NOTE: Reposted to make plot, spelling & grammar corrections and to add story tags
NOTE: This story contains themes of cockoldry and consenting husband orally cleaning his wife. If not your thing, probably best to not read on. Otherwise, please enjoy
Anne and I were enjoying a good life in early retirement, if you count having a lovely home and more than enough money to live on as a good life. Having made more than enough money from my mortgage brokerage business I sold up but stayed on as a consultant employee to the new owners as part of the lucrative financial deal I'd negotiated, a golden handcuffs if you like. This was for three years, during which time I was essentially free to come and go from the business as I pleased, play a lot of golf but be available if needed to advise the new owners. Leaving day came, I was now retired, aged fifty-five at the time, and Anne was fifty-six.
As for sex between Anne and I, we seemed to have got out of the habit in our later years. She didn't ask, so I didn't demand it from her. After all, Anne was a busy grandmother with her interests, involved with the local village Women's Institute and volunteering in a few local charity shops close to her heart, besides regularly visiting and babysitting our grandchild. She was what you'd call an ultra-respectable lady in the prime of life, much loved and respected by colleagues, family and friends. She would never put a foot wrong. Anne never mentioned she missed sex, so for well over a year we did not indulge.
Our only daughter, Melanie, was in a turbulent relationship with a guy she had been involved with since school so now aged twenty-four she had been on and off with him for 10 years. They had gifted us a wonderful grandchild but it was obvious they were having trouble keeping their relationship together. He'd done well for himself and was working in the City as an investment banker, in a very laddish culture and Mel had discovered he was fucking his secretary. They had previously booked a luxury cruise around the Mediterranean but since she didn't want to go with him the tickets had been offered to Anne & myself. I didn't particularly want to go but Anne was very keen, she needed a chance to recharge her batteries and according to colleagues at the charity shop, a cruise would offer an opportunity to have lots of fun and make new friends. So that was that, we would be going.
The ship was a luxurious, brand-new liner and we had spacious premier-class accommodation with an en-suite bathroom and a king-size bed in our cabin, plus a well-stocked drinks cabinet.
The first night at sea I joined a poker table in the casino and more than held my own with the other players until dawn, enjoying the thrill of gambling when you can afford it. I decided the cruise wouldn't be so bad after all, with excellent food and good company to pass the time.
Anne would do her own thing as ever. There was a cinema, a library, a good gym, a chapel, and lots of sun-loungers, both public and on our large secluded balcony which had its own private access off the first-class deck. I told myself she'd find plenty of ways to amuse herself, her needs were modest.
On the first morning, we were gently awakened by our steward knocking and entering with orange juice and a tray of tea and toast. Like most of the crews nowadays he was foreign, a tall, very dark-skinned young man from West Africa. The badge on the lapel of his starched white steward's jacket said his name was Benjamin Amadou. He beamed a smile of straight white teeth, he was softly spoken but he had an invisible air of confidence that was hard to ignore. From the first morning, he was so polite and well-spoken in his good English.
Over the next few days, Benjamin was most attentive, bringing fresh drinks and ice, coffee, clean sheets and towels, always on hand to make our lives comfortable. I guessed he was angling for a big tip at the end of the cruise. We found he was only twenty-two years old and working away to support his extended family in Cameroon, he'd left a few years ago to go to the United States as he was training to be an athlete, a track sprinter and that was where the finest colleges and coaches were to be found. He'd worked hard at his athletics his height and physique lent themselves to his chosen goal but a persistent injury to his knee had curtailed his dream of representing his country on the world stage. However, the time he'd spent learning his excellent English while at college wasn't wasted, he moved to Europe to be closer to home and was able to get himself a job with the cruise company, initially in the kitchen but progressing to being a premier-class cabin steward due to his attention to detail and his happy to serve attitude. 'I'm fortunate that I get such good reviews back to my supervisor at the end of all my cruises' he had told us.
'I have no doubt you do' Anne had told him with a smile.
The way he attended to Anne made me happy, he was always on hand to make her comfortable despite the heavy heat of the Mediterranean sun. She lapped up the attention from her sun lounger, happy to have a good-looking, physically strong boy fawning over her. Enjoying the cruise, she did not once complain that I hardly spent any time with her. Every night when I quietly, and just a little drunk, came back to our cabin just as the sun was starting to rise, Anne was always in a deep sleep, not stirring at all as I crept into bed, unusual for my wife who was always a very light sleeper, but I was grateful not to be in trouble so I never commented on it in the morning.