Describe Leah? Okay...she's got a pretty, cute face, surrounded by lustrous, rich chestnut-brown hair. She's got a body that would make any monk regret his lifestyle choice. She's intelligent, vivacious, funny, tactile, loving and very devoted. So it's probably just easiest to say she's hot as hell...and yet she doesn't know it.
She thinks she's average, she thinks she's put on weight and gone a bit fat, she thinks she's lost her figure as she's got older. Personally, I've always liked curves that have just a slight bit of padding to them -- not fat, not chubby even, but just glorious softness that you can snuggle into when you need to be cosy, and that you can push hard against when you need to be satisfied. And I know I'm not alone in loving that.
Leah has always had a beautiful pair of breasts -- rounded but hanging, with that classic teardrop shape, and with large nipples that stand proud. They might not be quite as high, or quite as firm, as they used to be -- but like the rest of her body, they tell a story about the life she's had, rather than the blank canvas of a 20 year old. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not knocking a 20 year old's body, but I do like a bit of experience to be shown in the body as well as the mind. And as for that mind, well, when you've spent 15 years together and watched each other change and grow, you know the person pretty closely by that point.
It's still a mystery to me though that she doesn't understand how hot she is. She definitely has lower self-confidence as a result of it, focusing on her "flaws" as she sees them, rather than her qualities. I would love her to understand her attractiveness and her effect on other people.
Rhys? He's my gorgeous man. He has an athletic, toned body, very good for his age; he could traipse over mountain ranges for days without breaking sweat. He's not a big muscly man, but I don't go for that look anyway, I prefer slim, toned men. He's everything to me, he's my soulmate and I love the way he looks.
And me? Well, my face hasn't changed much, but I know my body used to be better. When I was in my early twenties, I had curves you could cut yourself on, and a set of boobs to guarantee free entry to any club. I'm 38 and my body is catching up with me. Rhys never mentions how I'm looking older, and I appreciate his attempts to cheer me up and pretend it's not so bad, but I know he's just being kind. Personally I struggle with the loss. My boobs are lower now, slightly less full and with little marks tracking their downward trajectory over the past 25 years.
Rhys says I'm getting better with age; I don't think that, I'm saddened and losing my confidence over my lost youth -- and in fact the only one of us who's benefiting from older age is Rhys. I think men tend to age better, and they have a gravitas and more of an appealing, sexy, knowing look as they reach their late 30s and 40s.
Leah has always had a thing for slightly older guys, or perhaps it's true to say she's not been as turned on by the young guys. Leah has always been much more selective than me about who she finds attractive, though luckily that selectiveness doesn't exclude me. She's fancied me since forever, or so she tells me, and she certainly lets me know verbally and physically how much she still finds me attractive. So, perhaps thanks to her constant affirmation, I don't have any self-esteem issues about my body and don't really mind too much getting older.
I never really liked most of the younger guys, even when I was young myself -- they either had the arrogance and pushiness of youth, or the shyness and lack of confidence that comes from not yet knowing your place in the world. The older I get, the more attracted I am to older guys...and that salt-and-pepper look in the hair or beard doesn't hurt either.
Rhys is ageing well, though he still looks quite boyish with no grey hair. Luckily that's a look I like in him, so he's safe, but I do quite like a face and body where you can read the history. Why don't I like that in myself? I don't know, quite honestly, but I'm sure men just prefer the young models. There's a reason the businessman divorcing his older wife to go for the younger secretary is a cliche.
It doesn't matter how much I tell her I find her so attractive, and sexy as hell, and that I love how she looks now, or even that I prefer it compared to earlier in our lives -- Leah always disregards it, and assumes I'm just flattering her. That can hurt a little bit, to have your opinion and judgement thrown back in your face, and to not have your actual judgement validated. There's nothing sexier to me than a confident woman who knows the power she has.
Occasionally when we go out, I catch some guys looking at her. I'll tell her, "Honey, see that guy by the bar? He was definitely checking you out as you went past with the drinks. He's pretty good looking, isn't he? He's definitely into you."
But she always just brushes it off.
"
He's probably looking at my big arse"..."He's looking at the girl the other side of me"..."He's thinking to himself that woman needs to lose a few pounds". She won't appreciate that other guys find her attractive, in the same way she struggles to understand that with me. I want to be able to demonstrate to her how attractive I find her, and how beautiful she is to all kinds of people. I tell her this all the time, of course, but it never seems to sink in -- it doesn't overcome the doubts she has in herself.
Rhys often tells me, when we're out for some drinks, that someone's checking me out. He doesn't seem to mind other people looking. I kind of understand this, I think I would feel some pride if I saw another woman looking at him -- but mostly I would feel concerned that he'll fancy her more than me and that, long story short, I'm single, seventy-five, and surrounded by cats. Yes, slightly over the top reaction, but we have different attitudes to this matter.
I don't get at all upset by other guys looking, I never have. Instead I just feel pride in her because she's mine. Yes, she's her own person, but she's mine in the same way I'm hers, and we'll always be each other's.
I don't really have a jealous streak at all -- when I'm genuinely secure in how I feel, and in how the other person feels about me, then you can do what you like. So long as I know I'm number one, jealousy is never going to be an issue with me. That's odd for a lot of people to understand, and some ex-girlfriends in the past thought it was because I didn't care. That's not the case. I think I'm just wired differently to lots of other people.
* * * * * * * *
One weekend, as we're out for drinks, talk turns to sex, as it often does with us. We talk of things we've done (which are plenty) and what things we particularly enjoy (which are many).
Communication has been key to our decade and a half together. Leah and I have always had a phenomenal connection. But we work extremely hard at it, communicating so both of us feel valued and respected. This has helped us to bypass the problems so many of our friends have had with their partners. It's not that we don't have problems, we're just good at addressing them.
At the age of 38, we've tried so much sexually, in a spirit of intrepid exploration, and I'm always grateful for how open-minded she is. I don't think she would try these things unless I suggested them to her, because I've got a particularly devious and deviant mind, and like to research things we can try out. I have a mental list of sexual ideas, equipment, techniques, fantasies and positions that I like to build up and tick off. Yes, before you say anything, it's a very male approach to sex, but I promise it's less clinical than it sounds -- we're just experimenting, like you would in the kitchen with new recipes. Ones you like, you might have again and again over the next few years; ones you don't like, you don't have to have again, but it's always good to at least try the new things.
So my list has become known as "The List" over our time together, and is quite the talking point. Leah always knows there are new things on it, a fact she pretends to tolerate but secretly quite likes, I think.
"
So what's next on The List?" asks Leah, with a little smile.
I've been waiting for this moment for quite some time, and I'm nervous about how she's going to react. We have great communication, as I've mentioned, but what I'm about to say might upset her deeply if I phrase it wrongly. No matter how many times I bring up something that's made The List, it doesn't get easier, worrying about an adverse reaction, and this is the hardest one I've ever discussed with her.
"
Well, there is one thing that's been interesting me for a while," I say, slowly.
"
I'm shocked," she giggles, rolling her eyes and pretending to sound world-weary at yet another thing for us to try. "What is it this time? Electro-sex on the reconstructed deck of the Titanic?"
"Come on Leah, you know I'm into ancient shipwreck fantasies, not modern ones."
"My mistake. But do tell. Should I be nervous? Do I need to stretch and limber up for this one?"
"
I don't think you need any physical preparation for this one. Mental instead," I tease her, cryptically, while I play for time slightly. This is harder than I thought, bringing this one up. Best to just say it straight out.
"
Leah...you know I love you like nothing else, don't you?"
"
Um, yes," she says, slowly, "but this doesn't sound positive."
"
Eh? How can that not be a positive thing?! It's very positive, I promise. I just don't want you to misunderstand me. I love you more than anything, and what I'm about to say might make you doubt that for a bit. It definitely shouldn't...but it might. Just, well, just bear that in mind."
"
Okay...I will," she says, but with doubt audibly creeping into her voice, it's time for me to say it.
"My fantasy, and at this stage it's just a fantasy, I promise...is for you to be a hotwife."
"And what is a hotwife exactly?"
"I want you to fuck another guy, and I want to watch."
Silence.
I should point out we don't normally use "fuck" as a term for sex. There's a reason for using it now, which I will explain to her shortly, but its very crudeness hangs in the air after I've said it.
I carry on, while I wait for her to adjust to what I've said.
"
I want to watch you. I want to be able to detach myself from the situation, so I can see you, so I can see your sexual side, without my...well, without me getting in the way of me, if you can understand that. I want to watch you experiencing and exploring true pleasure."
Still a shocked silence.