We Need To Talk

She kissed me again, our tongues again doing battle over the same piece of real estate between our mouths, and then she pulled back.

"And I love you, too, Henry. I really do. You're a wonderful man and I can't believe you're mine. And you're right in that we have things to overcome but none of them will stop us from being together in the long run. If things were a little different we would be heading for my bed right now. That's how bad I want you, and I know you want me. And when that time finally comes I know we'll both think it was worth the wait."

We stood there on her doorstep just cuddling and kissing. We both knew that if we went inside, even with the goal of simply being more comfortable, that clothes would come off and we were trying hard to avoid that for all of the reasons we've stated. But finally we had to go our separate ways. With one more kiss I let her go.

*****

BECKY

I got a call from my attorney this morning, and apparently Henry has ramped up the stakes. His attorney sent mine copies of pictures of Rick and me in Hawaii. Henry apparently had a detective follow us and the evidence was damning. It couldn't be used in the divorce itself but it could be used to make life very difficult for me. Assuming the divorce ended up final, and there was nothing to suggest that wasn't precisely where we were headed, these pictures could make getting a job very difficult. Maybe going after them in the restaurant wasn't the best move.

I had apparently badly miscalculated and mistaken my husband's kindness for weakness. I was sure he wouldn't risk losing me so would agree to share me. As great as the sex with Rick was it wasn't worth my marriage. I just never considered that this would be the end result.

It's been just over a month since my trip and things continue to go wrong. Today Dean broke up with Holly. They had gone out and I had managed to spare a few dollars for her to spend. Her face brightened when he showed up. She really likes him and I could see them getting married one day. I know she's only 18 but they seem so good together.

But she was crying when he dropped her off. She ran straight to her bedroom and slammed the door. I went up to see what the matter was and had to just lay with her for 15 minutes until she got her crying under control.

"Dean broke up with me, mom."

"Are you serious? Things were going so well. What happened? What did he say?"

"Well, I told you that he's been kind of pushing for us to have sex but I kept saying no. Finally he said that he had expected me to be more willing since my mother was passing it out around town and I was just like you in every other way."

That incensed me. Having one lover is hardly 'passing it out'. She continued.

"Well, I told him what you told me, that it was perfectly normal for a woman to need a lover because as men and women get older a man's ability declines and a woman's needs increase. Then he asked me if that meant he could expect me to do the same thing if we got married. I didn't know what to say, and he just said 'that's what I thought' and then told me he was breaking up with me since I had already let him know I expected to cheat on him."

I hadn't realized this had gotten around town. Then I realized that school disciplinary hearings for misconduct are public record, so someone must have gotten a hold of the transcripts from Rick's hearings, and my name is probably mentioned prominently. Damn.

Look, I'm not stupid. I know that, despite the logic of a woman having a lover, it's still something society frowns on. But when you're doing something like this you don't expect to get caught so you simply don't think about the potential consequences. Again, I thought Henry would allow it, if not be happy about it, and I also didn't think he'd say anything because that would be telling people he couldn't get it done anymore.

This had all gone wrong. I had done just what mom had suggested. She said dad had also been mad for a while but ultimately decided it would be too embarrassing to risk it becoming common knowledge, and she had been with Uncle Leo for several years, until he met that woman he ended up marrying...I can't remember her name. Sure, things were a little different between her and dad from then on but she said it was worth it.

I had to keep trying to get Henry to talk to me and come back to me. Rick was gone now so I could promise never to see him again, and I'd tell him that all I wanted was him. And once I got Henry feeling comfortable again I could find Rick's replacement, but I'd know better than to say anything about it this time. Tomorrow I would once again try following him home from work.

*****

HENRY

I spoke to Denise Duncan today and Becky is still refusing to sign, saying she wants to get another chance to talk to me and work this out. Denise said it might behoove me to do a face to face and try to convince her in no uncertain terms that I wouldn't reconcile with her. Otherwise we'd be looking at this dragging on for months as she puts up appeals and just generally delays as much as possible. The best I could offer was to think about it, because I had other things on my mind.

What else did I have going on, you ask? Well, it's been 5 weeks now since I met Michelle and I have fallen madly in love with her. And we've passed the one-month mark, and tonight I finally get introduced to Michelle's daughter, Joni. Michelle has told me that tonight is hardly a make-or-break meeting but I am really nervous because I know Joni comes first and I need her on my side.

We started with a trip to Chuck E Cheese for dinner, to expose us to each other on neutral ground. I drove and Michelle held my hand up front as usual, but I felt like Joni's eyes were glued on me from the back seat, though whenever I caught sight of her in the rear view mirror she seemed to have a smile and was just enjoying the ride.

We went in and ordered our food and bought our game tokens. No sooner had we found a table than Joni grabbed my hand and pulled me into the gaming area with her. Are 8-year old girls all that strong? Without a word I was led into the climbing maze and into a game of tag, which I lost horrendously. At one point I lost track of her and finally found her sitting on the chairs for one of the games.

"There you are. You're sure fast."

She looked up at me with her big brown eyes.

"Are you going to be my new daddy?"

I knelt down in front of her and took her little hands in mine. I remembered doing this many times when Holly was little and had a serious question she needed an answer to, and I got wistful thinking about better times.

"I'd like to be, if that's okay with you, but you don't have to decide right now."

"I think I'd like you to be my new daddy. My friend's daddies won't climb with them but you did. And mommy says you make her happy so it's okay with me."

I felt my tears forming and knew it was a combination of what I had found combined with what I had lost. I asked her for a hug and she gave me a big strong one. I was very impressed with Michelle's little girl.

Michelle, of course, had been watching us like a hawk. We made our way back to the table to eat. I was relegated to the other side of the booth from Michelle and Joni but that was fine. I looked at them they were so alike. Joni was, well, she was Michelle's mini-me just like Holly was Becky's.

The rest of the night was a joy. We played in the arcade for hours, spending tons of tokens and earning tons of tickets: enough to score a fancy Barbie doll from the redemption center. After that we stopped for ice cream before heading back to the apartment. It was late and Joni was tired so we put her to bed, and I was blessed with the request to read her a story.

After she was tucked in Michelle and I sat together on the couch. She cuddled up to me, her hand rubbing my chest.

"Are you ready to be a daddy to a little girl again?"

"You know, at my age I had my doubts, but now that I've met her I can't imagine doing anything else."

"What about...what about one of our own?"

She lifted her eyes to mine and I lowered mine to meet hers.

"Nothing would make me happier than for us to have a baby, Michelle, and only marrying you and getting to be a daddy to Joni would equal it."

A wide smile spread on her face and she climbed up into my lap and brought her lips to mine in a smoldering hot kiss. I slid my hands under the hem of her shirt to feel her bare back and realized there was no bra strap. I reasoned she had removed it while I read to Joni. Suddenly she sat up.

"I know what I said before Henry, but I can't wait any longer. I need you to take me now."

She pulled her top off and tossed in on the floor and pushed her swollen left nipple into my mouth. Her breasts were small but firm and her nipples were spectacular. I slid my hands inside her waistband and felt the smooth skin of her ass. She stood up and in seconds had stripped her pants and panties off. She got on my knees and attacked my waistband but couldn't get it, so I finally had to help her. She yanked on my pants and boxers until they were around my ankles, which was impressive since I was still sitting on the couch.

She wasted no time straddling me and impaling herself on me. I slid all the way in on her first down stroke; she was that wet.

"Oh, yes baby, I needed that. I needed you. Oh God!"

Michelle held my shoulders as the humped up and down on me and she didn't stop until she came, though that probably took less than a minute. Her body shuddered and shook as the climax took her over for several seconds.

"God damn, I needed that!"

She melted against me, my manhood still inside her. Then l felt her start kissing my neck, which served to start firming things up. She reached my ear and whispered:

"Take me to bed, baby. I need more of you."

We spent the next 3 hours doing most everything we could to each other, with the exception of anal ("we need to save something for the wedding night" she says). I wanted to lay there with her forever but Michelle was still nervous about Joni waking up with a man in mommy's bed so I made the walk back to my place at about 3:00 in the morning.

I had turned my phone off for the evening but found I had a missed call and a voice mail from Denise. Does she ever not work? I listened to the message and my day got even better, and I didn't think that was possible.

Henry, this is Denise. I just got a call from Becky's attorney that she's decided to sign the papers and will be coming into my office next week. You don't need to be here but I'll let you know when it's done.

I slept very well that night.

*****

BECKY

My marriage was ending. That seemed like a foregone conclusion at this point. As late as this morning I was planning to fight him all the way but as I watched Holly spend another afternoon in her room crying over Dean breaking up with her I realized that this was all hurting her too much. And where was it going to get me? In the end I'd still be divorced but I might destroy my daughter in the process. So I made the very difficult decision to agree to sign the papers.

And as a mature 41-year old woman, I chose the most appropriate way to deal with the pain that decision caused: I went to a club, got shit-faced drunk, and went home with the first guy to ask. The sex, what I remember of it, was pretty bad. The guy was too small and didn't know how to use it or have much staying power.

And that was how I ended up waking up in strange apartment. I had sent Holly to her friend Leslie's house for the night and was thankful that this had not cost Holly her best friend.

The guy was still asleep so I quickly got dressed and quietly got out of the house. My car was still at the club so I called a cab to take me to pick it up. I went home and showered, then could think of nothing I wanted more in that moment to go to sleep. So I did.

*****

HENRY

I spent the entire weekend with Michelle and Joni. On Saturday we went to the zoo and on Sunday we went to Laurie and Jeff's house for a cookout. Joni spent much of the day with Alexis and Marcus, but they had grown up together so that was no surprise.

Jeff was a nice guy and he seemed to know his way around a grill. He was taller than my 6 feet (heck, Laurie was almost as tall as I was) and was in pretty good shape. He had played baseball in college and had just turned 40 to Laurie's 38.

While the sisters bonded and looked after the kids, I spent some time at the grill getting to know Jeff. He and Laurie had been married for 15 years and he was completely in love with her.

"She's still the reason I get up in the morning and do what I need to do. I want her to be proud of me and be glad she married me."

"I'm sure you're doing it right, Jeff. I haven't spent much time with her but she has that total confidence that comes from knowing she's got what she wants."

"I've known Michelle a long time. She's crazy about you, Henry. You're getting a good woman there. She was completely devoted to Jay, which is why what he did hurt her so bad, you know? She dedicates herself completely. I know what you're wife did and I would bet my life that Michelle would never even take a step in that direction let alone go all the way."

"I appreciate that thought, Jeff. Let me assure you that I don't think Michelle would ever do anything like that. Otherwise I couldn't have given myself to her as completely as I have."

I was in a good mood due to how both avenues of my life were progressing. With any luck I could get Becky's signature on the papers and have them filed this week, and then it would be just a 90-day wait until I could get Michelle to the altar, which I planned to do as quickly as possible.

*****

BECKY

My head was killing me. I think today is Wednesday but frankly I've lost track. I've gotten drunk and gone home with a different man every night since last Friday, when I finally decided to give in and sign the divorce papers. Fortunately the last few guys were all better than that first one, so at least I've been able to drown my sorrows in some first class orgasms.

But today is the day, assuming I'm right about it being Wednesday, that I'm supposed to actually do the signing. I don't know what I'm going to do without Henry. I love him so much. I just needed something more for a while. I didn't have feelings for Rick except the ones he gave my nether regions; I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with Henry. Getting old together, spoiling our grandchildren, and travelling the world were all on the agenda. Now I'll have nothing but loneliness and heartache at what a fool I was.

And God forbid Henry ends up with the beautiful brunette woman I saw him with at that restaurant. She was just gorgeous and younger than me. How much more would it hurt if I destroyed my life and in the process handed the only man I've ever loved over to someone like that. I don't think I could live with that.

I went to my lawyer's office and we drove together to Henry's lawyer. I had hoped he'd be there but he wasn't, and when we got down to business I saw with sadness that he had already signed the papers weeks ago. He couldn't wait to be rid of me, and at this point I can hardly blame him. Maybe one day I'll get the chance to apologize in person, but for now I just let my lawyer review the papers then signed when she confirmed that everything was in order.

That night I ate dinner alone since Holly is spending more and more time away from home, probably to distance herself from me. Then I got dressed up again and hit the club...again. I found a table with 3 younger looking guys and told them I was there to offer them a once in a lifetime opportunity and all they had to do was pay for a hotel room. I think we left a vapor trail as we left the bar.

I was stone cold sober. This was my penance for what I had done. I told the young studs they had until the 8:00 tomorrow morning to use me however they wanted to. Any hole they wanted, any way they wanted, and any time the wanted; of course, they had to use the KY if they were going in the back door but otherwise I was theirs for the taking. And take me they did.

By the time 8:00am rolled around I had swallowed more cum than I ever had before, not to mention the copious loads that had been dumped in my pussy and my ass. And the 3 guys it started out as became a total of 8 after they got some buddies to come over. I was sore all over and hoped my birth control pills were able to survive the onslaught.

I thanked the boys for their time and went out to my car. Since I had been sober I had driven myself over to the hotel so I wouldn't have to ask for a ride. I got home and took a long hot bath to clean myself off and out.

*****

HENRY

Once the papers were signed and filed there is a 90 day waiting period and 30 of those have passed. My love for both Michelle and Joni has only grown, and we have already reached the point where I refer to her as my daughter and she calls me dad. It still warms my heart every time I hear it.

Laurie and Michelle are already planning the wedding. It's not going to be huge but they do want to have lots of flowers and a nice reception. They have carte blanche as far as I'm concerned. I had proposed the day after Becky signed the papers because I couldn't wait to get a ring on Michelle's finger, and the sex that night was amazing.

The one piece of fallout from what Becky had done that I was having trouble dealing with was Holly's role in it. Becky was doing what she thought she needed and took steps to accomplish it, but that was understandable as she was the direct beneficiary of her actions so there was a self-serving component to what she did. But Holly saw no direct benefit, except I suppose a more contented mother. So I was having trouble reconciling with the seeming happiness she got out of seeing her father humiliated.

I supposed that was just an unintended consequence. As a female she could relate to the 'needs' her mother professed to have and was taking some happiness from Becky having those needs met. That I objected to those was unfortunate but did not detract from her happiness for her mother, probably due to the way her mother presented taking a lover as inevitable and some rite of passage for the female gender.

So in my heart I felt she was just another victim of Becky's self-centered and destructive opinions. But my mind was having trouble reconciling that with the joy in her voice at her mother's impending 'slut-cation' and the disregard she had for my feelings on the matter, like all that mattered was her mother's happiness. That had hurt a lot and had been the prime factor in our continued separation.

One of the things that appealed to me about Michelle having a daughter was the opportunity to do it over again, and maybe, at least in my mind, get it right. I had spent a lot of time working when Holly was young and had trusted the bulk of her upbringing to Becky. This was not uncommon and I had no problems doing it. Holly and I still had things we did together that were just us.

When she was younger she was an avid soccer and volleyball player, and we spent a lot of hours honing those skills. But those weren't the times and places where life lessons were imparted, at least in terms of the values behind a marriage and successful relationships. I tried to teach about strength and empowerment, about never giving up and fighting through adversity. I left it to Becky to instill the other values and that had backfired big time, at least in this respect. I wondered if things could ever be fixed.