Thank you to neuroparenthetical for helping to edit this story.
** If you enjoy, please rate/vote, because the trolls most certainly will. Thank you. **
----------------
As the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the bay window curtains, David sat staring at his wife of 8 months. Meredith was curled up on one of their plush armchairs, book in hand, oblivious to his watchful eyes. A few strands of her loose, blonde hair fell over her forehead as she read, the light from the table lamp illuminating her beautiful features.
David, however, couldn't shake off the frustration that had been steadily building within him over the last several months. At least physically, their life together had become a far cry from what he'd imagined it would be.
At 49, David was eleven years Meredith's senior and they were both on their second marriage. David's wife had left him two years earlier after admitting to a long running affair she'd had with a co-worker. Meredith had gotten pregnant at 19 and was pressured into marrying the father. It lasted six difficult years before he left both her and their daughter Jessie, barely casting a glance back. She had essentially raised their daughter on her own for the past fourteen years.
There had been several men in her life along the way, none of them she would consider serious; most were just brief sexual flings with a couple of longer-term relationships that never amounted to anything substantial.
She and David had met on a dating site and were married just two months later. In their brief courtship, Meredith had confessed to him she had been very promiscuous before they met. She said she wasn't proud of it, but that there'd been a time when she'd been so obsessed with sex that she had lost count of her lovers. Though he'd never told her, that was a big part of what he'd been attracted to when they met.
Her affair notwithstanding, David's previous wife had been quite conservative. So when Meredith had confessed to her wilder past, it had stirred his imagination and he'd fantasized about the untamed sexuality she was capable of. Now, almost a year into their marriage, he realized it was just that -- a fantasy that would probably never be fulfilled in reality.
Meredith's interest in sex had faded and she'd become much more strait-laced. David believed it may have been due to her regret for her promiscuous past and her desire to create a stable home for her daughter Jessie. Regardless, he felt cheated by the lack of sexual spark in their relationship.
His thoughts were interrupted by Meredith's daughter bounding down the stairs and heading for the front door.
"Whoa, where are you going, Jessie?" Meredith asked.
"Out," Jessie replied with a look of annoyance. "I've got a date."
David had a hard time thinking of the eighteen year old as his stepdaughter. She was already a young woman when he came into their lives just a short time ago. Much as he hated to admit it, he found her incredibly sexy, which did nothing to encourage him to think of her as family. Her once-blonde shoulder-length hair was highlighted bright pink, and she had piercing blue eyes that made him feel anxious whenever they set upon him. She wore several piercings, and although the only visible ones were in her ears and one in her nose, David suspected she had more. To complete her carefully fashioned bad-girl image, she'd recently gotten two tattoos: one on her right shoulder, and the other covering her left shoulder and trailing down in a half-sleeve to her elbow.
Jessie often wore clothes that were very revealing, and it was a constant source of friction between her and Meredith. She enjoyed pushing her mother's buttons. That evening, it was tight leather miniskirt and fishnet stockings paired with a tank top.
David did his best not to stare for too long, but she made it near impossible sometimes. She was only 5'4", with a small frame sporting breasts that looked like they belonged on someone much bigger. She did everything she could to flaunt them, often going braless. David could easily discern that she wasn't wearing one that evening.
David felt terrible for the indecent thoughts that often crossed his mind when it came to Jessie. He knew he shouldn't imagine her that way -- not just because it was his wife's daughter, but because of her age.
"Do you really think that's appropriate?" Meredith asked, raising an eyebrow at Jessie's outfit.
"Mom, I'm going on a date, not a job interview. Besides, Finn likes it when I show off my assets." She winked at David and flashed him a devilish grin before turning and opening the door. David knew how much she tried to get under her mother's skin, often saying things purely for shock value.
Meredith looked at him, but he only swallowed hard and shrugged. He didn't feel comfortable parenting Jessie. The door slammed shut and Meredith stared at him for a long time, clearly frustrated that he didn't back her up. She let out a long sigh and got up from her seat.
"I'm going to take a bath," she said, shaking her head as she walked out of the room.
David watched her go, taking in the curves that were, in his estimation, wasted on someone who had become so conservative in her sexuality. He suddenly felt aroused, and let his mind drift to what Jessie and Finn might end up doing on their date. He was certain they were sexually active.
Lately, he'd stopped trying to initiate sex with his wife because it frustrated him when she denied him, but even when she was open to it, it was rarely as fulfilling as he'd hoped.
If only I'd met her 10 years ago,
he thought.
Then again, ten years ago she might not have given someone like me the time of day.
His cock was stiff, and only partially due to the sight of his wife. He went upstairs, fully intending to intrude upon her bath time and try to coax her into some satisfactory lovemaking. He tried turning the handle, but she had locked the bathroom door. That pissed him off even more.
It's just the two of us in the house, why lock the fucking door?
He thought about knocking and seeing where it went from there, but he suspected it would just end in him being even more frustrated than he already was. He turned to go down the hallway toward their bedroom, deciding he would masturbate instead, as had become routine. He paused as he passed Jessie's bedroom door and stood motionless for several moments before turning and peering into her room.
He glanced inside and saw her open laptop sitting on the bed. His curiosity piqued, he stepped into the room and looked at the computer screen. The laptop was locked, and David knew he had no clue what her password might be.
He surveyed the rest of the room and his gaze landed on the nightstand next to her bed, the drawer half open. He took a few steps closer and peered inside. He saw a pack of cigarettes and a lighter; his breath hitched in his throat. For as long as he could remember, watching a beautiful woman smoking a cigarette had been a powerful turn-on for him. He didn't know why; perhaps it was the inherent naughtiness or the air of confidence that seemed to surround those women. Seeing Jessie's pack of cigarettes in her room, he felt an unexpected warmth flood his body.
