to a large room with floor-length windows open to admit the breeze. Wing Commander Sridhar was standing talking to a group of uniformed officers; he saw us and turned.

“Please, may I present my staff, and two of my senior pilots,” he said.

I shook hands with them. I noticed that they didn’t try to shake hands with the girls. Sarah made her usual gesture of respectful greeting, which they returned.

The Commander got us drinks, and Sarah made conversation with the pilots, asking them about the flying conditions. Amy and Laura stood by her, listening.

“So what are your plans?” the Commander asked me.

“Well, Sarah and I have a wedding to arrange,” I grinned. “And we have to sort out somewhere more permanent to live, though I’m very impressed with the officers’ quarters.”

Commander Sridhar acknowledged the compliment. “I understand you’ll be working some of the time in Kolkata?”

“Yes,” I said. “The company has an office there, and I’ll be doing some consultancy.”

“And your daughters?”

“Amy wants to do some further study, then get a business job. Laura is an artist, so she’ll be painting and sketching mostly. She has an exhibition back in the UK next year.”

The Commander nodded. “Good,” he said. “May the gods favour your endeavours.”

He looked around. “Now, it’s time we went in. We’re quite traditional here; I know you’ll go in with Sarah, but would your girls like to partner with my pilots for dinner?”

“How about it, girls?” I asked. “Think you could cope?”

Laura grinned. “No problem,” she said, offering her arm to one of the pilots.

“Why not,” said Amy, moving to the side of the other man.

We went into the dining room, and were seated. I’d almost expected servants in Raj-style outfits, but apparently the Commander’s definition of ‘traditional’ stopped short of that; the staff who served us, obviously Air Force personnel, wore khaki uniforms, the creases sharply pressed.

We enjoyed the meal, and I could tell that Laura and Amy were getting on well with their dinner partners. When we had finished eating, port was served; the girls didn’t seem that keen, making faces and swallowing theirs like medicine. They grinned at me, and I winked, appreciating their bit of play-acting.

We thanked our host, and walked slowly back to the bungalow.

“What shall we do tomorrow?” I asked.

“I don’t have to fly till the day after – though that means no more cocktails for me!” grinned Sarah. “I’d like to take you out into the villages, to meet some of the people I know.”

She pushed open the screen door, and we went through into the living canlı poker oyna room.

“It’s much cooler now,” I said.

“Yes,” said Sarah. “There are plenty of quilts for when we go to bed, though.”

Amy grinned. “Well, I think the best solution is for us all to snuggle up together,” she said.

“Sounds good to me,” I said.

We went through to the master bedroom, and as usual, Sarah and Amy changed into their cotton nightdresses, while Laura wore nothing.

“Brr,” she said, “I’ve got goosebumps.”

I glanced across and saw that her nipples were hard with the chill in the room.

“Come on, hop into bed,” I said. I undressed, and got into the bed, pulling the quilts up to my chin.

Laura slid in next to me, then Amy on my other side. Sarah got in on the other side of Laura.

“Well, here’s to our first night in India,” I said. I wrapped my arms around Laura’s naked body to give her some warmth, then lay my head down on the pillow and slept.

***

The morning warmed up quickly, and I woke to find that the girls had pushed the quilts off. I admired Laura’s naked body; she stirred and opened her eyes, stretching.

“Enjoying the view?” she teased.

“Always,” I said truthfully.

Her expression became serious. “That pilot I sat with last night was pretty dishy. Now we’re here, what happens if someone takes a liking to me or Amy – and if we like them too?”

“Amy and I talked about this when we first got together,” I said. “And Sarah and I thought about it when we wanted to move here. We love what we have together – we love you – but whenever it’s right for you to have someone special of your own, all you need to do is say.”

I paused, then said teasingly, “But his family had better have good land and plenty of cows to offer for you.”

Laura looked thoughtful. “It really does work differently over here, doesn’t it.”

“Don’t worry,” I said. “Sarah knows what she’s doing, and we can afford to help you get started – a bit like Sita.”

Laura leaned over and kissed me. “Thanks, Tim,” she said, her voice emotional. “I’m really glad I let you buy me lunch, when you came to meet Amy that day at the university.”

Amy stirred. “Someone mention lunch?”

I grinned. “Let me go and see what Sita’s making for breakfast.”

I quickly dressed, and went out across the verandah to the kitchen. Sita appeared at the door, seeming surprised that Sarah wasn’t with me.

I racked my brain for my few words of Hindi, and managed “Eat?”

She grinned and nodded. I made the gesture of respect I’d seen Sarah use; Sita looked confused, but returned it and vanished into the kitchen.

The girls came out onto the verandah – Laura had found a dressing gown – and Sarah followed after a few moments.

We sat down at the table, and Sita appeared with bowls.

“Not curry for breakfast?” queried Amy.

“No,” grinned Sarah. She lifted the lids. “Noodles, and omelettes.”

Sita reappeared with a plate, which she set down on the table before returning to the kitchen.

“And roti,” smiled Sarah. “Remember, we had these at Satpura.”

When we had finished eating, Sita brought tea, made as Sarah had said with boiled milk and spices.

I heard a clatter, and turned in time to see Sita going into the bungalow with the hot water. “Ready for a wash, girls?” I asked.

Laura and Amy went into the bathroom, reappearing after a few minutes in tops that covered their arms, and skirts.

“We read that it’s polite not to show bare legs or arms,” explained Amy, “so we thought we wouldn’t put our shorts on if we’re going visiting.”

“Spot on,” said Sarah. “Right, Tim, we should get ready too.”

We went into the bathroom and helped one another wash as we had done the previous day, pausing for a quick kiss. Sarah put on her loose Indian outfit, and I stuck with trousers and shirt.

“So how do we get to where your friends live?” I asked Sarah.

“Easy,” she said. “Follow me.”

We walked out of the compound, Sarah waving to the uniformed guard as we passed. A path internet casino took us to one of the main gates of the base, and outside there was an incredible hubbub – vehicles, animals, bicycles, holy men with faces marked with coloured streaks, people selling everything from fruit to pots and pans.

Sarah plunged confidently into the mass, returning with a thin-looking man. “Our driver,” she explained. The man grinned, obviously pleased to have passengers.

“So where’s the car?” I asked. The driver led us through the crush to the road, and I stopped, my face showing my surprise.

“How are we all going to get into that?” I asked.

Sarah grinned. “Easy,” she said.

She climbed confidently into the back of the trishaw, and patted the seat next to her. I sat down, then Amy wedged herself in the space that was left, squeezing us together.

“What about me?” said Laura.

“On Tim’s lap, of course,” grinned Sarah.

Laura complied, and I wrapped my arms round her waist.

The driver got into the front, and Sarah leaned forward and spoke to him, clearly giving our destination. He nodded, and gunned the engine. I still doubted that it could cope with us all, but by dint of much revving and slipping of the clutch, we were moving.

We shot along at a surprising speed, the driver seeming to know each individual pothole and swerving from one side of the road to the other to avid them.

I began to relax and look around, noticing that the road was passing through a forest area.

“Tiger reserve,” explained Sarah.

The road emerged from the forest into open fields, laid out in the typical square pattern. The driver turned off the highway and onto a track, passing through small stands of palm trees.

Eventually I saw low buildings ahead. The driver stopped the trishaw, and we extricated ourselves from the back seat. Sarah paid the driver and we watched the vehicle bounce back along the track and out of sight.

“So where are we?” I asked.

“This family are good friends of mine,” Sarah explained. “They’re Christians, very respected locally. The man is Amrit, his wife is Anjali. Their little girl is Shila.”

“OK,” I said.

We walked along a short path – I noticed that the family had a separate kitchen building, as at the bungalow. A small child came round the corner of the house, and her face lit up when she saw Sarah. She ran into the house, calling out, and shortly a young man emerged.

Sarah spoke to him in the Chinese-sounding language, then indicated me and the girls. He was clearly delighted, and called back into the house. A young woman came out, and to my utter astonishment both she and he bent down and touched my feet, then touched their hands to their hearts, making a gesture towards us with their palms open.

I turned to Sarah. Her eyes were brimming, and she said through her tears, “I’ve never seen anyone use that gesture before, though I know the meaning. They are saying that they respect you as one would a parent, an elder, or one with spiritual enlightenment, and that they open their hearts and give to you.”

I felt my own eyes filling, and said, “How should we respond?”

She thought a moment. “All we can do just now is accept – let them give us hospitality.”

We followed the couple into the house, the girls unusually quiet. Shila skipped off, probably to play with friends.

Amrit indicated that we should sit down, and Anjali brought us cold drinks.

Amrit spoke, and Sarah translated. “He is sure that God has brought us to them, and that the reason will be made clear soon.”

“Well, I certainly don’t feel like I have any spiritual enlightenment to offer them,” I said. “Quite the opposite – I wish I had their certainty.”

Amrit spoke again. “He is inviting us to their church meeting tonight, and to have a meal with them afterwards,” translated Sarah.

“Tell him we’ll be very happy to accept,” I said.

Sarah translated my words, and Amrit smiled. He got to his feet.

“The church is within walking distance,” Sarah explained.

Amrit led us along the track that ran past the house, Anjali following holding Shila’s hand. We rounded a bend, and I started to hear the sound of singing from ahead of us. Someone was marking out the beat on a drum, and I heard the unmistakeable sound of tambourines.