They had been on a roll. Charlie and Natasha had come a long way from that first experience in Mexico. After years of thinly veiled innuendo and secret fantasies, they were both clear with what they found sexy and adventurous, and they were loving the new open and honest line of communication. 15 years of marriage, and they had seemingly hit their sexual stride. Then...Covid. Fuck.
Like everyone else, the pandemic hit them with a hard dose of reality and firmly forced the breaks on their newfound adventures. Charlie was now working from home, and Natasha had been laid off from her job a few months into the quarantine. In the interim, she had brushed off her old yoga instructor hat and was teaching yoga classes over Zoom.
The exit of excitement that in the beginning was "temporary," was feeling more and more like the new normal. No vacations. No date nights. Even Chad, the "friendly" neighbor from across the way that they shared a hot summer night with last year had moved out. The new normal was getting to them both, but especially Charlie.
He felt isolated and stuck. A constant weight every day that made the days dull. He was the type that needed a distraction, something to look forward to, if you will. He could not see a current path to a new distraction
"Guess what?" She asked Charlie over breakfast.
"What's up?"
"You know that new client I picked up a few weeks ago? My 5am private lesson?"
"I guess," he replied.
"Well, turns out he is a real estate developer. ...and he has found my lessons so helpful he wants to offer me a large space for my own studio!"
She was very excited.
Charlie took a moment to process her words. Opening her own Yoga studio was always a dream, but he couldn't help but wonder..."what's the catch?"
"He has a huge 2,500 square foot space that is empty. He wants to fill it. No rent for 4 months until I establish a sizable clientele. If this works, it would be a huge income boost for us!"
It did sound great, but the cynic in Charlie still wondered..."What does he get out of it?" Here was his sexy, 5'0" brunette wife with green eyes and 32DD breasts. Quite a perfect package for a wealthy man trying to impress...
She was ready for that question..."It's not like that. He gets a tenant. He gets SOMETHING in that space right now..." she answered. "It's a win-win. What do you think?"
Noticing how excited she seemed, Charlie didn't really see a reason to protest. Especially considering this would really help boost their income.
"Well. I say go for it!"
So she did. She continued to hold her lessons online and started taking a few hours in the afternoon to prepare her new studio.
One day, while she was out, he noticed that she had left her schedule book on the table by the front door. Curiously, he thumbed back toward the beginning and saw the message "New Client - Derek P. 5AM." The most recent week was slightly curious, as all of Derek's entries had little smiley faces next to them.
Curiosity got the best of him. He opened his phone and pulled up FB. He searched Derek P. Once he found the right guy, things started to become clearer. This guy was no run of the mill real estate guy. He seemed to be filthy rich. His pictures were that of hanging in ritzy summer homes, fishing on enormous boats, extravagant trips, etc...and to top it all off, he was quite handsome. Exactly his wife's type she is most attracted to. Older and tall, nice build, defined muscles, and a full head of nice gray hair.
In his photos, he also noticed a woman, seemingly Derek's wife, sitting on the front of a boat in a bikini. She was gorgeous. Dark skin with dark auburn hair and an impeccable body. It made Charlie do a double take...
"Gee...It's good to be the king..." he joked to himself.
Another week or two went by and Charlie didn't bother to bring up Derek. He trusted his wife, and if something were going on between the two of them - he was certain that she would ask him about it first. At this point, any "extra-curricular" activities they partook in were always together, and Charlie had no reason to believe that would change. Natasha knew how excited Charlie got at the prospect of other men being into her, and she would not think of indulging in that without him.
"Proposition for you?" Natasha asked as she came home that day...
"Sure what's up?" Charlie replies
"My new landlord, Derek invited us to his house for dinner Friday night..." she said.
"Okay..., all of us?"
"Yes! He thought we'd like to have dinner with him and his wife, you know, just to get to know each other a little better..."
Charlie thought for a moment. He couldn't remember the last time they went out with other adults. Sure, they were strangers, but he did see it as an opportunity to case this Derek guy out and see what was really going on there.
"Yeah. Sure. Sounds fine."
"Fine?" She asked? "Are you sure? You seem like you don't want to."
"No, it's fine." He replied. "It's just that...we'll...you know you have been on such a roll lately with your business and expanding and meeting new people...I just feel a little...I don't know."
"Stuck?" She asked
"Yeah. Stuck I guess." He answered back. "You know I miss our date nights and our trips..."
"Oh you miss our trips?"...she said knowingly. "Now I get what you're really missing..."
"Well? Don't you miss that? Not having that to look forward to sucks..."
"I feel the same way honey. I really do. Maybe since those opportunities aren't around right now, we're going to have to get creative and make our own..." she reasoned. "What do you think?"
"Deal..." .
The rest of the week slogged along and eventually it was Friday night. Charlie and