Making a famine where abundance lies

There is an open question.

I have always justified my (planned) infidelity on the grounds of necessity.  Like almost everyone else, I need sex, and more than that, I need warmth, physical companionship; and given my wife's attitude, this looks like the only way to get it.

But suppose that this thing with Catherine does flower, as now looks extremely likely, and I get to see her a few times a month.  If that does happen, is that it, is that my whole infidelity budget?  A starving man who steals a loaf of bread is caught between conflicting moral imperatives; if he then goes and steals a jar of jam and a six-pack of Corona, he's starting to look like a thief.

On the other hand, there are no sure things and even if I do regularize the relationship with Catherine (knock on wood), it certainly isn't permanent: she explains her infidelity by a need for variety -- I am, in her words, "fresh", but freshness doesn't last, so the clock is ticking and I certainly don't want to weather another long dry spell like the one that is (I hope) just ending.  It behooves me, therefore, to start looking for a backup.

Plus, let me not kid anyone here (especially myself): it's fun.  It's really great.  When I see a pretty girl, I don't think, "Gee, I wish I could get her in bed"; I think, "How do I get her in bed?", which is much more fun.  And when I do actually get her in bed, that's even more fun.  (Well, judging from the back seat -- I'm assuming a real bed would be even better than that.)

Finally, it seems like a shame to waste the opportunity.  Everything I've read and seen indicates that a woman's desire to sleep with you varies inversely with your apparent desire to sleep with her.  Not every woman, but most.  Right now, my ability to be cool and charming is at its zenith.  If any given woman won't have sex with me, that's fine; I know one or two others who will.

This is not purely academic.  Friday, I'm going over to meet with Amelia, a friend-of-a-friend who needs help with some technical article she's writing.  I've never seen her, but my friend says she's pretty and I've talked to her on the phone and (a) she's hugely charming (OK, maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed, but funny and sweet), (b) she has the cutest lisping accent, Hong Kong I'm guessing; and (c) she was chatty and friendly in way that very lonely people are (trust me).

The decision is, for the moment, go with it, softly.  If Amelia is receptive, go as far as the situation permits; otherwise, give her the help she needs and go home.  As for the moral issue -- well, did I mention how much fun I had in the car with Catherine?