Walter and Natalie

Chapter 2: Walk Like a Man

We continued to meet weekly with the doctor. I was taking a half-day off work each time. Five weeks later I went into work in the afternoon following a session and immediately had my boss, Peter Minshull, in my face.

"Look here, Walter. This business of coming in when it suits you doesn't cut it. I expect you to put in a full day's work for a full day's pay."

"And I told you I was using my sick days for personal reasons. That should be good enough. What do you want, a note from my doctor?"

"Yes ... if that's what it takes. I have to justify how this department spends its money and that includes insured compensation."

"So ... what you're saying is ... you don't trust me?" I was getting more and more pissed at the fat little man.

"We aren't running a charity operation here, McGuire."

"Do you know how many sick days before this situation that I've taken in the fifteen years I've worked here?"

"No ... I don't."

"I'm surprised. You micro-manage everything and everyone. Well let me tell you. It's been less than ten, and four of those I was in hospital after being in a car accident. Does that sound like abuse of the system to you?" I was snarling at him now.

"You better change your attitude, Mr. McGuire, or you'll find yourself on the outside looking in," he said, pumping himself up to his full five-foot-six stature.

"Go ahead. You don't worry me, Peter. I can find another position like that!" I spat, snapping my fingers.

"I could fire you for insubordination. Maybe I will!" He was getting very red in the face and I could tell his blood pressure had risen dramatically.

Somehow or other it all seemed comical to me. I didn't feel the slightest bit of concern about my job. If he fired me I'd sue for wrongful dismissal. I was also pretty sure that my boast about finding alternative employment quickly was probably accurate. I was surprised at just how cool I felt. This definitely wasn't the old Walter McGuire.

"Get back to work, McGuire. You're on thin ice here," he threatened again. At that moment I knew he couldn't fire me. Either he didn't have the authority or he knew there would be hell to pay for his pathetic power play. One way or the other, I had him by the balls and I was beginning to enjoy it. I would take particular delight in squeezing them every once in a while ... at least as long as I was here. When young Melanie Kiniski walked by my office a couple of minutes later, she gave me the "thumbs up" signal. I was sure most of the office staff had heard our heated conversation.

I drove home that evening feeling better than I had in a long time. I had stood up to my sniveling little boss and stared him down. I was getting to enjoy the feeling of being my own man. I was taking control of my life and I was receiving positive feedback as I did.

When I walked in from the garage, Natalie was standing at the kitchen counter peeling potatoes. I looked at her and realized that lately I hadn't appreciated the fact that she was a good-looking woman. Then I did something I hadn't done in a long time. I smacked her butt, wrapped my arms around her waist, and kissed her cheek. Once upon a time I did that almost every night when I came home from the office.

The look on her face was priceless. She didn't know what to think but she blinked, then gave me a half smile. Well, half is better than none. At least I didn't get an earful for it.

"What was that all about?" she asked, watching me carefully.

"Oh nothing much. I just hadn't done it in a long time. I was overdue," I smirked.

Her brow furrowed, but again, I didn't see any sign of upset.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" she asked as she returned to her potatoes.

"Peter Peckerhead tried to give me shit about the time off I've been taking and I gave it right back to him."

"You did? Do think that's wise? Couldn't he cause you trouble?"

"You know, Natalie, I don't think he can. I think he's in a position where he can't fire me unless I commit an axe murder or something similar. I'm the best he's got and he knows it. He's screwed me out of promotions twice now because he didn't want to lose me. I make him look good. So ... now I'm going to mess with his mind. It started today."

Natalie looked at me, once again unable to grasp the changes that I was exhibiting. This was not the Walter McGuire that she had married and whom she had once ruled with an iron hand.

"So tell me, oh wife of mine. What's it going to take to get you in the mood for a romp in the sack tonight?"

Now I'd really flustered her. She stared at me as if I was a different person than her husband. Well ... in a way ... I was.

"You mean ... you want to ... you know ... have sex?" She seemed completely flummoxed by the idea.

"No ... I want to make love to my wife. I want to show you that I still love you and I'm not angry with you. It's been a long time since we did that, you know."

She was speechless. My little surprise had completely baffled her.

"Yes ... if you want to," she finally managed.

"I want to if you want to," I said in a much more serious tone.

She nodded, a small smile on her lips.

"Good ... then it's a date," I grinned.

I gave her another slap on the butt then stroked it a couple of times. She turned and looked at me once more and again the smile was there. My good mood was being reinforced.

Natalie and I aren't what you would call adventuresome in the bedroom. She enjoyed sex for the first ten years of our marriage and then things tapered off to nothing in past year or so. I expected it was the kids and maybe we had fallen into a rut, but for whatever the reason, we weren't as frisky and loving as we had been. One of my thoughts lately was to see what we could do about restoring our love life -- if we were going to have one.

She was very tentative when we went to bed that night. I reached for her and she came to me, holding me close but no more. She was trembling with nervousness, which surprised me. It wasn't like this was a first time. However, it was a warning signal for me to go slow. It was going to be up to me to initiate the action.

For a few minutes I just held her and stroked her back and her lovely, round butt. She had matured in the past ten years and the enhanced curves she added had made her more desirable in my view. I willed myself to be patient and at length, it began to pay off. Her trembling lessened then ceased altogether. Then, her hand slipped down between us and she gently grasped my partial erection. My response was to fill her hand with my now growing cock while I squeezed her butt cheeks and pulled her to me.

We stayed in that position for a few minutes until I moved my free hand slowly over her tummy and toward her center. She had been softly squeezing my erection and I felt she was beginning to drift toward the moment when she would welcome my attentions.

I began by stroking her labia slowly and gently with the pad of my index finger. She responded almost immediately, pushing her pelvis toward my touch. I took that signal to mean I could progress and I carefully pushed my finger inside her, curling it upward in hopes of touching her G spot. I continued to force myself not to rush and let things develop at Natalie's pace.

Her response became more pronounced. I could hear her groaning in my ear and her hips were moving more forcefully as I continued to move my finger inside her. I searched with my thumb for her clitoris and finding it, began to stroke it as well. That move was the catalyst that set her off.

Her grip tightened on my cock and she rolled onto her back, her hips thrusting toward my stroking. Her free hand grabbed my wrist and tried to pull my finger even further into her. Her voice was a mixture of groans and whimpers as she responded to her growing arousal. Then she began to thrash as she experienced her orgasm.

It seemed to last minutes but it was really only a few seconds until she collapsed back on the bed, gasping for breath and lying lifeless, her eyes closed. I rolled over to her and kissed her softly on her lips, then took a nipple into my mouth and teased it with my tongue.

"Fuck me, Walter. Please ... now!"

I'd never heard her use that kind of language ever before. It caught me completely by surprise but there was a desperate plea that came with it and I moved to fill her appeal. Before I could mount her, she took the hand that I had been using to arouse her and put that very finger in her mouth, sucking it and licking it as she did.

I'd never had anything remotely more stimulating than that single act. I was so hard it was painful. I held my cock at her entrance until Natalie took it from my hand and proceeded to pull me into her. I had no chance to last for more than a few seconds. It had been too long since we had made love and I was too wound up to even attempt to prolong our joining. I might have made four or five strokes before I exploded into her with a force that I could never remember feeling before.

"I'm sorry, girl. I just couldn't help it." I was really upset with myself. I wanted this to be perfect for her. I wanted this to be something she would remember with fondness. A way to start us back toward a loving relationship. Instead, I blew my load like a fifteen-year-old kid getting his first hand job.

"Don't worry, darling. I'm sure you've got another one in you. We'll just wait a bit," she cooed.

Jesus ... this was a turn of events I couldn't have predicted. First the language, now expecting me to finish what I had started. No complaint either. Maybe we were making progress.

She rolled out of bed and holding her hand over her pussy, she almost ran to the bathroom. She pushed the door closed and I heard the tap running, then the toilet flush, then the tap again. I guessed what she was doing. I wasn't going to be subjected to "sloppy seconds." It also gave me an idea.

She came back to our bed with a smile and a skip in her step. Her exhibiting all the signs of euphoria was a tremendous lift for me. She almost jumped onto the bed, rolling quickly over to me, grabbing and kissing me forcefully, rubbing her lovely, big breasts over my chest.

I slapped her butt and rolled her over onto her back, attaching my mouth to one of her nipples. Natalie had fairly large breasts, now showing a bit of sag but nothing that would turn off any healthy male. Until she had children, her nipples were quite sensitive but afterward, less so. Just the same she seemed quite happy to let me play with them, using my lips, tongue, fingers, and once, my teeth.

I couldn't remember the last time we had such an uninhibited romp in our bedroom and I wanted to take every advantage of the opportunity. I began to work my way down across her lovely, rounded tummy toward my ultimate destination -- her now-puffy nether lips. It had been a long time since I had given her oral gratification and there wouldn't be a better moment than now.

Natalie knew what was coming and spread her legs invitingly. I knelt between them and kissed her inner thighs several times before I moved to my final goal. She put her hands on the back of my head as I began to slowly draw my tongue up her lovely slit. The scent and taste of her was always an aphrodisiac to me and this time was no exception. My cock was responding to all the stimuli and her encouragement.

In just a few moments her hips began moving upward, seeking my tongue and demanding more. This time I slipped two fingers into her and hooked them upward to her G spot. Within seconds she was off again, her vocal bursts underscoring her rush to another orgasm. She had been as deprived of erotic release as I had been. What we had hidden away for so many months was now being released like a starving tiger from its cage.

Her cry of liberation was a desperate call as the waves of pleasure washed over her. Again, she fell back on the bed from her arched, rigid form during the final moments of her climax. I thought for a moment it had drained all the energy in her body but I was wrong.

"Now ... my love. Fill me now. I need you, Walter," she moaned.

I moved over her, then entered her easily, not needing any assistance from her. As I moved completely within her I stopped, then gently rolled her over to place her body on top of me. I wrapped my arms around her and began slowly, deliberately stroking into her. I heard her sigh as I began to establish my rhythm. This was perfect, I thought. I could last much longer now and after the two violent orgasms she had already experienced, I didn't think there would be any rush on her part.

I lost track of how long we made love like that. Once in a while she would raise her head from my shoulder and look at me, then dip down and kiss me passionately. I'm not sure we had ever made love with this intensity or this satisfaction in our married lives. Was this the rebirth of us?

I'm sure Natalie didn't have another orgasm, at least not of a magnitude that I could detect. But she was content and when I turned my head to look at the clock-radio it was nearly one am. It didn't seem possible we had been in this bed for almost two hours. I gently rolled her onto her side, continuing to hold her closely to me. I was still inside her but that wouldn't last long as I had begun to shrink. It didn't matter. Within seconds she was asleep, breathing softly in my arms.

It took me a little longer to fall asleep. I was still trying to understand just what had happened between us that set off this amazing night. As I lay there, I tried to recall every little detail of what we had done and how she had reacted. At some point I lost the thread and fell into a dreamless, sound sleep.

I would be late to work the next morning. I had slept past my normal six o'clock wake-up time and I didn't for a second worry about it. When I finally rose just after the children did it was almost eight am and I hustled to use the bathroom.

Karen and Rob were almost ready to leave for school when I finally appeared in the kitchen. As usual, they had made their own breakfasts. Natalie had prepared their lunches the night before, so they were almost ready to go.

"How come you're still here?" Rob asked.

"I slept in. I guess I needed the extra rest."

"What were you guys doing last night?" Karen asked without preamble. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Rob smirk. I didn't think this question was quite as innocent as she would have me believe.

I stopped for a moment to consider my answer. They were becoming young adults and maybe it was time for me to treat them that way.

"Your mother and I were making love," I said with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh." She was silent for a moment while Rob held his hand over his mouth, trying hard not to laugh.

"That's good," Karen said, then picked up her lunch, dropped it in her backpack and kissed me goodbye. No smart comment, just a kiss, a smile and she was gone.

I looked at Rob and saw the same smile and figured out that he'd let Karen take the heat if she asked the wrong question.

"Dad ... I'm glad you and Mom are ... feeling better."

I nodded. "Me too."

Within a minute, he'd finished his breakfast, picked up his lunch and pack and turned back to me.

"Have a good day, Dad." And with a departing wave, he was gone.

Natalie wandered into the kitchen a couple of minutes later as I was pouring my first cup of coffee to go with the toast I had already made. She looked sleepy-eyed and her hair was tousled, likely having just got out of bed. She shuffled along in her slippers and robe behind me before wrapping her arms around me in a lovely, scented hug. The scent was last night's scent and I loved it.

"Mornin', babe," I said brightly.

"Mornin', Walter," she mumbled. She was struggling to pull herself into a fully awakened state. She didn't release her hug, but just stood there behind me, bent at the waist, her breath whispering in my ear.

"Sleep well?" I asked, putting down my half-eaten piece of toast and my coffee cup.

"Hmmmm ... very well. Best in a long time."

I reached back and ran the fingers of one hand through her hair. I heard her hum of approval.

"It's almost a shame to spoil it by getting up, isn't it," I murmured.

"Too bad you have to go to work. We could go back to bed," she said softly as she kissed my cheek and nipped at my ear.

"What's stopping us? I'm already late ... so what the hell."

She stood and waited as I turned and rose from the kitchen chair. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her deeply. She responded as she had the evening before. All that pent-up passion was bursting to be released. I wanted that to happen. I wanted her to let go and just surrender to it. I wanted my wife back.

We spend most of the morning in bed, now and then murmuring words of love and happiness to each other. I'd already called the switchboard before I had breakfast to let them know I'd be late, taking another "sick day" if necessary. I wasn't about to get an argument from Susan the receptionist.

We were in the middle of another lovely session when the phone rang.

"Let it go to the machine," Natalie groaned. I did.

That was just before ten-thirty. A half-hour later, it rang again, and again I let it go to the answering machine.

When we finally crawled out of bed and headed for the shower it was almost noon. We had made love to the point where I wasn't sure when I'd be able to make love again. Natalie was walking awkwardly as she led me to the bathroom and I knew that must mean she was pretty sore down there. I felt for her. We didn't even consider anything but quenching that fire of lust we had both been saving. I had a feeling it would be a couple of days or more before we could resume our marital activities. A damn small price to pay for the reconnection we had made in the last few hours.

While Natalie made lunch, I checked the two messages on the answering machine. The first was from Peter Minshull, and it was typically full of bluster and threats about my not being in to work for the second day. I erased it before he had finished with his diatribe and waited for the second message. Surprise! It was from Doctor DeVire.

"Mr. or Mrs. McGuire, would you please contact my office regarding next week's appointment. I'd like to discuss how I would want to co-ordinate it. Please call before the weekend. Thank you."

Hmmmm ... wonder what that's about. I'll call her back after lunch.

Caroline DeVire was in her fifties, I guessed. Not an attractive woman at all. A shade over five feet with a figure like a fire hydrant, and a face like she'd been in a few prize fights in her youth. That may sound unkind, but you get the picture I'm sure. She wore severely cut dark pant suits with low heeled black shoes. No rings, no jewelry, and not much make up. Does that description bring anything to mind about her likely sexual orientation?

Do I sound like I'm stereotyping? I suppose so, but when you're dealing with marital problems, wouldn't it be best to be working with someone who has some inkling of what the relationship between men and women was all about? I certainly thought so. Hence my decision to be the one to talk to the good doctor.

"Thank you for calling, Mr. McGuire. You've been very patient during the first sessions and that's been very helpful to me. I haven't had to referee any outbursts between your wife and you. I know we didn't get off to a very good start but I wanted to suggest how we might proceed with our next sessions."

Well, that little speech had pretty much disarmed me. I waited for her to continue.

"For our session next week I'd like to talk to the children. I want their perspective. I'll see them together so that they don't feel they're being interrogated. Do you have a problem with that?"