I never thought I'd ever wait in a hotel lobby to meet a stranger for sex. Yet, there I was. I remember feeling so anxious and nervous that I almost threw up in the sink. It was like prom night all over again--the nerves and anticipation of having sex for the first time.
It wasn't that this man was overly handsome or wealthy. It had little to do with who he was and more with who he wasn't. He wasn't my husband. This was all very new to me, having sex with strangers. I didn't even do that when I was single. Before I met my husband, Charles, I had never had a one-night stand--I never so much as had a casual fling. There I was, after over a decade of being happily married, waiting in a hotel lobby for a stranger to have sex with.
I understood then, as I do now, that what I do is morally wrong to most people. To them, I am just a cheating slut. Even though my husband not only loves me and approves, he encourages me. He helps me get dressed, and we sit by the pool and swipe left and right on apps as we pick the man together. He gets far more excited about my sex than I do. He wants to hear every detail and every second of every moment I'm with someone. We make love passionately after every encounter. Sometimes our sex is physical and powerful, as if he was reclaiming me, which I love. Other times it's sensitive and beautiful, as if he's reminding me that I am unique to him, which I also love. Either way, it's incredible, and so is he.
But that night, in the hotel lobby, I had no idea how this would all turn out. Charles had been very enthusiastic about me having this first date. I was still unsure how he would react when I got home. I wasn't sure how I would feel about myself. Slutty. It turns out I would feel very slutty. Slutty, sexy, and desired would be the best way to describe how I felt. That, and tired!
In the lobby, I recall feeling a little stupid. I was there before this stranger. I was waiting on him, and that felt wrong and awkward. I was tempted to get up and leave when my phone buzzed with a text from my husband.
"He's waiting at the bar."
My head spun around, looking for my husband. How could he possibly know where this man was, and how did he know there was a bar here? I hadn't even noticed the bar when I came into the lobby. As if Charles could read my mind, a follow-up text buzzed.