All Comments on 'An Old Wives Tale'

If only it were so simple

Neat story

This is a good story because it is simple and without any different turn in it...

But...It seemed way too easy to get Wifey to keep her legs still; to submit, cry, etc.; and then continue through Monday morning. I'm pleased that the author did not turn her into another Mrs. Sherman. And how did Wifey wipe her face when Hubby had not yet untied her? (HA!)

Re the "bondage": I've seen this in many LW stories. Hubby uses neckties to tie her to the bedposts. I can only think of two possibilities: 1. They have a narrow bed. 2. Wifey has VERY long arms.

I thought you got me a few times there! ;)

But, here are my explanations:

1) I had originally written a much longer scene, where she put up a much bigger fight, but it seemed to drag the story down when I reread it, so I axed it. Lucy's one and only gift to her husband on his 40th birthday was a freaking lame-ass coupon -- and she had told him she would do "anything" to increase her libido. If she had any heart whatsoever, she wouldn't have put up too much of a fight, especially knowing that Charlie was in the room to protect her.

2) I had to re-read that section, but Charlie DID untie her before she wiped her face! (That one would've bothered me forever if it weren't true.)

3) I'll have you know I have tied my wife to our bed with neckties many times through the years. We have a standard, queen-sized bed. Give it a try sometime! ;)

I'm surprised that no one has commented on the characters' names yet. I had some fun with those. ;)

Good story. The author perfectly illustrates the frustrations that a lot of husbands face with their wives. Because women and men view sex completely differently, they put different values on it. Most times, women just don't GET it.

I have found that a lot of women don't really know what turns them on. If you don't know, how can you express it? Because they don't know what turns them on, they just view sex as a physical thing that they have to endure to keep their husbands happy. They try to find out how often they HAVE to do it to accomplish this task. When they find a baseline that keeps the husband quiet, they view this as the norm.

I have found (and this is just in my marriage) that seduction starts long before the clothes come off. My wife wants to have sex with me when she FEELS sexy and special. It could be something as simple as a gesture of affection or an affirmation as to how beautiful she really is.

There was one time when we were eating out at her favorite restaurant. The waitress was flirting with me all evening, right in front of my wife. My wife was being pleasant, but I could tell she was getting irritated. It didn't help that the waitress was very pretty. I politely called the manager over and asked if there was any way that he could get us another waitress. I explained that she was nice and all, but I was feeling a little disrespected about the way she was flirting with me so boldly with my wife right here. Let me tell you, she practically raped me in the car. I had to hold her off until we could get safely home. We didn't speak about what happened at the restaurant, but I knew that it turned her on.

and flow are top class. The story is entertaining and hot. This is the other side of the coin from the btb tales - yet no run of the mill cuckie stuff. This is my favorite LW theme. Thanks for writing 5*

Women crave variety????

And men DON'T???)))))))

When you GROW UP and can commit to one person, THEN get married.

That's the whole point of it.

Until then, just shack up with whoever.

There are a lot of Venus,and Mars /John Gray principles here 'at play' that I recignize. Well the author has put his own spin on them. Character Driven with bountiful action as desert. My fav literary.meal, full marks ! *****

A well told tale. Who cares if it is true to life or not.

This is a classic tale of a boy named Charlie B., who desperately wants to kick Lucy's football, only she yanks it away from him at the last second, and he ends up flat on his back...with a massive erection. AARRGH!

Note the guest appearances by (Timothy) Linus, Sally, Marcie, (Peppermint) Patty, Shermie, "The Little Red-haired Girl" and -- of course -- Franklin!

I didn't put two and two together until the last commenter pointed it out. The author even mentioned the names in his comments. I have to mentally slap myself for not catching that.

When the story of the neighbor came up I was sure that the solution would be "Let's Swing" and I was about to quit.. But since earlier it sounded like a typical case of a cheating wife and seemed headed for the BTB ending. You know it was very well put together story!

but I am still waiting for the story.

sounds more like a training class for wannabe social workers.

The idea that women crave variety in sex and men don't is bullshit!

Women crave togetherness for assurance that they and their children will be cared for.

It's MEN who crave variety because they want to spread their seed as much as possible.

Sherman never said that men don't crave variety. Men do enjoy variety, but they don't need it in order to maintain a high libido. Women (most, not all) gradually lose their sex drive the longer they are in a relationship. Just ask ANY man.

It has nothing to do with love, commitment, togetherness, assurance, children, etc.. I'm only referring to a woman's sex drive: her hunger, passion and desire for sex. Men still feel that passion for years -- decades -- into a relationship. Women (again, most, not all) simply don't. Just take a look at the general theme of nearly every story in this section. What do they all have in common?

I really enjoyed that and kinda hope it goes "hotwife" in a sequel. Thanks for sharing.

To try to understand the mindset of women based on stories written mostly by men on an erotic site is not a good platform to stand on. I respect Swingerjoe for his honesty about his choice in lifestyles, but I disagree with some of the logic.

Women's libido do have a tendency to decrease over time, I do agree with that. I believe that there is a happy median that can be reached if BOTH partners are willing. There may be things that a husband can do to get her ready, but she has to be willing to put forth the effort to find what will put her in the mood. It's a struggle and takes time, but it can be done.

I have to be honest though Swingerjoe, I haven't met many women who "crave variety". I admit that I don't have extensive access to the inner workings of the female brain, but I honestly can't see this as being true for the majority of females. In my experience, females tend to be more relational about sex than men do. They tend to view sex from the OVERALL experience. Now I do know a couple of size queens who like, "deep dicking and hard fucking" (an actual quote), but these women usually still want this man for themselves, and they want him to be the only one. They go into a jealous rage when they think about another woman getting that "deep dicking" that they enjoy.

Like I said before, this is just my experience.

Your comments are always thought-provoking and appreciated.

Consider this a SPOILER ALERT for those who read the comments before the story.

This point seems to be lost on both you and KarenE, but at the end of this story, it wasn't variety that caused Lucy's libido to spike; it was communication and understanding. It was the realization that she had been denying and neglecting her husband for so long, and the realization that she hadn't even made an effort to be more interested in sex.

People seem to be more focused on Sherman's offhand comment, and I suppose it is controversial in a way. But no one can deny that the average woman's sex drive declines the longer she is in a relationship. And no one can deny that a woman's sex drive is revived when she begins a new relationship. It has nothing to do with dick size or having a variety of dicks. It's about feeling sexy and wanted by someone new.

Of course, that's just my-- err, Sherman's -- opinion.

I thought the speech about her declining interest in sex was well done and could be applied to either gender.

People get busy, couples acquire scars, get lazy, focus on kids, job and other things. Marriage is hard and I thought that speech was a good reminder for everyone to make an effort in all facets of their relationship (married, not, straight or gay), not just the sexual elements. At least that's what I took out of it.

Communication and honesty are usually the first victim of familiarity. Hopefully anyone whose relationship is in a rut like that can get out of it by simply talking with each other and remembering the importance of your lifemate when talking AND listening.

Saying that, could you continue the story on and have the husband arrange for her to have a date with a massively endowed black guy! ha ha ;)

ever since your intro to swinging essay. I like the fact that you help present the justifications some open relationship folks (you?) use to allow for these kind of alternative lifestyle choices.

Then we get to this story. This isn't so much about opening up the relationship, as it is for reviving THIS particular woman's libido. OK, fair enough, it seemed to work for her. The sweeping generalizations that some commenters would like to attribute this or that to ALL woman are simply claims that you as the author did not make in the story.........UNTIL the comments put you on the defensive.

Well, we all know that no two women are exactly alike. Some might say "most" women, and stay relatively safe in making a generalization. Safer still would be to use "some" women. I'd bet, like Javmor, that saying "a few" women would be most accurate based on individual knowledge base vs. the worldwide female gender at large.

Then you have a vocal female, like Karen, (who I really appreciate for her "normal" world view from a female perspective displayed throughout her contributions to comments), who still has to admit her own limited knowledge of the female population at large. Does she know every female? Does she know even every female in her local city environs? Has she conducted exhaustive research and scientific studies on female libidos? Have ANY of us? Who here can really claim to be a documented expert? Karen has to stand up and be a representative voice for females in this, a male dominated community. Frankly, I love her for it, and LW NEEDS her to do it. But all we prove, time and time again, is that the men who think they understand women completely are fooling themselves, and when they make a claim that they understand ALL woman universally, they show their ignorance, MORE than any insight they might have gained anecdotally.

I think arguments- pro or con- towards monogamy vs. open relationships are part of an innate personal belief structure. I think the gender of the person in the debate has little to do with it. There are several influencing factors that make or guide someone to their opinions on any topic. A few (but not limited to), might be religious conviction, parental influence, observations of friends and other family, personal experience that changes or crafts POV. But for example, a person whose parents suffered through a bitter divorce following adultery, might reasonably have strong opinions about the need to stay ABSOLUTLY monogamous in ANY relationship, including marriage. Whether this was the son or the daughter, would gender alone influence their strong viewpoint? People grow up and mature, and make life choices, and seek out people who share a commonality to their own personal belief structure. There could just as easily be a woman, who had parents that managed a successfully open relationship, and so she went into adulthood seeking a partner who agreed that swinging was fine, fun, and acceptable. When the spouses agree, and mutual respect continues to foster love and acceptance, who can say who is really right or wrong? As long as it works for you, right???

I think it is similar if not exactly the same, when it comes to personal sexuality. A woman could be conservative just as easily as she might be liberal in her sexuality, and how she expresses her libido. The same for a man. Some men might think three times a week is just fine, while others might find their sex lives lacking. The answer is finding a sexually compatible partner, and good communication of needs, desires, and comfort levels. Do things change? Yes. Is it wrong to try to change some one? Yes. Is it wrong to try to change someone back to how they "used to be"? Well, that IS the philosophical argument there, isn't it?

I suppose it is a romantic notion that as two people sharing life's path change and grow, that those changes happen together, and bring the people even closer. I'm sure that it doesn't happen that way naturally, instead, I believe that this is the "hard work" that BOTH partners have to put in equally. It takes communication, patience and understanding. But more than that, it takes a sense of sacrifice. The WILLINGNESS to forgo selfish pursuits, and the trade-offs that come from well balanced compromise.

If others can tout mass-produced psycho-babble, then so can I. But I really believe this. In so far as it relates to communication......

That there would be a winner and a loser in any argument is a counterproductive exercise. The goal should be to make BOTH participants winners. But more than this....The compassionate understanding of sharing pain and joy, the highs and lows; THAT is the glue that keeps couples communicating. When you are sad, I am sad. When you are glad, I am glad. If you are sad, can you help me help you to become glad? And will it work the same in reverse? If I am sad, will you help me to become glad?

All of this relates, because in MY OWN personal experience, and within the framework of MY OWN sexuality and that of my wife (i.e. what works for us....) the best sex of our marriage is a true COMMUNICATING our love and devotion for each other. Making love IS a form of communication. And as such, the same things that help people communicate better when they are speaking words in a conversation, help when they convey thoughts, feelings and emotions non-verbally.

It might be silly, as I admit, to boast by using the word "any" here......but.....

I believe that ANY woman who is being properly communicated with and loved and cherished during "sex" will have few to no issues desiring and looking forward to it the next time. I feel confident in making this claim, because I can not see how it would be any different for a man.

If your woman has shown you how she feels about you, using her body alone, there is no way you won't do anything you can to experience that again, and OFTEN. When you look into each others eyes, and can feel that swelling of your heart, then you know.......YES you just know!

OK, back to this story.

What happens when you lose that? What happens when it goes away? Do you need help? This story agrees that YES, you might need help from an outside source. Usually this is a reputable therapist or counselor. I don't think that bondage, and nipple play is typical therapy, LOL! But then again, it IS just a story. But whatever the actions of the other man, the story of this marriage was nothing until SHE was convinced that SHE had to adjust her POV, and relax, and enjoy life more. Her problems were mental more than physical. As such, I find it hard to accept that there was a purely physical cure. That said....

Just like Marvin Gaye, I DO believe in sexual healing. I think it is best administered in a loving committed partnership, but there can be no doubt as to the spiritual rejuvenation and later inner peace that comes from experiencing real LOVE.

Less romantically stated, I do feel this is ALSO a universal truth.

If you have an enjoyable experience, then you want (desire, conspire?) to repeat it, as long as the cost is not too great. When the mutual enjoyment of the experience is lacking, you have the desire to avoid it. Will it be like that forever? Can you learn to love again? Absolutely!

Neither partner can afford to give up. If you cash in all your chips, then you have to leave the casino. Love might ALWAYS be a gamble, as you should never take it or anybody for granted. But when it pays off, the rewards.....MY GOD the rewards!

Good luck!

The wife in the story was so much like my own. I would have a much high libido this this guy with a regular every two to three days with wife and she real enjoyed it having mutable orgasms but she would never show any interest for a couple of days. I would ignore her for a few days but by day 4 she would be horny and drop a hint of interest. This went on for years so I got into porn and reading these stories. The stories help a lot and I learn t how well off I was to have a loyal caring wife but I still was not satisfied. I think I am a sex addict and get off 3-4 times a day and I'm 56 years old. So I had the little chat with the wife like Charlie did with out the stranger help and then slept in the spare room for a week. That really unset the wife, it seems she liked the comfort of me being in bed but did not understand the stress and frustration I got form being rejected regularly. After a week of isolation and lots of talks she final understood how I needed her just as she needed me. Things are better now I am more forceful with her as she needed to know she was wanted and I lusted after her and she was not being replaced by porn. It seems she had low self esteem so I spend more time seducing her with gentle touches and hugs with out the sexual demands that used to follow. On weekends I will spend all day off and on teasing her and giving her hugs, whispering naughty things I was going to do to her. She is still a real prude but she is my prude and I never have to worry who she is with and after 33 years of marriage it is now every day and usually twice a day on weekends. Life is good but marriage is full of comprises. T

A difficult subject to tackle let alone make it into a very interesting story.

At first I thought it was just a marital story then when Charles chatted to his neighbour and Mr Franklin. My interest started to waver as I suspected this was going to be another cuck story.

However I very pleasantly surprised with the ending and enjoyed the story.

Which leads me to mention that marriages do not need a third party fucking the wife. Also on the variety subject it is not just women who want variety, men like it as well. So perhaps this story could have turned into a cuckquean tale, now there is a possibility !

I wasn't claiming that Lucy's sexual revival was CAUSED by variety, I don't disagree with your analysis.

I was referring both to what YOU had Sherman say, and a trope that I often see here in LW, that basically says that because a woman can physically have intercourse after a man is spent that she can, and even should, have multiple partners.

Things did not match up.........bill

5ssssss....stilll

That's what Literotica is all about - fantasy. Wouldn't it be nice if something like this did work. You bring in an experienced consultant and he solves your problem. We do it in industry all the time. We hire therapist to solve emotional problems all the time. Why not a "hands on" consultant? It was a little too good to be true, but it was fun reading about it. And isn't that what this site is all about? 4* anyway.

Excellent story. When Mister Franklin showed up I was ready to be disappointed with just another monster cock story. Your fantasy switch was a very clever change. Well written too.

IF we want to accept the premise that over time women's libido with their partner goes down, so she needs, and should have sex with other men, does the corollary apply?

Since his wife no longer desires sex with him, but his sex drive is still active, should HE be allowed sex with other women?

According to the studies I've seen, the corollary doesn't apply. Over time, men's libido remains the same regardless of how long they've been in a relationship. Which is one reason why men cheat more often than women. The longer a man is in a relationship with a woman, the lower her libido will be. His libido remains high, and that discrepancy often leads to straying.

I don't think we're breaking any new ground here. This is all pretty well known.

"His libido remains high, and that discrepancy often leads to straying." - And by the rules as laid out in "The Cheating Wives Handbook," that's perfectly okay! The partner with the higher libido is entitled to have outside partners.

There you go, twisting words again!

No one is "entitled" to cheat. It's one (of many) explanations for why someone cheats. It's like saying that because poor people commit more crime, therefore poor people are entitled to commit crime. Causation has nothing to do with morality.

This was so fun. I was kind of hoping that Mr. Franklin would've done a little more but overall a great story. You are one of the best writers on this site and I always enjoy your creativity and craftsmanship in writing your stories.

This story closely describes the situation in which my wife and I found ourselves. Many conversations over the years with friends lead me to believe that lots of couples are in this same situation. More than a few divorces have resulted.

On the other side of the ledger, more than a few wives would be happy to get some of the attention that is given to dancers, barmaids, waitresses and other people's wives.

Too bad there aren't more Mr. (or Ms.) Franklins to guide us and facilitate solutions.

I was thrilled that this didn't turn into a wife sharing, cuck story. That would have ruined it.

loved it, funny dialog between the friends and an actual loving wife havent read to many of those ty

Well done .... and not a cockold story to boot!

I decided to read another of Joe's stories. I tried to quit, as I thought we were headed to swingerville. But I stayed with it and found another good one. In the Air is still my favorite, but there are other good ones here also. Some of the comments were longer than the story. Pretty good ones too. Props to Joe for thoughtfully answering the comments. Me, I say , "you go Sherm!"

It is amazing that people are still writing comments for this story 4 years after it was written. It certainly opens up a very interesting side to sex in marriage. My wife and I were married for 50 years. We used to give ourselves scores out of 10 every time we had sex, about once a week in later years. Our best ever sequence was 19 weeks in row where we both scored ourselves 10 out of 10. If my wife had an orgasm her score would be 10 out of 10. So she enjoyed sex but she never initiated sex. She regarded that as her husband's role.

I have long avoided swingerjoe because of what the moniker implies (which is reinforced by the Submissions page titles and descriptions). But I just read Getting Even, and was so impressed (5 stars), that I tried this one and was impressed again.

First, good language ability, and an easy-to-read, pleasant writing style.

I decided early on, that this was a 5 star story, because I could relate (as I suspect plenty others do) to wanting considerable more than my wife, and a certain stymied feeling that goes with it, which was cleverly brought out in the story through his discussions with a couple work colleagues -- one of whom was even a woman, and a colorful, forward, goading, mouthy one at that! Well done. And then he reported back to them after his "success" -- another well done.

Another plus. He was not left in his not-getting-what-I-want quandry. It ended happy. Although that part was more interesting (fun?) than realistic. Don't I/we wish that such problems could be solved by an "expert" who gets a female to see the male point of view, and that, once she understands, she would actually be sympathetic to doing something about it! I'm afraid that when I was young and my wife heard intimations of such things, it rolled off her like water off a duck's back.

Javmor79's comment (his first of 3!) was spot on. Karen E's comment (her first one), added to it nicely. Lots of other good and interesting coments, including some autobiographical ones (which I REALLY like).

All in all, a good read.

Paul in Oklahoma

...well written story. 5 stars. Thanx!

Loklie

The neighbor says: "Us men, we can be with the same woman for fifty years and be perfectly happy, and want sex just as much as we always did."

THAT IS THE STUPIDEST STATEMENT EVER MADE...

...though not necessarily stroke worthy. But they were an integral part of the story.

Was the story a huge turn on? No. But just as a story it rates 5-stars.

psychology, all we need remember the biggest sex organ we have is our head. Good story, oh! and good communication, you have to talk to your partner let them know what you want and what you expect about everything including sex.

Wow I know this a story from yourself but fuck that is my life.

COULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT ME.

40 MILES EAST OF Okeechobee.

Some guys may not be able to include a “Franklinese” individual to help with their marital issues. Nonetheless, we could try some or all of the suggested techniques. I for one need the help. I have not engaged in sex with my wife since she went through the change more than 20 years ago. It’s hard for me to believe she has abstained that long. Frankly, I believe she has a boyfriend/lover who has taken care of her sexual needs for a long while now.

Very enjoyable. 5* I wish I could write as well as you.

I frequently think about situations like this story poses in by use of similes or metaphors. The one that comes to mind here is of an automobile.

If one has an automobile that works only infrequently and not reliably or satisfactorily, one has three choices:

(1) trade the old junker in for something new, or at least, not as old, with lower mileage, and that functions, reliably

(2) hire a mechanic on retainer to be available to ride with you to tune up old model whenever you want to go somewhere

(3) stay home and stay miserable, don't plan on going anywhere, and BTW, qwitcherbitchin, you've got other choices

If a woman is refusing enthusiastic participation in sex with her husband, on a regular basis, she's not a wife, she's a parasite. If she has a physical condition that temporarily precludes intercourse, there are alternative methods. If she has a physical or mental condition that permanently or long term precludes enthusiastic participation in intercourse, I would refer you back to the automobile analogy. I am aware there is no social prohibition against owning more than one automobile.

BTW, the above applies whether the husband cranks the automobile with a large key or a small key, a short key or a long key, AND whether he likes to drive cross-country, or just does short tips to the corner store. If you've got an otherwise unrelated woman in the house, she's either in the role of a wife, or a parasite. Same think goes for the wife if the husband can't be cranked easily.