Madeline sat on the edge of her couch, eyes brimming with tears that hadn't yet started trickling down her cheek. She looked at her phone, at the message Shelly had just sent her. As the first tear rolled slowly down her cheek, Madeline tapped out her reply.
MADDY: I'm not going tonight.
SHELLY: What?!? Why not?
MADDY: I just can't.
SHELLY: Can I come over and talk?
MADDY: I think I'd like that.
Minutes later, Shelly was sitting at Madeline's kitchen table, fresh cups of hot coffee in front of both of them.
"Alright, girlfriend," Shelly stirring sugar into her coffee. "What gives? We have been planning this night out all week."
Madeline hung her head, needlessly stirring a spoon through her own mug of black coffee. Her eyes were still puffy, but she had mostly stopped crying.
"We didn't have sex last night," Madeline confessed, holding back more tears. "Again. Scott came home late from work, exhausted. I tried to entice him, even for just a quickie. I -"
Madeline put her hands in her face and sobbed.
"Oh, honey," Shelly said, real concern in her voice. She swung herself around to Madeline's side of the table, putting her arm around her BFF. Madeline buried her head in Shelly's shoulder and cried. Shelly rocked her slowly, comforting her.
"It's been over a week, Shelly. We've never gone this long without having sex, except maybe when I was late in my pregnancy. Even then, we found ways to ... you know."
Shelly nodded, understanding. In the last few days, she had discovered that Madeline's husband had a strong sexual appetite. Shelly's heart raced at the very thought of their most recent secret rendez-vous.
"I know it's partly my fault. I was a tease all last week, wearing my silky nighties to bed, getting him all hot and bothered, and then leaving him high and dry. Now he's not interested in sex at all."
'Oh, honey,' Shelly thought to herself, patting Madeline's hand. 'He's still very much interested in sex. We fuck like rabbits!'
"I have to fix this," Madeline continued. "He's not working overtime tonight. He made a big deal out of mentioning that even though the boss said he wants him to work OT. Scott knows it's normally our little Girls' Night. He told his boss he needs to stay home and take care of Thomas."
Madeline paused, wringing her hands together.
"I'm going to stay home and talk with him ... figure out what's up between us. Before it's too late."
"Unh-uh, nope, I have a better idea," Shelly said, lifting Madeline's head. "Listen to me: you've told me before that the sex is really, REALLY good after Girls' Night out, right?"
Madeline blushed a little, nodding her head yes. She had told Shelly that. Because it was, especially after they had gone out clubbing together. It was probably one of the reasons she kept letting Shelly drag her out every Tuesday night. Scott was always quite good between the sheets, but he was noticeably more "vigorous" after she got home from Girls' Night.
"Why do you think that is?" Shelly asked, arching her eyebrow at her girlfriend.
Madeline contemplated this a moment, but didn't really have an answer. She shrugged, helplessly.
"Your man is alpha," Shelly continued. "He lets you go out, because he knows that after being a stay-at-home Mom all week, you desperately need a break. Otherwise, you'll go stir crazy! But he also sees how you dress when we go clubbing together. He has seen how you doll yourself up, put on your most sexy clothes, and do up your hair and makeup. He knows you've been gawked at by other men. He fully knows that their hands might have been on you, even if just briefly, while you danced with them. He knows a sultry beauty like you would flirt playfully with the men, tease them a little-"
Madeline snorted, interrupting her.
"That's you, Shelly, not me. I'm just there for a little dancing and fun. I could never bring myself to flirt like you do, certainly not kiss another guy."
Madeline's memories flashed back to last week. After Shelly had been missing from their table for an unusually long while, Madeline had gone looking for her. She found Shelly in a dark corner of the club, making out with some guy she had just been dancing with moments before. And not just that ... later, she had caught Shelly-
"Oh, Madeline, that's part of the problem. You really should! Gosh, you're so pretty. You don't know the power of your good looks, the men you could entice with that beautiful body."
Madeline was flabbergasted. Shelly was the stunner in the group, not her. When they went out clubbing together, or really anywhere, all eyes were on Shelly. Madeline might get attention eventually, but only because she was in Shelly's company.
"But what I'm really trying to say is that Scott EXPECTS you to have fun, to get a little release on Girls' Night. To play a little - not a lot, but yes, just a little bit. And when you come home late at night, smelling vaguely like some other man's cologne, he can't wait to get his hands on you, to dominate you, to show you who is top dog. Calling off Girls' Night? That's the worst thing you could do if you want to set things right tonight."
"Alpha?" Madeline repeated, more than half believing that every word Shelly had just uttered was true. "Do you really think so?"
"Woof, woof." Shelly smiled. "Trust me, Bill is the same way. The only reason I tolerate his frequent traveling is because he is an absolute animal when he comes home."
Madeline had a hard time believing that last bit. Bill was balding, short, and more than a little round in the belly. It was sometimes difficult for Madeline to fathom what Shelly saw in him, particularly after seeing the types of guys she attracted at the night clubs. But she and Bill certainly seemed happy every time Madeline saw them together.
"Besides, I went shopping Sunday, and I bought you some presents ..."
Madeline had noticed Shelly carrying a shopping bag from Francesca's when she arrived. It was one of their favorite fashion stores. Shelly got up to fetch the bag from the nearby kitchen counter.
"Want to see?" Shelly teased, clutching the bag close to her chest, then turning slightly to hide it.
