Scarsdale, New York: Monday 11th December 2017
Monday was a catch-up day at work. With Sue’s young Ghanaian admirer now safely back on a different continent, I could catch up on other projects and admin tasks I’d not worked on during his stay. I was just tidying up at work and looking forward to spending the evening with my two women when I got an incoming text.
‘Hey Pete, are you free for a quick chat at my place on your way home? I have a proposition I’d like to discuss with you.’
Things were pretty good in the complicated ménage that was now such a prominent part of our lives. But whenever I received any kind of communication from Francis I felt myself break into a cold sweat as my stomach knotted up in anticipation of what might lay ahead. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, it was just that anything to do with Francis had the potential to excite me and terrify me in equal measure.
The temperature was barely above freezing, but as I headed to the car my hands felt clammy and my brow was decorated with perspiration. I loved parts of our new lifestyle, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to these feelings of nervous terror. I guess it’s the same rush as a dangerous sports nut gets when they leap off a tall mountain or bridge. Not quite sure whether the wings or rope or whatever it is will give them the rush and another tomorrow. Or just the rush, and then no more tomorrows.
As I drove across town I was so doped up on Adrenaline that I was driving erratically, nearly tail-ending an SUV in front of me. As we got moving again I wondered if my HMO would withdraw cover if they knew the games the three of us were playing and the strain it was putting on my cardiac system. Definitely a case for discretion over full disclosure.
As I pulled up and knocked, I tried my damnedest to calm my nerves. Francis ushered me in with a fraternal touch on the shoulder and from the way he looked at me it was clear he could see how nervous I was.
“Hey, Pete. Thanks for dropping around. Do come in.”
Ever the stereotype of old world good manners, for the umpteenth time I took in the understated classy luxury of his home. Even before Sue and Francis had rekindled their relationship, Sue and I had been frequent visitors to his home these last couple of years. We’d become good friends, and I guess I’d enjoyed the best of both worlds. Two years of hanging out as friends. The way he looked at Sue exciting me and telling he still carried a torch for Sue, but without all the risk and worry. At least until things had started up again two months ago.
Aware that I was driving, Francis poured me only a small drink and then we made small talk. Discussing Donovan and then Francis’ three grown-up kids. After a while I took the bull by the horns, teasing him a pleasing macho question.
“Come on, Francis. Whatever it is, spit it out. Much as I enjoy your company and the top-notch malt, I’ve got two horny women waiting for me at home and a limited attention span.”
Francis grinned at me and finally came to the point, albeit after some final flannel.
“Pete, man. I hope you know that I look upon you and Sue as almost family. I know we’ve had a few ups and downs along the way. But like they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right. What I wanted to ask you relates to my trip to Nigeria in January. I honestly don’t know how long my mum has got left. So I’m planning on pulling out all the stops to make it special for her. My three kids will be coming over for a couple of weeks. And what I wanted to offer, as you and Sue are virtually family to me, is for you guys to come across as well. For whatever time you’re able to spare. I’d love to introduce you to my mum and sister Kebe. I’d love to show the two of you a little bit of my homeland. As a way of saying thank you for how you’ve helped me get over the loss of Heidi. I know Sue’s never been to Africa before, and I’d love to show her what a great place it is.”
As ever, Francis was eloquent and persuasive. The perils of allowing your wife to take a medical man as her lover. He’d finished his mini-homily and pushed on to the punchline.
“So, Pete, what do you think? As it’s my treat I’d obviously cover any expenses. Flights and such forth. I think you’d both love it and it would mean a great deal to me. And like I say, any time you can spare would be great. Even if it’s only a couple of days.”
As he held my gaze in his, like that hypnotic snake in the Jungle book, my mind was skidding all over the place. Skidding right and high with excitement, suddenly swooping low and left with that bone-shaking fear that so often accompanied anything to do with this man.
Over my forty-eight years on this planet, I’ve gradually learned that one of my weaknesses is an overwhelming desire to please people and say ‘yes’. The youngest of four, son of tired but loving parents, I don’t think you need to be a trained shrink to work that one out. But life had taught me that sometimes I had to fight hard against this urge to please. And this was one of those moments.
I could see the eagerness in Francis’ face. And I could feel my own eagerness in my loins. But I also knew I needed to discuss this with Sue. And that if we did accept this offer, we’d need to set ground rules. From the pictures of his large family home in Lagos, I was pretty sure he’d be putting us up in the family home. And I was pretty sure Francis didn’t want to give his sick mother a heart-attack if she bumped into Sue in the middle of a midnight bedhop.
“Francis, that’s really kind. Very generous. Let me talk it through with Sue, look at our schedules and get back to you.”
Francis’ expression mixed frustration with pleading, and my childhood desire to please responded to his look, nudging things just a bit.
“But I’m sure we can work something out.”
Francis smiled, as I bit my lip and wished life had made me a better negotiator.
“That’s great, man. You won’t regret it. I know you’ll both love it there. I can show you places you’ve never seen before. And I know Sue will love it. All the exotic sights and sounds and experiences of Sub-Saharan Africa. I know with your job you’ve already got the travel bug, Pete. Give Sue a little piece of Nigeria and I’m sure she’ll be hooked just like you.”
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As I drove back home, Francis’ offer and his words rattled around my brain. I cursed myself for giving in to my weakness and adding those last few words. But I comforted myself that we still had room for maneuvering. What Francis was suggesting needed to be treated with great care. Undeniably it excited me, but the last two years had taught me we needed to handle things like this with huge care and caution.
Opening the front door, I was greeted by a wonderful sight. Sue and Grace curled up like long-lost friends on the sofa. Legs tucked under their bodies, one photo album live and four or five more on the floor. History or still to come, there was no way of telling. What it is with women, they can stretch a few pages of plastic covered family snaps and make it last an entire evening. For my own sanity, I sincerely hoped the albums on the floor had already spilled their story.
Sue and Grace looked up and gave me what was at best a cursory hello, before returning to their animated and excited chatter. Initially, I felt a little put out and neglected, but then like early-evening husbands the world over I lost myself in a drink and a good book.
As I headed towards the climax of my latest Lee Child thriller, I kept one ear on their conversation. Sue was giving Grace the full works. A full tour from New York in the early 1980s, with photos where I looked a lot younger. Right up to today when I looked a lot older but Sue looked virtually unchanged, save for the bigger man-pleasing bust. All the way through baby and kiddy photos of Donovan and his two doting parents. Right the way to his graduation and two very proud but considerably poorer parents.
When Grace smiled wickedly at Sue and told her how handsome and what a hunk her son was, she cackled in a way I thought not altogether fitting for a mother when discussing her son. I felt a slight twinge of jealousy at this point. Grace was my squeeze for the duration and I didn’t need any competition from a younger and less balding version of myself. My bruised ego was restored when Grace winked at Sue, adding it was inevitable given how handsome his dad and beautiful his mum was.
As they went on and on I thought how amazing the transformation in their friendship was. Thinking back to that first time Sue had struggled to watch Grace and me together. But now they were like sisters from a different mother. Sue’s actual sister, Jane, lived nearby but seeing the way that Grace and my wife were bonding, I had little doubt they’d grow close if Grace did come to study in New York.
Some time ago the fantastic smells from the kitchen told me that Sue’s photo fest hadn’t meant her neglecting her wifely duties. As the cooker ‘pinged’ to signal its readiness, Sue got up to check. She came back carrying a wonderful roast side of beef with accompanying vegetables, and I was already mentally choosing the wine with which the three of us would wile away the evening.
But with my nostrils savoring the wonderful aroma of the roasting meat, Sue confused me as she looked at her watch and skipped up the stairs cursing.
“Hell, I’m going to be late.”
Feeling confused and panicked I followed her up the stairs, expecting to see her changing into some slinky or sexy outfit to go and meet Francis. Sue was sat in front of her dressing table, lips pursed as she removed excess lipstick just applied. Touching up her eye-shadow and lashes just a touch. But everything else was unchanged.
Catching sight of my confused look, she smiled wickedly.
“What did you think? Another night with lover boy? Now that your little African princess has arrived, did you think I’d be skipping off for a night with Francis?”
Sue wrapped her arms around me as we stood inches apart. “Oh, husband of mine. Do you really think so little of me? For your information, I’m off to meet Jenny and the girls. There’s a quiz at one of the bars next to the hospital. And for some reason, the flighty young nurses think that having someone of my advanced years might give them the edge. Something about answering questions about FDR and the Pilgrim Fathers from personal experience. Cheeky little bitches.”
Arms still wrapped around my neck, Sue was gazing into my eyes, trying to read my reaction.
“Just what I thought. Glass half full, glass half empty. Poor husband of mine. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t,” she teased. There was no point trying to hide anything from Sue. My best friend for a quarter century, she could see right through me.
She gave me a playful kiss on the cheek, and on a whim decided to swap her everyday top for one with a plunging neckline that showed off her big boobs to better effect. As she strapped herself into some matching red high heels, she grinned at me.
“What? Maybe they’ll be some hunky young guys in the bar? Ain’t a crime to put your best foot forward.”
With a grimace and a sigh, I watched Sue go on her way. A little nostalgic for the days pre-2015 when my beautiful wife would never have said this kind of thing. All of her treasure reserved for me alone. She’d always had a cheeky side to her personality, but now I’d given it full rein when I’d re-opened Pandora’s box two months back.
As I heard Sue’s uber pulling out of our drive, my phone pinged with an incoming text.
BTW. I’ve provided dinner. But I’ve left strict instructions with Grace that
she’s free to give you whatever dessert both of you fancy. Enjoy! Maybe
some sweet and juicy black forest gateau? Your loving wife S
I felt myself getting hot under the collar at the thought. Tonight was going to be a good night for me. Score one for Pete, and zero for Francis.
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Dinner was very filling and tasty, and it gave Grace and me a chance to catch up. On Sunday night she’d been too tired to talk. And earlier Sue had dominated her time and hardly let me get a word in edgeways. It was great to re-connect as we ate. She was so sweet as she chattered excitedly about the chance she had to now come and study in New York, and possibly even stay here after she finished the course. She was desperately trying not to get ahead of herself in case the scholarship didn’t work out. But just listening to her excited chatter I knew she was heavily invested in this. That she’d be crushed if it didn’t work out.
It’s a sad thought, but unless you’ve ever spent time in the poorer parts of the world and experienced its crushing poverty and precariousness of life, you’ll never really understand these people’s desperation for escape. To escape to the magical fantasy that is the USA in their minds. Here we know all the real pluses and minuses of our great nation. But to them, it’s candy, Hollywood, and Disney all the way with not a single minus to dim their hunger.
Seeing and hearing her excitement, I determined to do anything within my power to try and make Grace’s dream come true.
With the meal finally finished, I was loading the dishwasher when I felt two warm hands grasping my hips and an equally warm mouth next to my ear.
“Peter Jones, I want to fuck you,” Grace’s warm breath begged.
A plain looking forty-eight-year-old guy doesn’t get many invitations like that every day, so I looked startled rather than seductive as I turned to face Grace’s pretty African face.
Her face was smiling kitten-like just inches from mine. I’d forgotten just how sexy and pretty Grace was. Memories of our time together in Malawi came flooding back. Days and nights when she’d been my ‘African wife’. Riding me half to death at night before we snuggled up as she allowed me some exhausted sleep. The sheer bliss of waking next to the taut and soft caramel body of a young African woman. The enjoyment of getting to know another person and another lover at the most intimate level. A pleasure I thought I’d waved goodbye to twenty-years ago when Sue and I started dating. But an enjoyment Sue had fully blessed.
She snaked her arms around my shoulders and pressed her mouth to mine, forcing her tongue into my mouth as I eagerly returned her kiss. Just over five-foot tall, she stood on tiptoe so that she could push her perky little tits hard against my chest. Instantly I knew she was braless beneath her simple white blouse, the two metal sleepers in her nipples making me harder than ever.
Silence between us, hand-in-hand we walked up the stairs. Reaching the top I suddenly struggled to decide which bedroom to use. Sue and my bedroom had the bigger bed, but there was the question of how Sue might react to this.
Grace grinned and dragged me into the master bedroom.
“Sue must really love you. She said this would be fine. As she and Francis have christened the bed before, she thinks its only right.”
The next three hours of my life must go a huge way to categorically proving the existence of heaven. That pretty young woman from Malawi took me to heaven and back. And I’m pleased to say I was no slouch in giving her a little piece of heaven as well.
We stripped each other off in record time and my mouth was soon exploring her youthful body like we’d never been apart. My mouth latched onto her sexy pierced breasts, suckling for all I was worth until her brown nipples stood tall and proud. She smiled at me, as pleased with my handiwork as I was.
We shared a moment of personal re-connection as we happily looked into each other’s eyes, greedily contemplating both the evening and the next two weeks. As I looked into the face I’d known so well in Africa, I genuinely wondered about the merits of monogamy. A life-long insecure monogamist, the thought of a life without these euphoric moments of discovery looked like a life in monochrome. I’d happily dedicated myself to Sue for twenty-five years, but at that moment the pull of my new lover was something I couldn’t resist. With a shiver down my spine, I knew this was the same dangerous aphrodisiac Sue felt every time she and Francis were together. And I knew just what a dangerous game it was we were playing. Just how thin was the edge upon which we balanced, and how easy it would be to let these forces pull us off the edge.