"I'll do that," Tela answered with a sincere facial expression trying to hold back an army of tears that she knew were marching forward behind her warm brown eyes.
"I'm not asking you to try anything you don't want to, just to try something new. I want our intimacy back," Mick responded. The couple had been married for fifteen years, dated for a couple of years beforehand and had two gorgeous kids. Both bright, athletic, mature and in their teens. While neither Tela or Mick could realistically visualize the impact of divorce on the kids, Mick knew he was not ready to hang up his sex life.
Tela enjoyed sex, but between her business, the kids' activities and providing food and support for her family she was often tired and just wanted to collapse in bed at days end. When the two did have a free hour or two, she felt like they had to get busy quickly least there be an interruption, and to allow for her to tend to other chores. Her version of a quickie was interpreted by Mick as a fast fuck with pressure on him to perform rapidly. He yearned for the days when the day was spent fucking, with periodic breaks for meals, teasing and occasionally displaying their friskiness publicly.
The two had enjoyed sex in an elevator, Tela wasn't always bashful and had flashed her near perfect tits at truckers and college kids while riding along in a car with her husband. Usually he'd have a small vibrator planted deliciously next to her clit as she took pleasure in the thrill of exposure. Afterwards the two would recount the event, and often add a few what-ifs to the conversation. But these outings faded. Instead of once a week, it became once a year and then just a memory. Life interfered.
Tela and Mick had a good marriage. They rarely fought, equally approached household chores and exercised regularly. Both admitted when they did have sex it was enjoyable, but Mick wanted it more often and loved how it bonded them afterwards. The following day was always better and created a team feel. Several times they'd discussed the dwindling sex topic, vowing to change things. Instead, it seemed to make things worse. Sex went from twice a week to twice a month. More talking resulted and with similar results. Ultimately, Mick felt their relationship was depriving him of a sex life. It was a concession he was unwilling to take without combat.
On a Sunday afternoon, with both teens out for an arranged stay with other kids, Mick prepared an early afternoon dinner for his wife. Her favorite—lobster, potatoes and bubbles. Tela was surprised and pleased with the attention. She suggested maybe they should twist in a quickie before the kids returned, and had no idea the pain it caused her husband. Inside, Mick thought to himself, "Why can't she just seduce me? Without saying a word."
When he replied with, "Maybe later. First, I want to talk," he too had no notion of the sting she felt. Once engaged, sex came easily for Tela and often she wanted lots more, but until she opened to it there was an inner fear. She'd never admitted to Mick any of her fantasies. He'd told her several of his sexual based dreams, while she claimed to have none.
"Babe, we've talked about our dwindling sex life, and tried different things, but I feel like it has essentially departed from our relationship. The last time we had sex was 38 days ago," Mick stated tenderly while holding his wife's hand.
"Why do you always keep count?" Tesa responded with a hurt voice.
"I don't. Instead, over and over I go to bed horny, wake up horny and know the day is so busy that we won't have a minute together. I'm sick of jacking off. I want to be held and drooled over. Other items in our life have much greater priorities, but, but I'm not willing to sacrifice sex to insure the kids get to practice on time, dinner is cooked and we attend all their sporting events. When we got married it was because of us, not to reproduce then leave us behind."
"Are you saying you want a divorce," Tela asked with quivering lips.
"No. I can't imagine that. What I'm saying is I'm not willing to give up sex because we place it so low in the priority list. I don't know if this means we need to hire someone, have an open marriage or something else. I just know something has to be done."
"Jesus Mick. An open marriage? Seriously? How do you think I'd feel knowing you're fucking someone else?" Tela asked in an angry voice.
"That is why I wanted to talk. How do you think I feel having my sex life ended because it is valued so low in our marriage? Did you ever think about asking how, nevermind. I, I, I don't want us to end. I love you Tela." Mick reached across and gave his wife a peck on the lips. She kissed him back with passion, then stood. "Where are you going?"
Tela didn't answer him, but instead started to slowly unbutton her top, tossing it off and her jeans promptly followed the flight path of her blouse. As did her bra and panties. Once naked she sat back down on the couch and slowly answered, "They say you should argue naked. It felt like we could be approaching a disagreement, so I made a preemptive strike."
"I've read so many articles, talked to friends and I've been to a couple of different counselors."
"Honey, why didn't you tell me?" demanded Tela with a look of deep concern.
"I thought I had, but when I talked with others I realized I hadn't told you how its ripping up my heart, and balls. And I wanted to have some way to fix us and not just complain. You know how I am." He was being honest, but had to admit her tits were distracting.
"Did people say we should get divorced?" Tela asked in a worried tone.
"No. They said we had a problem. A decent problem, that needed to be solved. And there was some useful information in the articles."
"Do you want to tell me, or should I read them?" Tela asked.
"Probably both. You know how I've shared my fantasies with you?" Tela nodded affirmatively, so Mick kept going. "The articles state that everyone has fantasies. Usually several and they change over time." Tela responded to this by pulling her knees up to her chest, and draping her arms over them. "The articles or research note it's important for couples to be open and honest about this topic." Mick could see a repressed fear in his wife's eyes, but kept moving ahead. "It doesn't mean couples have to enact the fantasies, but let their spouse know what things turns them on, and use it to add spice. They also note it's important not to get into a routine. I think we're in a deep rut."
With a cold seriousness, Tela responded, "Do you think we have to live our fantasies to get out?"
"I don't know. I just know we need to get out. Everything I read, and most of the counselors I spoke with, agreed a big dose of change was needed or our foundation would be cracked in multiple places."
"But not all of them agreed with this assessment?"
"That's correct. One suggested we have a sexless marriage and instead look to religion to supplant our lost lust." To this comment, Tela did laugh.
"What did you do?" she asked with a smile as she was realizing her husband was deadly serious about change, but was also desperate for a partner to change with him. Her anger was gone, and she realized how his opening up to her was rather endearing. Unconsciously, she'd raised her arms above her head and parted her legs a touch.
"I got up and walked out," Mick answered.
"Good for you," Tela smiled as Mick's eyes quickly wandered up and down her body. The looks didn't go unnoticed. "What other options were suggested to you?"
"One advised divorce."
"Did you walk out too?"
"Kind of, except I told her that I sought professional help to find a solution for us, so thought it was best to move on."
"How many counselors did you see?"
"Five that I talked with for more than an hour. They are like any other service. Its best to shop around, then when you find a good one, hold on."
