Two Rings and New Beginnings

His fifth orgasm with her was, by far, the least dramatic. A small amount of liquid oozed out from the tip of his cock, as opposed to gushing like a fountain. The woman nodded, clearly proud of herself, and wiped him once more with the washcloth. The pair stood for a short while longer, letting the hot water rain down over their sweet nude embrace, before she switched the shower off.

The white hotel towels were comfortably fluffy as they dried their soaking bodies. The woman removed a bathrobe from the closet. It was a stark contrast to the sheer lingerie she'd been in the night before, but she was no less beautiful in it. He watched appreciatively as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She'd already laid his clothes out on the padded chair.

Jay dressed in silence, wanting these few remaining moments with her to last as long as they could. She waited patiently until he was done, then stood up, took hold of his hand, and walked him toward the hotel room door.

He stopped before opening it, and looked into her lovely face. A whisper was all he could manage, "Thank you... thank you so so much."

She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, "You're very welcome, Sweetie."

He had to swallow a lump in his throat as they pulled away. She held eye contact for a few wonderful seconds before she opened the door. Obediently, he stepped out into the hallway. As the door shut behind him, he had a strange realization, one that made him laugh at himself. He didn't know the woman's name. He'd spent the most intensely sexual night of his life with this woman and he didn't even know her name.

*****

Jay walked into the house to see his wife sitting at the table in the same spot she'd been in when he'd left her. If not for her change of clothes, he might have assumed she'd stayed there all night. Her fingers wrapped around a steaming mug of coffee, and this time she looked up to see him. Her smile seemed quite authentic. He also noticed that his wedding ring was on the table where he'd left it, only now her ring lay right beside it.

"Hi Sam," he said as he sat down.

"Hi Jay," she answered quietly. She studied him a moment, as though searching for something. "You look different."

"How so?"

"You're... relaxed. More comfortable."

He nodded contemplatively. "I feel different." Again, the couple sat in silence, but the quiet didn't have the same heavy feeling it had the night before.

When she finally did speak, it was without preamble. "I never meant to use you?"

His head tilted in curiosity, "Use me?"

"I wasn't with you just for money."

"Ah," he leaned his head back, now comprehending her meaning but letting her continue.

"When we got together, I was so... scared. All the time I was scared of everything collapsing underneath me. I felt like nothing I had was really mine."

He nodded in agreement, "I know you were scared, Hon." It had been heartbreaking to him seeing her that way.

"I met you and I really liked you and the longer we were together, the more I realized that you really are the same person all the time. The same great... really great guy. You never tried to manipulate me or put on some kind of act. You've always just been you, and I love that about you. I love how safe I have always felt when I'm with you."

Jay's jaw clenched, and he could feel tears welling in the corner of his eyes, "But?"

Sam's eyes were tearing up also, "But there's always been... something just not there. Some spark I just... don't feel."

He inhaled deeply through his nose. What she was telling him didn't come as a surprise, but that didn't make it easy to hear out loud.

"I don't want to think of myself as a gold digger. If someone had asked me, I'd have said that money had nothing to do with me being with you... but... it did. I didn't even realize it back then but being with you meant that I was going to be comfortable. It meant I wasn't going to just lose my home because I couldn't pay bills and some catastrophe like the fridge breaking down wasn't going to upend my whole life. And, yeah... it meant I'd get to have a car instead of riding the bus to some job awful job. You... gave me a life that I... was never going to be able to afford on my own. And I know, I know what an absolutely terrible person that makes me sound like. I know and I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that..."

He cut her off abruptly, "You're not a terrible person."

She'd been starting to speak more quickly as the words came pouring out of her, but she forced herself to pause for a breath, "I'm not?"

He shook his head, "No. And you're not a gold digger either. I know what things were like for you before we met. I don't think bad about you for... wanting a more comfortable lifestyle."

Sam closed her eyes, willing herself to accept his words, "Thank you."

"But now..." Jay was jumping to the next logical point in the conversation, "You're in a very different situation than you were back then."

"How was last night?"

His eyes widened briefly at the apparently abrupt change in topic, but he answered truthfully. "It was... wonderful. She wasn't like... anyone I've ever been with."

Again, his wife's smile was sincere, "You deserve that, you know? You deserve to have it be all about you sometimes. You deserve to have a woman completely pamper and please you."

It seemed the couple was communicating so much in each moment they were quiet, "That was... quite the gift."

"It really meant a lot to me to be able to give you something like that. I'm glad it was so special."

Jay sighed. Part of him just wanted to stay in the silence. It was sweet and comfortable and he knew that his next question might break this moment like a bubble, but it was a question that had to be asked. "What happens now?"

Sam looked down at the table, "I don't want to hurt you, Jay. I never want to hurt you. You've been so good to me."

"But... this isn't what you want."

She let the statement sink in a while. "I've never really been able to think about what I want. I mean... not really. I've never had some big plans for my future or daydreams of my perfect life before..."

"But now?" he continued to prompt her to go on.

"Now... suddenly... I feel like I could have anything I want. I don't even know what that is yet... but I want to figure it out."

"You should."

"Yeah?"

"Absolutely... Sam, right now, you've got the opportunity for a completely new beginning. You're right. You can have whatever kind of life you want to have. Of course you should go for it."

She reached her hand across the table and took hold of his. They held one another in supportive, caring intimacy, but perhaps for the first time, it was the closeness of friends. She looked down and saw the pair of rings sitting not far away from their intertwined fingers. Somehow, the image seemed perfectly fitting to her. "Jay, I am always going to be grateful to you, for everything."

He swallowed the lump in his throat, "And I am always going to want you to be happy. Always."

*****

As soon as she swiped the key to her stateroom, Sam was already pulling the man eagerly inside. She'd met him about an hour before, in the club on the third deck, but she was about to get to know him very well. She kissed him with almost forceful enthusiasm as she clawed at his torso.

The man pulled away just long enough to remove his shirt and discard it on the couch, then he quickly returned to the kiss. His hands reached around to squeeze her ass through her small black dress. Sam moaned into the man's mouth as she ran her hands across the dark skin of his abdomen. The feel of his hard muscles beneath her touch made her even more wet than she already was. She couldn't remember ever feeling this turned on.

As good as his fit stomach felt to touch, she wasn't satisfied with that. She reached down and squeezed the bulge in his shorts. The sensation made her pull away from the intense kiss. She looked down in mild confusion. The man grinned, bright white teeth above the trim black beard on his chin. Evidently, he'd seen this reaction in a woman before. With absolute, complete confidence, he pulled down his shorts and dropped them to the floor.

Sam's eyes and her mouth opened wide. It was, by a wide margin, the largest penis she'd ever seen. She was already thinking of how she'd describe this to her girlfriends later. "LOOK at that fucking thing."

The man laughed, flexing his abs so the massive cock bounced in the air, "You gonna a whole lot more than look at it, Girl."

She grinned, her enthusiasm genuine, and kneeled down on the soft carpet by her bed. His thick shaft was plenty long enough for both of her hands to wrap around. She lifted it to her lips and kissed him, then took his dark swollen head into her mouth. She wasn't about to try and fit more of that monster in, but this was just fine. She twisted her hands in opposite directions, quickly finding the perfect rhythm. She looked up to see his head go back, his Adam's apple moving in response to her. She couldn't help but feel proud of herself as her tongue caressed the bottom of his head.

The man's hand found its way to her hair. He took hold of her, not pulling but certainly gripping her. She flicked her tongue a little harder and his hand began to travel lower. He put some pressure on her neck, not enough to choke her, but it was a gesture of dominance... and she thought it was sexy as hell. He took her breast in a handful and squeezed her hard through the thin fabric of the dress.

Taking this as a cue, Sam stood up and lifted her dress over her head. She'd worn nothing beneath that night, knowing she'd want to be naked quickly once the time came. She was far from disappointed. She kissed him again and felt his firm grasp on her bare hips. That huge cock was pressing against her, but then she felt him forcing her to move. She wouldn't have had the strength to resist him in that moment, but she had no intention of resisting. He turned her around roughly so she faced the bed.

Sam felt a hard slap against the cheek of her ass. The gasp she let out was a mix of shock, pain and pleasure all in one. The experience of feeling him without being able to see him was somehow even more exhilarating. His hand pressed firmly against her back, pushing her forward. She complied quickly, crawling on the bed on her hands and knees so her ass was on full display for him. The next thing she felt was the head of that monster cock teasing her soaking wet pussy lips. She moaned aloud with hungry anticipation. He lifted his cock a little higher and began to push instead against her tight anus. That, she was NOT ready for, "Nuh huh," she managed to protest through her heavy breathing. For a single instant, she felt panic rise. In this position she wouldn't be able to stop him if he tried to force it. Fortunately, however, he did not.

His cock slid back down to part the lips of her sex. It was the hardest she'd ever moaned as her lips slowly swallowed him inside. Her body was definitely not used to someone so big, but she did manage to take all of him. She felt so intensely full, like he occupied every part of her insides. She continued to breathe heavily, as much as she had for any workout.

The man's strong hands took hold of her hips and he pulled her firmly back toward him. She felt his heavy balls bounce against her clit. One small explosion of pleasure after another as he controlled the motion of her body. Feebly, she managed to grab hold of he pillow. She put her head down to brace herself against the bed while his cock pounded in and out and his balls hammered her clit.

It was the most intense orgasm she'd ever experienced. Normally, the pleasure hit her in a series of waves. This was a single flood that slammed into her and didn't stop. She buried her face into the pillow and felt it in her entire body. It was a blissful eternity before the sensations began to subside, but her lover continued to pound in and out.

She couldn't have guessed how long he fucked her until his body slowed and his cock slid out of her. She gasped aloud at the sudden feeling of emptiness. It was like part of her own body had been pulled out of her. Her pussy throbbed and her breath came out in a heavy panting. His hand grabbed the side of her hip and she felt him pushing her to one side, "Turn over."

She grinned as she obeyed his insistent command. She could feel her muscles protesting after the rigor they'd just been put through, but she laid on her back, plopping down unceremoniously. He stood beside the bed, his hand gripping his thick dark cock. Her eyes and her grin widened a bit as she drank in the sight, his beautiful muscular body standing over her and furiously pumping that massive cock, that cock that had filled her so completely and satisfied her so well. She watched him stroke himself, her chest heaving up and down with her own breath.

Again, the man threw back his head and clenched his jaw as his own orgasm came. Hot fluid gushed out of his dark cock head. After several thick spurts, Sam was covered; her tummy, her thighs and her bare breasts, a few hot drops even landed on cheek. She watched happily as a shudder ran through his muscular frame.

Sam raised both of her arms and placed them beneath the back of her head, knowing this position showed off her breasts, "How do I look, Stud?"

The man chuckled, "Just fine. You look damn fine."

She nodded, pleased with herself, "A sight for you to remember when you go."

It wasn't a subtle hint. He chuckled again, "Yeah. I'll do that." She watched with a smile as he retrieved his shirt. She felt the slightest twinge of regret seeing the fabric cover up those beautiful abs and another as his shorts hid that unforgettable cock, but she wasn't about to ask him to stay. She might decide to come find him on the ship again sometime but she was done with him for now.

He walked to the stateroom door and acknowledged her with a half wave, half salute. The door closed automatically when he stepped out and Sam was once again alone.

She turned her head to one side. The bright reflection of the moon danced beautifully on the surface of the water as the ship sailed along. She lowered her hands to rest by her side as she felt her body beginning to relax. She was aware of the bed gently rising and falling as the ship rocked steadily on the waves. Soon, she found her thumb absently stroking her bare ring finger. She still hadn't grown accustomed to the way her hand felt without the ring she'd worn for so long.

She reached over to nightstand, opened the drawer and pulled out a beautiful card with brightly colored flowers decorating the outside. It was far from the first time she'd opened the card and read the sweet words written inside by her dearest friend:

"Dear Sam,

I think this cruise is the perfect way to kick off your new beginning. Do absolutely everything you want to do and have a wonderful adventure. I can't wait to hear all about it.

With Love,

Jay."

She closed the card and returned it to the nightstand. "Jay," she said to the empty room, "You are the absolute best." She sighed contentedly. Jay was right. She could do whatever she wanted. The possibilities were as wide open as the ocean horizon outside. There was one thing she knew for certain, though. The first thing she wanted was a hot shower.

*****

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I want to say, sincerely, Thank you to everyone who has read this story. I am quite privileged you have shared your time and attention with something I have worked on. This story did something that I have dreamed of for a lot of years. It got people talking, commenting. People have opinions over something that I wrote, opinions that they took the time and effort to voice and share. That's something I really treasure.

Of all the comments on this story, one of my favorites is "What was the point of this?" What an Amazing question, one that as a writer I have long wanted to be asked. My point with this story was to portray an end to a marriage that was very peaceful and positive. When two people get married, they have each decided that the other person is someone special enough to spend their life with. Often times, however, when a marriage ends, which so many do, there is so much hatred and mean-spirited vitriol that comes out of the couple. It is so sad that two people who once cared for one another are often reduced to screaming vindictive things at each other.

I wanted to describe a situation in which a marriage ended simply because one person said, "This is not what I want anymore," and the other person respects that and wishes them well. I wanted a scenario in which there was no blame to spread, no name-calling, no accusations. I wanted to write about people who still care about each other, want the best, even if they don't want to live together. That is a beautiful idea to me.

This is not a universally loved story. There has understandably been some heavy criticism of my words, which I whole-heartedly welcome. I notice that the criticism seems to echo two basic themes, the first which came as a bit of surprise to me. Several comments speak about how "loving" Jay is. One refers to him as "Prince Charming." I never saw Jay in this light at all. Jay does nothing romantic in the entire story. He brings Sam some of her favorite food. He pays attention to the way she is feeling and acting, but these are both things that any good friend would do for another. The two are not affectionate with each other at all, except for holding hands briefly at the end of their exchange. He does not walk in the house and kiss her or hug her. He doesn't say "I love you," call her "Beautiful," or any of the things that I associate with a loving husband coming home to his wife. It is very interesting to me that the commentors view him so differently than I do, and again, I greatly appreciate this diversity of perspective.

I had hoped to convey through their respective sexual encounters what different people Sam and Jay truly are. The tone of these scenes is completely different. Jay is insecure, almost nervous as he approaches a woman who is literally there just to please him. The way they make love is slow and sensual. The woman in the hotel gives him the time to fully experience these things which she recognizes are almost overwhelming to him. It takes some real effort to be as understanding and patient as the woman in the hotel is. I imagine this has been a frustration between Jay and Sam in the past. She doesn't have the patience she knows he needs. She gets frustrated by his lack of initiative in the bedroom.

A note on this topic: Sam is not paying for the night in the hotel because she feels guilty about ending their marriage or because she wants to make amends, or anything like that. Her intention is to do something nice for him. As she says clearly, she knows that he deserves to have some time that is all about taking care of his own needs. She also recognizes that she isn't equipped to take care of his needs the way he deserves. The reason she asks for his ring before he goes is to put him in the mindset to allow himself to enjoy the experience, and she even comments on how good it seems to be for him when he returns.

Sam is the complete opposite in her encounter aboard the cruise ship. She's assertive and direct. She seeks out exactly the man she wants, brings him to her room, and she makes it very clear the moment she is done with him. She is in an environment in which things get to be exactly on her terms for the time being. Is this the way she will always want to have sex? Who's to say? It's what she wants now. I had hoped to illustrate through these different scenes how far apart emotionally these two are. One note of symmetry between them: We never learn the names of either of the lovers brought into the story, so we see that even in the similar situation of having literally anonymous sex with someone, the two can approach it in such vastly different ways.