Annie*, a 49-year-old married mother, is having a secret affair with a 33-year-old man named Hardeep*, whom she met by chance at a cashpoint. The pair have sex about five times a week, and Annie says the affair has become 'the best thing that has happened to me' amid a sexless marriage and the challenges of menopause.
A Chance Encounter That Sparked an Affair
Annie, who has been married to her husband for 12 years and has a teenage daughter, says she met Hardeep 'by chance at a cash point, and there was an instant connection between us.' She gave him her number, knowing 'deep down they were going to be more than friends.' At the time, Annie was in the early stages of menopause, and her husband, who had 'never been into sex,' showed no interest in intimacy.
'Hardeep and I began texting on Whatsapp, initially just polite chitchat and stuff about our daily lives,' she explains. 'It was a phase of my life when I was constantly horny and thinking about sex. My husband had also put on three stone and I was starting to feel less attracted to him. Hardeep has a lean body, neatly trimmed beard and beautiful skin. I hadn’t planned to start an affair, but it just happened.'
A Week in the Life: From Raunchy Texts to a Hotel Rendezvous
In her weekly sex diary, Annie details a week of passionate encounters. On Monday, with Hardeep working away, they resort to raunchy messages. He instructs her to 'put your hand in your knickers. Imagine it’s mine. Are you wet?' They exchange explicit videos and masturbate together over video call, with Annie noting 'orgasm comes easy.'
Tuesday finds them at an art gallery, where Hardeep, a lawyer with an artsy side, initiates a quick encounter in a disabled toilet. Annie admits feeling guilty but says, 'I’m too horny to let it bother me.' The encounter ends with her climaxing 'very fast' and finishing him off in front of a mirror.
Balancing Family and Desire
Wednesday is a quieter day as Hardeep takes his mother to the eye doctor, but he sends sexy videos from their last hotel meeting. Annie reflects on their connection: 'My head spins because he’s so intense and determined to please me.' They also discuss the impossibility of a full relationship due to their families.
On Thursday, they book a hotel for a few hours. Annie arrives with no underwear, and they have sex for hours. She notes they don't use contraception because she's 'too old to conceive,' and she's unconcerned about STIs, believing 'most can be cured these days.' She returns home in time to cook dinner for her family, her mind still in the hotel room.
The Thrill of Secrecy
Friday brings a brief café meeting where Hardeep strokes her thigh under the table. Annie meets friends in the evening but keeps her affair secret, saying, 'Part of the thrill of Hardeep is that no-one knows. In our world, it’s just us two that exist, in a bliss of pleasure and devotion to one another.'
Saturday is a countryside adventure. They drive out, with Annie pleasuring him in the car, nearly causing an accident. They park in a remote layby and have sex in the car, then a 'quickie in the bushes' during a forest hike. Annie says, 'I don’t ever feel bad about having an affair since my husband simply rejects me and pays no attention to me. I became like an old living room chair that just sat there each day but was not seen.'
A Glimpse of the Future
Sunday is spent as a 'good mother and wife,' doing chores and preparing lunch. Annie says, 'I do the chores happily, my time with Hardeep is my private reward.' She admits her affair will eventually end, but for now, she's enjoying her body 'while I’m still in my prime.' She adds, 'Only few more years and my daughter will go to college, and after that, maybe I’ll finally leave my husband and be alone.'
Annie's story highlights the complexities of menopause, desire, and unmet needs in long-term relationships. According to Annie, her husband has never been interested in sex, and they haven't been intimate for over three years. She says, 'Maybe what I’m doing isn’t normal, but frankly I don’t care, life’s short.'
