To Cheat or Not to Cheat?

This story is inspired by the story "Karen Ch 1 - 6" by Blue88 and was edited by angel love.

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Jenny and Mark had been married for about twenty years. Their son and daughter had left for college, which now left them time to enjoy each other.

But lately Mark had gotten a strange feeling something was not as it should be. Jenny in the last few days seemed a bit restless, and looked away when he talked to her. It had started the day he had seen her having lunch with a handsome man. They had not behaved like they were intimate, but she had not admitted to having this lunch. She said he must have mistaken her for another woman. He knew he had not, so why did she not tell the truth? If she had lunch with a customer, or a colleague she could just say so. Why the secrecy?

So one day after dinner, Jenny having cleared the table, Mark made the coffee. While sitting in the lounge making small talk, Mark asked what was on her mind.

"You have been so detached lately, Jenny. What is going on?"

She looked down and after being silent for some time she started talking. "Before I met you, I had a crush on a boy named John. We were in college together, but not in the same classes. We did not have the same friends. I met him briefly only a few times, and to be frank, I did not particularly like him. But I was in an unexplainable way attracted to him. Twice, I was about to go all the way with him, but we were interrupted by somebody, so we never made love. Both times I had a strange feeling that I had missed something, and I did not like the feeling. After college we went our separate ways, and about a year later I met you. I fell in love, and forgot all about John. That is, until a few days ago. John started to work for our company, and I met him in the lunch room Monday two weeks ago. This is very difficult for me to admit Mark, but meeting him upset me deeply. I was drawn towards him in a way I could not understand. As I said, I don't like him as a person, but there is something about him that is difficult to resist."

She made a pause, as there was a need to collect her thoughts, and then continued, "The last few days I have been desperate. I try to keep away from him, but I find it very hard to do just that. I have been thinking about this situation for some days now, and that is why I have been so detached and probably very difficult to live with during the last week. I have very mixed feelings, I love you - but I crave John, I am in deep emotional trouble as it is. But Mark, I need to get this out of my system. I'm going to have a brief affair with John. I'm sure that after a few weeks, or at most a couple of months, I can get over this insane lust I have for him and get back to my normal life. Mark, please understand that this has nothing to do with my love for you. It's strictly physical, like an itch that demands scratching."

Jenny was now extremely agitated. She was trembling and flushed and looked at Mark with her heart in her throat, awaiting his response. I was sitting quite still, not really believing what I heard. There was a tension in the air, almost electrical, me near the point of explosion. I was very mad indeed. Jenny was in between a state of hope of me understanding and most likely a scary feeling that I might not.

The thoughts raced through my head, and being a guy with a rather long fuse, I calmly counted to ten in my head. Had she misunderstood my kindness and mild behavior in such a way that I would accept the role as a cuckold? Did she have such little respect for me? I just saw images of my beloved Jenny lying on a bed while this John was plunging his cock deep in her, and she enjoying the fucking asking for more and harder. I hated the imaginary image and had great difficulties being calm about it.

"Please Mark, say something", she said.

"Jenny, please understand that you just fired a bomb, don't expect me to be able to come up with a sensible answer right away to such a statement. If I heard you right, you just said that you intended to have an affair with another man. You did not ask my permission, you just said you intended to have this affair with John. There are two possible responses to this, either I say no way I will accept this, or I say OK and turn my blind eye to the fact that you date and have a sexual relationship with another man for a number of weeks. How can you think this is good for our marriage?"

"As I said Mark, I just need to get this itch to go away so I can give all my undivided attention towards you, without anything to go in between; don't you see that?"

"No Jenny, not right away at any rate. I love you very much, and I had hoped we could be old together with a lot of good and pleasant memories. So instead of saying anything in haste that might be regretted later, I propose we go to bed and sleep on this. I will certainly have a problem having a peaceful night, so I will sleep in the guest room and ponder upon your statement. I will give you my response tomorrow evening after dinner, so we don't speak about it until then. But Jenny, you keep distance to John tomorrow at work. If he approaches you, find an excuse for not meeting or talking to him tomorrow. Let it be clear that you are too busy and that you only have time for him the next day. This is not - I repeat not - a request, but an order. Is that understood Jenny?"

She nodded her head in agreement to my proposal and order, and with a hug and a kiss we went to bed, Jenny in the master bedroom, and me in the guest room.

Jenny just lay there thinking for a spell. 'I was extremely nervous when I said I intended to have this affair. He had to understand that there would be a wedge between us if I did not get rid of this itch. But I saw in his eyes that he got both hurt and angry. Did I do the right thing? I cannot go behind his back, which would certainly break us apart if he then found out. I did not tell him the truth about the lunch I had with John, and I think he now understands that. Her thoughts were in turmoil as she in one moment hoped he would come back tomorrow and say OK, and in the next got an uneasy feeling he would forbid her to have anything to do with John. What should she do then? Comply or defy him?' At last she fell asleep - a restless sleep.

Mark unable to sleep at first thought, 'I was wide awake. Jenny's statement was shocking, and I had to find a way out that both could live with without regret. If I said ok – go ahead, I would be a cuckold both in my own and in others eyes. That was not acceptable. Just the mere thought of it made me upset. If I said no way to her, she could comply and stay away from John. Or she could go ahead with her announced affair, and the marriage would then certainly be over. The possibility of loosing Jenny frightened me. We had invested so much in each other, and I did not want to let go of her – but I would not accept the role of a cuckold. If she did comply with my wishes, we would still have our marriage, but her unfulfilled itch would lie there for a long time, maybe forever and cast a shadow over our relationship. It was a hopeless no win situation. Should I suggest a long holiday to rekindle our love for each other, and hope she would get over this itch? What in hell should I do??'

I was awake for hours thinking up all kinds of strategies, which when analyzed and turned over had flaws. Then suddenly I had it. This was the route to take. I turned around on my other side and decided I would sleep on it. I'd go through the idea at the office in the light of day. I might not get much work done, but I would get my secretary to reschedule tomorrow's program. At last I fell blissfully asleep.

We did our morning ritual as usual. Both had shadows under our eyes, but Jenny being a woman had the benefit of her cosmetics and could cover hers. Not many words were said, and we went off to work with "have a good day" and a kiss.

As predicted, my work that day was seriously ineffective, but I think nobody noticed except for Pat. She did reschedule my day so I got a lot of spare time for my thinking, and I ordered her to not put through calls unless she thought them very important.

I came home at my normal time. It looked like Jenny had amputated her day, because she was in the kitchen preparing a dinner more elaborate than on normal weekdays. It was probably her way of showing that she cared about me. The meal was well prepared and great. We ate with less chatting than usual, and it was quite obvious she was nervous. We took our coffee in the living room, and after we had settled down I cleared my throat, looking at Jenny.

"I presume you would like to hear my response to your statement last evening?"

She nodded, and I continued. "I have given it a lot of thought, and to be quite honest this has been my most difficult decision ever. I have looked upon your request – or rather announcement is a better way of describing it - and come to the conclusion that I am prepared to give my consent to your affair with John."

She gave me a broad smile and rose up to give me a hug. I lifted my flat hand towards her as a sign for her to wait and said "but not unconditionally. I understand that you can have a wish to be with another man and I am prepared to give in to your wish. However, you should also know that during our marriage I have met a number of women that have given me quite obvious signals that I could have them in an intimate way. I have never fallen for the temptation, because I hold our marriage sacred. But I have wondered what it would be like. Would it be a different experience, better or worse? So here is the deal. You go ahead with your venture with John. You do not tell me anything. You do not bring him to our home and you will be discreet. In this period I will sleep in the guest room, and you will occupy the master bedroom, and we will not sleep together or make love. In those weeks, or outmost as you say two months, I will stay away from all other women and be the faithful husband. When your itch is over you will request me to move back to the master bedroom. That will be your signal to me that the affair with John is over once and for all. Are you with me this far Jenny?"

She nodded, and I continued. "I move back to the master bedroom, but you will then occupy the guest room for twice the number of nights I have spent there. You will stay faithful to me, meeting no man outside our normal social activity. I on the other hand will be free to meet any woman or women as I choose for the duration of your stay in the guest room. I will not be requested to tell you what I do, and whom I meet. I will as you, not bring any partner to our house."

When I gave my condition, I could see her face change from happiness, to question, to sadness and I could even spot a little tear.

"Jenny, before you say anything, I will give you, as you gave me, a 24 hour thinking period before you accept or decline. But when you give me your answer tomorrow, please make sure you know what you are doing."

Jenny sat thinking. 'When Mark said OK I was filled with deep love for him, I just knew that he was the man to understand it would be good for us both. Then when he continued giving his conditions, it took me by surprise. It had not occurred to me it would have to work both ways. It dawned on me I had been utterly selfish, and I nearly started to cry when I saw in my mind the image of my lovely husband in the arms of a beautiful woman. As I heard him talking, like it was far - far away - I thought about him and me and all our lovely moments together. What have I done, what do I do to undo this situation? I was lost, and desperate. The very few minutes he used to explain his conditions felt like hours. Our life together passed revue, and I did not think about John for a fraction of a second. He was completely gone from my mind, as dew in sunshine.

Jenny looked at Mark and said, "I don't need 24 hours to think through this, I have already made up my mind, and I accept your proposal Mark".

Mark looked at Jenny in disbelief. He had never expected her to agree to his conditions, and her quick response was a great shock to him. He had no interest in dating other women, but he had thought that the idea of him doing so would make her realize that an affair with John would be a bad idea. He was obviously wrong. John meant more to her than he had imagined. In a bluer note he heard her continue talking, but he was like in a ball of cotton.

"Mark, Mark do you listen?" he heard.

"Yes Jenny, I heard you accept my proposal".

"Yes Mark, but I said more, I asked you to move back to the master bedroom tonight. I will move my things into the guest room immediately. I don't want to spend more than two nights there. Mark, I love you, I have been selfish and I deserve to stay there the next two nights. I will not ask what you intend doing the next 48 hours, but whatever you do I deserve the pain, just what I inflicted on you. Please Mark, move back to the master bedroom."

I looked up at her and smiled, "Yes I hear you, and if this is your wish I'll move back tonight. I was just preoccupied thinking about all the pretty women I could chase in a few weeks time. But you are giving me only one day and a night, which of course will limit my choices. That's OK Jenny, but I can already tell you, I will be late tomorrow and not home for dinner."

I was relieved, and quenched my immediate wish for her to remain in the master bedroom, and not use the day given me. But I was cruel enough to wish to inflict the pain on her, she had given me.

Epilogue.

One year and two days later I came up from the basement with a bottle of Dom Perignon 1993. I had saved it for a suitable occasion. Jenny asked me what the occasion was, and I told her that it was one year since she moved back to our master bedroom. She kissed me lovingly, and commented that my way of solving her problem was just proving I was a good judge of character, and I was a smart guy in addition being mild and gentle.

I opened the bottle and pouring two glasses said, "Jenny, one year ago I came home, smelling of Channel No. 5, a perfume you don't like. You found a lipstick smear on my collar which was not your color, correct?"

"Yes I did, but I never mentioned it, because we had an agreement. I will not try to convince you I did not care, or that I liked it. I hated it. But I deserved it and I loved you then, and I love you now. I was a fool."

"I love you too Jenny, and even if I am not supposed to tell you about that evening, I am going to whether you like it or not. You remember one of my good customers Phillip Carter, who comes to visit us every year. He is in town now, and I have invited him to dinner tomorrow. Like last year he has brought his wife Sharon, so I would like you to join us. Last year he told me he brought his wife the same day as you launched your bomb, so the question of you joining us just disappeared somehow. I went out without you, and we had a very pleasant evening. Before going home I asked Sharon if she could give me a dash of her perfume, freshen up her lipstick and give me a kiss on the neck. She obliged and both Sharon and Phillip wondered what it was all about. I told them it was a bet, - not the truth."

I could see Jenny's mind worked overtime, and before she could say anything I quickly continued, "I really wanted you to believe that I had a fling with another woman, and inflict pain. I knew that you had had one intimate encounter with John, and I was hurt. But now I don't care anymore. I am sorry that I hurt you, it was not necessary, so please forgive me. We are both humans, and those who never make mistakes are either without capacity to feel or not very creditable saints. I want a woman filled with love and feeling, I don't want a saint - but please don't do a thing like this again."

Jenny's eyes filled with loving tears, she grabbed Mark's hand and without words pulled him towards the bedroom. She slowly peeled her clothes off, and started to unbutton Mark's shirt. Lowering his trouser with the boxers, she went down on her knees and fondled his cock, now hard and pointing upwards. Her tongue licked the underside towards the tip, and the cock head disappeared into her mouth, her eyes never leaving his. Her hand cupped his scrotum, and her fingertips prodded around his anus. The intense feeling of being made love to and the stimulation brought him close to an early orgasm. He took hold of her shoulders, pulled her up to face him and they molded together in a long passionate kiss and embrace. Their love was deep and genuine. No words were spoken, both knowing they really would be old together.

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PS:

What was John's fate? Although not very important to the story; he ended up fooling around once too often with a colleague, his wife Susan divorced him, and he lost his job. As Susan was the big money earner, in addition to loosing his job, he also lost his social standing. He had to move, and is probably now chasing tarts in a small town somewhere.

The end.