Chapter 5

I woke early next morning with Jenny snoring softly on her back. My arm draped across her belly with the fingers of one hand resting on the gentle swell of her breast. Unconsciously, I toyed with the nipple, a plump stub of flesh that fascinated me until my mind suddenly allowed waves of guilt to wash over me. I groaned and closed my eyes as I realised how, despite the soul destroying scenes I'd witnessed at home, I'd fallen into the same trap. Jenny opened her eyes and placed her hand over mine, preventing me from withdrawing it.

"Thanks for last night," she sighed. "I really enjoyed it."

"I shouldn't have," I replied softly.

"It was meant to happen. You've been lonely for a long time."

"I know, but that doesn't make it right."

"You needed it. Your body needed it."

I abandoned all argument and continued to fondle her.

"Suck on the other one," she urged.

I leaned closer to take it in my mouth, relishing the feel of the turgid nub between my lips. My tongue teased her as she reached down to caress my rapidly stiffening member. Her finger and thumb encircled the head, gently working them up and down the length until I was almost screaming in pleasure. She slackened the pace and I used the opportunity to return the compliment, stroking along the inside of her thighs until I closed upon the centre of her pleasure. I savoured the smooth expanse of her sex, remembering the luxurious feel of it against my face as I'd indulged myself earlier. Her juices coated my fingers and I brought them to my nose, inhaling the heady aroma of her arousal. Jenny watched me lick them clean before I returned to the source and stimulated her further. Her thighs rocked in time with my actions.

"Slide a couple of fingers into me," she hissed. "Use your thumb on my clit."

I acceded to her wishes and watched as her eyes closed to fully enjoy my caress. She began to pant and moan as she approached climax, her expression one of complete serenity as she finally tumbled into the abyss.

"Lie back," she said once she'd recovered. "My turn."

Jenny used her tongue to magnificent effect, running it all over my body starting at my neck and descending slowly. Curled at my feet, she sucked each of my toes in turn before kissing up one leg and washing my balls with her tongue. The feeling was utterly exquisite and I felt incredibly lucky to benefit from her talent. Her lips kissed along my cock to the tip where her tongue teased me to distraction, feasting rapaciously on the pre-come that seeped from the urethra.

Her mouth finally encompassed me and she slid down until her lips were nestled in my pubes, her throat stretched around my girth. The sight and feel of my containment was indescribable and I knew I'd cherish this moment for a long time. She demonstrated amazing skill, bringing me almost to the point of release repeatedly before slowing her actions and allowing my crisis to abate. I moaned continuously but resisted the impulse to use my hands to control the pace. It was completely unnecessary as she seemed to sense exactly what delivered the greatest pleasure.

My body strained for release but she took pleasure in torturing me, denying me what I wanted the most until she determined the appropriate time. Soon, nothing could prevent the inevitable and I gasped as I pumped what seemed like gallons of my sperm into her mouth. Semen spilled from her lips and trickled down her chin in the most salacious manner. The sight was utterly evocative. I stared entranced at she gulped down my emission and then efficiently gathered up all the spillage with her tongue, devouring it along with the rest.

I sighed euphorically and guided her into my arms, kissing her passionately and tasting traces of my come. Unconcerned, I held her tightly and soaked up the warmth of her body. At a total loss for words, I kept her prisoner in my embrace until the bedside alarm warned me it was time to rise.

Smiling, she sat up and I admired her in profile.

"You're absolutely gorgeous," I sighed as I traced along the raised ridge her spine with an errant finger. She shivered in delight and blew me a kiss before clambering out of bed and padding naked out of the door towards the bathroom. I heard the shower start and used the opportunity to organise my clothes, ready for the day ahead.

She was just finishing off as I entered the steamy bathroom and prepared to take my turn under the scalding flow. Rather than make way for me, she invited me to join her and, unable to resist, I happily complied.

Sex in the shower required a degree of balance that took a little while to master. I lifted her into my arms and then slowly lowered her onto my cock, filling her slowly and surely. She leaned back against the tiled wall and groaned as I thrust into her, wrapping her legs around my middle to gain extra purchase. I feared that her shrill screams would awaken everybody in the house but as my own orgasm overlapped hers, we clung desperately to one another as we slid to the bottom of the bath in a tangle of limbs.

We soaped each other thoroughly and then completed our ablutions before finally getting dressed and proceeding downstairs. We attacked breakfast like starved animals as we strove to replace all the calories burnt off by our exertions. I was thankful that we seemed to have the house to ourselves as I didn't particularly want Toby aware of my transgression with his girlfriend, even if he did play the field himself. We walked to the tube station and sat contentedly beside one another until we arrived at Jenny's stop.

"I'll see you tonight," she said as she stepped out onto the platform. I nodded and watched her walk away with a quiet longing.

Over the course of the day, my mood swung from elation to deep despair at involving myself in circumstances that could produce all manner of possible outcomes. I still loved Vanessa deeply and had hopes that whatever game she was playing, it would run its course and we could somehow find a way to remain together. Jenny was a complication that a part of me believed I could well do without; although another more selfish side insisted that my cheating only mirrored that of Vanessa's. If relations with Vanessa collapsed, a tiny voice suggested that perhaps Jenny could offer me some place in which to rebuild the self-esteem so brutally slaughtered the night before.

"Who am I kidding?" I muttered to myself. "She's a dozen years younger. Why would she choose you when she could have any man, or even woman for that matter?"

I admitted that I was probably just another rung on her ladder but concluded that didn't prevent me from enjoying what she had to offer, provided I didn't get too involved and avoided getting hurt when she finally moved on.

The maths lecture proceeded without me paying it the slightest attention. Deciding how to restore my life to some semblance of order seemed infinitely more preferable. My main indecision focussed on how to deal with Vanessa, choosing whether to confront her with what I knew, or let things continue in the hope they'd eventually fizzle out.

I suspected the affair had been running since Christmas, possibly even before that. I wondered if she was hoping to enjoy her illicit relationship whilst continuing with our marriage, as though both were distinct entities that could be kept apart indefinitely. What annoyed me the most was the apparent shedding of all inhibitions with Donald, when over the years she'd demonstrated no inclination to entertain any of debauched activities that I'd witnessed her freely indulge. I finally decided to play things by ear over the weekend, try to draw out a confession from her or at least introduce an element of regret into her thinking. In the meantime, if Jenny offered me a chance to continue, I would enjoy it while it lasted. Forever the optimist, I genuinely hoped that eventually everything would right itself and normality, whatever that was, would be restored.

Toby was wheeling his bike into the utility room as I returned from lectures. All hopes that my dalliance had gone undetected were dashed by his opening statement.

"I see you finally fucked Jenny," he joked.

"What?"

"I came back late last night and I could hear you both hard at it. I can't say I blame you, she's a bit of a tiger when she gets going."

"Look Toby," I excused. "I didn't mean to..."

"Hey, I'm not the jealous type, and even if I was it would be a bit rich when I'm screwing Stella."

"I was kind of hoping for your discretion."

Toby winked. "I know what you mean. Mum's the word eh?"

"Quite," I replied.

"Don't go getting too attached to Jenny. She's a bit of a heartbreaker on the quiet."

"Really?"

"She plays the field as much as I do."

"Thanks for the warning," I added cautiously. "I'll try to remember."

"Try to remember what?" Jenny asked as she emerged from the kitchen. "What's he been telling you about me?"

"Nothing," Toby replied innocently.

"Hmm," she muttered. "Your young slip of a thing is waiting for you in the kitchen."

"You're not jealous are you?" he teased.

"Fuck off," Jenny retorted.

"You'll have to treat lover boy here to one of your shows. I'll bet he'd love to watch the two of you with your faces buried in each other's muffs."

Toby sprinted for the door, barely escaping what would have been otherwise an excellently well placed slap across the bum.

"Ignore him," she sighed. "He just likes to stir up trouble."

I grinned. "I was wondering what you were doing for the rest of the evening."

"What did you have planned?" Jenny replied expectantly.

"Could I take you out to dinner somewhere? I've no idea where's any good around here."

"The Raj is pretty nice if you like good curry. It's best to go before all the pubs turn out as it can get fairly busy."

"How about now?"

"I'll get my coat."

The food was excellent and surpassed only by the pleasure of Jenny's company. We ordered far more than we could possible eat and by the end of the main course, we eyed up the succulent lumps of marinated lamb and chicken left on the plate but couldn't find a single space to store it. We settled for two more beers. With no pressure to clear the table, we chatted about whatever came into her heads.

"What happened last night?" Jenny asked.

"We slept together," I replied.

"I mean before that, before you came back to the house. You went to work, right?"

I debated the wisdom of telling Jenny the truth but then realised that there was little point in withholding it.

"I went home afterwards to get something to eat. My wife was with another man."

"Shit."

"They didn't see me. I sneaked away to give myself chance to think about what I wanted to do."

"I see."

"I didn't go looking to get back at her by sleeping with you."

"I know," she confessed. "What are you going to do? Are you going to tell her?"

I shook my head. "I don't know what to do for the best. It was all so unexpected."

"It was?"

"Well, I've kind of had my suspicions for a while, but to have it suddenly stare you in the face like that was something of a shock."

"How long have you been married?"

"Nine years in couple of months."

"Kids?"

I shook my head. "I want them but Vanessa doesn't."

"Is that a problem?"

"I don't push the issue. She's concentrating on her career and I respect that."

"What does she do?"

"She's a teacher, a deputy head actually, and she has ambitions to make head before she's forty."

"Do you know the guy she's seeing? Is he married?"

"I'm pretty sure he isn't. I've met him once. She's working with him on some kind of community project. He's a rich author, probably looking for a bit of casual sex. She even invited him to dinner with us late last year."

"Do you think she was seeing him then?"

"No. I can't believe that," I replied without conviction. "I wish I knew why she's doing this, or what she hopes to gain from it."