The Husband Experience

He winced as he waited for a response, probably thinking I'd recoil at such a suggestion. Instead, I had a question of my own as I tried to reign in my excitement at the prospect. "What about your wife? Won't she be expecting you? And how will you explain to her tomorrow why you didn't come home tonight?"

He blushed and looked away for a moment before turning back to face me. "God, this is going to make me seem so presumptuous. I'm sorry."

I laughed nervously. "What?"

"I...I told Patty that I was going to be spending the night at my office, helping the team prepare for whatever unexpected curve ball might get thrown our way while the jury's out. I keep a roll away cot there for times like that." When I didn't respond right away, he must've taken my silence the wrong way. "I screwed up. I knew it! This is too much too fast, isn't it? I should go. I'm gonna go!"

I reached over and grabbed his arm before he could move. "Don't you dare! You're not leaving this bed until the sun comes up."

He smiled and leaned in to press his body against mine. "Good. Because, with the husband experience lasting until sunrise, I want to feel what it feels like to wake up next to you."

God, he was good. If he wasn't already married, I'd have him down at the Justice of the Peace's office tonight!

After making out for a little while longer and whispering sweet nothings to each other with some dirty nothings thrown in for good measure, we fell asleep in my bed.

When morning arrived...at least I think it was morning. I hadn't opened my eyes yet, I absent-mindedly started moving my arms around. It was only then that it dawned on me that I'd had a guest in my bed overnight...and I didn't feel him next to me anymore, not even within arm's reach. After such a beautiful and passionate night together, he hadn't done the douchey thing of sneaking out the front door before I woke up, had he? Before I could open my eyes and start to figure out what was going on, I felt a hand touch my lower leg, which was sticking out from under the top sheet. I finally opened my eyes to see him sitting on the edge of my bed fully-dressed, looking at me with a sweet smile on his face.

"Hey... Good morning," I barely croaked out in a sleepy voice. "What time is it?"

"Quarter to eight. I need to get going, but I'm glad you woke up so that I could say goodbye...and thank you."

"Thank you? For what? We've been seeing each other for over five years now."

"Not like last night. Last night was amazing...better than anything that I could've asked or hoped for when I texted you last minute yesterday afternoon. If nothing else, you showed last night that you actually care about me. As wonderful as everything else was, I think that's the part that means the most to me. Thank you, Dan."

He got up and leaned down to kiss me when I put my hand up. "Ugh! I haven't brushed my teeth yet! You don't want to kiss me with morning breath."

He grinned, said, "I don't care," and proceeded to plant a sweet and soft kiss on my lips.

The morning cobwebs in my head were finally starting to wear off and it was then that I noticed he was wearing different clothes than he arrived in yesterday. "You have new clothes on," I observed out loud in what came out as halfway between a question and a statement.

"I always keep a couple changes of clothes and spare toiletries in my car in case of a work emergency. By the way," he gestured to my nightstand, "I made you a cup of coffee."

"Thanks. Did you have some too?"

"I put mine in a to-go cup."

I got out of bed, put a pair of shorts on, grabbed the coffee mug, and followed him out to the front door. He grabbed the suit jacket he'd brought in from his car and put it on. As good to me as he looked out of clothes, this man looked even better dressed in a sharp suit. "By the way, I was wondering... I mean, this thing could go on for days...weeks. There's no telling how long it'll be before a verdict comes down. You were so good to me last night. I want to return the favor. What would you say to a repeat of the husband experience tonight...with a decided focus on you?'

As hard as I tried to put on a good poker face, I couldn't. I was overjoyed at the prospect of another night with him. "That sounds like a great idea to me."

"You sure? We set up boundaries five years ago for what this thing between us was going to be. I don't want to overstep."

I reached over and ran my hand over his shirt-covered chest, underneath his suit jacket. "Don't be silly. I'm looking forward to it. But wait. What about your wife? She'll be suspicious, won't she?"

"Don't worry about that. I'm going to tell her I'm staying at the office until this whole thing's over."

"You don't think she'll decide to drop by and surprise you...bring you a home-cooked meal and spend at least a few minutes with you?"

He snorted. "You don't know Patty. In twenty years of marriage, I can't tell you how many times I've had to pull all-nighters - or stay for several days straight - at my office. Not once has she dropped by to see me and offer support. Trust me. I'll be in the clear."

"Well, then... I guess the husband experience continues."

He grinned at me and leaned in for another kiss. "Music to my ears." He gave me another quick kiss. "I'd better get going. I've probably got a mountain of work ahead of me today. See you tonight."

"I can't wait."

We smiled at each other one last time, then he was out the door. I spent most of the rest of the day on a natural high. I was trying not to get ahead of myself. This was just something fun and an outlet to relieve stress for him. I was probably no more special to him than the next person...and certainly not worthy of him leaving his wife, no matter how coldly she seemed to treat him. That said, I was like a teenager the entire day, giggling aloud at different times during the day, knowing that I'd be seeing him again later.

Along about 3 o'clock, my phone buzzed with an alert. I was stunned when I checked it to see that it was an urgent news update. A verdict already?! I didn't know whether or not that was a good thing or a sign of bad news. I turned the TV on and started watching the coverage. Of course, he wasn't on TV, not even when the verdict was read. I was able to release a great sigh of gratitude and relief. I do have to selfishly admit that a small part of me was disappointed that he wasn't on TV, but it was understandable.

After a while, I flipped the TV off and, in the silence of my apartment, it began to occur to me that this unexpected development was most likely going to cause a huge change to our plans tonight. This morning, as far as we knew, it could be a week or more before a resolution came. Now, he almost certainly wouldn't be able to see me tonight. I was crestfallen. But again, trying to ward off the "side piece blues," I understood. Such was the existence of a fuck buddy.

For the next couple hours, I futzed around my apartment, surfing the internet, taking care of a few odds and ends, doing anything to keep my mind occupied. At times, I expected to hear my phone buzz with an "I'm sorry. We have to cancel tonight" text. But none ever came. I didn't dare text him, certain that he'd be busy wrapping things up and probably talking and texting with colleagues, friends, and other well-wishers congratulating him.

It was almost 7 o'clock when I decided I needed to get over myself and just operate for the rest of the night like I wasn't going to be seeing him. I'd probably hear from him in a couple weeks with an apology, which would be fine I guess.

I grabbed by keys off of the dining room table and prepared to head out and get some fast food drive thru to bring home for a night of watching TV. I put my hand on the doorknob, opened the door, and surprisingly enough, came face-to-face with him. He was standing in front of me with a carry out bag in one hand and his fist in the air, obviously preparing to knock on the door and surprised to see me standing in front of him before he'd had a chance to knock.

To be continued?