Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3, Pt 4

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"I'm sorry I'm late. I got pulled in to a happy hour at work" I apologize to Venkat as I enter.

"Were you with him again?" Venkat asks.

"With whom?" I feign ignorance.

"James. The guy you've been texting with" Venkat's voice cracks.

"No. I said I was with my coworkers. James was not there" I say hoping my voice didn't let me down joining him on the sofa to watch TV. "I will introduce him to you. I'm not hiding anything from you"

As we watch TV, I hear the faint vibrating of my phone and almost instantly knowing who it would be. I curb my need to check my phone knowing I need to make it up to Venkat.

I kiss his neck as I caress his head trying to get his attention. It works, we end up making out which brings back glimpses of our romance from years ago when we were newly wedded. Wishing we'd do this more often.

We get to our bed, and our clothes come off. I go down on him, kissing him on his stomach, his thighs and his growing erection.

"Jyothi" he moans. I take him in my mouth, licking him, teasing the tip of his arousal before taking him inside my mouth. He clenches the sheet as I look at him experiencing pleasure. I lick all the way from the bottom of shaft before teasing his tip again.

"Oh yes" I feel his legs shake as he has an intense orgasm. I enjoy seeing Venkat feeling loved and losing control. I kiss his neck and cuddle.

As Venkat goes to clean himself, I drink water and check my phone. 1 new notification. I open the text. "How do those lips feel, love?". I shut my phone before Venkat returns.

I kiss him again. "I can't believe it's already midnight" he says.

"Yeah...we should get some sleep" I say as I kiss him good night.

As I hear his snoring, I can't stop thinking about the events today. What am I doing with James? What if someone had seen us? Did someone see us? And WHAT AM I DOING? And why did it feel that way? So different. Like never before?

I decide to put an end to it. "James, we can't be doing this. Today was a mistake and both of us know that. We can't be seeing each other again if we ever feel the same way again." I hit send.

My phone lights up on the bedside table within a minute. 'Am I still keeping you up?"

Jyothi: "Don't try to be funny. It really was a mistake"

James: "It was. One that felt good. You know I'd kiss you now. Those lips are dry and need to be attended to"

I instinctively lick my lips to moisten them.

Jyothi: "Please be serious. We cannot do this again. And I've promised Venkat that I'll introduce you to him. He doesn't like me hanging out with you"

James: "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure to charm him like I did with his wife. Get some sleep and try not to think about me"

I try to sleep but lay there unable to until I see glimpses of sunlight.

I don't meet James the next day. Or the day after. I work from home and then there is an early meeting that I have to go to. I decide to avoid him until I can figure out what I'm up to. Venkat sees me back home at the usual time and there aren't any other insecure questions for me to answer to.

We still stay in touch over text. I keep it casual, not letting us talk about the day at the bar.

Venkat surprises me with a date night. Dinner reservation at a sushi place and a cocktail bar. It's been a long time since we did this.

James: "That's sweet of your husband. What are you wearing?"

Jyothi: "I don't know. It's been a long time since we had a date night"

James: "A red bandage dress"

Jyothi: "LOL. I don't have one. And Venkat will be so weirded out by that. It's so not me. I'll probably stick to something simple"

Dinner goes well. The moment we walk into the cocktail bar I see Pooja and with her, James in a black shirt, his blue eyes meeting mine. I can't stop seeing them from the corner of my eyes, the flirting, the kissing, his hand tracing her legs as she is wearing a red bandage dress. I see them makeout as the look at me struggling to pay attention to Venkat and steal glances at them. Did he come here knowing that we're going to be here? Or is this a coincidence?

Thirty minutes later I see Pooja and James walking towards us. "Hi Jyothi" he says.

I introduce them to Venkat and James and Pooja join us for a drink. The conversation goes well to my surprise, any tension already diffused. James and Venkat talk finance while Pooja and I talk something that I don't even pay attention to trying to listen to the conversation of the two men.

"Pooja is also from Hyderabad" I tell Venkat which leads to Venkat talking to Pooja in Telugu. I keep James company cautious to stick to safer subjects.

Once Pooja and James leave Venkat appears to be more relaxed than before. "Why didn't you tell me about them? That he has a girlfriend? He seems like a very cool guy."

"I..I thought I mentioned it to you. They're very friendly and we hit it off and they invite me to hangout often. You should join us" I say.

We get back home tipsy and tired and retire to bed. I look at Venkat who made an effort to rekindle our romantic life but not long before my mind drifts to James. He did charm Venkat like he promised. My phone glows with a notification which I don't check until Venkat is asleep.

James: "What did your husband think of your new best friend?"

Jyothi: "I didn't expect you to be at the bar. But thank you. And thank you for bringing Pooja along. Venkat is at peace knowing that you have a girlfriend"

James: "Now that I've taken care of the husband, it's time to take care of the wife"

Jyothi: "We can't be doing this James. And you know that you have a girlfriend to take care of"

James: "She's been well taken care off tonight"

He follows with a photo of Pooja laying naked next to him with a bedsheet partly covering her body.

James: "Time for our second date Mrs. Jyothi. Get some rest"

I can't take my eyes off the photo James sent me. His hand around her shoulder, her hair undone as she lays exhausted. My mind pictures him taking off the red dress off her, the kissing and the things he would have done to her. I picture them at the bar, the way they were kissing, his hand on her leg.

I feel a tingling warmth between my legs as I turn off my phone and force myself to sleep.