Sebastian turned to Alex a bit dishearted by the man's comments and shook his head slowly,<i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(204, 102, 255)"> "not a story Alex, but rather the truth. Sarah and I are truly happy together in our marriage. Our life together is not a sitcom to entertain or amuse our houseguests so you can be assured that there is no pretense on my part." </span></i>Bastian said simply yet smugly in a somewhat pompous manner as he looked from back and forth from Alex to Sarah.<br/><br/>When Alex spoke of Derek and then about the running joke back in high school about stealing wives Bastian's face went pale... a trace of fear in his eyes. As he continued to look back and forth from wife to Alex he recalled just how many of his past girlfriends that their houseguest had managed to lure away... had stolen from him... nearly all of them he thought to himself.<br/><br/>Bastian paused as he looked at his beautiful wife, focusing on her as he spoke in a feeble attempt to reassure her,<i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(204, 102, 255)">"darling Alex is merely joking... exaggerating... those days long gone. We were hyperactive hormonal teenagers back in high school who didn't know any better."</span></i><br/><br/>Then he turned his gaze back to his dinner guest,<i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(204, 102, 255)"> "come now Alex, admit it... back then we were no more than impetuous teens. We have grown into adulthood now... no longer rash children acting out... squabbling and bullying. True back in high school you might have seduced a few of my past girlfriends but that was then and this is now. Stealing a teenage girl away from an awkward acne-riddled boy is not the same thing at all as stealing away a successful man's faithful and loving wife of many years." </span></i>Bastian said in a somewhat sanctimonious and holier-than-thou tone. His voice cracking as it rang out in a pretense of confidence.<br/><br/>Then he again turned his wife a worried and increasingly worried look on his face,<i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(204, 102, 255)"> "tell him, darling, tell him that you love me and could never be lured away by another man. Besides such things are teenage fantasies relegated to the spicy letters section of old-time porn magazines our fathers used to collect or the smut movies and memes of today. None of that is real in this day and age." </span></i>Bastian croaked his throat going dry causing him to reach out and take a long sip of wine. His eyes still nervously looking towards his wife.