About Michael: Part 9

The hot springs at night is a very romantic place: hot water, steam rising in the air, and the starry sky above. We sat on a rock half out of the water in a back corner; there weren't many people around. We talked a bit, and he told me that he really liked me. He held my hand and tried to kiss me. Again I denied his kiss. I reminded him that I was married, and he replied that he hadn't forgotten. His third attempt, however, I allowed. It was a nice kiss, though we were both nervous. It was wonderful being in the presence of someone who found me desirable. I lied in his arms a while and we kissed some more. I told him that I shouldn't be doing this, and he countered that I really should. He said that if I told him no and really meant it, that he would go away. It wouldn't be easy, but he would go. I didn't want him to go.

Back at his hotel I combed out my hair as best I could with his small comb and he watched me struggle with it. It was late and I knew I had to leave. Michael walked me to the door and I gave him a hurried hug, knowing that if I allowed myself to linger I would get caught up in the moment and let more happen than I was prepared to, especially after the romantic evening at the hot springs.

The next afternoon I picked him up at his hotel and we went to a pool hall. This is perhaps my best memory of his weekend in town. While we played many games of pool, the flirting was open and more hands-on than it had ever been. Before we had gotten married, my husband and I would often play pool. Since he was a much better player than I, I would even the playing field by being as distracting as possible: standing too close, a straying hand, whispering in his ear. These things no longer distract my husband, but I was able to use them with Michael. It gave me a bit of a thrill to be able to do that again, to have that power over someone.

After one of my shots, while Michael was sitting on a stool at the small table, I straightened up and backed right in between his knees. He put his arms around me and I closed my eyes. I felt so happy.

About Michael: Part 8

I talked to Michael a lot about my husband, about my marriage, and about my unhappiness. In hindsight, I know that I talked too much about it, but it was nice to have the attention. And that is what this whole thing boiled down to: someone was finally paying attention to me. Someone was interested in me for my brains, my wit, and my body. And it felt really, really good.

He told me that he had plans to come to my town for a mini vacation the first weekend of March, and I was excited to see him again. We counted down the weeks, then the days, and then the hours until we would see each other. The flirting got very intense during that time, and we spent a lot of time making googly eyes at each other on cam. At one point we had a reality check conversation, wondering if we would still click the same way in person as we had online.

At that point, I wasn't sure what would happen when he arrived in town or what I would allow to happen between us. He asked if, at the very least, he could hold my hand, and I said of course. I was excited to see him.

My husband knew that Michael was coming to town and that I was planning on seeing him that weekend. I invited my husband along to some of the activities we had planned, but he declined saying that he didn't have the same kind of humor that Michael and I shared. He also told me that he had expected Michael and I to pretty much spend the entire weekend together.

Which we did. Only perhaps the first hour or so was a bit awkward, but after that we were our comfortable selves, bullshitting with and making each other laugh just as we had online. I had picked him up at the airport and drove him to his hotel to check in. We went out and grabbed lunch and he admitted to bringing a desert with him from the restaurant we had gone to where they mispronounced my name. We went back to his hotel to eat the dessert, and he turned a movie on.

I sat close to him on the bed as we finished our dessert, our shoulders touching and my legs tucked up and leaning toward him. Michael put our dishes aside, wrapped one arm around my legs, and I put my head on his shoulder. We held hands and I felt very comfortable and safe with him. After the movie we lied down and talked about taking a nap as he held me. He ran his hand down my side and I nearly fell asleep. He moved to kiss me, but I turned my head away. We had plans to go to the hot springs that evening, but I told him that I needed to say hi to my husband before we went.