Chapter 1 Sexting with a teenager

“What do you think of this guy? he’s pretty hunky, right?” Lily leaned over to get a better look at her friend’s phone, the morning sun glaring the screen a bit, but she could make out the shirtless man in the photo.

“He’s a bit young don’t you think?, OMG, it says he’s 24, Jeez Bella!” Lily said a little too loud before looking embarrassed that the other coffee shop patrons might have overheard her.

“Haha, I’m trying to branch out a bit, I went out with this younger guy a week ago and he was a demon in the sack, just kept going and going, it was amazing,” Her 38-year-old friend confessed.

“Christ, Bella, you have only been separated for like a couple of months and you’re fucking around already? And with younger men too, what if John finds out? Or your kids?”.

Bella grinned and laughed off Lily’s concern, putting away her phone before taking a sip of the mimosa,” I’m just having a little fun, it was John who wanted the separated in the first place, he’s been fucking his secretary for months now, it’s only fair I get some as well,” she replied confidently.

“So you two aren’t even thinking about getting back together?” Lily asked, worried for her long-time friend.

“I don’t know to be honest, sweetie. I still love him, but it’s going to be hard. Right now, I just want to try everything I couldn’t for the last 15 years,” Bella expressed, an excited glint in her brown eyes.

Lily Daniels looked over and felt a tinge of jealousy, like Bella, she too had been married for over 10 years, 12 to be exact. The 36-year-old blonde, blue-eyed woman loved her husband, Liam, but she would be lying if she said things were perfect. Liam worked away from home a lot, he was a manager at a mine site north of Perth where the couple lived. He was home for a week then away for 2 or sometimes 3 weeks leaving her alone to raise the kids.

Lily didn’t want to complain, apart from the loneliness her life was good, her kids were beautiful, 8-year-old Laura and 10-year-old Luke were her pride and joy. Her Mum moved in with the family last year after her Dad passed away, it was nice to have some company and the kids loved having their grandma around.

Ding!, another alert went off on Bella’s phone,” let me guess, another young stud, messaging you on that hookup app?” she asked with a playful frown.

“You can put away that judgemental glare, Lily, but yes, WOW!, this guy is even hotter than the last, want to see?” Bella questioned with a giddy look.

“Yeah ok!” Lily chirped, giggling. On her friend’s phone screen was a profile pic of a muscled-up black guy, taken at the gym. “ Holy cow, are you going to meet up with him?”, she asked.

“I might, I’ve never been with a black guy before, could be interesting,” Bella teased, giving Lily a curious smirk as she typed something on her phone. “ You know if you and Liam ever part ways, the guys on this app would go crazy over you.”

“Oh shut up! I’m average at best,” Lily stated firmly, believing every word.

“You’re crazy girl, Lily, you are fucking hot! You just never put in any effort to look good since you became a mum, you’re not even wearing any makeup right now,” her friend pointed out. “ If you don’t believe me then I’ll prove it to you.”

Lily looked confused as Bella took a quick snap of her, then tapped away on her phone, “What are you doing, don’t take pictures of me, I look terrible right now,” she argued.

Bella just grinned and smiled, ignoring her friend’s plea until she got what she had been waiting for. “ Here, see, I told you people think you’re hot,” she smugly said handing Lily her phone to look at.

“OH MY GOD!, why did you do that?” Lily panicked looking at the text messages sent between Bella and this random Black guy.

Bella sent him the picture she had just taken asking the stranger what he thought about her friend,” Dam, she’s smoking hot, how about we all get together, I could bring a friend as well or have you both to myself,” he replied with a winking emoji. Lily had to admit his words were flattering even if he was just some random guy who would say anything just to get a date with Bella.

“You see, guys want to fuck you, even if you don’t put any effort in to look gorgeous,” Bella said with love.

“He would say anything to get a date with you or have a threesome, anyway don’t send my picture to random guys again, jeez Bella, so bad,” Lily scolded.

Bella giggled and brushed off her comment,” Well if you change your mind about the threesome, just call me,” she teased, as the pair chuckled.

Lily and Bella finished their late breakfast and proceeded to walk back to her car. On the way, Lily couldn’t help but notice the newfound confidence in her friend, Bella strutted with this sexy, model-like aura. Her hips swayed hypnotically garnering the attention of many eyes as they walked, of course, her figure-hugging, floral sundress also had a lot to do with that, it really showed off her voluptuous curves.

“Hey let’s stop in here, I need to get a few things,” Bella announced, dragging Lily by the arm into a Lingerie store.

Lily frowned but succumbed to her friend’s will, following close by as Bella picked out various panties and bras. The mother of two couldn’t even remember the last time she wore anything lace and sexy, opting for comfort over style these days.

“Isn’t Liam home tomorrow? Why don’t you buy this to surprise him?” Bella suggested, holding up a two-piece, camisole and G string, white lingerie set.

“I don’t know, it’s nice, it just seems like a lot of money when he probably won’t even appreciate it,” Lily replied dishearteningly.

“Come on, you won’t know until you try, I’ll get it for you, an early birthday present,” Bella offered.

“Ok, sure!” Lily said cheerfully, hoping Liam would like it.

“Try it on first, I’m going to try these,” her friend suggested before they both headed off into a changing room.

Lily stared at herself in the full-length mirror, her blue eyes noticing every small lump of fat on her hips and belly, she was a harsh critic when it came to her appearance, even if everyone else thought differently, in her mind, she was average at best.

“How does it look? Let me see,” Bella whispered from the other room.

“I don’t know, I think I need to start going to the gym,” Lily timidly replied.

“Nonsense, I’m coming in.”

Bella drew back Lily’s curtain and walked into the small room, she didn’t even bother to redress, rocking a new red, lace teddy. Lily kept staring at herself in the mirror as Bella examined her.

“Jeez, you look so hot, definitely a Milf!,” Bella eagerly said, grinning.

“No way, I think my boobs are starting to sag and look at my flab,” she pointed out sadly.

“You are so nuts, you’re beautiful, do you want me to send another pic to some strangers for comment?” Bella joked, giggling.

“Please no,” Lily begged, laughing.

“I’m buying it for you, get changed, and no more bashing yourself,” Bella annoyingly reprimanded.

Lily smiled and listened to her, changing back to her plain jeans and shirt before stepping out. As promised Bella paid for the garments, A man smiled at Lily while she waited for Bella to pay, he was quite handsome and was clearly checking her out from behind a table, she shyly smiled back before her friend whisked her away and out of the shop.

The next day Lily waited with excitement at the airport for her hubby. After yesterday’s brunch with Bella, she made more of an effort to look presentable, putting on some makeup and wearing a cute, baby blue summer dress that showed off a bit of her C-cup cleavage.

She smiled warmly as Liam her husband walked out, but her smile quickly faded upon seeing him hug a red-headed woman goodbye. Lily tried to put back on her smile as her hubby spotted her and walked over, he hugged and pecked her cheek almost routinely before leading her out of the terminal.

“So who was the redhead?” She asked curiously, trying not to seem jealous.

“Oh, she’s a new supervisor I’ve been training, she seems nice,” Liam answered nonchalantly.

“Oh ok, how is work?”, Lily asked like she always did when picking him up.

“Busy, I’m really tired, just want to get some sleep,” He quickly replied.

“Ok, honey.”

The drive home was quiet, the two seemed distant, Lily tried to get a conversation going but Liam seemed uninterested or just too tired to respond which annoyed her. She understood he was tired but it had been 3 weeks since they saw each other, and he didn’t seem at all excited to see her, and she even dressed up for him too.

When they got home Liam went straight for a shower before heading to bed. Lily watched TV with her mum and complained that Liam seemed uninterested in her. Like always her mum tried to offer excuses for Liam to calm her down, Lily understood but was still pissed off, she just couldn’t get the bad vibes she was feeling to go away.

“Just be patient, why don’t I take the kids out tonight and you two can have dinner alone, maybe talk a little,” her Mum suggested.

“Thanks, Mum, that sounds great, you’re the best.”

That afternoon Lily cooked up her husband’s favourite meal while her mum played with the kids. Liam awoke from his 5-hour nap shortly after she was finishing up the final touches on the roast dinner. He played with the kids for a bit before her Mother took them out to a movie, Lily thanked her again and kissed the children before they left.

“Smells really good, hun,” Liam commented.

“Take a seat it’s almost ready,” Lily replied with a pleased grin.

The married couple ate their dinner and conversed about everyday things. Liam asked how the kids were doing in school and if there was anything he could fix around the house while he was home. Lily informed him that Luke wanted to join a soccer team and that the sprinkler system and the air conditioner seemed glitchy.

The off feeling she had before was returning, Liam hardly looked at her as they ate, a far cry from when they had first met 15 years ago. Liam was 8 years older than her, she was 21 and he was 29, they worked for a solar company, she was a receptionist and he was an installer. He used to always find excuses to talk to her and after a Christmas party, the two finally hooked up. A few years later she got pregnant with their Son Luke and married.

“I was talking to Bella earlier, a few people are catching up at a bar, it would be nice to go out for once,” Lily expressed with a hopeful half-smile.

“I’m just really tired, but if you want to go you should,” her husband said quite casually.

“I’ll tell her maybe another time then, do you want to watch a movie or something before the kids get back?” she then suggested.

“I think I’m just going to head back to bed, my brother wants me to help him out with something in the morning,” Liam replied.

Lily was getting more annoyed but held back her true feelings, she didn’t want to fight with Liam or seem selfish, instead, she just nodded her head and cleaned up the table as her husband walked off to their bedroom.

After she finished tidying up the kitchen Lily thought she would try talking to Liam again, maybe she could convince him to get intimate before the kids got home, it had been over a month since they last made love. Liam was on his phone when she strolled into their room, he was typing away and looked totally focused, not even acknowledging her entering.

Lily crawled onto their queen-sized bed and started to rub her husband’s chest, trying to grab his attention away from the phone. “ hey, the kids and my Mum won’t be back for another hour, want to fool around a bit? She seductively whispered.

“Sorry babe, I’m just in the middle of something here, I swear these guys can’t do anything when I’m not at work,” he angrily groaned.

“I’m sure they will be ok, come on, I really miss you, hun,” she pleaded, continuing to rub his chest and snuggling up closer.

Liam grunted and sighed, his focus still on his phone, “Please Lily, this is really important, plus I’m really tired, maybe tomorrow ok,” he replied, talking to her like she was a child.

Lily fought hard to hold back her frustration, the woman’s eyes looked clearly disappointed. She rolled off the bed and went back to the living room, she wanted to scream, her confidence at an all-time low having just been rejected by her husband.

The rest of the week went by pretty much the same as the first. Liam spent more time with his brother or his friends than Lily, she gave up trying to get intimate with him after he gave another lame excuse the following day, claiming his back was sore from helping out his younger brother all day. Before too long Liam was off again to work, Lily didn’t speak to him on the drive to the airport, she gave him a forced kiss and drove off, sighing at how stale her life had become.

“You’re not ugly, or too old, stop putting yourself down, Lily,” her friend screamed at her.

“Why doesn’t he want me then” It’s been over 2 months now and he hasn’t touched me once, Bella!” Lily cried out.

“He’s probably just going through a phase, I heard it happens with older men.”

“Did it happen with John?” Lily questioned.

“Towards the end yeah.”

“So he stopped having sex with you just before you two got separated?

“Yes, but I don’t think it’s the same with Liam,” Bella said, trying to convince Lily.

“What if he’s cheating on me? I saw him hugging this younger redhead girl when I picked him up last time, he said they were just work colleagues, but I don’t know now,” Lily shared.

“You need to stop overthinking things, trust me, it has nothing to do with the way you look, you are beautiful,” Bella stated again. “ Hey, I got an idea, I think it will really help get your confidence back.”

“Yeah, what is it? I’m getting pretty desperate, to be honest, I hate feeling this way, Bella,” Lily said with a sad expression.

Lily saw her friend grin mischievously from across the table, she started to feel uneasy about what was going through her head. “ You know the dating app I’m using right? We should make you a profile, of course, you won’t have to go out with any of the guys, just chat and flirt a bit, and you’ll see how many men actually find you hot, it’ll really boost your confidence,” Bella put forward.

“Hell no! That’s cheating! what if someone finds out?” Lily replied shocked at the suggestion.

“Technically it’s not cheating, you won’t meet any of these guys, you can just chat and get compliments, plus it’s really fun too, aren’t you bored? you said you wanted more excitement in your life.”

“I know I did, But not like this, it just feels wrong, I still love Liam.”

“I know you do, What’s the harm though? Just make a profile, you don’t have to use your real name or show your face, come on let’s do it, trust me, it’s so fun, Lily,” Bella pleaded.

“Jeez, I need to stop having lunch with you, you’re becoming a bad influence,” Lily half-joked, frowning softly at her best friend who had the biggest grin on her face.

“So is that a yes? Just say yes!” Bella firmly said.

“Fine, I guess, but you better not tell anyone!” Lily warned half-heartedly, knowing Bella would never betray her.

“Awesome, you look good today, that tank top shows off your tits,” Bella complimented before taking a couple of pics without Lily consenting. “ Perfect profile pic, don’t worry it doesn’t show your face.”

Lily sighed, she couldn’t help but get a bit excited, she knew this was out of the ordinary for her, but maybe Bella was right, she needed to do something to boost her confidence. They finished up their lunch and Bella made Lily pose outside for more pics to go on her profile, “Stick out that butt more, you are going to get so many private messages, babe,” she kept complimenting like a fashion photographer.

Lily laughed and waved off her comments, she blushed as a guy walked past and gave her a wink seeing what she and her friend were doing. This didn’t go unnoticed by Bella who teased her,” You see, that guy was totally checking out your arse, those leggings look good on you,” she pointed out.

“Can we stop now, you have enough pictures,” Lily expressed, still blushing.

“What name do you want to use?”

“God, I don’t know, how about Emma something,” she put forward.

“CheekyEmmaXO it is then,” Bella came up with.

They both giggled at the name as Bella filled out the rest of Lily’s profile before handing back her phone. “ All done, it’s easy to use, remember it’s just for fun, don’t go falling in love with any of these perves,” Bella joked.

Just as Lily was starting her car to go home an alert beeped from her phone,” jeez, that was quick,” she said to herself seeing a notification from the dating app. Someone named TallStrongHenry had sent her a message, “You look hot, would love to see more,” he simply wrote. Lily grinned and felt a rush she hadn’t experienced in a long time, she quickly answered back with a “Maybe” before driving away. she heard more alerts before she eventually arrived home, knowing they were probably from the dating app, it brought a big smile to her face.

Lily rushed to her room after saying hello to her Mum, giving an excuse she had a headache to get out of watching soaps like they often did together. She sat back on her bed and opened up the app, surprised to see more than a dozen messages from different men. Lily filtered through each one, answering back the guys she found interesting, one of which was a guy calling himself BigAmari.

His profile wasn’t crude or screamed of desperation, just simple pics of himself in semi-formal attire, quite classy she thought. Lily answered some more messages when BigAmari replied back to her message.

Big Amari: Thanks for the reply Emma, I’m surprised you messaged me back, I thought it was a long shot, but something about your profile really spoke to me, I had to try.

CheekyEmmaXO: You are welcome, to be honest, I’m a bit new here, still finding my feet, why did you think I wouldn’t message you back?

BigAmari: Well, it says you’re 36, I’m 18, plus I’m African, I think people get scared off by that.