She had an itch.
I am sitting in the office of the antique and art boutique that I own with my girlfriend Margot. It's just after closing time, memories of the past are on my mind also regrets. Regrets for causing pain to a very good man and to a lesser extent to myself.
The scene from three years ago is burned in my memory forever. I can still see Frank coming in the living room and throwing an envelope on my lap.
"Open this and look at it Julie," he demanded, with a disgusted look on his face. "Tell me what is going on. Now."
The whole mess began a little over four years ago...
***
My story.
My name is Julie and I have been married to Frank for nine years. We don't have children. We live in a small town a little over two hours drive from Montreal.
I work part-time in small antique shop. My husband works for a manufacturing company on the outskirts of town. Frank usually works days, but sometimes evening or night shifts.
Frank is also a volunteer fireman, and became quite a hero in town the day he went into a burning house to save two young children. He got some pretty bad burns when he did that. He was in the hospital longer than the kids.
Lately I have developed an itch, perhaps 'obsession' would be a better description. I crave strange cock; not an affair, just a one night stand to see what sex with another man would be like.
Frank and I married young. I was still a virgin when I met Frank. I did have some experience, mutual petting and masturbation, with both boys and another girl a couple of times. I always wondered what sex would be like with another man, but never seriously, until recently. But my desire has been occupying more and more of my thoughts.
One Thursday, Frank was working the evening shift. I decided to go out and try my luck. I had virtually no experience flirting or cruising, but I was often told that I was pretty and sexy. I chose my dress carefully, one that showed enough cleavage to spark a man's interest, I wanted to look sexy and alluring, but stopping short of looking like a slut.
There are only three bars in town, I drove to the biggest one, Big Jim's Place. When I went in I was received like an heroine — a proxy for my husband. Everyone wanted to buy me a drink and talk about Frank, telling me how lucky I was to be married to such a brave man. Guys were glad to dance with me in front of their wives, who didn't seem to mind. With a few of them I tried to dance closer and a little more provocatively, but nothing worked. All I got was talk about Frank and what a great guy he was. I went home completely frustrated . I reached the conclusion that I wouldn't find a man to fuck me in our town.
When Frank came home Friday after work, he said he needed to talk to me. He looked very serious when we sat down at the kitchen table.
"Julie," he asked, looking me right in the eyes, "I heard that you were out 'cruising' at Big Jim's Thursday evening, What's going on? Is there something I should know about?"
I smiled at him, and reached across the table and patted his hand in a reassuring manner.
"I wasn't 'cruising' Frank. I don't know why, but I was just a little lonely here without you and went out for a quick drink. I thought that maybe I would run into some of my girlfriends. But you are such a local hero that once I was there I couldn't leave. Everyone was trying to buy me drinks and telling me how proud I should be of my husband, And I am." I looked right back at him and smiled again. He seemed to relax a little, and sat back in his chair.
Now he had a little grin on his face. "I heard that you were dressed pretty sexy."
"I wanted to look nice," I agreed, "but I wasn't dressed like a slut or anything. I had my red dress on, you know, the one you like so much and it's decent."
"It shows a little too much cleavage for going out wearing it when I am not with you. And you don't want to give any of the horny guys around here any ideas!" he said, but with his tone more teasing and bantering, no longer angry or concerned.
I tried to look and sound sorry and regretful, "I am sorry Frank I won't do it again. You know I don't make it a habit to go out for drinks when you are working ."
That was the end of that, but it scared me. I knew for sure that I wouldn't be able to get any 'strange' cock in this town. It was just too small, and Frank and I were too well known.
The closest big city that I could get to, where I could go looking for some strange sex was Montreal. But how could I manage to go there and with what excuse? I only went there periodically for shopping, and normally that was with Frank or my sister. Finding a way to go to Montreal on my own, especially for an evening and possibly a night was, it seemed, a problem without a solution.
I think that intellectually I realized that what I was planning was cheating on my husband, but that didn't bother my conscience. At the time I hadn't fully thought out the consequences or ramifications of what I was considering.
I wasn't scheduled to work again until Monday. When I arrived, I looked across the room and saw my boss Margot making a beeline straight in my direction
"Julie what the hell were you doing last Thursday?" she asked me, clearly amused, " If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were on the prowl for some strange cock!"
When she said that, I blushed. I never heard my boss being quite so crude before.
"No," I insisted, "I was feeling a little lonely and just went out for a drink. Has that become a crime?"
Margot looked at me, and her eyes narrowed and the edges of her lips lifted in the hint of a knowing smile.
"Are you sure? You've been distracted lately, and I've noticed you looking long and hard at the men coming in the boutique, or even walking by on the sidewalk."
I finally confessed to Margot what my problem was. When I was finished, she just shook her head, looking at me as if to say 'oh, you foolish woman!'
"Julie your husband is too well known in this town for you to expect to keep an affair quiet. He would know within the hour if you had even had a quickie with someone," she insisted.
"Oh, you're right. I know that now."
Margot stood there for a moment, her eyes focussed on some distant point, thinking. Finally she spoke.
"You and Frank are still coming to my barbeque Saturday?"
"Yes of course," I replied.
"Then leave everything to me, She was smiling to herself as she turned and walked to her office. Margot didn't say anything more to me about her plan, other than to say that I would find out Saturday evening.
We had been at the barbeque for a couple of hours that Saturday, eating, drinking, and talking to friends, before Margot finally got Frank and me off into a quiet corner. She said she needed to speak with Frank about an important job related issue.
"Frank," she said, "Julie is really getting to know a lot about antiques. I would like her to get more experience in the business, so I'm wondering if I could take her with me to some auctions in Montreal. I'm sure she would find it interesting and learn a lot."
"Well, if she is interested," Frank answered tentatively, looking at me for an indication of my thoughts.
"Yes, Frank, I like the antique market, at least what I see of it working with Margot," I said, being quite truthful.
Margot and I were ganging up on poor Frank now.
"She has a real knack for spotting good deals, and she picks up on what the customer is interested in. She is a natural Frank," Margot suggested in the persuasive way that she closed many a sale in the shop.
Frank shrugged his shoulders,"Then it's okay with me."
Margot was clearly pleased with Frank's answer.
"Great," she said, "There is a big auction on Friday next week. I plan to take some paintings I acquired lately to put up for sale. I could take Julie with me."
"I don't know Margot," I protested, "you leave in the early afternoon and these things can end quite late, as you've often said. Besides Frank is working nights next week. No one would be there for his supper and to prepare his lunch."
"Julie, I can cook my own supper and prepare my own lunch," Frank said in an almost condescending manner, but with a smile on his face. "If Margot thinks that you have a talent for this business and you want to learn more, you should go."
When we were alone in the house preparing the lunch, I looked at Margot and asked what this was all about.
"You want try out some strange cock? I fixed it for you. In Montreal no one knows you or Frank. Listen Julie, I take advantage of my trips there to get a little satisfaction myself. My husband is not all I need in bed.
Then the men came in for fresh beers and we had to drop the subject.
At home that night the sex with Frank was hot. Mainly because I was fantasizing that I was with a lover.
Sunday morning, as Frank and I shared breakfast, I brought up the subject of my going to the auction with Margot again.