Many thanks to
HMAuthor
for first editing and improving this story.
Enormous gratitude to Arabic_Beauty22, whose sharp eye and sensitivity to how words help or hurt the flow of a story were dazzling. Even more unforgettable was the way this editor embraced the story and totally committed to making it better than it had any right to be.
As the recession plunged the economy into chaos, it did the same thing to our sex life.
Lily and I had been married for six years when I was laid off. There wasn't anything unusual about us. I worked as an accountant in the local office of a large national company, and she worked as an executive assistant for a bank officer. I thought of us as a happy couple.
We had a little savings and a mortgage. Lily's salary would cover the mortgage, but not much more. Even if we cut our expenses down to the bone, we'd run out of money within a year.
The first week after I was fired, I spent every waking minute making phone calls and sending out resumes. That covered everything locally. Because of the downturn, we knew that we couldn't expect money for relocation, so I didn't pursue anything outside our area.
One morning, Lily said she would ask for a raise. I could see by her face when she came home that she had been turned down. The next morning was the first time I saw a different side of her.
"If he won't give me more money, I'll find someone who will," she said at breakfast and then stormed out of the house. Within a week, she had a new job that paid more than double what she had been making previously.
It turned out she was well known to the other local bank executives, and as soon as a competing vice president heard she was available, he hired her on the spot. She told me he was divorced and had a questionable reputation, but the interview had been professional, so she accepted the job.
After a few days on the job, she came home and told me her boss had dumped a huge load of work on her and had been amazed at how she handled it. It seemed her new job was secure, and we were relieved that our financial situation seemed to be stable.
I continued to check online and read newspapers for job openings. Whenever I met someone new, whether in line at the grocery or at a coffee house, I always directed the conversation to whether that person might know someone who could use a hard-working, experienced CPA. Otherwise, I focused on our home and supporting Lily.
I took on all the household responsibilities that were once shared. I didn't mind the shopping, cleaning and cooking. It was the least I could do since she was working long hours.
Lily came home exhausted most work nights and spent most of the weekend resting up. It began to take a toll on our relationship.
Neither of us had been highly active sexually before we were married. I guess the best word to describe our sex life was compatible.
Lily had a pretty face, but her best physical asset was her body. She dressed in standard business attire, so few people noticed what I saw when we went to bed.
I was more enthusiastic about making love, but she had always been receptive. Except on rare occasions, we stuck to one position, with me on top. I always achieved satisfaction, and I think she usually did, too, although she never said anything.
Now she was so tired that she could barely go through the motions, so I didn't approach her often. After a few weeks of frustration, I brought it up at dinner.
"I know it's not your fault," I said, "but do you have any ideas? I don't think it's good for our marriage the way things are right now."
"I don't know," Lily replied. "I'm so tired from work that it just seems like more overtime to satisfy you in bed."
"What about you? Don't you miss it?"
"I enjoyed it when I had an orgasm, but it didn't always happen. I never minded before, but now I think about all the effort I put in with no guarantee I'll get anything out of it."
She paused for a moment. I could see that she wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure whether she should.
"What about trying some new approaches?" she asked hesitantly. "I was thinking about this a while ago. Maybe instead of trying to finish together, we could work on one of us at a time."
"What do you mean?"
She got up from the table and began unbuttoning her blouse as she walked to the stairs.
"Follow me," she said, "and don't worry about the dishes. You can do them tomorrow."
She sprinted up the stairs to the bedroom.
She was almost naked when I walked into the room and was soon sprawled on the bed watching me take my clothes off. When I joined her, I started caressing her breasts. Usually from there, my fingers went to her thighs and then worked my way up to her generous bush, stroking deep into the thicket until they reached her pussy and felt her moistness. That's how I knew she was ready.
She stopped my hands on her breasts and pushed my shoulders back. Taking my head gently in her hands, she pushed it down, at the same time shifting her legs so they were on either side of my head.
I looked up at her.
"Is that what you want?" I asked. "I'm not very good at this."
"Just try," she said as she opened her legs and pulled my head forward so my mouth was filled with her hair. "Listen to me and do what I say."
I began following her instructions about where to kiss, where to lick, where to insert my tongue and how to move it. Her talk was getting me going. I felt and smelled the evidence of what my tongue was doing to her. I started to move up for insertion.
"Wait," she said, panting a bit. "Not yet."
I continued working on her, and she continued to respond. Her breath came out heavily, and her body was writhing against my tongue. She pushed herself into my mouth, and then I felt her entire body shake as little high-pitched cries came from her. They lasted almost a minute.
When she stopped making noises, her body sank back. I heard a long sigh and looked up to see her drenched in sweat with a contented smile on her face.
"That was great!" she gasped. "Give me a minute and then let me see what I can do."
When she recovered, she said, "Turn over."
