Colleen Takes A Lover 1

Disclaimer: As you read this story, keep in mind that I try to include something for everyone, and some people are always looking for mistakes. So, if you find any errors, please remember that they are there for a reason.

> No burnt bitches.

> No costly reconciliations.

Many authors have done their take on a story where the wife just lets her husband know she's going on a date with another man. No discussion is had, and the wife has some expectation, for whatever reason, that the husband will accept this, and their marriage will go on as usual. While this has always struck me as a little unrealistic, I suppose that it does happen. I admit to a certain naivete of many things in the real world. After all, there are billions of people on this planet alone, so pretty much anything you can think of probably happens at least once a day.

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Everyone else was doing it.

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"Don't look at me like that, David. It's very common for women in their 40's to take on a younger lover."

"And almost as common for those women to get divorced," David muttered from the corner chair as he watched his wife, Colleen, get ready to go out on her date.

She turned and looked at him briefly before returning her focus to the mirror and applying her eyeliner.

"You're not going to divorce me, David."

"I'm not? Please, share with me why I've come to that decision."

"Because you love me," she said, ignoring David's sarcasm. "And despite my plans for this evening, you know that I love you, too. This is nothing more than a diversion from our lives together and you know it, and you're not willing to throw away our lifetime commitment for something so small."

"Gee, that's damn considerate of me."

"Oh stop it. All the women in my circle have a lover. I'm the last one."

"All of them? Even stuck-up Joan Bennett has a lover?"

"As a matter of fact, she does. Her second one, actually. Wendell is quite understanding about it, she says."

"Sure he is. What does he care what she does? Everyone knows he's been screwing his assistants for years."

"See? And they're still happily married."

"Married, yes. Happily..."

He was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.

"Damn it, I'm not ready yet. Would you mind getting the door?"

David looked at her like she was crazy but she was so intent on her make-up that she didn't notice.

"As a matter fact, I would mind, and frankly I'm appalled and insulted that you would even ask your husband to open the door for your boyfriend."

With that David turned on his heels and walked down the hallway of their single-level home. He settled into his office and just sat in the dark. Colleen walked toward the front door in her stocking feet and opened the front door for the handsome, 32-year old man that was to be her escort this evening.

"Hello Ryan, I'm sorry but I'm not quite ready. I'm afraid my husband is being more difficult about this than I anticipated."

"No problem, Colleen. You're certainly worth waiting for. I'll wait out here."

"Thank you, Ryan. I'll be as quick as I can."

She marched up the hallway to the home office and opened the door, the glare from the hallway light illuminating the office just enough to see her husband sitting in his chair and staring into the darkness.

"For the record, he's not my boyfriend. I've never in my life called someone a boyfriend until after the 3

rd

date. Not even you, and I married you."

"Unfortunately..." muttered David, not quite under his breath.

"You know, I don't appreciate that David. I've been a good wife to you for over 20 years. I've taken care of your home and cooked for you almost every night. I've been by your side for every social function that your business has required and performed my role as your wife admirably. I think I've earned the freedom to spread my wings a little bit."

"It's not your wings I'm worried about you spreading."

"Ha ha. We'll talk about this more later. Please try and understand, honey, that this isn't about how much I love you."

Colleen closed the office door and then walked back up the hall to finish getting ready. David remained sitting in the dark.

"No, it's about how much you respect me," he said to the empty space.

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No one was more surprised than Colleen herself when Ryan started hitting on her. She stopped for coffee every morning at the Starbucks on the first floor of her office building. Well, it was the building where her friend, the aforementioned Joan Bennett, had an office in space occupied by Wendell's company. She and her friends met here most every day to chat and conduct any business related to the charitable foundation they helped run. Mostly to chat. They did it to keep busy and, of course, for the publicity that they and their husband's businesses got from it. Like the other husbands, David owned his own very successful company and made more than enough to take care of them, especially since they never had children.

She encountered Ryan on multiple occasions when he stopped as well. He worked in the same building but on a different floor. He was young and energetic, like David used to be. She didn't hold this against her husband. Ryan was 13 years his junior after all. But spending time with Ryan made

her

feel young and she liked how that felt.

They hadn't been on any dates exactly, but they had sat and had coffee together a few times when they happened to be there together and had the time. She was shocked when he started flirting with her and even more shocked when she started flirting back. He apparently took that to mean she was interested and finally suggested they have dinner one night. When Colleen pleaded being married, Ryan brushed that aside.

"Your ring finger isn't the part of your body I'm interested in."

His interest in her sparked...something inside her. She began fantasizing about him and pretending it was him in her bed instead of David. She confided in her friends and was surprised to find out that all 4 of the other women in her immediate social circle had young lovers. That was the last barrier broken down, though her friends weren't aware of her actual intentions.

The next time she saw Ryan she let him know that she'd be open to a date, and they made plans for tonight. Ryan never mentioned her being married, and apparently presumed that Colleen had, or would, handle that on her end. Colleen, for her part, didn't really consider her husband, either. She believed he loved her enough to accept this, and that he would understand it would have no effect on their marriage.

Tonight, Ryan picked her up in a late model Mercedes. She didn't know much about cars but she knew style when she saw it, and certainly recognized the Mercedes emblem. Being married to David had led her to grow accustomed to the finer things in life and she certainly didn't intend to settle for less from her lover.

At the restaurant, she waited patiently while Ryan tipped the valet and then came to escort her into the restaurant. He was very handsome, reminding her of her husband when he was younger. David's hair had grayed a bit and his physique wasn't what it once was, but then her own figure had expanded and her plentiful breasts drooped a bit lower than they used to. All of that was to be expected.

"I'm delighted you agreed to go out with me, Colleen. You're an incredibly beautiful woman."

"Thank you, Ryan. I admit your attention is quite flattering. I hope, however, that I haven't given you the wrong impression. I love my husband and have no intention of leaving him, nor should you expect that we'll become intimate tonight."

"All I expected tonight was an evening out with a beautiful, intelligent, sophisticated woman, and I already have that."

The evening went well, which was not unexpected. Their compatibility had been well established during their morning coffee visits. The truth was that the only thing keeping them from tearing up the sheets of Ryan's bed was Colleen's own boundaries. She certainly WANTED to fuck him.

After dinner they went to a local jazz club that had a popular dance floor, and they spent the evening going back and forth between that and their table. While on the dance floor, Ryan was a perfect gentleman, placing one hand in hers and the other in the small of her back. He did not make any effort to pull her especially close nor to make sure she felt his erection.

While sitting at the table, Ryan rested his hand on Colleen's thigh, and she made no effort to remove it. As the evening wore on he became bolder, and his hand ran higher and higher up Colleen's bare thigh. Finally, it got high enough, and Colleen placed her own hand on his to keep it from moving higher, but she did not remove it.

They left the club about midnight and got into his car. He didn't start the engine right away, nor did Colleen expect him to. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him. She had never slept with a guy on the first date but making out was certainly on the menu, and she and Ryan spent the next 10 minutes doing just that. Ryan got a little handsy, and they finally settled on letting him feel her breasts as long as he didn't try to get inside her clothes.

"I should be getting home," she said when the clench was broken.

"When can I see you again?" Ryan asked.

"I can't meet you every day. Perhaps Sunday?"

"Do you like the ballet? My cousin works at the theater and can get me good tickets on short notice."

"I've never been but I would love to go. David isn't really into artsy stuff. But it was a mistake to have you pick me up at home so I'll meet you. What time should I be there?

"It's a matinee performance. Let's plan on lunch ahead of time, so let's say 11:00am."

They made arrangements and then drove back to the house Colleen shared with David. She gave Ryan another quick kiss before getting out of the car and steeling herself to face her husband. She imagined him still sulking in his office chair or perhaps waiting in the living room ready for a confrontation. At the extreme he may have moved his things into the spare room, to make some sort of point. In any case, she was ready.

What she was not ready for, or at least didn't expect, was that he would be in bed, in their bed, sleeping soundly. She went into the bathroom and removed her makeup and thought about what to do. Did his sound sleep signal some acceptance of the situation? Should she wake him to talk about it, or should she wait until morning? She was afraid to let it sit for fear that he would leave in the morning before they could talk. At least now he was here.

"David?"

He moved but didn't wake up.

"David?"

"What?"

"Did you want to talk?"

"No. I want to sleep."

"I thought...okay, I guess I'll get ready for bed."

Colleen went to her closet and selected one of her more sensible nightgowns. She felt that trying to seduce her husband tonight would be a bad idea, though being out with Ryan had made her quite horny.

"Actually, I do have a question."

She stepped out of the closet, her large, bare breasts prominently and purposely on display. She wanted David to know that she would always be available to him.

"Okay."

"Did you fuck him?"

"No, David. It was just a date. I've never had sex with a man on the first date. You know that."

"Yes, but this time you're just auditioning a fuck buddy instead of a potential husband so I thought maybe the process had changed. Are you planning to see him again?"

She hesitated before responding.

"We're going to the ballet on Sunday afternoon, and having lunch beforehand."

"So, this isn't supposed to affect us, but you're seeing him on Friday night and now Sunday afternoon, during the time we usually spend together. Interesting."

"David, these are the only times I can see him...," she started, but realized he had laid down again and probably wasn't even listening anymore.

She returned to her closet and finished dressing for bed. She had genuinely hoped that David would come on board with this, as her friends' husbands apparently had. It was an established fact that as they aged, men's ability to perform waned. One would hope that men would be more understanding of women filling those needs, that they'd want the woman they loved to be happy. It was, as the cliché goes, only sex.

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Colleen was not at all surprised that David was gone when she woke up the next morning. Based on his reaction, she expected that they'd have to go through an adjustment period. She hoped he wouldn't be gone too long today, as she had made her next date with Ryan for Sunday intending to spend today with David. But as the morning moved into the afternoon she realized he was probably avoiding her.

Knowing that he often needed to work on Saturdays, it occurred to her that he may have gone into the office, where he could get work done AND avoid her. She made up her mind to look for him there, expecting he would not answer any calls to his cell or office phones. She pulled into the parking lot and was not the least bit surprised to see David's car parked in his reserved spot.

She signed in at the security desk. She had done this any number of times before and the guards knew her on sight, but she was still expected to follow the rules just like anyone else. She took the elevator up to the 7

th

floor and made her way to David's office; again, like she had many times before.

"Hello David."

"Colleen. Oscar let me know you were on your way up. What do you want?"

"To spend time with my husband."

"Really? Boyfriend busy today?"

"Stop being childish, David. You've never been the only person in my life. I see my friends every day during the week."

"Unless you're having sex with them, it's not really the same thing."

"I'm sorry you're having such difficulty with this, David. I've tried to reassure you that nothing I do with anyone else will affect our marriage and how I feel about you. I love you heart and soul and look forward to a long life with you."

"Then why are you doing this, Colleen? Is intentionally hurting me part of how you express your love for me. In my opinion, you're being incredibly selfish."

"I could say the same, David. In the grand scheme of things, my relationship with R...with him is of no more consequence to our marriage than my friendship with the ladies, so I don't understand why you are objecting so strenuously."

"Can't even say his name, Colleen?"

"I don't want to upset you any more than necessary. It seems to me keeping him anonymous would be less...harmful."

"I see. You know, I can't recall the last time you and one of the charity ladies went out on a date, yet you and John Doe went out last night and are going out again tomorrow. He seems to be of much more consequence than them."

"As I tried to tell you last night, these are the only times I can get to know him. You know I've never just jumped into bed with someone, even when I was in college. Once we progress past the getting-to-know-you stage..."

"And on to the fucking stage," David interjected.

"Fine, yes, if you must be vulgar about it. Then I will make sure to handle that discreetly so that you are not aware of exactly when it happens, and I will keep it separate from the time we normally spend together."

"Great. At least you'll be a discreet slut. Anything else?"

Colleen winced at the name-calling but chose not to protest at the moment. He seemed like he was coming to terms with this and it was not the time to rock the boat.

"I had hoped we would spend the day together."

"Yes, well, as I reminded you last week and you should know anyway, the quarterly reports are due next week so I'm always in the office all day on the Saturday before so I can compile the data. I had expected us to spend time together on Friday evening and Sunday as we usually do, but apparently I ceased to be a priority."

"Oh David, I'm sorry. I guess in all the...well, with everything going on I just forgot.

"Whatever. I have work to do and it doesn't really matter."

"It does matter, at least to me."

"Okay, then how about we take off tonight after I finish and drive out to the coast. I can make reservations at Devereaux's and we can make a day of it tomorrow."

"Well, the ballet tickets are already paid for. I got a text earlier. I'd feel awfully bad canceling at this point."

"That's okay, Colleen. I didn't really expect you to say yes. I knew you wouldn't give him up for me. You can leave now."

"David..."

But she knew he had already stopped listening. She sighed deeply and left his office. She had really hoped this would go better. She had expected David to be upset at first, but had thought he'd eventually be glad that she was happy, and to accept her assurances that she would always be there for him. At least, she would be after this brief time period of getting to know Ryan a little better.

Her plan, which she had already communicated to Ryan, was to spend a few dates getting to know him better, in a more personal environment than the coffee shop. She figured 5 dates, would be enough to make sure she was comfortable making love to him. After that she really only expected to meet him for sex, and morning coffee, and she intended to do that only during the day or when David was unavailable. She really didn't want this to interfere with her marriage, but she did really want this.

As was usual on the Saturday before quarterly reports, David did not come home until nearly midnight. Colleen wondered how he had intended to complete the data collection and still make the trip he suggested, but realized he knew he wouldn't need to. He even said he knew she'd choose Ryan. But it really wouldn't have been right to break a date she had committed to for a plan made up on the spot.

Colleen was hoping that David might be feeling amorous this evening. He often enjoyed low-key intimacy when coming home after long days like these. He said it allowed him to wind down and remember why he was working so hard. Sometimes they'd end up fucking but on nights like this she usually got him off orally. She was happy to do it because she loved him so much.

She was starting to get tired when she heard the garage door opener. She perked herself up and waited for her husband to walk into the bedroom. She was naked, though covered with the comforter, her bare shoulders seductively visible.

"How was work, honey?"

"Same as usual, but I got all the data compiled and sorted so the reporting next week should go smoothly."

He began undressing while standing in the bedroom but when it came time to strip down nude he went into the bathroom, which was a first. But the shower turned on so Colleen was hopeful their routine was going forward. Those hopes took a hit when David emerged wearing his usual shorts. Colleen took this opportunity to lower the comforter and reveal her breasts.

"My darling, I thought perhaps we could reconnect tonight."

"You're sure your boyfriend wouldn't mind?"

"David, comments like that aren't helpful. Can't we just enjoy ourselves tonight as husband and wife, man and woman, and lovers, without concerning ourselves with anyone else."

David was clearly conflicted. Despite her choices he still loved her and she never failed to arouse him. He believed that she was telling the truth about not having fucked this guy yet, but he recalled the make out sessions they had starting their first date and assumed she had stayed true to form. He realized about the only hope he had was to give her his all and convince her not to go through with this, because once she did...once she fucked him for the first time...he had no intention of touching her again.