Author's note: This is a long story that has nearly nothing to do with sex until the very end. There is more to the story and the later chapters have more sex in them but I haven't finished them yet. If you just want to read the sex scene then skip to the end.
*****
We're all going to die, thought Henry. I'm... I'm going to die.
This was hardly breaking news but as his mother's casket was put into the ground next to his father who had passed away years earlier this realization hit Henry hard. Henry stood there feeling small and vulnerable as the funeral service ended and one by one those in attendance gave him and his younger brother and sister their condolences.
After everyone else had left the three of them were standing there silent. They didn't have anything to say to each other. Henry wondered if either of his siblings even cared about their mother. His brother Ron looked annoyed more than anything. His sister Amy just seemed unemotional and detached.
On the ride home Henry reflected on his life and realized just how unhappy he was. He had a good job but he hadn't seen a raise or promotion in years. He had a nice house which his wife absolutely had to have a certain way which meant that Henry couldn't touch anything. They even had a nice car, which Henry wouldn't drive lest his wife get very upset with him.
Everyday Henry woke up at six but had to be quiet as he went about the house getting ready for work because he didn't want to wake his wife up. He usually had just a slice of gluten free, non sugar, blah blah blah bread with either no taste or the taste of particle board for breakfast and rode a bicycle to the train station and then took the slow train downtown. He worked all day and even though on some days he really thought he'd go mad if he had to fill in the exact same information again on another form that no one would ever look at since it would get put into a binder and filed away to oblivion; he usually stayed to work some overtime just because he couldn't stand the thought of going home.
On the way home Henry felt the pinch of hunger that he'd ignored for most of the day. If he was lucky his wife might have made him a sandwich. If not then it was usually the case that Henry didn't have the pocket money to buy anything. On some days, even though Henry liked to think of himself as completely honest, his pride would fail him and he'd go up to the 13th floor and get a bagel or two even though he couldn't pay for them. He'd later feel ashamed of it and put some money in the payment box when he had some.
The bicycle ride home from the station was almost always the worst part of the day. In the winter it was cold, in the summer it rained almost every night. Henry would be tired and barely able to keep his eyes open. He passed house after house where everyone had two or three cars but his one car was for the exclusive use of his wife even though she didn't have a job.
Well,... she did have a job, sort of. She'd been working as a consultant for the last six years. Of course saying that means extending the meaning of the word work since his wife didn't actually do anything. Henry could get a minimum wage, part time job at a fast food place and bring home more than his wife did. But she got to drive their luxury car because it was very important to her to keep up her status in the neighborhood.
Upon arriving home he tried to make as little noise as possible. He really didn't want to wake his wife up. There were the rare occasions when she would still be awake and she might put on a pretend happy face as if she actually wanted to see her husband. Even rarer still were the days when she would be in the mood and sex might actually be a possibility.
As bad as the weekdays were, the weekends were worse. All Henry really wanted to do was catch up on his sleep but she could never tolerate just seeing him there not doing anything. She had to drag him all over the place, from shopping with her friends to dinner parties where Henry had to wait in the car for his wife to finish because she insisted he wasn't upper class enough for her friends and she didn't want him to embarrass her.
Henry looked through his memory trying to figure out when the last time he'd had sex was. It seemed like a really long time ago. His wife had said she never wanted children. It was coming back to Him. His mother had mentioned wanting grandkids and Henry had made the mistake of letting his wife know that. They hadn't had sex since then. How long ago was that? Four years at least because that was before his mother had even gotten sick.
...
Monday
Henry looked in his bag and saw that this day, like the Friday before, his wife had made him a sandwich. He really hoped it was better than the one she made last time. That one was so bad he couldn't finish the whole thing no matter how hungry he was.
For some reason he thought about the kinds of things that his mother used to make for his lunch when he was in school. She'd always been so creative with everything. She used to make him carrots that had faces on them or little hot dog wieners that were cut to resemble an octopus.
Henry opened the container to see what his wife had made him and... she hadn't made him anything. She simply put the rest of the disgusting sandwich in a new container and she expected him to eat it. He tried to take a bite but got a very strong feeling that this foul food might make him sick so he just put it away.
He didn't feel like working through his lunch hour and he didn't feel like going to the lounge where he could watch everyone else eating something. His mind went to the credit card in his wallet. It was for emergencies only. If he used it, then his wife would find out and there would be an argument.
Then again, she'd never expect him to lie. He'd always been so honest. He never kept any secrets or told any falsehoods. He could for once go get something to eat and when his wife saw it on the bill he could make up some story. She might not be happy about it but she'd never expect him to lie.
But no. He couldn't lie. It wasn't in him. His parents had raised him better than that.
He went up to the 13th floor to see if there were any bagels left. They would usually be all gone by now but every now and then there might be one or two left and Henry would feel less bad about taking it if it was the last one.
The first thing that Henry saw when he stepped out of the elevator was her shoulder. She was wearing one of those sweaters with a wide neck that let her put on such a display. Henry couldn't think that he'd ever seen her before. Maybe she was new. Or she was from the company that rented offices down the hall. Or maybe she was there to collect the bagel money.
While Henry's rational brain was trying to figure out who she was another part of Henry had already decided that it didn't care. There were plenty of times that he saw beautiful women on the train, or in a shop, or coming through the office and he could always keep his cool. But this woman, well, something about her hit Henry like a splash of hot beach surf.
It was like his eyes were wider, his heart was stronger, his breath was deeper.
Before Henry even knew what he was thinking he had moved up behind her, reached around and grabbed a bagel from the table. She turned around and looked at him. Henry didn't say anything. He just took in the sight of her face jeweled with her amazing green eyes which didn't match the rest of her Mediterranean features.
"Sorry. I'm in your way." she said and then smiled.
"Excuse me."
"I'm new in the building."
"Oh, well then welcome. How do you like it?"
