They had been together for a little over three years. She was his best friend, and he was hers. They were deeply in love and the sex, although infrequent as it used to be, was still considered "good" by both parties. With their hectic work schedules and the other responsibilities of adult life, sex often took a back seat to other day to day distractions. It wasn't that they stopped wanting sex, but that it sometimes seemed that there just wasn't enough time in a day.
Gradually, after being together for three years, sex had become less and less frequent and less and less spontaneous. They accepted the decline as an unfortunate, but seemingly natural thing that happens to many couples in long term relationships. It wasn't until the morning that she caught him masturbating in the shower one Saturday afternoon that they were forced to confront the all too real ramifications of their dwindling sex life.
Both of them always showered with the door open as the hot water made the bathroom far too steamy. Liz was making breakfast in the kitchen of their apartment when she remembered she forgot to ask Jeremy what he wanted in his omelet. She walked purposefully towards the bathroom, but stopped just outside the door when she heard a faint groan from the shower within. She stopped moving and her breath caught in her throat. "He isn't, he couldn't be doing that" she thought. But when she heard another moan, the realization hit her hard and quick. Jeremy was masturbating. Before she knew what she was doing, she tore open the shower curtain in a potent mix of anger and sadness.
Her boyfriend Jeremy had his eyes closed and is head back. Water from the showerhead was streaming over his erect penis while his hand furiously pumped up and down the shaft. Hearing the curtain quickly open startled him, but it wasn't enough to stop what was already inevitable. Past the point of no return, he shouted in surprise at the intrusion and turned instinctively towards her. At the same time, his hips bucked forward and his eyes closed as he launched an arc of cum across her chest splattering on her pajamas and the nearby shower curtain.
"Jeremy what are you doing! I cannot believe this is happening" she stammered as he struggled in the shower to regain any semblance of composure.
"What do you think I am doing Liz? Were you spying on me or something? Just leave me alone." He responded, quickly taking the defensive as he yanked the shower curtain closed.
"First of all I am not spying on you. I came in to ask you what you wanted in your omelet. If I had known you were busy in there doing that, I wouldn't have come anywhere near you. Why didn't you shut the door? Why were you masturbating in the first place?", Liz asked with a hint of disgust in her voice.
She bombarded him with questions clearly disappointed by the whole incident. She sounded so clinical and so disgusted with him that his embarrassment was rapidly combining with a horrible feeling of guilt that left him feeling like a complete and utter asshole. Even with the shower curtain closed, he could feel her eyes searching for answers.
After a painful silence for a moment or two, it quickly became evident that she was in no way going to leave him alone right now. Since he was trapped quite literally in the shower with no means of escape other than what he knew was going to be an uncomfortable conversation, he started the only way that made sense given the current circumstances.
"I'm sorry" Jeremy said opening the curtain "but we haven't had sex in a long time. Just because you aren't interested in sex anymore, doesn't mean that I've stopped wanting it."
"What?" She asked surprised. "You think I'm not interested in sex? You think that you're the only one who gets horny around here!" "I may not be as horny as you, but I still want sex" Liz said clearly irritated.
They then proceeded to have a long conversation about their waning sex life. At times they argued, at times they were upset by what was brought to the surface, but in the end, they realized they needed to make some changes. They needed to find a way to get back to the way things were when they first met, the way things used to be.
There was a time when they couldn't keep their hands off each other. In college, with little privacy to be found they had to be resourceful if they wanted to get off. They would pleasure each other under blankets in common areas, have quick oral sex while roommates slept, or fuck quickly before their roommates would get back from class. Back then there wasn't time for much more than that, but they were still able to keep things hot and steamy between them. Now they had all the privacy and time they could want, but things had fizzled. They both agreed that they needed to get the romance and passion back into their relationship.
At work the next day Liz couldn't stop thinking about the conversation she had with Jeremy the day before. On the one hand, she loved that they finally talked about an issue that was definitely taking its toll on their relationship. On the other hand, she felt dissatisfied with their lack of a clear cut solution. During her lunch break at the office Liz approached her closest friend and co-worker Christine. She told her what happened this weekend and begged for advice.
"It's not uncommon you know. I catch Rick jerking off all the time", Christine said trying her best to reassure Liz. "I once even caught him rubbing one off with an expensive pair of my panties. I was a little pissed that he might wreck them or at least stretch them out, but I got to tell you, it kind of turned me on."
"Really? Liz asked. "I guess I never thought that guys masturbating was a turn on. It always grossed me out."
"Well you admitted you haven't been putting out right? Either you tend to your man's needs or he'll tend to them on his own, or even worse find someone else to tend to them." Christine remarked with eyebrows raised while her head nodded. "Plus in all honesty part of me likes the idea of Rick thinking about me while he jerks off. I mean that means I'm his fantasy right?"
"I guess I never thought of it like that. Christine what am I going to do? What would you do if you were me?" Liz pleaded.
"I don't have all the answers but I think I might know of something that might help. Let me go home real quick. I think I might have just what you need." Christine said leaving their office break room promptly.
Liz finished what was left of her lunch and tried to get back to work. She was unable to focus and didn't get much done. Just before it was time to leave, Christine popped into her cubicle to say goodnight and drop off what Liz was now thinking of as her salvation. Christine handed her a small canvas tote bag and Liz immediately looked inside.
"What is it? It's a book? You've got to be kidding me!" Liz remarked.
"No it's not just a book. It's a part of the book, the part I bookmarked. Just try it okay. I did and believe me, Rick was more than appreciative." Liz looked at the book. She was a little disappointed that it wasn't something more profound. Staring in the bag, she heard Christine say in her sing-song voice, "Enjoy!" as she left their office.
When Liz got home from work she quickly took off her coat, threw her purse on the coach and headed to their bedroom to examine the book. Taking it out, it looked like another one of those stupid sex guides that bookstores always seem to have in the clearance section. She looked through some of the predictable glossy photographs depicting various sex positions from those deemed traditional to some that could only be described as acrobatic. It only took a few moments before she got frustrated and ended up throwing the book underneath the bed.
It wasn't until later that evening when Jeremy had left to meet some friends at a pub downtown that Liz remembered what Christine had told her about the bookmark. She retrieved the book from its hiding spot under the bed and flipped it open to the sticky note that Christine had left to mark the page.
Christine left a note saying: "Good luck! This really worked for me and Rick. I know it sounds corny, but if you try it and really do what it says, I think you'll be surprised."
Liz devoured each word on the page reading and re-reading it over and over again. She had to admit, what the book suggested turned her on. The only question was would she really go through with it? She knew if she waited she would put it off and it would probably never happen. She also knew she couldn't take another day of feeling like she was in a passionless relationship. With a couple of hours to kill before Jeremy would be back, she decided to put the books suggestions into action.
Liz took a long hot shower, shaved her legs, and began to shave her bikini line. With their problems in the bedroom, she hadn't given herself a thorough shave or wax in a long time. Unfortunately, because of time constraints, waxing would have to wait for now. Working the sharp razor, she slowly began whittling her pubic hair down, shaving first one side and then the other paying extra attention not to nick the sensitive lips of her pussy. When she got to the point where she usually stopped shaving, she used the mirror to check her work. Still unsatisfied with the appearance, she let the razor glide into previously uncharted territory.
After shaving and trimming things up a bit, she decided she didn't like how it looked and began to take more off. Working the sharp razor, she slowly took more and more off. Pretty soon there was so little left that she ended up shaving everything off leaving her pussy completely bald. She had never done this before and was excited thinking about how Jeremy might react to her silky smooth snatch. Liz couldn't help thinking that if she was going to put on a show like the kind the book suggested, she ought to at least feel comfortable and confident about the parts she would be showing off.
