Disaster

Mary sat down next to Paul on the couch. Joan was on a wing chair opposite them. Mary put her arm around Paul's shoulders, began nibbling on his ear.

"I'm going to take you in front of Joan. She wants to see what I can do."

Paul was at once horrified and aroused. To be...overwhelmed by Mary right in front of Joan.

Joan said, softly, "Mary tells me all sorts of things about you, Paul. I want to see. It's so hot."

Mary whispered to Paul, "I want you to take off your clothes, right here, in front of Joan. Now."

Mary got up and stood by the couch. Paul stood up. He looked at Joan, and at Mary.

Joan said, "Off with those clothes, Paul. I want to see you."

She reached out and grabbed his crotch, finding him hard. She smiled.

Mary scolded Joan. "Don't mess with my man, Joan. He's mine, for now."

Joan pouted.

Paul ran.

He ran upstairs. He had a bag packed for the trip. He got it, put on a jacket, and came back down.

Mary and Joan were standing in the hallway. They had watched Paul run.

When he came back down, Mary said, "What do you think you're doing?"

Paul said, "I'm leaving. I can see this was a set up. You were going to get me to fuck Joan, and then claim you had the right to fuck someone else. Open marriage. Well, it won't work."

He turned to Joan. "I cannot believe you were helping her."

Joan said, "I thought it would work out. Get you over the hump. Save the marriage. And, of course, I'd get fucked. Sorry. I was wrong."

"It's so manipulative. I won't be manipulated any more, Mary. I'm giving up. Fuck whoever. But not me. Not me."

He turned and walked out. Mary just stared, stunned. She started to cry.

"Jesus, Joan. What have I done? He'll come back won't he?"

"Maybe. Isn't he on a trip tomorrow?"

"Yes. Four days to Cincinnati."

"I guess he'll be back after. You should rethink. I think."

They finished the bottle of wine. Joan stayed over.

Paul went to a motel. The next day he went in to work, got his alternate suit, and drove off toward the Ohio town. He made arrangements for some furniture to be delivered to his new place. A double bed, some chairs. A TV, and some pots and pans. Heather took care of that. She wondered if she'd get to stay over at his new place sometime soon.

Paul called home to talk to his kids each night. When Mary answered that first call, she wanted to talk.

"Not the time to talk -- not on the phone. When I get back to town." She sighed and put her son on the phone.

Paul had another successful trip in Cincinnati. He finished a day early. When he got back to town, he went to the new apartment, got his key and stayed the night. Sort of spooky, with no wife or kids. Maybe he'd get used to it. And, sometimes, the kids would be here.

On that Sunday, Paul arrived at his family's house. He didn't have a suitcase. As soon as he came in, Mary noticed that. She was frightened. Paul was playing with his children. She loved to watch that. She was overwhelmed with fear that her family, as she knew it, was finished. No suitcase. No kiss, either.

Mary watched for a while, while the three rolled around. She was tearing up. Paul noticed. He sent the kids to the game room.

"I've rented a place, Mary. You....I see you're sad, but it can't be a surprise."

"Oh, Paul. I'm sorry for Thursday. I fucked up. I won't do it again. I won't."

"It just shows how much you want....other guys. You're willing to trick me, mess with me. Just to get fucked."

"Are you divorcing me? Please, Paul. Oh, damn it. I can behave."

"I don't believe you, or trust you. I want a break from you. I won't do divorce right now. But I need to be away from you. You know why."

"You're going to hook up with Heather, or some other bimbo. Please, just let's try to keep an even keel, calm down the situation."

"I tried that, Mary. You just used me, tried to trick me. I'm...well...it'll be a long time before I have any faith in you. You don't deserve it, and you know that. I don't want a life of constant mistrust and monitoring."

Paul and Mary put the kids to bed, and Paul left. Again, no hug or kiss. He told himself that he was through with Mary.

The next week established a pattern. Paul would come over after work, eat dinner, help put the kids to bed and the head out to his place. On the weekend, he proposed to have the kids over to his apartment on Saturday, for a sleepover. Mary demurred.

"I can't do that, Paul. They'll be scared. Already when they wake up, you're not here."

"They'll have to get used to things as they are. I'm not coming back anytime soon."

"Paul, maybe we should go to counselling about this. We'd see what could happen. We should do it for the kids' sake, at least"

"I'll think about it."

He liked spending time at his place. He was under no pressure. He wondered if Mary would start going out to get laid. Let her. That was clearly what she wanted.

He agreed to see a counselor. They had a list, and picked Joanne Baxter. Ms. Baxter made an appointment for a get acquainted session on Friday afternoon. Paul arranged for his folks to pick up the kids from school.

Joanne Baxter was a fiftyish woman with steel gray hair and penetrating blue eyes. She explained to them that she was a listener, and that she believed that speaking about problems sometimes helped solve them. She said that each of them would have an individual session, and then another joint one.

She asked them each what they hoped to gain by counselling.

Mary said, "I want to get back to our marriage. Get the family back intact."

Paul said, "I want to see what chance there is for us. I want to clear the air, and take that final chance. But, to be honest, I believe we've gone too far for make-up.

She had them make a brief statement about what had caused the rift.

Paul said, "Mary was unfaithful, and brought home a disease. I sort of got past that, because she was drinking, and it was only once. But now she wants more sex with other guys. She wants me to agree somehow -- an open marriage. I can't."

Mary said, "I obviously did mess up. But, we were okay after that. Our sex was better -- great. And, well... I did want to...have other guys. And he could have other women. But if it means so much to him, I won't ever bring it up again."

"Ms. Baxter, our sex was better because Mary had assumed all the power after her...infidelity. And I found that I liked being submissive to her. A big turn on. But....she used that to try to get her way and get screwed by other guys."

"Did you use that, Mary?"

"Yes. Yes I did. I'm not sure why I...well I'm so...slutty. But I am."

The meeting ended and they had appointments the next week for individual sessions.

The arrangements remained static. Except Paul took the kids on Saturday to the zoo.

Paul's individual session with Ms. Baxter was a little embarrassing. He explained to her how arousing it was for him to be dominated. And she wanted details. He gave them. He was looking down when he described some of what he had done with Mary.

She asked, "Why are you so set against her having a lover? Isn't that a most humiliating thing, that you might enjoy?"

"I can't do that. I'd be a laughingstock. And when my kids became aware, I wouldn't have their respect."

"So it's an ego thing?"

"Call it what you want. I have a kink. But not that far of a kink. You know, if we had no children, I would have divorced her after the clap thing."

"Is it your position that you would never accept another infidelity? Suppose she was discrete, and it was, maybe once a month?"

"Nope. Are you taking her side?"

"Not really. I only want to see if there are solutions."

Paul set an appointment for a joint session the next week.

Mary's individual session was the next day. Ms. Baxter wanted to know why she seemed so set on having sex with other men.

"When I slipped up, it loosed something in me. The sex with those two guys was terrific. All of a sudden, I was a slut. I liked it."

"But can you tame those desires to go back to family life? Do you even want to do that?"

"I do. Kind of do. I only wish Paul could be more accommodating. I mean, after the wild evening, I fucked him half to death. Until we got the clap."

"That must surely have sounded some warning bells for you."

"Not...well, he found out about the night of debauchery. It made me believe that he would likely find out whatever happens, eventually."

"And that's why you're trying to convert him. But I believe you've run into a hard boundary with him. You can dominate him, but you can't screw around. And the question is whether you can live with that."

"I'm not sure. I mean, if I were in some other city for a trip, and I had the chance to sleep with an attractive guy, I'd probably do it. No, I would do it."

"Then, how can the marriage be saved?"

"I don't see why I can't just be discrete. Not throw things in his face, but not lie."

"Me, either, but that's what he believes. He is who he is. And, for the longest time you were quite happy in the marriage. That one evening seems to have done a lot of, well, harm -- to the marriage."

"So....it's not gonna work?"

"I can't say. Let's do a joint session. But maybe you have to decide whether you want the marriage at all. If he won't let you play."

The week between the individual sessions and the next joint session was about the same as before. Three days saw Paul come over in the evening, play with the kids and eat dinner, then leave right after bedtime. He also had the kids on Sunday, and they played with some kids their age in the playground outside his place. It was a fun time, and he got them back at dinnertime.

The joint session with Joanne Baxter was intense. Baxter tried very hard not to take sides, although she thought Paul could give a little on the infidelity, if it was handled correctly.

She asked, "Paul, if you were to move back to the house, how do you think it would work?"

"I...might have some problems with trust. It seems clear that Mary wants her slut adventures as much as family. More maybe. The last one could have been hidden from me forever, if she hadn't got the disease. How could I ever know what she's been up to?"

"That is a problem. But the last time, you had no warning, and so didn't look too hard. Didn't look at all."

"But when she was so ramped up after I got home, I did wonder a bit. But she overwhelmed me. She overwhelmed me when I found out. She'd be able to overwhelm me if I moved back."

Mary said, "I would only dominate you if you asked." She paused, "Nicely." The women laughed, but Paul didn't.

"Not really funny. Sitting right here I feel helpless. I don't know what to do."

Mary said, "You could just come home. I won't hurt you."

"Would you screw other guys?"

"If you didn't know, what would it hurt?"

"The clap, for one thing."

"I won't screw foreign sailors."

Joanne Baxter had watched this exchange. She interrupted, "One or the other of you have to give some ground. But the way it sits now, the idea of giving ground seems meaningless. Either she gets to have her flings, or she doesn't. Even discrete liaisons appear to be out of bounds for Paul. And being 100% faithful doesn't do it for Mary. Any suggestions?"

Paul said, "I want to consider all this. Any time Mary tells me she's willing to be a faithful wife -- keep her vows -- then I can move back and try it. If she won's say that, I'm not coming back, and we can arrange joint custody."

Mary was a little tearful. "I'll also think it over. I won't say I'll do something unless I believe I can actually do it. God! That whole drunken fuckfest was such a disaster. I wish I could go back and say no to Joan."

The meeting ended when they set up a third, and possibly final, joint meeting for two weeks off.

During those two weeks Paul was more and more satisfied with the arrangement he had about the kids. The thing was, if there was a divorce, those arrangements might not survive long. Mary would fuck other guys, and she could bring them home. For that matter, Paul would hope to see other women.

Mary was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the current arrangement, which meant that she had no sex. She thought about going to a club and picking out a suitable fellow. But that would ruin any chance of Paul coming back.

If he found out.

When she found herself thinking like that, she decided that things had to move forward,

either with Paul at home or not.

The two weeks went by. Mary did not go out to get screwed. And Paul never thought about it, despite some not so subtle efforts by Heather.

The meeting was difficult. Mary told Joanne and Paul that she had real doubts about her ability to be true to the marriage, and even about her desire to do that.

She said, "If Paul will agree to me going out for a night -- maybe once a month -- then I believe I can keep the faith the rest of the time. That's where I am."

Joanne asked, "What about that, Paul?"

"No." That's all he said.

"Okay. Then the sessions haven't succeeded in reaching a point where the marriage can continue. Perhaps we should discuss how things will go now."

Mary said, "I thought about it. Now Paul comes over for dinner, then leaves. And he has the kids some weekend days. If he wants to keep them for weekends, I would be free to see other people. I wouldn't do that during the week."

Paul looked at her. "What if you meet someone that you want to have a real relationship with? I'd worry about that."

"If it happens, we can deal with it. We can put it into the agreement, somehow. Anyway, you'll find someone. I know you. You want a steady woman -- a wife. And you can easily find one. Then what?"

Joanne said, "The custody arrangements can be worked out by you, but they will not be able to anticipate all possible situations."

Paul filed for divorce -- no fault, irreconcilable differences. He and Mary worked out custody arrangements, where Paul got the kids every other weekend, and one week out of the month. They had a financial arrangement where Paul would pay a small amount of child support. No alimony. Mary would live in the house.

The divorce went through peacefully. The custody arrangements were already in place. Mary had started going out on Paul's weekends. She had called Ronnie, but he stuck to his word. So, that first evening at the club with Joan -- well before the divorce was final -- she allowed a college guy to bring her to Joan's house. Joan had his buddy. And Mary was very satisfied with the result. The fellow -- Johnny -- was well built, not huge down there, but eager.

After that Mary settled into sluthood. She and Joan would pick up some guys on Friday or Saturday, get fucked and sometimes switch. They had a regular schedule of STD testing. One night Mary was at a club dancing with a younger guy, when Ronnie walked up and tapped her partner on the shoulder, cutting in.

The guy was not pleased but Mary smiled him off. She and Ronnie danced.

Ronnie asked, "Are you here to pick up a guy?"

"Yep. Could be you."

"Are you still married?"

"No."

"Well, okay, then." He took her to his new apartment. He had secured a semi-permanent assignment at the local base.

Mary and Ronnie picked up right where they had left off. The sex with Ronnie was better than any she had had during her recent slut phase. And Ronnie also had a fine time. It seemed to him that the two were very compatible, sexually. They decided to keep seeing each other. And, at least to start, not to see others.

Meanwhile, Paul did take up Heather's offer. During and after the divorce, Heather was at Paul's apartment maybe three nights a week. Not on weekends, when he had the kids. He did introduce her to them one day. She played with them for a while. Then she excused herself.              

Paul was happy with the sex he was having with Heather. It was regular sex, with no overtones of dominance. They both liked it. But neither one of them thought the relationship was exclusive -- or likely to be permanent.

One day a new coffee shop opened near Paul's apartment. He went in to sample their product. Initially the place wasn't so busy, especially at 6:00 am when Paul first tried it. He found the coffee to be good, and the pastries better. He began to stop each weekday morning, and some weekend days. He noticed a young woman -- Penny -- who seemed to be there, and functioned as a kind of manager. She was younger than he, with brown hair and brown eyes. She had a nice face, and was always pleasant. One Saturday Paul brought his two kids in for a pastry. Penny was there, and she had a youngster with her -- Donna. Her daughter. She was Amanda's age -- four and a half. They were introduced. Little Paul was also introduced, but was more interested in his donut. The place got busy, and Paul offered to look after Donna for a while. He and the three kids were off in a corner. After about thirty minutes, the custom let up and Penny came over and sat down.

"Thanks, Paul. You're a life saver today."

"No problem. I didn't know you had a child."

"Yep. A single mom. Usually my folks have her when I'm working. But today they went off for a two week cruise."

"Can't cut your hours?"

"Some. But it's my place, and I feel like I need to be here."

"You own it? The shop?"

"Yes. I took a big risk here, but seems like it'll be okay." She smiled. "If you keep coming in every day -- that'll help."

"Your coffee's good, and I like....the company. I like seeing you here, Penny."

She blushed. "I'm flattered."

"Maybe we could go out some time?"

"Sure. But don't you have -- a girl friend?"

"I'm divorced. I have a friend with benefits. Maybe you've seen her."

"I did. She's quite attractive."

"Penny, Heather and I are not exclusive. And we know we won't be."

The two of them worked out a time when Paul had his kids and Penny had Donna -- to go to the science museum. That 'date' worked really well. Penny lived with her folks about two blocks from the shop. Paul dropped her off there after the museum, and the made a real date for when her folks came back, and Paul didn't have the kids. Paul took her to dinner and a movie. A chick flick. She cried and he didn't. He did like the movie, which he never would have seen if he hadn't been trying to get Penny.

He didn't get her that night. Didn't really try. He got a nice kiss at her door. The next night he entertained Heather, and in the morning he told her he might be getting serious about Penny -- the woman from the coffee shop. Heather took it well.

"Well, we'll just see what happens, Paul. It wasn't ever going to last too long."

"I like you a lot, Heather. You kinda restored my ego. You're so sexy."

"Well. Let me know. I'll see you at work, anyway."

The next date with Penny ended up at Paul's place and in his bed. He was enthralled with her. She was active, passionate, and very, very creative. Penny and Paul started seeing each other a lot. Their kids got along. Paul was invited to the parents' place for dinner and it went well.

One night, when they were alone at his place, Penny was just about to come when Paul could not hold back. Penny was annoyed. That usually didn't happen. Paul apologized.

Penny said, "You need a lesson." She smacked his ass. Paul was on his side, facing away from her. She smacked his ass again. She started giggling when she noticed how he had gotten erect again.

"Ooohhh. The man likes to be spanked. And...the girl likes to spank him." She smacked him for a third time. She reached around and grabbed his hard cock. Squeezed it. He groaned. She pushed him onto his back and mounted him, bucking up and down. Her eyes were closed, and she had a big orgasm. Paul was still hard. She opened her eyes, looked at him.

"Have I discovered something here?"