Balance of Power

Prologue

This is something a little different from me. I like to play with different tropes and ideas within this genre. This tale doesn't feature a willing Cuck, it is not BTB nor RAAC, it is the story of a marriage and the two people in it. There is genuine love, affection, poor decisions, and regret.

There are no graphic sex scenes but there are references to transvestism and male bisexuality. References, not lengthy paragraphs or colourful descriptions. Please don't read if that upsets you.

Speaking of things that upset people, I am an Englishman and this is written in my native tongue. I have purposefully not set a location, it could be anywhere, any town with a quay.

As ever, please comment. I write and post here to improve my skills as a writer. The feedback I get is enormously helpful and appreciated. It is the coin; I wish to be paid in. They are all read and considered.

If there is an editor who fancies a challenge, I would be grateful if you could contact me. It is the part of writing that I struggle with the most.

Enjoy this story.

Chapter One

'I think I might have a problem.' Natasha said as she slid into the booth opposite her friend.

Her comment was greeted with an elegant eyebrow raise.

'Something specific or should I just guess?'

'Funny.'

She picked up the menu and began to look through it.

'What're you having?'

'A wrap. You?'

'Sounds good, I'll have the same.'

The first lady caught the waitress's eye and gave their order.

'So, what's the problem? Pregnant?'

'That would be a problem. No, it's Martin. He told me he wants me to stop seeing other men.'

'Aah. I see how you might have a problem. Told you?'

'Told, asked. He made it clear that he wants me to stop.'

'What did you say?'

She shrugged. 'I told him I would think about it. Asked him why.'

'And?'

'Hmmm. He thinks it's time we moved our relationship on.'

'What's changed? You've been fucking around since before you two were married. Why has he got his panties in a bunch now?'

'I don't know. I've been trying to think if anything is different or something happened but I'm coming up blank.'

'Hence why you're here.'

'Yup. I need a pal I can talk this through with. You know our circumstances and you've got my back.'

'Sisters before misters, bitch.'

The two women chuckled. The waitress came to their table carrying their drinks. They watched her put them down. Thanked her, waiting until she was out of earshot before continuing.

'When are you next going out?'

'I'm seeing Charles, Friday.'

Natasha took a sip of her drink through the straw; she watched her friend thinking.

'What?'

'How long have you been seeing Charles now?'

Natasha thought for a moment, mentally working it out in her head.

'Six months or so.'

'That's a while. I remember that the original promise was that it would be short term flings, not relationships.'

Natasha paused, working through her comment.

'Maybe, I've been seeing him a while, but it's sex only. There's lust and I love the way he makes me feel, but he struggles to string an intelligible sentence together.'

She shook her head.

'I don't think that's it, Ang. I've had longer relationships and ones where I've got infatuated with the guy. Remember Ramon.'

'Mmm, Ramon, the Argentinian super stud. I do remember. I remember you never gave me his number when you ended it with him.'

Natasha laughed with genuine glee.

'He was special. More special than Charlie, and I think Martin knows that whilst I do have some feelings, he's not a threat to our marriage.'

'If it's not that, then I don't know. Since when has Martin had the balls to make a play like that?'

Natasha shrugged. 'It sure as hell caught me by surprise. He was sat at the table on Monday when I got home from work. He had been doodling and had a glass of wine he'd been drinking. I was wiped out from work. He served up tea and we ate. Conversation was same as ever, nice and light, chit chatty.'

She took a sip of her drink.

'We ate, we talked about our days. Well, I talked about my day. Then he said he needed to have a proper conversation with me. He laughed, he actually laughed and he said, I remember exactly what he said, because he said it like it was a quote or something. He said 'Honey, we have to talk.''

Angela shook her head. 'Over my head.'

'I know, right? Half of what he says is just gibberish, but he finds it funny. So, I asked him what about and he told me he loved me, but that he'd like me to give up seeing other men. Give monogamy a chance. Start making our marriage better.'

'What did you say?'

'First, I went with a bit of clarification. Are we talking this week? Or full stop, everything? He said everything. He thought I should have worked whatever it was out of my system and that it was time to have a grownup marriage. No one else, no cheating. No swinging, no open marriage. No side men, just the two of us.'

'He called it cheating.'

Natasha nodded.

'Wow, he has manned up in a big rush.'

Natasha laughed. 'You say that but he was wearing a rose-pink nail varnish and a femmy top that matched.'

'Got to love him. Such a sissy. How do you feel about all this?'

'I'm not entirely sure. Part of me is like, cheeky bastard, trying to set terms for me. Another part has admiration, I know it can't have been an easy conversation for him. Part of me is curious about why and what this would mean. I'm a bit angry and resentful as well. I don't know if this is the kind of marriage I want. I'm not sure.'

'Could you do it? Give up the guys and be monogamous for the rest of your life.'

Natasha shrugged. 'I don't know. I don't know if I'd want to.'

'It's a lot to give up.'

'Thank you, Angela, I'm not that much of a slut. He's not given me an ultimatum, them or me. He's just said he'd like me to give them up. More a request, certainly not a command. Could even be construed as a hint.'

'It took a lot of looking to find him and get him to accept how you wanted things.'

'I know. I feel that I've put a lot of hours into him, I'm kind of like 'do I really want to go through that kind of house-training a man again?''

'It was fun.'

'It was fun. Definitely. I'm looking forward to when you meet the man of your dreams and we get to bring him to heel. The idea of losing that time investment stings.'

The two ladies stopped talking as the waitress came over carrying their two plates. The conversation was resumed once she was a distance away, occupied with another table.

'What do you think he'll do next?'

'My guess is he'll wait to see what I do and then make his next move.'

'Then raise it again?'

'That's my guess. Boringly conventional. Route one. I'm not going to do anything different. I'll wait for him to speak up and tell him I need a bit more information.'

'Long him off?'

'Yep. Keep the subject open, nothing changes, all nice and straightforward, but no movement. I reckon that will buy me some time. Then when we've finished discussing it, I'll ask him about timescales and commitments and tie him up for even longer.'

'Lots of 'We're making progress' and the like?'

'Yup. I'm a bloody lawyer, I'll keep him believing that he's making progress going nowhere, until we turn ninety.'

'Poor little Marty.'

'Poor little Marty, my arse.'

'So, you seeing Charles on Friday?'

'Back to his place for some fun.'

'Does he take you out at all?'

'No, Martin does all the wining and dining. The weekends out of town, the trips to the theatre and all the fancy stuff. He does the loving, the dates, making me feel special. Charles just picks me up, drops me off and takes me to Heaven in between.'

The two ladies laughed.

'He is a good husband.'

'He's a damn good one. I've got no complaints with him. He's everything I was hoping for when I agreed to marry him. He looks good, he looks after the flat. His little business is going well, he doesn't cost me anything. He's good in bed. Romantic and he gives me all the time and attention, I could ever want. I am the centre of his world and he lets me know it.'

'Plus, he lets you fuck other men and still loves you.'

Natasha nodded.

'I want what I've got, Ang. I don't want to give up Mart and I don't want to give up the other men.'

'Do you want me to come around on Friday and babysit Martin? Give him a bit of old school loving.'

'Are you alright doing that? You haven't got any plans?'

Angela shook her head. 'I can't this Friday. I'm out Saturday but next Friday is clean and clear.'

'You sure you don't mind?'

'It'll be fun. I'll tease the crap out of him, give him a really fun, really girly evening. I'll make sure he enjoys himself.'

'Hopefully, this'll just go away. A bit of love and a bit of indifference. He'll forget and I'll carry on. Worst case scenario, he brings it up again and I'll faff him to death. He'll give up before I do.'

The two ladies lifted their glasses in a toast.

'To a happy husband'

'Who does what he's told.'

Chapter Two

There was a knock at the door and Martin walked briskly through the apartment to answer it. He slid on the wooden floor, skidding slightly in his socks. He pulled the door open.

'Hey Angela. You look beautiful, very debonair. Come in.'

He stepped out of the way as she walked in and closed the door behind her.

'I'll let her know you're here. I'll be honest, I didn't think you were going out with her tonight. I thought she was seeing the spaniel.'

'The spaniel?'

'King Charles.'

He walked off quickly as she laughed at his words. Martin walked back into the bedroom.

'Hey Honey, Angela's here.'

Natasha walked out of their ensuite bathroom; a towel wrapped around her having just got out of the shower.

'What's that?'

'Angela's here.'

'Oh, OK.'

Natasha sat down on the edge of the bed and using a towel she had in her hands, began to dry her feet. Martin looked at her wondering if she'd heard him properly and then shrugging his shoulders, continued with his preparations. He'd showered earlier and was just finishing his hair.

Happy with how it looked, he started to pull on the shirt he'd got out of the closet. It was a slim fit that showed off his physique. He liked the way that it made him look and feel. He wasn't going to wear a tie, this was a date, not a business meeting. He walked over to his closet and pulled out his favourite watch. He slipped it onto his arm and secured it. Picking up the jacket he slid into it and checked himself out in the mirror. He was happy with what he saw.

'Aren't you a little bit overdressed?' Natasha asked.

He turned and looked at her, her words registered. He looked at himself in the mirror again. This was about as good as he looked. He'd gone masculine rather than the more gender fluid style he normally preferred. He didn't want to scare his date off before they'd started.

'What? No, why?'

'You don't need a suit for Angela, that won't impress her.'

'I'm not going out with Angela. She's here for you.'

Natasha shook her head.

'I told you; Angela was coming over to spend the evening with you. The two of you can have a nice girly night together.'

Martin laughed. 'No, you didn't. You haven't said anything about tonight at all. I'm guessing from the way that you're getting ready that you have an evening with Chuck the schmuck planned. But no, you haven't told me you're going out tonight and you didn't say anything to me about Angela.'

Natasha spun around to look at him. She paused for a moment thinking. 'I'm sorry. That was rude of me. You're right, I didn't speak to you. I arranged it with Angela to come over as a surprise for you.'

Martin adjusted his cuffs and slipped his feet into his polished black shoes. He bent down and tied the laces slowly and carefully. He stood back up and brushed himself down.

'I'm going out. Will you be back tonight or are you spending the night with him?'

'What? Where are you going?'

Martin didn't answer, he just looked at her calmly. She was still wearing just a towel but she was now stood up at the end of their bed. She looked good. Her hair was wet from the shower, tousled where she had partially towelled it dry. Her skin was pink and fresh and he could smell the scent of her body wash. He waited for her to speak.

'I asked you a question. Where are you going Martin?'

'Nat, I'm waiting for you to answer my question. Are you coming home tonight?'

There was a brief pause before Natasha snorted. He'd been pulling this kind of trick more recently.

'Probably not. I'll see you at lunch tomorrow. Are we going to do our usual?'

Martin smiled at her. 'I'm happy to. Now to answer your question. I've got a date. See you tomorrow. Love you.'

With that he blew her a kiss and walked quickly out of the bedroom.

'Angela, I've told her you're here. You can go through to the bedroom if you want, it's not like you haven't seen it all before. Don't bother putting arsenic on her pussy, Chuckles doesn't do oral.'

Angela laughed. 'I'm not here for her, I'm here for you. We're spending the evening ...'

He didn't answer her. He turned, winked, and walked out the door. Angela stared at the closed door with disbelief. She walked through to the bedroom.

'Um, what just happened?'

'Has he gone?'

Angela nodded. 'Just walked out, didn't stop to say hello.'

'I'm going to ring him. He said he's going on a date.'

Angela started to laugh, but quickly stopped seeing the look on her friend's face. Natasha picked up her phone and called Martin. Both ladies heard the phone ring from the bedside table.

'He's forgotten his phone. He'll be back in a minute when he realises.'

'Or Nat, he's deliberately left it behind because he didn't want to speak to us.'

There was silence in the room as the two women contemplated their words.

'He said he was going on a date; you don't think he was do you?'

Angela shook her head and laughed. 'Get real Nat, you're a ten. He's lucky to have got you. The chances of him getting someone in your league are quite literally millions to one. He loves you, there's no way he'd risk losing you.'

'I know, but that was completely out of character.'

'Had he said anything?'

Natasha shook her head.

'I'll be honest, I wasn't paying any attention to what he was doing. I guess I thought he was just puttering around, waiting for me to go out.'

'Had you told him I was coming over?'

'No, it was supposed to be a surprise for him. An evening with you whilst I'm out having fun. A bit like the old days.'

'Has he said anything more to you, about, you know?'

'No. We went out Tuesday and the conversation and evening was the same as usual. No hint of that topic coming up. Wednesday, we were both at home, quiet night in. He cooked. It was nice. Last night, last night.'

She was blank for a moment, trying to remember what she had been doing.

'I was talking to my parents. He cooked, we talked about the case at work, he was interested. Same Martin as usual.'

'Then tonight he goes out on a date.'

'Do you think it is a date?'

Angela shook her head. 'If I had to call it, he's bluffing.'

Natasha thought before answering. 'So, he's trying to make a point. Is this about me and Charles? What's good for me is good for him. But why a date? If that's the case, why not bring the topic up again? Why not challenge me?'

'He's a pussy. I couldn't believe it when you said that he'd had the balls to ask you to stop seeing other men.'

Natasha laughed at Angela's words.

'I love him to death, but I have to agree with you. Cheeky sod.'

'You out with Charles?'

Natasha nodded. She was flicking through her closet sorting out her clothes for the evening. She wasn't sure what to wear.

'Nat, don't stress it. Whatever you put on is just going to be on the floor a few minutes after you get through his door. If you're going to wear something, wear something that doesn't require folding and isn't going to crease.'

The two ladies looked at each other and laughed. Natasha pulled out a plain dress and wriggled her way into it. She accessorized it to make it look special.

'Sorry to mess you around Ang. You have something else to keep you busy?'

'Nah, I was quite looking forward to tormenting Marty. I haven't done it for a while and it was something I used to really enjoy.'

'He hated it. You know that? That's why I stopped asking you to do it, he said it was bad enough that I was fucking around but having you come over and rub his nose it in made it ten times worse.'

'Aww. I think 'hated it' is harsh. He was so insufferably cute. I'd get him dolled up all femmy, telling him the things you'd be doing with your lovers. Getting him to imagine different scenarios, really playing inside his head. He'd get an erection and I'd give him a bit of teasing.'

She paused for a moment thinking and squeezed her thighs together.

'Damn it Nat, I was looking forward to tonight. He's super gorgeous and its so, so much fun to play with him like that. I'd edge him again and again. Telling him off for getting aroused at the idea of you getting fucked by a real man. Tease him about not being enough of a man for you.'

'That's pretty cruel.'

'Oh yeah!' Angela mocked 'Pretty cruel, remember that time you had me record the session with him? Remember that? Do you still have that recording? What was it you said, listening to me teasing him about your date was more of a fucking turn-on than your date? Wasn't that it?'

Natasha laughed. 'I haven't listened to that recording in a while. We'll have to do another one with him. I'll be honest, the thought of really ramping it up with him is getting me hot right now. Yeah, I used to love that.'

'Glad it's not just me. I'm gutted he didn't enjoy them. I thought he kind of did.'

Natasha shook her head as she answered. 'No, he really resented it. When I told him he needed a babysitter so he wouldn't spend all evening wanking at the thought of another man fucking me. The look of hurt on his face, that emotional burn he got, was absolutely fucking delicious.'

'He does do betrayed and wounded so, so well.'

'You need to get a man of your own, Ang. I'll help you train and break him.'

'Hmmm. I don't know, Nat. It's fun with Martin, but to be honest, when I do settle down, I want it to be proper. You know, love, respect, white picket fence, till death do us part and definitely forsaking all others.'

'Oh wow. I thought. Hmmm, interesting. You just want Mr Ordinary happy marriage? I thought you liked a more decadent kind of relationship.'

'I love your marriage, but I don't want to hurt my partner. I don't know if that makes sense, but if I'm marrying them, if they're with me, I want them happy and making me happy. I don't want to see the pain or hurt. Not like we do with Martin.'

'I thought you enjoyed it; you got off on it.'

Angela nodded as Natasha spoke.

'I do. I really fucking do. Watching him try to reconcile what you do with other men with the marriage that you have, it makes me wet thinking about it. I've seen him cry, doubt himself, wonder if he's man enough. I've twisted that knife you stuck into him slowly and carefully and relished it. It's fucking hot playing with him like that. Gets my motor really revved up, but I always worry he's just going to chuck it all in.'

'Now he's on a date.'

'Is he though? Is it real? I'm not convinced.'

'You think he's blagging?'

Angela watched Natasha think.

'I don't know. Like I said, my worry is that we'll break him, do some real damage. Either to him or to your marriage. I love him and I love you and I don't want to fuck up either him or your marriage. It's fun, but it really does have a shelf life.'

Natasha looked at the time on her bedside clock.

'Ang, I've got to motor, but I think there's more to be said on this.'