Standing by the cooker, I stirred the risotto bubbling away in the pan and took a sip of white wine, my foot tapping to the beat of the jazz music trickling from my stereo speaker. A handsome man padded across the room, giving me a peck on the lips before topping up my glass and asking about my day. It was January 2023 and, while it might seem I’m in a committed, loving relationship, the man I’m with is married – and not to me.
We met through a website for people seeking discreet affairs, and we have enjoyed numerous dates together in my home. After a lovely evening, he goes back life, focusing on my work as a relationship taking care of my elderly mother and disabled brother. I call myself a serial mistress, and while it might be an unusual lifestyle choice for some, I’ve been living like this for more than 20 years and have loved every moment.
AGE AND EXPERIENCE
Early on in my dating life in my 20s, I was attracted to older men who were often, given their age, married. I found younger men were preoccupied with partying and lacked emotional intelligence so quickly and, at 23, met a married man who was senior. I valued his wisdom, which undoubtedly came with age and experience, and he seemed to love my company too. I didn’t feel guilty – after all, he chose to be with me. In the end, he left his wife and we were married for eight years until he died of cancer in 2000, aged 51.
I was heartbroken, widowed at only 31, but I wasn’t looking for another husband or someone to start a family with. I wanted to meet people I could experience life and have fun with.
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