Chapter 8

The final week passed quickly with lots of time spent recapping various subjects before the exams that would take place shortly after the return from the Easter holiday. Jenny was busy preparing an artwork portfolio as part of her final year project, counting towards a quarter of the total marks for the course.

Vanessa called each night and we chatted for an hour. I felt extremely guilty on one occasion as I was naked with Jenny when she rang. She slipped back into her clothes and went downstairs whilst I finished off my conversation.

I realised that once her coursework was assessed, there was no reason for Jenny to remain in the house and in all likelihood the relationship would come to a natural end. She'd already started sounding out the job market but had so far found nothing other than low paid office work and waitressing jobs.

My guilt was exacerbated by the discovery that since the weekend, Vanessa's car had only ventured once to Donald Mellor's property, and had not remained there overnight. It was not conclusive proof her affair had ended but represented a good omen.

Vanessa had booked a table at Tarantella for Friday night, and wore a dress that I'd not seen before. It was strapless and had a short hem. Her legs were clad in delicately patterned stockings with her feet encased in high-heeled shoes made of soft patent leather. I eagerly anticipated what lay underneath the dress.

We took a taxi to the restaurant and worked our way slowly through the menu. To finish, Vanessa ordered a large Cappuccino whilst I treated myself to a Grappa, a potent Italian brandy. After I'd settled the bill, the owner ordered a cab to take us home. We relaxed in the lounge for a short time to allow our food to digest before retiring upstairs.

In the bedroom, I unhooked the back of Vanessa's dress and lifted it off over head whereupon my expectations were completely fulfilled. She'd chosen to wear a beautifully trimmed bra and panty set through which her nipples and the pubic mound were clearly visible. She faced me nervously but the look of unadulterated bliss on my face must have dispelled any remaining reservations about her decision to wear them. The stockings and garter belt set the combination off to perfection. For several seconds I stood speechless.

"What do you think?" she asked quietly. "Is this the sort of thing you wanted?"

"You're beautiful," I praised, "absolutely beautiful."

Vanessa beamed ecstatically and walked into my arms. I held her lovingly for a long time, running my hands over the sheer material of her underwear and inhaling the fragrant perfume she'd applied earlier in the evening. She stepped out of her shoes, sighing in relief as her feet stretched out on the thick pile of the bedroom carpet.

"I'm glad to take those off," she informed me.

I grinned and led her over to the bed where we sat down on the edge of the mattress. I caressed her breasts though their delicate confinement feeling each firm nipple in turn press against my palm. Her lips shone with a lustrous sheen; I kissed them tenderly and eased my tongue into her mouth where it frolicked with hers in such a sensuous manner that within several seconds our heads were spinning with desire.

"Lay back," I whispered.

Vanessa slowly reclined on the mattress and I knelt at her feet, taking hold of each in turn and gently massaging the sole and instep. I rubbed each of her toes through the stockings before running my fingers up her legs and easing them apart. The flimsy material of panties had become saturated with her excitement and I slowly slid the gusset to one side, exposing her sex.

In my absence, she'd taken a razor to her pubic hair, reducing it to a sparse thatch that barely covered her mons. I emitted a little gasp as I admired the delicate V of her pubis and then slowly covered it with my hand, absorbing the heat radiating from her. Still feeling slightly shy, she closed her eyes and granted me the free use of her body.

The smell of her arousal finally reached me and my nostrils flared in response. Unable to resist, I leaned close until its headiness totally overwhelmed my senses. I extended my tongue into her wetness and Vanessa gasped in shock, but did not attempt to withdraw or in away prevent me from continuing. My tongue traversed her furrow, harvesting her nectar and savouring its sweetness. It foraged deep into her cleft and curled around her clit, causing an immediate response from her. She mumbled continuously and wriggled against my face, ostensibly to escape my attention, but in reality I suspect to increase the level of contact. Experimentally, I fumbled beneath her body and tried to touch her anus but she immediately reached down to grab my hand and shook her head.

"Make love to me," she urged.

With no request to turn out the lights, I quickly shed my clothes and positioned her further up the bed. I knelt between her outstretched legs, salivating at the sight of her voluptuous form spread out before me. Her pussy shone with a combination of her secretions and my saliva.

Crawling up her body, I paused with my cock poised near her entrance, waiting for just the right moment to penetrate. To my surprise, her fingers timidly took hold of it and aligned me whilst her eager eyes implored me to proceed. I let a little of my weight transfer to our juncture and her puffy labia parted and the soft lips enfolded the head of my cock. I pushed down and entered her a little further, made easier by the sheer slickness of her sheath. Vanessa panted as she accepted me fully into her, wrapping her arms and legs around my body to prevent retreat. Her vagina was like a furnace surrounding my manhood. I slid effortlessly within her, slowly gathering pace until finally I was hammering into her like a man possessed.

"Oh fuck yes," Vanessa screamed, as she humped her body to meet my every stroke. Her mouth sought mine and her body unwound like a coiled up spring. Our hands flew over one another, squeezing and caressing with manic enthusiasm. Never in all our years of marriage had I experienced such unbridled passion from her and I relished every single moment.

I rolled us over and she sat up and straddled me, her face a picture of wanton lust. She rode me wildly whilst shaking her torso, causing her breasts to wiggle deliciously. It took a supreme effort not to race past the finishing line but thankfully, within a very short period of time, Vanessa screamed aloud. I thrust my hips into her convulsing channel, joining her in her moment of glory.

She collapsed atop me and lay unmoving, her spasmodic breathing rasping against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly as she recovered. Her pussy clamped down repeatedly around the base of my cock, producing incredible sensations that sent tingles to the tips of my toes. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled exultantly.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I don't know what came over me."

"No need to apologise," I replied. "I enjoyed every second of that. It was simply amazing."

She rested her head against my chest once more and I stroked my fingers though her hair. My heart beat so hard that I thought it would surely burst. Throughout it all, we remained locked together and before long my cock stiffened with renewed vigour.

"Can you kneel on the bed?" I asked. "I'd like to try taking you from behind."

Part of me expected to hear a protest, but without a word she crawled onto her hands and knees, glanced back over her shoulder and cast me such a sultry look that I almost leapt upon her. I clambered up and knelt behind her, finally taking the time to remove her panties that were absolutely deluged with our combined juices. I teased her with my cock before angling it into her pussy and filling her in one fell swoop. She produced a guttural sound in the back of her throat and clamped down once more with her vaginal muscles, driving me insane with desire. I held firmly onto her hips for purchase, rocking her back and forth in time with each stroke.

Vanessa groaned in ecstasy as I ravaged her, burying her head in the duvet and arching her back to receive me. I stared down at the tiny opening above where my cock lodged and gently teased it with my fingertip. My wife whimpered but was otherwise too distracted to protest as she had earlier. I wet my finger several times and rubbed saliva around the rim.

"No," she sighed but made no attempt to pull away. I applied pressure and her anus slowly opened up to accept my finger. I massaged her inner lining and then added more lubrication until I'd worked the digit deep into her bottom.

"Fuck," she screamed, grasping huge handfuls of the duvet.

Her sphincter pulsated around my finger as I slowly reamed it in and out. Her whole body began to shake as a tumultuous climax ripped through her. It took all my skill to remain seated. I withdrew my finger and stretched over her, pressing her down into the mattress.

As soon as I lay on top, I rolled us onto our side and carefully spooned behind her so as not to lose my position. My hand wrapped around her body and took possession of her breasts whilst I thrust slowly into her. My tongue explored her neck and tickled her ears, causing her to giggle. The next few minutes were purely about my pleasure as I built up to climax and finally poured my passion into her.

We remained locked together for a long time. Vanessa purred contentedly and pressed herself back against me. My cock shrunk and slipped out but I no longer cared as I snuggled up to her.

"What made you want to do that?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Put your finger in my bum."

"I don't know. It was just staring up at me and I just fancied trying it."

"It's very naughty."

"I know. Did you like it?"

"I should say no but I can't. What must you think of me?"

"I think you're incredibly sexy. I love you so much."

Vanessa turned around in my arms, her eyes slightly damp. "How have you put up with me all this time?"

For an answer, I kissed her as tenderly as I could, closing my eyes to savour the sensuous feel of her lips. I placed my hands on her backside and squeezed the padded flesh. Amazingly, she did the same for me. Too exhausted to continue or even take a shower, I turned off the lights as Vanessa removed her underwear. For the first time ever, we slept together naked.

There was nearly a month before the summer term commenced. Other than the final week that I'd booked off as holiday in order to revise, I returned to the office each day. It was difficult getting back into routine but slowly I readjusted. My subordinates had become more adept at functioning in my absence and one man in particular, Gordon Souter, struck me as someone particularly cut out for the job. Initially, he resented my return, fearing that I'd take over what he'd started. I forced myself not to interfere and was pleasantly surprised by his competence. He'd been running the CAD system prior to his temporary promotion and desperately wanted to make a good impression, hoping his new role would become permanent.

I began to take on more of a supervisory role, taking some of the workload off the finance director who had taken on Richard Penrose's duties in addition to his own when the man resigned. Steven Bull was an accountant rather than an engineer. He openly admitted he was out of his depth when it came to technical matters. Sir Paul had been struggling for some time to find a replacement technical director, a situation not made any easier when I threw my own hat into the ring. With no projects to manage, I used the opportunity to try out certain aspects of the more senior role.

The situation with Vanessa continued to improve. She was loosening up in ways I would never have imagined. On the few occasions that I queried the tracker, I discovered nothing that gave me cause for concern and hoped that whatever had existed between her and Donald was now safely buried in the past. Occasionally, her mobile would ping and she would frown at the display and send a terse reply.

Curiosity compelled me to surreptitiously examine her inbox when she was not around and what I found reassured me greatly. It appeared Donald still wanted to continue the relationship but Vanessa was consistently refusing to meet him, claiming that their liaison had been a mistake on her part and that she desperately wanted to put what had happened behind her. That was the crucial moment I decided to refrain from sleeping with Jenny during the final term.

The final week of the break was spent at home, furiously revising in the hope of obtaining more than a passing grade. Vanessa's school was not in session and when I was not busy, we took long walks in the neighbouring countryside, listened to music, watched television, and generally took pleasure in each other's company.

After the incredible sex of the first night, we settled into a more sedate routine but occasionally it rose to the dizzying heights of before. Vanessa had certainly lost many of her hang-ups but still demurred when it came to certain activities, specifically oral sex. I couldn't find it in my heart to complain as in so many other ways, things between us had improved beyond all recognition.

Twice over the holiday, I returned home from work bearing flowers and the expression of delight on her face spoke volumes about how much she appreciated the gesture. I casually dropped Donald's name into the conversation. After a momentary pause, Vanessa admitted she did not see as much of him as earlier on in the project, although she was still full of praise for his contributions.

I occasionally checked the asset tracker, more out of habit than anything else, and it continued to confirm my belief that she no longer visited Donald at his home. The month passed quickly and I felt a tinge of regret that I'd be abandoning her again, but took solace in the fact that it would only be a short term. Once the exams were finished, it would be just a few weeks until I returned home for the long summer break. The start of the following academic year was not until October. What I dreaded the most was splitting up from Jenny but the parting was inevitable and had to be faced up to at some point.

On the final Sunday, I loaded up the car and comforted Vanessa until I felt secure enough to leave her.

At the house, the living arrangements had altered with Stella residing permanently in Toby's room whilst Jenny had commandeered the room formally occupied by Mister Hu. She was pleased to see me but disappointed when I told her that I had reconciled with Vanessa and no longer felt comfortable continuing with our sexual relationship. She nodded in acceptance and thanked me for being straight with her. I sensed a certain degree of resentment from her at being rejected.

Whilst sex was off the agenda, I still spent a lot of time in her company, replacing intimacy with prolonged conversation. I learned what it was like to grow up in a deprived neighbourhood with a gambling, womanising father and a mother who was a borderline alcoholic. Her father had made good money working on the railways until the relationship imploded six years previously leaving her mother to raise her and Rachel, her younger sister.

In the face of adversity, she'd made the decision early on to find a way to escape poverty and set her mind to work hard at school. Her plans were almost scuppered when the boy she was involved with succeeded in making her pregnant. After a lot of soul-searching, she decided to seek a termination; the prospect of ending up in the self-sustaining cycle of welfare dependency almost too depressing for her to contemplate. Months of depression followed, only ending when her best friend Helen revealed her preference for other girls and they embarked upon an openly lesbian relationship.

"Rachel was disgusted with me," Jenny confessed. "She'd call me a stupid dyke. Our sisterly relationship has never really recovered, even after Helen and I separated."

"I have three sisters and a younger brother," I informed her, "and we all get along like a house on fire. Vanessa was an only child and she has hardly any contact with her family. Her mum lives in Spain with her new bloke whilst her father lives alone in their former home, just outside Oxford."

"I don't get on with Rachel at all. She left school at sixteen and now works in a supermarket. She has this obnoxious boyfriend that I absolutely detest. The only reason I go home at all is to see Mum."

Jenny explained how she'd posted dozens of job applications over the past month but had received only a handful of replies. None had offered even the opportunity of an interview.

"What have you been applying for?" I asked.

"Anything that pays significantly more than the minimum wage. What's the point of taking on thousands of pounds of student debt when I could do all those jobs with no qualifications at all?"

"I know what you mean," I agreed, not knowing how best to advise her.

"If nothing comes up, I'm thinking of taking a post grad course, maybe training to be teacher."

"Why not?" I encouraged.

"We may be together for another year after all," she added hopefully.