CHAPTER ONE
“One of our new distributors from work has been flirting with me lately,” my wife, Maddie, said aloud, momentarily distracting me from the Braves game I’d been watching. I looked over at Maddie, who still sat there looking at her phone, busily texting back and forth with someone as she smiled at her text partner’s most recent reply while biting at her lower lip.
I sat quietly for a second, trying to figure out why my wife was bringing this topic up, never knowing how much that one moment would change our lives. I later asked Maddie if she’d known how things would end up, and my wife had stated that she’d had no clue. Since then, I’ve thought about her answer, and I’m not sincerely sure I believe her. My wife had clearly harbored a solid attraction to the person she’d been flirting with, one that was solid enough for Maddie to consider taking a drastic step.
“Is that so?” I replied, looking my wife over, and feeling a rush of pride in my chest at what I saw. She was dressed in a pair of pink leggings and wore a midriff t-shirt that hugged her C-cup breasts tightly, her long, wavy blonde hair hanging down over her shoulders. I couldn’t help but notice the interest in her blue eyes, as she sat her phone in her lap and looked up to meet my gaze.
“He has,” Maddie replied, with just a hint of a smirk gracing her lips as she stared back my way. It was clear that my wife was pleased to see my reaction.
“And just who is this distributor?”
Maddie seemed to study me, perhaps trying to judge what motives lay behind my question. I looked back at her with curiosity, wondering precisely why she’d brought the topic up. Maddie knew I was hardly the jealous type, which was good, considering how beautiful my wife was, and the attention men typically afforded her, so her motivations interested me.
“He works for a new paper distributor,” Maddie responded. “His name is Mark.”
I turned my attention back to the game. The Braves were trailing by two runs but had the bases loaded with one out and the heart of their batting order coming up. I could feel my wife’s eyes still on me as if she’d expected more questions, but I had none. I knew Maddie had contact with lots of distributors in her job as the head of inventory and material acquisitions for a large printing company. I had always assumed that she would be flirted with often in that position, so I couldn’t help but wonder why she’d brought up this particular occurrence.
Maddie said nothing else for several minutes, though I could tell she was still watching me. I got the distinct impression that she was working her way up to something, though I wasn’t sure what. It wasn’t until I sat forward in my chair as the Braves cleanup hitter drove a ball into the gap to clear the bases and give Atlanta the lead that Maddie spoke again.
“He asked me out…on a date, I mean.”
I looked over at my wife and then back to the television screen, torn as to which most deserved my attention. The ball game called for it, but something on my wife’s countenance told me that the information she was imparting to me was meant in more than just an offhanded manner.
Grabbing the remote, I paused the television and studied my wife, who seemed to observe my reaction with more than a bit of mirth and fascination. I watched as she twirled a finger in her hair, a sign that told me she was anxious to hear my reply on the topic, that it was essential to her in some underlying way that I hadn’t yet discerned.
“He what?” I asked, not sure that I’d heard her correctly.
“Mark…the distributor I told you about who’s been flirting with me. He’s asked me out on a date.”
I watched my wife, noting for the first time that her nipples were hard, the turgid nubs poking against the tight cotton top she wore. She was clearly not wearing a bra underneath the shirt, the bottom half of her still-shapely and firm globes poking out from underneath her cutoff top.
“And does Romeo know that you’re married?” I asked, beginning to feel life between my legs at the sight of my wife’s obvious arousal, never once questioning what had motivated it.
“Of course, he does, silly,” Maddie declared, rolling her eyes and shrugging. “I get the feeling, though, that he’s just one of those guys that doesn’t care if the woman he’s interested in has a husband. I get the sense that her being married makes the woman all that more appealing to him. I guess he likes the challenge.”
Turning to where Maddie sat, the ball game I’d been watching now completely forgotten, I gave my wife my full attention. Noting that her cheeks and upper chest were flushed, I sat forward in my recliner and took a sip of the glass of bourbon in my hand, suddenly needing something to calm the nervous flutters in my stomach.
“It sounds like you’ve gotten to know this guy really well,” I stated, suddenly starting to feel a little defensive and maybe a bit threatened by this new man in my wife’s life.
“I have some,” Maddie replied, her eyes going to where altındağ escort her hands fiddled together in her lap. “We had a lot of extra time to talk at lunch today, once we got through discussing business.”
“Lunch?” I asked, suddenly feeling alarm bells going off inside my head. “So you’ve already been out with him?”
Maddie’s eyes came up at hearing the warning in my voice, an anxious look appearing in her eyes. Her fingers tightened on the blanket covering her lap, and I couldn’t help but sense that it was my wife who was now feeling a bit defensive. Had she actually done something to feel guilty about? Or was she merely reacting to the desire that lay in her heart?
“It was just lunch, Peter,” Maddie explained, almost urgently as if made afraid by my reaction. “It’s not the first time I’ve gone to lunch with a distributor.”
“But it is the first time you’ve gone out with a man who’s made his interest in you so plain,” I argued, instantly regretting the slightly angry tone in my voice.
“Yes,” Maddie replied, her eyes again going to her hands which nervously twisted the afghan in her lap. Something about this nervous gesture told me there was far more to this story than she’d admitted to so far. And I suddenly felt the need to wring every bit of information from my wife that was possible.
“And do you think that’s a proper thing for a married woman to do?”
Maddie sat there, saying nothing with almost a guilty look on her face as she fidgeted with the blanket. I couldn’t help but feel that my wife was utterly flabbergasted about how our conversation was going, my reaction somehow mystifying her and seeming completely unexpected. I watched as she sat there, wondering what was going on in her mind, suddenly pondering whether she was thinking of him.
“I guess not,” Maddie replied somewhat dejectedly, her bottom lip practically poking out almost petulantly. “But it’s my job, and it’s expected of me sometimes.”
“And what happened at this lunch?” I asked, suddenly needing to know precisely what had gone on.
Maddie hesitated with her reply, picking up her phone and scrolling through whatever was on the screen. I began to wonder if she was ignoring my question, or merely stalling for time, as she thought about the best way to reply. Either way, my stomach twisted in knots, the realization that I wouldn’t like what I was about to hear suddenly filling me with certainty.
“He took me to Roberto’s,” Maddie finally replied, not daring to look up and meet my eyes, “and we talked while we had lunch.”
From the way, Maddie squirmed in her seat and the flush on her cheeks, I was reasonably confident that wasn’t all that happened. She was leaving something out, either too embarrassed to admit it,or too ashamed of something she’d allowed to occur. I wasn’t entirely sure which.
“I think we both know it wasn’t that cut and dried, Maddie,” I replied, a sudden insight coming to my mind. “What aren’t you telling me? Because it’s apparent to me that you’re attracted to this guy, or you wouldn’t be blushing and acting so nervous.”
My wife squirmed beneath my intense glare, her eyes beginning to well up with tears as she sat her phone back down and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out as if in preparation for revealing something she was definitely ashamed of.
“We were dancing…”
“Dancing?” I asked incredulously.
“Yeah, you know Roberto’s has that small dance floor, and Mark asked me if I wanted to dance,” Maddie explained, her right index finger again finding a long lock of her hair and beginning to twirl the already-wavy strand into a tight ringlet. “I really didn’t think it was that big a deal, Peter. You hate to dance, and it had been forever since I’d gotten to do it,” she added as if that made the act okay.
Oh, I knew Roberto’s, all right. It was a romantic place, the lighting, and ambiance carrying an old-world appeal. It was just the sort of place a Lothario would take a married woman if he was looking to seduce her, and turn her husband into a cuckold.
“And what kind of dancing are we talking about?” I asked, already suspecting what Maddie’s answer would be.
“Slow,” my wife replied, her cheeks flushing anew as she released her finger’s hold on her hair before beginning to twirl the same strand once again. Maddie still wasn’t meeting my gaze, helplessly looking everywhere else, but at me.
“And…what else happened?” I asked, sensing that there was something more, but suddenly uncertain that it was something I truly wanted to hear.
“He kissed me,” Maddie admitted, the tears rolling down her cheeks as her finger closed around the twist she’d been making of the lock of hair, Maddie pulling at it as if she was punishing herself for her marital indiscretion.
I sat there with a stunned look on my face, allowing my wife’s betrayal to sink in as I watched her cry, Maddie’s eyes not daring to meet mine. I felt like there was a hot coal in my stomach, the burning ember threatening to ankara anal yapan escort scorch its way through the lining of my guts and consume me whole. I felt sick and angry, wondering what I’d done to drive my wife into the arms of another man. Had I underappreciated Maddie, the woman I loved and the mother of our two children? Or was she simply unhappy and dissatisfied with me, and looking for something new?
“Kissed you…” I said as if trying the notion on for size, hearing how stunned I was in my own tone and needing to say more, but finding myself at a loss for words as I stared at the sudden stranger across from me who looked so much like the woman I’d married. Maddie didn’t reply, her chest hitching slightly as she continued to quietly cry. She merely sat there and tugged at the strand of hair, an act of self-flagellation if I’d ever seen one.
“And when was my loving wife going to tell me about that little fact? I asked, the heat in my voice apparent even to my own ears.
Maddie shrugged, but her meaning was apparent. She’d clearly hoped to be able to leave that little tidbit out of her explanation, likely suspecting my reaction. And she’d been right to do so because I felt livid as images flashed through my mind of some handsome man holding my beautiful wife close, his lips coming down to meet hers in a passionate exchange of spit and tongues.
“What did you do when he kissed you?” I asked, trying my best to restrain the coiled tension inside me.
“I was stunned at first,” Maddie admitted, finally daring to look up and meet my gaze. Maybe what she saw there left her uncomfortable because my sexy blonde wife quickly diverted her eyes again. “But then…I don’t know why…I couldn’t help myself. I kissed him back.”
That hot coal in my stomach felt as though it had suddenly morphed into a blade and was busy carving its way out of my body. I suddenly couldn’t breathe, my wife’s disloyalty making me feel as though I might vomit. I stared at the stranger in front of me, wondering how I’d ever be able to trust her again.
“And did anything else happen that I should know about?” I asked, the despair filling my insides, making me wonder if anything else she might add could make me feel any worse. Had she slept with him? Was this entire little conversation actually about my wife informing me that I was now her cuckold? And if so, what would I be willing to do with that information.
“Nothing else happened,” Maddie said, finally meeting my gaze with a look in her beautiful blue eyes that told me she desperately needed me to believe her. And even though she’d given me information somewhat reluctantly, she had been forthcoming when asked. So I couldn’t help but think Maddie was being honest with me on this, not that it mitigated what she’d already admitted to doing.
“I stopped him once our kiss ended,” Maddie declared with a pained expression as if that bit of information somehow made up for what she’d done. “I told him that I couldn’t do that to my husband and kids. I told him again how much in love with you I am and that I could never hurt you.”
“Oh, it’s too late for that,” I exclaimed, sitting back in my chair and looking across at the woman I’d married.
“I know, baby,” Maddie cried, leaving her seat on the couch and kneeling at my feet, her hands landing on my knees as she glanced up into my eyes with a look that begged me to forgive her somewhat adulterous transgression. “But I swear to you that nothing else happened! I stopped it, and Mark drove me straight back to the office!”
“But you wanted it to, didn’t you?” I asked, already knowing my wife’s answer. It had been written all over her face earlier, screaming out in her body language and how Maddie had appeared so ashamed of her actions. Even her nipples were still poking out through the material of her thin t-shirt, the protuberances looking like the thick erasers on those pencils they first give preschoolers when they’re learning to write.
Maddie’s eyes dipped down in shame, confirming my suspicions. She’d undoubtedly wanted it to go beyond what had transpired, but had forced herself to end it reluctantly because of me and the kids. And that realization ate at me. Did my wife see me as nothing more than an anchor? Was I simply a reason holding her back from willingly accepting this new and exciting thing in her life? And precisely what was it about this particular man that had excited her so much and had tempted Maddie to set aside the solemn promises she’d made to me on our wedding day? Was he more handsome than me? Because I was hardly chopped liver. Women often flirted with me when I was at bars with friends, and I’d had more than one female client do the same. And not once had I actually found myself tempted to do anything about it. So what attributes did this man possess that could so easily sway the woman I’d married?
“So why are you telling me about this, Maddie?” I asked, suddenly feeling more tired than I had in a long time.
“I just ankara escort thought that you should know,” Maddie said, looking back up at me. “I thought I needed to come clean and be honest with you.”
“But you weren’t honest with me, Maddie,” I remarked. “At least not until I asked. You weren’t going to tell me about the dancing, and you sure as fuck had no intentions of mentioning the kiss the two of you shared.”
My demure wife looked stunned. I never cursed, considering it the common tongue of less intelligent minds. And the fact that my curse had been directed toward her seemed to strike my wife doubly hard.
“No, I don’t buy it,” I said, taking another sip of my bourbon, wincing slightly as the amber-colored liquid slid down my gullet and settled in my stomach. “What was it really about, Maddie? Because you could have put an end to it today, and I would have never known that it had happened. So what’s the real reason?”
The pained expression on my wife’s face seemed to beg me not to make her say. It pleaded with me to allow her to escape without giving me a reply. But her reaction only made my resolve to know harden that much more.
“Well, remember when I said that Mark asked me out on a date?” Maddie finally asked, resuming wrapping her finger in her hair while staring down at her other hand that rested on my knee. “Well, he says it’s not all that uncommon these days for husbands to be turned on by the idea of their wives being desired by other men. He says that many of them find it exciting to let their wives date another man. Mark says it helps bring a spark back to their marriages in many cases.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” I declared, utterly flabbergasted by the idea. “And what? This whole little display tonight was your way of telling me that you want to go out on a date with this prick, and you want me to be okay with the idea? So where does that leave me, Maddie? As nothing more than your fucking babysitter while you see your boyfriend?”
My wife looked up at me, the expression on her face looking like I’d just slapped her. There was hurt there and angst, and more than anything, disappointment. I couldn’t tell whether it was in my choice of language or the fact that I clearly wasn’t a fan of the idea.
“I’m sorry, Peter!” Maddie replied softly, tears continuing to flow down her cheeks. “I guess I just got carried away with it when Mark started flirting with me. He’s a really handsome guy, and all the women in the office have tried to get his attention. I guess that it just made me feel a little sexy knowing that he turned his concentration towards me.”
“Why wouldn’t he, Maddie?” I replied. “You’re a gorgeous woman. I tell you that practically every day!”
“But you have to do that,” Maddie replied with a sigh. “You love me, and you’re my husband. It just meant more hearing it from a tall, good-looking man that every woman in the office was drooling over.”
It was my turn to look as though I’d been slapped as I sat back in my recliner, my shoulders slumping. Again, I wondered where I’d gone wrong. When had the slick compliments of a good-looking stranger become such a sweet salve to my wife’s ears? And what was this bullshit about men actually enjoying having their wife date another man? What husband in his right mind would ever agree to something so ludicrous?
“I guess it’s nice to know where I rank with you,” I said, immediately hating the whining tone that seeped into my voice.
“Don’t be like that,” Maddie begged, the hand on my knee reaching up to take my free hand. I let her do it, but let it lay there limply, offering my wife nothing in return when she squeezed it. “I swear that this is all coming out wrong. I’m just doing a terrible job at relating it all to you.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that, Maddie,” I said sarcastically. “I think you’ve done a pretty decent job of it so far, even if I’ve had to drag some of it out of you. Let’s see if I’ve got it straight in my head. Some dime-store, good-looking Don Juan has captured your attention at work. You two have gone out for a lunch date where he wined and dined you before giving you an impassioned kiss while the two of you slow-danced. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that he’s convinced you that it’s going to be a good thing for our marriage if you say yes to his proposal of a date. Does that just about cover it, Maddie?”
Rather than verbally answer my reply, Maddie’s eyes went down to where she held my hand as she nodded her head in the affirmative. I had to give her that much; Maddie was at least being honest, even though I had to carefully pry the truth from her in several cases. Thus far, her only attempts at untruth had been by omission.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly let it out as I prepared to ask the question at the forefront of my mind. It was one whose answer I didn’t really want to hear. But as much as Maddie’s potential reply terrified me, it was something that I had to know.
“And when you think about this date, does it end with Mark fucking you?”
My choice of words caused Maddie to wince, as did my tone and the content of how I’d chosen to word my question. And I didn’t need to hear her reply, Maddie’s guilty expression speaking volumes. Her remorseful-looking blue eyes indicated she’d given it careful thought, perhaps even while she played with her pussy.