It was early evening, and Nancy and I were sitting on our sofa talking. She had been sitting there when I got home from work, and I could immediately read fear on her face; she couldn't even look me in the eye. For the past hour we had been having a very serious conversation, the sort that could lead to the end of a marriage, or possibly be the first step in a long road to its salvation.

It had taken that hour for me to slowly get the truth from her, truth she knew she had to confess, but was ever so reluctant to do. I was in shock, but still in control. She had cried some, but I hadn't yelled at her, not once. I felt very proud of my restraint, but not at all proud of my wife.

I now knew that she had spent hours that afternoon going from climax to climax as she and her lover fucked. I now knew that he had come three times in her cunt, and he hadn't worn a rubber. She had told me tearfully that this was the first time she had ever done anything like this, but there's something more a cheating wife should say when she confesses to her husband, and I hadn't heard it yet. I had to ask.

"So, what happens now? Are you going to do this again?"

"I don't know. I really don't know. I know I want to have him again, but I don't know whether I'll let myself do it. I also know he's going to want me again."

She got up the courage to glance up at me briefly, something she had not done much in the last hour. "On the other hand, he's married, and so am I. Or at least I was until today. What scares me most is losing you, and I'm so afraid I've already done that."

"I don't know, yet. I think I can eventually forgive one time. I doubt if I can forgive you if you keep doing it. I don't know if I can ever forgive him. I'm sure he came here today planning to seduce you. I feel like beating the shit out of him."

"I understand that. That's why I haven't told you his name."

I gave her a thin smile. "You didn't have to. I know it was Pete."

Her head jerked up and her hand went over her mouth. "How did you know that?"

Actually, I didn't know, but I was pretty sure. I was sure because of the poker party last night, the one where I had to leave to give the other guys a chance to seduce her. I had sneaked back and peeked in our window, and I had seen her almost give herself to Pete then. I was sure because Nancy had told me that her mystery lover had an unbelievably long cock, and I had seen Pete's a week earlier when we both fucked Cindy. I wasn't about to admit to what I had seen either week, so I made up a story.

"Well, this is sort of embarrassing, but you know how guys are. When we get together, and there aren't any women around, we tend to get kinda rough. And Pete is always bragging that he has the longest cock of anyone he's ever heard of."

I sensed that she doubted my story. Why wouldn't I think that Pete might just be stretching things -- er, stretching the truth. So I decided to embroider my story a bit.

"We finally got tired of his bragging, and challenged him to prove it. Well, he dropped his pants, and we saw this long skinny dong hanging down more than six inches, and that was soft. We believed him then, and didn't even insist that we see it hard."

Nancy nodded, "Oh, yeah, that's Pete all right. But, look, we've got more serious things to worry about than that. You said you might be able to forgive me one time, and Richard, I really, really, do love you and don't want to lose you, even though I wouldn't blame you if you kicked me out."

"So what you're saying is, you loved fucking Pete, and you're dying to fuck him again, but you'd be willing to stop if it meant we could stay together?"

"Yeah, that's about it."

"There's two things I don't like about that." I counted them off on my fingers.

"First, it would be like I was forcing you; blackmailing you, really. Even if you went along with it, you would probably resent me, and that could grow into something that would tear us apart.

"Second, I'm going to spend the rest of my life knowing that you would rather be fucking him instead of me; that I'm not as good a lover as he is. That's going to be really rough on my male ego, and it's likely to destroy me."

"We can work on the first one together," Nancy reassured me, "but let me get rid of the second one right now. He's not a better lover than you, just different. You're a lot thicker than he is, and I love how it feels when you push yourself into me. I also love the way you are tender with me; with him it's more just raw sex. But it is exciting to be with someone different, and he really turns me on the way he talks dirty to me."

"I can believe that he talks dirty. He's got the foulest mouth of anybody in our group. But I guess I'm kinda surprised that would turn you on."

"It surprised me, too. Actually, a lot of things surprised me today, and last night. I seem to have a real horny, almost slutty, side that I didn't know about."

"Yeah, and that horny, slutty, side really turned me on last night when I got home. If you keep showing me that part of yourself I might be willing to forgive a lot of other things."

"Even if some of those other things were what made me feel horny with you?"

"Especially if they were."

"So are you saying I could see Pete again if being with him keeps me feeling horny for you?"

"Oh, shit, Nancy, you're really putting me in a bind. How do you think I would feel if you said, 'Pete's planning to come over this noon, so don't try to call me or come home for lunch.' Or, on the other hand, how would I feel if you didn't say anything and I called or came home when you were in the middle of something?"

That slowed her down, all right. "No, I couldn't put you through that. I guess we'd have to keep it a secret, but go someplace else."

"You mean like a motel? Don't forget that Pete's married, too. How would Terry feel if she was going through their bank accounts and started seeing local motel bills she didn't know anything about?"

"Oh, I guess I wasn't thinking very clearly."

I grinned at her. "Sex does that, you know."

She blushed.

"OK," I added, "maybe I can think this through more clearly, since, unlike you, I don't have the hots for Pete."

She blushed again.

"Here's what I think," I went on. "If a married person tries to carry on a long term affair, and keep it secret from the person they are married to, the marriage is in trouble, and likely to fall apart."

Nancy nodded, and started to speak, but I held up my hand to stop her.

"Married people can, in some cases, have affairs without destroying their marriage, but it takes some openness between the partners, and a lot of caring and acceptance."

Nancy nodded again. "You're talking about an open marriage, right?"

"That's not the only possibility. Everyone has heard of famous couples where one partner had lovers on the side and the other remained faithful. But that takes a very special sort of partner. So, yes, an open marriage, or a swinging lifestyle, seems like it would be more likely to work for a couple."

"What you're saying," she said slowly, "is that if I am going to have a lover then I should allow you to have one, too. That does seem only fair." She suddenly looked suspicious. "Why, do you already have a lover?"

"No, I don't. Though, since you admitted that you cheated on me today I guess I can admit that I cheated on you once. Please, no names."

She opened her mouth to say something, but I continued without giving her a chance.

"But I'm not the only partner involved here. What about Terry?"

"You obviously know her, because you've played poker at her house, but I haven't even met her. What kind of a person is she?"

"I don't know her that well, but she is pretty outgoing, and I'd think she must be pretty understanding to put up with Pete."

Nancy seemed to have a sudden thought. "Do you think she's sexy?"

I wondered if she was having the same sort of thought I was. I grinned.

"Well, she's very attractive, and I am a man. Yeah, I think she's sexy."

"Well, you're something of a hunk, and a smooth talker, do you think she would find you sexy?"

"Now there's an idea. I might be able to do a bit of research on the subject in the next week or two, assuming you didn't object."

"Considering what the research might lead to, I say go for it, and good luck!"

"Now that's what I call an open attitude," I said, grinning from ear to ear.

"And that's what I call an eager researcher," she laughed.

We fell into each other's arms at that point, and started cuddling. It did eventually lead to sex that night, though not on the sofa. I wouldn't have been comfortable there, not knowing all the action it had seen earlier in the day. The sex we had that night wasn't the mad passionate sort we had shared the night before. Instead it was a loving, caring, considerate, sharing, sort of lovemaking. Sometimes that's the best kind.

Next week's poker party was going to be at Pete's house, and I knew something Nancy didn't know: Pete was going to have an 'emergency at work' almost as soon as we got there. Hopefully I would make a good start on my 'research' that night.

Nancy was right. I was definitely an eager researcher, but poker night was five days away when we had our discussion. That made for a very long week; though the frequent hot sex with Nancy certainly helped compensate. Finally, the night arrived.

Due to the nature of the arrangement, the three guys staying when hubby left for his 'emergency' had to do some quick planning and playing by ear. After all, we couldn't discuss the upcoming seduction attempt with the gal's husband sitting right there. I did, however, do some thinking ahead about this one, and was ready with an idea once Pete left the house.

"Hey, guys, how about this. We hint to Terry that Pete is having an affair, and talk her into getting even with him."

"Are you crazy?" Tom asked. "You'll queer the whole thing."

"I'm not sure," Bob put in. "I agree it wouldn't work with just anybody, but think about Terry's personality. She's very outgoing, and quite flirtatious. Dick's idea might just be the best way to push her over the line."

"So how would you go about hinting?" Tom asked, still suspicious.

"I was thinking we might have an argument about some hypothetical husband we knew, and ask Terry to help us settle it."

Bob grinned. "You know, I do believe that would work."

"Well, OK," Tom admitted, "it does sound pretty good."

It wasn't long before we were raising our voices in a simulated argument, while being careful not to let Terry hear anything that would tip her off as to the subject. We got louder and louder until she finally popped her head in the door.

"Hey, guys, I thought this was supposed to be a friendly game of cards. What's all the noise about?"

"Terry!" I said. "Just the person we need to help us settle this."

She shook her head. "Sorry, I don't know a thing about poker."

"We're not arguing about poker," I explained, "we're arguing about women."

She giggled. "Well, I do know something about that subject. What's the problem?"

The guys were letting me take the lead on this, because it was my idea. "OK, just hypothetically, say there was a guy who was having an affair, and he has some buddies, and they know that he is doing it. Let's say his buddies are feeling kinda torn about it, because they like his wife, and they don't feel he's being fair to her.

"We just got to talking about that kind of thing, but we couldn't agree, if the situation should come up, as to what the guys should do about it. I think they should tell her, but Tom says it's none of their business, and they should just ignore the situation. Bob, you said, what was it? Oh, yeah, that if one of the other guys was married, and if his wife knew the wife of the guy having the affair, then he should tell his wife, and she should talk to the gal being cheated on. But each of us thinks the other two guys' ideas are terrible.

"Did I get that right?" I asked, looking at Tom and Bob. They both nodded. "So, Terry, what would be the best thing to do in a case like that?"

Terry stood there for what seemed like forever looking from one of us to another, and then another. Finally she spoke up, so quietly that we could only barely hear her.

"Pete didn't really have an emergency at work, tonight, did he?"

I shook my head. "No, Terry, he didn't."

She sighed. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time."

Then she looked at each of us again. "I don't know what the right answer to your question is, at least not 'hypothetically', and it probably depends on the people involved. But it seems to have been answered in one particular case, and I'm glad I know."

"I'm really sorry, Terry," Bob blurted out. "But, come to think of it, I guess that could raise another so-called 'hypothetical' question. If the wife that was cheated on did find out, what should she do about it?"

"Yes, Bob, I was just starting to wonder about the same thing. I suppose she could forgive him, the way she has in the past, but don't you guys think that would just encourage him to do it again and again?"

We all nodded soberly.

"Or she could yell at him and cry and threaten to leave him."

"Right," Tom burst out, "and tear apart what was left of the marriage, and end up with them yelling at each other during the divorce, and hating each other for the rest of their lives."

"I agree, Tom, I could see that happening. But what else could she do?"

"She could decide to get even," I said very quietly.

"You mean ... oh my ... oh dear ... I ... I guess it would sort of make sense. But if this isn't the first time, then even if she ... took a ... lover ... she still wouldn't be getting even, would she?"

Bob shook his head. "No, I guess she wouldn't. Unless, of course..."

Terry looked into his eyes. "You mean ... unless she ... had more than one lover?"

Bob nodded, his eyes still locked to hers.

"But while she was doing that, maybe he would be going off and having even more affairs."

Bob's eyes seemed to be boring deep into her brain. "Not if she had sex with several guys at the same time."

"Oh, no, I've never ... I couldn't ... oh, I ... oh, you ... I mean they ... I mean ... wouldn't that feel awful?"

"I don't know," Bob said slowly. "I guess it would depend on the woman. I understand some women can have lots of climaxes. And for some women the very best climaxes are when a man comes inside them."

"Yes, that's true. I ... they ... some women can. And feeling a man come inside you is ... Ohhhh!"

"If she were trying to get even," I ventured, "and if she did want to feel several guys come inside her, one after the other..."

"Ooohhhhh GOD!" Terry moaned.

" ... then wouldn't it be even more effective if the guys she did it with were her cheating husband's buddies?"

"Yeah," Tom put in, "but how could she manage to get together with all of them at the same time when her husband wasn't there? Now that sounds kind of far fetched."

"Except," Terry shuddered, "that's exactly what we have here tonight."