“Fuck,” I said.

My wife of fourteen years, Marnie, had just gone for a shower. I figured that gave me twenty minutes or so. I pulled up my preferred porn site and scrolled through the thumbnails. These hurried dalliances with pornography were all the meager life-support that remained for my dismal sex-life.

A few years after we’d married, Marnie went through a major bout with depression. She started seeing a therapist and taking anti-depressants. They helped her not want to kill herself (and I'll be eternally grateful for that), but one side effect was that they killed her sex drive instead. Unfortunately, mine remained as high as ever. We talked it over. I suggested that even if she wasn’t interested in sex, I still might appreciate a blowjob from time to time. She suggested that I was being a selfish dickhead and could go blow myself. Thus, the talking was over.

I guess a lot of guys would have headed to a divorce attorney at that point. There were definitely times when I considered it. What can I say? I still loved her - even more than I loved sex, which is saying something. That’s not to mention that our middle-aged, dual-income, no-kids situation meant we were living pretty comfortably. I couldn’t bring myself to give that all up, nor did I have the courage to stray from my marriage. So, I turned to my own hand and the internet for sustenance. It wasn't ideal, but it got us by.

My masturbation was something of an open secret between us. She was aware that I had needs of my own but didn’t inquire too much about how I satisfied them. For my part, I tried to keep it out of her face as much as I could, waiting until she was out of the house, or at least occupied with other things. It just seemed like the best way to avoid making each other feel guilty. Then COVID happened, and everything moved to remote work. The opportunities for my ‘alone time’ dwindled almost to nothing. I was walking around the place like a fucking teenager, so wound up I could barely even think straight.

Which brings us around again to the video. The video was titled “Milk Bath,” but the substance involved most certainly was not milk. A hot, naked, dark-skinned babe reclined in a bathtub in the middle of an unfurnished studio space. She was surrounded by a crowd of dudes all stroking their cocks to her as she played with her huge tits and pussy, moaning and encouraging them. As soon as one guy shot his load all over her black skin, he’d disappear and be replaced by another. Over the course of the video, the bathtub gradually filled up with their collective semen, while the babe soaked in it all. That’s what prompted my profanity: “Fuck,” that was hot. The next time I uttered ‘fuck,’ just a minute later, however, was for an entirely different reason.

I was starting to really abandon myself to the video, pumping my fist steadily towards climax. I’d only been watching for five minutes, but I felt that if I concentrated, I could make myself cum with time to spare before Marnie emerged from her shower. Fate had other plans, though. My phone began to buzz and vibrate. The screen announced an incoming call from my step-sister-in-law, Caitlyn.

“Fuck!” I whisper-shouted to myself quickly tucking my reluctant boner back inside my pants. I closed the porn tab on my browser and allowed myself one more low, frustrated growl before I answered the phone.

“Hey Cait, what’s up?”

“Hi Justin. You okay?” she asked. “You sound out of breath.”

“I’m fine. Just moving some furniture around,” I lied.

“Ah, okay. I tried calling Marnie, but she wasn’t picking up.”

“Yeah, she’s in the shower,” I explained.

“Oh, alright. Well, I wanted to run an idea by you guys, and like… there’s totally no pressure to say yes, but just hear me out, okay?”

“What is it?” I asked impatiently.

“Well, you know Hailey?”

Hailey was the stepdaughter of the step-sister of my wife. I wasn’t sure exactly what that made her to me in terms of relation, but I barely knew the girl. Caitlyn had been nearly twenty-five when her father married Marnie's mother. Fifteen years later, Caitlyn married a man named Trevor, who brought along a teen daughter from a previous marriage of his own: Hailey. That had been just a few years ago, and I’d met her only a handful of times since then at family gatherings.

She hadn’t made a huge impression on me. She just seemed like a normal teenage girl trying to find her place in the world. In terms of looks, she was of average height with fiery shoulder-length hair and curious blue-green eyes framed by a pair of 'geek-chic' glasses. She was somewhat chubby, but she carried the extra weight in a not-unattractive way. Apart from her looks, Hailey was very bookish. Caitlyn sometimes lamented that her stepdaughter spent too much time reading about life and the world and not enough experiencing it first-hand. However, Hailey seemed to have little interest in kids her own age, preferring to spend her time alone. All in all, though, she seemed like a good kid, if more than a little precocious.

“She’s been applying to universities, and I was just thinking…” Caitlyn continued, hesitantly.

“Come on, Cait, spit it out,” I said, still feeling irritable.

“Well, what if she goes to your school?”

“Clinton State?”

Both my wife and I worked for the university. She was a professor of Audiology, and I was an accountant for the College of Health and Nursing, where I budgeted, managed, and directed the grant funds brought in by faculty.

“It’s a good school, right?”

“I guess,” I said. Clinton State University wasn’t highly ranked by any means, but it was an affordable option for anyone looking for a passable education with few frills - or as I’d once heard it described by a perpetually disgruntled faculty member, “a top-notch school for middle-of-the-road students.”

“I was just thinking that if she got in… maybe… she could stay with you?” Caitlyn’s tone rose steadily as she progressed through the sentence, ending her question in a high squeak.

“I, uh… yeah, I don’t know…” I answered.

“Like I said, no pressure,” Caitlyn back-peddled. “I mean, if you haven’t got the room…”

“It’s not about the room. I just need to talk to Marnie,” I said. We had a guest bedroom but rarely had overnight guests. It wouldn’t be an issue to let Hailey use it.

“Well, nothing's set in stone,” Caitlyn said. “I just thought I’d put the idea out there. We could send you some money for rent and stuff for her. And she could help out around the house and things. And-”

“Sure, Cait, that all sounds good,” I cut her off. She had a tendency to ramble when she wanted something. It was an old salesman’s trick - keep them talking until they give in just to get away from you. “But, like I said, I’ve got to talk it over with Marnie first. We'll think about it.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Caitlyn shouted into the phone excitedly.

I heard the shower curtain being pulled back as Marnie finished her shower. I wrapped up my conversation with Caitlyn, promising to get Marnie to call her back. Hanging up, I looked dejectedly one more time at my laptop. It had been sitting idle for so long that the screen saver had come on. I closed the lid with a forlorn sigh.

“Who was that?” Marnie asked, appearing in the doorway to the office. She had a towel wrapped around her body. Her hair was still wet, and her shoulders were dappled with water droplets. I had the wild urge to rip the towel away from her and have my way with her right there on the desk, but I knew she’d stop me almost as soon as I touched her. I restrained myself and swallowed another ounce of sexual frustration.

“It was your sister,” I answered. “She wanted to talk to you about Hailey living with us and going to Clinton State.”

“With us?” Marnie repeated.

“Yeah,” I said. “I told her we’d think about it, but you know how Cait is.”

“Once she gets a thought in her head…” Marnie said with a knowing grin. “Okay, honey. I’ll call her back.”

***

I thought Marnie would object to her eighteen-year-old step-step-niece sharing our home. She’d never wanted to have children of our own. Since our sex life had dried up, it had become a non-issue. However, to my surprise, Marnie was not only open to the idea, she actually seemed to look forward to having a younger woman around to do girly things with.

So, a week before classes started, Trevor, Caitlyn, and Hailey pulled into our driveway with their large SUV stuffed full of her possessions. I fondly recalled the days when I could fit everything I owned in the back of a van. The last time we'd moved, we'd had to hire a full truck and three movers to transport all our stuff. I found myself humming the line from Me & Bobby McGee - “Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose...” - as Marnie and I went out to greet them. With hugs and handshakes exchanged, Marnie and Caitlyn promptly retreated to the kitchen to open a bottle of wine and exchange family gossip. Trevor and I were left to manage the boxes while Hailey shuttled back and forth between us.

“Hey man, thanks so much for letting Hailey stay with you guys,” Trevor said, handing me a couple of heavy, squishy garbage bags stuffed with his daughter's clothes. “Between you and me, it's been a rough couple of months for us financially. We weren't sure we could afford to send her to college, even with her scholarship. It was going to kill us – and her – to tell her she couldn't go. So, we really appreciate what you're doing for us. Just wanted you to know that.”

“No problem,” I said. “We have the space, so it makes sense. Glad we can help out.” As the words left my mouth, I realized they weren't total bullshit. Despite my misgivings about the disruption, I genuinely felt glad that we could come to the girl's aid and save her education.

After everything was unloaded and deposited in Hailey's new room, Trevor, Caitlyn and Hailey shared an emotional goodbye, while Marnie and I watched from the doorstep. We'd offered them a place to stay the night, but Trevor said he needed to get back in time for work the next day. Once we'd watched their tail lights turn the corner and disappear into the night, we headed back inside. Hailey spent the rest of the evening in her room by herself. We decided that it was best to leave her alone and let her settle into her new space.

Marnie and I watched TV for another hour or so before going to bed. However, sleep wouldn’t come. Eventually, I turned over, and cuddled up next to Marnie, spooning her. I made one of my increasingly rare attempts at initiating sex, letting my hands wander over her body. I used to be pretty good at foreplay, but without practice, the best I could muster now, was some half-hearted pawing. For a while, Marnie tolerated my roaming hands on her breasts, but when they moved further down her torso towards her pussy, she stopped me.

“I’m tired,” she muttered into her pillow.

In frustration, I immediately withdrew my hand and turned over again. My mind remained restless. When I heard Marnie's soft snoring, I slipped out of bed and went to the office where my laptop was waiting. Porn never turned me down. Porn was willing any time I wanted it. Porn wanted me, too. I considered all those beautiful girls, many about Hailey's age or a little older, competing for my attention, eager for me to pick them.

I began scanning through the titles: “Sleazy teen fucks older man;” “Female student takes huge load from mature teacher and begs for more.” I looked closely at each of the .gif thumbnail previews. Each of the models seemed to share something in common with Hailey. This one had similar red hair, and the other one carried herself with the same sort of posture. I shook my head, trying to clear it of intrusive thoughts of the girl we'd just invited into our home. I decided to search for “MILF” videos instead - MILFs now just being women my own age. However, the first video that came up promised “Lesbian MILF turns straight teen sex-kitten.” The teen in question was wearing glasses identical to the ones Hailey wore.

While my brain was telling me not to go down that slippery slope, my cock came roaring to life and drowned out all rational protest. I massaged the hardening length of my erection through my pajama pants and clicked on the video. The woman leaned back on her bed, teasing herself with a vibrator, while the curious younger girl watched closely. I pulled the elastic waistband of my pajamas down to my thighs, and released my insistent boner. As I took hold of the throbbing hard-on and began to pump it, I couldn’t help but mentally superimpose Hailey’s image over the not-so-innocent teen on the screen. The more I allowed myself to fall into this dream, the more excited I got. Within minutes, my mind was filled with taboo thoughts of the girl who had just moved into our guest room, and I felt myself approaching climax.

Being so distracted by my fantasies, it took me longer than it should have to recognize that Hailey standing in the doorway in a cute pink satin pajama set was not just a figment of my oversexed imagination. When the realization came, it came with a sudden jolt of panic. If I had been the kind of guy to neglect my health, I’d probably have had a fucking heart attack. As it was, I only nearly fell out of my chair at the shock of seeing her standing there, watching me masturbate with the same sort of curiosity the teen actress had been showing towards the older woman in the video.

“Fuck!” I shouted too loudly. I was startled, but the last thing I needed was to attract Marnie’s attention to this whole clusterfuck. “What are you doing here?” I asked dropping into a quieter voice, barely above a whisper, but no less urgent.

“I’m sorry,” Hailey said, looking nervously at the floor and only giving brief darting curious glances beneath the darkness of my desk. “I had to pee, and then I was hungry, and I saw the light on, and I just… I’m sorry. I didn’t really see anything. I swear!”

“No, it’s okay, I was just working” I hurriedly explained, rushing to tuck my rapidly deflating cock back into my pajamas. I closed the tab where the sounds porn was still playing, as if my attempt at deception hadn't been obvious enough. Even as I tried to reassure the girl, I felt a flush of embarrassment rising to my own cheeks. “I mean, you didn’t know. I’m not really used to… you know. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived with anyone but Marnie. I guess we’re all going to have to get used to staying together.”

“Right,” Hailey answered, continuing to refuse to make eye contact.

“Okay, well, it’s late. We should probably both get to bed,” I said.

“Yeah,” Hailey agreed, fidgeting with her glasses.

“And Hailey?...” I added before she could make her fast retreat.

“Don’t worry, Justin,” she said, sensing my concern. “I won’t say anything about seeing you at your... um... work... to Marnie.”

“Thanks, Hailey,” I said. “I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you’ve got to keep secrets, but I’m not sure Marnie would take it well, you know what I mean?”

Hailey gave a slight nod and finally lifted her gaze to meet mine. Anxious tears were building in her eyes. “With everything you’re doing for me, I don’t want to make you feel like having me around is a problem.”

“No, of course, you’re not a problem,” I said. I had the urge to get up and give the girl a hug, but I remembered what she’d just caught me doing, and thought better of it. “I know Marnie's been looking forward to having another woman around. We’ll figure it out, okay? Don’t worry.”

“Okay,” Hailey agreed.

“Then, let’s go to bed. We’ll wake up tomorrow with a fresh start and put this behind us,” I offered. “What do you say?”

“Sounds good, Justin” Hailey answered. “Sorry for interrupting, and I’ll let you um… get back to your... work.”

“I think that’s over for tonight,” I said, regretfully glancing at the laptop lying on the desk. The urge had passed, and now I just felt tired. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed next to my wife, fall asleep, and forget that this night had ever happened. “Goodnight, Hailey.”

“Good night,” Hailey replied, and disappeared from the doorway.

***

Over the next few months, we did adjust to living with each other. We didn't talk about the night she moved in, but we took care not to repeat it. I learned to keep the office door closed when I was having my 'personal' time, and Hailey knew to give me my space while I was in there. I was prepared for the shitstorm that would erupt if Marnie learned about our encounter, but it never came, and after a while I considered the matter had been closed.

Hailey kept to herself in her room a lot of the time, and didn't go out often. Marnie sometimes badgered her about dating, but Hailey responded that her studies were her main priority. She added that boys her age were mostly a bunch of stupid irritating inexperienced losers, and not worth the time and effort. Marnie seemed disappointed, perhaps wanting to vicariously escape the drudgery of our marriage through witnessing a fresh young romance. Instead of dating, though, Hailey spent...