A strange atmosphere had developed in the Weaver household over the last few weeks. Following their last swinger party, Sharon and Jim's relationship had settled into an uneasy tenor—like a song being played at a slightly incorrect cadence or in the wrong key. There was something unmistakably different about it that neither one of them wanted to acknowledge or address—each for different reasons.

For Jim, he didn't want to face the reality of this expedition into a new lifestyle having significantly altered his marriage. The increasingly glaring indications that they were no longer 'in it together' to 'improve the relationship' and 'grow closer' were everywhere and yet—Jim was intent on...