Madeleine Strays: A Wife-Watching Romance (5 page)

“You did want to have dinner with the guy?” he asked her.

“Yes.”

“Because I’m not sure he’s going to get through the appetizers with you looking like that—he’ll probably want to take you back to his place before they even bring out the entrees.”

“Well, he’ll just have to be patient. I am hungry, and appetizers just aren’t going to cut it.”

With that, she turned away and started removing her dress, then putting on a skirt for work that was not much longer than her dress, along with a white blouse that offered a more than subtle hint that she was wearing a sexy lace bra underneath.

“Too much?” she asked him, as she modeled the outfit for him.

“I wouldn’t say that,” he smiled, loving the idea that she would be driving her co-workers crazy all day. Would they ask her if she had a date that evening? Hugo might have inside knowledge, but it looked as though she had something special lined up for the evening

She grinned, loving his reaction to all this.

“You know, I guess I felt a little cheap when I started wearing tighter, shorter clothes—I just couldn’t get enough of how guys looked at me. But now…I don’t mind it so much. It feels…liberating.”

Hugo chuckled, “Well don’t feel too liberated until your shift’s over—those poor guys you work with have things they have to get done, you know.”

And then she was heading out the door, saying goodbye to her husband with an air kiss by his cheek, and it all seemed so sudden to him despite the extensive time it had taken that morning to prepare her for her evening date.

“Just remember that I love you, and I’ll always love you,” she said, as though she was going away on a long, long journey.

The door closed with a brutal clunk, leaving silence, emptiness, cold.

He was in a daze as he wondered, naked, back to the bedroom. Holding his breath as he went into the bathroom to find that little CVS bag in the medical cabinet.

He nearly came when he saw that she’d removed three condoms from that big purple box.

Seven

He settled himself, at last, with the thought that she wasn’t going on her date just yet. She was working an entire shift at the bookstore first. It didn’t stop the apprehension, the nerves, making his hands all clammy and his stomach churn so much that lunch was a write-off. Yet it kept him from becoming the gibbering wreck he’d been immediately after she’d left for work wearing that insane version of business chic.

It was difficult not to keep reminding himself that somewhere out there in New York was a guy waiting to take Madeleine out for dinner, and then sleep with her. When his thoughts started turning in that direction, he either had to wait a moment and ride out the wave of fear and excitement, or find some quick distraction.

He had a rare day to himself lined up, and to start with that was a daunting prospect. He could probably have called Lowego or Davis—or even Ray of all people—to see what they were doing, to see if they wanted to hang out, during the day or in the evening. But he felt safer to keep on his own, he didn’t want any secrets slipping out because his emotions were raw.

He went out to traipse around the record store on E 3rd Street, Hospital Productions, even though he could shop for music or DVDs perfectly well at home.

He went to the gym again, a little forceful exercise taking his mind off things until Madeleine’s personal trainer came in with a young redhead. Hugo’s mind right back on the fact that Madeleine could very well be engaging in such intimacy that night, and more.

A light lunch from the deli across the street from the gym had to be abandoned because of the mild nausea he felt, but then he was back at the apartment building in the early afternoon with no plans to take him through to the evening, let alone night.

*

When five o’clock arrived, Hugo only had to look at the clock, and he found himself getting hard, that tingling sensation blossoming inside him, along with a chilling sense of fear that raised the hairs on the back of his neck.

Madeleine’s date would be picking her up from the bookstore around now.

He felt so much more extreme than he had on that first date. Maybe that first time, she’d cried wolf on so many occasions he never actually believed she’d go through with anything on her date.

No, this time there really was more chance she’d go that step further with her potential new man. She’d been searching for this guy for weeks, carefully and diligently, as though it was some multi-billion dollar acquisition she was considering for her corporation.

Five minutes past five, Hugo’s phone buzzed with a text message from her.

> Hey sweetie.

Hugo smiled, pleased she was thinking to text him at such a time. He dumped himself down on the couch, typed her a reply, which had to be suitably vague and relaxed so that he didn’t sound either frightened, over-excited or in any way controlling.

> Hey hon, you all set?

Her reply came back almost instantly.

> All dressed up! Have my coat on so my co-workers can’t see what I’m wearing, in case my date comes into the store to pick me up.

He couldn’t help but picture her in that tiny dress, and delight in the knowledge of what kind of skimpy little sheer lingerie she was wearing underneath.

> He running late?

> A few minutes. Traffic’s pretty bad. How you doing?

> Pretty good—chilling at home.

> Feeling okay about this?

> Excited. A little nervous, but mainly excited. Hope this one works out for you :-) How you feeling?

> Nervous, I guess. Fabian just asked if he should turn up the heat a little, he saw me shivering.

> You’re going to have a great time.

> Yes, I will. You know I love you, sweetie?

> I know. And you know I love you, nothing will change that, ever. I just want you to have some fun tonight. Maybe you’ll come away with a friend with benefits, maybe not.

> I still think you’re crazy. But I can’t help but love it ;-)

Hugo chuckled. Then suddenly, she sent another text:

> He’s here. Lv u

Just a quick text, urgent, no time for more. Hugo felt a powerful jolt of energy swamp his chest for a moment. It was now a familiar feeling—but its power did not diminish.

Madeleine was on a date.

*

The waiting during the date felt familiar too, though that only made it feel a little easier. He knew what to expect at least. Madeleine had taken him on a wild ride to get to this point, but he felt hugely grateful to her that she’d explored this fantasy so methodically.

He watched TV for a while, but found his thoughts veering off almost immediately after he started. He ordered a pizza, poured himself a beer. The beer made him feel a little better, the pizza did not.

It was very difficult to settle down when your beloved wife was out at a restaurant with another guy, working out whether she wanted to fuck him.

After an hour, he was finding little ways to distract his attention—streaming a new TV show from Netflix forced him to concentrate in order to get into the new characters, for example. He got his laptop out to surf the net, replying to a few emails, tapping out a little work stuff, even taking a look at some vacation ideas for the next summer.

It didn’t stop his mind flicking back to the evening’s events, though. Imagining them in the restaurant, gazing into each other’s eyes, Madeleine’s date, Will, staring down her top at her cleavage. Madeleine getting up to go to the restroom, showing him those stunning legs of hers.

Madeleine sitting there flirting with her date with her pussy all shaved and ready for him.

Ten o’clock swung by. It wasn’t late for an evening, but Hugo was painfully aware that his beautiful wife had now spent nearly five hours on her date. A fortieth glance at the clock confirmed the time once again, but he could only groan. Well, he could hardly expect her to keep him updated all the way through the date.

He did regret not being able to watch it, though. To see the light in Madeleine’s eyes as she flirted with him. The thrill in her face that she was being desired by this man in front of her, appreciated for her charms and her good looks by someone who wasn’t obligated by marriage to offer her complements.

Five hours—they had to be finished with dinner by now. If you weren’t rushing dinner, it could go on two, maybe three hours. Not five. Were they at a bar, Madeleine taking a little Dutch courage so that she might do more than just flirt with him?

At half past ten, Hugo’s phone rang. He dived for it.

“Hey, Hugo!”

Lucy.

For a second—just a second—Hugo felt frustrated that it wasn’t Madeleine on the line. He even felt a little irritated—that Lucy had chosen to call at this moment, that she was perhaps checking up on them, and what they were doing.

“Hey Luce. She’s not here right now, you want me to pass on a message?”

“Oh no, I wanted to speak with you, actually.”

Suddenly, all feelings of annoyance melted away. God, he needed someone to talk to.

“How can I help?” he said.

“Actually, I think it’s supposed to be me helping you.”

“Helping me? I don’t think anyone can help me,” Hugo chuckled, sitting down in the window seat now, gazing out of the blind as he spoke to Lucy.

“How are you feeling?” she said. “Really.”

“Really? Well, it’s strange. Knowing that she’s out there somewhere, having fun with a guy she might sleep with.”

“Must be beyond weird. I can’t say I really understand why you want her to do it—I’m not saying I don’t love the concept, from a woman’s point of view but… well. You’ll have to explain it sometime.”

“It’s complicated.”

“I guess it must be hot to have a sexy wife that other guys want to get with.”

“Something like that.”

“So you’re hoping she’ll actually do it tonight?”

Hugo felt his heart thumping at what Lucy was saying. Did she have the inside track on what Madeleine was planning to do this evening?

“I don’t know,” he said. “I guess I’m of two minds. I do kind of want her to do it, so she has this experience, so we can fulfill this fantasy after so many months of thinking about it. But… I don’t know… when I first started wanting this to happen, I kind of pictured being there. I kind of want to see it—at least the first time.”

“You want to see it? You mean watch her with another guy?”

Hugo realized this fantasy relied on the date approving the presence of the husband, and also that the presence of a third person would affect the dynamics of the relationship drastically.

“I know having a husband in tow isn’t exactly going to make a date as hot for her, though,” he said. “So I guess I just have to deal with her doing it all somewhere out of sight, and hoping that she’ll tell me all about it afterwards.”

“You ever tell her you want a threesome some time?”

“I’m not sure it’s quite as simple as that,” he said. “I guess it’s difficult to explain—but the sex is just part of this. I mean, I don’t want her to fall in love with someone else, but I don’t really want her just going out, banging some random guy and then coming back home, either.”

“What do you want?”

“Well, ideally, I guess I want someone worthwhile to date her—you know, flirt with her, ask her out, take her to dinner, get to know her. Then gradually work up to the point where they’ll sleep together.”

Lucy drew in her breath. “And you’re not worried she’s going to fall for a guy like that?”

“I know that’s the risk. I suppose that’s my big fear in all this, other than the obvious one about her safety. But I just… I don’t know. I guess you think of the whole idea of swinging, and it just seems so tacky.”

“It does come across as kind of tacky.”

“I want it to be more special than that for Madeleine. You know, have her whisked off her feet, charmed, seduced, dazzled.”

“You know, you surprise me more and more every day, Hugo.”

“I just want other guys to really appreciate her, how special she is. And for her to feel adored, to have a guy really work to get her in bed, so she really feels valued—and when she does have sex, it’s the most incredible thing.”

Hugo heard their Maid of Honor sigh on the other end of the line.

“Jesus, I have to get married,” she said after a pause where she was apparently collecting herself. “I have to get married now, and I have to get married to a man like you, Hugo Finnell.”

Hugo laughed. “Sounds like you need to start using that dating site Madeleine found.”

“It’s that or Craigslist,” Lucy said. “Seriously, though. You’re okay? You know you can always talk to me about any of this stuff, right?”

“Right.”

“And if you want to stop Maddie without hurting her feelings, because you’ve decided actually it’s not right for you—you know I can help you?”

“Thanks, Luce.”

“For the record, and I hope this doesn’t spoil anything for you, I don’t think she’s going to go all the way tonight.”

“She told you?”

“She said if the guy was really right, she wanted to take things slowly. She might go a little further than flirting, but I think she wants the same kind of experience that you want for her—you know, not just a quick in and out.”

“But she is planning on, you know… if the guy lets her take it slowly?”

“Going the whole way? Sure. If everything’s right, and you’re still okay with all this.”

“Oh, well,” he said. He felt relieved knowing Madeleine was going to take her time and really enjoy dating again, yet part of him worried that she wouldn’t end up going the whole way ever. “I guess that’s for the best,” he added.

“Of course, I could be wrong,” Lucy said. “I mean, every time she talks about him, she wants to jump his bones. Maybe she won’t be able to hold back.”

“Maybe.”

“Anyway. Call me, Hugo. If you need—even if you don’t.”

“I will.”

“And I just want to say again, I think what you’re doing is amazing.”

Hugo did actually feel better after Lucy’s call. Something about it reassured him that Madeleine’s date was not going to be something cheap and tacky, it would lead to a meaningful experience—whether she felt the need to jump his bones or take the slow seduction route.

He figured that if she came back and she’d done the deed, it would be exciting. If she came back and it transpired she would be taking things slowly with her date, starting with a second date, perhaps, then that would probably be the best.

One thing he did regret, though, was that he’d failed to find out from Lucy what Madeleine’s “dark secret” was. Would she ever tell him?