I'm meeting my husband's mistress face-to-face for the first time. Actually, she's his ex-mistress, since a job transfer took her away to a distant city. I spoke with her on the phone when I vetted her a couple of years earlier, but we've deliberately stayed apart since then.

Deirdre was good for Dan. She kept him out of trouble. He didn't need to cheat with risky women while he had her and me to keep him happy. He helped her with expenses. She gave him relief once each week, usually right after work, from living with me, a wife who had both a career and a calling that often took her focus away from him. Deirdre did not make any demands on him or complain when he could not see her due to business travel or other commitments. She was superunderstanding. She made it clear to him that she only wanted sex and friendship, not a long term commitment. That apparently satisfied him.

Dan did not know that she was doing and being what I told her he might need. He did not know that I paid her from my NQA account. He does not know that she is a sister. That was by design. We wanted him to feel that he was getting away with something. He seemed happier that way. It alleviated the jealousy he probably felt knowing that I was having sex with other men as part of my sisterhood activities.

Unfortunately, that secrecy meant that Deirdre and I had to make sure that I didn't learn anything that only she knew about him, so that I wouldn't inadvertently reveal that I knew about her. And being his mistress, she was bound to learn things that I didn't know about him, and that made me a little jealous and a little uncomfortable, especially knowing that the sisterhood could be data mining him to increase their hold on him.

But now that she is mostly gone from his life, we've both decided it would be okay to meet in person. I'm thinking it might mean that she's as curious about me as I am about her.

"Cathy?" Most sisters know me as Cate, but I was careful to get Deirdre to know me as Cathy, thinking that Dan would talk about me and that it might be awkward if she slipped up and called me Cate.

"Deirdre?"

"Wow! Dan's right. You really do look like Julie Delpy. She's one of my faves." She gives me a big hug.

I decide that the first impression of her is a good one. "Aw, thank you, Deirdre. I think he exaggerates the resemblance, but at least he compares me to a woman who is beautiful and talented."

"Well, he's right. The resemblance, and the beauty, is obvious. Maybe it's the French ancestry."

Deirdre is truly beautiful, younger than me by eight years, taller, thinner, a smoldering brunette with blue eyes, long luxuriant hair, and a better tan than I could ever have. I should have felt threatened by all of that, but being suitably different and close in appearance to the two women whom Dan cheated on me with, she was much like my best friend Kyra, the first woman I encouraged to seduce my husband. That is part of how she got the assignment.

I'm buying her dinner. We've met at a nice place in a city that I've visited many times on business. She hasn't lived here long and I'm happy to take her to a new place in her new town. I thought I might feel overdressed, but she is as elegantly dressed as I am.

"So, what do you want to know, Cathy?"

I hope to put her at ease by getting the awkward 'you've had sex with my husband' fact into the open. "Well first thing, just please tell me... was he really as good of a lover as his profile suggests?"

"Oh, yes. He's one of the top five for me, and that's saying something. I've been a black card sister for over ten years. And he wasn't my only... client during the time we..."

"You hesitated on the word client. Please tell me what you were thinking. I once wanted to be able to think he was a lousy lover, to take some of the blame away from me. Now I just want honesty."

"He wasn't just a client. It wasn't all sex. It was genuine friendship. I hope it's okay if I keep in touch with him."

"Oh, of course. I hope you stay close. If he visits here on business or you visit Columbus, feel free to... reacquaint yourselves. I can afford bonuses."

"Thanks. It helps to feel welcome. And no bonus will be necessary. I'm living pretty well now. It's taken me a while to build a nest egg, but I just made my first one thousand share play the other day. Netted fifteen dollars per share."

"Ooh, congrats, Deirdre. It will really start to roll now. I'm so grateful for all you've done. I only wish I could have made you feel more welcome."

"Please, call me Dee. I sensed that welcome all along, Cathy. Dan was a rare gift for me. And it felt good to be so happily included in your lives. I could tell that you really love him. I'm not privy to much in our cause, but I understand that you're both much more important to it than I am, and I was happy to be a part of that."

"We're all sisters, Dee... I call it the sisterhood. We each have our roles. Dan and I are just corporate ladder climbers."

"No need to explain. I enjoy my role. I would like to keep in touch with you, too, if that's okay."

"Of course, Dee. I've just... Dan and I have just... I'm kind of messed up right now and I'm struggling to find my way out of it. It isn't his fault at all. I got into some kinky stuff for the sisterhood and it went a little extreme for me. Now I guess I'm a little too bored with vanilla sex. I want to know if he's got any... wild sides that might help me. You already know I'm seeking another... friend for him."

"Another mistress. It's okay to call us that."

"Yes, a mistress. I appreciate your help with that, but I'm also trying to improve our communication. Did Dan tell you any of this?"

"Um, yes. I think it's a good thing. You're getting a little outside of his comfort zone and that's good. He was... losing interest."

Losing interest? It is very good to hear that insight while I can do something to fix it. Like many women, during the truly unhappy years of my marriage, I tried and failed to do things to 'spice up our marriage' or 'keep the romance alive', mainly by placing demands on Dan that only lead to unenthusiastic sex at best. Mainly they were just misplaced cries for attention. I have to make sure that I don't backslide into that, but I'm afraid of going into sex that is too dark for him. "Did you take him outside of his comfort zone?"

"A little. Nothing too kinky. We told each other some fantasies and did some role playing. He has some good fantasies that you might want to pry out of him. If I told you them..."

"That would be bad. I should learn them from him."

"Yes. I have a proposal for you. He'll probably feel comfortable telling me some things about your progress. He really admires you, and he bounces ideas off me, like for gifts to you and places to take you. We converse privately, by phone or email. I can see passing on some of his feelings to you, about what you've done I mean. Like, I know that you were a little submissive one night recently and he enjoyed that."

"Good. Thank you. That's exactly the kind of feedback I need. I'm thinking of being a little dominant soon, too."

"That would be... good, if you take it slow enough. He's no fan of pain, and I think he is strictly hetero, but he... well, I'll make a suggestion. I was feeling pretty aggressive one time and I... will it hurt you to hear intimate details?"

"No, I'm curious. Go ahead."

"I straddled his face and ground my... self against him. I used his chin and nose. He seemed to get hard faster than normal."

"Was this after he already came once?"

"Yes. I sucked it for the first one. Then I didn't wait for him to go down on me. I just... humped his face. He cooperated, but I didn't make a big deal of it. I was just a little dominant. So, it's something you can try."

"Good. And you'll tell me afterward if I've made him unhappy. Because I don't want to keep going down a bad path."

"Yes. I care about him, so I'll let you know if he sings a sour note or if he seems withdrawn."

"Thank you so much, Dee."

"Oh, and I never really explored this, but you might want to look into CFNM."

"I've seen than acronym before, but I don't really know what it means. I take it the F and M are for female and male."

"It stands for 'clothed female nude male'. Some men are more submissive when they're in that situation. Even more so with several women present. It's embarrassing and humiliating for them and some men secretly like that. They can't help but get hard."

Wow! This is good to know, if it's true for Dan. So simple. "And you have reason to think Dan might?"

"Well, yes, from some of the fantasies we shared that we can't talk about. And I used to start undressing him when he got to my place and he always stopped me long enough to undress me first. He didn't want to be naked while I wasn't. One of the things we learn for data mining our clients is that, if it seems like a man doesn't want something, it might mean that he avoids it because he enjoys it uncomfortably much. You've got something submissive planned for him. If you remain clothed and get him undressed, it might help."

"Thanks, Dee. That might be very good advice."

I thought back to the times when I walked in on him while he was undressed. I knew it made him uncomfortable. I attributed it to being raised in an uptight Catholic family, not unlike my own. But I also knew that those situations could cause erections. I never thought to exploit it to dominate him. After sex, it wasn't an issue. Remaining naked while I dressed was not a problem for him.

"He did mention one other thing, you might want to know. That week with you and that other woman, Chelsea, that was a big surprise to him. He didn't know about you and... that side of you. He really liked that. I never would have guessed that about him."

"Does that bother you, what I did with them? He was kind of wasted afterward."

"It bothered me all right, but not in the way I think you mean. He told me a lot about that week, especially about the first night, and it was... fun to hear about. It made me... aggressive toward him."

She seemed embarrassed to admit that, and I suspected it implied bicuriosity. "You don't... you don't have anything in your profile about other women."

"That's because I have absolutely no experience with other women. But I heard from a mutual friend that you..."

Something tells me not to say anything just then. She has a point to make and I don't want to guess incorrectly. I wait and give her my most encouraging smile.

She takes a deep breath and commits, "...are good with beginners."

Ah, that mutual friend must have been Beth.

"I've always felt something for Julie Delpy, that sexy mouth, and the way she always looks so elegant. So much like you."

I smile to acknowledge her meaning and she smiles back, looking very vulnerable and anxious. I can't resist her charm, and I have no reason to.

"My god, Dee. I haven't had a sweeter more enticing offer since, well, since Dan took my virginity. Do you have a few hours before you have to be anywhere?"

"Yes, my sitter isn't expecting me back before midnight."

"Would you like a cocktail at my hotel's bar after dinner?"

"Do you think they'll have a good cognac there? Dan kind of spoiled me."

"I'm certain they will."

Dinner passes in a blur of anticipation.

Nervous anticipation for me and I'm sure much more anxious for her, but she hides it with aplomb. I sense that any overt display of intimate attraction would be unwelcome and that's good for me. The world does not need to become aware of the heat building in us. The hotel bar has a wonderful XO and we both indulge. The drinks soothe our jitters and when she walks with me to my room, it is as if we are just two friends traveling together. It's an act for anyone who might see us. As soon as she gets inside my room door, she lets the act slip.

"Oh god, Cathy. I'm so nervous. Please don't be offended if I do something wrong."

"Dee, we're just two human beings seeking... something wonderful together."

"But I don't know what to do."

"Well, it starts the same way as it does with men. I want to please you and I want to experience the pleasure of you. So, because this is your first time with a woman, how about I give you the royal treatment."

"The royal treatment?"

"It's something special. You just let me please you.

"I want to please you too, Cathy. I just... I'm just so nervous."

"I know that telling you to relax won't help, Dee. Let me relax you."

I place a towel and a pillow on the room's easy chair.

"Oh. Dan has done this for me."

Surprisingly, that doesn't hurt a bit. I stand in front of her and place my hands on her hips. She seems uncertain about what to do with her hands. I lean into her and inhale at the pulse points on her neck.

"I love your perfume."

"Thanks. I almost never wear it. Men get nervous when their wives might scent another woman."

I want her to feel comfortable with talk of our shared lover. I want her to know that I am comfortable with it.

"I never scented you on Dan. Anywhere on Dan. I tried. I wouldn't have minded."

"He was always extra careful."

I tilt my face up to her, nuzzling my nose against the underside of her chin. Her lips come down to meet mine. We kiss, tentatively and tenderly at first, but then passionately. She seems to melt around me.

"May I undress you, Dee?"

She bites her lip and nods, so I reach behind her and unzip her dark blue dress. She rolls it off her shoulders and I slide it down her long legs until she can step out of it. She's wearing matching black lace panties and bra over black holdups. She steps out of her heels and our heights almost match, so I put my arms around her and kiss her again, looking straight into her eyes.

"You're so beautiful, Dee."

She looks as if she doesn't believe me. She has very small flat breasts and very straight hips. It's hard to believe she has borne two children. It's clear that she works out, because her arms are muscular and she has a nice six-pack.

"Please unzip me."

She helps me out of my dress. I've worn matching deep red undies and I hear her breath catch as she sees me in them.

"Shoes on or off?"

"Either way, Cathy."

I normally would remove them, but she seems more comfortable with me nearer her height, so I leave them on. I nibble her earlobe and she melts more. My hands rise from her hips and find the clasp at the back of her bra. Her hands find the clasp on mine. We tangle a little as we each try to remove the other's with both hands. She releases her grips and I toss the tangled garments dramatically over my shoulder and across the room with a giggle.

She giggles, too, and I feel a good chunk of her anxiety melt away. I look at her breasts and then back up into her eyes.

"Too small. I know." She's biting her lip nervously, as if my opinion really matters to her. They are the smallest that I've ever seen on a grown woman, nickel-sized dark red caps with tiny peaks on tanned small mounds that could fit in a custard cup.

"Nonsense. On this, I agree with Dan. More than a mouthful is a waste."

She giggles. "Yes, he did say that more than once. I wasn't sure if he meant it, since he has more than a mouthful with you."

"He meant it, Dee. He always tells me that proportion is way more important than size, but I think my C cups are almost bigger than he really likes. I was a small B when we first met. I'll be honest with you though, these are adorable."

I lean down and roll my tongue around one nipple and she gasps and stiffens. I withdraw and look up at her. She's looking up, as if there is something interesting in the far corner of the ceiling and her mouth is a wide oval. I watch as the corners of her smile round up and return over and over again. Her whole body is tense and twitching slightly. I place one hand on her ass cheek and feel it pulsing. It stops and she looks down at me as if she's confused.

"Oh, sweetie, did you just come?"

"Kinda. That happens to me sometimes."

"I can sure see how Dan could love that. I... I'm too hard to turn on sometimes. You already know that, don't you?"

She nods her head. "Does that upset you?"

"No, I've hoped he talked about our... difficulties with someone he can trust. I'm glad he confided in you."

"I... This doesn't always happen. And when it does, it's not over for me."

I chuckle at that. "I'm glad. I have no desire to stop pleasing you yet. Would the High Priestess of Orgasmic Bliss like to take her place on the throne?"

"Geez, I'm not that bad." She's smiling, seemingly happy that I've accepted her quirk.

She steps over to the chair and I kneel in front of her. I peel her panties down and reveal a small short black bush. She sits on the towel, forced to the front of the chair by the pillow. She keeps her knees together in front of her and leans over to kiss me, taking my head in both hands as she does. I reach behind her back until my hands meet, rub them smoothly up and down her back and the around her hips and onto the tops of her thighs. I bring my thumb tips together in the valley of her inner thighs and pull my hands slowly back to her knees, bringing a contented purr from her.

I apply a slight pressure, to let her know that I want in. Her knees part and then her feet move apart. I push her back onto the pillow and move forward on my knees until her thighs are pressing against my sides and her pubic hair is almost brushing my belly. I lean over and lick a nipple. No instant orgasm this time, just a soft exhale that lets me know the stiff little bud in my mouth is enjoying my friendly tongue.

After also renewing my acquaintance with her other nipple, I sit back on my thighs and lean down to her tiny pussy. I rub one fingertip down from her navel to her bush and then on to her wet folds. I push that finger into her and immediately feel the squeezes of orgasm. They aren't real forceful, and they don't last long, but when I bring my tongue in and tease around her clitoris, they start again. She brings her fingers to her nipples and I bring her to one orgasm after another, each getting a little more intense until finally, she can take it no longer and must push my face away as her tight muscle 'milks' my finger.

"Oh, god, that was wonderful, Cathy."

"The throne is special, Dee. I think you're the first woman I've done that with."

"It's my turn. Only... I don't know if I can lick a woman's... down there."

"It's not all about licking, sweetie. It doesn't have to be about licking at all." I grab her hand and lick and suck on her middle finger. "I'm sure there's at least one part of your body that knows what to do. I have a strapon you can wear if you want."

"No. That's okay. If I'm going to make love to a woman, the first time it will be as a woman, not as a fake man."

"Well, that sounds good to me." I like that she said 'the first time' as if more times are likely. "Maybe the bed would be a better venue."

"To the bed it is."

I strip off the covers, step out of my shoes, and we crawl in beside each other. Facing each other, we just kiss for a while. I know she tastes her juices from my face, but of course that's undoubtedly happened before, from Dan's face at least. I made sure that his mistress candidates were comfortable with giving and receiving oral sex and with kissing the husbands they are given to. Mistresses kiss, prostitutes might not.

She starts to rub a thumb around my nipple and I feel my pussy start to respond. She moves her face lower as she wraps her fingers and thumb around my handful-sized breast, leaving my nipple exposed.

"May I?"

"You may do whatever you feel comfortable doing, dear. Just push me where you want me to go."

Her mouth envelopes my nipple and begins to suckle. She reaches behind me and slips her hand into my panties to fondle my ass cheek. I've certainly had more aggressive female lovers, but this tenderness is good. Her hand slips from inside my panties and begins to peel them down. I help her remove them from me and roll onto my back. When she pushes, I open my legs and let her hand slip in between my thighs. When her finger first makes contact with my slit, we both make a deep sigh and then giggle about it.

She is good with her hand. She continues to suckle one nipple while fondling the other with her fingers, but her hand is as intimate and comfortable around my pussy as my own. I think she is going to bring me off with it but she stops and also pulls her mouth from my nipple. I roll my head up to see her sniffing her finger. I can tell that she has difficulty with the idea of licking what she smells.

"It's okay, Dee. The taste of strange pussy isn't for everyone."

"I guess I'll never know until I know." She licks my syrup from the tip of her finger and discovers what so many billions of men and women have discovered, that the first taste of strange pussy is only the first of many future tastes. She crawls between my legs and starts to lick. She was more skilled with her finger, but when I put my fingers to work on both nipples, her tongue starts to evolve, learning what I like and bringing me to the precipice of bliss. "Mmm, suck, yes, like that. Ooh, hard now. Yes!"

I cascade over as she sucks my clit and continues punching it with her tongue. Her face rides along as my hips buck and roll with my pleasure. She keeps drawing shudders from me, until my orgasm is decisively over.

"Enough, Dee."

"Too much?"

"No. Perfect."

"I did good?"

I see what Dan saw in her, eagerness to please and easy to please, just as he is. She learns her lovers quickly.

"You did great. Come up here."

She crawls up and I kiss and lick her face as she kisses mine.

"You will call me when you come to town?"

"Yes, Dee. I will enjoy this town much more with you here. Now let me give you a neck rub. You'll probably be sore from this in the morning."

"I guess I'll just have to practice."

"You have someone in mind."

"Yes, my swapmate is bi. She's beautiful. I think the attraction is mutual. I didn't want to risk failing with her and straining our arrangement."

"Swapmate?"

"A sister. She takes care of my kids when I have a client and I take care of hers when her clients visit. We coordinate other things, too. It's better for the kids to have one familiar co-mother than multiple sitters."

"She's with them now?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to shower so she doesn't know about..."

"No. I want to go kiss her goodnight so she does."

"She won't be jealous?"

"Not the way I plan to kiss her."