Mandy was never adventurous in bed. I knew this when we first got together, but we were just kids. Kids raised in a rather oppressively-religious community. Both of our fathers were strict, but hers was downright cold. She spent most of her life chasing his approval–and falling short. Not so uncommon in the South, I suppose.

Still, our sex life was routine. As a young man ruled chiefly by my “lower brain,” it didn’t bother me for a long time. Hell, I was just thrilled to be able to touch her soft curves, smell the shampoo in her blond curls, hold her close to me. She tried things briefly in those days, letting me slip the tip of my tongue through her wet folds, whimpering slightly as I found her most sensitive spots; licking my swollen, needy shaft a few times before lying back and pulling me on top of her.

But then time passed. Kids came along, and routine became restrictive. She wouldn’t let me touch her anywhere. The curves that I loved so much, softened deliciously by motherhood, were embarrassing to her. She felt ugly and fat, despite my protestations and compliments. I longed for her even more as her touches became less frequent and sex even more mundane. One position only. Lights off. If I touched the wrong place, pushed the limit too far, it was over. She would roll over and pull up the covers without another word. I worried, for the first time since adolescence, whether I could go blind from masturbation.

I decided to talk to my best friend Adam about it. He had “escaped” our little berg and was one of the more adventurous ones–unafraid to talk about sex, even though certain words still brought a blush to my grey-stubbled cheeks.

“Listen, Bobby, you just need to figure out what she likes. What makes her cum?”

I cleared my throat, unsure how to answer. She didn’t seem to like anything. And as to whether she came, well, it was certainly nothing like the porn I watched.

“Dude. She cums, right?” Adam asked, echoing my thoughts. He fixed a rather worried expression onto his face.

“I mean… She says she does.” I shrugged and frowned, trying to picture her climax. It seemed more of a sigh than an explosion. A shudder rather than an electric jolt. Certainly nowhere near my own when I was inside her. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

“Well, does she masturbate?”

I let out a puff of air dismissively. “Like she would talk to me about that.”

“Maybe that’s where you start. Get her to show you what she likes.”

“I dunno, Adam. It’s hard to get her to open up.”

“In every sense of the word, apparently,” Adam said with a wink. That night, I decided to ask her. I watched her from the bed as she undressed and placed her clothes in the hamper. She had her back to me, as always, making sure not to show too much, even to her husband of nearly 20 years. If only she could see herself through my eyes, I thought with a hint of anger that took me by surprise.

She pulled her long nightgown over her head and slid under the sheets, grabbing her phone and pulling up one of her games. The light illuminated her face as I inched closer. I traced my fingers over her neck, tickling her slightly. She giggled and swatted my hand playfully.

“Hey, Mand, do you ever, you know… take time for yourself?"

“Sure, Bobby,” she said distractedly, her fingers flicking over the screen. “Just yesterday I took a bubble bath. Oh and my pedicure last weekend.”

“No…” I continued, daring to press my body lightly against hers. “I mean like, uh, alone time. Private time.” My words were heavy with meaning but I couldn’t bring myself to use the actual terms. I looked at her, my blue eyes watching for any hint of recognition in her face. A moment later, her expression changed and I knew she understood what I was asking. She set her phone to the side and crossed her arms under her ample bosom.

“Just what are you trying to ask me, Bobby?” She was shutting down. I could feel it, as though a forcefield was forming over her body. There would be no cold, routine sex tonight. Well, I might as well jump in now, I figured.

“I just want to please you. You know how much I love touching you and making you feel good,” I said in a gentle tone. When she was silent, I continued, “...and I want to make sure that you feel really good, so if there’s something I need to do or change or….” I could feel a blush rise to my cheeks as she continued to stare at me.

Her gaze softened slightly as she seemed to take pity on me. “I mean, sure,” she said with a dismissive gesture of her hand. “Doesn’t everyone?”

My cock stirred as I imagined her spread-eagled on the bed, moaning and thrashing, her fingers sliding around between her legs, and her breasts swaying with her efforts. What I wouldn’t give to see my beautiful wife in the throes of ecstasy.

“Can I, um, see what you do?” My eyes flicked down her body, half-hoping that she would slide her hand into her panties right then.

“No,” came the simple reply. “That’s my own private time. For myself.”

“Maybe I can do it, and you can just, I dunno, guide me?” My fingers twitched in anticipation.

“What is with you tonight?” she huffed. My brain fought between pursuing the line of questioning and possibly getting the cold shoulder for days and letting it go, acquiescing to her silent demand for a subject change.

“I dunno,” I said, fighting to keep my tone casual. “Nothing, I guess. Adam was just telling me he walked in on his wife in the bath, so I was just curious.” The lie slipped from my lips easily, ready to placate her.

“Oh,” she said, relaxing a bit when the focus was taken off her. She grabbed her phone again and continued, “the contractor will be here in the morning. Can you meet them before you head in to work? I have an early shift tomorrow.”

The tinkling music of her game filled the pause as I frowned. “Sure,” I replied, “no problem.”

I leaned up on one arm and kissed her on the cheek. She mumbled a “goodnight” and I rolled over, my erection subsiding with disappointment. The mental image I had of Mandy spread out on the bed shifted to her underneath me again, asking me to hurry up and enter her because she wanted to discuss the next phase of the renovation. It took me a long time to fall asleep that night.

—-

“Dude, what?” Adam said the next evening as we had beers on his deck. Our wives were inside, putting the finishing touches on dinner and chatting. I kept glancing inside as I sipped my beer, wondering if Mandy would let my lie slip out. So Bobby said that Adam said… I swallowed dryly.

“Huh?” I said, Adam’s question drawing my attention back to him.

“She didn’t even want to talk about it with you?”

“Are you really that surprised?”

Adam shrugged. “I mean, I guess not, but how are things ever going to improve if you can’t talk about them?”

I laughed. “Exactly. But if I bring it up again, she will be suspicious. And if I try to talk about sex with her at all, she’ll think I’m complaining about not getting enough. She’ll never want to have this conversation, man, I’m telling you. I just need a way to stop her from overthinking every damn thing.”

Adam nodded, sipping his beer sagely. “Can’t poke the bear…” Then he paused, sitting up slightly. “Wait,” he continued, “why can’t you poke the bear?”

“Uh, because I’ll die?” I laughed briefly.

“No, I mean, maybe you can just get her to switch out of her analytical brain and just, I dunno, go for it.”

“And how do you–” I started, but was interrupted when Mandy and Kelly walked onto the deck.

“Come eat, boys. Stop talking about fishing or whatever,” Kelly said with a smile.

I briefly wondered about Adam and Kelly in bed together. She seemed sweet, but that didn’t mean she didn’t turn into a wild animal in bed. I was too embarrassed to ask Adam about it directly, though he made certain comments that led me to believe that she liked things a little dirty. Why couldn’t Mandy act like that? Just once.

We went inside and ate, chatting casually and drinking. Mandy, who never had more than a half-glass of wine, was on her second full glass and getting giggly. Adam elbowed me and raised his eyebrows. I looked back to my wife, more relaxed than I had seen her in quite some time. Maybe, if I played my cards just right….

An hour and another glass of wine later, I turned the key in the front door, holding it open for Mandy, who stumbled slightly and giggled. “I’m okay,” she said with a smile, seeing the look of concern on my face. “Honestly, Bobby, don’t be such a prude.”

I bit my tongue at that remark. This didn’t bode well for sexy times.

“C’mon, Mandy, let’s get you to bed.” I was not about to assault my wife if she was that drunk.

“Ooh, yes, bed. Let’s do that,” Mandy said, surprising me with a passionate kiss. My eyes widened as her tongue slid delicately into my mouth. It was rare that she liked to kiss at all, especially outside of the bedroom. I couldn’t help myself, and my hands roamed over her gorgeous curves. She took my hand and led me into the bedroom, locking the door.

Typically, this would be when she would undress and lie down on the bed, waiting for me to crawl on top of her and make love as we always did. But tonight, I decided to try something new. I reclined on the bed and said simply, “strip for me.”

A cloud passed over her face for a moment as she seemed to resist the urge to comply. Then a half-smile pierced the gloom and she shrugged a bit, slowly unbuttoning her blouse. Her heavy breasts came into view, cradled by the white cotton of her simple bra, the nipples making tiny peaks in the fabric. I slid my pants off quickly and rubbed my aching cock through my boxer-briefs. Mandy giggled again, a noise I hadn’t heard in quite some time.

“Oh do you like this?” she asked, laughing as I nodded enthusiastically. I was afraid to speak again, to say the wrong thing and break whatever magic was happening. She pulled her shorts off next, the flowery print of her bikini panties stretched across her ass. I was mesmerized, enthralled. My cock leaked copious precum. She discarded her undergarments, crawled onto the bed and laid down next to me. I slipped my underwear down and kicked it off the end of the bed. We lay there for a moment, naked and looking at each other.

Unable to stop myself, I kissed her, and wrapped my arms around her, rolling her on top of me. She looked apprehensive at first, but then sat back, straddling my erection.

“Am I hurting you?” she asked as she slowly gyrated her hips. I shook my head, biting my lip. “Okay,” she said, sounding almost reluctant. She added, “why don’t we just–”

But I cut her off, grabbing her hips, my fingers sinking slightly into her flesh. “Why don’t you stay right there and ride me?”

A look of confusion and uncertainty twisted her sweet features. “I, I don’t know, Bobby.”

I could feel I was losing the moment. My heart raced with desperation. I couldn’t go back. She looked so perfect on top of me. I could tell she was torn, meaning that part of her liked it. I just had to appeal to that part, fan the flame a little.

“But you look so good just like that,” I whispered, desire dripping from every word. My hard shaft slipped between her lips and she moaned softly.

“But…” she whispered back. She seemed unsure whether she was allowed to like anything that wasn’t our normal missionary.

“Don’t you want to try something new?” I asked, increasing her grind by pulling and pushing on her hips. Her eyes fluttered shut. Not getting any rejection, I continued. “Use my body, baby.”

She looked at me again, with a fraction of a smile on her plump pink lips. She lifted her hips slightly and I lined up my cock at her entrance, holding it still for her to sink down onto. As she did, her breath shuddered slightly. I held mine. No matter how many times I entered my wife, the first moment of full penetration was always pure bliss.

“Yeah, baby,” I encouraged her. “Just like that.” I raised my hips as she began to grind on me, her hands on my hairy chest for balance. Her fingernails dug into me slightly. I couldn’t believe my luck. This was actually working. Her eyes were shut, as if she were concentrating.

“Mm, that’s it. Use my body, my erection is all yours.” I knew Mandy didn’t like harsh words like “cock” or “pussy” and I didn’t want to risk ruining the moment with a poor choice of words. She started riding me a bit harder, her fingers now grabbing my chest hair.

She moaned a little louder, definitely louder than during our normal sex. She started to claw me with her nails. I winced at the pain but could feel my cock throbbing in response. She threw her head back and whispered, “fuuuck…” and I almost came inside her. It took all of my willpower to keep my orgasm at bay as I watched her fuck me. “Oh my God, Mandy, I–”

“Shh,” Mandy replied, placing a hand over my mouth. She looked deep into my eyes and bit her lip. I nodded slightly and she put her hands back on my chest. She rode me harder, her hips rocking back and forth as she took what she needed from me. She looked amazing with her heavy breasts swaying with every movement.

“Babe, you look–” I was unable to finish my statement as her hand came down immediately, slapping me across the face.

“I said shut up, Bobby. This is what you wanted, right?” Her eyes were wild, like I’d never seen before. She grabbed my hand and placed it just above her slick entrance. “Use your thumb right here,” she commanded. I rubbed her hard little clit in slow circles and saw a flush start on her chest and travel up her neck.

“Oh fuck, yes, Bobby, YES!” Her hands traveled to my neck and pressed lightly on the sides of my throat. “More,” she commanded. I rubbed harder, in faster circles as she grinded against me, using my cock as she never had before. My vision started to go black around the edges as her grip on my throat tightened, but I wasn’t about to stop her.

She looked at me again, like a demon, a goddess, a woman who had just discovered that she had the power to make sex feel really really good. “I want to cum together,” she moaned, her voice a harsh whisper, thick with lust. I nodded, unable to speak. I felt myself slipping out of consciousness.

Mandy’s body began to shudder and she froze in place, her mouth open as her orgasm took hold. It was one of the most beautiful things I had seen in my life. Her blond curls hid half her face, but I could tell this was real, and probably the most intense orgasm she’d ever had. Perhaps even the first real one. I couldn’t hold back any longer and I released my pent-up load inside her, right before I passed out.

I blinked, and the world came into focus. My head ached. “How much did we drink tonight?” I wondered. Then the events that had just transpired rushed into my mind all at once. We just….. and she…. and I….

I turned and looked at Mandy, sitting up in bed, playing a game on her phone. She smiled slightly at me. “You okay, Bobby? You look a little pale.” She turned back to her phone before I answered.

Was it all a dream? How could I ask? What if she was offended? What if it was all in my imagination?

“I’m okay, I just need a drink of water,” I mumbled, getting up and walking to the bathroom. It had to be a dream, I reasoned. There’s no way that she would have let go like that after years of… whatever kind of sex we had. I splashed some water on my face and grabbed the nearby hand towel, drying myself before blinking blurrily into the mirror.

It was only then that I noticed. Long scratches down my skin, partly hidden by my thick chest hair.

“Holy shit,” I said to myself with a wry smile.