The Coitus Exchange - The Coitus Exchange – Chapter 10 – Jenny

“Wh-what? Who’s cheating?” I couldn’t help but let out.

There was naturally only one thing on my mind, and that was Jim. It had already been a few days since we had ended up together on that picnic table, but how could I forget it? I had spent the last couple of days flip-flopping between being extremely guilty and being giddy like a girl in love. When I thought of Jim, my heart beat faster and my body started to earn for his touch again. Then, like a chaperone during recess, my mind would kick in and tell me how these feelings of excitement came at a dangerous cost and could hurt myself and others around me.

My only saving grace was that my husband had been extremely busy with work lately, and so I hadn’t had to deal with him enough for him to notice my conflicting expressions. I had heard his daughter was also back home, but she hadn’t come over either. Before she was in boarding school, she had run over to our house often, and whether my husband was there or not, I had to act the part of a sympathetic ear. She would complain nonstop about her mother and a stepfather she hated, and I had to smile and act supportive, less I create difficulties with my husband.

Frankly, I didn’t have any major opinions on the brat. She seemed spoiled to me, and the amount of money my husband threw at her over some perceived guilt for abandoning her when she was younger didn’t help. In the end, I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t say anything. I was just the trophy wife who looked fit and pretty, and smiled and looked good on his arm. I had no affection for his daughter though.

Emily wasn’t my daughter, and in fact, she wasn’t even that much younger than me. I was closer to her age than I was my husband, and her presence only made me feel like some kind of gold digger. I believed that’s what she thought of me. I just felt my husband should save his money and spend it on our feature. He had already left his past life, and Emily had even gotten her back child support.

Of course, there was one person I dreaded more than Emily. It was Emily’s mother. She was Tom’s first love and the mother of his only child. We had tried for years, and I had never managed to get pregnant, so Emily remained his only child, and Beth remained the woman who gave him access to his only child. It was terrifying to see another woman have so much control over my husband. I feared that he still loved her, and she would one day win him back. She was more mature than me, and it didn’t hurt that she was a gorgeous beauty with a very large chest.

I had caught my husband staring longly at a photo of her once. I knew there was a history there. There was regret and hope. The only thing that kept him from ditching me and openly pursuing her was that she had remarried, something that angered my husband greatly. I had never met the man she married, but he was supposedly a pretty steady guy. Tom hated him and talked shit about him relentlessly. I think that the reason Emily talked so much crap about her stepdad was that it pleased her father to hear dirt on him. I usually tuned it out when they started slamming this guy. As a former victim of bullying myself, I didn’t like talking crap about people I didn’t know. What was his name again? It had been a long time since I had last heard it.

“Please don’t tell Tom about this. It’s my husband. I think he’s cheating on me,” Beth said quietly.

I was completely floored. Beth had called the house directly. At first, I thought she was calling my husband, and honestly, that would have infuriated me. I knew they spoke a little, but how could I stand by while they talked openly on the phone? Did that just make me a giant hypocrite? Who was I to talk about such things when I had my affair? I wasn’t even sure if I loved Tom anymore, yet I felt jealousy over Beth? It was then that what Beth said finally clicked in my mind. Her husband was cheating on her?

“Wh-why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“I wanted to ask my daughter, but I feared she’d end up telling Tom. I didn’t think you would though. I still remember when you protected Emily with the birth control pills.” Beth admitted. “I… don’t have very many female friends.”

That’s because you have big boobs that make other girls feel inadequate! Wait, was that why she was trusting me?

Tom had found the pills after they had fallen out of Emily’s pocket. To me, a girl who is on the pill wasn’t a big deal. It was clear Emily wasn’t taking them so she could have sex. It was to help regulate her periods. Guys were stupid and didn’t understand such a simple thing.

Tom was convinced she was having sex, and he got so angry that I was honestly frightened he’d hit her. So, I told him they were mine. Considering we were actively trying to conceive at the time, he accused me of trying to undermine him and our baby. He said some pretty hurtful things, and I even regretted helping her. It was an event that I still wasn’t sure our relationship had recovered from. I never guessed it would have gotten back to Beth, nor give her the idea I was trustworthy.

“I’m sorry to hear it, but are you sure?” As I tried to fake a supportive voice, I couldn’t help the deep feeling of disbelief inside me.

I was openly having an affair with Tom, and now Beth’s husband might be having an affair with her.

Wait… if Beth ended up leaving her husband, and Tom went after her… wouldn’t that leave me free to be with Jim?

I was surprised by the swelling of excitement I felt as I had that thought. Would Jim even want a married woman? After we had sex, he hadn’t called me. Our next appointment was tomorrow, and I had heard nothing. Maybe, after getting what he wanted, he was done with me? Such a thought caused me to tear up. Why did it feel more painful than the idea of Tom leaving me for Beth?

“I don’t know…” Beth admitted. “I found a receipt with condoms on it. Then, I found a used condom and wrapper in the garage, and it matched the product code from the box on the receipt. It could have been others though, as there was a party with a lot of people there. Am I overreacting?”

I found my breath increasing as Beth asked me this question. I couldn’t guess what was going through her mind that she’d call me of all people, but she had just asked me for my opinion. In a single word, I could either soothe her mind or cause additional discord. I could destroy her relationship with her husband and indirectly free myself of Tom. It wasn’t like I would be doing anything wrong. If Tom left me to be with Beth, then what would it matter if I found someone new? All I had to do was reinforce all of her fears.

“You need more evidence.” The pragmatic and kind side of me ended up winning out. “There is no definitive proof.”

Why did I have to be an adult now? I wished I could just act as Emily did, a spoiled brat, but my conscience wouldn’t let me do that. The fact that being honest didn’t make me feel any better didn’t help either.

“I know…” Beth sighed.

“Then…”

“I want you to come over.”

“Wh-what?”

“You’re young… and you’re… desirable.” Beth sounded like she didn’t want to be saying that. “I want to invite you over as a friend. Then, we get my husband a little drunk. I’ll go away, and then you… you know…”

“What?” I was still confused.

“Put the moves on him.”

“What!?” I nearly exclaimed, feeling a bit of embarrassment until I remember I was home alone. “You want me to seduce your husband?”

“I want to see if he’s loyal!” Did she respond, although rather than heartbroken, didn’t her voice sound kind of excited?

“Beth, I don’t think-”

“Please! You’re the only one I can trust with this. I’m not asking you to flirt with him. I’m just asking you to be there and see if he starts flirting with you when I’m not around. Is that too much to ask? Please, please…”

“Beth…”

“If you do it, then I’ll tell you a dirty secret about your husband.” Beth declared.

“A-a secret?”

That was how Beth managed to convince me to play a honey pot. Of course, I had considered another possibility. Perhaps Beth was trying to trick me. She wanted me to come over and then she wanted to destroy my relationship with Tom. Wouldn’t that let me be with Jim in the same way?

Aghh… why was I even thinking about that loser? The only reason I was even there was that Jim stood me up. I was going to tell Beth I couldn’t, as she scheduled the time during my routine workout day with Jim, yet Jim suddenly sent me a text message saying he had to cancel. He didn’t say anything else. He didn’t explain himself. He didn’t mention the last time we were together. He ghosted me. I felt furious and embarrassed, so I accepted Beth’s crazy plan. I dressed up as sexily as I could. She said I should just be there and let him flirt, but I was going to seduce the hell out of him!

Maybe I’ll even fuck Beth’s husband. That will show Jim for standing me up.

It was safe to say my fury over Jim standing me up outstripped my guilt, and I was even thinking about Tom at that moment. I walked up to their home, which was admittedly smaller and less impressive than my husband’s, and then I rang the bell. The door opened swiftly, and Beth peeked out. Her eyes immediately widened when she saw me, and I realized just how ridiculous I had dressed.

I was wearing a full-length dress which showed a lot of cleavage, and a slit up the leg. It was something you’d wear on a trip to the club. When I saw her wearing a simple blouse and slacks, I immediately felt dumb.

“S-sorr-ahh!”

“No! It’s great!” Beth grabbed my arm and pulled me in. “Jim! Our guest is here!”

“Jim?” Hearing the same name that had been shooting through my mind a million times these last few days caught me off guard.

That was right, Beth’s husband’s name was also Jim. That was an interesting coincidence.

“If you want to hang out with the girls, I don’t get why you need to drag-”

A person walked down the stairs into my vision, and our eyes seemed to meet at the same time. His words stopped in mid-sentence, and my brain immediately stalled. It was him. It was Jim. It was my Jim. My Jim was here. Why was my Jim here?

“I can’t recall if you two ever officially met. I know Tom and you don’t care to see each other, but this is Tom’s wife Jenny. Jenny, this is my husband, Jim.”

I stared at him with wide-eyed wonder for several minutes. What was going on here? Jim was married. He had never said he was married. He didn’t even wear a ring! Wait, that wasn’t even the issue here. Jim and I shared the same stepdaughter! He had to have known me when he first contacted me. Was he manipulating me from the very beginning?

Too many emotions went through my brain for me to even grasp. I was angry, frustrated, and confused. I wanted to say something, but Beth was right there. I could only swallow down all of my questions and give a smile.

“Hello, Jim. It’s nice to me you.” My voice was a bit icy, but I couldn’t help that.

Jim had a slightly sickly expression on his face. I was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another!