The Consultant - Neighbor Wives Ch. 01

(Author's note: all characters in this story are pretty clearly over 18.

Many thanks for Ravenna for her help in making this a better story and for her continued patience with a newbie.)

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A Tale of Joanie

I love telecommuting. There have been various times in my professional life in IT, going back to the late '90s, when I was in a position to work from home and I've loved every one of them. Then I got laid off after over 20 years with one company and turned to consulting. Telecommuting really became a hit-or-miss proposition then, depending on the requirements of whatever contract I found myself on. Sometimes I'd need to spend a lot of time at a customer site, but I still managed long stretches of working from my home office. It really does not suit some folks, who need to be around other people all the time in order to function, but it worked perfectly for me. Don't get me wrong - I like people, a lot. But I like them in small doses and in situations where I have more control than I do in your typical business office.

After my divorce (luckily an amicable one), I had moved back to the college town where I'd done my undergrad work and bought a nice little house in a small neighborhood on the edge of town. I paid way too much for the privilege of living in such a desirable town but it was worth it and my needs in a house were not that great. In addition to a bedroom for me, I set up my home office in one bedroom and a small photography studio in another (I'm a fairly decent photographer and have managed to sell quite a few shots on the side).

After a few contracts that kept me out of town a lot for a couple of years, I landed a project that not only allowed me to work from home most of the time, it almost demanded it. I'd get up early (I mean *early*) and work with the customer in a couple of countries in Asia and then work late with their US West Coast team, leaving me the middle part of the day when I could take a break, get some exercise, take care of the house and the like. I was dealing with a bit of tendinitis so running wasn't an option at the moment, leading me to take long, brisk walks in the middle of the day.

In addition to helping keep me in reasonable shape, it also allowed me the opportunity to meet a lot of my neighbors. When I was a 9-to-5 commuter type, I assumed that everyone else was too and that neighborhoods were dead during most of the day. What I found was the complete opposite, although maybe my neighborhood and town were a bit different, given the large state university that was the dominant employer. Between the stay-at-home parents (most were moms but I think there were a couple of dads too), the shift workers (we had at least two nurses and a doctor that mostly worked nights) and the retirees, there was a surprisingly large amount of activity at all hours.

My daily walks were how I met Joanie. We passed each other during our walks for a couple of weeks, saying hello and occasionally stopping for a short chat, before we eventually decided to start walking together. Joanie was a great conversationalist and made the walks go by much more quickly than walking solo. And she was a treasure trove of neighborhood gossip, having lived there since it was first built out fifteen years or so before. She was a couple of years older than me, early 50s, but you'd swear she was at least a decade younger. Blonde-ish hair, usually in a no-nonsense pony tail, blue eyes, a wonderfully large, bouncy chest and an rear that made guys twenty years younger stare in wonder. She looked exactly like what she was - a hot soccer mom. Only now her daughter was in grad school in Boston and her son was in his first semester at Maryland on a partial lacrosse scholarship.

And she was bored. She and her husband had agreed early on that one of them was going to stay home with the kids and given their difference in salaries at the time, she was the one that agreed to put her career on hold. Mark, her husband, had done well enough to support the family, but it had required him to work long hours for years as well as spend a lot of time on the road. After a few conversations with her, it was clear, even though she'd never say it, that she was bored, lonely and frustrated. We talked a lot on our walks about ways she could return to the work force but, while she wouldn't come out and say it, that was not her biggest problem. That didn't become apparent until later.

We had gotten so regular on our walks after a couple of months that we'd taken to texting each other if we weren't going to make it, due to weather or illness or whatever. So I was surprised one warm Monday in late October that she wasn't out on her porch waiting for me as I walked by, despite not getting a text from her. I stood around for a few minutes, enjoying the Halloween decorations on the houses in her cul-de-sac, but I got a little worried when no Joanie appeared.

Her car was in the driveway, so I walked up onto her front porch and rang the doorbell. I heard rustling after a minute or two but still no Joanie. I rang again, a little more worried now, and I finally heard the lock being turned. The door opened about a foot, and I could see my friend, looking like she hadn't slept for crying all night. I knew that look well from my divorce. She looked up at me with her red, puffy eyes and said, "I just can't today." She started to close the door but I stopped it, firmly but hopefully not aggressively.

"Joanie, can we talk? What's going on?" I asked.

She didn't answer but she didn't close the door either. She turned and slowly made her way to the living room sofa, leaving me to close the door and follow her. She sat down on the edge of the sofa, staring into the distance with her hands in her lap. I sat down next to her and took her hands in mine and tried to catch her eye and said, "Honey, what's wrong? Talk to me."

She finally looked at me and shook her head. She sighed, "I really can't, Jim." And then she proceeded to open up anyway. A lot of things that I'd suspected started to come out. She was lonely, neglected, frustrated, bored, and really wasn't sure that it was worth it anymore. It wasn't clear what "it" was at first, but that became crystal as she continued. Mark was always out of town working and when he was home, he was too tired or too distracted or too something to give her much attention. He wasn't abusive, he wasn't mean - he just wasn't... anything. She admitted quietly that they hadn't had sex in over a year, even when they had gone on a vacation together, just the two of them without the kids, to try to rekindle something. It had taken Mark a couple of days to start to relax and then his boss had called him about a customer issue and that was all there was to that. She had let her inner voice convince her that she was of no use to anyone anymore, with her kids grown and her husband no longer interested in what she had to offer. She and Mark had gotten into a big fight before he flew out to Kansas City that morning, over something that she couldn't even remember, and she'd been crying ever since.

She had slumped back against the back of the sofa by now, looking at the ceiling instead of at me, just letting the words that she'd never said to anyone come tumbling out. She admitted to herself (and to me) that she'd almost stopped trying a few months before and having me to walk with was the only thing that got her dressed and out of the house most days. She looked over at me as she said that and managed a small smile.

"I guess I can talk about this after all," she said, her eyes finally softening a bit.

I'm a tech guy and problem solving is what I do for a living. I'm also old enough and experienced enough to know that troubleshooting was the last thing she wanted just then. She wanted to be heard and I was happy to be there for my friend, to let her talk through things she'd only barely allowed herself to think about. I took her hands back in mine and told her, "Honey, you are a beautiful, vital, incredible woman and don't you dare ever think otherwise."

That was either the exact right or exact wrong thing to say, as she pulled her hands back from mine and covered her face as she collapsed into sobs. I slid closer to her and put my arms around her, letting her cry herself out again. I've been told I'm a good hugger and I put those years of practice to good use, while she buried her face in my chest and let the tears flow. After a few minutes, she wound down to just a few sniffles and looked up at me with wounded eyes.

"That's the first time anyone's called me 'beautiful' in years," she said, her shoulders still hunched around her ears.

I came close to telling her what a fucking idiot I thought her husband was but instead replied, "Joanie, I never realized that Mark is legally blind. He covers it well!"

That got the beginnings of a smile from her, as well as some relaxation in her shoulders. "Thanks for that, Jim," she said with a sigh. "You're good people. But what the hell am I going to do?"

I backed off a little, telling her that I didn't think that with my track record I was the best person to give her marriage advice. But she persisted. "Who else am I going to talk to about this?"

I sighed and sat back deeper in the sofa. "If you're sure about this, I'm going to need some coffee. Maybe lots of it. And then maybe a beer or three," I said with a grin. She got up and headed off to the kitchen to take care of the caffeinated part of that request while I gathered my thoughts. I was treading on thin ice here - I really wanted to help but there were lots of ways I could make things worse.

Joanie returned with a tray and I stalled a little longer, adding sweetener and creamer despite always drinking my coffee black, just so I could kill a couple more seconds. I finally took a couple of slow sips and found the nerve to go on. "So. It should never all be left to only one partner to initiate intimacy, but... damn, that sounded clinical, didn't it?" I chuckled, relaxing a little bit. "Let me put that another way. When's the last time you tried to get Mark's pants off?"

Joanie's eyes grew wide at that and then she managed to look both amused and sad at the same time. "It's been a long time. Nothing was happening between us and he seemed to be uninterested, so I didn't really try anymore."

I replied, "And it shouldn't only be up to you, of course. But I'm going to make a suggestion. Mark's back Friday night, right? Kids aren't coming home for the weekend? Try seducing the hell out of him. Chill some wine, have some small bites of food that don't require cooking, wear your sexiest lingerie. If that doesn't work, then I hate to say it but maybe it's not going to happen with him any more and then you've got a bigger decision to make."

She looked thoughtful at that and I could tell she was thinking about what that bigger decision might mean. I also knew that trying my suggestion really meant putting herself out there, being vulnerable to being hurt again, and I wasn't sure if she was ready for that.

"I'm not even sure I have anything sexy like that anymore," she finally said. "I guess I should go take a look. Jim, I know it's a lot to ask and you were probably due back at work an hour ago, but could you wait? I'd like your feedback." I assured her I was fine and that I'd stay with her as long as she needed this afternoon.

She disappeared into the first-floor master bedroom and was gone for awhile. I could hear drawers being opened and closed, clothes hangers being pushed back and forth in a closet and then relative silence for awhile. I looked at my watch and realized that it was already almost 3 pm, so I pulled my phone out and canceled the meeting I was about to miss, claiming illness.

I looked up as I heard movement coming from the bedroom and saw Joanie coming through the doorway. She had found a long white sheer gown that brushed the floor, with a deep V neckline that accentuated her gorgeous breasts. Under some circumstances it would be translucent, but with the late afternoon October sun streaming in through the bedroom windows behind her, it highlighted her silhouette and made her look nakeder than naked. She had taken some time to fix up her hair as well and she looked, well, radiant. I realized that my throat had gone dry and I stood up, staring at her with my heart threatening to pound out of my chest. "I... uh... Joanie, I... you look incredible. Wow!"

I took a couple of hesitant steps towards her and she did the same, looking intently into my eyes as if trying to read my mind. We paused, and then the next thing I knew she was wrapped in my arms, her warm breasts pressed into my midsection and our lips locked together, tongues exploring each other in a frenzy. We stood that way for some minutes, our long deep kiss never breaking until we finally came up for air. She pulled back slightly, raised her eyebrows while looking up at me, and took one of my hands in hers as she started leading me to the bedroom. After a couple of steps she hesitated, then changed direction and towed me towards the stairs to the second floor.

I tried not to think too much, and instead focused on the beautiful ass that was floating up the stairs just in front of my face. We got to the top and she led me to what I assumed was her daughter's old room, given the way it was furnished and decorated. We stopped next to the bed and resumed the hugging and kissing that we'd started downstairs. We'd already done some of that, so it seemed safer to continue than to think about what might happen next. But Joanie had clearly made up her mind what she wanted and broke away long enough to pull my t-shirt up over my head before starting to work on the button and zipper on my shorts. I stepped out of them and managed to kick my shoes off while we resumed our kissing. I wrapped my arms around her again, pressing my now-freed erection against her as I held her tightly. She raised her arms in an invitation to remove her gown and as I pulled it over her head, she lowered herself down to her knees in front of me.

She wrapped her right hand around my cock, slowly stroking it while she looked up into my face and I caught the glimpse of a little grin. Without breaking eye contact, she leaned forward and started planting slow kisses my balls, one at a time, before slowly running her tongue between them. She reached her free hand around to grab my butt and pull me closer to her and hell, she might have been helping me stay upright at that point because my breath was getting ragged and I really couldn't feel any part of my body other than my cock and my balls.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and Joanie spread my legs apart so that she could get closer and resume her slow and steady kissing and stroking. She ran her tongue up the underside of my cock a few times and then went back to licking my balls while stroking me.

I was as tight as a bow string by that time and my nuts were as hard as golf balls. When Joanie started licking her way up my cock the next time, I took her head in both my hands and guided her up a little higher until her mouth was over my cock. She took just the head in her mouth at first, running her tongue around it a few times before flicking it over the bundle of nerves at the base of the tip. I guess she sensed that I couldn't take much of that, so she slowly slid her mouth down around my cock, taking it all in until her nose was crushed against my pubic hair. She stayed there for a few seconds while I felt her tongue exploring the base of my dick before pulling back up and starting a slow bobbing.

Sweet heavens, she felt good - better than anyone had in a very long time. I was amazed that I'd lasted as long as I had, but I could feel the point of no return approaching. "Baby, I'm going to cum," I half-whispered, expecting her to pull back. Instead she took me deep again before pulling back until just the head of my cock was in her mouth. She stroked me rapidly into her mouth and that was all she wrote as I shouted and came hard inside her. She kept her mouth glued to my spurting cock until I wound down, swallowing everything I'd had to give.

After I stopped spasming, she climbed up onto the bed with a big happy smile on her face - the first I'd seen all day. She lay down beside me and I rolled over to face her, raising up on my elbow so that I could kiss her again. I whispered, "that was incredible" into her ear as my free hand began exploring her breasts and her well-toned stomach. If I were trying to judge her age by her chest, I would have guessed 30 rather than over 50. She had wonderfully large round boobs with no sag and my stroking and massaging made it clear that they were all natural.

I devoted myself to exploring them first with my hands and then with my tongue and lips and teeth, freeing up my right hand to continue the journey south. I found her soft pubic hair and stopped to slide my fingers through it, gently pulling on it a bit as I got closer to her sex. She sighed and moved my mouth off her breast and back to her mouth so that we could resume our kissing while I continued my manual exploration. As my hand reached the top of her right thigh, she opened her legs, allowing me to stroke the insides of her thighs, which I did slowly and steadily, careful not to tickle. I was ready to move to the middle but just to make sure, she grabbed my hand with hers and moved it over to her pussy.

She was very wet and very warm and I tried to be insistent without rushing. I stroked the outside of her labia slowly but firmly, and could tell by her reaction that I was hitting the right spots. I stroked up to her clit but was not ready to stay there, wanting to tease her a little bit before doing any more. After a few minutes of stroking, I did move back up and slowly stroked her clit while continuing to kiss her deeply. She arched her back and pushed her hips up towards me, so I increased the pressure a bit but not the speed. I could feel her body respond as her orgasm built up until she was gripping my arm with both hands and screaming into my mouth that was still attached to hers in a deep kiss.

I slowed my movements as she came down a bit, but I didn't stop touching her. In fact, I slid my fingers down her pussy and entered her with my middle and ring fingers. We were still locked in a kiss and I could feel her pussy gripping my fingers as I slowly pushed them further into her. She was very wet and very tight and had resumed her death-grip on my arm. I curled my fingers up as I stroked inside her and apparently found the right spot, as she pulled her mouth away from mine and shrieked. "Fuuuuuucck! God don't stop don't stop right there don't stop..." I wouldn't have dreamed of it. I thought she was going to levitate off the bed as a bigger orgasm took her and her back arched as her cunt clamped down on my fingers. She was panting and shaking until she finally came down and I carefully pulled my fingers out of her and wrapped her in another big hug.

I was of course hard as a rock again but I was sure that we had just ended our unexpected tryst. I hoped Joanie wasn't going to feel guilty - I didn't think she had any reason to be. But I was afraid that our friendship was going to be over now. She looked up at me and took me completely by surprise. Again. "Fuck me, Jim. Don't make love to me or have sex with me. I want you to fuck me, as hard and as long as you can."

I thought a long time about my response - at least 3 milliseconds - before I rolled over on top of her. She raised her knees up to her chest and spread her thighs wide again to accommodate me and I slowly pushed into her sopping cunt. Slowly for my own benefit, as I wanted to feel every inch as my cock was surrounded by her warmth. But once all the way inside her, I raised up on my arms and got my hips under me and started stroking in and out of her with a steady rhythm, hard enough that my balls were slapping against her ass.