Chris pulls the car into the narrow alleyway that runs behind the working man's club, drives a little way down and parks up switching the engine and lights off.
Turning to his wife Molly in the passenger seat, in the gloom he can just make out her expression, she's nervous for sure, but there is excitement too, and plenty of it.
It was only the second time that they'd done this but already it was the pinnacle of their combined desires.
"You alright?" Chris asks, turning more in his seat, offering a reassuring smile and reaching out for her hand, grasping, squeezing.
She nods, squeezing back, "Oh yeah...just a bit nervous like last time...but that will soon pass."
On hearing this Chris glances away out the windscreen ahead to a solitary splash of light that marks the emergency exit to the club...last time...had been amazing.
Turning back to her he moves in for a slow sensual kiss, their tender moment cut short by the sound of Molly's phone beginning to ring. Breaking away she reaches into her coat pocket, brings the phone out and answers.
"Hello?...yes I'm here now...alright...see you in a minute."
Ending the call she plants a soft kiss on her husband's lips, brief but meaningful, then begins to get out the car, the courtesy light fleetingly revealing a stocking clad leg as she does so.
Chris watches in silence as she gets out and closes the door. Molly, her heart thumping madly, makes her way down the dirty, litter strewn alley towards the dimly lit exit door, heels clicking on the cracked asphalt as she goes.
Although trembling with excitement at what she was about to do, the path to arriving in the position she now found herself had not been a smooth one. The journey began a month previously with a discovery that initially shocked her to the core, and would go on to completely change her relationship with Chris...ultimately strengthening their bond...and enriching their love life.
**
Two months earlier...
"Eh...you'll never guess what?" John asked, after wiping beer froth off his lips with the back of a hand, excitement clearly evident from his beaming expression.
"What." Terry, seated to his left says, then quickly follows it up with, "See I got it first time...go on then give us another...am on a roll tonight."
There's a murmur of half hearted chuckling through the little group of men that have just sat down together this friday night at their usual booth in, 'The George', working man's club.
Terry was the type who always tried to make a joke out of everything, and considering the news that John couldn't wait to share, he found this particular quip rather annoying but grinned impatiently in response anyway.
Leaning forward across the little table he motions for all three of his buddies to do the same, they exchange brief questioning glances with each other before leaning in so that all four are huddled together in secretive pose.
John has a quick look around to make sure nobody is nearby listening, then speaks in hushed tone his eyes alight with excitement.
"I've only gone and done it again..." John glances around his friends, pausing briefly, keeping the suspense going for effect, then continues, "...ave scored another one... this bird am doing a job for."
John's three friends immediately back off, straightening up amid disbelieving calls of, 'Yeah right.' And, 'Pull the other one.'
They'd heard this kind of thing from John before and didn't believe a word, he'd always been one who dabbled in fantasy and was prone to tall tales. A painter and decorater by trade, he'd worked in the profession all his life and now did the odd cash in hand job to supplement his pension, the guys might have believed he'd gotten lucky with a client now and then in the past but in recent years his tales of bedroom conquests were preceived to be flights of fancy, especially at his ripe old age of seventy one.
Pete, sat opposite John, takes a drink from his pint, and seeing an opportunity for fun asks his friend a question, "By scored John...what do yer mean exactly?...she made yer a cuppa of tea?"
At this the table erupts in laughter, causing a sting of anger for John, but the knowledge that he is telling the truth gives him the strength to ignore his friend's ridicule.
He waits patiently while the chuckles die away, then motions for his friends to come back, close up across the table again.
"You can laugh...but I know I'm telling the truth."
Seeing that he's determined to tell a tale, Ray, seated to John's right, and the oldest of the group at 80, encourages him to reveal all, "Go on then...we're listening."
John, after having another look about them, readily begins to tell his story.
"Well I got this new job couple of days ago...started on wednesday like...a young couple living up tranmore road...in their late twenties...Chris and his lass Molly...wanting some painting and papering doin...nowt heavy...it wer only gunna take a few days...anyway he's out all day at work so there's just me and this young bird in the house...well I knew straight away she were up for it like...kept giving me the eye yer know...oh you should see her...what a beauty...long ginger hair...and yeh...in case yer wondering she's a natural...big blue eyes...curvy figure...nice rack..."
John continues telling his version of events to his friends over the next half hour, going into some detail which, despite them all being over seventy and not believing a word, still causes stirrings down below...in every single one.
After revealing all, exciting as it was, John's anger and frustration returned, for apart from asking the odd question he was met with the same disbelieving glances from his friends, and the hot topic was quickly brushed aside by the usual politics and sports subjects.
The biggest frustration of all was that, although he'd exaggerated some of what happened between himself and Molly, he knew this one was very special, unlike the others.
Yes he'd had some fun when he was younger but most had been village bikes, young wives wanting a bit extra while hubby was at work, and in recent years, especially since he'd retired the fooling around had almost dried up altogether.
There was that bird up on the big estate last year, but she was in her fifties and they only did it twice, she got scared hubby would find out.
Most of the stuff he told to the guys these days was made up, snippets of old encounters he'd mashed together hoping they wouldn't notice, but they did and he knew it.
But now...talk about the boy who cried wolf.
When the night at the George was over, John, feeling worse for wear, half walked half staggered the quarter of a mile back home and crashed into bed next to his disabled wife Jean.
Despite the beer haze...images of Molly and the memory of what they'd done together earlier that afternoon filled John's mind...he drifts off to sleep with a smile etched upon his face.
**
For Molly however, things weren't quite as simple, at the same time John was drifting off to sleep she lay awake, filled with shame. Laying next to her sleeping hubby Chris in the darkness, guilt eating into her, she went over the events of that week in her mind...for the millionth time...
Meeting John initially on the monday evening at their home, Chris had previously been in touch with him by phone after a friend recommended him as a good decorator.
John had had a look around while Chris explained what they wanted, some painting work in the kitchen and papering in the lounge. He seemed like a normal friendly chap, very chatty, nothing out of the ordinary, just an old bloke with a beer belly.
Wednesday came around and Molly, a stay at home mum, had just arrived back home from walking Toby their six year old son to primary school, when John arrived.
Being quite shy in nature it was a whole different situation than monday evening, being in the house with John on her own, however, the guy came across as fine and friendly and she quickly got over her nerves.
Molly's new daytime companion proved to be quite the comedian, and John soon had her giggling. After a couple of hours together the pair had hit it off, building up a good rapport. Although he'd started on the kitchen first, Molly had to keep visiting this room due to her chore routine, washing up dirty dishes, seeing to the washing etc.
In the past when some tradesman had been working in the house, Molly would have avoided that room while they were there, only venturing in on the work's completion.
But with John it was different, she found herself drawn to him, something about the way he looked at her, spoke to her, the things he said, his common down to earth charm, she found herself actually making excuses up to go in the kitchen purely to engage with him.
Surprisingly, despite her good looks, Molly had very little experience with men. She and Chris were childhood sweethearts, they married at twenty and along came Toby a few years later. She'd had no other romantic partners and being the shy quiet type was quite naive in 'the ways of the world' so to speak, something which John had spotted immediately and set about exploiting for his own agenda.
At the end of that first day's work Molly still had no idea of John's motives, just finding him good company and a laugh, something which she happened to be craving.
Having the house to herself all day could be a little boring, Chris worked long hours in the IT department of a big company and although they spent time together on a weekend the weekdays were a trudge.
Then there was the marriage...
Yes she loved him dearly, yes they were happy, they both doted on Toby, financially secure, no worries there. But lately something seemed missing, it was like they were just going through the motions of everyday living, the spark hadn't exactly gone but it was diminishing.
