Seeing the Mystery Man
As long as you keep it a secret, you can have everything you want.
This is part of a Choose Your Own Adventure story, ‘Vacation Roulette.’ Go back to the first chapter here. Or return to the previous chapter. Check out the chapter guide here.
You hate being blackmailed like this, but you don’t want Valli to harm either you or your partner. Moreover, you admit you’re curious to see the man.
A frisson of anticipation thrums across your skin. You text him:
Fine. We can meet up.
His answer is immediate:
Yessss, I knew you would be excited to see me again. Come to this address tomorrow night at 7 pm.
He sends you the address to Orca’s Finery, one of the high-end hotels in your city. You raise your brow. And you ponder whether to tell your partner about this encounter.
It would be smarter to tell them, but a secret part of you warns you not to. Against your better judgment, you keep quiet about your meeting tomorrow.
The next day, when it’s 6 pm, you make some excuse about needing to go on an errand.
Your partner eyes you dubiously but doesn’t contest it. It helps that, from prior arguments, you both agreed to allow each other some privacy. So unless something is dire or urgent, you don’t need to tell each other your whereabouts.
You try your best to look innocent anyway and climb into your car.
“Whatever it is, stay safe,” your partner says with a wave.
There’s something in their smile, but you don’t want to think about it. You need to meet Valli quickly, lest he freak out and cause trouble for you or your partner.
After you drive off, an uneasy feeling crawls up your spine like an icy stream.
When you alight from your vehicle, you stare up at a huge, modern hotel building with sky-blue accents. It’s both garish and beautiful at the same time. You just hope that the meeting will go smoothly.
Consternation inks up your insides as you push the doors into the lobby. You sink into a couch to wait, since you’re fifteen minutes early.
Ten minutes later, a muscular man with black hair and piercing green eyes approaches you; a wicked grin slashes across his features. You vaguely recognize him as the man in the sex video he sent you. So you cover your face and groan.
Valli taps your arm and you fling him off. He titters in his unnerving way, “Oh, baby, I’ve missed you so, so much. Come up to my room and we’ll talk more.”
“Can’t we just talk here?” you question.
The man grins again. “I want to talk in private.”
Bracing yourself for the worst, you get into the elevator with him. His suite was on the ninth floor. Suite 907.
As soon as he locks the door behind you, he picks you up and throws you onto the bed. He leans down to kiss your neck, and to your infinite shame, it turns you on. He reaches under your shirt to touch you further, before you come to your senses and push him away. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
The man stares at you with wistful eyes. “Why, I’m giving you what you want. I still remember exactly how you like to be touched.”
Damn him. Your memories are flooding back during these caresses. Indeed, you recall Valli as a lover from long ago, though you had forgotten his name. It had only been a short term affair while you were trapped in an unhappy marriage.
Technically, you’re in a happy marriage now, but you and your partner aren’t quite compatible in the bedroom. So you have to make a lot of compromises and not get what you want.
But you told yourself it was okay, since the emotional connection matters more to you. Still, once in a while, you would fantasize about having an extramarital lover who could please your body in ways that your partner never can.
You blush furiously at these shameful thoughts.
Valli looks delighted at your reaction, and kisses you on the lips. Involuntarily, you let out a moan when he plunges a tongue down your throat. You close your eyes as the man plunders your mouth, while his hands rove over your body just the way you like it.
The lust and pleasure is driving you crazy. You can hardly think straight. When he releases your lips for a moment, you catch your breath and whisper, “We can’t. I have a partner back at home.”
Valli laughs. “I know, but are you happy with them?”
“Yes?” you reply, and immediately feel guilty for how uncertain you sound.
“Oh, my honey cheeks,” he croons as he rubs your smooth face. “Sure your current spouse is better than your last one. But they still don’t meet your desires, do they?”
“They do, though,” you protest and glare at him.
The man shakes his head. “No, they don’t. You know the truth in your heart. But unlike your spouse, I am not the possessive type. I would be glad to have sex with you on the side while you stay in your marriage.”
Your lids are hooded, even as you say, “But I’m not a cheater.”
“But you already cheated on your previous spouse, so you don’t get to sit on a moral high horse,” Valli says with a laugh. “And why be such a prude? Your spouse can’t satisfy your needs, and you don’t want to leave them, so you can see someone else at the same time. Why not?”
“But I don’t want to hurt my spouse,” you mumble with a groan.
Valli snorts. “What they don’t know won’t hurt them.” He flips you onto your stomach, and fondles you in the most salacious manner. Since your face is buried in the pillow, you don’t have to hide your smile.
You want to keep arguing, yet you know he’s right. You’re already a cheater. And it’s not like you’ve never tried talking with your spouses about the problem. You talked but at the end of the day, you don’t want the same things.
But you did not have the heart to divorce your former spouse until much later. With your current spouse, you’re at least attracted to them both physically and emotionally, and they treat you well — most of the time.
What on earth? Perhaps you are being a hypocritical prude. And as long as you keep it a secret, you can have everything you want. You can just be extra nice to your spouse to make up for it. Right?
