Igniting the Tinder of Lust Ch. 04

"I got some flowers," she replied showing the same cavalier attitude.

"Are you seeing him? Are you talking to him?" I asked again.

"I haven't seen him but we talk occasionally," she answered.

"Why, Lauren?" I replied.

"Why? Because I didn't think you were serious and I'm still not sure you are. You've made your claim before and then changed your mind. He's very nice and I enjoy talking to him," she responded.

Of course, it was her last statement that I honed in on as it told me that not only were they communicating but she held some affection as well, and although I couldn't deny her comment about my wavering position, I felt she was using it to camouflage her interests.

"That's bullshit, Lauren," I stated.

"Is it?" she replied as she turned her back to me.

I left the room, needing to regroup, and went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer. Half the can disappeared with the first taste and then I slowed to consider all she had said. Without question, she wanted to deliver the message that my attention was lacking. That came through loud and clear but, more importantly, I felt threatened by her acknowledgment that she still talked to the man. Intuitively, I knew she didn't do it just to thumb my nose, that her admission flouted our understanding and that she likely held more than a casual interest in him.

"Where are we going?" Lauren asked as we drove in my car.

It was at least the tenth time she had asked the question after I told her we were going out to dinner. The message she delivered after coming home with Chris' flowers had set me in motion and by early afternoon the following day, I had managed to secure a reservation at a very nice restaurant and arranged for a babysitter. On short notice, the only time I could land was late but it didn't seem to dampen my wife's mood. Of course, she had understood from the start why I suddenly doted on her but she played the game well by acting both surprised and pleased.

Fifteen minutes later, we sat at our table with her looking very nice in a simple cocktail dress that I noted was much more conservative than the one she wore with her friend's husband. While I studied the wine list, she scanned the room, and every time I looked up at her, she gave me an impish grin.

"What kind of wine do you want," I finally asked, overwhelmed by the selection.

"I don't know. Chris always makes those decisions," she answered.

"What? Don't," I responded as my head returned to the list but after a few seconds, I looked up at her and said, "You're bad."

"Am I?" she giggled.

"Yes," I replied and then asked, "What else did he do?"

"Well, let's see. He held my chair when I sat," she replied as her smile turned into a pointed stare.

"Damn, I guess I suck," I said.

"Don't be a baby," she responded as she kicked me under the table.

Truly, she enjoyed the situation and she made several more comments comparing my behavior to Chris' during our lovely dinner. Each time, a little smirk would appear on her face but I didn't challenge her, deciding it best to let her have her way. We finished the meal with an after-dinner drink in the bar and then headed for home, and as soon as I paid the babysitter, I headed to the bedroom where I discovered her naked in front of the mirror.

"Okay, you've got to play your game all evening. Now, it's my turn," I said as I pulled her into the bedroom.

She giggled as she followed me but when I tossed her onto the bed unceremoniously and dove face-first between her legs, she rewarded me with a loud gasp. Quickly, I had her legs wide, and I lapped at her pussy as she squirmed and moaned beneath me. Several times, I had to push her hands away when she pulled on my dress shirt but with my dick painfully erect in my slacks, I finally stopped, rose from the bed, and started on my things as she watched.

"Hurry," she begged as she teased a nipple with one hand while sliding a finger through her wet slit with the other.

I thought about her display and knew that it signified her change as before she experienced the other men, she would never act so wantonly. She pulled her legs further back as I climbed onto her and we moaned together as my dick burrowed into her opening. Just for a moment, I thought about all the penetration it had experienced and marveled at how it had remained pristine.

"All mine," I whispered as I started to move purposefully.

"Mmmm..." she moaned in response.

We continued for a little longer and then I rose on my arms, looked down at her, and asked, "Is it all mine?"

"Yeah," she whispered and then pulled my head down for a kiss. When we broke, she said huskily into my ear, "For now."

"You're trying to push my buttons. You brought those flowers home to push them," I challenged her as I pushed harder.

"Am I?" she gasped, and before I could answer, she added, "He was sweet for sending them."

I started moving even faster and soon our eyes connected and we maintained a stare as the seconds ticked by. I felt she wanted to communicate something to me but I wasn't sure about the message. Slowly, my arousal built, and knowing she was behind me, I tried to regain some control but when she moved her hand to my balls and started tickling them with her fingernails, I knew I had no hope.

"Getting close," I grunted.

"Don't cum in me," she warned.

The fact that I seemed to be the only man forbidden from depositing his seed in her womb wasn't lost on me but I was too far gone to stop and I planned to wrench free and spray her body. However, just as the moment arrived, she pushed me off with amazing strength and inhaled my dick while her hand stroked me rapidly.

"Shit, Lauren. Shit!" I cried out as my cum filled her eager mouth.

The intense feeling made me lift my ass from the bed but when I finally collapsed, she continued to lap at my shaft until she had it completely clean. Her attention had managed to keep it mostly hard and with a playful smile, she lifted her body and took my dick back inside her.

"No," she said when I reached for her breasts and grabbing my wrists, she forced my arms back to the bed.

The look in her eye made me think that something was in her head and at first, I thought she intended to tease me some more but she remained silent as she worked her body. Slowly, some disturbing thoughts began to percolate in my head and although I wanted to ignore them, they finally reached the boiling point.

"Have you seen Chris? Been with him?" I asked.

"No," she answered quickly.

"Do you want to?" I probed.

"Yes," she replied without hesitation.

"I thought we agreed..." I started before she cut me off.

"No, you said what you wanted," she interrupted, and after a pause, she continued, "You told me what you wanted but I think you'll change your mind."

"No..." I began but she interrupted once more.

"You always have," she stated.

"I won't. I'm serious. Not this time," I replied.

"Okay," she answered dismissively.

Annoyed by her tone, I tried to break her hold but her grip was firm and when I stopped struggling, I looked at her for several seconds and then said, "You want it to keep going."

"Yeah," she admitted after a few seconds.

"Why, Lauren? I mean Stacy...and Cezar treats you like shit," I responded.

"Cezar has his moments," she replied.

"And Stacy? Your friend?" I asked.

She didn't respond to the question and after moving for a little longer, she collapsed onto my chest with her head turned to the side. Unable to see her face, I struggled to guess her state, and we lay in silence for several minutes.

"You didn't finish," I finally said.

"No," she answered.

More silence ensued and then I stated, "I'm not going to change my mind. Not this time."

"Okay," she replied in the same dismissive voice.

I came away from the discussion thinking Lauren wasn't completely happy to stop her play but would abide by the decision even though she thought it likely short-lived. Since it wasn't a perfect outcome, I felt tense and unsettled. However, my wife, perhaps buoyed by the kids, seemed completely at ease which made me think she felt strongly I would eventually succumb to my demons. The odd dynamic of living with a woman, a loving wife, that hoped for my failure so she could spread her legs for others made me think at times I might be living in some bizarre parallel world but, unfortunately, it was all too real and I knew that my sordid desires played the primary role in creating the situation. I felt time would prove to be the solution and hoped that with each passing day, we moved a little further from the vortex. Indeed, things appeared to be progressing well until the fateful Thursday when I arrived home from work and saw the strange expression on my wife's face.

Alone in the kitchen with the kids parked in front of the TV, I asked her, "What's going on?"

"We need to talk but later," she replied.

Her message put me on eggshells and I spent the rest of the evening trying to determine the cause. I strongly suspected it involved one of her men, perhaps even Thomas, but that would mean our understanding had already shattered. She seemed to dawdle in putting the kids to bed but when I saw her walking toward our bedroom, I rose from the sofa and followed.

I caught up to her sitting in front of the mirror and as soon as we made eye contact, she announced, "I had lunch with Chris today."

"Why? I thought we agreed..." I started before she interjected.

"He wanted to talk. He was very sweet on the phone," she said, trying hard to keep a smile off her face.

"So, just like that, you blow off our agreement?" I asked.

"It was just lunch," she answered but by her look, I knew there was more to come.

"Okay, what do you want to tell me? I can see there's something," I responded.

This time, she stared at me without speaking for several seconds and then took a deep breath and explained, "He asked me to go with him to New York. I want to go."

"Hell, no you're not going," I answered angrily, and when she didn't reply, I added, "Did you really think I would agree?"

Strangely, a confused expression momentarily appeared on her face which made me think she did indeed think I would agree to the trip. I couldn't fathom how she had convinced herself which meant we were much further apart than I had thought.

"I want to go," she said flatly and moved to the bedroom.

She was gone for several minutes and when she reappeared, I could tell she had regrouped.

"Lauren..." I started.

"No, wait," she interjected, and then quickly continued, "I don't see it as a big deal. I've been with him before for a weekend at your insistence. This is just in a different place."

"We agreed..." I tried but she cut me off again.

"Please stop with that. You know you'll change your mind," she stated.

"What has gotten into you? How do we ever stop this craziness? I know I made mistakes but I'm trying and you're not helping," I fired back. Then, a thought suddenly hit me and I demanded, "Are you in love with Chris?"

"No, of course not," she answered but with less conviction than I hoped.

"What happened at lunch? Did he kiss you?" I asked.

"We kissed, that's all," she admitted.

Suddenly deflated, I moved to the bed and stared at my feet for almost a minute before I said, "This is a mess. It's a disaster. I think we're at a point where maybe it would be best to be apart for some time. I never thought I'd hear myself saying that but maybe it's best."

"You're overreacting. I don't think it makes any sense at all," she replied.

The exchange launched us into a conversation that lasted for hours but continued to go round and round without ever arriving at a solution. It carried on into the weekend but the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that our relationship needed a solid jolt to break free. Certainly, incremental approaches weren't working and I knew the longer things continued the more difficult it would be to emerge unscathed. By Sunday, I had taken an adamant stance and despite Lauren abandoning the New York trip idea, I still held firm that we needed time apart. I left that afternoon with the understanding that my leaving would remain just between the two of us. Meaning, no notice to our parents or our friends and in the eyes of our kids, daddy was just going on an extended business trip.

I thought that two months felt like the right time frame but Lauren reacted very badly and wanted no more than two to three weeks, so by the time I left the period remained undefined. I managed to wrangle a small, furnished corporate apartment and forced myself to not dwell on the dull and lonely surroundings. For the next few days, I ignored my wife's phone calls and by mid-week, they stopped, which left me anxious. Knowing I needed to keep busy, I focused on work, and despite my mind occasionally wandering to Lauren and the kids, I managed to be quite productive.

A week after my departure, I got a call from my mom and during our discussion, I learned that Lauren planned to drop them in the country that Thursday. Immediately, I realized that despite our emotional discussions and my clearly articulated position, she had decided to go forward with the trip to New York, and for the first time, I questioned whether our relationship had a future.

I couldn't help but sneak into her emails and when I saw the boarding pass, I had my suspicions confirmed. Not only that, but her 3A seat designation meant her lover planned to make it a memorable weekend. The days seemed to crawl by but when Friday afternoon finally arrived, I left early, drove to our house, and took in the sights and smells of what had been my happy existence. I poured myself a drink and sat, staring straight ahead as I wondered if my gambit had been the right decision. One led to another and when I had the third in my hand, I walked slowly to the bedroom, opened the drawer, and searched for my wife's diaphragm. Missing from its normal spot, I got a lift even though I knew she might have merely placed it elsewhere.

Moving back to the sofa, I couldn't help but think about Lauren and what she might be doing at that exact moment. I knew they had already landed and likely checked into their hotel but had they gone straight to bed? Were her legs now wrapped around the man as her hands gripped his arms? I knew that, unlike the other men, there was a risk of an emotional connection and I wondered if it had already formed. Would they profess their love for each other as they lay entwined?

Although I worried about drinking too much alcohol in my chaotic condition, I did anyway, and somehow managed to make it through to Sunday. I wondered if I might get a call from Lauren as she made her way to collect our children, and although none came, later, she texted me and suggested I speak with them before bed, which I did. I knew that she knew that they would talk about their visit to the country which made me think she might have an agenda but, in the end, I just concluded she didn't care enough to hide it.

Just three weeks later, I learned of another plan my wife made to use our parents to babysit for the weekend which meant she had totally rejected my attempt to stop. It was a sobering moment made even more profound by my longing to see my family and it instantly put me into a depressed state. Now drinking most nights to dull the loneliness, I had convinced myself I maintained firm control but with this new info, I lost it. I hit the bottle hard as I speculated on who she would meet and if she even gave a thought to our marriage.

I guessed that getting the kids out of the way meant the encounter would likely occur at our house, so I had it staked out at the time I expected her to return and sure enough, within thirty minutes of her arrival, Chris pulled up and with a jaunty step, made his way to the door. I left and went to a bar but two hours later when I swung by on my way home, his car was gone which meant they were either out on a date or he had just stopped by for a quickie. Still watching the house, I saw the lights come on in the garage followed by the door rising which provided the answer, and when my wife's car started down the street, I followed at a discreet distance.

It only took a few minutes to guess her destination so I backed off and took a circuitous route to Cezar's house. When I arrived, I saw Lauren's car in the driveway but none of the house lights were on which made me wonder if she had left with the man. I thought about searching the nearby club for his truck but suddenly feeling exhausted, I headed toward my simple apartment.

Along the way, I thought about my wife and realized she was indeed a true sex addict. She had rejected Dr. Sturm's warnings as well as my threats and now, it seemed, one man was not enough for the day. Within an hour or so of Chris' departure, she had set off to find Cezar which was disturbing, although, it also suggested her emotional connection with her friend's husband had a limit.

I thought about finding a rehab facility she could go to as despite the ramifications, I knew the situation couldn't continue. It seemed like the only alternative and I started searching my computer when another thought hit me that seemed so simple, I chastised myself for not thinking of it sooner. The more I considered it, the more sense it made and it was then and there that I decided to get Lauren pregnant.

She would fight the idea and I would need to ensure she didn't use one of her morning-after pills but once knocked up, I thought it very likely she would see the pregnancy through. Now with a plan, I felt better about things but still killed the half-bottle of whiskey I had as I thought about her at Cezar's.

Late Sunday, with the kids back from the country, she phoned me and this time, I answered the call.

"When are you coming back?" she asked after she told me about the kids.

"Lauren, did you go with Chris to New York?" I asked, ignoring her question.

"Yes," she admitted in a sheepish voice.

"Who did you see this weekend?" I pushed.

"You weren't here," she replied as if my absence meant permission.

"Why do you want me back? Seems like you're having a good time," I asked sarcastically.

"Don't beat me up. Come home so we can talk," she responded.

"Lauren, I'm thinking you need to go into a treatment facility. You're addicted," I told her as for some reason, I wanted to inflict some pain.

"That's bullshit. How about you? Are you going, too? You started it," she fired back angrily.

"If I thought it would help you then by all means I would go," I answered and I sensed my message made her stop and think.

"Come home," she said after a few seconds of silence.

"Soon, I answered but not yet," I said, wanting to show some control.

I managed to make it three more weeks but when my month was up at the apartment, I left for home. I texted her of my plans so the kids mauled me when I stepped in the door and I spent over an hour with them before we broke for dinner. Later, after she put them to bed, Lauren retreated to the bedroom and I gave her a half-hour before I followed. She lay reading, dressed in her loosely tied robe, and she smiled at me nervously as I stepped into the room. I thought about berating her about her encounters but after being gone for two months, it didn't seem smart to immediately start an inquisition, so I just sat at the end of the bed.

"We missed you," she said with sad eyes.

"Did you?" I replied as I grabbed her feet and slid her toward me.

In doing so, her robe opened and I saw something on her lower abdomen, near her pussy, that looked like a tattoo. She gave me a nervous look but said nothing as I moved closer and upon inspection, I realized I was looking at a two-inch tattoo of the animated cartoon character Felix the Cat. Instantly, I knew who placed it but I couldn't fathom why my wife would have agreed.