Ch. 7 – In the Light of Day

Something hairy tickled my nose. My arms were wrapped around a body, feeling warm skin and bare breasts. I opened my eyes slowly and cautiously. The sunlight made me blink.

It took a moment to orient myself and understand. I had woken up next to my wife, as I did every morning. But this wasn’t our marital bed.

The Artemis – Marcus Morales – hotel bar – room 708 – my wife with another man.

Suddenly, everything that had happened the night before came rushing back to me. My arms instinctively tightened around Nora, perhaps to reclaim her as mine.

When I had gone to sleep here, Nora had still been in Marcus’s bed. At some point during the night, she had returned to me. I didn’t know if it had been after thirty minutes or three hours. Exhausted and drained, I had slept straight through until now.

Judging by the sunlight, it could have been well into the day. I had already told work that I’d be working from home today, possibly starting later than usual because of private appointments. Still, I needed to check the time.

My iPhone was still in my pants. Reluctantly, I got up. My hands released Nora with hesitation. After last night, it felt reassuring to have her so close. I couldn’t imagine waking up here alone, knowing she had spent the entire night in Marcus’s bed.

I grabbed my pants and pulled out my iPhone. It was half past eight. That meant we were still in good time. I usually started work around this time most days. Even factoring in rush hour traffic, which could easily mean an hour to get home, I didn’t need to wake Nora just yet.

With my pants and iPhone in hand, I looked down at Nora. She was lying naked in bed. At home, she never slept naked. Her clothes were nowhere to be seen; they must still be in Marcus’s room. Otherwise, there was little indication of what had happened the night before. She slept peacefully and at ease. Cynics might say that she was able to sleep so soundly and relaxed precisely because of what we had done—or, more accurately, because of what she had experienced.

I had actually let her fuck another man. A man with a pretty big cock.

Fuck!

My pulse was racing. It felt as if I was suddenly realizing this fact, which I was already aware of, on a completely different level. It had really happened. It hadn't been a dream.

Nora - my Nora. I hope we haven't made a big mistake.

But if that was the case, we wouldn't find out today. Only the future would tell. I was enough of a realist to know that you couldn't always predict how you'd end up reacting to something that turned a long relationship on its head.

I got dressed and made a quick stop in the bathroom. We didn’t have anything with us, of course. I simply splashed some water on my face and tried to fix my hair. The rest could wait until we got home.

After one last glance at Nora, I stepped out into the suite’s living area. I wasn’t the first one awake. Marcus was already up and moving around.

"Good morning," he greeted me cheerfully.

"Morning," I muttered.

"All good?"

"I think so."

Marcus stopped in front of me. "This might sound harsher than I intend it to, but I’d say she needed it." Marcus’s expression didn’t change. He was completely serious.

"You would know," I replied sarcastically.

"Me?"

"How many times have you fucked someone else's wife?"

Marcus laughed. "It was the first time."

I looked at him doubtfully.

"Really," he said emphatically. "The bar belongs to an old acquaintance. Why do you think I came in there as a single man in the first place?"

"Whatever," was my slightly defensive response.

"Take your time. You have my card. I would like to see Nora again. She's a very beautiful woman - and more fiery in bed than you might expect. And I'd be happy to introduce you to the world of whiskeys."

"Let’s see," I said, not really expecting a reunion to happen.

"Good," Marcus replied. "I have to head out now. Urgent commitments—family. I’ve ordered breakfast for you. It should arrive in a few minutes. Take your time; I won’t be back until late."

"Okay," I said, feeling a little perplexed.

"Hopefully see you again soon," Marcus said, shaking my hand. I watched him as he walked to the door and opened it. "Oh, just bring it in," he said.

A hotel staff member pushed in a small cart laden with a generous breakfast spread. Marcus handed her a tip and then left the room with her. "Enjoy," were his parting words as he pulled the door shut behind him.

I took a deep breath and then turned my attention to the breakfast. There was coffee and orange juice to choose from. I poured myself a coffee first. The food selection was plentiful and varied. For now, I settled on just the coffee. I wanted to explore the rest with Nora.

Now that I was sitting alone in the living area, sipping my coffee and knowing Marcus was no longer here, a sudden sense of emptiness overcame me. This madness finally seemed to be coming to an end.

"Hey," Nora’s voice suddenly broke the silence. She had woken up and taken a few steps toward me. Somehow, she had found a new bathrobe. Her hair was already halfway tidied. "Where’s Marcus?"

"Just left. Some urgent family business."

Nora nodded and sat down beside me on the sofa.

"He ordered us breakfast. Coffee or orange juice?"

"Juice."

I poured her a glass of orange juice and grabbed a bagel for myself to get something into my stomach. The omelet and crispy bacon were also calling my name. Nora took some yogurt and helped herself to the cheese platter.

"Should we talk?" I asked.

"Not now. Not today. Right?"

"Okay."

I was relieved that we could postpone the topic for the time being. I needed some time to process everything on my own first.

We exchanged only a few words during breakfast. As agreed, we didn’t talk about the previous night at all. I was glad when we were finally sitting in the Uber on the way home. Once there, I took a shower and sat down in my home office. The team at work was glad I was finally available—an urgent case needed my attention. I gladly threw myself into work, using it as a way to push the previous night out of my mind.

It only worked partially. The images from last night kept creeping back into my head. At some point, we would have to face them. We couldn’t run away from this forever.

What last night would mean for us going forward was uncertain. I couldn’t and didn’t want to imagine it destroying us. But whether it would bring the positive changes we’d hoped for—a new, more exciting chapter in our sex life—was equally unclear. That was now entirely up to us.

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