Nick and Karen had been married for over 30 years, unexpectedly they had two grown up kids who had flown the nest. It was unexpected because she had been seriously ill as a teenager and the chemotherapy was expected to have ruined her chances of conceiving. Despite that, their two healthy children grew up to have children of their own.
Nick worked away a lot, mainly due to the nature of his work, but mostly because his earning power was better away from home than he could earn with local employers.
Nick had a far healthier libido than Karen, not unsurprisingly considering her medical treatment and the onset of menopause playing havoc with her sex drive.
Nick always came home on a Friday, dead beat after a four hour commute through heavy traffic, but always made an effort to be loving and caring, as much because he loved her very much as it was to foster a positive physical sexual relationship.
It was one Friday night when they lay in bed together that their relationship began to get redefined.
Nick spooned up behind Karen and draped his arm around her waist, his hand resting under the side of her breast. He always had to initiate any intimate activity and that night was no different.
Nick gently stroked the side of her breast slowly with his thumb, from the crease of the side of her breast to the edge of her nipple. His breathing, slow and steady, matched the tempo of his caresses and he nuzzled her neck, close to her ear.
Karen's hand would usually join his at around this stage of Nick's advances and gently encourage his hand to explore her curvaceous body, but that night was different.
"Don't, Nick, I'm too tired."
"Oh, okay. Are you alright?"
"It's been a long week and I'm tired," she said as she moved his hand away to her side.
Nick settled next to her as they slowly drifted off to sleep.
Over the course of that weekend, Nick noted that whenever he was in Karen's company she was more engaged in something else other than wanting to engage with him.
Saturdays were usually a day where they would enjoy either a theatre performance or a watch a movie at a local art house cinema. The only real interaction between them was over lunch, or Karen wanting to trawl the local charity shops for "treasures". Hardly what Nick considered to be the height of excitement but he humoured her anyway, in the spirit of wanting to be in her company. Whenever Nick held something up to show her, he began to realise it was seldom, if ever, met with approval.
That whole routine slowly became the norm. Weeks rolled into months, sometimes seasons would pass without them being intimate.
Nick had his usual 5.00am start one Monday morning, his early start forcing him to take his breakfast on the road.
It was on his arrival at the office at 8.30am when his boss's secretary, Carly, called him over.
"Morning, Nick, good journey down?" she enquired.
Carly was a stunning, natural blonde, she had a very well proportioned curvaceous figure and sapphire blue eyes. Her boss lusted after her, which she sometimes played up to, but she was out of his league.
"The usual drag, but thanks for asking, Carly."
"I've been told to change where you stay, Nick. There's a pub in the village which has just been refurbished to provide accommodation and the landlord is the MD's mate, so that's where we are to put anyone staying over. I've seen the rooms and they are very nice, I think you'll enjoy it."
Nick thought nothing more of it during his busy working day until it was close to the end of the afternoon. He knew of the pub where he was to stay, he passed it on his way to the office each Monday morning, although he had never been in.
He jumped into his silver Audi A6 and set off toward the King's Head Inn which took less than 10 minutes to drive. Pulling into the car park he noticed his MD's Lexus parked in the car park.
Nick lifted his suit carrier out of the back of his car, picked up his laptop bag off the back seat and entered the pub through the main entrance. As he approached the bar, he saw his MD was stood talking to the landlord sipping from a bottle of Peroni.
"Evening Nick, can I get you one?"
His MD, Mervyn, was a tall, slightly overweight man in his early 60's, partly balding with salt & pepper hair and a slightly ruddy complexion. His strong London accent belied his astute nature.
"Thanks, Mervyn, I'd love a beer," Nick responded politely.
"Here you go, Nick. I'm George, welcome to the King's Head, I'll get your key and get one of the girls to take you over to your room." George looked about Nick's age but was a much shorter, stocky built man. Nick could easily imagine him being a Rugby player, probably a Prop Forward.
"I think this will be tons better than that corporate monstrosity we've been putting you in, Nick," Mervyn said, "You'll be able to get a decent meal here and you can put everything on the bill, which they can invoice us for."
"Sounds good, boss," said Nick as they were joined by a very pretty young blonde girl.
"Ah, yes, and the staff here are much nicer too, isn't that right Beth?" said Mervyn with a glint in his eye.
Beth was a very young looking woman in her early 20's, probably about the age of Nick's youngest son. She was a curvy, fit looking girl, with her hair scraped back in a high pony tail, suiting her round face and the sharpest blue eyes Nick had seen in a long time.
Nick could feel himself staring down at her, she was probably close to a foot shorter than Nick, who stood a tall powerful 6'2", affording him a perfect view down her tight, deep v neck sweater which she wore straight over what Nick jokingly called a Rodeo bra. It rounded up her perfect tits and moved them out!
Beth looked up into Nick's eyes, noticing the amount of attention her breasts were getting. "Do you want to follow me and I'll take you to your room," she said with a slight smirk.
Nick put his beer bottle on the bar and picked up his suit carrier.
"Looks like youre getting the VIP treatment, Nick, she never offers to take me to my bedroom," said Mervyn letcherously.
