A Friend Stopped By | 09/06/2009 6:00 am
Is Three in the Bedroom One Too Many? Maybe Not!

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Editor’s note: Sybil Adelman Sage, one of the first women to break
into television writing, is currently working on a fictitious memoir
titled Diary of an Overachiever: Mensa Model Finishes First in NYC Marathon After Solving Economic Problems and Proposing Health Plan Praised by Democrats and Republicans Alike.
Have you ever had a threesome? I’ve never been interested, picturing too many arms and other body parts called into play at the same time, like an overloaded electrical outlet that could, without warning, combust. Can three people be intimate? Doesn’t it create that same, "Sorry, you go ahead" awkwardness of a conference call? And who calls whom the next morning? Or was that how the conference call originated?
As I’m getting older, however, I’m starting to see why a couple might enlist a third person, not to join in the activities, but to serve as a concierge. The responsibilities would vary, depending on the age and needs of the couple. Think of it as sexual assisted living.
During the hormone-driven, teen years, this person would provide condoms and serve as the designated driver if one or both are in no condition to drive. Insurance companies might reduce premiums for those with this risk-reducing threesome in place.
Ages 20-40: The "sextra" is to suggest different positions to add variety, charge batteries for sexual aids and keep any offspring away from the bedroom. A couple engaged in adultery could have their own third person to keep an eye out for suspicious spouses, detectives and tabloid reporters, and in the case of married politicians, to draft the public apology.
Ages 35-50: For those getting a later start on having kids and facing fertility problems, the additional person monitors basal temperature, prodding the couple to have sex at optimal moments and TIVO-ing "The Daily Show" if they have to miss it.
Ages 60 & up: This is when the helper maintains the supply of Cialis and lubricants and remains in the ready position to run in with kneading hands upon hearing a loud cry indicating a Lipitor-induced leg cramp. If one of the team has suffered a hearing loss, the "sex-asst." (as the listing would appear on craigslist) is positioned during all activities to be visible to both partners and communicate, "Faster" and "Don’t stop" in sign language.
Have you ever had a threesome? I’ve never been interested, picturing too many arms and other body parts called into play at the same time, like an overloaded electrical outlet that could, without warning, combust. Can three people be intimate? Doesn’t it create that same, "Sorry, you go ahead" awkwardness of a conference call? And who calls whom the next morning? Or was that how the conference call originated?
As I’m getting older, however, I’m starting to see why a couple might enlist a third person, not to join in the activities, but to serve as a concierge. The responsibilities would vary, depending on the age and needs of the couple. Think of it as sexual assisted living.
During the hormone-driven, teen years, this person would provide condoms and serve as the designated driver if one or both are in no condition to drive. Insurance companies might reduce premiums for those with this risk-reducing threesome in place.
Ages 20-40: The "sextra" is to suggest different positions to add variety, charge batteries for sexual aids and keep any offspring away from the bedroom. A couple engaged in adultery could have their own third person to keep an eye out for suspicious spouses, detectives and tabloid reporters, and in the case of married politicians, to draft the public apology.
Ages 35-50: For those getting a later start on having kids and facing fertility problems, the additional person monitors basal temperature, prodding the couple to have sex at optimal moments and TIVO-ing "The Daily Show" if they have to miss it.
Ages 60 & up: This is when the helper maintains the supply of Cialis and lubricants and remains in the ready position to run in with kneading hands upon hearing a loud cry indicating a Lipitor-induced leg cramp. If one of the team has suffered a hearing loss, the "sex-asst." (as the listing would appear on craigslist) is positioned during all activities to be visible to both partners and communicate, "Faster" and "Don’t stop" in sign language.























54 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment
"Sex is a part of nature. I go along with nature."
— Marilyn Monroe
Last night, I watched Notorious - Claude Rains play third wheel to Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. His ‘foolish’ ardor provides the perfect zing to heighten and illustrate their lust.
Today, I watched Bergman’s offspring Isabella impersonate a limpet. Thereby employing her acting skills to illustrate how these creatures survive as ‘sequential hermaphrodites.’
http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno/
Mother Nature has quite the imagination. And clearly, the beat goes on.
Perhaps, to paraphrase Bergman’s character in Notorious, "The important sexing hasn’t started yet!"
I think of myself as the Black "Dr. Ruth Westheimer" I can talk about sex freely without the slightest embarrassment. Am great at giving sex advice to others and stressing all of the important points she did. Yet in my own life I am traditional. Won’t have sex with a man unless I am in love. Definitely never engage in a one night stand. And when it comes to a relationship, more than two people in the bedroom is a huge no-no.
My line of thought has always been, not all fantasies are meant to be acted out on. Most should be kept in your mind.
PERFECT, Stacy! You really understand what a threesome is all about. Two to make the two-backed beast* and one to keep the barking beast out of the bedroom. After all, whoever heard of a three-backed beast??
*Footnote: "In the vigour of his age he married Gargamelle, daughter to the King of the Parpaillons, a jolly pug [EXCUSE ME??? DID THIS ESCAPE FROM THE VALENTINO STORY???], and well-mouthed wench. These two did oftentimes do the two-backed beast together, joyfully rubbing and frotting their bacon ‘gainst one another" —Francois Rabelais, Gargantua and Pantagruel
Oh Sam, love your comments! Notice how most are in agreement that ‘man’s best friend’ becomes a nuisance when bedroom activities occur? Perhaps the 3rd party is actually the dogwalker!
Love the piece, Sybil. I enjoyed it for its entertainment value and its ability to provoke a variety of comments. Well done!!