I could get fired for this, but what the hell

“Melody and I have an arrangement,” he ventured.

I swallowed a word and spoke a whisky; the single malt burned in an odd place. Covering up a choke, I handed back the glass.

“You have an open marriage?”

He seemed relieved. “Good, you’ve heard of those. That saves me a lot of explaining.”

“I mean, I’ve heard of them. I’ve just never met anyone in one. What’s it like?”

“It’s… what you make it. I’m not sure what to tell you. It is what it is.”

“But don’t you get jealous? Doesn’t she?”

“At first, sure. But I know she’ll always come back. And she knows I’ll be here when she does. We’ve been together a long time, Julie. Things change when you know someone long enough.”

“You mean you fell out of love?”

“No, quite the opposite. Our love is deeper than it’s ever been.”

I didn’t get it. Not completely. The suspicious side of me wondered if he was just a very smooth sleaze bag, but the idea didn’t sit right. Garden variety sleaze bags tend to be all-or-nothing. They’re either full-on into you, or they talk about their tastes and other conquests, hinting at a standard you’re supposed to live up to.

I didn’t see that in Henry Aston; not in his tone, nor his demeanour. You meet enough rich businessmen who act like they’re God’s gift, and you can spot them a mile off. No, this guy was giving me a glimpse into his life the way he lived it. That was that.

And I have to admit, despite my reservations, the idea lit me up.

Here was a charming, attractive guy who came pre-vetted by a woman who was obviously a catch, _and_ he was available with no strings attached, no risk of either of us expecting more because we’d both know the deal.

We.

I say that like it was even on the table.

Maybe it was. As we left the bar, he put his hand on my back. It lingered after we crossed the threshold—an invitation? I didn’t pull away or shrug it off, but fell in step and matched his pace. Would he take that as a yes? Would I have minded if he did?

About Henry by JL Peridot

Let me tell you about Henry. I could get fired for this, but what the hell.

Julie was perfectly fine, admiring the rich American Henry Aston from a distance. That is, until he asked her out to dinner. But there's just one problem: CapriLuxe Perth has a strict policy against employees fraternising with the guests.

Sorry, two problems: Henry Aston's married.

ABOUT HENRY: A NOVELLA presents JL Peridot's erotic short story, originally published in the notorious CapriLuxe Chronicles anthology, and featured on The Good Bits website and podcast.

It also includes the follow-up story, ABOUT HER, where we discover what happened when the Astons got back from their road trip; what happened after a chance meeting in a cocktail bar on the other side of town; and what happened when Henry finally introduced Julie to his wife.

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JL Peridot writes love letters to the future on devices from the past. Visit jlperidot.com for the full catalogue of her work or subscribe to Dot Club for a collection of her tiny stories.