———- o ———-
Linda used her key and unlocked the front door, looking back to see Marc leaving in his fancy sports car. Wow, what an evening and night! Undoubtedly the best fucking she had ever received in her entire life. Opening the door, she wondered what awaited her inside. She was sure that Jim was upset at her for leaving Jim at the club and slipping away to spend the night having sex with Marc and his place.
Of course, she couldn’t have asked Jim for his permission, how would that have gone anyway? What would she have said? “Honey, hope you don’t mind, but Marc, this famous football player, has asked me to come back to his house for a night of raucous sex. You’re alright with me going, right?” Her only real option was to ask for forgiveness after the fact. Now, however, she was worried that Jim might have some difficulty forgiving her.
Jim loved her more than life itself, of that she was certain. If she wasn’t so certain of her husband’s love, then she never would have been able to leave with Marc in the first place. Jim would undoubtedly be upset, however he would surely, eventually, forgive her and she and her family could get back to the way they were before her memorable night. Her family was her rock. Emma and Tommy were great kids and Linda was proud of the way she and Jim worked as a team to raise them. Emma had recently started grade school and Tommy was in his last year of preschool, eager to start Kindergarten this upcoming fall.
“Jim, Jim, I’m home,” she said, trying to sound just like she did when she returned home after running errands. “It’s still just me, the same old me as always,” she said, hoping Jim could hear her somewhere in the house. She noted that the house was dark and unusually quiet. She wondered if her husband was still away and hadn’t returned from his night spent alone in their hotel room. Maybe he had gotten drunk and was having to sleep it off. She wandered through the kitchen and checked the bedrooms, but everything still looked like it did when they left the house yesterday.
It was well past noon as Marc had insisted on having an extended fuck session this morning. I wonder what vitamins NFL teams give their players — that man simply has astounding stamina and recovery. After depositing even more semen in her already well-fucked pussy, Marc and Linda enjoyed a leisurely, soapy shower together in Marc’s super large shower with at least ten different shower head.
After lathering up the soap on Linda’s tits and ass, Marc bent Linda over and once again jackhammered his impressive cock into her well-used pussy, making yet another deposit. He then forced her head around and back to suck and clean his cock. Not the first time Linda had tasted their combined juices.
While she loved her husband ‘to the moon and back,’ Linda couldn’t help admitting that Marc’s take-charge, ‘alpha,’ persona really turned her on. Incredibly, Marc had actually wanted to go again after the shower, but she insisted that she really had to return home to take care of her children. Besides, her pussy was already quite sore and she had managed to clean herself up in the shower after their final fuck. Even as wonderful and understanding as Jim is, I’d really be pushing it if I arrived home with Marc’s semen still leaking out of me. While she would do most anything to make it up to Jim, she certainly hoped that he wouldn’t be in the mood for sex tonight — she didn’t know how much more her poor pussy could take.
Seeing that no one was home, Linda wondered if the kids were still at Mrs. Porter’s house. Oh, crap, Linda thought, we told Mrs. Porter that we’d pick the kids up no later than noon and its already after two o’clock in the afternoon!
Quickly exiting, Linda briskly walked to Mrs. Porter’s house, trying to think of a good excuse and apology as to why she was picking up the kids so late. She remembered that she still had a bit of cash in her wallet so she could make sure that Mrs. Porter was well compensated for her inconvenience.
Walking up to Mrs. Porter’s front door, she rang the doorbell and waited. It seemed to take a while before someone opened the door. She heard the deadbolt being turned and the door opened with Mr. Porter looking at her without speaking.
“I’m sorry we’re late, things were a little crazy, but I’m here to pick up Emma and Tommy.”
Mr. Porter appeared to glare at her in a rather unfriendly way. The Porters were an older, retired couple. They were always friendly with their, generally, much younger neighbors. The Porter’s own children were grown and moved away several years ago. Mrs. Porter loved little children and missed having little ones about, so she was often the “go-to” babysitter for many of the neighbors. On ‘overnights,’ like last night, the children would stay in one of the Porter’s unused bedrooms.
Mr. Porter was usually a quiet man with a smile and a wave to passing neighbors. He seemed like a devoted husband, but preferred leaving the babysitting duties to his wife. He could often be found busy with his flower gardens or tinkering with something in his garage.
“Well, about time you came crawling back from that NFL player’s bed. What in tarnation got into you anyway? Leaving your husband high and dry on your special night for some slick NFL jerk. You really should be ashamed of yourself.”
Linda could feel herself redden under Mr. Porter’s scolding. She had never even heard Mr. Porter say a cross word before. “Um…” she stammered, “did Jim already pick the kids up?”
“Yes, Jim picked his children up last night. My wife had just gotten them put down for the night. Good thing at least one of their parents has morals and shows some responsibility.”
Feeling her pulse quicken, Linda found herself stammering once again. She desperately wanted to get away from Mr. Porter’s judgmental glare, but she needed to learn the whereabouts of her family.
“Oh, okay, do you know if Jim said where they might be going? There is no one at home and it doesn’t look like anyone spent the night there last night.”
“Nope, but if my wife pulled a stunt like you pulled last night, I’d have tossed all her things on the front yard and changed the locks. At least he didn’t do that. You really don’t deserve to have the wonderful family that you have. You should be ashamed of yourself, I’m ashamed to even have you as a neighbor.”
Linda put her head down in shame and started to turn around to leave when she heard Mr. Porter say, “Wait a sec, Jim asked us to give you this if we saw you again. Seems too small to be divorce papers, maybe that’s on its way next. I’d sure as hell divorce your cheating ass if you were my wife.” Turning back around, she saw a small envelope being handed to her by Mr. Porter. Taking the envelope, Linda said a quick, “thanks,” and turned and quickly headed back to her house, hearing Mr. Porter slam his door behind her.
Linda sat at the kitchen table and opened the envelope. A simple piece of paper with Jim’s chicken-scratch handwriting fell out. Linda picked it up and began to read:
Linda,
Last night you broke my heart. I’m not sure if it will ever mend. I really doubt if I’ll ever be able to trust you again. As they say, “once a cheater, always a cheater.” It would be one thing to have a one-night stand if you were alone and out of town and had too much to drink, but to ditch me for a guy you just met (even if he is a famous football player) shows an unbelievable amount of disrespect and betrayal.
I’m sure that, before yesterday, I would have never treated you the way you treated me last night. Today, I wouldn’t think twice about treating you like a worthless, cheating skank, because you showed me that is exactly what you are.
Since you’re reading this, you know that I already picked up the kids, not that you were thinking about them when you were being Asshole’s slut for the night. I returned to our hotel room and realized there was no way I could stay there, so I called Mrs. Porter and headed home.
While Mrs. Porter was gathering the kids’ and their stuff, I talked to Mr. Porter for a while and told him what had happened on “our special night.” He could tell that I was really down, I probably haven’t been that depressed in my entire life. He suggested that I take a little vacation, have fun with my wonderful kids, and try to forget the shit storm that you made out of our life and marriage. What a great idea.
I had been saving money in a secret account to pay for a wonderful trip to Hawaii for our upcoming tenth anniversary this June. Not now. I have absolutely no interest in spending time with you or treating you to a wonderful anniversary trip when you’d rather be some Asshole’s slut. Why would I want to take a filthy tramp on a wonderful vacation? Not gonna happen!
Instead, I decided to take the kids on a vacation instead. I would have told you about it, but I didn’t want to interrupt your time with Asshole and I doubt you’d have answered your cell phone while he was busy fucking your cheating cunt. I already left a message at Emma’s school letting them know that she’ll be out for a while. I left word with my office manager letting her know that I’ll be out for a while, too. I’ve got a good crew and they’ll do fine without me. Also, before you even THINK about telling me “you should have talked to me first before you just left,” let me just say that those were my words exactly.
Jim
Linda read the note over and over with tears rolling down her face. How had she so underestimated Jim’s reaction to her one night away? Didn’t he realize that it was a once in a lifetime chance to be swept away and seduced by a famous NFL football player? Now, she sat wondering if she had unwittingly swept her marriage away.
She believed Jim’s story that he had been meticulously saving extra money for an extravagant tenth year anniversary vacation for them. That was so like him. Now, she realized that the trip that he had planned for them in June would never happen. She frequently told him that Hawaii was one place that she had never been but had always wanted to go. While sad at the lost anniversary present, she realized that she had more immediate problems to address regarding Jim and their marriage.
She needed to find Jim and apologize. She’d swear that she would never again betray or disrespect him the way she did last night. She would beg him to forgive her and she’d shower him with love and convince him that he could trust her once again.
———- o ———-
Not knowing where Jim had taken her children was clawing at her insides. She raced to the walk-in closet to check for missing luggage and found that, indeed, two larger suitcases were missing. She checked Jim’s and the kids’ dressers and found that quite a few clothes were also missing, so she surmised that the “vacation” they were on would take at least several days.
Linda went to the den where the family computer that she and Jim shared for household duties was located. At the login prompt, Linda entered the password that they used, but received a message “invalid password.” What the hell. She tried again, careful to hit all the right keys, but once again she got the “invalid password” message. Jesus! Jim has locked me out of our home computer, he must be really pissed.
I’ll call the credit card companies and have them read me the latest transactions. God, I’m starting to wish I had just turned Marc down when he asked me to dance! No sex, no matter how good, was worth this amount of grief and turmoil.
Linda fetched her purse and started calling the phone numbers on the back of the credit cards. She and Jim had three joint cards that they shared, and Jim had two other cards that he used for his business. One after another, Linda was informed that the cards had been canceled.
With no apparent answers for her family’s whereabouts to be found at home, Linda drove to the bank. Without credit cards, she realized that she’d have to use cash to pay for her day-to-day living until her family returned. What started last night as a dream come true in the bed of an NFL god was slowly turning into a nightmare.
Getting into her car in the garage, she saw the lingerie set from the hotel laying on the dash. The words “Marc’s slut,” crudely written in black permanent marker on the red material. She picked up the ruined garment that she had planned to use to wear for Jim last night. The words and destruction further evidenced Jim’s pain and anger.
At the bank ATM, Linda pulled out her ATM card and inserted it in the slot. She noticed that the card was also a Visa debit card even though they didn’t use the debit card feature. Well, she thought, at least I can use the Visa debit card until Jim gets back and gives me my new credit cards.
At the prompts, Linda requested $100 cash and a copy of their balance. The cash and a receipt slip exited the machine along with her card, ending the transaction. She put the cash in her purse and checked the receipt. What the hell! There is only $150 left in the checking account! There should be almost $5,000 in that account. Linda re-inserted the card and used the prompts to request the balance on the savings account.
Linda had a bad feeling when the machine printed out another slip of paper. Her feeling was made worse when she saw that the savings account only had a balance of $20. That account should have over $10,000 in it! Unless she could tap another source of funds, she was going to have to get by on a little more than $250, plus whatever money was in already in her purse when she left the house. To make matters worse, she didn’t even know when Jim planned on returning home.
Jim used a different bank for his business accounts — it wasn’t as convenient as this bank, but it offered Jim favorable rates on a line of credit. Since she didn’t work with Jim at the business that he started five years ago, she didn’t have any access to the business accounts.
She started to get angry at the position she faced because Jim had canceled her credit cards and transferred most of the money from their accounts. Then she thought of how angry Jim must have been after the way she behaved and treated him last night. Linda was now more worried the fate of her marriage and the fate of her family than she had ever been in her life.
Without access to funds, Linda decided to go to the police station and see if there was something that they could do to help her find her family.
Probably because she looked so frazzled and distraught, the intake office on duty had Linda go back and talk to one of the detectives rather than just filling out a missing person’s report. He told her that they usually didn’t consider it a “missing person” unless the person had been missing for at least 24 hours. Because there were minor children involved, it might be a case where an “Amber alert” was justified, so a detective would talk to her and get the story to see what, if anything, the police could do to help Linda find her family.
Linda stood to the side and waited until a stocky woman with short brown hair came from the back and talked to the intake office.
“Linda?” the woman said, turning her gaze to her. “Yes,” Linda responded, her voice cracked with a bit of emotion, “I was hoping someone here could help me.”
“I’m detective Pitney, come on back to my office so we can talk and you can explain to me what is going on.”
Linda followed the detective back to a small office with a small window overlooking the parking lot. Detective Pitney motioned for Linda to have a seat in one of the two small chairs opposite the detective’s small but neat desk.
“So, officer Malone told me that you’re trying to find your family, why don’t you tell me about your family and the circumstances that led you to this search.”
Linda started telling the detective about her husband Jim and their kids, Emma and Tommy, their ages and physical descriptions. She pulled out a family photo from her purse showing the four of them in a photo taken a few months ago at Christmas. The photo depicted a happy family with all of them smiling at the camera. Linda then went on to explain how she arrived home this afternoon and found that her husband had taken the kids on an impromptu vacation when she talked to the babysitter.
Detective Pitney was a keen observer of body language and facial cues having conducted numerous investigations over her years on the force. She could tell that she wasn’t getting the full story and decided to probe a bit deeper before issuing something as extreme as an Amber Alert.
She asked where Linda had been prior to arriving home and why Linda thought that Jim had left with the kids without letting Linda know where they were going. Linda didn’t make eye contact and told her about going out to dinner with friends the night before, her voice weak with detective Pitney having to strain to make sure she could hear Linda’s story. Pitney got the definite impression from Linda’s evasiveness that Linda was hiding much of the story, probably due to embarrassment.
“Look Linda,” Detective Pitney said in her best compassionate yet firm voice, “I’ve been doing this job for a long time and I can tell that I’m not getting the full story. Before I go issue an Amber Alert for your kids, I’d like to know more about what’s going on. Why don’t you level with me and tell me what really happened. From everything you’ve said, it doesn’t sound like you think that Jim is a threat to your children. If you and he have some marital problems going on, having him stopped by the police while he is taking your kids on a vacation is probably not your best bet. Just to be clear, do you think that Jim may harm your kids?”
Linda looked somewhat surprised at the question, “Oh god, no! Jim adores his kids and would never do anything to harm them. It’s me that he’s angry with and he’d never take out his anger on the kids.”
“OK, that’s what I thought from the background you gave me. Next, do you think that Jim might not come back with the kids? Is he possibly so angry with you that he would relocate and start a new home somewhere else with the kids?”
Linda again looked surprised at the question, “No, Jim has a good business here that he started here a few years ago, I can’t imagine that he would throw it all away just to get back at me. I think he’s just really angry with me and probably needs some time to cool off.”
Detective Pitney thought the situation over and decided that going in with guns blazing would likely cause this family more harm than good, not to mention the long-lasting effect it might have on the children.
“OK Linda, so why is your husband so angry with you? What really happened last night that would cause Jim to leave so suddenly? I promise you, in this job I’ve seen and heard most everything, so nothing is going to shock me.”
With that, Linda bowed her head and relayed the story of their wonderful, romantic night out with friends and how she had skipped out with a famous football player for a night of sex with a perfect stranger instead of spending the night, as planned, with her husband in their fancy hotel room. When Marc dropped her off this afternoon around two o’clock, she learned that Jim had taken her kids on a vacation without her. When finished with her story, Linda could feel her face burning with embarrassment.
Detective Pitney was tapping her ball point pen on her notepad, her eyes staring at the notes she had taken. “Linda, it sounds like your husband is extremely hurt by what you did last night and probably just needs some time to cool off before he comes home. I’ve seen similar things happen before, well maybe not these exact circumstances, but similar nonetheless. By the way, how do you know that he went on a vacation with the kids? Maybe he just took them out for the day and will return later this evening.”
Linda admitted that Jim had left a note at the babysitter’s house that was given to her when she went to pick up.
“Do you have the note with you? I’d like to take a look at it if I could.”
“No, I forgot and left it at home. Jim was very angry in the note and said he was using the money that he had been saving for a trip to celebrate our tenth anniversary on a vacation for the kids instead.”
“Do you think that he might have just said those things to pay you back for how you treated him last night? Maybe he just wants you to get worried, like he was last night, but plans to come back later tonight and won’t really be gone on an extended vacation. You said he has his own business; can he really be away for an extended period without any planning?”
“I don’t know… you might be right. This all just seem so out of character for Jim. I just don’t know what to do.” Linda looked up and saw the look in the detective’s eyes that conveyed, I bet that’s exactly how Jim felt last night when he found out you left him at the club to go home with a perfect stranger and give him a wild night of sex, leaving your poor husband to sleep alone in a strange bed.
“Tell you what, we can address this in a few different ways. We could issue an APB and an Amber Alert telling everyone to be on the lookout for your husband and kids. While that might be the easiest way to find them, I don’t think I need to tell you that — if you want to save your marriage — that is probably going to make things worse. On the other hand, you could wait a few days and see if your husband contacts you or shows back up at home.”
“Since there’s no protective order preventing him from traveling with the children, even if we find him, we can’t arrest him because he hasn’t actually broken any laws. Kind of like how you didn’t actually break any laws last night when you left him at the club to go have sex with Mr. LaValliere.”
The detective’s statement seemed like a gut-punch to Linda. Linda didn’t mean to break Jim’s heart by leaving with Marc but she was just so caught up in the moment that she no longer considered Jim’s feelings. She just knew that he would allow her this one dalliance and that, in the end, he would forgive her. Maybe she didn’t know her husband as well as she thought. She blushed again as she thought, after last night, I’m sure Jim thinks that he doesn’t know me as well as he thought either. Damn, this sucks — way worse than February!
Detective Pitney interrupted her thoughts, “You might want to give him a few days to cool down and return on his own, so long as you don’t think he would actually harm himself or the children. If he hasn’t contacted you or returned within a certain amount of time, we could always issue the ABP and Amber Alerts. Its completely your call Linda, just let me know how you would like to proceed.”
Linda sat motionless, staring at the top of the detective’s desk mulling her options, knowing that if she further antagonized Jim her marriage to him would most definitely be over. How had things gone from so great to so horrible so quickly? Damn, she really wished Marc would have just set his sights on some other married woman last night. She wouldn’t have experienced an amazing short-term thrill, but she also would have avoided having her long-term future with her husband and children placed in extreme jeopardy.
Detective Pitney remained silent while Linda contemplated her options. Finally, Linda responded “I think I need to give Jim some time to cool down. It will drive me crazy, but I’m willing to give him up a few days. If I still haven’t heard from him after three days, I’ll be back to ask that we pursue the APBs and Amber Alerts option.”
“OK,” detective Pitney said, “I think your making a good decision, after all he hasn’t even been gone for a day yet. We’ve got your contact info and you’ve given us the information we’ll need to track him down if that becomes necessary. A case number has been assigned to your case. I’ve written the case number on my card and my card also has my phone number on it. If Jim contacts you or returns home, you need to call this number and let us know so that we can close the case. If he doesn’t return within a few days, call us back and the information I’ve taken from you will be in a file for this case number and we can proceed with other options for finding them.”
Linda thanked the detective for her help and assured her that she would call as soon as she heard from Jim or when her family returned. She returned home and found that she was actually hungry and recalled that the last time she ate was some fruit and coffee for breakfast that she ate naked while at Marc’s house. She wasn’t able to finish breakfast as Marc interrupted her the meal, screwing her right on the kitchen table before carrying her up to his bedroom where he plowed her over and over again.
———- o ———-
The turmoil of finding her family missing caused a mix of emotions — anger, fear, concern, worry. She found herself wondering what mix of emotions Jim felt when she left him at the club to go fuck Marc for the night. God, he must have felt terrible!
The next three days passed by slowly. Every time the phone rang or her cell phone chimed, she rushed to see who was texting or calling only to find that it was either spam or one of her friends, usually Dee, trying to cheer her up and see if she had learned anything about Jim’s whereabouts.
Over the three days, Linda repeatedly used the FindMyPhone app that Jim had installed on their smart phones so that they could always find each other, but each time it indicated that his phone could not be found and that the last known location of the device at their home on the morning before she arrived back from Marc’s. If she had not heard from Jim by noon the next day, she was going to call the detective and ask that they issue the APB and Amber Alert to find her family. She prayed, something she rarely did, for Jim to call her so she wouldn’t have to use such extreme measures.
That night her cell phone rang but the Caller-ID indicated that the call information was “Private Caller,” usually indicating that the call was some sort of robo-call or other form of spam. Given the circumstances, however, Linda quickly answered the call, “Hello?” she said.
“Its me,” she heard Jim’s voice. “I thought I’d call so you’d know we were all right and having a good time.” She noticed that Jim’s voice seemed flat and emotionless, so unlike his usual telephone demeanor.
“Oh, Jim, thank god! I was so worried about you. Where are you guys?”
“Sure you were, would you like to talk to the kids?”
Linda realized that he hadn’t told her where they had gone, “Sure, I’d love to talk to them, I miss you all so much! Look, Jim, I know you are mad at me and you have every right to be…” Jim interrupted her, “Here, you can talk to Emma first.”
Emma got on the phone, “Hi mommy, I love you.”
“I love you too sweetie, are you and Tommy having fun with your dad?”
“We’re having so much fun! Daddy took us to Disneyland and I got to see Mickey and Minnie, I even got them to sign my book!”
“Wow, that’s great honey, I’m so glad you’re having fun at Disney. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to go with you guys.”
“That’s OK mommy, daddy told us how your friend Dee had to have a metal shunt put in her head so she could use her brain again and that you had to stay and take care of her. I hope she’s OK.”
“Emma, Dee is doing just fine, I’ll let her know you’re thinking of her. Do you know when you’ll be coming home?”
“I don’t know mommy; we’re having so much fun at Disney I wish we could stay forever! Maybe you could come and stay with us?”
“I’d really like to see you guys; I miss you so much. Let me talk to Tommy for minute and then I’ll talk to daddy about seeing you.”
“OK mommy, here is Tommy.”
Tommy, being only 4, told Linda about all the fun they were having at Disney and about the rides and things he saw. When he trailed off, Linda asked him to put daddy back on the phone.
“Ya,” Jim said emotionless.
“Jim, I’m so so sorry about what happened the other night.”
“Sure you are. Wait a sec, let me step into the bathroom so that we can talk without little ears overhearing…”
“No Jim, I really mean it, I never intended to hurt you and I’ll never forgive myself for hurting you the way I did, I just wasn’t thinking.”
“Well, you sure weren’t thinking with your brain but we all know what body part you were using.”
“I deserve that and more, Jim. Maybe I need a metal shunt installed in my brain just like you said that Dee had put in her head.”
“She, and the rest of your friends from that night, are dead to me. I had to think of some reason to tell the kids why you weren’t coming with us, didn’t feel right to say that you were off fucking some strange man that you had just met.”
“Jim, I know you’re angry and you have every right to be, but making me sound like some sort of whore isn’t going to help us resolve anything.”
“You know, you’re right. You’re not a whore, you’re a cheating slut, at least whores get paid to fuck. You just jumped at the chance to fuck that NFL jock without even thinking of your poor, pitiful husband.”
“OK Jim, if it makes you feel better to call me names, go ahead and give me your best shot, but I don’t think you are poor or pitiful.”
“I’m not calling you names, I’m just correcting your use of the word ‘whore.’ You don’t have the decency or morals to be a whore.”
“Wow, OK Jim, you win. I don’t want to fight with you, I’ve just been worried sick about you and the kids for the past few days.”
“Just like I thought, it’s all about you. You could care less how I felt when you left me at the club, with me acting like an idiot thinking that you were sick inside of the ladies’ room. You know, that was the single most selfish and despicable act I’ve ever witnessed. You snuck out of the club to go to a stranger’s house and be his slut. A dream come true for you I suppose. Meanwhile, your same selfish act gutted me, the man you swore you loved. It tore my heart out right in front of all of your friends. I’m sure they all got a good laugh out of you turning me into a clueless cuck. But you couldn’t give two shits about me or my feelings, could you? I never knew you were such a cold-hearted, selfish bitch!”
Jim had never spoken anything like that to her before. She knew he was hurting but didn’t realize the extent of his pain until she heard the contempt and vitriol in his words. Tears were streaming down her face as she sobbed at what she had done.
“I’m, I’m so so sorry honey…” she sobbed into the phone.
“DON’T YOU DARE call me ‘honey’ or any other terms of endearment you self-entitled bitch! You lost the right to do that when you went home with Asshole and shit all over the romantic night that we had promised each other as well as pissing all over our wedding vows!”
Linda sucked in a shock of air hearing Jim’s anger and, daresay, hatred aimed in her direction. “Jim, I don’t know what to do, how can we fix things if you’re not here? When are you going to come home? We really need to talk and fix things between us, maybe see a counselor together. I know you don’t want to hear it, but Marc was never a threat to our marriage, he can’t hold a candle to you. I was with him for one night, but you are the one in my heart and the one that I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“You’re the one that broke it so maybe you should figure out how to fix it. I have absolutely zero trust in you now. I have no way of knowing that you won’t skip out with the next jock or celebrity that looks your direction the next time we go out. How are you going to reassure me that something like this won’t happen again? Before Friday night, I would have bet everything that I own that my wife wouldn’t ditch her husband of ten years for a perfect stranger, let alone embarrass me and make me a cuckold in front of a bunch of people that I thought were my friends. Thanks for that, by the way.”
“Jim, I’ll do everything in my power to fix things, but I can’t do it alone and I can’t do it when you and the kids aren’t here. Please, I’m begging you, work with me to put this behind us and save our family. I know I caused this mess, but I just can’t fix it without you. Also, I found out that you pretty much emptied the bank accounts and canceled my credit cards when you left, could you please transfer some money back to our checking account.”
“OK, I’ll transfer some money back after we hang up. I was so angry when I got home from the hotel that I’m amazed I left you with anything. Did you like the adornment I put on your lingerie? I’m sure Asshole liked my words of endearment when you showed it to him.”
“I have no intention of seeing Marc again, so no, I did not show him the beautiful lingerie that you ruined. I bought them for you. I’m sure he wouldn’t have been happy to see it. Despite what you think, he was nothing but a gentleman and would really hate to see what’s happened because of our night together.”
“Sure, only a fine gentleman seduces a dumb, married woman right in front of her clueless husband and sneaks her out of a club for a night of sex back at his place. A real upstanding guy.”
“You’ve made your point. Can you at least tell me when you’ll be coming home with the kids?”
“We’ll be home on Friday around seven o’clock in the evening, I’m sure the kids will be worn out. I’ll take an Uber from the airport so I can delay seeing your cheating face just that much longer.”
Linda did a quick sob at his latest outburst and choked out, “OK, I can’t wait so see you and the kids, I love you all so much.”
“Sure you do, too bad you don’t love any of us even half as much as you love yourself.”
She started to respond but noticed that Jim had already ended the call.
The next day, Linda called Detective Pitney and let her know that Jim had finally called and was due back on Friday. The detective wished her luck with repairing the damage to her marriage.
———- o ———-
The days dragged on and Linda racked her brain trying to think of some way she could repair even some of the damage her tryst with Marc had inflicted on her marriage. She scoured social media and read various accounts of how troubled marriages had been repaired, sometimes with the help of marriage counselors.
She read how some marriage counselors actually made the issues worse when they turned out to be bra-burning feminists that had ill-conceived notions that it was always the husband’s fault. She knew she needed to find a marriage counselor that would make her actions be seen as serious, but not so bad to cause divorce. After hearing the anger and hatred in Jim’s voice on the phone, she knew that finding the wrong counselor would surely be a disaster.
As Friday evening approached, Linda felt herself becoming increasingly anxious, knowing that her family would be home soon, but not knowing if Jim’s anger and apparent hatred towards her had abated, even a little, since their phone conversation. I will just have to shower him with love and affection and show him just how much I need and want him.
Every time she heard a car go past, she found herself looking out the window, hoping that it was an Uber driver delivering her husband and children safely home. A little after 7:30, a dark car parked at the curb outside their home and she watched her husband help the two little ones out of the car as he directed them to go and ring the door bell. Emma and Tommy, both sporting new “Mickey ears” hats, sprinted to the front door. Linda dashed to the door and swung it open just as Emma reached the front door, her younger brother a few steps behind.
“There are my two little angels!” Linda cried, leaning down to catch them both in her arms.
“Mommy, mommy!” the two cried as their little bodies came crashing into their mother, smothering her with kisses and hugs. Tears streamed down Linda’s face as she tried to hold her two babies as tight as she could without hurting them.
“Mommy, why are you crying?” Emma asked.
“I’m just SO happy to see you baby girl, these are tears of happiness, silly!”
“I’m not a baby,” exclaimed Emma. “Tommy’s the baby and I’m two years older than he is!”
“I know, I know, you’re my great big girl, aren’t you? Did you take good care of your dad and Tommy while you were on vacation?”
Tommy then interjected, “I’m not a baby momma, I’m four years old and I’m a big boy.”
“I know, my sweet little guy. Only big boys can go to Disney and ride the rides. Did you have lots of fun at Disney?”
Linda looked up and saw Jim with two rather large suitcases walking towards the front door while the Uber driver drove away.
“Do you need any help, Jim?” Linda asked, careful not to use any forms of endearment, still needing to gauge Jim’s anger level, hoping that he had sufficiently cooled off during the past week at Disney.
“Nope, I got it,” Jim responded. “Why don’t you get caught up with the kids while I unpack the suitcases and put the clothes in the laundry?”
“OK,” she replied, “just let me know if you need any help.” Linda corralled the kids and led them to the kitchen asking them if they were hungry. While munching on some snacks and milk, the two urchins regaled their mother with the fun and adventures they had at the amusement park, in the pool at the hotel resort where they stayed, and even in the airplane on the way home. Linda had to fight back more tears as she regretted missing such a wonderful vacation with her family.
After their snacks, she sought out her husband, finding him putting the now empty suitcases away in the closet.
“Wow, those two sure are full of energy. Sounds like you guys had a great time at Disney.”
“Well, its two hours earlier back in California, so they feel like its only 6 o’clock instead of 8 o’clock. They sure are a handful, but ya, we did have a great time together. Its been a busy day today, so they’ll probably be ready for bed in another hour or so.”
“I missed you SO much, this has been the longest week of my life. Maybe we can go to bed a little earlier tonight so I can show you just how much I missed you?” Linda said with some mischievousness in her eyes.
Jim slammed any chances at a loving reunion down hard and fast. “I don’t think so Linda. Tell me, did you use a condom with Asshole last Friday night and I’m sure a couple of times last Saturday morning? He seemed like the kind of prick that would just insist on fucking his married women bareback.”
Linda was taken aback by his snapping, crude question. She looked down and softly said, “No, I’m sorry, we didn’t. But he’s a professional athlete, so he must get tested, I’m sure he’s clean.”
“Linda, you idiot, he’s a professional athlete, not a porn star. I’m sure the league tests players for steroids and banned substances, but not for STDs. But hey, maybe you’re right, did you happen to get a copy of his latest STD report before you jumped into the sack with him? If so, I’d be happy to take a look. Otherwise, there is no way I’m going to jeopardize my health by taking your word that he’s ‘clean.’ We all know how much your word means these days, don’t we? And I certainly don’t trust the word of some Asshole that preys on stupid, married women.”
“But Jim, how are we supposed to put all this behind us if you don’t take me to bed and reclaim me? I’m your wife and I love you more than you’ll ever know. What do I have to do so you’ll love me again and make love to me again in our bed?”
“Well, for starters, you’re going to have to get tested for every known STD and either get a clean bill of health or get treatment for any surprises Asshole gave you. And, just so you know, some STDs can remain dormant for a while so you can’t just run out and get an STD test tomorrow, you have to wait for the STD incubation periods to end before the test will even be able to indicate that you weren’t infected.”
“STDs, incubation periods? What are you talking about? How do you know so much about STDs anyway?”
“Well, at night after the kids went to bed, I sat up with my laptop researching things. One of the things I was concerned about was any gifts Asshole may have given you and that you could unknowingly pass along to me. For many STDs, the incubation period is just two weeks, but for HIV and hepatitis the incubation periods are significantly longer with some remaining dormant for months. Given Assholes propensity to have unprotected sex with women he doesn’t even know, who knows what he might be carrying around. You might be willing to risk your life to be his slut, but I’m certainly not willing to risk my life not knowing what might be swimming around in your cesspool of a body.”
“Fine, I think that you’re being unreasonable. You’re only saying these things to hurt me, but I’ll get tested and show you that I’m not going to give you any STDs. How long do I have to wait before I can get tested so we can get back to making love?”
“I’d say you could get tested in another week or so, many of the incubation periods for the more common STDs would be over by then. Then, you’ll need to get tested again in about six months to make sure you’re still clean and you don’t test positive for STDs with longer incubation periods, like HIV and hepatitis.”
“To be honest, however, right now, the thought of climbing into bed with you after what you pulled last Friday night makes me want to puke. I have absolutely NO interest in ‘reclaiming’ my wife, or even touching you for that matter. I thought my wife was already mine until she willing gave herself to another man. I’ll sleep in the den for now, I’m sure we’ll have more talks over the weekend.”
“Jim, PLEASE, don’t do this to us! We can’t start rebuilding our lives if we aren’t even sleeping in the same room. I’m SO sorry that I did this to us, I’ll regret my actions until my dying day, but I NEED you back in my life. I want to be your wife again in every sense of the word. I know what I did hurt you, but I promise that I didn’t leave with Marc to cause you pain. He just swept me off my feet and I just had to follow through with the experience. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“You didn’t even think about me that night, did you?” Linda looked down without answering.
“Look, I’m not going to make any promises because, as we know, unlike some, I keep my promises. I might consider returning to our bedroom before your first batch of STD results are back. However, understand that there’s absolutely No WAY I’m having sex with you until I’m a sure that you’re not going to infect me with something, so don’t even think about it. I’ve told you, I’m not risking my health because you ‘THINK’ some unprotected Asshole that you fucked is clean.”
“I was hoping you could just hold me for a while, would that be too much to ask? Maybe rub my back a little like you used to? I could go down to the 24-hour pharmacy and buy some condoms if you want to play it safe, or I give you a blow job if you want, you wouldn’t even have to reciprocate. I just need to feel close to you.”
“I’m just thinking about the last cock that passed through your lips. It wasn’t mine, was it?”
Linda started to cry, lowered her shaking head and quietly said, “no.”
“And I’m certainly not going to wear a condom to have sex with you all because you let some NFL Asshole fuck you repeatedly WITHOUT one!”
“Let’s get this straight. The thought of having you blow me, or even touch me, for that matter, makes my skin crawl. You need to give me some time to even be in the same room with you without wanting to scream at you.”
Jim’s voice started to crack as he followed, “Why, Linda? Why did you have to do this to us, to our family? Your selfishness broke our happy home into a million pieces, and I can’t figure out a way to put it back together again,” as he hung his head and began softly crying.
Instinctively, Linda stepped forward and wrapped her husband in her arms. “I’m so very sorry Jim, I’d do anything to take it back…” she started to say more but felt Jim aggressively widen his arms breaking off Linda’s hug. He took a step back and glared at her, “Don’t you DARE touch me again until I tell you that I’m ready for that.”
“Jim! I’m I’m sorry,” she stammered, “I just wanted to comfort you, nothing more.”
“Fine,” Jim replied, she noticed some of the aggressiveness out of his voice, “I’m going to need some time Linda. You need to know, if it wasn’t for the kids, I’d be long gone and never come back. Even with the kids, I really doubt that we can make it. You were the one person that I trusted implicitly, and you dropped me for a total stranger, without a single look back. And on our special night of all nights. You should have seen the look of pity on the clerk’s face when I checked out of the hotel without even spending the night.”
“Linda, I might have been able to forgive a drunken mistake if you were alone and out of town. Sure, I’d be angry as hell, but maybe I could understand the alcohol and the circumstances caused you to make a huge mistake. But Linda, I was there and watched this happen right before my eyes! You weren’t drunk, you were sober. You even planned ahead and used Dee and a restroom excuse as a diversion to mislead me so that you could duck out and go fuck that Asshole just because he’s a famous football player. A marriage can’t survive without trust and, right now Linda, I have absolutely NO trust in you! How am I ever going to be able to trust you again? How?”
On hearing Jim’s version of the evening and his complete lack of trust in her, Linda crumpled to the floor and sobbed. “Oh Jim, what have I done? I can’t say it enough, but I’m so so very sorry for the way I treated you and our marriage. I wish we would have just stayed home and let Mrs. Porter watch the kids for the night and we could have made love all night long. You and the kids are the best things to ever happen to me, you are my life.”
Looking up at her husband, she continued, “Please promise me that you’ll at least try to let me earn back at least some of your trust, PLEASE? We can go to counseling! While you were gone, I researched therapists that have excellent reviews and really helped couples that were struggling. I’ve got a list of names on my phone, maybe you could look at them and pick one out? I would have stored the list on the computer, but I discovered that you changed the password so I couldn’t use it.”
Jim helped Linda off the floor, she realized that it was the first time that he had reached out and touched her since they were at the club exactly a week ago. He assured her that he would look over the names of the marriage counselors and try to find one that he would be willing to try. Both of them seemed exhausted after the heightened emotions and outbursts. Linda knew she had an uphill road to climb for her marriage, but she was willing to do most anything to keep her family intact.
———- o ———-
The next day, Saturday, Jim was at the family computer and asked Linda to join him. She asked him what he needed and he asked if she’d like to go over her list of marriage counselors. She agreed and grabbed her purse and her phone from the kitchen and rejoined him at the computer. Jim let her know that he had changed the family computer password back to what it used to be.
They sat side by side and reviewed the list of names that Linda had compiled. Linda realized they hadn’t sat this close since being at the club over a week ago, just being physically close to her husband made her feel happier. Together, they went through reviews of the various counselors and Jim nixed several from her original list for one reason or another, eventually leaving them with a set of three counselors with very good recommendations — two were male and one was female.
“I’d be happy with any of these three, at least for starters. Why don’t you make the final selection and we’ll make an appointment?”
From the reviews, Linda felt a little more affinity for the female therapist, but thought that Jim might be more comfortable with a male, so she picked the male therapist that she liked the most, not really knowing why she liked him more than the other guy.
“How about this guy, John Saunders? He seems quite experienced and his clients really had nothing but good things to say about him.”
“He looks good to me too. I’ll call him Monday from my office and make an appointment once I see how my work schedule looks. Are there any conflicts for you over the next couple of weeks?”
“I’ve got an eye exam on Thursday afternoon and a week from Wednesday I have a hair appointment. Other than that, there’s nothing that I can’t easily reschedule.”
“Alright, I’ll text you with the appointment day and time, assuming he isn’t too busy to see us.”
On Monday Linda received a text that the counselor had an opening on Friday at 2pm and Jim had reserved the spot. Linda texted back her confirmation and thanked Jim for setting it up. We’re finally making positive steps to putting our marriage back together. God, I hope this really helps us, we could really use a break.
That night, after dinner Linda asked if having her first test for STDs the Monday after their first meeting with their new counselor would be too soon. At that point, it would be over two weeks since she spent the night with Marc.
Jim stared at Linda for a moment. She worried that bringing up Marc and STDs might set Jim off again. After a moment, Jim’s eyes softened and he said, “that sounds about right for the most common STDs. You’ll have to wait for about six months before you can be cleared of HIV and hepatitis.”
“I know. Do you think you might be able to rejoin me in our bed once I get a clean bill of health?”
“I might, but let’s take it one day at a time. After you do the blood draw and provide whatever other specimens they need, it will be a while before you get the results back, maybe another week or two.”
“Oh, I didn’t know it took so long.” Linda dropped her head and said quietly, “I really miss sleeping next to you in our bed.”
“Well, you’ll want to use a reputable lab to make sure the results are reliable. It might not take that long, but who knows what the backlog might look like.”
Over the next few days, Jim and Linda settled into a new kind of normal. Sleeping in separate rooms, but having family dinnertime together and spending time together with the children. Since the kids went to bed earlier than their parents, they didn’t seem to notice that Jim and Linda were no longer sleeping together. Jim noticeably softened his demeanor with Linda and his angry outbursts towards her all but disappeared.
Jim gave her a new credit card to replace the cards that he had canceled. She wondered why she only got one card when he had canceled three, but she chose to ignore it. Jim was responsible for paying the bills and managing their money so, while she wondered why the checking and saving account balances remained pretty low, she decided not to press the issue so long as she could use her credit card and occasionally get cash from the bank’s ATMs.
———- o ———-
On Friday they had their first marriage counseling session with John Saunders. As introductions were made, Jim asked “what do you prefer to be called? Dr. Saunders, Mr. Saunders, John?”
“Well, don’t call me Dr. Saunders because while I’ve got a Master’s Degree in counseling, I certainly don’t have a PhD. Please, just call me ‘John.’ I’ll call you Jim and Linda, assuming that’s what you prefer?”
“Yep, Jim and Linda work fine for us.”
“OK, so in this first session, I’d like to learn about the two of you, how long you’ve been married, your family life, and finally why you decided to make an appointment to see me.”
Linda took the lead and talked about how they met, how long they’d been married, and their two children. John asked a few additional questions and found that Linda was a stay-at-home mom for the time being, at least until Tommy started school in a couple of years, and that Jim owned his own small business that was doing pretty well. Once the background information exchange had taken place, John asked, “OK, I have a pretty good idea on the two of you, your kids, and your family life. Now, lets talk about why you decided to meet with me and how I might be able to help you.”
At this point, Linda looked over at Jim. “I think you’d be better at telling John what happened, would you mind?”
“No, of course not,” Jim said, as he started retelling the story about leaving the kids with a babysitter and having a grown up night on the town at a nice hotel with a group of friends until Linda abandoned him to spend the night with a famous football player who was a complete stranger to them before that night. John looked a bit startled at the revelation, but didn’t make any comments.
Their appointment time was just about up, so John asked them to each think about the two or three top issues that they were facing and they’d start by discussing them at the next session. They settled on meeting each Friday at 2pm for the foreseeable future.
“Sometimes, after we meet, I might have some exercises or things for you two to work on together. However, for this next week, I’d like you to keep the issues you want to discuss to yourselves until our next meeting. The next meeting might be a little tough as I’m sure emotions and feelings are still, understandably, raw. Over the years, I’ve found that discussing these initial issues during the session time helps keeps things more civil and allows for a more productive outcome.”
Jim and Linda both nodded their head and agreed to think about the major issues that they’d like to work on during their sessions with John. Since Jim had come to the meeting from work, they had driven separately to John’s office. They walked to the parking lot together, both a little subdued and quiet from the initial session. In the past, Jim would usually hold Linda’s hand or have his arm gently on her back or shoulders. Now, however, they walked out without any body contact whatsoever. In the past, when they drove somewhere separately, Jim would insist on walking Linda to her car, opening her door, and making sure she was safely on her way before going to his own car.
“Where are you parked?” he asked. Linda’s heart skipped a small beat as she replied, “Oh, I’m a few rows down, over there to the right.”
“OK, well I’m right over here. I’ve got to go back to the office for a couple more hours, I’ll see you at home later tonight,” as Jim turned to the left and ambled towards his car. It was just a small gesture, or actually a lack thereof, but it spoke volumes to Linda. Jim no longer considered her special, no longer cared for her safety and well-being the way he cared before she screwed everything up.
“Hey Jim?” Linda called after him. Jim stopped and turned back to her, “Yes?”
“I just wanted to thank you for setting this up and going through counseling with me, I know it isn’t easy or fun but I really appreciate the fact that you’re trying to work with me on putting our marriage back together.”
Jim paused and just looked at Linda for a few moments. Finally, he replied, “You’re welcome, Linda,” as he turned and continued walking to his car.
———- o ———-
The following Friday the couple had their second session with John Saunders. Upon arriving in the waiting room before their session, John noticed a bandage on Linda’s arm where she had obviously had a blood draw.
“I see you went in for testing today.”
“Yes, as a married woman it was embarrassing requesting an STD panel, but I got the impression that the nurses see all kinds of cases and they didn’t say anything that made me feel bad. They asked if I had any physical symptoms and I told them no. A doctor gave me a physical exam, looking for any redness or signs of infection and said that she didn’t see anything that looked suspicious. They took blood and I gave a urine sample and they also took swabs from my cheek and vagina, so they were certainly thorough. The good news is that they were pretty sure that they could have the full results back to me within a week.”
“That’s good, glad you’re getting that taken care of.” Just then John opened is office door and ushered them inside to start their second session.
Not surprisingly, Jim’s major issue was that of trust. He explained how his trust in Linda had been completely broken, and that he feared that he would never be able to trust her again, at least not as much as he needed to be able to trust his wife. His second issue was that of inadequacy. He explained that they were talking about resuming intimacy soon and that he had just recently returned to sleeping in their marital bed.
“I am very apprehensive about being intimate with Linda again. She spent almost an entire day with a professional athlete that, in her own words, was extremely talented and played her like a well-oiled instrument. How am I ever going to be able to compete with that? Also, I’m sure that I will wonder if she is thinking about her time with him when she is making love to me. I can’t help it, but I think that most guys in my position would feel the same way.”
John was pleased that the couple was able to discuss some very difficult and emotional issues without resorting to name-calling and angry shouting. Many of his clients weren’t nearly so controlled. John could readily understand Jim’s major issues, and frankly expected them, but he felt that with time, understanding, and love they could indeed reconcile. Maybe not be the same couple that they were before the infidelity, there were certainly some chinks in their armor now, but they could likely return to a state of love and togetherness, if they could work and find a way past their issues.
“Thank you, Jim. I assure you your feelings and issues are not unusual, given the circumstances. Do you have any other ‘major’ issues you want to put on the table before we hear from Linda?”
“Just one more for now. I’m not really sure what to call it, maybe anxiety or apprehension. I feel kind of trapped. I feel like I might be wasting my time in this marriage since I don’t see a path for getting past my first two issues. I’ve already told Linda that the ONLY reason that I’m trying to patch things up and reconcile is because of our kids. I can’t imagine living apart from them, the thought terrifies me. If it wasn’t for them, I’d already be gone.”
“However, if we can’t get past my issues of trust and inadequacy, then this marriage is dead. I’m only 35 and I’m still young enough now to start a new family with someone else. I’m afraid that we might spend lots of time and effort trying to patch things up to no avail. If that happens, then all this time was wasted when I could have been spending it getting started with the rest of my life.”
At this pronouncement, Linda audibly gasped and hung her head and started quietly crying. She had tried to remain composed and allow Jim to express his issues without being emotional, but his last issue caught her completely off guard.
“I’m sorry,” she uttered, trying to regain her composure, “I had no idea that Jim felt this way, I guess it came as quite a shock,” Linda said looking at John. He handed Linda a box of tissues from his desk and Linda took one and dried her eyes and blew her nose. Calming herself, she took a deep breath and glanced at Jim and John, “sorry about that, I was really trying to keep my emotions in check, guess I failed.”
She noticed that when she glanced at Jim his expression was neutral, maybe even disinterested. In the past, he was always concerned and comforted her if she became emotional, especially if she cried. Now he just sat there looking like he was studying a balance sheet.
John continued, “I’d like to briefly respond to Jim’s last issue before we continue. I suggest that, no matter what ends up happening, the time we spend together working on your marriage should not be viewed as ‘wasted time.’ I’ve had many clients over the years work very hard and spend lots of time talking to me about these kinds of issues long after the marriage has ended. With troubling issues, its normal for people to need ‘closure.’ Understanding their feelings, even if the relationship has ended, is a positive way of achieving closure so that you can move on in life in a positive direction.”
He looked at the couple and found both nodding, Linda a bit more positively than Jim.
“Linda, its your turn to share the issues that you see in your marriage, the ones that you want us to focus on during our sessions together, are you ready?”
“Yes, I’ve given this a lot of thought over the past week. I think my issues are closely tied to Jim’s. First, I’m scared that Jim no longer loves me and wants to get a divorce no matter what. I know I screwed up big time, and I know that what I did was inexcusable, but it was just one night out of almost ten years of marriage. I don’t think I’m getting any credit for all the good times and love I’ve put into this marriage for the past ten years. So, I guess this issue would be ‘feeling unloved.'”
“My second issue is ‘guilt.’ I feel tremendous guilt at what I’ve done to our marriage and to my husband. I didn’t plan ahead of time to do what I did. I got caught up in the moment and made some terrible decisions. I thought that it would be a brief, memorable encounter and that my husband, while being upset, would forgive me, knowing that I’d never do it again. Instead, I feel no forgiveness and I find that our marriage on the edge of an abyss. I try imagining if the roles were reversed and some supermodel suddenly had the hots for Jim and swept him away for a night of memorable sex, would I react the same way? I don’t think I would, I think I’d be upset but that I’d forgive him. But I guess it didn’t happen to me, it happened to Jim, so I really don’t know for sure.”
“Finally, I also feel a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty, kind of like Jim feels only different. These feelings have gone up tremendously in the last few minutes, hearing how Jim apparently already has one foot out the door and thinks that he is just wasting his time trying to repair our marriage during these sessions. If Jim does decide to divorce me what do I have, other than my kids, to lean on?”
“In college, I earned a degree in marketing and worked in sales for a few years and I was pretty good at it. I was consistently in the top tier of salespeople and I also won a few awards. I left when we decided to start a family. I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and I didn’t want my kids to be in daycare for most of the day. Jim lovingly supported my decision. Now, while I’ve loved staying home with Emma and Tommy, I think it’s time for me to go back to work.”
“When I arrived home after my night away with Marc, I found that Jim had canceled my credit cards and transferred most of the money out of our checking and savings accounts. I felt helpless. I understand that Jim was really angry with me and did these things to punish and hurt me, but still I felt helpless and completely dependent on Jim for access to money. I no longer want to rely so completely on someone else for my financial well-being. So, I plan on interviewing for jobs when Tommy goes to full-day kindergarten this fall.”
John then asked, “Jim, how do you feel about Linda’s plans to return to work this fall?”
“I think it’s a great idea. Linda’s right, I did cancel the credit cards and transfer money out of our accounts when she was spending the night and much of the next day with that NFL Asshole. And yes, part of my reasoning was to make her feel some pain, maybe a fraction of the pain that I was feeling. However, another part was because I no longer knew who she was. The Linda that I thought I knew would never have left me high-and-dry in front of our friends so that she could go back to some stranger’s house and have wild sex, no matter who or how famous the guy was. When she discovered that I took the kids on a vacation, I had no idea how she would respond or if she’d blow a bunch of money on a getaway for her and her new NFL fuck buddy.”
“Jim, I’ve had absolutely no contact with Marc since he dropped me off Saturday morning, and I assure you that I have no intention of ever seeing him again.”
“But we’re talking about how I was feeling while you were STILL at his house. I had no idea what you were thinking, I no longer thought I knew you at all.”
“OK, I understand, but really Jim, it was over the minute he dropped me off. There is NO WAY I’d even speak to him on the phone, let alone see him again. Especially after everything that’s gone on since that night.”
“I’m afraid our time is up. I think we’ve made some nice progress today. During the next week, I would like you to try discussing one of the issues that we’ve outlined today, whichever one you choose. Pick a time when you won’t be interrupted, maybe after you put your children to bed. Agree ahead of time that if the discussion gets out of hand — too emotional, angry name calling, that kind of thing, that either one of you can call a time out and end the discussion without any recriminations.”
“Agree on one, and only one, issue to discuss for now. It might help to set a timer so that you limit the amount of time you discuss the issue. Agree to go back-and-forth so that one person says how they feel and the other person has a chance to respond without resorting to yelling or name calling. Again, if that starts to happen, call a time out and end the meeting. This week, only schedule one session and discuss the one agreed upon issue from either of your lists. We’ll visit next week and talk about how the at-home session went. If at-home sessions appear to work, we can explore expanding upon them so that we can make faster headway than just discussing them here in our weekly sessions. Don’t worry if you have setbacks, they’re perfectly normal, but with hard work and understanding you’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.”
On the way out of the office to their cars, Linda broached the subject of their first at-home meeting. “Jim, I completely understand all of the issues that you outlined today. Again, I’m sorry that I’m the cause of all of them.”
She looked over and Jim and saw him nod slightly acknowledging her statement. She continued, “My test results should be back soon and I was hoping that we could resume making love once I get a clean bill of health back from the lab. I was hoping we could use our at-home session time to discuss your second issue of ‘inadequacy.’ I’d like to assure you that you’re a wonderful lover and have absolutely nothing to feel inadequate about, so maybe we could use our time to discuss this issue?”
“How about the trust issues?” Jim inquired.
Linda looked down. “I think that’s going to be a bigger issue to tackle and we’re probably going to need lots of help from John. I thought if we could resume some level of intimacy, it might make us feel better towards each other and make it easier for us to address the tougher issues on our lists. Please? I so badly want you back in our bed with me. I need to show you how much I love you and words only go so far. Maybe you could start sleeping in our bed with me this week before I get the results back? I promise not to try anything until after I’ve gotten my clean bill of health. What do you think?”
“OK, I’ll move back to our bedroom tonight. I’m surprised the kids haven’t noticed that I’ve been sleeping in the den. We can talk about the inadequacy issue sometime this week. I’m not promising that we’ll make love the minute you receive a clean bill of health. You need to be patient with me. If you push me, I’ll just move back to the den and sleep there again.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you! I won’t push you, I never want to see you sleep in the den ever again, even if you’ve got a cold. When we make love again, I want you to want me almost as much as I want you, but I’m not sure that’s possible. I haven’t slept well at all with you sleeping in the den. I need you in bed beside me, making me feel safe and loved.”
Linda noticed that this time Jim was walking with her as they walked towards her car. Jim opened the door for her and waited for her to enter. Before she got in, Linda turned and planted a kiss right on Jim’s lips, realizing that it was the first kiss between them since their marriage blew up three weeks before. Jim returned the kiss, but didn’t extend it. He wasn’t much for PDA (public displays of affection) anyway, so this didn’t matter to Linda, she was just happy that they had finally kissed and Jim wasn’t repulsed by her touch.
“I’ll see you at home,” Jim said, “I’ll be a few minutes behind you, I’ll probably stop and get some gas, but at least I don’t have to return to the office.”
The smile never left Linda’s face as she drove home. Things finally looked to be turning, albeit slightly, in a positive direction. True, they had some very big issues to hurdle, but at least — for once — she was reservedly confident about their ability to tackle them without ending their marriage.
———- o ———-
When Jim arrived home, he found Linda talking on her phone in the kitchen. Her back was to him and he didn’t think she heard him come in from the garage.
“Thanks for the invite, Dee, but Jim and I won’t be able to make it.”
….
“I know we haven’t gotten together for quite a while, but I’m afraid we’re going to be looking for new friends.”
….
“I know its not your fault, it’s my fault. Jim feels like all of his friends stabbed him in the back when many of them knew that I was leaving the club with Marc. He feels betrayed that no one even gave him a heads up. Looking at it from his point of view, I can understand how he feels and I plan to support him. That’s something I should have done back at the club; I never should have agreed to even dance with Marc. I’ll regret that decision for the rest of my life.”
….
“Sure, I enjoyed it. Any woman would feel special about being picked out of the crowd by a famous football player, but it wasn’t nearly worth what it has cost me and my family.”
….
“Of course, he was a good lover, god knows he has enough notches on his bedpost. However, I know that I wasn’t special to him. To him I was just an object, an evening’s plaything. There was no love between us. Looking back, the act itself was completely devoid of love or emotion, it was like two dogs going at it. He was aggressive and demanding, that was kind of exciting, but I don’t think he really cared about what I wanted. It might have made for a decent porn scene, but I’d gladly trade a lifetime of sex like that with Marc for just one night of lovemaking with Jim. Lovemaking like we used to share before I ruined it.”
….
“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way. I’m sure you can find another couple to take our place, but Jim has made it crystal clear that he no longer wants to get together with any of the couples and I have to stand with him on his decision.”
….
“Alright, please understand that I have no bad feelings towards you or anyone else in the group. I made some stupid decisions that night and I’m paying for them now. I’m sorry that it means and end to our friendship.”
….
“It’s easy to say that without standing in my shoes. If you guys go back to the club, who knows, maybe Marc will pick you next. He seems to have a thing for married women whose husbands are nearby, probably just a power trip for him.”
….
“If Marc does pick you, I sure hope for your sake that it doesn’t damage your relationship with Dave. I wouldn’t wish the problems that Jim and I are going through right now on my worst enemy.”
….
“Take care, Dee. I’m sorry we can’t be friends anymore, but I’m afraid that’s how it has to be, at least for the time being. Hope you can understand …. OK, bye.”
Turning to put her phone back in her purse, Linda saw Jim standing in the doorway between the laundry room and the kitchen, a big smile on his face.
“Oh, I didn’t hear you come in. I thought you were going to stop for gas.”
“The car has just over a quarter tank, I figured it could wait until tomorrow.”
“How long have you been standing there? Did you hear my phone call with Dee?”
“I heard enough of it. You can’t know how good I feel that you’re on my side supporting me on this. I didn’t know what I would do if you decided you wanted to remain friends and continue doing things with Dee and the rest of the backstabbers.”
“Of course, I choose you over any of them. I made a bad set of decisions three weeks ago, but I’m committed to you and to our marriage over anything, and everyone, else.”
“God, I love you,” Jim said, stepping forward, embracing Linda in his arms and planting her lips with a passionate kiss. Linda’s heart soared; she was so happy that she thought she was going to cry once again, but at least tears of happiness.
Ending the kiss, Linda nuzzled her face into Jim’s chest for a moment before pulling back and looking up at his face. Jim’s smile was genuine and his eyes had a sparkle in them that she hadn’t seen in over three weeks. She smiled up at him and thought, God, maybe we can pull through this mess after all!
———- o ———-
Later in the week, on Tuesday night, they scheduled their at-home session to discuss their agreed upon issue of Jim’s perceived ‘inadequacy.’ After putting Emma and Tommy to bed, Jim pulled a bottle of chilled Leeuwin estate’s chardonnay wine from the refrigerator, one of their favorite brands from Western Australia. The wine was a bit pricy, but a wonderful extravagance that they afforded themselves once in a while. They decided to sit in comfortable chairs in the living room, rather than sitting around the kitchen table in stiff, wooden chairs.
Sitting back and relaxing, they delved into the topic at hand. Jim started off by saying that overhearing Linda’s phone call with Dee probably did more to overcome his feelings of inadequacy than he thought possible. He knew that she wasn’t just saying words to make him feel better since she didn’t know he was listening.
“That being said, I do have to wonder if you still think about your night with Asshole. I suppose you still look at it as a ‘magical evening’ for you.”
“Jim, I’m not going to lie and say that I never think about that night with Marc, I do from time to time. However, as time goes on, and we struggle through our issues, that night feels less and less ‘magical’ and more and more like a big mistake. It was also so out of character to the loving, devoted, wife and mother that I try to be. When I look back, it almost feels like it wasn’t me, but was some other woman that went back to Marc’s place that night.”
“OK, I think I can understand that. At Saunder’s office, you wondered how you would feel if I got swept off my feet by a beautiful woman who gave me a night of wonderful sex while you stood by and watched me leave with her. Let me tell you a little story, I hadn’t told you before because I didn’t want to upset or worry you.”
“If you remember, last summer Jeremy from my office and I traveled down to Dallas to meet with some prospective customers and a possible supplier. We were staying at a really nice Weston hotel on the north side of town. After our meetings, Jeremy and I had dinner and then went back to the hotel bar to further discuss the day’s events and try to make a decision about the supplier.”
“After a couple of beers, Jeremy called it a night and went back to his room. I was still finishing my beer and going through a few emails on my phone. A few minutes later, a very attractive, tall brunette approached my bar table and asked if I’d like any company. She must have been about 5’10” with long, straight black hair that went past the middle of her back but not quite to her waist. She had a thin build and looked to be in her mid to late twenties. I still had on my dark grey power suit, so I wasn’t looking too shabby myself.”
The look on Linda’s face was one of shock. She swallowed hard. Jesus, Jim is about to tell me that he screwed this woman last summer in Dallas. I guess he’s telling me in order to ease his conscious, knowing that it would be damned hard for me to act angry considering what I’ve done!
“I told her she was welcome to join me, but that I probably wouldn’t be staying very long after I finished my beer. I also told her that she was welcome to my table as empty seats and tables in the bar area were in short supply. She sat in Jeremy’s chair and introduced herself as ‘Amber,’ saying that she was in Dallas and staying at the hotel for a few days on business. She said she was a pharmaceutical sales rep and that she had spent the day visiting pompous doctors at nearby offices and hospitals.”
“We probably talked for about 30 minutes, and I’ll admit to engaging in a fair amount of flirting. Amber was easy to talk to, and even easier on the eyes. I could see other guys in the bar looking at us with envy, wondering how I nabbed this beautiful woman. I’ll admit, it was pretty good for my ego,” Jim said with a smile.
“I knew I had full day planned for the next day, so I told Amber that I’d better be getting back to my room. At that point, she put her hand on top of mine. She asked me if I would like a little company back at my room, and she assured me that we’d have a good time together. Jeremy’s room was on a different floor than mine, so there was little or no chance that he’d see us.”
“When Amber first approached my table, I’d noticed that she was wearing a wedding ring. I pointed to it and then to my own ring and said, ‘what would your husband and my wife have to say about it?’ She responded that she and her husband had a somewhat ‘open relationship’ and that they were each allowed to play when they were alone and out of town. I told her that my wife and I didn’t have such an open relationship. At that point, she gave me a sultry look and said, ‘but your wife isn’t here and I am. She’ll never even know.'”
“At this point, I quietly said, ‘you’re right, she would never know. But I would. While you certainly are a beauty, I’d never again be able to look at myself in the mirror without seeing a disgusting, lowlife cheater. Have a good night, Amber.’ I then left the bar and walked to the elevators and up to my room, alone.”
Linda bowed her head. “Jim, you are such an attractive and sexy man. Amber and so many others out there would jump at the chance to have you, even for one night. I’m not at all surprised that a beauty like Amber tried to seduce you. I’m also sure that there have been other women that have tried to seduce you that you haven’t told me about.”
“Your story makes what I did with Marc even more despicable. You resisted a beautiful woman in another city where no one would have ever known that you cheated. I, on the other hand, slipped out of a club to cheat with another man right in front of my husband and a table full of our friends, all because he was a famous football player. I really wonder what the hell was wrong with me.”
“Now you know your answer of how you’d feel if I slipped away with another woman right in front of you. You’ll never know, because it will never happen.”
Linda smiled and looked up at her husband, wondering what she did to be married to such a loyal and faithful man.
“One other thing that I need to know before we put this issue to rest. Did you and Marc do anything that you haven’t done before with me? Anal or anything else a little kinky or a bit different that we’ve never thought of? Anything that one of us suggested in the past and the other refused?”
Linda’s eyes widened when she heard Jim’s question. Jim had tried to convince Linda to try anal sex a few years back, but she refused saying that she wasn’t interested.
“No Jim, we had sex in different rooms, in the shower, and in a quite a few positions, but it was always straight sex or oral. At one point, Marc wanted to put a small toy in my ass, but I told him ‘no’ and I also told him that I wouldn’t do anything with him that I hadn’t already done with my husband. Marc respected my wishes and didn’t try anything like that again.”
Linda thought that maybe she could entice Jim back to her bed with the promise to try anal sex or something else that she had never done with anyone else. “Jim, I know that you wanted to experiment with anal sex a few years back, but I was always too reluctant to try it. I admit that when Marc wanted to play a little with my bottom, a part of me wanted to let him. However, I actually thought of you at that point and how it wouldn’t be at all right to give Marc something that I had refused you. I’m glad that I had at least had that tiny bit of resolve and some thought of what I was doing with him that night.”
“I’ve read more and more about normal, married couples enjoying anal sex and, I have to admit, I am somewhat curious. I’d really like to resume having sex with you, I really miss us making love and being close to one another like that. I promise you that, when we resume our love making, I will have a more open mind and will try to play around like you wanted in the past. I can’t promise you a full-bore anal romping like you might see in porn movies. However, I can say that I’d be willing to try some new things out, maybe start with some small toys, and see where things end up. I’d love for us to have something new and special that is only between us. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like you’re trying to bribe me,” Jim said with a smirky grin.
“Well, maybe I am. I’m desperate for you to make love to me again. Sometimes I feel like a dog in heat. Would you be willing to be with me once I get my clean bill of health? I should be getting it in just a few days.”
“I told you I’d do my best. However, I’m going to need to you be extra patient with me. I might have a lot of thoughts racing through my brain when we first try again, so I’m not promising any fireworks right off the bat.”
“I understand, no expectations or anything, I promise. I’m happier now just sleeping in the same bed with you, spooning each other, holding each other, and falling asleep in your arms. Just looking over at you while you’re sleeping makes my heart sing.”
“When we try again, I’ll be fine if neither of us has an orgasm our first time. Then again, I’ve got to warn you that as wound up I’ve been lately, I’m likely to explode the first time you touch me. But I promise you — absolutely no pressure or expectations. I just want you to feel good being with me again.”
“How about we see if Mrs. Porter can babysit the first Saturday after you get your test results back? Maybe we could go out for a light dinner and then return home and see what happens? Maybe she can watch them overnight so we don’t have to watch the clock?”
“Oh Jim, that sounds wonderful. I just can’t wait to get those stupid results back.”
———- o ———-
The next session with John Saunders went fairly well. Jim and Linda reported that their at-home session went exceedingly well and that they had a good discussion, and may have even resolved, Jim’s ‘inadequacy’ issue. They told John that they planned to resume their love making over the weekend as Linda had received her clean STD test results that morning before their session.
Linda was so excited when she received the results from the lab’s internet portal that she printed the results on a piece of paper. She then wrote in big letters “Guess what we’re doing tomorrow night????!!!!!! I can’t WAIT! I love you so much!” She took a picture of the report with her handwritten note and texted the photo to Jim’s phone while he was working.
Jim was in his office when he got the text message and had a small laugh to himself. He figured that the test results would probably be clean. However, he figured that forcing Linda to go through with getting tested for STDs would drive home the gravity of the situation. It also let her know that having sex with someone else while in a supposedly monogamous relationship could be a very risky proposition, in more ways than one.
Jim told John about Linda’s phone call with Dee that he overheard earlier in the week. Jim expressed that he felt happier upon hearing Linda’s side of the phone conversation than he had felt in a long time.
John turned to the couple’s set of issues that they introduced during the last session. “Well, it looks like you’re making good progress on the ‘inadequacy’ issue. I’m happy for you and I’m really hoping the next week or so really helps you check that one off the list. I get the feeling that the past week has also helped Linda some with her issue of feeling unloved?”
“Yes,” Linda replied, “I think we still sometimes walk on eggshells around each other, neither one of us wants to say the wrong thing and cause a setback. We haven’t had many, if any, harsh words for each other over the past week. Jim also moved back into our bedroom and we’ve been sleeping together since Wednesday, but agreed that there’d be no sex until I got my results back. I’m so glad that I got the results back today. We’ve got a babysitter all lined up for tomorrow night. I think when things return to ‘normal,’ or even ‘better than normal’,” Linda said with a quick look and grin towards Jim, “we should both be happier, I know for sure I will.”
“How about your issue of guilt that you brought up last week Linda?”
“I still have flashes of guilt from time to time. Last week, Jim recalled something that happened to him last summer in Dallas when a beautiful woman tried to seduce him when he was away on business. Jim rebuffed her advances even though they were in another city and there is no way I would have found out if he cheated. I felt guilty because I fell for an NFL jock right in front of my husband and a table full of our friends. That really isn’t the person that I thought I was or the person that I want to be.”
“I understand,” John replied. “I hate to be a party-pooper, because your past week sounds like a really good one, but the issue on your lists that is probably going to the most difficult to resolve is Jim’s issue of ‘trust.’ If we work together and overcome that issue, which I admit won’t be easy, I think we’ll be on the home stretch. Overcoming the issue of ‘trust’ will also convince Jim that his time wasn’t wasted on these sessions, and will also help Linda with her issues of feeling unloved as well as with her feelings of guilt. What do you think?”
“I agree,” Jim replied, “I think you’re right about how the issues are largely related, but as hard as I try, I keep drawing a blank on what we could do to repair my lack of trust in Linda. We were together for almost ten years of marriage, after a few years of exclusive dating, and she walked out on me to have sex with a complete stranger without even a thought about me or our marriage. I know the guy is a famous football player, but we’d never even seen him in person before that night. After that, I really don’t know what she could say or do to make me really trust her once again.”
“Jim, I’ve been a wreck seeing what my decisions that night have done to my you and our family. The past few weeks have been a total nightmare. I know my words don’t mean a lot right now, but do you really think I would do anything to cause us to go through something like this again?”
“No, I doubt you’d do anything so blatant again like you did that night. But how do I know that you won’t cheat again if the opportunity presents itself and I’m not around? I don’t plan to keep you prisoner or watch over you 24/7, that’s not a marriage I’d want for either of us. On top of that, you’ve already said that you plan to go back to work this fall, a decision I support by the way.”
“Jim, please try to understand that on that night with Marc the stars aligned, but unfortunately for us they aligned in a bad way. A famous NFL player, a hero and heartthrob to many, walks over and picks me out of a room full of women and then he proceeds to dance with me and seduce me back to his place. I’m not saying I’m ugly, but I’m certainly no supermodel. For Christ’s sake, I’m a 35-year-old married housewife with two kids. Having a character like Cinderella’s ‘Prince Charming’ sweep me off my feet was like getting struck by lightning on a clear, sunny day.”
“That’s the problem, Linda, it did happen, and whose to say it couldn’t happen again? I’ve got a couple of thoughts in response. First, I agree in the adage that ‘once a cheater, always a cheater.’ You’ve already shown me that you have the capacity, and willingness, to cheat. Maybe only when the right set of circumstances come along, but still you’ve cheated. I’ve known guys that cheated on their wives and it became an addiction. They might try to hide it, maybe only cheat when they away on business, but once they got started, they couldn’t stop. Some of them even expressed the desire to stop, but it was like kicking any other addiction, they just had to have a little bit more.”
“Second, whose to say that another ‘Prince Charming,’ isn’t going to set eyes on you? Yes, you’re a 35-year-old wife and mother, but anyone can see that you’re also a very attractive woman. There’s something about you that attracts men, me included. The Asshole from the club, your own personal ‘Prince Charming,’ obviously enjoys preying on married women. I seriously doubt that he’s the only guy, or even the only ‘Prince Charming’ out there, that has an appetite to seduce married women and make unwilling cuckolds out of their husbands.”
Linda sat back in her seat, eyes somewhat widened and mouth slightly agape, absorbing Jim’s thoughts on the matter. What scared her most was that she couldn’t really disagree with him. She had blatantly cheated, that was a fact. She never would have fathomed that she could so quickly and callously walk out on a romantic night with her husband to have a night of animalistic sex with a man that she just met. But it happened, she was guilty as charged. How could she know that she wouldn’t do it again? Like Jim said, if the right set of circumstances were present, would she be able to resist and stay true to her marriage?
“I, I, I don’t know what to say,” Linda sputtered, suddenly at a loss for words. Looking down at her hands, clasped in her lap, she muttered, “I didn’t realize you thought so little of me, that I was that disgusting and weak.”
“I don’t think you’re disgusting and weak. I’m just saying that on that night you showed me, and yourself, that you have a vulnerability, call it a weakness, to cheat on me and our marriage just as I just described. What assurance can you give me, or yourself, that this vulnerability won’t raise its ugly head again? How do I know that you won’t do something similar ten years down the road and completely destroy our marriage?”
Linda and Jim went back and forth for the rest of the session with John interceding only occasionally to keep things civil, trying now and then to offer ideas and suggestions.
At one point, Linda suggested having a GPS installed in her car and in her purse, in addition to the FindMyPhone app she had on her phone, so that Jim could always know her whereabouts. While Jim thought that it was something worth considering, he countered that he didn’t plan on being her jailor or keeper and wasn’t interested in having to keep track his wife’s every location to make sure she didn’t cheat.
At the end of the session, the couple stood and embraced each other, at first tentatively, but then more enthusiastically until they were in a full-on embrace. Linda spasmed slightly as she started to sob. “Honey, I can’t say it enough, but I’m so very sorry for what I’ve caused.” John lovingly patted her back and soothed, “I know sweetie, I know.”
After drying her eyes with a few tissues from John’s desk, the couple took their leave. This time, on the way to their cars, Jim held Linda’s hand as they walked together. Linda thought of the embrace and realized that it was the first time that she had called Jim “honey,” or any term of endearment, for that matter, since he had admonished her a few weeks back. He had also called her “sweetie,” something he hadn’t done in weeks. The realization made her heart feel light.
Jim seemed to know where her car was this time as they walked towards it. Like after the last session, Jim held her door opened for her and Linda gave him another kiss on the lips to which he responded with a tad more vigor than before.
“I love you honey,” she said. “I know,” he responded, “you do know that I love you too, right?”
“I know, sweetheart, you show it just by being coming to these sessions with me,” she smiled. Jim nodded as she got behind the wheel. He closed her door and then waited until she was safely on her way before heading to his own car.
Up in his office, John looked out his window and watched the couple leave. He smiled at their interaction. They were a good couple, he really wanted them to make it.
———- o ———-
Saturday, Jim and Linda walked the kids over and dropped them off at the Porter’s house, complete with their ensemble of pillows and over-night accessories. Mrs. Porter greeted the group in her usual bubbly, happy manner. From the entryway, Linda glanced towards the family room and met eyes with Mr. Porter. She hadn’t interacted with him in the past several weeks, ever since her last scornful encounter after being dropped off by Marc LaValliere.
Linda suspected that Jim had talked with Mr. Porter in the intervening weeks, but wasn’t sure. Mr. Porter stared at her for a moment, like he was assessing her, before he gave her a slight smile and nodded his head. The brief interaction, without words even being exchanged, lifted her spirits tremendously, making her almost feel like she had been ‘pardoned’ for her sins by the older man that everyone seemed to respect.
The dinner at the upscale restaurant was wonderful and Jim, as expected, was a perfect gentleman — holding doors and helping her get seated at their table. How could I have thought that Marc was a gentleman when my own husband is the very definition?
The dinner was wonderful, sharing a dozen exquisite oysters flown in from New England for an appetizer along with a fresh garden salad for each of them that was accompanied by an amazing vinaigrette dressing that the waiter said was made from scratch at the restaurant from the owner’s own recipe. For entrées, Linda chose a grilled branzino fish, while Jim elected steak.
The waiter had recommended a nice Napa Valley pinot wine that he thought would pair nicely with everything they had ordered. He must have been a sommelier; his recommendation was perfect. Her fish, the wine, and everything else, had been absolutely superb and their waiter was a class act — attentive without being annoying. Jim had commented that his filet was fantastic and cooked to perfection. Jim usually went for the full filet, but tonight he had ordered the petite cut. Linda was hoping that he chose the smaller cut so that he wouldn’t overdo it and feel too full when they returned home to ‘reconnect.’
Just the thought of making love with her husband again was making her slightly moisten, tingling with anticipation, causing her to have to scooch a little in her seat. She found that she had been staring at Jim’s face while the thoughts had been going through her head.
Jim smiled, “I don’t mind if you stare, especially with those beautiful eyes.”
With everything finished, the couple sat and enjoyed the last of the wine, having finished a bottle of the recommended vintage. Normally, Linda enjoyed lingering after a fine meal at a nice restaurant, appreciating some quiet, adult conversation, maybe enjoying a small desert, a coffee, or an after-dinner drink. Not tonight. Tonight, she was impatient. She wanted their dinner to end and for Jim to take her home for some very anticipated and long overdue love making.
Their waiter returned and asked if they were interested in desert, coffee, or an after-dinner drink. He recommended a few special deserts that sounded delectable, and she saw that Jim’s face registered interest.
Jim looked at her and asked, “Some of those sound really good, would you like to try anything, we could split something if you’d like?”
“They do sound very good, but I’m so full. I don’t think I could eat another bite. I’d rather wait and maybe have a little something when we get home,” she said looking him in the eye.
Jim was no dummy, he knew what she was saying. He smiled back at her and then looked at the waiter, “Everything was wonderful, but I’m afraid we’re both too full for desert or coffee. I’ll just take the check whenever you’re ready.”
The waiter smiled, he’d been around a while and likely knew the message being conveyed between the couple. “Certainly, sir. I’m happy that you enjoyed your meal. Please give me a moment and I’ll be right back with the check,” as he left their table to finalize the bill.
Linda fought hard to contain herself, willing the waiter to hurry back to take care of the check, and allow them to dash home for the main event. She looked at Jim’s face, noticing a gleam of anticipation in his eyes and a smirky smile on his face. God, she loved this man! Why did I ever jeopardize this wonderful husband and our life together, all for a cheap roll in the sheets with a narcissist that probably doesn’t even remember my name?
Finally, the check was processed and Jim left a sizable gratuity for their waiter. Leaving the restaurant, Jim gave the valet their parking stub and they waited outside for their car to arrive. It was now late March, the snow had all but melted, but there was still a definite chill in the air. While Linda had thought to bring a shawl, she didn’t bring a coat as she hadn’t expected to be outside for very long.
Sensing her chill, Jim wrapped an arm around her, bringing her closer to his body and his warmth. Linda basked in the warmth, and love, of her husband. The chill, Jim’s warm embrace, and the manly scent of his cologne, combined and invaded her senses as a powerful aphrodisiac. If that valet doesn’t show up with our car soon, I’m going to attack my husband and have my way with him right here on the sidewalk — damn the consequences!