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.
