A friend in need ...

"I am going to miss you, darling, especially because we can't keep in touch". I cried into my husband's neck at the thought of no contact fo

"I am going to miss you, darling, especially because we can't keep in touch". I cried into my husband's neck at the thought of no contact for the next few months. We were standing in the doorway, a taxi waiting to take him to the naval base where he would be on a submarine, unable to communicate in case they gave away their position.

"I will miss you too, Honey. I wish I hadn't gone out with the guys last night. I am sorry I got drunk; we should have spent the time together. I will make up for it when we get back, I promise." He held me tight, and his grip felt so loving that I just wanted to pull him into bed and make love.

An hour out with his friends drinking had escalated until he staggered in late and fell asleep on the sofa. Of course, I had not been sympathetic, and it still rankled that our last night for some time had been spoiled.

"Drop me an email when it is safe, darling, and be careful." I kissed him, and then he rushed to his Uber and sped away.


Later that night, my best friend Wendy called over, clutching a bottle of wine. We had been best friends through college, but then I met Ethan and moved away to live with him. Suddenly, out of the blue, two months ago, after three years without speaking, we saw each other in a shop, and over coffee, my friend told me she had moved here for work, and we resumed our friendship. She was having no luck with men; date after date would end in disaster, which she would tell me about in detail, becoming so dramatic that we would end up laughing in a heap. I had no idea how she kept striking out; she was tall, slim, pretty with short dark hair, and a very good figure. Ethan thought she must be setting very high standards, but I think she was just unlucky. Unlike Wendy, I was a little shorter, but still slim with a very good figure; my main asset was my long, blonde hair, which had always made men putty in my hands.

"So how long before Ethan can get in touch this time?" She asked, finishing her glass and pouring us both large refills.

"Well, he said, because of the global unrest, they could be as long as five months, if they are on a mission. I normally have some form of communication after two months, so I have to prepare myself for a long gap." I took a large swig of wine to comfort myself.

"Oh, Lizzy, you are so loyal, not many wives would be that understanding." She was the only person, other than Ethan, who called me by that name; everyone else calls me Elizabeth.

"He is fighting for his country; we all owe him such a debt of gratitude." I raised my wineglass in the air as a toast, and Wendy copied.

"The least I can do is make sure you don't get any creepy guys hitting on you while he's away. A toast to Abstaining and self-pleasure." She raised her glass, laughing, and I joined her.


The next two days, I spent spring cleaning the house, painting walls, and opening windows to air the rooms. I was up a ladder when the phone rang and Wendy's voice came through the speaker.

"Hi Lizzy, just had a disaster here, pipes burst upstairs and house flooded, major insurance claim, told me I'm going to be out of the house for 6 weeks, I feel like crying, give me a call when you're free."

I ran to the phone and answered. "Oh, Wendy, that's terrible. Did you lose much?"

"Clothes can be washed and items replaced, it's just the turmoil and stress. I needed a sympathetic voice before I started phoning hotels."

"Wendy, you can't go to a hotel. I am alone until Ethan comes home. You can stay here and be out before he returns."

"Oh, Lizzy, you're an angel, you won't even know I am there, apart from all the empty wine bottles."

We laughed and I told her to come over as soon as she was ready, agreeing on early evening.

It gave me a focus, so I cooked dinner for 7.30, allowing her to come over an hour earlier and settle in.

"Lizzy, you're a lifesaver," Wendy said, finishing her meal and pouring us the last of the wine.

"Of course I am going to help you, you're my best friend." I thought a strange expression passed over her face at that moment, but it was probably the wine; I was feeling a little drunk.

"There is only one way to round off a meal like that," Wendy started, "and that is with a joint." She produced a rolled-up cigarette.

"God, Wendy, I haven't smoked one of those since my college days; they used to make me pass out, remember?"

"Sleeping beauty, I used to call you," She laughed, "but it was fun, wasn't it?"

"We had a good time. It's just most of my nights ended in deep sleep." I laughed with her.

"For old time's sake." She lit it and took a deep puff, offering it to me.

I took it and sucked in, feeling the strength hit me, my head starting to feel a high right away.

"This is stronger than I remember it." I gasped, feeling a wonderful tingle flow through me.

"Joints have improved since our time." She laughed, taking another puff and passing it back to me.

There were two things I remembered when I woke up the next morning: the first was that the joint always sent me to sleep quickly, and the other was that I had incredible erotic dreams that I could never remember. I lay in bed naked, a glorious feeling of having climaxed still lingering in my body. My arm hurt a little; I must have been lying on it when I slept, so I tried rubbing my hand over the skin, but it took its time to recover, a small bruise forming where I had rubbed.

I got out of bed and walked to the shower, every step feeling almost dreamlike, the tingles rampaging through me, I must have touched myself an incredible amount last night judging by the pleasant aches in my body, I must be missing Ethan more than I thought I smiled as I stood under the warm water and let last night wash away.

I dressed and went to the kitchen, where Wendy was already up cooking pancakes.

"Last night left me a wreck," I said, smiling, taking the plate off her.

"Don't deny it wasn't good to let your hair down, you look refreshed." She sat opposite me and started to eat.

"I won't." I laughed and she joined in too. I just kept to myself the knowledge that it had turned me into a sex starved slut in my dream.

"So what are your plans for today?" She asked between bites.

"I am going to paint his mancave; it will be a nice surprise when he returns."

"It will, yes, what colour?"

"I thought a manly light blue. I will get it this morning. I need some new brushes, too."

"Well, I would offer to help, but men don't like anyone going into their den. I have work to do at my place. I will grab pizza and wine on the way home, save you after a day's grafting."

"That sounds good, maybe no joint tonight," and we both laughed again.

I left Wendy behind and went to pick up the supplies, and when I returned, she had already left, so I made myself a coffee and went to Ethan's den to start prepping. He was an organised man who kept all his paperwork in files and surfaces clean, so it was an easy job to slide his desk and chair to the other side of the room. I noticed one of his manila folders had fallen down the back and went to pick it up, recoiling as the ripped folder broke in my hands and a pair of women's panties fell out along with some printed copies of different women in various forms of undress. There was a scribbled note on the back of one of the photographs.

What a great night, much better than the vanilla sex your wife offers, keep the panties xxx

I read it through several times, the feeling of betrayal all-consuming; not only was he cheating on me, but he had told her our sex life was boring. I opened his desk, and at the back, there was a packet of condoms with five missing. I lost all strength and fell to my knees, crying. He was the love of my life, and he had betrayed me. I don't know how long I sat there torturing myself with thoughts of betrayal, but darkness was creeping in when I heard Wendy shout she was home.

"What are you doing sitting in the dark?" She hit a switch and lit the room up, the photographs soon catching her attention.

"Oh no, Lizzy, he isn't, is he?"

"I don't know, I thought I knew him, he wouldn't." Nothing made sense right then.

"Photos don't lie, hun, and used panties don't walk into his private study." She said, picking up the panties using two fingers. "They are not your size either, so he can't say they are a gift."

I stood up and gathered everything together, placing it all on his desk.

"Come on, hun, you don't want to stay in this room." She placed a hand on my arm, and my resolve went. I broke down again, and Wendy was quick to console me.

"Oh, Lizzy, darling, men always cheat, don't be upset." She held me tight as I lost it, weeping openly, her arms around me pulling closer so that I could cry on her shoulder, hugging me firmly as her hands encircled my lower back and she spoke quietly, reassuring me, her lips almost tickling my ear.

It probably took a good fifteen minutes before  I felt composed enough to break free, Wendy supporting me the whole time, constantly telling me gently that things would get better and refusing to let go of me until I was strong enough to step back from her embrace.

We went downstairs, and I picked at the pizza, but I had very little appetite.

"Here, drink this, you can't let him make you the victim, you're strong, Lizzy, drink."

I drank the glass down in one, and she poured a refill.

"It doesn't make sense, Wendy. I know Ethan, he isn't like that."

"You said the night before he returned, he said he was out with the lads, face facts, Lizzy, he was seeing another woman, condoms don't go to nightclubs on their own."

I hadn't realised I had told her about the condoms, but I suppose I must have, and it made sense.

"I know, it's just unlike him; he always wants to spend his time with me. He was upset we had missed our time together on that last night."

"Was it upset or guilt that he still had the girls cum on him when he's apologising to you?"

"Oh god, Wendy, what am I going to do?" The tears were back, and they required another long hug.

"Tonight, get drunk, tomorrow check his laptop, you can't keep beating yourself up when you're the innocent party."

She was right, and her whispered advice was what I needed right then. I drank another glass straight down and offered her the empty. I don't know how many I drank, but we chatted late into the night, Wendy ready to comfort me until I finally passed out in her arms.