When you’ve been around the block enough times, you know that anything is possible when it comes to people’s sex lives. I knew there were men who liked to watch as their wives had sex with another man. And I’m no prude. Anything is OK with me as long as no one gets forced or hurt --- more than they want to be, that is. Consent: that’s the line I draw. If full-grown adults consent to it, I can see no reason to object. Still, I was surprised when a guy I knew and had been friends with propositioned me for his wife.
I had known Dan and Janet for a couple of years. They were older than I: Dan ten years and Janet two or three, I was never certain. We had shared several dinners, often as a foursome if I brought a date. But I had been recently divorced and was in no hurry to take the vows again so they made it clear that I was always welcome to come alone. They never tried to “fix me up,” that terrifying, well-intentioned mistake that so many happily married couples make out of concern for their single friends and I was eternally grateful for that.
Dan was a supervisor at the company where I worked but in a different division. Most recently, we had worked together on a large and important project and shared a couple of nights on the town in Chicago where we had been sent. When the project came to an end, Dan took me out for drinks and a celebratory dinner on the night before we were to fly home. I had been on loan to him for the duration of the project and we wanted to wind down a little before turning our “baby” over to the powers upstairs. We selected a neighborhood tavern because we both liked pub grub and beer. As we sat finishing our pitcher, the remains of our meal pushed aside, I wondered why Dan seemed so nervous. The project had been spectacularly successful but he seemed to have something on his mind that he was trying to work through and I hoped it was nothing to do with my work. I didn’t let it get to me, though, I had worked hard and I knew that I had done a good job; he had even said so. So I pushed aside the niggling doubt and enjoyed the meal and the release from the cares of the past weeks.
When we had been in the tavern about as long as the occasion warranted, I was ready to forget about Dan’s nerves and suggest we go. That was when he finally let it out.
“You . . . you get a long OK with Janet, right?” he began. I assured him that I did, wondering where he was going with this. ‘Well,” he continued, “we --- uh --- we don’t have what you would call –-- uh --- a conventional marriage. What I mean is that we have a lot of --- oh --- personal freedom, I guess --- uh ---within the marriage, that is, we do a lot of unusual things.” He was rushing his words now, anxious to get it all out since he had begun. “And we’re really a lot happier this way you know?”
“Well, sure,” I replied. I thought I sensed his general direction now. I assumed that he had a little adventure planned for the rest of our last night in Chicago and wanted me to keep my mouth shut around Janet. I wanted to get to the point and relieve the tension. “But what’s it got to do with me?” I asked.
“I’m getting to that.” He took a breath and put aside the beer bottle from which he had been nervously stripping the label with a thumbnail. Once he got started his words came out all at once and in a rush. It was obvious that he had tried to prepare a little speech but, in the end, threw caution to the winds and just blurted it out.
“I hope this doesn’t shock you,” he began, “but --- uh --- Janet would like to have sex with you, and it’s OK with me. I mean, --- Well, what I mean is --- I’d like to see her with you.”
It didn’t quite register at first and I’m sure that I didn’t look as surprised as I felt. I probably gave no outward sign at all and the uncertainty caused him even more discomfort. I murmured something noncommittal and assured him that I was making no judgements. He seemed to relax at that, let a lot of air out of his lungs and went on with his explanation. I began to understand that, to Dan, it was important that he justify what he was proposing.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of arrangements like this,” he continued with a wide grin and (so help me) a blush, “I mean, it’s fairly common. We began a little over five years ago and we both love it. She gets incredible pleasure from being with someone new --- especially someone younger, like you --- and even more because I’m there --- sort of --- you know, sharing the experience. I can’t tell you how much this has improved our relationship. We were sort of in the doldrums --- you know, kind of bored with marriage and all. I had had one affair and was miserable with all of the secrecy and the sneaking around. I thought she was having one too, and it began to develop into a vicious game. The atmosphere around the house was poison with suspicion and guilt and resentment all stirred together in an ugly way.
“Then, I came home unexpectedly one night when I was supposed to be out of town. Sure enough, she was with someone. There was a strange car in the drive behind hers. I let myself in through the cellar door and made my way very quietly up the stairs --- snuck up, I guess you’d say --- and through the kitchen to the living room. I had no idea ---
NO idea
--- what I was in for.”
We were pushed up against the wall of the booth, huddled together over the table to keep from being overheard. Dan’s voice was low and tense. I waited, knowing there was no stopping him now.
“They were on the living room floor,” he continued, “on a bed of cushions and pillows. Several candles had been lighted around the room and one lamp was burning on the end table. Janet’s sheer red blouse had been tossed over the shade --- to give atmosphere, I guess. Anyway, they had just gotten their clothes mostly off and were getting down to business. Naturally, I had all of the knee-jerk responses you would expect --- outrage and anger --- it just boiled up in me. I stood there clenching my fists and working myself up to action. I started to barge in and put a stop to it --- exactly what all of us married guys are expected to do, huh? --- But then I caught sight of her just turning her face up to him and it stopped me in my tracks. There was something about her expression in the lamplight --- the face I knew so well --- so excited, so intense and animated! --- Just listen to this! --- She was sitting on the floor at his feet and smiling up at him, holding his erection in her hand. My heart sank and I wanted to burst into tears. At the same time my rage almost blinded me. I knew that I should want to crash in and smash his face but something held me back --- a strange mix of feeling and realization that was like listening to several radio stations at once --- and that was when it happened!
“You know how you can get impressions and make decisions sometimes without actually thinking of words and logic and all? We do it all the time at work and think nothing of it! Well, that’s what happened. In a split second I knew that this was a great pleasure for her and that I loved her deeply and that
I wanted her to have that pleasure
. I saw that she was enjoying herself and I knew what was holding me back ---
I didn’t want to spoil it
--- had no right to spoil it, really. Then something else hit me like a truck!
It was exciting! I was enjoying it, too!
When she –-- she put her mouth on him, my pulse raced and my scalp nearly came off ---
from excitement --- not jealousy
!
“I stood and watched as she gave him what he wanted ---
what she wanted to give him!
And I found it exciting! I liked watching it! I actually enjoyed watching my wife have sex with another man ---
sucking his cock!
I knew that mouth! She had sucked me countless times and I knew how she did it and what this guy was feeling as I watched. It was an incredible high! My cock was hard as a brick in no time!”
