If I had to rate my life on a scale of 0 to 10, I'd probably say it was very close to 10.
I, Simon, grew up in a well to do family with enough money to cover the debt of a small country. As the only child, I got spoiled and had everything I wanted. In college, I was a straight A student. At 6'2", 195 pounds, I was on the swimming and tennis teams. In addition, I was told I looked good, and girls flocked to me.
By the age of 27, I was an application specialist and chief consultant for a big medical instrument maker based in the Midwest. I traveled a lot, and since I was unmarried, the job suited me perfectly. By then, I bedded more than 100 ladies of all ages and races. In fact, there wasn't a female who refused my advances.
On one of my trips to Iowa, I met Tess. I saw her at a party that was organized by the institution which I helped them install 3 new ultrasound machines. She worked there as a nurse. I was smitten by her the first moment I saw her. Tess was very pretty, around 5'5", 125 pounds, and had a fantastic figure that was emphasized by her tight skirt. I invited her to dance, and she agreed. Later, we sat together at the table and chatted. The more we talked, the more I became attracted to her. I found out she liked cooking, photography, and romantic comedies.
We started dating soon after. It was clear she liked me: We spent a lot of time together going to movies and strolling in parks. However, I found out soon enough she was very conservative about the issue of sex before marriage. As I said before, I never had a girl refusing sex with me, especially one I was dating, so it puzzled me I could not convince her to go to bed.
The first evening I met her parents, I began understanding Tess's attitude toward sex. Her father was a conservative evangelist who believed in what he called 'purity before god.' Her mother admired her husband and taught Tess, her only daughter, accordingly. Both were very nice and educated people but very conservative.
Since I fell in love with Tess, I accepted the rules, and until we got engaged, we did not have sex. We kissed, fondled, and even got naked twice, but no intercourse. The evening we got engaged, she whispered to me she was ready. During our first sexual experience, she felt some pain when she lost her virginity, but I was very gentle, and the way she described it later, it was mild pain but a lot of pleasure.
After our first time, 50% of our time together was spent in my bedroom. We both loved our newly discovered intimacy. My love for Tess increased exponentially, and we got married 6 months later. We were very happy and celebrated our honeymoon in Hawaii.
We found the weather and overall atmosphere over there to be very sensual. Our sexual escapades extended from the basic missionary and oral to doggy-style, cowgirl, and even anal. One day, I raised the possibility of a threesome. She refused, saying this was her red line. Once, I saw her eyes following a young, tan guy and reminded her it could be a nice new experience. She chuckled, "Honey, when I see a nice dress in a store, I don't buy it unless I do not have the clothes I need at home. With you, I have all the sex I crave." I understood her point and did not push again.
Shortly after the wedding, my best friend from college, Travis, moved back to town with his wife, Emma. In college, Travis and I were buddies. I was taller, more attractive to the opposite gender, a better sportsman, had better scores on tests, and by all criteria, a better in everything. However, I loved his quiet admiration, his loyalty, and his sincerity, and we became good friends.
I introduced Tess to Emma and Travis, and soon after, the 4 of us started to spend long hours together. Both Tess and I found Emma and Travis to be a great match. We went to restaurants and shows together, but most of the time, we stayed at their or our house to chat or watch TV. The more time we spent with them, the closer we became. Tess and Emma went to Starbucks, shopping, and yoga together. Travis and I loved to discuss politics, sports, and future travels. I liked Emma too. She was a joker, and, like Tess, she loved to cook. She often brought us delicious meals to try. I used to complain Tess refused to feed me unless I did certain chores, and asked Travis to switch wives. Travis did something similar: He was hugging his wife and asked Tess if she'd marry him so he could dump Emma on me. Everything was done in good spirits, and nobody took these talks seriously.
...
Everything changed 2 years later. Emma felt a lump in her breast when she was supposed to go for her annual mammogram. The test was suspicious for a tumor. She underwent a series of imaging exams and a breast biopsy. The end result was the worst that could happen. She had metastatic, triple negative, breast cancer. They went to the Mayo Clinic to try new drugs, but nothing worked. We watched her getting emaciated by the day, and a month later, she began suffering from severe pain. Initially, they treated her pains in the hospital, and later she continued with increasing doses at home. She died 3 months later.
It was an unbelievable ordeal. It was good her suffering was over, but Travis was beside himself. Tess and I invited him every evening to visit us. I tried to interest him in sports, going to movies, getting drunk together, you name it. He politely declined most of my suggestions but agreed to join us for dinner once in a while.
When I asked him why he refused to go out with me, he winked, "Because I love Tess more than you."
As time passed, Tess and I noticed that instead of getting better, he was becoming more uptight. His patience and concentration declined steadily. One day, I asked him what was going on and whether I could help him.
He laughed bitterly, "I don't think so. Every day, I recall the fun I had with Emma. We used to start the day with great sex that, on occasions, lasted too long, and we didn't have time for breakfast. My body and mind got used to this routine, and my memories are killing me. And, of course, I miss the action as well."
"Travis, you are only 30 years old and look good. Why don't you go online? I bet in a month, you'll get 10 positive messages."
He stared at me embarrassingly, "Simon, you were the gold standard for success with girls. I never was. I was fortunate with Emma, but god punished us for enjoying our life too much."
"Tess and I can have a party and introduce you to available girls."
"I never felt comfortable chatting with a girl I had not met before. Emma was the one who initiated our first meeting. She did most of the talking, and we formed a connection immediately. Before her, every girl I met, my tongue froze, and the meeting ended with great disappointment."
I pitied him and blurted, "Let me think about it and see if I can come up with something."
The same evening, I had a long talk with Tess. I asked her if she had an idea how to help him. She answered, "If he feels uncomfortable meeting other ladies, we can invite him to our house more often. At times, he can even sleep in our guestroom and feel at home, like we are a happy family."
"I'll ask him how he feels about it."
I met him again 2 days later and told him what Tess suggested. He smiled, "Simon, I love Tess and you and appreciate the generous offer, but the last thing I want is to impose myself on my best friends."
"Travis, don't be ridiculous. You are like family to us. We'd love to have you at home with us."
"I think it's your idea. Tess likes me, but being a guest for too long is a burden."
"It was Tess's idea, not mine. I'll ask her to talk to you. She is nicer; perhaps she'll be able to persuade you."
That evening, I told Tess about my talk with Travis. In my presence, she called his number, and I heard her say, "Buddy, we love your company, and if you like crushing here for a day or two at times, we'll be happy."
"Tess, are you sure it's not going to interfere with your life?"
"Not at all. Come here and feel at home."
...
So Travis began frequenting our house more often and stayed 2-3 nights each time. He became less depressed, and for Tess and me, it was fun to have him with us. We joked, played, and chatted about everything. Tess liked him a lot and treated him like a brother.
There was only one thing that we weren't sure how to deal with. Tess was a screamer during sex. Whenever Travis was around, she felt uncomfortable about him hearing it. And then, twice, I caught Travis ogling Tess when she walked from the bedroom to take a shower, having on only her underwear.
Knowing Travis did not have sex for weeks, if not more, I raised the subject with Tess.
She stared at me, "Simon, what are you implying?"
"I did not try to imply anything. I am asking if you can think of helping him."
"Look, if you raise again your old idea of a three-way, I think it's not a good one and even dangerous."
"I didn't suggest a threesome, although, unlike you, I think it's not such a bad thing."
"A much better idea is to help him find a nice lady who will make him forget about Emma."
