Chapter 4

All too quickly, the holiday disappeared and I prepared to return for the spring term. With it came the prospect of exams. Whilst not counting towards my final qualification, they would give a clear indication of my progress. Much of the Christmas period was spent pouring over masses of notes as I attempted to make every last minute preparation to improve my chance of success.

Toby was already in residence when I arrived. After travelling home for the break, he'd returned after only a few days, complaining he lacked the freedom to do as he pleased when staying with his parents. Reading between the lines, I suspected he'd been asked to perform his fair share of the household chores and had returned as a means to escape his obligations.

Stella arrived twenty minutes later, parking a brand new Volkswagen Golf on the road, effectively blocking in my Vauxhall.

"I'll move it if you need to get out," she promised.

"I shouldn't need to," I replied. I was considering taking the tube permanently as the car journey had become far too demanding.

"The car was a Christmas prezzie from her mum and dad," Toby informed me excitedly.

I glanced across at the youngster, never realising she came from money. Judging by his attitude, Toby couldn't believe his good fortune either.

Stella cuddled up to him in anticipation, and predictably they soon disappeared upstairs to satisfy their lustful appetites. I settled down to find something intellectually stimulating to watch on TV, but ended up watching a repeat of Top Gear on Channel Dave and suffering more of Jeremy Clarkson's inane tomfoolery.

The front door banged shut and Jenny poked her head into the room. My mind flew into a mild panic as I attempted to invent any excuse to prevent her from going upstairs and discovering Toby and Stella in bed, even though I knew she was aware of their past liaison.

"What's the matter?" she asked as I tried to engage her in conversation. "Is Stella here?"

Before I could deny the truth, she turned around and headed up the stairs. I cringed and waited for the explosion that never came. After a respectable delay, I followed in her wake and got ready for bed. The adjoining room was deathly silent and I could almost imagine Jenny standing over two mutilated corpses, knife in hand and grinning maniacally from ear to ear.

The next morning, clad in a thin dressing gown, Jenny was sitting at the breakfast table devouring a large bowlful of cereal. I quickly scanned her for signs of blood but was reassured when Toby appeared at the kitchen door.

"Where's Stella?" I enquired.

"Still in the shower," he replied. "She always takes forever."

True to his word, Stella walked in shortly afterwards and Jenny surprised me by pouring out some cornflakes for her. Stella dowsed the contents with milk and tucked in as I went upstairs to gather together my books in preparation for the day ahead. I bumped into Toby on the landing.

"I'm sorry, I tried to stop her coming up last night," I informed him.

"It's okay, but it was bloody tiring having to satisfy them both," he admitted. "I did get to watch them mess around with one another afterwards though."

Shocked, I raced down the stairs and out the front door, heading urgently towards the nearest tube station. Whether or not there was any truth to his statement, the thought of the two girls together was enough to have a profound effect on me. Homosexuality and lesbianism had never really impacted upon my life. Vanessa was intensely dismissive about the subject, critical about why money had to be wasted creating special arrangements for them, or why everybody had to go to such stupid lengths to avoid the risk of creating offence on either sexual or racial grounds. In her job, she had to be especially careful as the local authority was one of the worst culprits in this regard. She claimed that just the suspicion of homophobic or racist tendencies had consigned many promising careers to the dustbin.

Jenny was alone in the house when I returned for the day, busily stirring a saucepan upon the stove.

"That smells nice," I opined.

"I'd offer you some but I don't think there'd be enough to go around."

"Don't worry," I replied. "I think I've got some bacon that needs using up."

Our exchange was interrupted by the melodic chime of her mobile and she exchanged a few terse sentences with Toby. Her brow furrowed as she realised that he wouldn't be coming home.

"You're in luck," Jenny advised. "Toby's staying with Stella so you might as well have his share."

As we tucked into the food, I tried to determine Jenny's feelings towards Toby and his relationship with the Stella.

"We're both free to see other people," she confirmed. "He'll get bored with her eventually and come back to me. He always does."

"This isn't the first time?" I asked in amazement.

"He's such a spoiled child. One day he'll grow up and decide what he really wants."

"He told me he had sex with the both of you last night."

"He did," Jenny confessed.

"And afterwards that you and Stella..."

"Stella and I had sex, if that's what you mean," she giggled. "I've shocked you, haven't I?"

"It certainly wasn't what I expected." I related my initial fear that she murdered them both in a fit of jealous rage.

Jenny collapsed in hysterics. "It would take more than that to wind me up."

"What would?"

"I don't know. Maybe if somebody I really liked betrayed me."

I tried to eliminate all thought of Vanessa and nodded dumbly.

"When I was sixteen," Jenny continued, "I fell in love with my best friend from school."

I remembered her mentioning the fact weeks earlier but had surmised the friend had been male.

"With another girl?" I asked, just to be sure.

"Lots of people experiment when they're young. It was the loveliest time of my life."

"What happened?"

"I started university when Helen emigrated to Canada with her parents. I was heartbroken when I first found out she was leaving but it became easier over time. Now, I try not to become too emotionally involved."

"With girls or with boys?"

"Both."

"I see."

"It's a totally different experience with other girls. We instinctively know what we like, whereas with guys ... you have to pander to their vanity and let them think they've won you over with their charm."

I laughed. "And Stella?"

"I could tell when I first met her that she'd be open to suggestion. I was working up to it but trust Toby to get in there first. He's like a bull at a gate."

"By the sound of him, he certainly seemed happy enough to watch the two of you."

"He's your typical male in that respect."

"So how was she?"

"Stella? She was nice, although perhaps a little too passive for my tastes. She has a great bum."

"You like them feisty?" I teased.

Jenny smiled. "I can be quite experimental given the chance."

"I'll bet Toby appreciates that."

"Toby's tastes are actually rather tame compared to some of my previous partners, but sometimes that's okay too."

I decided not to press for elaboration as the discussion had become far more intimate than I was comfortable with. I made my excuse to retire for the night and left her alone.

The exams gave me the scare of my life; they were much harder than I expected. The maths paper was almost incomprehensible and I knew that it would expose my weakness in that area. Even subjects where I thought I'd exhibit competence tested my knowledge to the limit. For two weeks, I woke up at odd hours of the night, sweating profusely as the fear of failure fed my worst nightmares. Sir Paul pronounced that I was absolutely useless and that he no longer required my services. Word got around and I could not find alternate employment anywhere, the house was repossessed and my wife left me to go and live with Donald.

I shook off the remnants of the dream and proceeded into the shower, even though it was still extremely early. I spent the remaining two hours until it was time to leave, cramming every last piece of information into my skull as though my life depended on it.

Vanessa was sympathetic when I went home for the weekend and we spent a pleasant couple of days together. Recently, I never knew what to expect from her; sometimes she was warm and loving whilst at other times, she seemed to freeze me out completely. It certainly didn't correspond with any womanly cycle that I could determine and I forced myself to conclude the stress of work and her other commitments was having a detrimental effect. I tried to discuss the issue with her but she denied there was even a problem, making it almost impossible to address the issue.

Two weeks after the exams, the results were published. I'd performed better than expected other than in mathematics, which could best be described as a disaster area. My course advisor advocated some remedial tutoring and I grudgingly signed up for it.

On a bleak March morning, I made my weekly trip to the office and quickly became embroiled in a major panic to avoid catastrophe with a project for one of our newest clients. By the time I realised, the point was reached that made it impossible to attend my afternoon lecture. I opted to remain and help resolve the crisis, much to the relief of my subordinate who'd inherited the project.

After working into the early evening, I drove home with the intention of spending a couple of hours with Vanessa before returning to London. It was dark and I was hungry. I desperately hoped Vanessa had something in the fridge that I could quickly rustle up into something edible.

I pulled onto the drive and parked behind a silver sports car that was positioned in front of the garage against the side hedge. My mind froze as I imagined every possible scenario of what was happening inside. Exiting the car, I peered in through the Aston Martin's side window, admiring the leather upholstery and walnut trimmed instrument cluster.

Walking up to the front door, I contemplated whether or not to ring the doorbell but instead placed my key in the lock and stepped quietly into the hallway, listening out for conversation from within.

The lounge was deserted so I wandered through the dining room into the kitchen. On finding nobody, I crept upstairs, carefully avoided standing on any creaky treads. I looked along the darkened landing, desperately searching for any sign of life and experiencing a high degree of trepidation.

After inspecting each of the guest rooms in turn, I stood at the threshold of the master bedroom. An ominous feeling of dread washed over me, almost like when watching a horror movie and something terrible lurks beyond. I pushed open the door, thankful that I made a habit of oiling the hinges. It swung inwards noiselessly and I perceived the sound of heavy breathing coming from within. I peered around the jamb into the dimly lit bedroom and my heart sank as my worst fears were confirmed.

Dressed in dark blue lingerie, Vanessa lay on her back as a naked Donald Mellor plunged relentlessly between her thighs. My wife groaned in response to each stroke whilst her arms and stocking clad legs fully embraced him. She caressed his body whilst her lips pressed to his, kissing him passionately as they indulged their unbridled lust. Shocked, I watched whilst Vanessa's arousal heightened and her body stiffened as her climax took hold of her.

"Nice?" Mellor asked.

Vanessa emitted a long drawn out sigh of pleasure.

"Roll on top of me," he demanded.

"Let me rest for a minute," Vanessa panted.

"You can rest later. I've not finished yet."

Mellor disengaged and rolled over onto his back with his erect penis pointing up at the ceiling. Vanessa struggled to her knees and then crawled over to straddle him. She reached down to align him and then sank back down on his rigid pole, gasping as her sheath stretched around his girth.

Vanessa tumbled forward on top of the man and I was presented with the perfect view of her pussy lips wrapped around his cock. Donald's hands gripped her fleshy buttocks and guided her up and down, sighing ecstatically as he ravaged her body. I stood firmly rooted to the spot, unable to withdraw and not brave enough to venture into the room and halt proceedings.

As I continued to observe, Mellor's finger rubbed against the tight opening of her anus, drawing a squeal of protest from Vanessa. Ignoring her objections, he eased the tip of his digit into her whilst thrusting vigorously from beneath.

"Donald. No!" she whined. "It's dirty."

"Relax, you enjoyed it the last time once you got used to it."

True to his words, my wife's protestations soon subsided and she writhed under the onslaught of his dual penetration. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and tried to convince myself that this was some horrible dream and that I'd soon awaken in my London lodgings.