Tess slumped in the chair, her laptop glaring back accusingly at her. She swallowed the lump in her throat and clicked "send." She struggled with her guilt but decided it was time. She and her husband of 18 years had been high school sweethearts but things had grown distant between them for the last few years. She often wondered if he even still loved her. She suspected he had been unfaithful during their tough years and figured it was time to do the same.
She had stumbled across the website while looking for lingerie to surprise her husband with of all things. It was a place where you could select someone to have a one night stand with, no strings attached, no money involved, just pleasure. She had browsed for weeks before actually deciding to go through with it but finally got the nerve after a particularly bad argument with her husband, Jack.
The man she reached out to was someone she felt would have an easier time disconnecting with, looking completely opposite to Jack. The smirking face staring back on the screen belonged to "Max", though she doubted that was his real name. He was adorable, with blue-green eyes and a grin flanked by dimples that made her weak in the knees. She can't remember the last time Jack smiled at her that way. Max had sandy blonde hair with a sculpted goatee and a lean muscular build, like a swimmer. She flushed at the thought of running her lips over those abs.
Her stomach was in knots over what she'd just done. A line she never imagined she would even consider crossing. She heard Jack's car pull up and hurriedly stashed the laptop away. She tried shoving the thoughts of Max from her mind. She hadn't even gotten the chance to see if he accepted her proposed date and meeting place, a nice but inconspicuous motel about 40 minutes away. It would have to wait until morning. She willed herself to put a smile on and jumped out of chair to greet Jack and their 14 year old son, Nate.
"Hey." Jack greets her in the kitchen. He runs a hand through his dark, loosely curly hair. "I have work to do, so I'll be upstairs. I ate a late lunch so I don't need dinner." He brushed by as she reached out to hug him. The rejection chipped away her guilt over what she was about to do. She watched him go, broad shoulders, a face that reminded her a bit of her favorite actor, James McEvoy. A heavy sigh escaped her as Nate made his way over. "Whats up, mom!" he put his arm around her. "I'm walking over to Matt's to work on a project, I'll be home around 8." She looked up at her tall son, smiling to herself about what a handsome, goodhearted kid he is. She had wanted another child, but suffered a devastating miscarriage and they agreed not to try again. She felt guilt creep up again, thinking about Nate and how disgusted he would be if he knew what she'd be doing tomorrow night. "Don't be late, I'll worry," Tess replied, watching him grab a book off the table and shove it in his bag. As she watched him go, she thought about pulling out her laptop but decided to take a shower and get comfortable first.
She grabbed some loose yoga pants and a tank top from the stack of folded laundry she needed to put away. She stepped into the large bathroom and examined herself for a few minutes in the mirror. Tess had put on a few pounds over the last few years, especially struggling with sadness over the state of things with Jack. But, she was still decently attractive. She was average height, about a size 8, dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. Her favorite feature were her full, D-cup breasts. She reminded herself to pick out some flattering lingerie for her evening with Max, contemplating between her favorite black lacey bra and thong or a sheer pink babydoll.
