Choices

Just a story told from multiple vantage points.

No burnt bitches. Well, not burnt by another character. Karma on the other hand...

No costly reconciliations.

Like most (maybe even all) of my stories, the ultimate goal is happiness for our hero, the male protagonist, whatever that may entail.

I debated about whether to put this in Romance or Loving Wives and Romance ultimately won out.

*****

CHOICES

She made hers, and I made mine.

*****

It was a beautiful sunset. The sun glowed on the horizon and turned the sky and clouds into an incredible kaleidoscope of orange and purple. The temperature was warm, like you'd expect to encounter in Southern California. It was Saturday night and the occasion was our weekly get-together with our friends. The attendees were friends my wife and I had known for 20 years. Well, she had actually known them a little longer than that.

We were gathered tonight at Scott and Andrea's house. Scott owned a number of fast food franchises, which was ironic since he never touched the stuff himself. He was something of a health nut. He had gotten involved in the industry as an investment opportunity and it had been very successful. He spent most of his time just doing surprise inspections, looking for other business opportunities, and managing his investment account. Andrea worked the front desk at the local elementary school, though mostly just for something to do. They had 2 kids: Holly, who was 15, and Matthew, who was 13.

Bill was a vice president for a local sporting goods supply company. He had actually played baseball on the college team and had an outside shot at the pros before a freak accident damaged his knee and ended his career. He'll tell you it was fate, because that led to the sales job at the same company he works at now, and that's also where he met his wife, Lisa. She works in the accounting office there. They have just one daughter: Tasha, and she's 14.

John owns a couple of car dealerships around town. He makes good money. His wife, Marcie, had been a stay-at-home wife and mother until she passed away from cancer just over a year ago. She was just 41. They have a daughter, Savannah, who is 21 and currently at university.

My name is Henry. I am a Master Electrician though I currently work as a project manager for a large electrical contractor and do very well, earning 6 figures annually. My wife, Gina, is also a stay-at-home wife and mother. We have an 18-year-old daughter, Natalie, who recently joined Savannah at the university, though she is a freshman to Savannah's senior so they rarely see each other on the large campus.

We've all known each other for years, and we use these weekly gatherings to stay connected. In fact, everyone but me knew each other in college, and I met my wife (and then her friends) shortly after they graduated. It's been a stroke of good fortune that we've all managed to stay in this area and still be successful.

As I divert my attention from the sunset I take note of everyone's location. My wife is chatting with John near the patio table, Scott and Bill are manning the grill, and Andrea and Lisa are inside putting the finishing touches on the side dishes. I've long enjoyed these events. I can think of few things better than a relaxing night spent with a wife you love, food you enjoy, and longtime friends. Of course, Marcie's passing last year has cast something of a pall over the gatherings; there's just something missing, and I mean for all of us, not just John.

He stopped attending for a while, the pain of seeing the remaining couples a reminder of what he'd lost, but he'd eventually rejoined us as we made a point of making sure he wasn't allowed to simply withdraw from life. The guys made sure to keep pestering him to join us for fishing or golfing or whatever, and the ladies pestered him to get out of the house as well, and also did some shopping for him and pre-made some meals. Otherwise he probably would have just eaten, coincidentally, fast food from one of Scott's places.

John and Gina were talking quietly, sometimes casting a glimpse in my direction. Nothing struck me as odd about it at the time, but in hindsight...

*****

I was awoken in the most pleasurable way possible; at least I think so. The warmth and wetness of Gina's mouth was enveloping my shaft and I was happily enjoying it, once I realized what was going on. Gina didn't do this a lot (a few times a year) so I reveled in it when it came along. It's not that she was a prude or anything. She would just prefer to be fucking rather than sucking.

Once I was awake it took only a few minutes for me to blow my load. Gina had no problem swallowing it but didn't care for it shooting into her mouth, so she tended to 'let 'er blow' and then lick it up. Then it was her turn. Oral sex was one of my particular favorites, and burying my face into her thick, brown bush was something I did as often as she would allow, which I am happy to say was often. Between my tongue on her clit and my fingers in her hole it rarely took me long to get her off, and today was no exception. I felt the telltale pressure of her thighs squeezing together, followed by her hands on the back of my head as she climaxed with vigor.

This morning I climbed right on top of her and put my resurrected manhood deep inside her. We both preferred missionary; enjoying looking into each other's eyes as I thrust deep into her. Doggy-style felt good and we did it occasionally but it seemed impersonal. It was mostly used when we were just fucking instead of making love.

Gina's legs were pushed back near her head; she remained very limber for a 41-year-old woman. I peered into her green eyes and she returned the look into my browns and I thrust into her slowly but rhythmically. The top of my shaft was rubbing against her clit and she came again, though I continued my pace. After a few minutes things picked up in speed and soon I felt the swelling in my loins, which was of course followed by me emptying myself inside her as she had her third of the morning. After 20 years we were pretty good at having our last one at the same time, and this morning we had done it again.

We showered together, as we usually did on weekends, and then I dressed to go into the garage to start working on my car while Gina did whatever tasks she had for around the house.

Sunday mornings are typically reserved for me to work on my car. My current project is a 1965 Chevy Malibu SS Coupe. I bought it 2 years ago after it had been found in a barn that was being razed. It had been in terrible shape but I just about it had it back to stock. I prefer going for the original look; I know a guy who's into Mustangs, but he tends to focus on newer models and he puts all kinds of aftermarket parts (oversized brakes and spoilers, superchargers, etc.) on them, to the point where it's barely a Mustang. Sure they look good, but it's more like Franken-Mustang or something. I see him at the car shows occasionally. He has a disdain for GM products, but we're both able to appreciate the work the other does.

"Honey, before you go into the garage, I'd like to talk about something."

I simply shrugged my shoulders in an 'okay' and we sat at the kitchen table. Communication was one of our strengths and conversations like this are commonplace. I thought nothing of it. But this one would change the course of my life dramatically.

"So, how's the car coming?"

"It's going well. I finally got it running smoothly. I do have a few interior parts I'm still trying to locate but I have enough things I can put on to keep me busy for most of the morning. What do you have planned today?"

"Oh, the usual: a load of laundry, some weeding in the garden, and maybe some light dusting. Now that Natalie's out of the house there's not nearly as much to do."

"So, what do we need to talk about?"

"Well, as you've probably noticed, John has started to come out of his shell the last few months. The ladies and I have been really working on him to think about dating again. He's still young and we think Marcie would want him to be happy."

"I agree," I acknowledged. "As much as he and Marcie loved each other, I can't imagine she'd want him to be alone for the rest of his life."

"Exactly. And last night he finally expressed that he's ready to get into a relationship again."

"Good for him. It'll do him good to get back on the horse. Does he have any prospects?"

Gina hesitated just a bit right here, and I would soon know why.

"Well, as a matter of fact, there is one particular woman that he's very interested in. He's known her for some time and has very strong feelings for her."

"Is it anyone we know?"

"The thing is, honey, that...well, it's me."

"What do you mean, it's you? John wants to be with you?"

"Yes. He told me last night."

Not fully understanding the gravity of what she was saying my first response was light. "Well, I can understand that. You're a beautiful, intelligent, sexy woman. It's too bad you're not available."

It was at this moment that her eyes could no longer meet mine, and I became acutely aware of her failure to agree with my statement regarding her availability. It suddenly hit me.

"Oh, I see. The point of this conversation is to let me know that you are, in fact, making yourself available to him. You want a divorce."

She looked up at me, somehow shocked by that suggestion.

"No Henry, I don't want a divorce. I want to be married to you for the rest of my life."

"Then what the hell is this all about, Gina! You're obviously trying to tell me something that I don't want to hear, and it clearly has something to do with you making yourself available to John. Just fucking say what you mean, would you please?"

"Henry, please calm down. Let me explain this to you, okay?"

I leaned back in my chair and wondered what on earth was about to happen. I had already decided that our romp in the hay this morning was designed to soften me up for whatever this was about to be; especially the blow job.

"Henry, as you know, all of us with the exception of you, met back in college. It started with the 4 of us girls. First, Andrea met Scott at a party during our sophomore year, and she eventually introduced her roommate to Bill. That was Lisa, of course. Between those I met John during one of my English classes. He was a good writer and I struggled so he worked me with and helped me bring up my grade. What you didn't know is that we started seeing each other."

"So you dated John before Marcie did? How come I was never told about that?"

"I'm getting to that, I promise. So, like I said, John and I started dating, and we were very much in love. We actually talked about getting married. But then we were hanging out one night and had too much to drink, I guess. John and Marcie ended up having sex. I was, of course, furious when I found out, but they apologized and seemed very genuine. It was just a mistake, they said, and it would never happen again. I took a chance and decided to forgive them. And it was going to be fine...until Marcie turned up pregnant with Savannah."

I watched as Gina's eyes got moist as she recounted the story. I felt bad for her on one hand, but on the other I was pissed that these details had been kept from me. She continued.

"After a lot of soul-searching and talking with his parents and his pastor, John decided to do the 'honorable thing' and he asked Marcie to marry him, and she said yes. I was devastated, of course, but I understood. It shook things up but we somehow managed to stay friends, if a little more distant at first. Things went on, we graduated from college, and then I met you. You and I fell in love and, over time, John and Marcie did as well. As a group we decided to keep my relationship with John from you, afraid it would taint your friendship with him. We were all expecting all of us to be happily married into old age, and probably die one right after the other. Naïve, of course, but that's how close we felt."

"So, if Marcie hadn't gotten sick this all would have stayed hidden in the deep, dark corners of all of your minds and Henry the sap would still be in the dark."

"Henry, don't talk about yourself that way. You're no sap. It was what it was and it was over. He was happy with Marcie and I was happy with you."

"So you're not happy with me anymore, is that it?

"Not at all, honey. I'm happier with you now than I've ever been. I love you, and I hope that our time this morning showed you that."

"So that was part of some plan to get me ready for, well, whatever it is you're trying to tell me? Very nice."

"No, honey. It was to let you know I love you. That's all."

"Okay, so you and John were in love and then you married other people. What does that have to do with now and, more importantly, with you and me? If you don't want a divorce then what is this about."

Gina got up from the table and went to the kitchen window, looking out over the yard we had meticulously maintained since moving into this house 10 years ago. I couldn't for the life of me see where this was going. Was she going to ask for permission to have an affair, and if not that then what?

"Gina, waiting isn't going to make it any easier. Can you please just say what this is about?"

"Okay Henry. I was thinking, I mean wondering how you'd feel about, well, sharing me with him."

I became enraged. I stood up so fast the chair I was sitting in not only tumbled backwards but skidded across the floor and slammed into the cabinet. Gina flinched at the commotion.

"Share you with him? So, this is about you having an affair with him."

"No, Henry, well, not exactly, no. Please calm down so I can explain. You're scaring me."

"You know what, Gina. I can't calm down right now. I'm going to leave for a while and calm down, and maybe we can continue this later. But I need to get the hell away from you right now."

I grabbed my keys and went into the garage. The Malibu was up on jacks so I ended up in my truck. I cranked the radio and burned rubber as I tore away from the house. I still didn't know exactly what she was suggesting. She said it wasn't a divorce but it wasn't an affair, but it did involve sharing her. I did know sharing of any kind, when it came to my wife, was not an option. She was either all mine or she wasn't mine at all. I guess we'd soon know which way this one was headed.

Without meaning to I drove past John's apartment building and saw his Mercedes parked right in front. He had moved into the apartment shortly after Marcie's death. The house they shared had simply too many memories of her and was too empty, with Marcie gone and Savannah off to college. I probably would have done the same. The anger I felt at Gina for even considering and suggesting this was matched with my anger at John for his part in this. But then I realized I didn't know that. Maybe it was Gina's idea and she was trying to get my okay before mentioning it to him. I needed more answers.

*****

GINA

This hadn't gone the way I had hoped. I supposed it was unrealistic to think that Henry would be willing to let me spend time with John and I was right. I had woken him up with the blow job this morning so that he would know that I loved him no matter what, and we had a wonderful time.

But I was torn. I had loved John first, before I ever met Henry, and those feelings hadn't waned. That was probably because we had all remained friends and saw each other all the time. Perhaps if John and I had gone years without contact my love for him would have gone away, but I still felt a flutter when I saw him even now.

But I never realized he felt the same way until last night. Andrea, Lisa, and I had been encouraging him to start dating again. He was still young, just 42, and we knew he didn't want to spend the rest of his life alone. We gave him what we thought was a reasonable amount of time to grieve Marcie's passing then started suggesting he start dating. It wasn't like we thought he'd find someone to marry right away; we just thought he needed to get back in the swing of things.

He had been resistant to the idea; not specifically because he wasn't ready to date but because he just couldn't imagine finding someone else he'd love as much as he loved Marcie. We kept encouraging him and telling him he didn't have to love her that much; he just had to love her and let her love him.

But last night he had dropped it on me at the barbecue. When he had said he couldn't imagine finding someone else he loved that much, he meant that there was already one other woman he loved that much but didn't believe there could be a third. That other woman, of course, was me. He confessed that he had always loved me, and said it was even more than Marcie. He still believed he did the right thing in marrying her, but he died a little each time he saw Henry and I together. It had been a long 20 years, he said.

Without even thinking about it I also confessed my feelings for him and that I had never stopped loving him. But I told him I loved Henry as well and didn't want to hurt him. I actually thought John was suggesting an affair of some kind but I wouldn't do that.

But that wasn't what he wanted. He asked if I was truly happy in my marriage and I told him I was. He again told me how much he loved me and how he wished we could be together forever. He wanted me to divorce Henry and marry him so we could be together for the rest of our lives. I told him I couldn't do that, but for some reason the idea of sharing popped into my head.

I've heard stories of people living double lives. They have families in two different cities, and they tell each family they have to travel a lot for work, when actually they're going back and forth between families. But the thing is, whichever family they're with, they give themselves completely. They love that wife (or husband), they play with and stay active in the kid's lives (if they have any), and they make genuine love to them. It's just that they love both of the women (or men) and don't want to live without either one.

That wouldn't exactly work for me. I don't work so I have no way to justify leaving for even a couple days at a time. The only way it would work would be to be completely up front about it.

I suggested the idea to John, and while he wasn't thrilled at the idea of it only being part-time, he understood that I was trying to make it work and that he would be happy to have any time with me that I was willing to give him. But he told me he didn't think that Henry would go for it.

I realized he was probably right about that. I mean, what man would willingly share his wife with another man. Oh I was aware of those sickos that are into that, but I thought of them as more animals than men. One thing that separates humans from the beasts is that level of emotion and commitment; what man would willingly hand a woman he supposedly loved off to someone else.

That meant I might have to make a choice. Could I choose to leave Henry, a man I had loved for 20 years and who knew me, my wants, my desires, and my dreams better than anyone, to be with someone that, for all the years I had known him and as much as I loved him, was, relationship-wise, an unknown?

But the fact was there had always been a piece of me that was missing. When John and I had been together we just fit. We talked about hopes and dreams and our lives together. Back then I could hardly wait for that time to come. But all of that was lost the moment he ejaculated into Marcie's pussy. I had been heartbroken to see him marrying someone else, and it had taken me a long time to get over it. In fact, I wasn't sure I was even now