Bernhard was finding it very hard to concentrate on his work today; it was that special day of the month. He couldn't stop thinking about his lunchtime appointment which was causing pleasurable anticipatory stirrings in his loins. They usually met at lunchtime on the first Tuesday of the month and she had never forgotten yet, but there could always be a first time. Originally they had met on Mondays but bank holidays tended to cut down the available options so they had changed to Tuesdays. The only time they didn't meet on the first Tuesday was when he received a discrete letter saying that she was temporally indisposed. On those rare occasions their meeting took place on the second Tuesday of the month. Would she remember it among the myriad things that occupied her day? There was always some scope for confusion about the date of their meeting. Bernhard was unlikely to forget because, as with most men, matters pertaining to sex were always uppermost in his mind. Perhaps he should have telephoned to remind her about their love tryst.
Julia was unlikely to forget either; being a practical multi-tasking woman she had discretely marked the dates of their rendezvous on her kitchen calendar alongside more mundane matters. Every morning she consulted the calendar and made the appropriate dispositions. Thus: Monday, take the children to the dentist; Tuesday, Bernhard coming home at lunchtime to fuck her; Wednesday, PTA meeting; Thursday, coffee morning at Carol's house; Friday, weekly shop at the supermarket..
He reached for his mobile phone then changed his mind. Telephoning would break the spell and spoil the excitement of their transient meeting; they simply never discussed it in advance. It had been going on for almost a year now, he recalled. He hoped she wasn't tiring of their illicit adventure; it added a much needed spice to his life and, he assumed, to hers too. Well it was hardly illicit, almost a commonplace event in the current free and easy sexual climate; but still not something he would want his colleagues to find out about. They might think it rather odd, a bit kinky and perverted even.
His secretary knew something was going on, not that he told her anything; she just observed the subtle change in his behaviour at the beginning of each month and she could hardly fail to notice his late return after lunch on Tuesdays with the faint scent of a woman still lingering about him. She also noticed the letters he occasionally received in hand written envelopes marked 'private and confidential' which greatly stirred her curiosity. Sometimes he would send her over to the cashier's office to cash a personal cheque for him. It was always for the same amount causing her to wonder if he was visiting a prostitute. She was torn between disapproval and a sneaking admiration. He was after all being unfaithful to his wife; but at least he was keeping it out of the office. Internal office affairs could become very disruptive with key personnel having to leave under a cloud.
Being a dutiful secretary she took care to ensure that no-one was aware of his late return after lunch, always vaguely suggesting he was at some indeterminate location in the building if anyone enquired. She had met his wife at various office functions and pondered why a man would want to stray when he had such a beautiful charming wife with a figure to die for.
How had it all started? They had known each other for many years without any impropriety until he had initiated their lunchtime meetings almost a year ago. He had not felt that it would be appropriate to raise the matter with her directly when they met face to face; it would have been too embarrassing. Instead he just hinted that he had something important to tell her which he would explain in a confidential letter. There was something about the way he spoke which intrigued her and she awaited the arrival of his letter with considerable interest. When it arrived a few days later, it took her by surprise. It was polite and rather oblique and she had to read it carefully several times to convince herself he was serious and that he was really proposing a regular lunchtime assignation.
After the initial shock she had been surprisingly easy to persuade. Actually she felt rather flattered; middle aged housewives with young children are not normally the recipients of such intriguing overtures. She replied, as requested, with a letter marked 'private and confidential' to his business address and assured him that the matter would remain entirely confidential and on no account would her husband or his wife find out about the matter. Her reply was couched in a similar oblique style to his own letter. Thus began a correspondence that went on for several weeks in which they set out the ground rules for their affair. Initially their letters were tentative and exploratory but gradually became more explicit and eventually almost pornographic. He encouraged her to spell out her deepest sexual desires and fantasies while he indulged himself in a similar manner.
