Emily made Evan’s transition to married life as easy as possible. She achieved her goal of making him happy, as happy as he had ever been. His colleagues at the university noted that he became more confident and outgoing. Always grounded in his own professional knowledge of his discipline, Evan even seemed to be more assured of himself in his interaction with students.

He continued to enjoy the basic survey courses taught to freshmen and sophomores. In his graduate studies courses he challenged his students to find new data, reveal new information and develop their own theories in the discipline. The boards for the master’s and doctoral candidate found Evan’s students among the best prepared and knowledgeable in their topics. Their theses, papers, and presentations were challenging and interesting.

Emily continued with her own studies and even discussed the possibility of pursuing a graduate degree with her husband. He encouraged her with enthusiasm.

“It’s not like I’m going to need an MBA, though, Evan. My life’s work is here with you,” she told him.

“If you enjoy the studies,” he replied, “you should continue, though. You might find something in the course of your education that you’d like to do in addition to our life together. I think you should go on.”

Each morning they would make love, snatch coffee and a light breakfast, and leave for school together, he to his office, and she to whichever class or study group she’d joined. They would always meet for lunch to continue the pattern they had established in the early days of their relationship. He would regale her with tales of joy when a student did well, and with his frustration with the uninterested or challenged student who just didn’t seem to be grasping the material.

She would commiserate, but rarely had much to say about her own experiences. She knew her husband was virtually uninterested in the machinations of management and thoroughly distraught with the mysteries of accountancy. She did share her reactions to the variety of faculty members, commenting on the relative abilities of some as experts in the field measured against their capabilities as educators.

“I know you’re a competent historian,” she would tell him. “But you’re a wonderful teacher. You make the subjects come to life for your students, and you enjoy telling the stories.”

On the subject of raising a family they had come to a temporary agreement. Emily admitted that caring for her aging parents had been a labor of love, but one which had burned her out. “I have you to care for,” she told him. “That is enough for me.”

Evan, with some reservation, accepted his wife’s conclusion with a rationalization that Emily helped him develop. “You have thirty to sixty youngsters each semester,” she said. “They are your children for as long as you mentor them. Isn’t that enough for the time being?”

He reluctantly agreed. Yet, deep in his heart, he knew his desire was to produce another Emily with her. He especially longed to dote on a daughter who would be the image of her mother. He looked forward to the day when Emily would agree that it was time for them to start a family.

Their social life was limited to other members of the faculty. Emily was, as she had promised, both an efficient and dedicated hostess when the opportunity presented itself. Otherwise, she was always stunning and gracious when she accompanied her husband to various required functions for his department, college, and the university.

He knew other male members of the faculty saw her as his devoted wife and as an object of desire. He loved watching their reactions to Emily’s presence. She was the frequent recipient of longing looks from some of the faculty. While she could be flirty at times, she managed to convey an aire of restraint and maintain an affect of friendly aloofness.

Then they met Rich and Janice.

Rich was a new associate professor of physical training in the Athletics Department. He was about the same age as Emily, devastatingly handsome, with a sense of humor that often approached the line of decorum but never crossed it. His wife, Janice, was a former cheerleader whom Rich had met and fallen for while a graduate student at a large mid-Western university. Her stunning good looks, blonde hair, and molded athlete’s body put students and faculty alike into a state of stunned awe.

Emily bonded with them almost immediately. She attributed their attraction to the similarity in age, although Evan recognized that Rich’s nearly ribald nature was diametrically opposite to his own reserve. Where Evan was serious, studious, and intense, Rich was fun-loving and somewhat careless. As the relationship between the two couples developed, Evan saw Rich as a daring foil to his own restraint. At the same time, Rich seemed to have a respect for Evan’s intellect and dedication to his students.

“I love my guys and gals,” Rich told Evan as the four of them gathered for a weekend dinner at the local steakhouse, “and I want them to succeed. But, the ones we share, Evan? They tell me you’re the best professor they ever had because you really do care that they do well.”

“That’s my Evan,” Emily grinned broadly. “He thinks of them as his children. He sets high expectations for them and they love him for it.”

“From what I can see,” Rich kidded her, “he’s got high standards in women, too.”

“Are you flirting with me?” Emily snapped back at him with an evil grin, “in front of your wife and my husband?”

“At least they’re open about it,” Janice said with a saccharine smile, reaching out and placing her hand on Evan arm. “I’d hate it if they were sneaking around.”

Evan grinned bashfully at her. “It’s quite harmless, isn’t it?” he said.

“It may seem harmless now,” Janice told him, her voice lowered in a mock secretive tone that they all could hear. “But, I’ll bet you if we left them alone they’d be banging away in less than five minutes.”

“And in five minutes it would be over,” Emily joined in. “The strong, manly types don’t last very long. They talk big and swagger, but when they get down to it, its kiss, cuddle, and come.”

“Emily!” Evan said sharply. “I’m astonished!”

“It’s all right, dear,” Janice told him, patting his arm. “It’s all in good fun.” She withdrew her hand and placed it delicately in her lap.

“Well, I’ve learned my lesson,” Rich said, nodding toward Evan. “I compliment your wife and she insults my endurance. It won’t happen again.”

“Oh, no! I’d miss your obtuse compliments,” Emily said with a phony pout.

“And I’d miss her deft parry of your obvious passes,” Janice told her husband.

“Did he make a pass at her?” Evan asked. “I missed that.”

“Speaking of missing things,” Janice said with a broad smile. “And, just by the way of information, Missy,” she directed at Emily, “Ole Quick Draw does pretty well, considering he’s a jock.”

Rich and Janice had been married four years compared to the eighteen months Evan and Emily had been wed.

Janice kidded them about them still being in the honeymoon phase. Emily teased back, calling them an old married couple. The two of them began to meet for coffee and chat on the odd occasion when both their husbands were working.

“I know you and Evan just got married,” Janice said. “I suppose you’re still going hot and heavy in the sex department.”

Emily smiled and nodded. “It’s just so much fun,” she said. “I love teasing him and making him hard and desperate. I told him I’d be his whore, and I guess I am.”

“Me, too,” Janice admitted. “At first, Rich was pretty much insatiable. Things have slacked off recently, though. Well, until you came along.”

“What does that mean?” Emily asked her.

“Honey, you had to notice the chemistry between the two of you,” Janice said. “You’ve got Rich fascinated.”

“Oh, dear,” Emily said ruefully. “I’m sorry, Janice. I certainly didn’t mean to lead him on. I thought we were just having fun.”

“You are, sweetie,” Janice said. “Nothing’s awry. In fact, Rich’s fascination with you has had a real positive effect on us. I think he’s a little jealous that you and Evan are still having honeymoon sex.”

Emily blushed. “Did he tell you that?”

“Not really,” Janice replied. “But I’ve been the beneficiary of his renewed interest in matters of the bedroom. He’s gotten pretty randy in the last couple of months.”

“You think that has something to do with Evan and me?” Emily asked in wonder.

Janice laughed. “More you than Evan, sweetie,” she said. “I’m pretty sure I’m the surrogate Emily after our dinners together.”

“Surely not,” Emily said. “I’m deeply in love with Evan. I’d never cheat on him; not with Rich or with anybody else.”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” Janice said. “That’s not even among the possibilities.”

“What kind of possibilities?” Emily asked her.

“For right now, just a little play-acting,” Janice grinned. “I’m quite satisfied to play Emily for Rich, if he wants.”

“Doesn’t that hurt your feelings?”

Janice shook her head. “We’re just playing the fantasy game every now and then, sweetie.”

“And Rich’s fantasy is to do me,” Emily said. “And is it your fantasy to have sex with Evan, too?”

“Oh, most definitely,” she answered with a wide grin. “But, for now I’m just helping Rich fulfill his fantasy of being with you.”

“Why would you do that?” Emily asked her. “I mean it’s so far from the realm of reality.”

“For the same reason you and Evan are still probably doing it nightly. Just to keep my man happy.”

“We don’t do it nightly anymore,” Emily said, a little embarrassed. “Just a couple of times every week.”

“Rich thinks Evan is having you nightly,” Janice chuckled, “and probably twice or three times a day on weekends.”

“He’s dreaming,” Emily said. “We don’t do it all the time.”

Janice shrugged. “Maybe not,” she said, “but that’s the perception Rich has. And, if that’s what he thinks and it makes him horny, well, that’s fine with me.”

Emily shook her head slowly. She certainly didn’t want to hurt Evan or Janice. Yet, the fact that Rich found her sexually stimulating did have an effect on her.

“Tell you what,” Janice said, “let’s agree to be brutally honest with each other, Emily. I think that’s the only way we can develop a real trust between us.”

Silently, Emily nodded.

“So, in the interest of that honesty,” Janice continued, “I’m going to tell you that Rich wants you. He visualizes you and Evan having sex all the time, and pictures himself in Evan’s position at some point.”

“Oh, my!” Emily said. “I can’t imagine where he would get that idea.”

Janice laughed. “I told you, Em,” she said, “it’s a fantasy he’s developed. He just thinks you’re hot. The question is, how does that make you feel?”

Emily was quiet, drumming her fingers lightly on the table. “Conflicted,” she said. “On one level, it’s very flattering.”

“Good,” Janice replied. “Honest. What about the other levels?”

“Well,” Emily said thoughtfully, “I’m a little shocked that he would think I’d be interested. I mean, I’m Evan’s wife.”

“But that inaccessibility is part of the allure,” Janice told her. “It’s what makes you even more desirable to him. I guess my real question is, does it turn you on?”

Emily shrugged. “Rich is cute,” she said. “But, he’s your husband. I would never consider…well, you know.”

“Never is a long time, Emily,” Janice said. “And, as far as being my husband, yes, he is. But, I don’t own him. The important thing is that he be honest with me.”

“Which makes me wonder,” Emily said, “if he has talked to you about this fantasy of his, or did you sort of figure it out?”

“Oh, no,” Janice said, chuckling. “He told me. We have this sort of agreement. I promised not to be hurt if he lusts after others as long as he tells me the truth. Part of that agreement is the knowledge that we really are partners for life. It would be stupid to deny attraction, physical attraction, to others. But, the emotional part, well, that belongs only to us.”

“Really?” Emily said. “So, you don’t get jealous of him when he’s drooling after some co-ed?”

“It took some doing,” Janice admitted. “But, yeah, basically that’s it. We’re devoted to one another. But, at the same time, neither of us is dead.

“Jealousy comes from fear, Emily. I have no fear that Rich will ever desert me. And he knows that I’m not going anywhere, either. I guess that’s the best way to explain it.”

“Wow!” Emily said. “I don’t know if I could ever do that.”

“Sure you can,” Janice told her. “Just give it some time. One day, you’ll see some hunk somewhere and wonder what it would be like to fuck him. If you and Evan completely trust each other, you can find out. Otherwise, you’ll forever wonder. It’s an attitude, Em. You’ve just got to learn how to adopt it. And, Evan, of course. He’s got to have the same attitude.”

“And the two of you, you and Rich, you have this same attitude?” Emily asked her.

Janice nodded. “We do. It doesn’t happen all the time, but every once in a while, maybe a couple of times a year. And right now, you, my dear, are the subject of Rich’s interest. That’s just the way it is. Whether anything comes of it or not is totally in your hands.”

“So, have you, you know, done anything naughty?” Emily asked.

Janice smiled at her. “Very infrequently,” she admitted. “But, yes. We’ve both had experiences. But, we’re very picky about our partners.”

Emily nodded. “I’m intrigued,” she admitted. “Do you see Evan and me as potential partners?”

“I’ve already admitted to the fantasy, Em,” Janice responded. “So, the brutally honest answer would be that we would definitely consider it.

“Well, since Evan and I haven’t even thought about something like that yet, I don’t see anything happening,” Emily said.

“Yet,” Janice said, looking closely at her. “You said you hadn’t thought about it yet. So, we’ll see what may develop.”