The only sounds in the room are the quiet rustling of sheets and the soft moans of lovemaking. There’s the usual twinge of guilt as I peck my way down my lover’s smooth stomach, the thought that I’m cheating on my wife back home snaking its way in my heart. Yet I bury it deep, deep down, too caught up in the heat of the moment. My wedding ring lies forgotten at the bottom of the military trunk at the foot of my bed. Actively being in the marines means I get called back to duty several times, giving me many chances to find new women to fill the emptiness I feel away from my wife.

“Good girl.”

I praise my temporary lover as I kiss her inner thigh, teasing her the way I would with my wife.