Intrinsic Right

***

The following morning, I dragged myself out of bed to call into work. I had heaps of vacation days, so I took one. And since I was technically Jesse's boss, she was getting the day off, too.

I checked on her before I headed down the hall toward the kitchen. She slept like the dead, I swear. Didn't move a muscle when I kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear. I guess all our middle of the night sex wore her out. Two times after we fell asleep, she was woken by a hard, fat cock spearing her. I couldn't keep my hands off the poor girl. I had a difficult enough time leaving her just for a few minutes. I was already aching to feel her soft curves again.

Corinne was sitting at the kitchen table. I expected her to be gone, already. But when she lifted her head and turned, I could see why she hadn't left. Her eyes were swollen and red, her nose shiny and running. It was obvious that she'd been crying.

I sat down in the chair opposite her. I wasn't sure what to say. I should have been feeling guilty or something.Something. But I didn't. I'd just had the best sex of my life with a woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And all of that would never have happened if my wife didn't conjure up this whole scheme.

I'm not sorry. I'm not.

I waited for her to speak. I had a few things to talk over with Corinne, but she could start. Only she needed to start soon, because there was a beautiful, sexy woman in my bed that I was itching to get back to. Unbelievably, my cock was starting to stiffen again, just thinking about Jesse.

I sat there waiting for about another minute, then broke down.

"Harder than you thought it'd be?"

Corinne shrugged, then nodded. "You love her already, don't you?"

"Yes."

She shifted in her seat and a tear rolled down her cheek. I was really in no mood for this display. I'd already moved on. At her urging, I might add. Corinne practically pushed me into Jesse's arms.

"I may have impregnated her last night. And if not, then surely she'll be pregnant by next week. I want a divorce so I can marry Jesse. Soon. Before she's showing."

"You couldn't wait?"

"For what?"

"I don't know ... maybe to get to know her a little better before jumping into marriage again. You've known her all of two days and suddenly you're head over heels in love, and want to marry her? Be reasonable for once in your life, Ray."

"This is what I want, Corinne. Jesse is all I've ever wanted."

I knew that would sting, but she'd thrown the first punch. She let go a sob before covering her face with her hands.

I got up and sauntered to the coffee machine. If I was going to have this conversation, I was going to do it without a caffeine headache. I returned to the same chair with coffee mug in hand.

"I didn't think ..."

"What? You didn't think I was going to sleep with Jesse? You didn't think, that after being deprived of a normal sex life for so many years, that I would give up my very breath for the woman willing to do anything and everything I'd been deprived of? You might as well have shoved a chocolate cake at a starving man, Corinne."

"It won't last. The sex. It might be good now, but in twenty years ..."

"It'll be even better. Do the math. In twenty years, Jesse will be younger than you are now."

"But you'll be pushing sixty."

"Exactly. I'll be facing retirement with the hottest MILF in the county by my side. But I'm not marrying her because I know the sex is going to be spectacular for the next two decades."

"No, you're marrying her for the same reason you married me. Because you've knocked her up."

"That's not true. I made a conscious decision to have unprotected sex with Jesse, full-well knowing the likely outcome. In fact, wanting it to happen. I want to marry her because of the person inside. Because she pours her heart into everything, and she makes me laugh. She's a good person, Corinne. I don't deserve her. But if she'll have me, then I'll spend the rest of my life making sure that she never regrets that decision."

Corinne waited several seconds before replying. "I don't regret marrying you."

"I don't regret marrying you, either. You've been a good friend. A good partner. And I love you. I always will."

It was difficult to spit out those last words. I'd been saying them to Corinne for years with no real feeling attached to them other than what they meant now. As a friend. But now I knew what love was supposed to feel like. Jesse had taught me that. It hadn't been an hour since I last whispered those words in her ear, so it felt hugely wrong to be saying them to my wife now. No matter how different the meaning.

"I haven't explained all this to Jesse. Not your part in all this, anyway. Honestly, I didn't know how to explain it without sounding like I was rationalizing my adulterous behavior."

"I'll take care of it. Though it hardly matters if we're going to divorce, anyway."

"You've changed your mind about staying?"

"No. I still want to stay. For a little while, anyway."

"Then you need to talk to Jesse. It's her decision."

Corinne sat upright and fiddled with her blouse. "Okay."

"That's how it has to be from now on. Jesse will be in charge of the household. You'll either respect her, or get out."

I noticed Corinne becoming restless in her seat. It took me a few seconds to realize what was going on. I had actually read some cuckquean blogs, I just forgot what the fetish was called. I remembered that a big part of that was humiliation.

"We're going to be very sexually active, especially this next week as we're trying to get pregnant."

Corinne let out a frustrated sigh and twisted her torso to one side.

"I can't guarantee that we'll always remember to shut the door. And keeping Jesse quiet during intercourse would be impossible."

She crossed her legs and whined.

"Her body is phenomenal. I can't get enough of her gorgeous breasts, and her tight little space. It fits like a glove."

Corinne's arm was shaking and I was pretty sure she'd slid her hand up her skirt.

"Her tight ... hot ... wet ... little glove is like nothing I've ever felt before. I feel young again. Young enough to fuck her four times last night."

She was close, I could tell.

"She's going to make the best wife. She'll be everything my first wife couldn't be."

Corinne lowered her forehead to the tabletop, her entire body convulsing in climax.

I sat strangely removed from the whole scene. Not even the slightest twinge of excitement from it. Oh, I was hard, don't get me wrong. But that was because everything I said, everything I described, was true.

I pushed away from the table to go join my girlfriend. I'd been away from her for too long, already. It was time for another round of baby making.

***

Eleven years later ...

"...dear Da-a-dy. Haaaappy birthday to yooou."

I surveyed the midget chorus around my feet. I was forever counting to seven. Soon, Megan would join them. I glanced at my wife, cradling a now, sleeping Megan in the crook of one arm as she idly stroked her belly. We hadn't told the kids, yet. We'd only just found out that morning that Jesse was pregnant with number nine.

I bent Robin toward the candles so she could help me blow them out. Everyone helped, of course. My birthdays were their favorite because there were so many candles. I'd told Jesse that she didn't have to buy the individual ones. She could have just got a "5" and a "0". She informed me that I was too old to understand, but there was just no fun in only two candles.

I set Robin down to join Rachel. They were only ten months apart, Irish twins, and they were inseparable. Jesse handed Megan to me so her hands were free to remove the candles and cut the cake. We had this down to a routine.

I caught Hunter's wrist just before he smashed a piece of cake with his hand. I was watching for it. He was our destructor, demolishing everything in sight. He was surprisingly strong for a six year old. I'd been trying to get him interested in some sport since he was four, but so far, nothing has took. Well, soccer. He loved soccer, but we had to pull him out of that. He kept trying to tackle everyone. Yeah, I know. Football. But it doesn't look like he's going to be all that big when he grows up. We'll see.

"Honey, you better eat before ... Chelsea!...Stop Derek before he gets hit by a ball. Randall, Lance ... watch your brother."

I forked a bite and held it out for Jesse when she turned back toward me.

"I shouldn't." She took the bite, anyway.

She was so afraid of gaining too much weight. She had no reason to be worried, though. She looked as good as the day we met.

Life was just how I thought it would be with her. Easy. I guess all the things I didn't know about her at first ended up not mattering. Except for music. I discovered that she likes country music, which was a real blow. But I knew that she wasn't going to be perfect. As long as she doesn't make me listen to it, I guess I can live with it.

The kids love her. I mean, they're good little souls who like most everybody, but they especially adore her. She doesn't take any shit off of them, and I swear that woman has eyes in the back of her head. She keeps us all in line.

There was a few moments of relative silence as the kids shoveled their cake. Jesse wiggled onto my lap so she could fuss with Megan for a second before chaos ensued again. It was organized chaos, at least.

"Your mom called earlier about that house. I told her it was still there, but it wouldn't be for long."

"I'm not going to buy that house just so we have built-in babysitters. My parents are getting old, you know."

"They're not that old. Seventies isn't old." Her head whipped to the side. "Rachellll..."

She'd caught Rachel before she stole the rest of Derek's cake, right beneath the nose of older sister, Chelsea. I'd already talked to the realtor about the house. It was a small, two bedroom home in a low maintenance community less than a block away. It was perfect for them. I knew I'd end up buying it. If for no other reason, than to make Jesse happy.

My parents were also won over by Jesse. Everyone was, in fact. Coaches, teachers, neighbors, it didn't matter who it was, they all loved my wife.

Megan began to wiggle in my arms and I knew it wouldn't be long before she was crying for her mother's breast. I couldn't blame her. If I thought it would get me thirty minutes of uninterrupted suckling, I'd scream like a banshee, too. I got my time with my wife, though. Jesse had never denied me anything, and she always had energy for intimacy after the kids were in bed. That's what a 29-year old wife can do.

Jesse stood, and that was the signal. Chelsea moved Derek off her lap to help with the plates. Randall, Hunter, and Lance bounded into the house and up the stairs, sounding like a herd of elephants. Jesse lifted Derek onto her hip. He managed to smear chocolate down her back and I had to laugh at that. If we weren't careful, we'd be sleeping in it.

Pretty soon, it was just me and Megan. Hardly a sound. My mind started to wander back to how all this began. With Corinne and everything.

Shit. I haven't thought about her in ages.

She lived with us all the way up until Randall was born, then moved into a duplex down the street with Jesse's aunt. Darla had caught Rick cheating on her, which was no surprise to anyone. I think Corinne saw the opportunity to get out of her situation and help someone else at the same time. Last I heard, she'd married one of her co-workers and moved with him to a suburb in Chicago when he got transferred to that office. I got all that from Jesse, who keeps track of Corinne on Facebook. And every once in a while, Randall will get a card from her. She's his godmother.

I hardly spoke to her again after that morning in the kitchen. All of my energy went toward Jesse. Getting her pregnant, buying her a ring, convincing her that she was the only woman in the world for me. She'll always be that. There is no one else.

"What are you doing out here, honey?"

Jesse settled back onto my lap, then leaned down to press her lips to mine. I surprised her by slipping my tongue into her mouth. She moaned and softened beneath my lips. I loved when she did that.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart. I love you."

"Still?"

She nodded.

I rested my hand on her barely pregnant belly. "Do you think we can handle one more?"

"Well, I can. I don't know about you ... old man."

"Hey, now. You knew I was 21 years older than you when you married me."

"MmmHmm. But I didn't know you wanted to start your own co-ed baseball team."

"Who says I'll stop at nine? Maybe I'm shooting for a football team. Or better yet, a rugby team."

"How many is that?"

"Fifteen."

"Mmmm."

Jesse squirmed on my lap. Somewhere along the line, my fetish had rubbed off on her. She got more turned on than I did about the prospect of getting pregnant. Good thing I got a promotion a few years back, then took that IT Director job at the bank.

Cause it looks like we're going to need a bigger house.

*****