This story is a work of fiction solely from the twisted mind of Chromex. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters are of at least 18 years of age unless otherwise specifically mentioned. Please do not copy/redistribute the story, in part or total, without the author's permission.
Story was originally submitted to the Loving Wives category.
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I'd always been raised that you never go to bed angry with your spouse. Nothing is ever solved by sleeping on the issue and can only fester, becoming a bigger problem than before and it was with that mindset I'd returned home last night hoping to resolve this issue with Robert. Instead, I came home only to find him sleeping soundly far earlier in the day than was usual for him. Given that I'd managed to thoroughly pound all of my anger and frustration from earlier into the heavy bag at the gym I was feeling far calmer and clear-headed than earlier and decided to try something I'd watched my grandmother do. Pulling a chair up next to the bed I settled myself into it and began to quietly talk to Robert.
Most of my memories of my grandfather were unfortunately not happy ones. He'd had a stroke when I was quite young and had never regained the ability to speak or interact fully with the world around him but that never stopped my grandmother from loving him. Every night she would sit next to his bed and just talk to him, filling him in on all the details of what was happening with his children and grandchildren and their friends. Even when he took a turn for the worse she would still sit next to him every night in his hospital room and just talk to him. She always said that even if he couldn't respond it made her feel better to just be able to tell him how she was feeling and what she was thinking.
I must have sat in that chair for over an hour just pouring out my heart and soul to his sleeping form. I suppose to someone looking from the outside it would have seemed quite strange to see me telling my snoring husband all my worries and fears regarding his recent actions and requests of me. By the time I finished, I understood my grandmother just a little bit better and realized I'd been working myself up in circles. More than once I'd told myself I needed to trust that Robert wasn't trying to hurt me and yet every time we talk I find myself getting angry at him because I don't understand his reasoning. It was clear I needed to decide if he was trying to hurt me or not and in truth other than making it clear he wanted me to have sex with Alex, which could hardly be considered a fate worse than death, he'd given me no indication of his intent being malicious. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and kissed him gently on the head having made my decision.
"Nicole," I heard Robert ask as I picked my clothes for the day, "can we talk for a moment?" While Nicole was my given name I'd been going by Nikki pretty much since birth and only my parents or Robert used it on the most serious occasions.
"Robert, I'm sorry for getting upset with you yesterday." Turning to face him he smiled as his eyes took in the recently acquired bra and panty set. "I love you and I trust you and just because I don't understand your reasoning doesn't give me an excuse to lash out. Please just tell me you're not pushing me away."
"Love I'm not pushing you away. Whatever happens between you and Alex will never change how I feel. I just need you to trust that in the end, this will all make sense."
Crossing the short distance I wrapped my arms around him and laid my head on his chest, listening to the pounding of his heart. "I've decided that if my brilliant and hunky husband thinks I need a boyfriend then who am I to argue but you promise that next Sunday you'll tell me what's really going on."
"Yes love I promise," his hand gently stroking my back before kissing me on the top of my head, "and I'll be calling Luther before you get in so you don't give the poor man a heart attack."
"Okay let me go so I can get dressed. I have a new boyfriend to impress and an office full of women to shock." Stepping into a black pencil skirt I watched Robert in the mirror, his movements slow and pained as he settled on the bed. "Are you going in today?"
"No, I'm not. I think I'm just going to stay home and rest. Besides, I want to be here when you get home and tell me how you scandalized the office."
"Robert, you're not wanting for this to be a one and done thing with me and Alex are you? When you said to think of him as my boyfriend you're not meaning in the context of this week. You're talking long term."
"In the end, that'll be up to the two of you but yes, I am." His eyes closed for a long moment before settling on me again. "You wear your hair up so often I almost forget how long it is and I love that you're leaving it down for him. Is that going to be your I'm Alex's girlfriend look?" I hadn't made a conscious effort this morning to create a separate look for Alex but to Robert it was obvious. He'd always loved my long hair but understood it can be a challenge to wear it down when it reaches below your ass.
"I suppose it is," I said running my fingers through it and pulling it forward over my shoulder, "if it's okay with you."
"It's more than okay. Seeing you like this hair down, a sexy little thong under your skirt, and knowing you're not dressing up for me but for a very soon to be lover is an incredible turn on."
His choice of words surprised me but he was essentially correct although they did get my mind to wondering. Assuming things continued to progress as they had it was all but a given that Friday night Alex and I would become lovers and while my outfit was one I'd worn to the office plenty of times, I also knew it was one of his favorites, a tight black pencil skirt and a royal blue top that hugged my curves with matching blue heels.
"Robert, what if all he's been wanting this time has been a challenging conquest? Just another notch on the bedpost. He could have had, quite easily, almost any of the women at our work and yet he's always seemed to focus on me."
The sudden lift of his eyebrows and the unconscious tugging at his beard was enough to tell me the idea surprised him and something he'd not considered. "While I seriously doubt it you do have a point. Perhaps this morning you should try and figure out his interest past your date on Friday."
"Yeah, I think I know how to do that. Why don't you go ahead and lie down? I need to finish getting ready." Glancing at the clock I stepped into the bathroom and took a few minutes to take care of my makeup. I wasn't surprised when I heard the opening theme to Star Wars come pouring in from the bedroom. I swear Robert has seen that movie more times than I've woken up.
"Yeah, Luther, do you have a minute? I need to talk to you about something before the rest of your staff arrives." Luther was always one for showing up early as company policy allowed us to flex our schedules as long as we put in our eight hours. Robert blew me a quick kiss as I crossed the room to head out for work. Part of me wanted to hang around to hear him explain the chaos that was about to descend upon Luther's well-run office.
Getting into the office I was a little frustrated. Nothing like sitting in traffic halfway to work before you realize your usual cup of morning coffee is currently cooling on the kitchen counter and the only place with a partially acceptable alternative is currently being renovated. My quick stop in to talk with Luther went pretty much as well as I expected. He was pleased that he didn't need to bring in HR to resolve our situation but utterly confused by the massive turn of events. However, Robert being a dear friend and hearing it from him that he was not only okay with but encouraging the situation as long as Alex and I do not disrupt the office more so than was to be expected he wasn't going to interfere.
"Hey, Nikki you got a minute?"
