This story is inspired by the story "Karen Ch 1 - 6" by Blue88 and was edited by angel love.
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Jenny and Mark had been married for about twenty years. Their son and daughter had left for college, which now left them time to enjoy each other.
But lately Mark had gotten a strange feeling something was not as it should be. Jenny in the last few days seemed a bit restless, and looked away when he talked to her. It had started the day he had seen her having lunch with a handsome man. They had not behaved like they were intimate, but she had not admitted to having this lunch. She said he must have mistaken her for another woman. He knew he had not, so why did she not tell the truth? If she had lunch with a customer, or a colleague she could just say so. Why the secrecy?
So one day after dinner, Jenny having cleared the table, Mark made the coffee. While sitting in the lounge making small talk, Mark asked what was on her mind.
"You have been so detached lately, Jenny. What is going on?"
She looked down and after being silent for some time she started talking. "Before I met you, I had a crush on a boy named John. We were in college together, but not in the same classes. We did not have the same friends. I met him briefly only a few times, and to be frank, I did not particularly like him. But I was in an unexplainable way attracted to him. Twice, I was about to go all the way with him, but we were interrupted by somebody, so we never made love. Both times I had a strange feeling that I had missed something, and I did not like the feeling. After college we went our separate ways, and about a year later I met you. I fell in love, and forgot all about John. That is, until a few days ago. John started to work for our company, and I met him in the lunch room Monday two weeks ago. This is very difficult for me to admit Mark, but meeting him upset me deeply. I was drawn towards him in a way I could not understand. As I said, I don't like him as a person, but there is something about him that is difficult to resist."
She made a pause, as there was a need to collect her thoughts, and then continued, "The last few days I have been desperate. I try to keep away from him, but I find it very hard to do just that. I have been thinking about this situation for some days now, and that is why I have been so detached and probably very difficult to live with during the last week. I have very mixed feelings, I love you - but I crave John, I am in deep emotional trouble as it is. But Mark, I need to get this out of my system. I'm going to have a brief affair with John. I'm sure that after a few weeks, or at most a couple of months, I can get over this insane lust I have for him and get back to my normal life. Mark, please understand that this has nothing to do with my love for you. It's strictly physical, like an itch that demands scratching."
Jenny was now extremely agitated. She was trembling and flushed and looked at Mark with her heart in her throat, awaiting his response. I was sitting quite still, not really believing what I heard. There was a tension in the air, almost electrical, me near the point of explosion. I was very mad indeed. Jenny was in between a state of hope of me understanding and most likely a scary feeling that I might not.
The thoughts raced through my head, and being a guy with a rather long fuse, I calmly counted to ten in my head. Had she misunderstood my kindness and mild behavior in such a way that I would accept the role as a cuckold? Did she have such little respect for me? I just saw images of my beloved Jenny lying on a bed while this John was plunging his cock deep in her, and she enjoying the fucking asking for more and harder. I hated the imaginary image and had great difficulties being calm about it.
"Please Mark, say something", she said.
"Jenny, please understand that you just fired a bomb, don't expect me to be able to come up with a sensible answer right away to such a statement. If I heard you right, you just said that you intended to have an affair with another man. You did not ask my permission, you just said you intended to have this affair with John. There are two possible responses to this, either I say no way I will accept this, or I say OK and turn my blind eye to the fact that you date and have a sexual relationship with another man for a number of weeks. How can you think this is good for our marriage?"
"As I said Mark, I just need to get this itch to go away so I can give all my undivided attention towards you, without anything to go in between; don't you see that?"
"No Jenny, not right away at any rate. I love you very much, and I had hoped we could be old together with a lot of good and pleasant memories. So instead of saying anything in haste that might be regretted later, I propose we go to bed and sleep on this. I will certainly have a problem having a peaceful night, so I will sleep in the guest room and ponder upon your statement. I will give you my response tomorrow evening after dinner, so we don't speak about it until then. But Jenny, you keep distance to John tomorrow at work. If he approaches you, find an excuse for not meeting or talking to him tomorrow. Let it be clear that you are too busy and that you only have time for him the next day. This is not - I repeat not - a request, but an order. Is that understood Jenny?"
She nodded her head in agreement to my proposal and order, and with a hug and a kiss we went to bed, Jenny in the master bedroom, and me in the guest room.
Jenny just lay there thinking for a spell. 'I was extremely nervous when I said I intended to have this affair. He had to understand that there would be a wedge between us if I did not get rid of this itch. But I saw in his eyes that he got both hurt and angry. Did I do the right thing? I cannot go behind his back, which would certainly break us apart if he then found out. I did not tell him the truth about the lunch I had with John, and I think he now understands that. Her thoughts were in turmoil as she in one moment hoped he would come back tomorrow and say OK, and in the next got an uneasy feeling he would forbid her to have anything to do with John. What should she do then? Comply or defy him?' At last she fell asleep - a restless sleep.
Mark unable to sleep at first thought, 'I was wide awake. Jenny's statement was shocking, and I had to find a way out that both could live with without regret. If I said ok – go ahead, I would be a cuckold both in my own and in others eyes. That was not acceptable. Just the mere thought of it made me upset. If I said no way to her, she could comply and stay away from John. Or she could go ahead with her announced affair, and the marriage would then certainly be over. The possibility of loosing Jenny frightened me. We had invested so much in each other, and I did not want to let go of her – but I would not accept the role of a cuckold. If she did comply with my wishes, we would still have our marriage, but her unfulfilled itch would lie there for a long time, maybe forever and cast a shadow over our relationship. It was a hopeless no win situation. Should I suggest a long holiday to rekindle our love for each other, and hope she would get over this itch? What in hell should I do??'
I was awake for hours thinking up all kinds of strategies, which when analyzed and turned over had flaws. Then suddenly I had it. This was the route to take. I turned around on my other side and decided I would sleep on it. I'd go through the idea at the office in the light of day. I might not get much work done, but I would get my secretary to reschedule tomorrow's program. At last I fell blissfully asleep.
We did our morning ritual as usual. Both had shadows under our eyes, but Jenny being a woman had the benefit of her cosmetics and could cover hers. Not many words were said, and we went off to work with "have a good day" and a kiss.
As predicted, my work that day was seriously ineffective, but I think nobody noticed except for Pat. She did reschedule my day so I got a lot of spare time for my thinking, and I ordered her to not put through calls unless she thought them very important.
I came home at my normal time. It looked like Jenny had amputated her day, because she was in the kitchen preparing a dinner more elaborate than on normal weekdays. It was probably her way of showing that she cared about me. The meal was well prepared and great. We ate with less chatting than usual, and it was quite obvious she was nervous. We took our coffee in the living room, and after we had settled down I cleared my throat, looking at Jenny.
"I presume you would like to hear my response to your statement last evening?"
She nodded, and I continued. "I have given it a lot of thought, and to be quite honest this has been my most difficult decision ever. I have looked upon your request – or rather announcement is a better way of describing it - and come to the conclusion that I am prepared to give my consent to your affair with John."
