Penny was growing weary of her husband's disinterest in sex. They had only been married for five years. It was the second marriage for both of them, and they weren't teenagers anymore, but they were far from dead.

He had still been married when they met, but had been separated and living apart from his soon to be ex-wife. He had been quite charming and attentive, but she had refused to sleep with him until the divorce was final. He did not have any kids and her son was grown and living on his own.

She had always tried to stay in shape, working out several times a week at the gym in the building where she worked. Her company had made a deal with them, allowing employees a drastically reduced rate to join. She also loved riding her bike on a nearby bike path when weather permitted. Craig was in pretty decent shape as well when they first met, but once they got married, he slowly began to change.

At first, she didn't think too much of it when he gained a few pounds. The company he worked for was downsizing, and those left were putting in long hours to cover the tasks, so she figured that was why he was tired so often. After three years, they had gone from making love at least four times a week to just once or twice. He had eventually gained thirty pounds despite her attempts at cooking healthy meals.

When they had first met, she had told her friends that he had magic fingers that made her so horny during foreplay. Sex routinely lasted more than an hour. Now she was lucky if it took more than fifteen minutes. And more often than not, he wanted to watch porn before they even got started, then his eyes were still glued to the TV while they were fucking.

One day, he came home with yet another rented video to watch; only he must not have been paying much attention when he picked it out. It involved a guy tied to a chair while his wife is fucked by two men who had broken into their home. The wife was beginning to enjoy getting fucked while her husband watched, and eventually, the husband got a hard-on as well.

He stopped watching it after about five minutes, but Penny watched it all the way through the next day. She ended up getting so turned on by it that she fingered herself to an orgasm. That night she had a dream about being fucked by a big black cock while Craig watched. She was so turned on again that she slid down and started sucking on Craig's cock. He finally woke up and she pushed him to his back and straddled him. She managed to ride him for about five minutes before he came.

"That was nice, hun."

She rolled off him, disappointed once again and fingered herself to an orgasm before falling back asleep. He was snoring before she even finished. Penny worried that maybe something was wrong and made him go to the doctor for a check-up and made sure she talked to the doctor ahead of time since she doubted he would mention his lack of sex drive on his own. But the doctor gave him a clean bill of health.

She tried a few times to bring it up with him, but all he ever said was that they weren't a couple of kids anymore and it was the second marriage for both of them. He complained about work, and that he just wanted to enjoy a ball game in peace now and then. After trying to entice him with romantic dinners, sexy lingerie, and erotic suggestions, she just about gave up. She even suggested they try some of the things that were in the porn films he seemed to need to get aroused.

That suggestion perked his interest a bit, but only as far as her giving him blow jobs. He wanted her to deep throat him and then he would cum on her face. That meant even less actual sex for her. She was at a loss because she still loved him, but her needs were not being fulfilled. As much as she disliked the idea, she was considering divorce as the only solution.

One day she and her BFF were having a drink at a bar called Paesano's and Penny confessed her problem.

"I am at my wits' end, my sex drive seems to be getting stronger and his is almost non-existent. I swear if I didn't initiate it, we would both be celibate. I don't want to cheat on him with another guy… though there is this one guy at the gym that keeps flirting with me."

"What you need is a girlfriend, girl."

"A girlfriend? No, I could never… I mean I have never been with a woman."

"Well, it wouldn't be like you were fucking another guy."

"Have you ever done that? Been with a woman I mean?"

"I had a relationship with my roommate in college, my last two years. And I have had a few other encounters since then."

"So you're a lesbian? But you are married."

‘I am bisexual, Penny. I like sex with both genders, though I don't get many chances these days, what with the kids and all."

"Does Barry know?"

"Yes. In fact, he wooed me away from my last girlfriend… insisted he was going to save me from being a lesbian. We kind of have a ‘don't ask, don't tell' agreement about it now though. Every once in a while he jokes about either watching me or joining in."

"Ohhh, I could never do that, Tammy!"

"Maybe Craig would perk up if he watched. A lot of men think it's really hot to watch two women. Or be in a threesome with two women. Though I think the second part is just so they don't have to satisfy either woman because they will please each other. And they can have two women service them first."

"Hahaha. That sounds about right. But I would not have the slightest clue how to hook up with a woman."

"Are you kidding me? See that girl at the end of the bar? She's been eyeing you since we sat down here. She's probably trying to figure out if we are lovers or if you are available."

"Really?"

"Just smile at her. I bet a dollar she either comes over or buys you a drink, THEN comes over."

Penny looked over in the girl's direction and gave her a little nod. A few minutes later the bartender put a fresh drink in front of her.

"From the girl at the end of the bar… "

Tammy chuckled a bit and Penny gave the girl a little ‘thank you' wave. She immediately got up and walked over to Tammy and Penny.

"Hi. I'm Kris and I just wanted to tell you that you have the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. I am a sucker for a nice smile."

"Well thank you, Kris. I am Penny and this is my friend Tammy and thank you for the drink."

"Is this your first time here? I am pretty much a regular here and I would have noticed you for sure if I had seen you before."

"Yes. I have never been here, but my friend has been."

"I should be on my way, Penny; I have an early morning tomorrow. But you should stay and get to know your new friend."

Penny gave Tammy a look that said ‘don't you dare leave me here alone' but Tammy just smiled at her and kissed her cheek, then whispered in her ear.

"You will be fine, hun. You don't have to sleep with her, at least not tonight. Just talk to her."

"Okay Tammy, you drive carefully. I will call you tomorrow."

"So, what do you do for a living, Kris?

"Right now I am an administrative assistant at a law firm, but I want to become a paralegal, or maybe even a lawyer."

"That seems to be an admirable goal. Are you already taking classes?"

"I have signed up for classes starting next semester. What about you? What do you do?"

"I'm a supervisor at a bank."

"I see you are wearing a wedding ring. Are you married then?"

"Yes, my second marriage."

"I see… So then, you and Tammy are just friends?"

"Yes, she and I have been friends since I was married to my first husband. And are you married or have a steady guy?"

"I have a girlfriend, of sorts anyway. We are not exclusive. I got the impression you did not really want your friend to leave you alone here with me. Never been alone with a lesbian before?"

Penny could feel herself blushing.

"Don't worry; we generally don't bite the first time."

That made Penny laugh a bit. They sat and talked for more than an hour and Penny got a bit more comfortable, but it was time for her to leave. Though she had not given Kris the full story of her marriage, she had dropped a few hints that she was not completely happy.

"Look, Penny… I'd love to see you again, just to talk some more and get to know you better. Maybe we could meet for dinner or lunch sometime, and somewhere a little quieter than here."

"I don't know. First, I have probably already said more than I should to you but you were just so easy to talk to. Second, I don't want to mislead you about what might happen. And third, you have to be at least fifteen years younger than me."

"Penny, I have no expectations. I just find you interesting and maybe we can be friends. Straight people and lesbians can be friends without sleeping together you know. And age is just a number. Tell you what, let me give you my digits and you can decide if you want to talk some more. You can even block your number if you don't want me to see it."

"Well, ok. But I doubt I will call."

Kris wrote down her mobile number and gave it to Penny. They parted with a handshake and Penny went home find Craig asleep on the couch, snoring away. Resigned to another night of celibacy, she took a shower, grabbed the container of ice cream and went to the bedroom. If it had been earlier, she would have called Tammy and read her the riot act for leaving her like that, even though Kris had turned out to be pretty nice. She finished off the ice cream while she was watching some movie, then fell asleep.

At some point, Craig must have come to bed, but Penny never heard him. When she woke up, he was snoring away. She slipped out of bed, grabbed some clothes, went down to the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of cereal. She was still hungry after the cereal, so she toasted a bagel and spread some cream cheese on it. She had left last night before Craig had come home, but had left his dinner in the fridge and a note telling him where it was.

When she looked in the sink, he had not even bothered to put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. She rinsed them off, added her dishes from breakfast, put them all in the dishwasher and started it. Then she threw a load of clothes in the washing machine and called Tammy.

"That was a really dirty trick you pulled on me last night. Leaving me alone like that. I felt like an idiot and I had no idea what to say to her."

"Well, I waited out in the parking lot for fifteen minutes just in case, so you managed at least that much time with her. Did she bite or anything?"

"No."

"Now that you know I like women too, do you see me any differently?"

"No."

"How long did you stay and talk with her?"

"An hour or so…" ‘

"Oh my god! And you're still straight?"

"Okay smartass, I get your point. She was actually pretty nice and I was kind of surprised when I realized more than an hour had passed."

"Craig say anything when you got home?"

"Nah. He was sound asleep on the couch; he managed to slip into bed at some point and is still sleeping."

"So, did you get her number? Or give her yours?"

"Well, she gave me her number and wants to meet me for lunch or dinner one day."

"And are you gonna call her?"

"I just don't know. I certainly don't want to lead her on and she is so young."

"Penny, she checked you out up and down the minute we walked in and the whole time we were sitting there. The two of you talked for over an hour, and at the end, she gave you her phone number. And knowing you, you explained all your doubts to her before that."

"Yes."

Woman, if I were you, I would be all over that. I think you should call her if that means anything to you and see what happens. You don't have to sleep with her, you know."

"I know I don't. I will give it some thought. But I hear Craig stirring, so I better get moving. "

Craig came down the stairs in the same clothes she had seen him in last night on the couch. She couldn't believe how much he had changed since they wed. It wasn't the extra weight that bothered her… people gain weight. But it was the change in his personality. It was like he was not the same person she had fallen in love with.

He had been so attentive and patient with her desire to not have sex until he was a free man. And after his divorce, just his touch would arouse her. But looking back, she realized that by the end of that first year, he was already becoming a different man. And it just got worse after that.

A week went by and Penny still had not called Kris or made up her mind whether she would or not call. She and Craig had also not made love in over a week. She was becoming more and more frustrated with the situation but did not want to go through another divorce. Tammy had also bugged her a few times about calling Kris. She finally decided to give her a call. After all, it was just lunch.

"Hi, Kris. I don't know if you remember me, but this is Penny."

"Penny! I had just about given up hope that you would call. So what have you decided? Shall we have a meal together?"

"Yes. How about next Saturday? Either lunch or dinner would work for me."

"Saturday would be great! Let's make it lunch."

"Okay. Why don't you pick the place then? I can pretty much find something to eat regardless of the type of restaurant."

"How about Trevino's? Do you know where that is?"

"Yes. That is perfect. About 12:30 then?"

The closer it got to Saturday, the more nervous Penny got. She was stressing over what to wear, if she should offer to pay, if she should order a drink, and even what to eat. Finally, it was Saturday and she was in the car on her way. She had decided on a nice pair of jeans with ankle boots, a dressy tee, and a jacket. She also had on her best push-up bra and lace panties, though she had no idea why. She arrived at the restaurant about ten minutes early and then wasn't sure if she should get a table right away or sit in the entryway and wait. The decision was made for her when she saw Kris waiting for her when she walked in.

"Hi! I put our names down for a table already, so I will let them know you have arrived. I have been wondering all week if you would show up or chicken out. You look great, by the way. Have you ever been here before? Listen to me, running on. I have a little confession to make… I'm kinda nervous."

"You're nervous? Why on earth are you nervous?"

"Because I really like you and I don't want to screw this up and scare you away. I just want to get to know you and have you get to know me."

The waitress led them to a booth in a corner. It was about as private as they could get, but the lunch crowd was still there. Kris solved the question about a drink when she ordered a glass of wine, and also asked the waitress for separate checks when they finally ordered.

"I was going to grab the check when it came and treat you, but I'm guessing that would have made you uncomfortable, so this is the best way for now."

They took their time eating and chatting. They each ordered a second drink, then a third. They decided to split a dessert. The restaurant was clearing out with just a few late lunch stragglers. They finally got the hint when the waitress brought the checks and walked by the table for the fourth time. There was a small park across the street with some benches, so they walked over and kept talking. Penny told her about Craig and their marriage; Kris told her about her girlfriend. Penny finally checked her watch.

"Oh my, I can't believe we have been talking for over four hours! I was worried we would run out of things to say after half an hour. And I can't believe I told you about my marriage, but you are just so easy to talk to."

"I'm not gonna lie to you, Penny. I would love to have you in my bed right now and make mad passionate love to you. But I don't think you are ready for that just yet. Maybe you never will be, and I won't push you. But I think you should know how I feel. For now, can we just be friends?"

"You're right, I'm not ready for that, and I don't know if I ever will be either, but I won't turn you away at this point. I think I want to get to know you better too."

Kris leaned in and gave her a long slow kiss, then they walked back to their cars.

"Call me."

Penny climbed into her car and drove home.

to be continued...