Influenced

Her last suggestion for potential downfall points was equally easily combatted. The guys could brag all they liked, their wives could do all the investigating they wanted, if Jane gave me a false name and I went along with it, no one could trace me.

I don't know when Jane changed from using terms like 'the wife' and 'the husband' to using 'Stephanie' and 'Dave' but it certainly happened. Alone, I wondered if Jane had accidentally forgotten one flaw, or whether it was deliberate. From the basic research I'd done, the major problem for me was giving the game away by guilt.

That's what the final six week soul search armed me for. Six weeks to convince myself that when I did the deed, it wouldn't be cheating. Having casual sex with two married men, completely anonymously was absolutely no threat to my marriage. Oh yes, I said when. My constant state of arousal from Jane's stories and my own lust, sealed my decision. Just once in my life I was going to drive a Lamborghini. Jane made sure of that.

Jane was ecstatic when I told her the news the next week. We narrowed it down to one of the days I only worked till 1PM and she gave me the choice of which of her regulars I wanted. She read through her catalogue and I picked John and Paul. She then laid out a smorgasbord of ideas for me to choose from. Did I want them both together of one after the other? Did I want them to tie me up or pretend to rape me? Would I be interested in double penetration? She would remind them not to mark me in any way and threaten to cut them off if they didn't comply. In the end she convinced me to keep it fairly straight and to leave some excitement for later episodes.

The week of my first experience was unexpectedly hard. No, my conscience wasn't troubling me but my excitement was threatening to give me away. Between Sunday and Thursday I raped Dave twice in the lounge room as soon as he got in the door. I was forced to tell him it was because I was ovulating again. Yes, this was definitely going to be a win/win for Dave and myself. I had to force myself below the speed limit going to the hotel and practically sprinted from the shopping centre car park to my rendezvous. I was going so fast that my wig almost flew off. I was impressed with Jane's choices as soon as they walked in the room.

That's why Dave's phone call was such a cataclysm. None of the ways I'd almost been caught today were on Jane's list, which hardened my resolve to ditch this stupid, self-destructive idea. Insidiously, the memory of that kiss and those hands tweaking my over sensitive nipples hammered my resolve in the dimly lit lounge. After peeking in on Dave, I returned to the lounge but chose a different couch. One out of direct line of sight of the stairs.

Loosening my jeans I languidly stretched out and slid my hand into my panties. In the privacy of my head John and Paul did much more than stick their tongues down my throat and a little groping, until we all came together. I fell asleep on the couch with my resolve severely dented.

The next day I woke just in time to make Dave some breakfast and make sure he took his meds before rushing to work for my Saturday morning shift. Jane is uncontactable during her work day, so I left a text with her saying I would talk to her Monday. Arriving home I was pleasantly surprised to find that Dave was recovered enough to have made lunch. At 3.30PM Jane sent me a text asking how I'd gone yesterday. I replied reminding her of our rules. I nursed Dave for the rest of the weekend.

Perhaps it was hypervigilance on my part but Dave was definitely looking uncomfortable, like there was something on his mind. That's why, after cleaning up the dinner dishes on Sunday, I wasn't surprised when he asked me if we could have a state of the union talk. The timing was so coincidental that my heart raced. I steered us away from the kitchen table and on to the couch. That way I could snuggle up to him and avoid eye contact. That was my Achilles heel and I knew it. Once seated side by side, Dave put his arm around my shoulder and cupped my left breast with one of his huge hands. This familiar posture put me more at ease. I desperately reminded myself not to tense up, whatever was thrown at me.

Typical of Dave, he launched straight into it.

"Steph, we've always agreed to talk about the little things that bothered us so they don't become big things."

"Of course sweetie, what's on your mind?"

"Why didn't you answer the home phone when I rang here Friday?"

"I had the stereo going Dave and didn't hear it. Luckily I had my cell still in my pocket and felt that vibrate."

"Okay. So when you told me you'd been home all afternoon but your car engine was making those clinking noises, like it had just stopped, when I came in the garage?"

Thank you forward planning.

"As soon as you rang to say you were sick, I rushed out and bought some chicken soup."

"Okay. Thanks for that."

I know I hadn't flinched but something about the way this conversation was going made me very uncomfortable. Perhaps it was just paranoia. I glanced down at my arm, lying in Dave's lap. I could see my pulse throbbing in my wrist. Pretending a nonchalance I didn't remotely feel, I turned my wrist to hide it.

"Steph, why were your rings in the ashtray of your car when I went to get some change for the parking meter?"

"Well, as I was driving home from work, my ring finger started really itching. I took them off to stop it itching. I didn't want to put them on another finger in case it spread whatever it was. It was just a bit of dermatitis. See that cream I put on has cleared it up already. I sterilised my rings last night. Look, what brought all this on?"

"Remember last week when I came home and Jane was still here? You stopped talking and looked real guilty about something. It just worried me for some reason."

"You know us girls. Always talking about some secret or another. I can't even remember what that conversation was about."

I twisted out of Dave's arms and firmly straddled his lap. Putting a hand solidly on each side of his face, I looked him in the eye.

"Any more questions?'

"No, you've answered the one I had."

What a strange way of putting it.

"Well, I'll ask the one you didn't feel comfortable asking for you. Since I met you, have I ever made love to, fucked, screwed, bonked or danced the horizontal tango with another man? The answer is no."

He returned my gaze.

"You don't mind me asking?"

"Not at all. I asked you something similar a while ago so why should I object to you doing it. Besides, if I saw you without your ring and the other stuff, I'd be asking the hard questions too. That's what these talks are all about lover."

I went to kiss his lips but he turned his head with the word, 'contagious'. After kissing his cheek I went to relieve my rubbery bowels. As I sat there, I just kept repeating, never again.

Shortly after that Dave retired to our room and suggested I stayed in the spare again. I lay awake for several hours, just relieved that I'd managed to fool a good man, but cursing myself for making it necessary.

The next day Dave felt well enough to go to work. I texted Jane that our runs were back on and left also.

When Jane arrived that afternoon, she was obviously too excited to run, so we sat down for a chat in my kitchen.

"Well Steph? Was it as fantastic as I said it would be?"

I related my sad story of woe to my friend. She looked as crestfallen as I'd felt when I first got Dave's call. When I got to the bit about calling it all off as not worth the risk, she went silent for a long time. When it became uncomfortably long I tried to break the tension by asking how her weekend had been. When she smiled and started talking about her latest group sex experience, I stopped her.

"No Jane. I don't want to hear about that. What else did you get up to?"

Again the crestfallen look. After it became clear we'd forgotten what else to talk about, we went for our run. The following days were much the same. Several times Jane tried to raise the subject of sex but I'd learnt my lesson.

Over the next two weeks Dave and I made love several times. There were no more 'rapes' and I noticed that I was feeling way less horny than I usually did. When we did have sex, it left me increasingly unsatisfied despite having the same number of orgasms. The reason was obvious. I'd seen a Lamborghini in the driveway one day but hadn't got to drive it. The next day, the Ford was back.

It took the full two weeks for my resolve to weaken. It was a Monday night. Dave had been forced to leave Friday morning to fix a problem at one of the plants in another state and was due back that evening. Maybe the lack of sex over the weekend contributed to my weakness.

Jane was obviously very excited about something and this time I didn't shut her down when she wanted to talk about her weekend. She told me a story that almost had me creaming my jeans. As an added thrill Jane had taken to wearing her old wedding ring when she went on the hunt, to pretend she was cheating. To pretend she was me I suppose. On Saturday night she'd gone back to a guy's place with his friend. She was on her hands and knees while one guy did her roughly from behind while she was blowing the other guy, kneeling in front of her. Just before he came, the guy in front grabbed her hand, pulled out and shot all over her wedding ring. Jane said she came so hard straight away that she fainted. "Oh Steph. I'll tell John and Paul to do that to you. It is so hot." I couldn't wait for her to leave so I could masturbate. While I frantically caressed my clit with my good hand I dipped my middle and ring fingers into my sex. I'm sure I came so powerfully I did a little squirt on my own rings. It was so intense. This orgasm was so strong that it left me aching. Consequently, I left Dave alone that night when he got back, which was a shame as this was the day that I actually was ovulating. I woke in the middle of the night and noticed he was gone. When I quizzed him in the morning he said he'd had trouble sleeping.

The next day was more of the same conversations with Jane. I kept my resurrected resolve for the first half hour but she kept chipping away at it. Eventually her stories of being spoiled rotten by two hunks caused me to answer 'Maybe', when she asked if I wanted her to re-schedule.

Shortly after this Dave came home. Normally Jane didn't like to still be there but we'd lost track of time. Jane was sitting at the table, I was at the coffee machine. Dave strode in, said hello, then passionately kissed me. After breaking off, he apologised to Jane saying he just loved me so much and couldn't help himself. Jane looked green with envy. To further apologise, Dave insisted Jane stayed for dinner. He then spent all night touching and holding me which made both Jane and I uncomfortable. Overall, it was not normal behaviour for Dave.

We went to bed as soon as Jane left and Dave spoiled me I must say. It certainly dispelled any subliminal fear I'd had that Dave was being a little emotionally remote from me. After he'd given me several orgasms, I told him I was a little sore and offered to finish him off with my mouth. When I felt his end was near I pulled him out and while nibbling the underside of his shaft, jacked him off into my left hand, all over my rings. My right hand was busy giving myself my final quiet release for the night. Both satisfied, we slept.

When my alarm went off the next morning, Dave had already gone to work, leaving a note that something came up. That day was another early finish for me. I rushed home and masturbated again to thoughts of a faceless man covering my rings.

Showering off the sweat and the smell, I prepared for Jane's regular visit. She came over with her normal street clothes on and a scarf around her neck; despite the mild weather. When I quizzed her, she said that her neck was stiff and sore and she was keeping it warm. She certainly looked tired and quite down.

We chatted about nothing for a while. I kept waiting for her to perk up and talk about a schedule, but she didn't. After a while I was forced to raise it.

"Are you feeling all right Jane? I expected you to come armed for seduction today. In fact I've been thinking about it. Next Tuesday works for me. Can you tell John and Paul about that ring trick?"

"NO!"

Jane had stood and shouted that. She slowly sat down again. I noticed she suddenly looked quite pale.

"No Steph. I really don't think you should do it. I was wrong to even suggest it to you."

"What the hell has got into you Jane? You spend months getting me all excited about it, now you're telling me not to."

Jane spoke next, while looking down at the table top.

"I was wrong Steph. I should never have suggested it to you. When I saw how Dave kissed you and cuddled you the other day, I realised that I couldn't be a party to splitting you up. I just can't. Please."

"But Jane, I won't be caught so you won't be splitting us up."

"I can't guarantee that. What you have with Dave is a one in a thousand marriage. You were right all along. It would be stupid to risk it. No matter how clever you are, you can still be caught. I was."

"Hey?"

"My ex-husband and I didn't split amicably Steph. He came home early one day when I wasn't there. He rang me to ask where I was and I stupidly said, 'At home'. He was waiting for me when I got there, all messed up, and threw me out. There hasn't been a day when I haven't regretted my actions."

"But you've almost won from the deal Jane. You got the house, alimony and a fantastic sex life."

"NO! I go out and do crazy things just to distract myself from the sad loneliness that I feel. I would swap all of those in a heartbeat for one night of cuddling with my Pete."

Jane broke down at that point. I went and hugged her until the sobbing subsided.

"But you made it sound so exciting Jane."

"Yes, well sometimes it is. Other times it is just bloody awful. Sometimes the guys just use you and couldn't give a fuck about your pleasure. One time, about two months ago I was practically raped. One guy held me down while the other sodomised me. I managed to escape before the other guy took a turn."

"But...but why did you try to get me involved then?"

"I just don't know Steph. I've done a lot of thinking in the last few hours. The best excuse I can think of is that I wanted to share the shame. I don't feel particularly good about my lifestyle. Besides, even with all the excitement, the novelty is starting to wear off. I thought if I could get you involved then I could get off on your stories just like you got off on mine without having to live with the shame of the actual acts. But I was wrong Steph, very wrong. Please don't do it. Don't ruin your life like I did mine. And please don't ask me to line you up with John and Paul. It won't be happening now."

By this stage, Jane was looking at me with pleading, passion filled eyes. I'd no doubt she firmly believed what she was saying. It gave me no choice but to promise that I wouldn't do anything to damage my marriage. She looked extremely relieved after that promise. We spoke for another half an hour on neutral subjects. I did notice her eyes darting around the room as if looking for something. At one stage she even stood up and picked up the phone, base and all. Turning it over, she examined the bottom then put it back. Eventually, well before Dave was due home, she glanced at her watch then left. In her wake I was more than a little confused.

Life over the next four months settled into a similar routine that we'd had before Jane started telling me about her adventures. I knew she still went hunting, but when I quizzed her about it she only wanted to relate her bad experiences. More than once she made me re-promise not to risk my marriage. Socially we became inseparable except when Dave was there. She was obviously avoiding him. I put it down to either guilt at what she'd once tried to do or her avoiding the pain of seeing a happy couple interact. The only change I saw in Dave was his new habit of disappearing into his study for a while shortly after he got home every night. Other than that, he was absolutely his old self.

Sex with Dave was noticeably lacking its old passion. As the memory of Jane's stories faded it took much more effort to fire myself up. I bought some new toys and gradually introduced new games. I'm sure Dave didn't notice that they all seemed to involve me being spoilt by him and a toy at the same time. It's very hard to convince yourself that hard, cold plastic is another man though.

My downfall was almost a perfect storm event. Dave was once again called away for a weekend. I'd already agreed to go out with some work friends on Saturday night. With Dave not available I asked Jane to come. She readily agreed. She rang me up on the Saturday afternoon however, and told me that her mum was sick and she couldn't make it. She actually begged me to stay home that night. When I told her I was organising it and had to go, she made me promise to think of the risk to my marriage and begged me to behave myself. I readily agreed. I'd no intention of risking my marriage. But it was no risk if Dave didn't find out was it? She knew that. It was her that convinced me after all.

Towards the end of the evening I went somewhere quiet and rang Dave on the hotel number he'd given me. We chatted for ten minutes then I rang off telling him I was going to bed. I'd previously diverted the home phone to my cell. Thus assured he was a two hour plane journey away and wouldn't ring and wake me up, I went back to the girls. As usual, the married ones had left early, leaving me with the two single girls who were in the mood to party and soon went their own ways.

Jane had told me her technique months ago. Ignoring dance offers from solo guys I zeroed in on groups. Before long I had two targets identified. Both were younger than me and both sported wedding rings. Finally, well before the bar closed, I worded up one of them. He spoke to his friend and before I knew it they were in a taxi on our way to a motel with 'Karen'. Both sent texts to their wives saying they were going on to a private party after the bar.

It was everything I'd ever dreamed of. Two sets of hands undressing me, caressing me, spoiling me. I was in heaven. We did just about every combination I had seen in the few porn movies I'd watched. I did draw the line at their suggestion of a DP though. I'd learned from Jane the importance of keeping something in reserve to stop it getting stale too quickly. I never thought for a second there wouldn't be a next time. When the guys left two hours later I was exhausted, every one of my orifices was sore and I had a huge smile on my face. I grunted goodbye and went straight to sleep.

Waking to my alarm at 5AM I left the motel before it was light, returned to my car and went home. I slept most of the day. Dave was due back again at 6PM Monday. I couldn't wait for Jane to arrive so I could tell her my first story. I was sure she would be happy with the precautions I took. I hardly gave a thought to Dave finding out. My guilt was so small he would never detect it.

I could hardly sit still when Jane arrived just after 3PM. She immediately picked up on my excitement.

"What's up Steph?"

"I did it."

The colour drained from Jane's face and she said in a quiet, doom laden whisper, "What"?

"I went with two guys Saturday night. It was even better than you described it Jane. They took me to a motel and..."

"You stupid bitch. You've killed me!"

She jumped up and made for the door. Stupefied, I intercepted her and stared into her obviously terrified face.

"What the hell is going on Jane?"