Like many other couples, we'd been married for a long time and we'd grown familiar with each other. Claire, my wife was older than me and I was attracted by her confidence and power - she was a lawyer for a big firm and I worked in a manual job. I was fit and strong, she thin and smart. She was smart, quirky sense of humour, great legs. I was quiet, shy and had only had a couple of girlfriends before. Our engagement was short and we eloped to avoid a big family wedding. Initially sex was great, but she was never one to initiate once married and now, after almost twenty years of being together it had tailed off to almost nothing. Truth be told, I didn't have that much confidence in the bedroom, and she'd denied me sex quite a few times so to protect my own feelings I'd just stopped asking her. On one or two occasions we had, I sometimes had trouble maintaining an erection - and the last time being well over six months before I'd failed to climax entirely. She'd had an orgasm during foreplay and seemed okay about it, but I wasn't - and it wasn't her fault, only mine.
My parents had divorced in a very nasty way when I was young and I had vowed never to put anyone through that for myself. Great or bad, I would stick with this marriage - but it wasn't really so bad, we liked each other and some other married couples couldn't say the same. The urge for sex passes in time, although I did miss the intimacy that love making brings.
Despite my low confidence, I did have a high sex drive so masturbated pretty much daily, usually a quick rub in bed watching porn on the laptop, looking at my library of dirty pictures, and more commonly, reading erotic fiction. Then a wipe with an old sock and back to reality. Not an exciting sex life by any means. I had no idea what she did to get her rocks off, if anything - but whatever it was, she kept it very private.
We used to go out now and then early in our marriage, but I'm awkward in social situations and never know what to say. You could count the number of times I danced with her on the fingers of one hand, and in every case I'd been pretty drunk to do so! A shame, as she once loved to dance. I felt I'd stopped her enjoying herself, so when she did get invited out with a group of friends, I didn't stand in her way and always wished her a good evening when she went out for a meal. This happened once or twice a month with the same group of people and I'd stay at home.
Then one night, something changed. She told me earlier in the week she'd be out Thursday night. I didn't ask with who, assuming it was with one of her two groups of friends. We both came home from work and did a few chores, then she had a quick shower and went into the bedroom to get ready. I followed a few minutes later, to chat about our days while she prepared as we often do, and lay down on bed while she slipped out of her dressing gown and started to dress. Her body, even in her mid 40's was pretty good - she kept in shape through lots of physical exercise, and horse-rode regularly. I admired it without commenting, even when she pulled on the smallest of her knickers. Normally she wears big comfy ones that do little to flatter her, but I didn't think much of it, other than perhaps she needed to feel a little better about herself. She was working long hours and was often tired, but tonight seemed full of quick, lively energy. She wore a fairly normal bra, with just a little lace, with a long flowing dress in shimmering opal blue that stopped at her knee. She'd shaved her legs in the shower too, I noticed. She dabbed a little perfume on one wrist, then rubbing the two wrists together to spread it, bent down to me lying on the bed to kiss me goodbye as usual.
"Hope you have a nice evening" I said as she left the room.
"Thanks," she said, heading for the door. "But you never know, I might not even sleep with him".
Clunk. The front door shut behind her. I was frozen, not trusting my ears. Had she really said that? With who? Still unmoving, I heard her car start up and drive away. I lay there immobile for at least ten minutes, heart thumping in my chest, mind racing and full of questions. Was she serious? Why didn't I ask who she was going to dinner with, and where? Was she intending to come home at all? Was this her way of leaving me?
I glanced over at the dressing table, the smell of her perfume still in the room. Everything was in place. Quickly, I ran to her office desk and yes, her passport and bank books were still there. Somewhat relieved, for I truly loved my wife and didn't want to lose her, I returned to the bed to try and stop my head racing.
So now what? I didn't really know what to do. I just lay there, my head in a whirl. Imagining what she was doing and who with. I closed my eyes and lay back. Was she at dinner with someone? Had she found somebody to dance with again? Were they dancing slowly, him holding her tight? Carressing her through that thin blue dress?
My hands touched my dick, it was still half hard, and I started to squeeze it. Very quickly it was fully hard again, and just as I felt the first stirrings of an orgasm, I quickly pulled my hand away. No, that would not do at all. I knew that if I climaxed I'd stop finding this as sexy as I was.
I forced myself to get out of bed and do the nightly chores, feed myself and watch some tv - not taking in a single thing. I went to bed at 10 and lay await for her to return.
I must have dozed off, because when I woke she was already in bed next to me. Her back turned to me and fast asleep. She was wearing her usual night-shirt and there was nothing to show that tonight was any different. I checked the bedside clock - 2am. Wow, I'd slept too long. Should I wake her? No, she was always grumpy then. Should I try to feel her pussy to see if there was another man's cum leaking from it? Not a chance! She'd definitely wake up. I lay there, staring in the darkness at her back, not moving, hardly breathing. By now I was doubting that she'd said those words as she left.
I must have fallen asleep again, as I woke up hearing her come into the bedroom. She was bringing my usual cup of tea. Putting it down on my bedside table, she turned to leave the room when I said "Thanks" and sat up, just the same as always. She nodded and carried on walking, back out to the kitchen to make her own breakfast. Our morning routine is as predictable as everything else. A few minutes later, she came back into the bedroom and sat down on her side of the bed, one leg curled underneath her. She was still wearing the same night-shirt, and her legs were bare from mid-thigh down. Holding the bowl of cereal in one hand she started eating.
Ok, here goes. Neither of us likes confrontation, but still, I had to know.
"Good night last night?" I asked.
Claire nodded yes, her mouth full of cereal.
"Where did you go?"
She swallowed. Then, "Just down to the Pantry" and then shovelled another spoonful into her mouth. The Pantry was a nice Pub two villages over that did excellent food, as many country pubs do now. We'd eaten there once or twice ourselves, on the rare occasion we did go out together. It was nice. Respectable.
Now for the killer question; "Who was there?"
She was between mouthfuls and answered immediately. "Just some people from work, you don't know them."
"What did you say as you were leaving last night?" I asked.
"When?"
"After I said 'Have a good night'. Not sure I heard you right"