Living Apart Together

LIVING APART TOGETHER??

Henry James (no relation) heard a blip on his email while he was at work, eating lunch at his desk. He opened his email program and saw that the email was from his wife, Etta. He smiled. It wasn't normal for her to use email. She liked texting. She was always on her 'device.' That's what Henry called her phone. Because, it wasn't only a phone, was it?

Henry took a bite of his PBJ sandwich, and opened the email. It had a link to a newspaper article about "Living Apart Together." There was no comment from her, just the link. He read the article while he finished his lunch. As he did that, he began to feel nauseous. The article was about couples who had decided to live apart, while still being married. It was mostly about how the women, or one partner, felt it was good, for a little while, for them to live apart from their spouse. These women thought it helped them to be somewhat more their own person, and not so much intertwined with one other person. The men learned how to cook and keep house. That was one example, anyway.

All the examples in the article were couples who ended up moving back, after some time - weeks to months, but not years. The article never mentioned children.....or sex. Obviously, if the couple had kids at home, the idea would not make as much sense. But Henry and Etta's twin sons, William and Jesse, were off in their senior year at university.

Henry was quite unsettled by all this. He shot an email back to her. All it had was a line of question marks. He didn't get an immediate reply. He went back to working, but couldn't concentrate. So, he opened his browser and Googled the topic. He didn't find a lot more. There was one book. Not much about fidelity.

Henry decided to let it lie until he got home. There was still no reply to the???'s.

Henry had his own insurance agency, selling All Farm, including home, auto and boats. He was his own boss, but had twelve employees. He made a good living. He was a medium sized man - 5'9" and slim, with light brown hair and eyes. He was in good physical condition for his age - forty-eight.

Etta was a teacher at a small private school near their house. It was a full-time job, eight-thirty to three-thirty, but with summers off. She was forty-four, and about the same size as her husband. She was a looker, and always had been. Blonde, athletic, a great smile. Henry felt that he was a lucky man. Etta and Henry played tennis and golf. Much to his chagrin, she usually bested him at those things. He won at darts, though.

On the drive home, Henry decided simply to ignore the email, until Etta brought it up. It was a Wednesday, and they often had sex on Wednesdays, since there was nothing else normally scheduled. They also had a regular session on Sunday mornings.

When Henry came into the house, Etta had something cooking - stew. It smelled great. Henry poured his usual Pale Ale, and asked if he could help with dinner. He was assigned the task of chopping for a salad. They sat down to eat at six-thirty, and the meal was great. Her beef stew was one of his favorites, especially in winter. It was mid-January.

There was no mention of her email. They relaxed after the meal, watching News Hour. Henry then tuned in a basketball game, briefly.

Then they went upstairs for Wednesday night sex. Henry got naked, and Etta was stripping when he knelt before her and pulled down her panties. He sniffed them. Then he kissed her belly. Their weekday sex was often shorter and more functional than Sunday's. But tonight, Henry had decided to take his time and let Etta know just how attractive she was, and how much he appreciated her.

He licked her thighs, and sat her on the edge of the bed. He was still on his knees, in a submissive position. He knew that Etta liked that. He licked her genitals, her clit, back and forth. She put her hands on his head and pushed his face into her. She spoke softly, "That's it, my man. Make me come....Oh....Oh....Oh." She flooded his face and mouth. She kept up the pressure, and came again. Then she fell back onto the bed.

Henry got up. Etta looked up at him and said, "I loved it when I see you on your knees." Henry also loved it. But now, he was like a guided missile. Etta opened up for him and he plunged into her. He growled into her ear as she clutched him. He held off as long as he could, but then he came hard, and that brought Etta along. They both had intense orgasms.

After, they lay side by side, breathing hard. But Etta wanted more. She started stroking Henry. He responded. Etta was in a mood. She suddenly got onto his chest, straddling him. She had a wicked gleam in her eyes. She said, "I need your tongue again." And she moved up to straddle his face. This was something she'd never done before. Henry was surprised, but also rock hard. Etta was so strong. He doubted that he could have stopped her if he wanted. But he didn't want her to stop. She lowered her cummy self onto him, and he licked her clit again. She ground into him, almost shouting, "Lick me! Lick me 'till I come..." She did come, hard. Henry could have drowned, but Etta got off. Of his face.

She saw his rock hard cock. She grabbed it and wanked him for the short time it took until he shot off up high into the air. She said, "Ooooooh. So high....so much....you liked that."

Henry couldn't deny the obvious. They both knew who was really in control in bed. But this night Etta had pushed that farther than before.

She got up and went to take a shower. Henry lay on the bed, his face covered in various fluids. He got up and wiped himself with a hand towel. When Etta was done in the shower, he went in and washed up.

He dried off and came back to bed, still naked. Etta was lounging under the covers in her nightgown. She was reading a magazine, but put it down when he got to the bed. She smiled at him and said, "Thanks for tonight's fun. You're the best."

He smiled back. "All in a day's work for a good husband."

They snuggled. Henry got hard again, but Etta said, "No mas."

After a few minutes she asked, "Did you read the article I sent?"

"Yes."

"What did you think?"

"I wondered why you sent it, Etta. But I thought that a move like that would be perilous."

"Why?"

"Are....did you send it to me because that's something you want? Or is this simply an academic discussion?"

"It just intrigued me, Henry. It was interesting. I wondered how it would be to have a separate place."

"I did consider it, when you sent the thing. It makes me.....unsure. Like you want to be free of me."

"It's...Henry...it's not so much that, as maybe getting out of our routine. Because, lately it feels like a rut. Maybe something new. For both of us."

"What exactly do you mean, though? New people?"

"No! No, I'm not saying that. We'd still be a couple, and monogamous. Just....just not right in each other's face every day. With no kids around to lend some variety."

"I'm not tired of seeing you."

"Oh, Henry. I love you. You know that. I'm only trying to break out a bit."

Henry sat up. "If it isn't for having an opportunity for sex with other people, then what is it for?"

"I don't want either of us to stray, Henry. I need some space. It wouldn't be for long., maybe a month. Maybe two weeks. Maybe two months. See what happens. It would give you a chance to hone your cooking skills."

"I don't.....I don't trust you. Not completely. I feel like it would give you free reign to cheat. So easy to do. Maybe you would just give in one night to all those guys who come on to you."

Etta was pissed off. Or....she acted pissed off. But, deep down, she knew that Henry was correct to worry - just a little. When she read the article, that was the first thing that occurred to her - the risk of casual sex. He was right that guys kept at her, at work, at the gym, the club. Other places. She had been tempted once in a while, but hadn't done anything about it. She brought it home to Henry. If she had her own apartment.....well, who knew? She was honest enough that she admitted to herself that her ability to resist temptation was aided greatly by the need to come home each night and sleep with Henry.

She was forty-five, and looked much younger. She was fit, had a great figure, and was flirty, but not too much. Lately, though, she'd been feeling in a rut. Dissatisfied. Horny at odd times.

She had turned a cold shoulder to Henry, and not replied to his statement of distrust. After a short time, she turned to him and hugged him. She said, "I wouldn't stray or cheat."

He said, "But the chance to do it would be there....all week." Neither of them gave one minute's thought to the possibility that it would be Henry who strayed.

They slept on it.

The next morning, off they went to work, without discussing the matter more. But Etta was becoming more and more interested in it. She read up on it during her lunch break. And one of her fellow teachers, Brad Douglas, looked over her shoulder and saw what she was reading. He slipped away, but he was excited. Brad was the school hunk. Thirty-four, single, taught gym and math. He was 6'2", 195 pounds, with sandy hair and blue eyes. He had managed to bed three women from the school, including the head, who was forty-six. Brad knew that her title - head - was an apt one.

Brad pursued Etta for the two years he'd been at the school. No dice, though, with her. She was loyal, so she said, to her husband. But Brad knew that he had tempted her several times.

Etta had indeed been tempted by Brad, as well as by a younger fellow from the club, Dave Bennett. Dave and Brad were the same size and looked alike. Etta knew that her temptations were for a certain type of man - their type. So different from Henry.

Henry was an average looking guy, 5'10" weighing 175 pounds. But he had only a little body fat, and a lot of stamina. To Etta, he looked very good, but not like those two younger guys.

Etta finished her research at lunch. When she got home at 3:45pm, she looked around for short term apartment rentals. Month to month was what she wanted, furnished. She found three. One was only three blocks from her school, but in the other direction from her house, which was about a mile away from school. It went for $800 a month. She knew she could afford that, even on her teacher's salary. She didn't expect Henry to pay. She sent the agent an email, inquiring. The place was available February 1. She held off until she could speak to Henry.

That conversation, that night, was not a pleasant one. Henry retained his suspicions about her motives, despite the fact that she swore up and down that she would not use her apartment for sex - except for with Henry, maybe.

Henry said, "So, you won't use your place. But you might use his place, and I'd never know you didn't come home all night."

"Okay, Okay. I will not have sex with anyone but you, if I get this place for myself. I will not do it, Henry! I promise." This last was said softly.

Henry was unconvinced, but he knew that she was going to do this. He couldn't threaten to leave her, just because she wanted an apartment. He asked, "What would be the arrangements?"

"I'd sleep there Monday through Thursday. Come home to you Friday evening through Monday morning." She'd already told him about the place available.

He said, "I very much advise against this. But I see that you are going to do it, despite that. I only say this, Etta. If you have sexual contact with someone else, you won't be coming back here. We'll be split up, and you'll be on your own."

Etta was a little scared when he said that, because she knew he meant it. The house was his, from his grandmother, before they married. He could probably throw her out. But she was determined, and she thought that she would not stray.

They slept on it. The next day she rented the place for a month, with an option for a second - only another $50.

The atmosphere at the James house for the days left in January was somewhat chilly. Henry made absolutely no bones about his feelings. And those were that she was abandoning him, and perhaps their marriage. They had their normal sexual contacts. But Henry found himself going through the motions with her. He was withdrawing from Etta, emotionally. He saw it happening, and yet he couldn't stop it. And the emotional withdrawal manifested, in part, as less sexual desire.

Etta also felt something different, but she was unable properly to analyze what it was. She was excited by the prospect of her new adventure, and so, distracted about her relationship with Henry. She reasoned that she had no intention to cheat, so he had nothing to worry about. In short, she lapsed into the realm of magical thinking, and stayed there. That allowed her to miss all the clues about Henry's state.

February 1, 2022 came on a Tuesday. From Thursday the 27^th on, Etta was busy preparing for her partial move. She had clothing set aside, and some dishes, silverware, and other things she might need. The apartment was empty, being cleaned over the weekend. She moved some things there. Henry did not help in any way. Etta was a bit miffed by that, and by Henry's stiff attitude, which she now noticed. Their sex on that Sunday morning was perfunctory. She had an orgasm, but only one. Henry.....didn't come.

Etta went to work on that Monday, in a state of excitement. Brad noticed. He asked, "Hey, Etta, what's up with you? You seem excited."

She looked at him. She said, "I'm....just having a nice stretch, Brad." She didn't want the school to know about her new arrangement. Maybe Brad, but not the rest.

But Brad said, "Did you rent that apartment I saw on the computer? Are you leaving Henry?" He felt that he had to mention this, if he was going to get anywhere with her.

Etta was surprised, shocked even, that Brad knew so much. At first, she was dismayed. She said, "Brad, please....I...I would not like people here to know anything. I'm not leaving Henry. And....so you know, I am not having any sexual adventures. Not with you or anyone else. You're not invited to.....there."

"Where's there? I don't understand why you have a new place if you're not leaving Henry."

"You don't need to understand, Brad. It doesn't concern you."

He let it go. But he had no intention of letting it go long. He knew the address of her new pad, because he'd seen it on the computer. At lunch hour he went to the Safeway and bought a bottle of Champaign. He put it in his car for later. When the workday was over, he drove home and donned his seduction clothes. Chinos, boots, a tight T-shirt and a leather bomber jacket. He waited until about seven pm and drove to Etta's new building. He glanced at the mailboxes and saw which unit she was in. It was a security building, but a nice young woman was going in and he followed her. She looked him over and went to her ground floor door. He asked, "Is this the new tenant's?" Pointing his wine bottle at the other door.

"Yes. She just moved in. Are you going to welcome her?"

"Yep." Brad knocked. The woman watched from her doorway. Etta opened the door. She was dressed in yoga tights and a sweat shirt, cut off below the breast. Her hair was pulled back. She said, "Braaaad. I thought I....." She saw the other woman. She stepped back and allowed Brad in. The door closed.

The other woman's name was Sherri, with an I. She was intrigued by what she had seen. She sure liked the looks of the guy. And her new neighbor was hot, but older than he was.

Meanwhile, Henry had a bottle of Etta's favorite Chardonnay, lightly chilled as she liked it. He had walked over from their house, a little over a mile. It was a mild night. When he arrived at Etta's new building, he saw Brad going inside with a bag that undoubtedly contained a bottle. He knew Brad from socializing with Etta's co-workers. He had seen that Brad was interested. Now, there he was, on Etta's first night. He decided to wait a bit to see how long Brad stayed. He settled down against a tree that allowed him to see the front door of the building and also the patio entrance to Etta's ground floor apartment. He waited. After twenty minutes, had concluded that the marriage was probably over. He waited another ten minutes. Then he pulled out his cell phone and called Etta. She answered right away. Henry was surprised. He thought it would go to voicemail by then.

She said, "Hey, babe. I'm just settling in. Are you okay?"

"I'm right outside your building." He saw Etta come to her patio's sliding door. She had her phone. He held up the wine. She waved him in.

As he came through the patio door, he looked around for Brad. Not there. He asked, "Where's Brad?"

Etta laughed at him. While Henry had been anxiously waiting outside to see if Brad left, Etta had accepted the Champaign, and said, "Brad. This is a no. Understand? But thanks for the wine."

Brad said, "Etta, it's the least I could do for you. There's so much more."

Etta did feel a little tempted. The guy looked so good. Strong and handsome in his leather jacket. She felt herself wavering.

Brad could see that. He was accomplished at this. He felt like he had her on the ropes. Then there came a knock on the door.

Etta answered. It was the young woman from across the hall. She had a bottle of red wine. Etta knew a providential event when she saw one, and invited her in.

The woman eyed Brad, and said, "Hi. I thought I'd introduce myself, you know, before you two got too involved. I'm Sherri, with an I. I live across the hall. We spoke last week, briefly."

Etta said, "I'm Etta, and this is my work colleague, Brad. He was just leaving." Brad shuffled his feet, frustration showing. But he looked up and saw Sherri, with an I, looking at him like he was a big ice cream cone she'd like to lick. She actually licked her lips. Brad's cock, which had deflated when Etta answered the door to Sherri, stood right up again.

He thought, 'You can't always get what you want. But if you try, sometimes.....'

Brad smiled at Sherri. She licked her lips again. Etta thought, 'This woman is not subtle.' She was interested to see what happened between the two. Sherri was a tall, buxom redhead. She has a great smile, when she wasn't licking her lips. She was in her late twenties, it seemed to Etta. And, it also seemed to Etta that she was going to get laid - that very night. Etta was just a tad disappointed, and also just a tad jealous.

Sherri said, "Well, I have to be going. Maybe you and I can have coffee some day." Looking at Etta for about the first time in the visit.

Etta nodded. Brad said, "I guess I'm headed out as well." He spoke to Etta, "Congratulations on the new place. I hope to see all of it some time."

The two left.

Henry listened to this explanation, and said, "Okay. Well, you know I saw him come inside, and never saw him come out. So, I felt like all was lost."

Etta said, "I can see why you would believe that, but it still shows a lack of trust." Of course, when Etta had told the story, she had left out her temptation and being saved by the knock. That was something she'd have to consider later. Right then, she opened the white and poured them each a glass. They didn't finish them. She was hot for sex, and there was Henry. She took off her top. She smiled.

Then they christened the new bed - a double. The ceremony lasted two hours. After, they came out and finished the wine off.

Etta asked, "Are you mollified?"

Henry said, "That sure helped. But, no. I mean, the guy was here on your first day. How did he even know?"

"He was standing behind me when I was looking up apartments. I didn't know."

They talked for a short while longer and Henry left. He got home by midnight, and slept well.

Etta did not sleep so well. Thinking over her first day away, she realized that she may well have been saved by simple happenstance. She wasn't sure what she would have done with Brad, if Sherri, with an I, hadn't knocked, and taken him away. She knew this - if she had given in to Brad, Henry would have immediately discovered that, and her marriage would be on life support. She tossed and turned. She decided to take care of the Brad problem the next day at work.