Do you recall the term 'matchmaker'? It has been around for centuries. Way, way back in the old days, it was a respected profession. Usually, it was a woman who found suitable men for the girls in the local village. Today, there are still a few around who interview eligible men and women and evaluate their qualities for a supposedly perfect match between their clients. Their fees can run into the hundreds and thousands of dollars. The downside is the size of the matchmaker's clientele. Cost generally limits the clients to the wealthy.
Eventually computer dating came along. This was before the Internet. The services were advertised in newspapers and magazines. Instead of personal interviews, the clients filled out questionnaires for inputting data into a computer program which did the comparisons and spit out a list of potential matches, again from its own clientele. Cost came down and the number of lonely singles increased accordingly. Roommate matching services popped up about the same time. Instead of personal introductions, participants called each other on the telephone to get acquainted. It was especially attractive to women who no longer had to fear violence on a first date.
The Internet changed the dating complexion again. The matchmaking services quickly saw the value of the new venue. The questionnaires were completed online. Waiting for matches changed from a week or two to a minute or two. There were fees involved, of course, but those, too, came down. Instead of lonely singles, the dating game opened up to every imaginable combination of people: lonely singles, swingers, cheaters. You name it; there was a website for it. Fanciful screen names ended women's fears of premature identification. Chatting was done with a keyboard instead of the telephone. Even the possibility of recognizing a voice was eliminated. Men and women could contact new partners anonymously. Websites specialized. Romance leading to marriage was one theme. People seeking affairs had their avenues for meeting. Singles who were simply horny and wanted a bed partner for a night or weekend could hook up.
As a divorcé, I gravitated toward sites with horny women. I saw an ad for one in which women took the first move and contacted men they found desirable. I filled out a profile on one with my objective (getting laid), my preferences for age, body type, smoker or non-smoker, my physical description. Within five minutes, I was inundated with messages from a dozen women. Most sent nude photographs. Some held their pussies open with their hands. Their profiles generally stated they were look for compatible men without explaining what they considered compatible.
There was one who stood head and shoulders above the rest. In her photo, she was fully dressed in business attire. Her makeup was perfect. A necklace of pearls complimented her long neck. Her skirt was knee-length showing her toned calf muscles without being an invitation. Her eyes were clear, and her smile was relaxed, not a forced toothpaste grin. In short, she was a lady. Her profile was one sentence. "My husband ignores me." Clearly she wanted an affair or, perhaps, a new husband.
I had never slept with another man's wife. Before my divorce, I had been with other women, single and divorced, but only after my marriage was irretrievable. It had been six months since I last had sex, so I was horny to the point of being desperate enough to pay for it. I wasn't ready to look for another relationship, but my balls did need to be emptied occasionally.
Her introductory email was to the point. Her name was Sarah. She was a part-time paralegal. She loved her husband and did not intend to leave him, but their sex life was boring. I was an outside insurance salesman. It would be easy to arrange trysts with her. If we got along, I could get laid on a regular basis without being tied down. I kept all references to sex out of my reply mentioning my occupation, hobbies, and the softball team I played on over the weekends.
Sarah responded within five minutes telling me about her availability, her pastimes, and empathizing her boring sex life. She was adamant that our first meeting be at a hotel to keep me from knowing where she lived. If things worked out, then she could be willing to come to my apartment. That sounded reasonable. First, however, she wanted to meet me to determine whether we had compatible personalities and expectations. We agreed on breakfast at a nearby family style restaurant.
She was easy to spot in the parking lot. She wore the same outfit as in her profile. I wore my suit because I had a sales appointment later in the morning. We sat opposite each other in the booth and ordered coffee. Both of us liked it black, which I considered a good omen. After a little conversation about the main course, we both selected a Belgium waffle with maple syrup and a slice of ham. "I see we both have good taste in breakfast," I said. "I suspect we may have other similarities."
"We probably do," Sarah said. "Tell me, how many women have you met from the website so far?"
"You are the first. I signed up the day you emailed me."
"Rick, you are the seventh man I am auditioning."
"Auditioning?"
"Yes, to be my regular lover. I love my husband. He has a good job which he excels at. We have many common interests. He has many good qualities. In bed, he is boring. He has one set pattern for making love. I know exactly what he is going to do. Three kisses on lips, then four on my neck. I need some variety."
"If you have already met six other men, I'd say you are getting your variety."
"You have a good point. The problem is that has all just been fucking. I want a relationship, the friends-with-benefits kind. I need someone who will care about me; someone who values me. I guess you could say I want a second husband, but one I can care about too. Your profile says you want an open relationship. Just what do you mean by that?"
"Non-exclusive. I want to play around, but I also want to be grounded with someone. Regular sex without emotional commitment. Maybe that's what I see in you. As long as you are married, I can't claim you, yet there would be a reliable source of sex."
"That sounds like freedom and commitment at the same time. I like that idea. Do you mind me asking why you are divorced?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "We just grew apart. Life between the sheets was very good, but the love sorta melted away. I think we were in love with the idea of love."
"There won't be any such pretense with me. I can be brutally honest."
"The concept of auditioning is rather impersonal. It sounds like I'm trying to get an acting job."
"You will be auditioning me. I might be the wrong lover for you. Right now, we have to decide where and when. I'm off on Thursday and Friday this week."
"I don't have any appointments on Friday. Most hotels don't allow check-ins before three."
She took out her cell phone and made a call. After a couple of minutes, she said, "The Hotel Wilson will let us check in at ten on Friday."
"How did you pull that off?"
"They know me."
