Missing Spark in San Diego

My first work trip of 2021 was a rough one. I used to love traveling for work, but post-pandemic travel was not the same as I remembered. My day began with a miserable 3-hour flight that included anxious traveling families, overworked flight attendants and passengers fighting about masks. I was expecting to land into sunny San Diego with some fresh air, but was instead greeted with unlucky rain and a smelly cab to my beachside hotel.

Walking into the hotel lobby, I was taken aback by the sheer amount of activity. There were 2 staff members working the front desk and a long line of impatient guests in the regular check-in queue. I let out a big sigh and got into the line. I passed the time by observing the rest of the crowd penned in with me. One thing that's hard to do in quarantine is people watch.

The couple 6 feet in front me, were quiet, but gave off interesting vibes. A bit of tension that I couldn't quite place. My judging stopped, however, as I started to look more at the wife as she piqued my interest. She was clad in summery, J Crew-like clothes. Her ass looked amazing in her coral colored shorts and the tone of her legs made me think she used to be an athlete. I was trying to guess whether she played soccer or volleyball when suddenly all of us were at the front of the line. The couple went to the right side of the counter, and I was summoned to the left.

"Hello and welcome to San Diego" a woman behind the desk said in a cheery tone.

"Hi Jennifer" I said, quickly peeking at her name tag. "I'm Patrick Maris and I'm checking in for the week. My admin reserved a room for me and I'm slated to be here through next Sunday.

"Welcome, Mr. Maris," she said cheerfully. "We're grateful for your business and glad to see you back again. We apologize for the commotion, and not having our diamond lane open. Last night we had a leak in the east side of the hotel and all those rooms are now out of service. We're trying to move people around if possible."

"Not a problem," I lied. "What's a little wait after a year of not traveling?" Luckily she didn't seem to pick up on my snark.

"We appreciate it," she said while quickly typing into her computer. "So, the business suite that was booked by your admin is no longer available. But in a lucky turn of events, we do have a suite on the penthouse floor open and you qualify thanks to points earned in past years."

"Hey that is finally a positive for the day," I said happily. My brief happiness faded with the opposite conversation next to me.

"I'm sorry Mr. Jones, the suite you booked is no longer available," the other woman behind the counter said with a frown on her face. "I promise you, if there was anything I could do, I would. We do have a smaller room on the 2nd floor with a twin bed available if you'd like."

The man she was speaking with turned to look at his wife, and lowered his head, dejected. "It's just our luck, Kate," he whispered. "If there was ever a sign, this is it."

She reached her hand out in comfort and gently stroked his arm. "It's okay, Jason," she said. "It's all going to be okay."

He turned back to the front desk. "Please, this is our 10 year anniversary and we actually spent our honeymoon here. We're here for a week, are we able to get even some nights in a real room?"

"Sorry" was all the woman could muster as she shook her head.

A memory, a very distant memory wormed it's way into the front of my brain and generated an aching pit in my stomach. "Shit," I muttered to myself. I was overcome with an urge to help.

"Actually, wait," I piped up. Everyone's attention flipped towards me. "Jennifer just gave me one of the few penthouse suites, and I really don't need it. I'm just one person and most days I'll be gone visiting clients. Is there anyway we can switch? They take mine and I'll take the single room? Sounds like we're both here for 7 nights, so it should line up easily."

"Mr. Maris, that's very generous," Jennifer said. "The single rooms are normally just for staff members, but we're offering them out to help ease the burden on our guests. This big of a room switch isn't something I can even do in the system", she said solemnly.

I turned and looked at the couple. "Sorry for eavesdropping, but I overheard your names as Jason and Kate, right? I asked.

"Yes," they said in near unison.

"Well, if she can't figure out a way, then let's just switch keys," I said. Turning back to the desk, "there's nothing wrong with Jason, Kate and I just switching rooms on our own accord, right?"

"Well, I guess not," is all that Jennifer could reply with. "I mean, you are liable for any damages to your registered room, but that's the only issue I can think of."

"Then perfect, it's settled," I said smiling. "Please enjoy it, I hope this helps anyway it can. Just no rock-and-roll level damage, okay?" Smiles etched across their faces as Kate reached her hand towards me and I grasped it back. Wow, I thought, it's been so long since I've shook anyone's hand!

"That's is so, very sweet of you," she said. Her blue eyes fixated into mine. I've always been a sucker for brunettes and her wavy, almost curly chestnut hair brought me back to past lovers and deeper into her gaze. "And I overheard you say your name is Mr. Maris."

"Yes," I said, still holding her hand. "But you can call me Pat."

"Nice to meet you, Pat," she said finally withdrawing her hand. "You see honey" she said to her husband, "maybe we just needed someone to help turn things around."

"Sounds like what I said last week", he said with a chuckle. "Again, thank you, Pat. Hopefully we'll see you around here."

"We're all here for a week, so I'm sure we will," I said. "Happy Anniversary."

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Eventually the rain subsided, so I spent my Sunday walking the shoreline by myself before returning to the hotel's bar for some food and drinks. After dinner and a couple beers, I paid my tab and decided to turn in early for the night. As I walked towards the exit, I heard a voice behind me yell out "Pat!" I looked over my shoulder and saw Jason and Kate having a drink at a hightop table.

"Hey you two," I called out, "good to see you again." I slowed but kept moving towards the door.

"Pat!" Jason called. "Get back here and let us buy you a drink! It's the least we can do after you were so generous earlier. The suite you gave is immaculate!"

I turned back and said, "Thanks for the offer, but..." I was stopped in my tracks when I really looked at Kate. She had changed and looked radiant in a blue sundress that played off her tan, freckled skin beautifully. The hightop table let my eyes take in her legs again as the hem of thin dress sat at her mid-thigh.

"Please!?" she called back sweetly.

"Ok, you got me," I said, shaking my head. "I can make time for one more. But you sure you want an interloper on an anniversary trip?"

"You're the only stranger we're inviting to join us, we promise," Kate said with a smile.

For the next while, we briefly chatted on our backgrounds, families and careers. They were college sweethearts before marriage, currently living in Sacramento with 2 kids. Kate, a 2nd grade teacher and Jason, an IT systems manager. I gave them the overview of my up-and-coming Midwestern city, the firm I owned, and why I was in town. To their credit, they did a great job feigning interest. The conversation was mostly mundane, but enjoyable.

I took the last swig of my beer and stood up. "Thank you both for the drink and sharing your time, I'm going to leave you to each other. Happy Anniversary again," I said with a nod and turned to the exit.

"Wait!" Jason said quickly. "Before you go, Pat, would you like to um, you know, um join us upstairs?" His question made his voice crack and his face radiated heat.

I inhaled in surprise and my eyes darted back between the two of them. "I can be dense as shit sometimes," I quipped, "but do you mean what I think you mean!?"

"Umm, well, yeah," he bumbled. "With us. Well, really, I mean with Kate, not actually with me."

"Are you guys swingers!?" I asked abrubtly. The words fell out of my mouth before I contemplated the meaning or my tone. Kate's warmth faded at this question and I immediately regretted it.

"No, no, no," Jason said. "This would actually be our first time doing something like this."

"Ohhhh," I exhaled. My eyes glued to Kate as she met my gaze and looked away. "I'm, really, really sorry, but I'm not your guy." I turned and headed straight for the door. My body was in conflict between trying to remove itself from the situation while equally my fighting desire for Kate that had been building. This damn memory that started earlier, and all its guilt had won out. Right before I made it to the lobby entrance a terrible realization washed over me: I had forgotten my phone at the table. My phone was my lifeline and I had no choice, but to go back.

When I neared the table I saw both Kate and Jason looking down into their drinks. The lighting in the room hid their embarrassment but their body language was hard to ignore.

I gingerly walked to the edge of the table, but a rush of the desire I was fighting encouraged me to reengage with them. "Tell me why," I said with emphasis on the last word.

They looked up in surprise, Kate quickly diverted her gaze while Jason attempted eye contact. "I...I'm not exactly sure where to begin," he started. "It's something we're still working through, if you know what I mean?"

"And you" I said as I nodded towards Kate.

She gritted her teeth and said "why do you care!?" That burst of energy and defiance seemed to surprise us all. "If you're not interested then don't make me feel worse than I already do."

I took a deep breath and slowly pulled my chair back out and carefully sat. "I'll say this quick to not waste your time. I never said I wasn't interested. I just have zero interest in causing a marriage to..."

Kate retorted, "You know nothing about our marriage."

"Well, you're right, I guess" I said. I paused and waited to see if either had a reply. Instead, the pause increased the tension in the air. "Ok fine," I began. " I am interested, but before committing to anything serious I'd like to hear more about what each of you is looking for. Jason, would you mind giving me like 15 minutes alone with Kate? Then I'd want the same time alone with you."

Jason pondered the request and glanced over at Kate. She stayed silent but her body appeared to beg him not to go. To my surprise, he slowly stood up and said, "I guess I'll go for a walk outside. I promise to be back soon." Before he left, he leaned down and kissed Kate on the top of her head, which she worked hard to not acknowledge.

We both silently watched him walk through the door to the lobby until he was out of sight. When I looked back at Kate, she was absentmindedly peeling the label off her beer. Even through her clenched jaws her beauty stood out.

I decided to take the lead. "The way I see it, we can do one of two things," I told her. "One, we let the tension fill this void and dance around the topic till your husband gets back. Or two, we decide to jump in feet first and use this time."

Kate looked into my eyes but remained silent. Her eyes carried the edge still — at any moment I thought she could lash at me or break into tears.

"Well, I'll keep talking then," I said softly. "What I want to know is what you'd like to get out of this. Not you as in 'you and Jason' but you as in just you. Is it pleasure you're seeking? Or a change of pace?"

Still no response from her and nothing that said she was on the verge of speaking either. Finally it dawned on me. "Wait, you're really mad at me," I guessed, "aren't you?"

"Of course I'm mad" she hissed. "At you and at Jason!"

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" I said. "Is it because this isn't what you want? Do you feel forced into taking this step?" I quizzed.

"No, that's not it either," she said as she let out a big sigh. "Today just started so poorly. Actually, the last while has been poor. Our marriage was rocky, we then had a bad trip here and then the stress in the lobby and then you appeared, out of nowhere. You came as the answer to ease our trip and then the answer to what Jason thinks is missing." She paused for a bit before continuing, "20 minutes ago I felt sexy and desirable to maybe even two men and now..." her voice trailed. "Now I feel like I'm just a middle aged mom that's unwanted." Her eyes welled with tears, but she fought them back. "I just want to feel sexy, desired, taken with lust. Maybe even a little slutty, even though that's not PC to say anymore."

"Kate," I said slowly. "If you weren't married, I'd love nothing more than trying to woo you out of your clothes and into my bed", I said with emphasis on the word 'my.' "It's just that I believe in not wrecking a marriage. You two may have your struggles, but I want no part in the destruction. Another place, another time I could explain more, but it's the truth."

"Hmmph" she replied before pausing. The longer her pause went, the softer her face appeared. "Well that's seemingly noble of you, but I'm sure you are just saying that," she muttered.

"Not true," i quickly retorted. "Your lips look delightful to kiss, your curves look enticing to explore and the radiance of your being is the only thing that brought me back to talk. If we end up doing this, I'm doing it because I want the joy of experiencing you. All of you. If you want to feel a little slutty then I want to be the one to fuck you like one." I said with passion.

That brought a wry smile to her face and her gaze up to meet mine. "Whenever Jason gets back, he'll probably have a better answer for you on how this helps, not hurts our marriage," she said.

"And I promise to listen to him too," I said. "One last question for you...do you want to be with me? Hopefully I'm still on the right side of the hill for you, but I don't quite meet the cover of a romance novel."

Kate paused and gave a slow, but deliberate, "yes." The single word hung in the air. "Your graciousness today, followed by the way your hand felt in mine makes me say yes."

"Ok then, that's all I need to hear from you," I said. With that we looked up and saw Jason slowly walking back inside and towards us.

"One more quick thing before he's back," she said in a low voice. "I'm embarrassed to say I don't have any fancy clothes or sexy lingerie for an occasion like this. The kids were watching us pack and I was hesitant to throw anything risqué in."

"You need nothing of the sort," I said quickly. "Wear whatever you have that makes you feel sexy. Isn't that what this is all really about?" I said with a smile. "Besides, you've looked stunning each time I've laid eyes on you."

"You're right," she said. "I'll dig something up if you get to a final yes."

With that, Jason pulled out his chair and sat back down and exclaimed, "my turn to be interviewed, right?"

Kate got up and exited the same way Jason walked in. Right before walking outside, she turned and gave us both the slightest of grins.

Jason turned to towards me and jumped right into the topic. "First things first," he said. "I love my wife. Kate has been a rock by my side through all our ups and downs. She's a great companion, wonderful mother to our kids and just fun to be around. The last thing in the world I want is a divorce or anything separating us."

"Okay," I said nodding. "But.."

"Hold on you've got to let me finish, Pat," he said. "Sex is an issue, hell it's likely our only issue and I'm guessing it's an issue for a lot of couples at our stage of life. We both want it, we both still feel desire, but the spark that gets it going is what's missing."

"Okay, I'm listening. I'm promise," I said reassuringly.

"A couple years ago, our sex life slowed down to a crawl after our youngest was born," he said. "On our last anniversary trip we tried to spice things up by going to a nude beach and messing around. At some point, I noticed an old guy watching us from afar in the dunes and it was like a rocket went off inside my body."

"So the voyeur helped then?" I asked. "And are you choosing me cause I'm older like him?"

"First, you're what, mid-40's? he asked.

"Yeah, you have me pegged correctly," I said. "Was it the salt around my ears that gave me away?" I asked.

"Hah, perhaps," he chuckled. "Kate and I are in our mid-30's, so this age gap feels like nothing," he said. "Besides the guy in the dunes was definitely in retirement." We both laughed for some reason at that - blame it on the situation.

"Now to your question on did the voyeur help? Well yes, but not the way you're likely thinking it did," he responded. "In that moment, my brain visualized me watching that old guy having sex with Kate while I passively watched them fuck. I know that's messed up and probably perverted, but it's the truth. Our sex improved the rest of that trip as it felt like I was trying to win her back. It brought out some competitive streak inside of me that made me a better lover for Kate. Every time I needed some additional help, I brought back that initial dream. The problem is it's proving to be less helpful as time goes on."

"Hmmm," I said. "Does Kate know this?"

"Yes, it's a recent development though," he said. "We've actually been on our anniversary trip for a week already, my parents agreed to watch the kids for 2 weeks. Last week we were in Napa and after a rough night I finally came clean to her. After talking through things we decided to change our trip to go somewhere different, and settled on a return trip to where we had our honeymoon."

"Ahh that makes more sense now, and explains your late booking on the suite, huh?" I said.

"You got it," he replied, with his voice trailing off.

"Okay, so I think we're on the same page now as to how you got to this point," I said. "But just to button this up. You want to watch Kate with someone else in hopes that it brings some spice to your sexual appetite. My questions at this point are two-fold: one, what specifically do you want to see and two, does Kate want the same thing?"

"Ok we're progressing here," he said. "First, I want to watch her sexual side come out, in all her glory. I don't think there's a limit on anything at this point, I just want to see her enjoy this. But, I guess to be clear, I don't want to humiliated, I don't want to be cuckolded. I just want to watch her be sexy and then get her back afterwards." With that he stopped talking to gauge my reaction.

"Those are all very fair asks," I said slowly. "You want to share, more than have her taken from you."

Jason smiled at that. "Yes, I'm hoping to toe the line between sexy and respectful, if you can believe that," he said.

"Yes, I can agree to that," I responded. "But what about Kate's needs or wants?"

"I think my honesty was a big surprise for her," he said. "But I think she's in a similar mindset as me: we should exhaust all options before we head down the path to divorce. Plus, I think it turns her on. The other night I was having trouble getting fully hard, so instead I rubbed her back while she masturbated to a big orgasm. It was really hot for both of us."

"Oh I bet," I said smiling. I looked at my watch and realized we still had a few minutes before Kate was due back. "Go outside and get her," I said. "I'm ready to talk." Jason bounced out of his seat and returned back with Kate quickly.

Once they were sitting, I told them emphatically, "I'm in," which brought smiles around the table. "I'm going to set a few ground rules from my side and feel free to add any if you'd like." With that, I started riffing from the thoughts bouncing around in my head. "First, nothing tonight. We've all be drinking, it's been a long day, and I want to give you both the opportunity to change your minds."