Todd and Becky had been happily married for nearly 15 years. He loved her very much and never even looked at another woman. And Becky couldn’t imagine life with anyone but him. They lived a pretty idyllic life too ... a nice three bedroom house with a white picket fence located on a tree-lined street in a nice neighborhood. They had a good circle of friends and were pretty well-liked. Todd had a good job as a lawyer, and she was perfectly happy being his devoted housewife and taking care of the house and their 10 year old boy, Michael.

Yes, their lives seemed pretty complete and they looked forward to a great long life together and had many wonderful plans. However, life was about to deal them a cruel blow. Just when things looked their brightest, Becky developed some medical problems.

At first, Becky just thought she was overly tired. After all, taking care of an energetic young boy was a lot of work. And little Michael always seemed to be on a mission! But her condition never seemed to get better no matter how much rest she thought she was getting.

Todd was very understanding and when he was home, he started taking care of Michael more and more. He wanted to let Becky rest as much as possible. And so she spent her day sitting down on the sofa from time to time to rest as she tried to do her regular daily routine. But soon that wasn’t enough and she found herself spending long hours not even getting out of bed.

Eventually Todd realized that this was more than just being tired. He had never thought of his wife as just being lazy – she simply wasn’t the type. So something else must be going on. He decided it was time to consult the doctors.

Sitting in the doctors office that day, a hundred scenarios went through his mind. He thought it could be anything from “iron poor blood” up to and including the “big C” – cancer. He didn’t even want to think that direction, though. What would he do if that was it? Oh my God, how could he possibly go on? And the longer the doctor’s took, the more his imagination played with his head.

After an unbearable length of time, the doctors came out to talk to them. Todd was sitting on the edge of his seat wanting to know what was wrong but fearing it as well.

“Well, Mr. and Mrs. Addams, I think we have a diagnosis. I believe your wife is suffering from CFS or chronic fatigue syndrome,” the doctor said.

“What is that?” he asked.

“Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a very complex disorder and can be hard to diagnose and treat. Basically it is a debilitating and overwhelming fatigue but can also have many other syptoms. The main thing is that the symptoms are not improved with bed rest and physical activity or mental exertion only makes it worse,” the doctor said.

“So what can we do to cure this? I mean we have a 10 year old boy at home to care for!” Todd said.

“Well, that’s where the problem lies. You see there is no real cure for CFS. No pills I can give you to make the symptoms go away. We don’t know what causes CFS or how to really effectively treat it. About all we can do is try to help you live with it and work around it. I’m very sorry, but it’s still a big unknown,” he said sadly.

Todd and Becky looked at each other in disbelief ... this couldn’t be happening to them!

“Tell me, Becky ... are you having any muscle pain or stiffness?” he asked.

“Well, I am feeling a bit stiffer and hard to get going in the mornings or when sitting or laying down for awhile. But I thought that was just my getting older,” she said.

“Ummhmm ... and how is your memory and concentration? Are you as sharp as you should be?” he asked.

“Well, now that you mention it, I do seem to be more forgetful lately,” she said.

“I see. Have you been having an unusual number of headaches or have they been unusually bad?” the doctor asked her.

“No, my headaches are about the same,” she said.

“Well, sometimes an increase in number and/or severity of headaches can occur,” he told her.

The doctor told them to come back in a month if things don’t improve, and they will start setting up a plan that hopefully will help her learn to manage her CFS. Todd and Becky left the doctors office in a state of shock and bewilderment. Neither had ever heard of such a disease, and neither had any clue as to how they were going to deal with it.

It was a month after the first doctor’s visit and things had not improved. If anything they had gotten a little worse. Now Becky had a hard time getting out of bed, and she could only do a few things before she had to lay down again.

She spent at least half her day laying on the sofa and Todd had hired a maid service to come by three times a week to help her with laundry and keeping the house clean. She hated having to have someone else do what she should be doing, but she also knew that there was no way she could do it. Todd would help with meal prep when he got home and little Michael did what he could to help out as well.

All these things came together to make the household run if only in fits and starts. There was still a ton of problems – things like school meetings and activities Michael missed out on, going out for a night on the town was nearly non-existant, and their social life began to diminish as well.

There was one problem in particular that just devastated Becky ... one thing that no one seemed to be able to help her with. And that was sex. Not her sexual needs necessarily, but those of her loving husband. She felt terrible that she wasn’t able to meet Todd’s needs as a woman and a wife. She felt sorry for him, having to deal with all of this and she couldn’t even give him the pleasure he deserved.

Becky did have one friend, however, that came by nearly every day to check on her and help her when she needed it. That friend was Donna Blakely, her best friend.

Donna and Becky had been friends for several years. And the two had been there for each other many times. In fact, when Donna and her husband were having marital problems, Becky was Donna’s comfort and her rock.

And when things finally degraded to divorce, Todd had offered to represent Donna in divorce court “pro bono” (turned out that Donna’s husband was a cheat and an abuser – a shocker to both Todd and Becky!).

Now it was Donna’s turn to help Becky in her time of need and Donna was there for her – no questions asked and in spite of Becky’s protests! One day while Donna was over at Becky’s helping her do some housework on a day when the maid wasn’t there, the two girls began talking.

“Donna, I don’t know what I’m going to do! I feel so fucking useless. I can’t do my housework, I can’t take care of Michael, I can’t do the cooking ... hell I can’t even take care of Todd!” she said sadly.

“What do you mean take care of Todd? Can’t he take care of himself?” Donna asked puzzled.

“No Donna, I mean ... sexually. As a woman. I can’t give him what he needs sexually. Todd is a wonderful man and he has been amazing through all of this. But I can’t do anything to help him meet his needs as a man, and it kills me. I don’t worry about my own needs – I am always too tired to even feel horny. But I know he does.

“Can I tell you a secret, Donna? The other day I had to get up to go into the bathroom and I caught him ... I caught my husband jerking off in the bathroom because I am not able to service him the way he needs – the way I should be,” Becky said, tears running down her cheeks.

“Oh sweetie, I wish there was something I could say to help you. How does Todd feel about this?” Donna asked.

“Oh Todd hasn’t even mentioned it. He is so sweet and thoughtful. But I know it bothers him or I wouldn’t have caught him jerking off. And I made sure he didn’t see me so he wouldn’t feel bad about taking matters into his own hands,” Becky said.

The girls talked some more while Donna finished up helping Becky. Then just before Todd got home, Donna went home herself.

It was about a week later, when Donna was over at Becky’s house again, that things took a giant step forward. Becky had suspected Todd had relieved his needs again, although she didn’t actually catch him in the act this time. So when Donna came by to see her Becky decided it was time to ask her girlfriend a very important question.

“Donna, we have been friends for a long time haven’t we?” Becky started.

“Sure we have Becky,” Donna replied.

“And we have been able to talk about anything haven’t we?” she continued.

“Yeah ... what’s going on Becky?” Donna asked.

“Okay I want to ask you a question and I want you to think about it before you answer all right? Promise you won’t just jump out with an answer?” Becky said.

“I promise. Now what is it?” Donna asked.

“Donna, I know that you have not dated or anything since your divorce. And I know that you always were fond of the boys...” she started.

“Yeah, so?” Donna said puzzled as to where Becky was going with this.

“Donna, I know Todd has always thought you were hot. It is no secret that he has been attracted to you for ages. And I’m pretty sure you think he is handsome too. So I was wondering ... Donna would you fuck Todd and give him what I can’t? I know this is crazy and I don’t know if it will work, but I am desperate. I would rather let you fuck him than have him find someone else and maybe lose him!” she said.

“Becky!” Donna said stunned at what her girlfriend was asking,” Becky, I ... I...”

“I am sorry to blurt it out like that, but this isn’t something I am used to discussing! Donna, I have thought about this for awhile now and to me, it makes sense. You and Todd know each other very well and are even fond of each other. You haven’t had a man in a long time and Todd hasn’t got a woman anymore. We are all friends and I don’t think I have to worry about love entering into this. Everyone gets what they need ... see what I mean?” Becky said.

“Everyone gets what they need except you, honey.”

“No, I get what I need too ... I get to keep my husband and not see him go off with some other tramp, just because I can’t give him what he wants,” she said, putting her hand on her girlfriends arm, “and I don’t mean anything by that, hon. I appreciate all that you have done for me and continue to do for me very much.”

Donna listened to what Becky had to say, and considered it as she promised to. “Becky, can I think about this for a bit – it’s a pretty big deal and I want to think it through,” she said.

“Of course. I haven’t approached Todd on the idea either – I wanted to see if it was something that you would consider before I broached the subject with him,” Becky said, “I mean, if you aren’t okay with it, there’s no sense in even mentioning it to him.”

After that the girls changed the subject and started talking about other things. Before long Todd came home and Donna left Becky in his hands. However as she was leaving, she gave Todd a furtive once over. She looked at his body wrapped in that Armani suit, his strong hands and his handsome, rugged face. He was a good looking man and she had thought Becky was very lucky to have landed him.

Later that night just as Becky and Todd were getting ready for bed, the phone rang. “Hello?” Becky said.

“Hi Becky it’s me ... we’ll talk about this tomorrow when I come over,” Donna said, and then the phone went click. Becky had a glimmer of hope and she slept better that night because of it.

Becky woke up sore and stiff as usual these days, but once she shook the cobwebs loose she remembered the words of her girlfriend from the night before and she smiled. She wasn’t completely sure of the outcome of the discussion today but at least she wanted to talk about it which Becky saw as a good sign. She could hardly wait till Donna came over that day.

About 11:00 a.m. There was a knock on the door and the door opened up. Todd knew that Donna came over to look in on Becky almost every day and to keep Becky from having to get up to answer the door when she wasn’t feeling good, Todd had made a spare key and gave it to Donna. That is what she used to come in.

“Hi Becky, how are you feeling today?” she asked as she came to sit on the couch next to Becky.

“The same as usual tired and weak but at least the stiffness has worked out of my joints now,” she said.

“Well that’s good. I’m glad for the little victories,” Donna said smiling. “So what do you need help with today? Laundry? Dishes? Vacuuming?”

“Hold on girlfriend!” Becky said with a grin, “You very mysterious and vague last night. That’s where I want to start today!”

“What do you mean?” Donna said, teasing her.

“You know very well what I mean Donna Blakely!” Becky said.

“Okay, okay ... don’t get yourself in a huff!” Donna said giggling, “I have thought about it, and before I make my decision, I want to know more about your idea.”

“Well, I haven’t worked out all the details – a lot of that will depend on what you and Todd have to say. But I know that before all this happened, he and I used to have sex three or four times a week and sometimes more. So I guess maybe twice a week might work.”

“I was thinking he could go over to your place or you two could go someplace and have your ‘date’. I don’t know how I would feel about you two having sex in our bed here. I mean at first it’s going to feel a little weird for all of us. I thought going someplace ‘neutral’ might make it a little less awkward.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Donna said, “So what are the rules, if we were to agree to this?”

“Well, I don’t want to put a bunch of rules on this because we are all friends and I trust the both of you. Besides adding rules makes it less comfortable and open. All I ask is that you don’t fall in love. It’s okay to say ‘I love the way you... ‘ or I love that outfit/hairstyle/whatever...” just don’t use those three magic words – know what I mean?” Becky said.

“Honey, I promise you that won’t happen. I like Todd, I may even be fond of him, but I don’t love him. I appreciate his managing my divorce and all the things you and he did for me – getting me the apartment, helping me find a job, and all the rest. You two have been wonderful. But I don’t now or ever have loved him in that way,” Donna said.

“I’m glad. Like I said I trust the both of you. And you are quite welcome. I’m sorry that ‘he’ treated you so badly and that it had to end the way it did, but you deserve better than that,” Becky said. The girls had made a pact never to mention her ex-husband by name again.

“Well Becky, I know what you are trying to do here and I know how much this means to you. So if Todd is okay with the idea, I guess I can play along,” Donna said.

“Oh, Donna! Oh thank you honey! Thank you so much!” Becky said almost in tears.

“Becky, I know this is a big step for you. You are putting a lot on the line here. And I am honored beyond belief that you put so much trust in me. I just hope that things don’t get weird between the three of us ... you and Todd are my closest friends and I don’t want this to ruin that,” Donna said.

“It won’t Donna. If anything, it will bring us all closer,” Becky said, hugging her girlfriend. Now all she had to do was put the idea to Todd...

That evening when Todd walked in the house, Becky and Donna were in the living room anxiously waiting for him to come home from work. He came in and set his briefcase down and went into the living room where the two girls were sitting there talking.

“Oh hi honey, I’m glad you’re home!” Becky said.

“Hi Todd,” Donna said.

“Hello girls, what have you two little malcontents been up to?” he asked.

“Sit down sweetheart, we have something we want to discuss with you,” Becky said. Donna scooted over so he could sit between them.

“Uh-oh ... I didn’t do it whatever it is!” he said, chuckling.

“No, it’s nothing like that hon, but we do need to talk,” Becky said.

“Okay...” he said hesitantly. He sat down, “This sounds serious.”

“It is, sort of. Todd, you know I love you more than anything else in this world. And I would do anything I could possibly do to make you happy,” she began.

“Yes I know,” Todd said.

“But I can’t please you anymore in certain ways. I can’t give you what you need ... as a man. So Donna here and I have been talking and she has agreed to give you what you need. Sexually. She has agreed to become a surrogate sex partner in a manner of speaking for you,” she said.

“WHAT??” Todd said incredulously.

“Todd, Becky has explained everything to me and it’s true – she is thinking only about you. She wants you to be happy in every way. She is afraid that now because she can’t pleasure you, that you will eventually find someone who will. And she couldn’t bear the thought. So that’s when she got the idea of you and I,” Donna said.

“But I would never...”

“Todd, honey, I have seen you ... in the bathroom ... jerking off. I know that sex is important to you, baby, and I just can’t anymore. Please understand I am doing this because I love you. I love you so much I am giving you permission to sleep with my best friend in order to keep you!”

Todd sat there quiet and in shock. What Becky was proposing was way out there! He didn’t say anything for the longest time, looking back and forth at the two of them. He tried to find some clue to the joke, hoping one of them would crack a smile and he would know he’d been played. But neither did. This was not a joke.

Todd looked at Donna. While he had never before thought of her sexually up to this point, he looked at her now in a different way. He looked at her like a man looks at a woman. Not as his wife’s best friend, but as a possible sexual partner. And what he saw surprised him.

Donna Blakely was actually a very attractive woman. He hadn’t seen it before because his eyes were only for Becky, but now he saw Donna as well. Donna was 33 years old, five foot four inches tall, with long curly blonde hair, soft green eyes, and a beautiful wide smile. She also had a fine figure ... she was well proportioned and she obviously kept herself in good shape – a fact that Todd now appreciated very much. There wasn’t a sag or droop anywhere on her! In fact, if Todd didn’t know her as well as he did, he’d swear she wasn’t a day over 25!

“Todd?” Becky asked finally breaking into his thoughts.

“I’m going to have to think about this one for awhile,” he said, “What you are asking is pretty wild. You are telling me that you want Donna here to be my mistress! And although you may have convinced Donna to be my ‘surrogate’ as you so neatly call it, I’m not sure I am willing to share my bed with another woman just yet!”

“Todd, listen ... I was in shock when Becky proposed this to me as well. But her reasoning, while maybe a bit unconventional, is fairly sound. Look at it – I am single with no boyfriend or other significant other in my life.

You have a wife here that loves you to death and is scared to death of losing you. Why? Because she is too sick and too tired to make love to you the way she – and you – want to. And you, you are a man with needs and desires any man would have.

She isn’t doing this because she doesn’t want you, she is doing this because she wants you so much she is willing to let us have sex just so you won’t go looking for it someplace else! And yes I know that you say you won’t, and maybe you won’t.

But take it from me ... if a man isn’t getting it at home, he will find someplace else to get it! In my case, he didn’t want a sex partner, he wanted a housemaid. He had others to serve the sex partner role!” Donna said.

Todd listened as Donna continued talking to him. “Todd, you and Becky here helped me a great deal when ‘he’ and I were having problems and with the divorce. I can never thank you enough for your support and kindness during that tough time.

But now it’s a tough time for you and Becky, and it is a chance for me to do something to give back some of that support and kindness. I am not doing this because of some feeling of indebtedness, but rather because you two are my closest and dearest friends and I want to help in whatever way I can.

I have been here nearly every day helping Becky, but I haven’t done anything to help the man who was my attorney – for free I might add – when I was seeking a divorce from him. And Becky is scared, Todd. She has told me how terrified she is that she may lose you. I have assured her that while I may find you attractive, I am in no way in love with you.

In fact, her one rule is that we never use those three magic words when talking to each other. So while we are friends, close friends, she feels she can trust us enough that she is willing to let this happen. I think that says more about our relationship than anything else, don’t you?”