Chapter 2:
Indecent Proposal
Friday morning arrived and I was looking forward to the day before me, but I was also incredibly nervous. It took me half the day yesterday to admit to myself that it was because of Edward coming this morning at ten. Riley left for work the same as every other day with a kiss to my cheek and very little small talk. I wasn't complaining. I didn't miss him touching me after so long, but I did miss the friend that I had in him.
After Riley was gone, I spent my time getting ready. I wore a pair of clean jeans, my clean, brown riding boots, and a purple and white floral print button up. It was more western looking than formal. I braided my long auburn hair neatly and even put on some perfume. It was childish, I knew that, but I was enjoying being excited too much to care.
Alice was already at the barn feeding the horses when I walked over.
"Don't you look nice," she boasted. I stuck my tongue out at her. Though she wasn't very fond of Riley, I still didn't disclose too much about my marriage to her or anyone else. Alice only knew that I was unhappy, and she figured that out on her own. I went to the office to grab the proper paperwork for Edward when I heard his car pulling up the long drive.
I tried taking my time walking out to him. It was mid May and the weather was perfect. Being in the south, May was a good time because the humidity wasn't too excruciating, yet. The trees and flowers were blooming everywhere, and the horses stayed out to pasture most of the time.
Edward got out of the car in jeans and a dark green shirt. It was a button up, similar to mine. My smile was welcoming. He smiled back warmly and waited by the car as a small girl climbed out of the back seat. She was just as breathtakingly beautiful as her uncle was. Her sandy brown hair was long and wavy and she sort of had an olive color to her skin. She bounced up to Edward and they walked towards me.
"Lucy, this is Bella, your new trainer," Edward said. I smiled to her and extended my hand. She giggled slightly and placed her small hand in mine.
"Hi," she said sweetly.
"I'm looking forward to seeing you ride, Lucy," I replied. She giggled again and looked to Edward. He nodded, and she took off to the fence. O'Ryan waltzed over to her.
"I really appreciate this," Edward said. I continued to watch Lucy with my horse. She was petting his face softly.
"It's no problem," I replied. "I just need you to sign a couple of things," I said, handing him my clipboard and pen. Edward nodded and flipped through the paperwork accordingly. He signed his name, and handed it all back. I clutched the pen to my chest that he had just held in his hand.
"Most days it will be my mother who brings her."
"Oh, okay," I replied, trying to hide my disappointment. My eyes glanced down to Edward's long fingers and saw a thick, gold wedding band. My insides twisted painfully.
"Can I ride him?" Lucy squeaked from the fence. My head snapped up.
"Of course," I replied. Lucy beamed excitedly. I slowly walked over to her, feeling Edward's eyes on my backside.
"Your uncle tells me that you have ridden before?"
Lucy nodded. "Yes, George was a good teacher. I miss him."
"Well, I'm looking forward to working with you, Lucy."
"Me too! Can you teach me to ride for show?"
"Absolutely. Lets go saddle O'Ryan. He likes you." My black horse nudged Lucy's hand. "Western or English saddle?"
"Western!"
"That's my favorite, too," I gushed. Lucy laughed and hopped along my side.
...
Edward let Lucy ride solo today with me close by. Her uncle would cheer and clap from behind the fence accordingly. When his eyes met mine, I melted away each time. Alice watched from the barn and waggled her eyebrows every time I looked at her. She made me feel even more uneasy. If she could notice how taken I was with a married man, Edward must be able to tell as well, right? I swallowed hard.
We practiced for two hours in the corral, and I was amazed by the young girl's enthusiasm. She was eager to learn, and soaked up every bit of information I gave her. O'Ryan was good to her, too. He was a patient horse, perfect for kids.
"Thank you so much, Bella!" Lucy exclaimed as she ran up to me. Her thin arms wrapped around my waist. I smiled and hugged her back after I closed the corral gate.
"You're a great rider," I told her. She blushed.
"I really like O'Ryan. Can I ride him again on Monday?" She asked.
"Absolutely." Lucy squealed in excitement and ran out to their car. Edward approached me with a smirk.
"You're great with her," he complimented. I smiled embarrassed.
"She's a lovely kid. I'm sure her parents appreciate it." Edward's smile faded, but only for a moment. He nodded to me.
"Monday?" He asked. I couldn't help but notice when his eyes went to my feet, then back up to my face slowly.
"Monday," I agreed shakily. He smiled widely and turned to leave. My heart sank briefly, but brightened when I thought about possibly seeing him again only a few days from now. It would get me through the weekend.
...
"Good dinner," Riley said through a mouthful of food. I smiled and cut into my chicken. Riley swallowed his food and sighed. It was the third sigh in as many minutes.
"What?" I finally asked, taking my bite of food. He shook his head and sighed again.
"Spit it out," I urged, annoyed. Riley rose from the table and grabbed another beer. He brought me a second wine cooler and I thanked him.
"Are you happy?" He asked suddenly. I choked on my chicken in surprise. Riley waited patiently for me to recover. I finished my current drink and opened the next.
"Um, yes?" I finally offered. Riley frowned. "Are you?"
"Yes and no," he replied. "We're unhappy together, Bella. I think we should get some help." I wouldn't argue with him there.
"Like more counseling?" I asked.
"Of a sort," he replied shakily. I frowned and leaned back in my chair with my drink. He sat across from me at our small table and held his beer bottle tightly.
"Of a sort?" I questioned.
"Why don't we have sex anymore?" He asked. I snorted loudly.
"You tell me," I scoffed. He shrugged. "I don't know, Riley. Work takes a lot out of us, I guess." Why were all of my answers a lie?
"I guess. Maybe we could try something different," he suggested quietly. His finger began peeling off the beer label. He was nervous about something so strongly that he was acting like a teenager in trouble.
"Like?" I furthered, still annoyed.
"A guy at work mentioned this club in the city."
"You want to go dancing?" I said with a small laugh.
"It's a swingers club," he clarified stiffly. My jaw fell to the table in shock. Swingers were something you heard about in large cities or in the movies. I had no idea that people actually practiced such a thing around these parts. The south was so different, although maybe I just wasn't well educated in that field. I blinked rapidly, trying to gather my wits.
"You're joking," I said. Riley shook his head.
"Riley, we don't even sex, but you want to openly go fuck someone else?" He nodded slowly, eyeing me carefully.
"I heard that it helps marriages. Paul, the guy who recommended it, said it saved his marriage!" He argued with force.
"How so?" I spat disgusted.
"Oh, don't tell me you haven't thought about screwing someone else," he defended. I raised my eyebrows and almost yelled in my defense, but stopped when Edward popped into my mind.
"Thought so," Riley retorted. I frowned, thoroughly frustrated.
"This is so messed up," I replied. "Where is all of this coming from? I mean, why don't you just ask for a divorce?"
"Why don't you?" He countered. My frown deepened. Why didn't I?
"If this doesn't work, we'll discuss divorce, okay?" He suggested softly. "But I don't want to even think about it until we've tried other things that may end up helping us, you know? We should try all the available options before giving up."
"I didn't know that something like this was an option," I argued. "It's creepy."
"But something you wouldn't regret if it helped us, right?" He countered.
I sighed. "Fine." This was our last hope of sorts. We had done the marriage counseling, separate counseling, and spent time apart, but nothing seemed to bring us closer together anymore.
"Good. We can go there tomorrow night, and if nothing comes of it, we'll come home," he assured. I nodded and left the table with my drink while Riley went to watch his sports. I went out onto the porch to clear my head, settling into my welcoming rocking chair with a soft sigh.
What had I just agreed to? It felt like Riley was so eager to shove me off onto some other man. It irked me. Suddenly, I secretly began to wish that Edward would be there. I took a deep breath. Riley was right. It couldn't hurt to try, and maybe it would be wild and fun.
I wanted to start living again, right? The worst that could happen wasn't anything that wasn't bad already between Riley and me. Sadly, I began to wish hard on every star I could see that it could be Monday already.
I was nervous, scared, anxious and a little excited. Riley was the only man I had ever been with, and maybe that was the problem. I married so young, before I could see anyone else, or even get to know myself. No one could ever know of this arrangement or I would be mortified, but I didn't feel like that would keep me from doing it. I needed it...I needed something, and maybe this was it. I wanted to love my husband again, and want him sexually, so maybe another woman could refresh my memory. I didn't know, but I was curious enough to find out.
Now we're getting into the good stuff. I can't wait for you all to read Chapter 3!
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Have a great weekend, and thanks so much for the love on this story so far! It's been wonderful!