Chapter 1

Tim and Janice Harwick met while in college. He was a business major and she was working on her undergraduate degree in law. They dated throughout college and fell madly in love. They decided to get married after Tim graduated, and Janice would continue her study for a law degree.

The wedding was held in Tim's hometown. It was a large traditional wedding with over five hundred guests crammed into the small church. The newlyweds ran from the church to a chorus of cheers and rice; they were off to make a home and live the American dream.

Ten years later both had made their mark on their chosen professions. Tim was a partner in a large advertising agency and Janice was a well-respected associate professor of law at the local university. Both made good salaries, affording them a nice standard of living. There were no children yet but that was in their plan at some point. However, Janice knew that at 35 years of age, her biological clock was ticking. Unfortunately, there had always been something that delayed the event. While Tim wanted children, it was hard for him to see how they would have the time to fit them into their busy schedule without adversely influencing their life style.

If you asked either of them if their marriage was good, they would both give a resounding yes. However, that answer would belie the true emotions lying just beneath the surface. Despite their comfortable outward appearance, there was a deeper feeling that something was missing. Over the years, the stress of two professional wage earners had taken its toll on their personal lives, resulting in less and less time for each other. Sexual relations had become routine, if not mundane. Sex was relegated to the back burner and often turned into a quickie every couple of weeks when they weren't too tired.

The deplorable condition of their sexual relationship was on both of their minds often. However, neither of them felt comfortable talking about the subject: Janice because of her strict upbringing and Tim for fear of her anger. The result was the construction of an emotional wall, locking them on opposing sides. It had reached a point where they each thought that the other felt that sex wasn't important anymore in their marriage.

One Friday night, Janice and Tim had a rare night at home together. Tim was reading in the family room when Janice came in with a book on tort law that she had assigned for reading by her first-year class. She had to brush up on the subject herself, and then grade some papers.

Tim looked up and smiled as Janice walked toward him. She was wearing a baggy sweat suit, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. The thought occurred to him that she still looked sexy even in sweats, even with no makeup on. He knew that she had gained a few pounds in the last couple of years but it all went into the right places. In fact, Tim had always felt that she was a little too skinny anyway. She had been a dedicated exerciser when they met and had even participated in several marathons. As a result, her legs were still firm and she had a gorgeous, well-rounded butt.

As Tim watched her walk by he could see her bare breast bouncing under her top. On impulse he reached out and caressed a buttock, bringing a yelp from her.

"You're frisky tonight, Timmy," Janice said with an indulgent smile.

Tim reached up quickly, before she could get away, and pulled her onto his lap, bringing another surprised yelp from her lips. "It's all your fault for coming in here looking so sexy," he said and kissed her passionately. His hand slid up under her top and began to caress her breast as his tongue searched her mouth.

Janice pushed Tim away gently but firmly. "Boy, you are really hard up if you think I'm sexy in my sweats," she admonished him gently. She was just a little breathless. Then she moaned as she felt Tim begin to squeeze her nipple again, pinching it between his fingers. Janice knew that she had a lot of work to do tonight if she was going to be prepared for class the next day. "Tim, I have work to do!" she complained, grabbing his hand and pulling it from her breast.

Tim's smile turned to a frown. "It seems like you're always too busy," he said with undisguised frustration.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Janice returned as she stood up.

"It means that we never have any time for fun anymore."

Janice started to say something then stopped. Unfortunately, he was right. Janice sat back down on Tim's lap and said, "You're right, we're both far too busy. Truthfully, it's been bothering me lately as well. Everything is always so rushed." Janice snuggled comfortably into Tim and said, "I'm not sure what we can do about it though."

"I don't know either," Tim said, hiding his real feelings, adding another brick to that wall. No damn it he thought, it was time that they talked. "Janice, we need to do something or I'm afraid we'll drift away from each other."

"Do you think we're drifting away?" Janice asked in shock.

"Sometimes, yes! We hardly have time to talk, let alone time for sex. I remember not too long ago when we used to talk for hours. And... and we would make love for hours too."

"Yes, I remember," she sighed.

"We have to find time for each other." Then Tim remembered an article that he had read in Playboy. He didn't think Janice would go for it but he figured he had nothing to lose. "I read an article last month about what one couple did to spice up their life. It was about SEX so I'm sure you wouldn't like it."

"What do you mean that I wouldn't like it because it was about sex? I like sex."

"You do?" Tim said sarcastically.

"What makes you think I don't like sex?" Janice said defensively.

"Because you are a pru..." Tim started to call her a prude but realized that that would start a major argument. They were already treading on thin ice.

In truth, he did feel that she was a prude. She looked like the proverbial sex machine; tall, great shape, stylish blond hair and breasts with nipples that seemed to always be hard. Yet, behind closed doors she was anything but a sex machine. She had only given him oral sex on a few occasions and he had rarely done it to her. They never talked about it. Once he brought up anal sex and she just about went off the deep end, calling him a pervert.

"I'm a prude!" Janice almost screamed.

"I wasn't going to say that."

"Yes you were!"

"All right, I was, because you are!"

Janice stood up again, her face red with anger. "So I'm the prude. What about the time I wanted to wear that low- cut dress to your stuffy old Christmas party? You almost had a stroke. Then there was that time that Sally and Bill wanted us to watch a porn movie. I said yes, but you made a big deal about it. And I'm the prude!"

"It's not about dresses or movies," Tim said, returning her anger. "It's about the bedroom. When is the last time you... you... you know... oh, never mind," Tim said in frustration.

Janice was fuming now. She could barely speak. "Fine, I don't want to talk about this anyway." She stormed out of the room.

Tim started to respond but decided to shut up. It wasn't any use talking when they were both angry. The wall was getting bigger. He lifted his paper back up and tried to read. It was no use. His mind drifted to those forbidden thoughts that seemed to be coming quite often now.

In his dreams he was watching Janice lying naked on the bed. There was a man with her, but it wasn't him. They were kissing and he was fondling her breast. Tim's excitement grew as he watched the stranger kiss his wife, then move his hand under her skirt. She squirmed and sighed, pushing her hips down, demanding that he pleasure her. He watched though a dream -like fog as his wife spread her legs, opening herself for this stranger. She let him press his fingers deep into her.

"Sweetie, can we talk?"

Tim jumped, startled by his wife's voice. "Sure," he said, trying to shake the perverted vision from his head.

Janice sat on the sofa close to Tim and placed her arm over his shoulder. They sat quietly for a while gathering their thoughts. Tim spoke first. "Listen, Janice, I'm sorry I called you a prude," Tim said sincerely.

Janice put her fingers to Tim's lips to silence him. "The truth hurts," she said. "I'm afraid I have been a prude. You know that I was raised in a religious family and sex was never talked about. The truth is that I would love to really let go and do some of the wild things I've read about in magazines or heard the girls at school talk about. I... I... Oh damn," Janice said, her voice cracking with emotions. "Oh God, Tim, I fantasize about things all the time. I've even... even been masturbating lately."

It shocked Tim that Janice had been fantasizing, not to mention masturbating. His first inclination was to blame himself for not being man enough for her. Then he felt anger at her for closing him out. However, he was smart enough to know that the issues were a lot more complicated then secretly masturbating. Hell, he had done it plenty of times himself. Tim hugged Janice to him and they sat silently again for a long time.