You receive the text at precisely 3 pm while on a conference call with other programmers on your current project:
--Guest for dinner and overnight. Home by 730.
Panic sets in, and, while the other conferees are still making small talk waiting for the last tardy arrival, you begin to plan, surreptitiously making lists while an interminable PowerPoint presentation drags on.
You begin to worry about what is in the freezer for dinner, perhaps pork tenderloin, or steaks--no, that's not appropriate, what if the guest is a vegetarian? But how many vegetarians do you know? You begin to text the question to her, then realize that she would not appreciate a text coming from you when she's in the middle of high-level negotiations.
So you fret, and then decide to risk meat. You rush to the store for wine, then scurry to get everything ready, finding ten minutes to change the sheets in the guestroom, setting the dining table for three.
Precisely at 730, you hear the garage door lifting, and you know she is home. While this would not ordinarily cause you to pause or panic, in this case, you know she'll be expecting perfection when she walks in the door.
Finally, the garage door opens, and you hear her heels clicking on the tile floor of the mudroom--a sound that never fails to send your heart tapping in time. As she rounds the corner you are, as always, struck by how beautiful and confident she is. She looks around the kitchen at your preparations for dinner, and pats you on the shoulder as she walks by, an approving gesture that makes you smile. But you are immediately aware of someone entering the kitchen behind her, and your heart sinks as you see a man, tall and broad, handsome and self-assured. You've met him before.
She reminds you that his name is Mike, and you shake hands like any two men circling each other, as she continues on through the kitchen, telling him where the guest room is located.
You finish off the pork chops under the broiler, giving the mushroom sauce a stir. The scalloped potatoes are browning in the oven, and the green beans are gently steaming. It appears you have chosen the perfect meal for this very healthy and masculine man. Lucky you.
You finish dishing up food as you hear them back in the dining room, and she comes in briefly to take the wine you have breathing on the counter back in with her. She pauses at the door and asks if you are ready.
You look up, and don't know whether to laugh or cry. She looks amazing: her blonde hair flows away from her face, and she is wearing a vintage lounging jumpsuit from the 70s, soft white silk with wide bell bottom pants, and a halter neckline. Her jewelry is gold, and the pendant she wears around her neck dangles in between her breasts, only serving to highlight her creamy golden skin. It is clear she wears nothing underneath: her nipples are stiff, taut peaks beneath the soft white fabric of the halter, and as she turns, the thin fabric reveals she wears no panties. She is barefoot and gorgeous. She takes your breath away, after ten years of marriage. She is a goddess, sex incarnate. You want to weep.
She is your wife, but she has dressed for him.
-----
Dinner passes in a blur. She sits at the head of the table, you on her left and him on her right. He is polite to you, but as the meal stretches on, it is clear they have been engaged in this dance for several days now. They are colleagues on a negotiation team, and they speak their own language, discussing their challenges and their expected victory the next day. It's too soon to celebrate, but they clearly assume they will prevail. They are giddy with the excitement of the chase, and are both slightly intoxicated with the power of their positions. In this case, they are equals: two beautiful, confident professionals who are at the peak of their careers.
They don't leave you out, but you have no idea what to say or how to contribute to the conversation, so you serve the meal and speak when they speak to you. He's from Chicago, single, and a bit younger than she is, but he's clearly infatuated. And why wouldn't he be? She's beautiful, powerful, and strong. And so is he--he's tall and muscular, and you sense he is an alpha male, as unlike you as he can be. For this week, they are a match, and from their conversation, you understand that this jousting for position has them both throbbing with a visceral excitement.
You sit watching this play from the sidelines, half-excited, half-terrified as you watch them, listening to their banter, knowing that this man will fuck your wife before the night ends.
-----
You clear the dishes as they move to the den and listen to them continue to talk while you wash and load the dishwasher. They decline coffee, but you hear the clink of glass from the other room, and you know that they have availed themselves of the liquor you set out on the bar. When you enter the room with your own cup of espresso, it is to find them sitting on the couch, turned to face each other, their knees barely touching as they continue to plot and plan the next day's maneuvers. Only one lamp is on, and music plays softly on the Bluetooth speaker in the corner. It's a scene set for seduction, and for a moment, you waiver about joining them.
They both stop to compliment you on the meal, and you take a seat facing them both, a comfortable chair a few feet from the couch that reinforces your feeling of being a part of the audience. They quickly return to their intimate work conversation as they drink their whiskeys. They've both consumed wine and the excellent twelve-year-old scotch, but neither seems affected by the alcohol; you, on the other hand, would have already been ready to dance on the bar or sleep in the corner.