Nightmares and Dreams

Once again, a thank you to blackrandl1958 for the invitation to participate in this event and for her editing skills.

Julie Sanderson lifted her head from the chest of her new lover, Rafi McCoy, and smiled broadly at him.

The two were laying together cuddling after having sex twice in the last 90 minutes... the best sex of her life, Julie felt. At that moment, she felt... absolutely wonderful.

Given a choice, she would have laid in Rafi's strong, secure arms for several more hours. But she wasn't given a choice: she had to go home to cook dinner for herself and her husband of seven years.

That thought was the first time Julie had thought about her husband since she had met up with Rafi at a near-by Starbucks after she got off work as a middle school teacher. She knew that her meeting with Rafi that afternoon was just a prelude to their first time being sex partners.

In a moment of reflection, Julie realized that she felt not one whit of guilt for what she had just done... and would hopefully do again in the future.

"That was amazing... everything I hoped it would be," she said huskily, "But it's time for me to return to real life. I hope you want to do this again sometime."

"Oh yeah. Tomorrow too soon?" Rafi asked quickly, grinning broadly.

"Probably. How about same time next week?" she responded.

Rafi smiled back broadly and nodded.

Julie got up, got dressed and kissed Rafi passionately before leaving to go home.

Julie knew she had about an hour before her husband got home. She took a quick shower, making sure to clean her nether region well, and got supper started.

******

Rafi McCoy smirked to himself as he noticed many of the women teachers try to be surreptitious as they checked him out in the lead-up days to the school year. Rafi, one of the school's four new teachers that year, knew he was "all that," and had been attracting those kinds of sneaky looks from women since he was a junior in high school. The 23-year-old was 6-3, 200 pounds of athletic muscle, with shoulder-length blond hair and radiant blue eyes.

Rafi knew it was no coincidence that virtually every female teacher seemed to be going out of their way to be helpful to him as the teachers readied for the coming school year. Younger or older, wedding rings on their fingers or not, women always just seemed to gravitate toward Rafi. He knew he could take his time and pick out one—or several—that he wanted to get to know... more intimately as the school year went along. If any he picked out were married, well, it wasn't his problem if some poor schmuck couldn't satisfy his wife.

Two weeks into the school year, Rafi decided to make a small, bubbly English teacher his first target. At 29, Julie Sanderson didn't look much older than Rafi's 23, with a mop of curly black hair, big brown eyes, olive skin tone, flat stomach and big boobs. She also wore rings on the third finger of her left hand. That was a tough break for someone, he thought.

"The new guy sure seems to have taken a shine to you, Julie," Allison Wagner said as a group of four teachers sat at McGillicuddy's, a local Irish version of Starbucks, after school about six weeks into the school year.

The other two teachers at the table nodded in agreement as Julie blushed. The new guy, Rafi, hadn't been shy about directing his attention to Julie.

"Hey, he's gorgeous. You know what they say: it's just as easy to be friends with a handsome stud as it is to be friends with an ugly nebbish," Julie responded, giggling as she talked.

The other three at the table giggled back in response, nodding their heads in unison.

"Yeah, but I get the feeling he would like to be more than simple friends, if you get my drift," Allison said. "You've got rings on your finger, or did you forget that?"

Julie colored slightly. She was hoping she was the only one who noticed that Rafi's interest toward her seemed to go farther than just simple friendship.

"No, I haven't forgotten that I'm married. This is just a simple friendship. I love my husband with all my heart. We've actually been trying for our first child for the last several months."

The others at the table congratulated Julie and talk turned to babies and families. At least for the moment, talk about Rafi was put on the back burner, which suited Julie just fine because if the truth was known, her feelings toward Rafi were amping up and approaching the line which she knew should not be crossed.

Julie truly loved her husband. That was not open for debate in her mind and heart. Rafi was... a wildcard. He was devilishly handsome, well-built and charming, in a sort of bad-boy, dominant way. Julie wouldn't admit it to herself, but she was becoming more infatuated with the younger man every day, and every day her lust for the man increased as well. It is often said that men very often think with their "little" brains, but although Julie didn't realize it, women are no different. Her lust for the younger man was scaling up right along with her infatuation.

The friendship between Julie and Rafi started out with little jokes and sly innuendos. Two weeks later they were talking over coffee and pastries, Julie spilling much of her private life to Rafi. She had been somewhat frustrated over the amount of time Casey spent at his law practice as he worked toward a junior partnership, and with Rafi's subtle encouragement, she expressed her disappointment with her husband's time at work vis-à-vis time spent with her, even though Casey had long since explained this to her before the two got married.

Among other things Julie told the younger man was that Casey was only the second man she had ever had sex with, and despite Casey attempting to try different things, Julie had been limiting their sex life to the more vanilla variations. She blushed brightly when she said the latter.

Hearing what the woman was telling him, Rafi was smart enough to realize that if he agreed with Julie while seemingly supportive of her relationship with her husband, she would take the bait like a mackerel hits on a shiny hook.

Casey Sanderson wasn't "gorgeous" like Rafi, but he was far from a troll with wavy dark brown hair down to his collar, soulful brown eyes, slightly darker skin and a runner's physique as he carried 180 sinewy pounds on his 6-foot frame.

Julie saw him on campus at Michigan State University when both were in their junior years. After they showed up at the same parties several times early in the year and Casey didn't seem to notice her, she asked a mutual friend to introduce them. One date led to many, and the two were married soon after they graduated. Casey then spent the next three years attending law school and working parttime at a law firm while Julie started her teaching career.

Three years later Casey graduated from law school and was able to join the staff of a large firm in the same city where Julie taught.

Sex between the two was always good and plentiful. Casey almost always made sure his wife had several orgasms during each lengthy session, using his dick, fingers and mouth. Casey was only her second partner, but if asked, she would have said her husband was a wonderful lover.

******

Julie realized she was humming loudly as she flitted about the kitchen, something that she usually didn't do. She knew that doing something out of character was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. She knew she needed to remain calm and just be the same Julie as always, and Casey would be none the wiser that the very fabric of their marriage had changed irrevocably.

Julie was not a stupid woman. At its most basic, she knew cheating on her husband was wrong within the traditional confines of a marriage. What she had experienced earlier in the day, however, was on a level outside those traditional confines... almost like an out of body experience. Her feelings for Rafi were completely different than her feelings for Casey... she loved Casey; Rafi enflamed her. She gave herself guiltlessly to Rafi earlier in the day and would do so many more times in the future. Her feelings of being so totally overwhelmed sexually by this man made the experience completely outside of anything she had with her husband. It was her body to do with as she pleased, and she most definitely was pleased to share it with Rafi surreptitiously while she continued to share it with Casey.

Her giving her body in secret to another wouldn't impact her marriage as long as the two were careful, she knew. It seemed both trite and truthful to her: what Casey didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

She was keenly aware that her marriage would be over if Casey ever found out. Regardless of how she felt about what she was doing, her husband would see it plainly and simply as cheating. Infidelity was a one and done for Casey, Julie knew.

By the end of the evening, Julie determined Casey apparently had no clue about her time with Rafi. She knew she would be spending a lot more time in the younger man's bed.

In the weeks that followed, Julie met Rafi once or twice each week, mixing up the days of the week. The younger man slowly expanded Julie's repertoire of sexual experiences as she gave to him her body in ways that she wouldn't have previously considered with her husband. To be accurate, she really didn't give her body... Rafi took her body, although she was usually willing to try anything he wanted.

From talking with Julie, Rafi knew that she and Casey were trying to have a child, yet the woman was so caught up with events the first time they had sex it never dawned on her to tell Rafi he needed to use a condom. Rafi was well aware that Julie wasn't thinking about him using protection, and he felt no compunction to ask if he should.

The sex between the two started out "lively" and gradually escalated. It was not uncommon for Julie to scream out one or two orgasms per session. Rafi was completely blown away by the older woman's responsiveness.

While her relationship with her husband didn't change outwardly, each encounter brought Julie closer to Rafi emotionally. He played both her body and her emotions like a grandmaster. She not only looked forward to the sex with Rafi, but just as important to her was the time she spent just cuddling and talking with him.

******

Ted Lansing was a certified klutz, his co-workers at Hamilton Reese Givens LLC all agreed, so it was no surprise when Ted tripped over his own feet and fell down while walking in the main hallway in the firm's office early one afternoon. Several of Ted's co-workers laughed, but Ted wasn't joining in that laughter as he grabbed his right ankle.

"Shit, guys. I think I really screwed up my ankle," Ted said. "Any of you not due in court later have time to take me to urgent care?"

"I've got you, bud," Casey Sanderson replied. "I'll take you over to urgent care, then drive you home and pick you up in the morning. It'll give me a chance to get home kind of early for a change and surprise Julie."

Casey and another attorney helped Ted to his feet, then they helped him to the front door. Casey got his Mustang GT and drove it up in front of the door so they could trundle him into the car for the ride to a near-by urgent care.

The doctor at urgent care diagnosed Ted with a severe ankle sprain, had the ankle wrapped and sent him on his way with a pair of crutches. Casey drove Ted to his apartment at Rainwood Acres, an upscale complex about 20 minutes from the law office.

Casey drove up to the front door, helped Ted out of the car and watched him awkwardly crutch off to the complex elevator. Casey got back in his car and was about to drive out of the parking lot when he spotted what appeared to be his wife's Jeep Grand Cherokee. He confirmed the car was indeed his wife's by the Kennedy School parking sticker on the back window, and noted that the car parked next to it also had a Kennedy sticker. When he noted that the other car also had a men's soccer league sticker on it, Casey stopped his car and made a hasty phone call to a friend on the local police department.

"Hey, Jim, could I ask you to do a VIN check for me?" Casey asked when his friend answered.

Several minutes later, Casey knew—without knowing—that he had a problem in his marriage. Suddenly several things that had been occurring in recent months congealed in his brain, chief among which was his wife starting to shower after getting home once or twice a week after going to the gym, or so she said. Until that moment, Casey had never thought about the fact that he never saw any gym clothes among the folded loads of laundry he had carried up to his room.

Casey drove home, but parked his car a block from his house and walked home the rest of the way. He knew he had about an hour to kill, so he broke the seal on a new bottle of Angel's Envy rye, poured himself the first of what he knew would be several shots and sat down at his kitchen table to make plans for his future.

Julie walked in the door from the garage about an hour later, looking every bit the fresh-fucked woman Casey expected: her skin glowing pink, her hair mussed and combed down, her clothes slightly rumpled and the smell of recent sex more than a little prevalent on her. She shrieked loudly when he spotted her husband unexpectedly sitting at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, hello to you, too, dear," Casey said more than a little sarcastically. "Did you have a good workout?"

Julie was frozen to the spot upon which she stood for several seconds, then started to head for the home's staircase, knowing she needed to cleanse the evidence of her affair from her body.

"Nope. Don't even consider leaving this room," Casey ordered. "Sit your ass down and tell me... do you love him?"

Julie's eyes wildly looked around the kitchen as her face paled. She looked sick to her stomach as she gradually slid into her usual chair at the kitchen table.

"I really need to clean up right now, Casey," Julie whispered as she stared at the table.

"No, you don't, Jules. I've already smelled the sex on you. I saw your car parked next to his at Rainwood Acres. I may have been clueless, but I'm not stupid.

"Do... you... love... him?"

Julie sat silently at the table, not daring to look at her husband. Her hands trembled. The two continued to sit silently for another few seconds, before Casey slapped the table with his open palm, making a tremendous noise on the wood table and causing both his glass and the rye bottle to jump up and land back down on the surface. As expected, Julie jumped as well, gasped loudly and finally looked her husband in the eyes.

"Ummm... yes... no... yes," she responded hesitantly and softly. "I guess I do, somewhat, but it's different from the way I love you."

"Well, hopefully for his sake, it's better than the way you love me, because your love for me didn't stop you from being a slut for another man," Casey growled.

Julie's face reflected her shock. Her husband had never spoken to her with this much vitriol and those kinds of words.

"I-I'm not a slut...." she started.

"You're a married woman who's been having sex with a man other than your husband. By those very parameters, that makes you a slut," Casey interjected harshly.

Julie's mouth opened and closed twice with no sound forthcoming. Casey thought she looked like a sick fish. Perhaps any other time, he would have thought that was funny. Not so comedic at this moment.

Julie felt as if her brain was working in slow motion. She had never once considered the unthinkable: what would happen if Casey were to find out about her and Rafi? Could she somehow sidetrack him from divorcing her?

"How... how did you find out?" Julie asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"That's the most important thing you have to say to me?" he answered harshly.

Casey sipped on his rye, waiting for Julie to say something... anything... of consequence. The trust he had in her was gone, his seemingly unlimited love for her had taken a hit of epic proportions. He wondered if it was possible to have a heart attack at 29.

Unlike his wife, Casey's brain was working in a kind of hyper-speed: so many thoughts, so many questions. He needed to slow his brain down enough to think clearly.

"How long have you been cheating on me, Julie? Is that fucking kid the only one you've been cheating with?" he asked in a low growl.

Tears had been leaking from Julie's eyes for several minutes. She winced both times when Casey said the word "cheating," even though she knew that's exactly what it was. She exhaled deeply before finally speaking.

"We've been together for... a couple of months, and it's just been him. What do you take me for?" she said in an annoyed tone.

Casey bristled at her tone. He was reeling from her revelation. He didn't hold back.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Casey snarked.

Julie dropped her eyes and shook her head. She then peeked up at her husband.

"So... where does this leave us, Casey?"

"I'll sleep in the guest room, and I'll contact an attorney. I don't think we need to cut each other's throats, but you'll want to get your own attorney. And you might want to lock your bedroom door, just in case I change my mind and decide to kill you in your sleep," Casey said blankly.

Julie at first assumed Casey was trying to inject some levity into the conversation, but after looking at his face she wasn't quite as assured.

"You know, Casey, I really do still love you. I don't want a divorce," she said.

"But you also don't really want to give him up either. This isn't Burger King, Jules. You don't get to have it your way," Casey said.

"I'm sorry, Casey," she said.

Casey looked at his wife like he was seeing her for the first time. She caught the difference in his eyes.

"You might be sorry for hurting me... might... but you're not sorry for having sex with him... or you wouldn't have done it for months," he said. "Cheating is always a choice. You knew what you were doing and how I'd feel about that. You made the choice to do it. I feel like I do. We are where we are."

She again dropped her eyes.

Casey did all the cliché pre-divorce financial things that evening.

In the next week, Julie tried to entice Casey back into bed with her both with words and with visual access to her scantily-clad body, but Casey wasn't responding. Julie realized that her husband had to be incredibly angry because he had never before been able to hold out against her attempts to bed him.

Failing that, she continually harped at him that she didn't want a divorce and wouldn't sign papers when Casey had her served.

"I love you. You have to know that. You're my number one. Can't we get past this?" Julie whined one evening during dinner.

"I shouldn't be number one, because there shouldn't be a number two," Casey spit. "I should be number only."

"You are number only. I haven't seen him since... since you told me you knew," Julie asserted.

"Otherwise, you'd still be fucking him, right?" Casey said.

Casey never asked his wife for details on what she and her lover did together. He almost never mentioned Rafi by name when talking with Julie. About the only thing he did, though, was ask Ted Lansing if he knew anything about his neighbor.

"Oh yeah," Ted answered. "He seems to be a nice enough guy. Really handsome, good personality, a major chick magnet. We've talked several times, gone out together a few times. Right now, he's doing three women, he told me recently, two of them married."

Ted saw Casey wince at his last statement. Casey pulled out his phone, pulled up a photo of his wife and showed Ted.

"Is this one of the married ones?" he asked.

It was Ted's turn to wince. Although Casey didn't tell him the photo was of his wife, he was sharp enough to know.

"Yeah. I've seen her leaving his place several times right as I was getting home. That your wife?"