Paul and Jane had been married for 22 years; it wasn't all a bed of roses. Jane would complain about outstanding jobs and Paul spending so much time on his hobbies. Whereas Paul was often left bemused by Jane's endless ability to find things to buy for their home. But these were minor niggles in what was a long and very happy marriage.
At 45 Jane remained an attractive mature woman. She'd added only a few pounds over the years and it seemed to land in all the right places. She had been quite plain at school and struggled to find friendships and her own confidence. But many of the starlets from her youth who had given her a hard time were now looking decidedly frumpy. She worked as an Office Manager within a Government Department and was both competent and well respected.
Paul thought she was very pretty when they married but was now truly beautiful and elegant. Her secret was an absolutely outstanding body which seemed to enhance with age. She would be described as voluptuous, except most of her assets were hidden under rather prim and modest clothing. Paul kept himself fit, helped by working as a self-employed and energetic project manager. With sandy hair and at 5ft 10 he didn't stand out from the crowd, but he was immensely popular within a close group of long-standing friends.
They handled the empty nesting differently; Paul loved the free time rekindling all of his hobbies and delighting in the extra time available. He felt fitter and energised but worried for his wife, who missed the kids. It was more than just missing them; she described it as a void. Jane had an engaging personality and managed a healthy mix of family and social life, but with the kids away at college some of that lustre was slowly ebbing away. Paul tried everything he could think of to give his loyal and loving wife a boost. When trying to describe her situation to friends, the phrase which came to Jane's mind was 'a lack of purpose'. Jane felt more distant, and Paul wondered about the menopause or depression.
Paul encouraged Jane to start back at the gym, it helped a little. She never enjoyed it, but it passed the time, and she liked the results, toning up the slight jiggle that had begun on her lower stomach and bum. Paul thought the result were outstanding and encouraged Jane to show off some of her hard work and enjoy feeling fit; she deserved some new outfits. He hoped it would provide a much-needed confidence boost alongside his reassurance.
Jane seemed to be making more effort in her appearance and Paul hoped she was starting to turn a corner. The dark leggings and baggy tops were replaced by fitted skirts and silk blouses. Paul thought it all looked great on her newly toned body.
She continued her long standing night out with the girls which Paul encouraged. Jane didn't attract too many admirers when younger. She rarely got approached, her best friend Helen stole all of the attention in that regard. It seemed to happen more often these days but she was fairly adept at politely refusing any advances. Her friends were a nice group, Helen was recently separated but she was dating again and had a regular boyfriend who they discussed endlessly on the phone.
Jane usually returned happy, a little drunk and very talkative from the girl's nights out, it was nice to see some of the old Jane on those nights. Their sex life has slowed down some, but it was on these nights that something was most likely to happen. Jane was fairly conservative in bed and a drink helped her relax. She definitely made love rather than fucked, it was all about the connection and emotions for her. Paul lamented her lack of interest; they were both inexperienced when they married, and the initial spark seemed to finally subside with the arrival of children. Paul tried different approaches, being more assertive, romantic date nights, weekends away, different positions and locations, none of which received an enthusiastic response. Jane never objected saying it was all "good" but then she never took the lead either.
***
When Jane mentioned a house party at Helen's, Paul almost lept at it; any excuse to go out and have some fun would do Jane the world of good.
On the night of the party, they got ready and got a taxi over to Helen's. Paul thought Jane looked stunning in a close-fitting satin dress than accentuated her figure and he her told her so.
She smiled sweetly, "Thank you, I feel a bit self-conscious in the dress, but you've just made me feel good about it. That's a gift you have; making the people around you feel good, you're always so kind and understanding, I love you."
Paul liked Jane's reply, but it niggled a bit and echoed many he heard down the years. He was a nice guy; he was kind and caring etc etc. It held him back in his youth, often in the friend zone of a girl he really wanted to ask out. He felt it at times with Jane, he was sure she loved him, but did she really desire him and was he greedy to still want both after so many years together.
They arrived at Helen's, it was a nice place with plenty of space, there looked to be around 40 guests and a good atmosphere. Helen seemed slightly surprised to see them both.
"Hi Paul, it's good to see you, it's been a while."
She looked across at Jane who smiled and nodded.
"Good to see you to Helen, sorry to hear about your breakup but Jane said you're back out dating again."
"I am, let's do some introductions."
Helen introduced her boyfriend Nev, as they shook hands it was Jane who said she would like to introduce Paul to their friend Will. Will reached out a hand, he clearly worked out, Paul hated the handshake bullshit casually ignoring the tight squeeze. They made some small talk; Jane introduced some others and there were a few people Paul already knew. He got the impression some of the other friends were surprised to see Jane with a partner in tow. He guessed it was because they rarely attended each other's social events.
After an hour and with Paul settled chatting, Jane drifted off circulating between different groups. Paul noticed Jane chatting to Will and Nev, they formed a clique with Helen and a few others who went on the girl's nights out. Jane kept coming back and checking Paul was ok.
He noticed Will slide his arm around her back at she returned to their group. What surprised him most was that Helen didn't shrug it off initially until she glanced nervously across to Paul and moved away from Will's arm. Something felt off, he thought about leaving or confronting them but didn't want to create a scene, any accusation would look childish. He wondered if he could find out more and casually asked the people he was talking to if they knew Helen's group, but no one was very forth coming, although one woman thought they went out together in couples.
By the time he'd had a few conversations, collected another drink and tried to organise his jumbled thoughts, Jane wasn't there. Paul looked around the ground floor then set off for the garden. He had just about given up when he heard voices at the side of the house and followed the path around.
As he approached, Paul heard Helen clear her throat trying to voice a warning to Jane, "Jane... Jane, it's Paul!"
Paul couldn't believe it; Jane was kissing Will her arms wrapped around his shoulders. She pulled away from the kiss and looked at Helen who was nodding toward Paul with raised eyebrows and in some alarm.
Jane jumped, "Oh Paul, ermmm... sorry it was just a little kiss, maybe we had too much to drink."
Paul moved toward Will, but Jane stepped between them quickly, panicking at the sight of Paul's anger. They all hesitated, if Jane hadn't stepped in, he would have swung for Will. Maybe that was a good thing; the stark reality was the guy looked younger, stronger and fitter.
"I'm sorry Paul, it was nothing really. I guess we need to talk."
"No we don't!"
It was so surreal; he couldn't comprehend fully what was happening. He had to get out before he lost it completely and stormed away with Jane shouting after him.
Jane was distraught, that was not how the evening was supposed to go. She kicked herself for trying to snatch a quick kiss with Will.
Jane had been surprised when Helen's boyfriend Nev had brought Will along to a Thursday night out. He approached her and was absolutely charming. She wasn't used to so many compliments especially from a much younger and handsome man. He and Nev teamed up extolling the virtue of mature ladies. Will checked her out obviously and made no apology for it, it was all quite overwhelming. For the first time in her life, Jane was having thoughts and urges and wasn't sure if she could or wanted to control them. She still loved her husband, but Will was an intoxicating mystery. It was exciting to meet and interact with different, younger and exciting people. She found herself obsessing about Will; he invaded her thoughts constantly.
***
Paul and Jane sat at their kitchen table the following morning.
"I'm so sorry Paul, last night was a big mistake. Everything is really confusing and I can't think clearly. My time with friends has shown we can experience things with other people. Not everything has to be me and you; there can be different parts to our lives."
"There's nothing wrong with friends, but he appears to be your boyfriend, are you leaving me?"
"Don't be silly Paul he is not my boyfriend and I don't want to leave you at all. We sleep together every night, wake up together, spend our whole lives together."
"Except for when you are spending time with your boyfriend."
"I don't have a boyfriend Paul, don't keep saying that."
"Kissing, touching, what the fuck is he then?"
"He's a friend, that's all."
"Bullshit, that clearly wasn't the first time!"
Jane hesitated, trying to carefully pick her way through the conversation whilst trying to be truthful. She really did love Paul and they were destined to spend their life together.
"I don't think I was in a healthy place Paul and I want... no, I need to keep what has dragged me out of that mire. I need you and your constant support and some time with my friends."
Paul flinched at that, "You mean time with Will."
This was the problem; she knew it was wrong but she really wanted to keep seeing Will. She didn't want to hurt Paul or to lie to him, he deserved honestly.
"I'd like to continue spending time with that group, we're all great friends."
Paul seethed, "Will in particular I assume, you are way beyond friends, are you having an affair?"
"No, absolutely not, it is not an affair!"
"Well, I got the very distinct feeling that your other friends are well aware of your affair with this guy."
"Stop saying it's an affair, they see us together more than I am with you, that's all."
"I guess that says quite a lot in itself."
"He's a friend of Nev's and we spend time together. Once you get to know him you will like him."
"I have no intention of getting to know him, the man has no morals and is trying to seduce my wife. Sadly, he also seems to be succeeding, just how far has it gone?"
"Talking mostly, dancing."
"And kissing?"
"Yes, we've made out a few times ok, it's no big deal."
