An Ordinary Man

AN ORDINARY MAN

My name is Jerry Smith. I’m just an ordinary guy. I stand 5’9″ tall and weigh 155 pounds. I have brown hair and brown eyes. I got middling grades in high school and also in college. I am fit for my age, 42 y/o. I work as a mid-level manager for a retail clothing chain. I grew up in a rough area, and my size caused me some problems. If you give in, you get smashed there. So, I never gave in to anyone. Sometimes I got my ass beat, but normally I dished out punishment. After a while, trouble stopped happening so much. Still, I kept up training at a boxing gym. About ten years ago I stopped boxing. A group of us did MMA. That was more challenging. It was my only hobby.

I’m married to Joann, 42 y/o, brunette, 5’6″, with a slim figure and a very pretty face. We met as freshmen at State U. She was pre-law, but we had two classes together. We started talking, then dating. Joann was pretty popular at school. All the frat guys wanted to get with her. But she was standoffish with them, so far as I could see. She and I became steady. We became intimate in our sophomore year. It was the first time for her, and almost for me. We stayed together all through until graduation. She got into law school at State. I got a job at a local bank. We got married that summer after graduation. We just really got along well. We had good sex, varied and varying in intensity. Joann read up on sexual positions, and on fetishes. Some of her reading made its way into our bed.

We had role playing. Sometimes I was her professor. Sometimes she was a cheer leader, or a high-class hooker. Sometimes I was a burglar, or her hairdresser. We had naked evenings, where we had to stay naked no matter what happened. We had domination games, switching off. She was meaner than I could be, though. We did different positions and used different scents.

It took three years for Joann to finish law school. I supported us with the bank job during that time. Joann was very smart, and finished at the top of the class. She got a job offer from a big firm in Washington, D.C. She wanted to do that very much. I looked for employment in that area and found work as a branch bank manager. We moved to DC. We rented an apartment in the city, near her work. I had a commute to a suburb, but I could do it on a bicycle or on the subway. We didn’t have a car.

That first year in D.C. was a difficult one. Joann worked maybe 65 — 70 hours a week. I worked less, but cooked dinner, did laundry, and housecleaning. She was making as much as I did, and it looked like she would get raises yearly. We were in good financial shape, but our love life suffered. We hooked up about twice a month. When we did, it wasn’t as good as before, although we both usually got off. After a while Joann was late home a lot. Dinner would be cold, even if I made it late. I began to wonder about us, and specifically about her.

I made an effort to see what her work life was like. At home she didn’t say too much. She was working with a group of lawyers and paralegals on a corporate merger deal. As the time for the merger came closer, she was at home less and less. One Friday I stopped in at lunch time, to surprise her. I knew she didn’t take her own lunch, and I thought I’d take her out to a nearby place for wraps.

I arrived at noon, but the receptionist said that Joann had left for the day.

“Where did she go? To court?”

“No, I’m not sure exactly where she is. I believe that her group went out to lunch, probably at Cicero’s.” The receptionist had a funny look when she said this.

“Well, that’s lunch. Why the rest of the day? Maybe I’ll see her at home early.”

The receptionist looked down. “Maybe.”

I could see that she was very uncomfortable. “Thanks. Seeya.”

I walked outside and went to a Subway across from Cicero’s Restaurant. I bought a tuna and cheese sub. I sat outside and watched the street. About an hour later Joann came out of the restaurant with a group. There was another woman, Lydia, that I knew from social functions. There were three men. Two were in their thirties, both large men. The third was older, graying, not so big. I believed that he was Paul Dorgon, head of Joann’s section of the firm, and a partner. I didn’t know the other two.

Joann was walking between the two younger men. One was dark haired and the other had light brown hair and a beard. Possibly I had seen them at a social event, but I wasn’t sure.

I started across the street to cut them off. The dark-haired guy put his arm around Joann’s waist. She didn’t move away. I jogged across to them, from behind. I tapped Joann on the shoulder. She turned to see who it was. She paled and said, “Oh. Jerry! What are you doing here?”

The guy still had his arm around her, although she had turned to me. He looked put out. She stepped away from him.

“Fred, this is my husband, Jerry. Maybe you met him at the picnic.” Joann was turning red. The other three seemed flustered. Paul Dorgon stepped forward, holding out his hand.

“Jerry, I’m Paul. I do recall you from the picnic. You played softball.”

I shook his hand, all the while staring at Fred. He was over 6′ tall, and stocky.

“I did play softball. It was a picnic. Normally I play hard ball.” I was still staring at Fred. He stared right back at me.

“Fred, maybe we should just do this right now,” I said. He didn’t say anything right off. Paul interrupted.

“Jerry, calm down. We were all just at lunch. The merger case finished up. We had a small celebration. We’re headed back now. I think maybe Fred got a little carried away.”

Joann recovered enough to speak. “Jerry, I hope you didn’t get the wrong idea. Fred just maybe had a little too much celebration.”

I didn’t take my eyes off Fred. And he didn’t look away either. I smiled. His hands were fists. He was bunched up, ready to fire. I was waiting….waiting for him. I was perfectly relaxed. Confrontation — physical confrontation — was one of the things I enjoyed most in life. It was going to happen any second.

Fred’s pal with the beard grabbed him from behind and pulled him away. Fred tried to buck, but Paul shouted at him. “Stop now! Keep him, Bill.”

Fred relented, allowed Bill to walk him away. By now there was a small crowd. Joann stepped between me and her co-workers.

“Jerry, nothing for you to worry about or be upset. Nothing.”

Paul piped up, “Joann, maybe you should take the rest of the day off. Go home with your husband. There’s nothing much left to do, and tomorrow’s a new day.”

“Okay, thanks, Paul. Come on Jerry, let’s take a walk.”

I said, “Very disappointing. I’m going to have to go to the gym later.” But I walked away with her. We went toward our apartment. It was in the opposite direction from her office. But it was in the direction that they were all walking when they left the restaurant.

The four of them turned around and went back toward Cicero’s and their office. Pretty telling from my point of view.

Joann and I walked around the city for thirty minutes or so. We didn’t say much. We wound up back at our place. When we went inside, I got some water for us. I sat on the couch, and she sat across from me on a dining room chair. (It was a small apartment.)

I said, “So, tell me about it. All about it.”

“Nothing much to tell. You jumped to conclusions. He just had his arm around me.”

“Several things are wrong with that answer, as I’m sure you know. You’re lying and you’re selling me short. I’m not a dummy, even if I’m not a lawyer. Don’t lie again.”

Her face sort of scrunched up. She didn’t say anything. She started breathing fast.

“Just be calm and tell me what’s going on. I know you had taken off work for the rest of the day. I know you were all headed away from work when I saw you. AND…more important…old Fred was ready to fight right there on the street. He was going to try to punch me. If Bill hadn’t grabbed him, we would have fought right there. I’m thinking, then, that he has some feelings for you that make him hostile to your husband.”

She started to cry, quietly, no sobs. “We’ve all been working so hard. We’ve all gotten close. Fred and I especially worked well together. He wanted to celebrate alone with me. And…and….I agreed.”

“Were you bringing him here?”

‘No, he said he had a room at the Hyatt.”

“Where were the others going?”

“The three of them were also going to the Hyatt. Those three had another room.”

“Is Fred married?”

“Yes. He has a son two years old.” She sobbed some more.

“Have you had any sex with him before now? If you lie and I find out, which I will, I’ll dump you for sure.”

“No sex. A couple of kisses, hugs. No clothes off.”

“What about the other three? Are they some regular thing?”

“I think Bill and Lydia maybe have snuck off a few times. Paul just wanted to watch.”

“Are Bill and Lydia married — to others?”

“Yes. Paul too, but his wife is ill.”

“Have you ever cheated, except for this?”

“No. And this wasn’t cheating. You saved me.”

“That’s a distinction without much of a difference. You blew away any trust I had in you.”

“I think if I fucked him that would be a big difference from what happened. But I can see that trust might be a problem. I don’t know what to say. I won’t ever allow myself to get into that position again.”

“You say. What happens at work Monday? All of them will want to know what we talked about. Also, that Fred guy won’t give up. Kid or no kid. I saw how much he felt for you. What’re you going to do about that? Maybe you should quit that job.”

“I can’t just quit. We need the money. And I love the work. I’m really good at it, and I’ll get promotions and raises.”

“I see. How am I to know whether you are keeping on the straight? Because I need some form of reassurance…. Let me think.”

I thought about it. Leverage was needed and maybe leverage was to be had.

“Here’s what. You’re going to write a confession. It’s going to have everything you told me in it. More detail, even. Sign it, give it to me.”

“Why? Oh. I see. A threat to all of them.”

“Yep. I’ll make copies for them all. I’ll add a little note. I want you to swear to the truth of the confession, on penalty of perjury.”

That’s what we did. She wrote out a lot of detail about what happened, and even her suspicions about what happened between the others.

We went out to dinner down the street. She relaxed a lot, and we split a bottle of red. When we got home, we went straight upstairs. We had our clothes off quickly and she dropped to her knees.

“This is the I’m sorry blow job,” she said as she licked the head of my dick. Later I fucked her hard and long. We fell asleep, exhausted.

In the morning I fucked her hard again. Then I made copies of the confession. I put them in four envelopes, marked personal and confidential. I added a note. In it I made clear that if I came to hear of any further sexual shenanigans involving my wife — in any way — I would mail the confession to all of their spouses. An exception would be made if one of them accurately informed on her. In that case, no mail to that person’s spouse. I thought that would create some strain in the team, but so what?

It was Saturday, and I went to the gym for some sparring and heavy bag work. Working out some residual anger. Well, maybe not so residual. Guys noticed. I had trouble getting a partner. But more bag work did the trick.

Jane, one of the few women who worked out at that gym, asked me what was up with me.

“Just some life problems. I’ll work it out.”

She smiled. Despite her hobby she was a cutie, with a good figure under that workout bra.

“Well, if you need a hand, or whatever, let me know.”

“Definitely will.” I looked at her for longer than normal, and she didn’t look away. But then we both turned away. I think she just got worked up watching the heavy bag work. Nevertheless, I filed the incident away, in case Joann messed up.

She didn’t.

On the way home, I stopped by a fancy ‘spy’ store and got some gadgets. I got two recorders. One was very small, looked like a pen. In fact, it was a pen. But it also recorded up to 12 hours of sounds, supposedly voice activated. I put it in Joann’s purse when I got home. There was little danger that she would notice it, given the state of her purse. I could remotely upload data from it onto my computer, but only if it was close by the computer.

The other recorder went into our main room. It was under the couch, near the bedroom door. I could turn it on and off with a remote. I left it on when I was out, and, usually, off when I was in.

Saturday night we went to a film, then got ice cream. It was a nice date, and neither of us mentioned our problem.

Sunday we also relaxed. I watched a soccer match on TV. Joann read a romance novel. (Yes, a romance novel. Don’t ask me.) We ate dinner at home and went to bed early. We had a nice session of gentle sex. I felt so much better, especially since I had the recorders in place.

Monday morning off to work we went. I gave the envelopes to Joann to give to her team. I knew she would do it, because I believed she loved me and saw the ploy as a way to keep us together and allow her to keep working at the firm. Also, I had the devices. I lacked trust, so the devices were necessary.

I biked to work. It was a routine day, and I cooked a chicken stir fry for dinner, when Joann came in at about 6:00 pm.

“How did your team like my envelopes?”

“I called them all into a conference room. One of the ones without bugs. They were all anxious about Friday. I said you understood right away what was going on. I told them that you asked me to quit work, but I wanted to stay. So you devised this plan. I gave them the envelopes. They were all unhappy. It’s interesting, because it took them a little while to appreciate what you had done. All except Paul, who understood right away. He actually smiled as he was reading.”

“I think we should hire your husband,” he said. “This is the product of a devious and intelligent mind.”

“Anyway,” she continued, “they all saw what he saw eventually. I confess — hah — that there were a lot of sideways glances. We all just left and went about our work. I don’t think the team will be together for long, maybe just a day or so. If I were in management, I’d split us up.”

Later, I listened to the uploaded material. The meeting went just as she told me. I discovered, though, that the rest of the stuff was so boring after that, that it was useless. So much for tech solutions.

Although I had ‘saved’ Joann, I was on the fence about our marriage. I couldn’t keep an eye on her all the time, and I was unsure about her continued fidelity. So many chances to cheat. Women who look like her got hit on all the time. Hard hits, soft hits, subtle hits, but hits all the same. Maybe she had learned her lesson, but maybe not. I decided that we needed a further conversation. This was about four weeks after the incident. Her team was sent in various directions, but all still in the DC office, except Lydia. The one I wasn’t worried about.

One evening after work, and before dinner, I sat at the kitchen table with two glasses of wine.

“Joann, we have to talk,” I said. That worried her. She sat down and looked at me.

“What? I thought we were doing okay. In fact, good.”

“I can’t seem to shake the mistrust issue, even with the confession. There are some loopholes in that you know. I’d like a better explanation of why you agreed to cheat with Fred.”

“I…jeez….I liked him. I found him attractive. And I didn’t think you’d ever find out, since it was to be a one off. That’s a lesson I’ve learned. I love you and I want to be only with you.”

“But you knew there’d be a risk. Your whole office knew what was up. If you had considered it logically, you would have had to pass it up. But you…….I guess you had some real lust for Fred. So much so that you risked the marriage, and he risked his. It makes me feel slighted, that you were so into him.”

“I can’t help that. I told you I’d be honest. Anyway, I’ll never know how it might have felt.”

“Did he have a big dick?” I shot this at her. She looked away, flustered.

I said, “How big, and how do you know?”

“Our hugs were pretty intense. Only a few times, but it was like when we close dance. A woman can tell pretty much. He was…well…he seemed big. But that’s not why I agreed. Maybe partly. But mostly I just was close to him, and I liked him. It was as if it was a reward for finishing the case successfully. To do that required close teamwork. It wouldn’t work if we didn’t get along well. And it was so intense. I was with him more than I was with you for months.”

“So, he took my place in some way? And you knew he had a bigger cock than me. I don’t see it as a one off. Maybe you thought so, if you thought at all.”

“No. He didn’t take your place at all.” She was sniffling again. She threw herself at me, frantic.

“Relax, I just needed this talk. I hope you analyze what you said and use it to avoid another episode. Because another episode would finish us.”

“There won’t be another time.”

“You know that this was totally work related. The intensity of the case brought the people working on it together. One thing led to another. AND….you’ll have the same dynamic on the next project. I just hope that you’ll see it coming and stop it before we reach a disaster.”

“I’ll keep all that in mind. No worries.”

She looked up at me.

“Let’s go upstairs,” she said. “We can eat later.” We went upstairs. We ate a lot later, again warmed up leftovers.

The next week I took the opportunity to install a program on her phone, hidden in the base programming. I could monitor her texts, and the numbers she called. Every once in a while, I listened to the recorder. After three months there was nothing.

I asked for an after dinner talk.

“I think we should try to start a family. Now’s the time.”

“Oh, Jerry. I’m not sure. What about my job?”

“You want kids. Better now than later when you have a lot more on your mind. You can work during a pregnancy. After, you’ll have to take some time off. But I can help out. I don’t have an intense job like you do. I’ve been doing some day trading, and doing well. We have enough to look for a house. What do you say?”

“Okay. If we find us a house we like, I’m game.”

We did find a house, across the river, but still close in. It had three bedrooms, nice kitchen, patio, in a solid neighborhood. I bought it. I paid outright for it, and it was in my name. Joann didn’t like that, but I insisted. I told her that it was money I made, and the house was my gift to her and our future family. Anyway, if we split up, the house would be treated the same as if we had it under joint ownership. She looked that up. She agreed. We moved in and she went off the pill. It took three months before she was pregnant. We had a boy, Jacob. Joann went back to work after two months. We had a nice lady come in in the daytime, until I arranged my work with the bank to be independent contract work from home mostly. I wrote agreements with other banks, reviewed contracts, and did odd jobs that no one else thought should be theirs. I also continued with my day trading. I got even better at it.

Eventually, after Jacob turned three, we went for another pregnancy. Joann was working hard until just before she delivered. Twins. Of course, we knew before, a girl and a boy. Jennifer and Todd. This time my Mom came to help out with the babies. She and my Dad moved to Arlington. Joann went back to work in three weeks. Jacob was fascinated by his siblings. So was I. I loved fatherhood.

I quit with the bank and went solo as a consultant on the mechanics of bank mergers. Mostly my work was from home, on computer and phone. My Mom spent less time with the kids, saying that she needed to see Dad more. They retired, and travelled.

Joann made partner at her firm when Paul took retired status. The kids were now ten and seven. We were thirty six, and looked set. Oh, well.

Joann was not really close to her parents. They lived a distance away. We’d see them on holidays, maybe a summer week at the beach. Her father took ill, and she went for a visit. He got worse and passed away. She had two sisters who lived near her mother. So, after the funeral, Joann came right back to work.

I began to get worried about her working so much. I wondered again if she was falling away from me. Or, if she was falling toward someone else. Our sex life was okay, given the presence of the kids. But now they were old enough for sleepovers, and we had some more time to ourselves. Yet, there was no increase in the intensity of our sex life.

Joann was also not the most engaged mother. She loved the kids, for sure. She’d play games with them, wrestle on the floor with the twins, make them do their homework — when she was home. They loved her as well. But day to day I was the caretaker. I took them to school, and did part of a ride share to get them home. I went to T-Ball games, soccer, coached some. My work was less and less time consuming. I still spent several hours at the gym each week. I sparred and worked the bags. Sometimes I’d come home bruised or cut. It became ordinary.

Joann had a celebration party for her making partner. There was a dinner dance at the Hyatt. The firm was a large one, and there were over a hundred people at the dinner. It wasn’t just for her. Two others made partner as well. Fred was already a partner. We had gone to his dinner the year before. He brought his wife, who was very good looking. They now had three children as well. We had a pleasant evening at that party. Fred and I spoke politely when I shook his hand. There was no macho grip stuff, after all this time.

Fred and his wife were also at the partner party the next year. When the dancing started, I danced with Joann, for a while, then we sat back down. A younger man approached and asked Joann for a dance.

Joann said, “Jerry, this is William Pullen, who works at our firm.” She allowed him to take her hand and they went onto the floor. As they danced, Fred sat down next to me. We were the only ones at the table then.

“If I were you, Jerry, I’d watch Mr. Pullen closely,” Fred said softly. “Just a word. I recall our little problem and I wouldn’t want to be messed over for not alerting you, even after all this time.”

I watched them dance. “Are they close at work?”

“Close. They work together every day. I’m sure she has mentioned him.”

“No. Not that I recall.”

Fred said, “I remember what it was like when she and I got close. The dynamic is maybe similar to that. That’s all I’m saying. I don’t think there’s anything too bad yet.”

“Thanks for the tip. I would never mess you and your family over, except, you know.”

“That’s not gonna happen.” Fred stood up and moved away.

Pullen and Joann stayed on the floor for another dance. This one was a slow song. I paid careful attention. Pullen was over six feet tall, with a swimmer’s build. He moved well. He had sandy hair and blue eyes. The two of them were not obviously involved. It just looked like a couple dancing. Maybe what Joann and I looked like.

I was a little worried. I thought to ask her about it. And, if they kept dancing, I thought I would cut in. But after the slow dance he accompanied Joann back to our table.

She asked him to sit, and he did.

She said, “Jerry, William and I have been working on the Munroe matter for a while. I thought I’d introduce you.”

“Hi,” he said, waiving.

“Hi, how long have you been with the firm?”

“About a year. I came in from New York to work Congress, but Munroe took a lot of my time.”

“Is it about over, or…?”

Joann said, “We hope it’s close to a wrap, but nothing is set in stone. It’s regulatory stuff. We present to the FCC next month.”

“Oh,” I said. I wanted to yawn. But I didn’t.

“Where do you stay, William?”

“I have an apartment in short Northeast. I thought I’d be spending time on the Hill. Maybe later. I can still bike to work.”

“I used to do that. But now I’m mostly at home.”

Joann said, “Jerry runs his own consulting business for banks. He can do that from our house, and make sure the kids are okay as well. Works well for us.”

“Yeah, sounds ideal,” Pullen smiled. I didn’t like the smile. But I didn’t react.

“Well,” he said, “I’ll be off. Have to get home early.”

“Someone waiting?”

“Yup.” He walked away with a small waive at us. I watched Joann watch him. She turned to me, and she saw that I was looking at her looking.

“He’s an okay guy, Jerry.” She seemed a bit defensive to me.

“I’ll take your word for it. I haven’t heard about him, though. Why?”

“I don’t know. I thought I mentioned him. We’ve worked together for a while. I guess we just haven’t talked too much about my work lately.”

“Yes, I guess that’s true. Let’s dance some more before we leave.”

The rest of the night went well. We had fun dancing. When we got home, we had fun in bed. Best for some time. I thought about role playing like I was Pullen. But I didn’t.

The next day, Saturday, I retrieved my pen recorder and dropped it into Joann’s purse. I just didn’t feel comfortable about her. I surely didn’t need her straying, what with our kids and all.

The recorder, and the phone program — a new one for a new phone — were just to reassure me. But that’s not how it worked out.

When Joann came home from work that Monday, I found time to sit at my laptop and download the recording. When Joann went to bed early, I listened through earphones. I didn’t like what I heard. There was a conversation early in the morning between Joann and Pullen.

“Hi, Will. Come on in.” Sounds of a chair on carpet.

“I enjoyed our dance Friday night. Thanks. I hope Jerry wasn’t annoyed.”

“I admit that I was surprised when you asked, with him there. I told you….I mean, well, I saw Fred talking to Jerry while we danced.”

“So? What’s that got to do with it. Anyway, he didn’t seem hostile at all. And we did nothing wrong, nothing even suggestive.”

“Fred and I got close once a long time ago. He and Jerry almost traded blows out on the street. And nothing had happened. Well, maybe it was going to happen. But it didn’t.”

“And so far,” he said, “nothing has happened with us. So far.”

“Hmm. Jerry will be on alert, I tell you. Whatever we might want, I will not risk my family. He’d ditch me. And he might just beat you up. He was going to beat up Fred.”

“He can’t beat either one of us up. And why would he ditch you? You make the dough.”

“Hah! He’s makes a bundle on stocks, somehow. I don’t even know how much. But he bought our house outright twelve years or so ago. Also, don’t be tempted to get into a fight with him. You’re warned.”

“Why would he ever find out anything? We could be discrete. I know you want to.”

“No chance, Buster, no matter what I might want. Time to get to work.”

I was more than a little annoyed by what I heard. I could see that, if given half the chance, the two of them would fuck like rabbits. I saw the same sort of situation as with Fred, just like Fred said. I had to consider if I wanted to ‘save’ Joann this time…..or not. I felt a sense of inevitability about Joann’s faithfulness. Sooner or later, she would stray, with some big dick from the firm, likely.

I thought about what a divorce would be like. I thought about the kids. I assumed that I would get custody, and she would be able to see them on some schedule. Our finances were a problem. I had a lot of money. But she had a very high paying job. I had also diverted a goodly sum to offshore accounts. Her law firm would probably find some. Not all. Anyway, if she got rich off the divorce, I’d still be rich. And I’d still have my little trading talent.

All in all, I wasn’t so fearful about a divorce. If it happened, I had to do what I could to protect the kids from too much trauma. I didn’t think Joann would really want to be the custodial parent.

That started me thinking about what her life would be like after a divorce. She really had no friends, not close ones. She sometimes went out with women from her work. But she really was all about the work. I had guys at the gym, and women at the gym, too. I was friendly with other parents and sometimes went out for a beer with my fellow coaches. I would go to ball games with two of those guys, and we got to know each other pretty well. But Joann, not so much. She wasn’t home enough to do friendly socializing. While I knew some guys from our area, and their wives, Joann really didn’t.

I thought that she would get a lot of sex, if we divorced. But I didn’t think she would connect well with anyone. Not like we had, even now. And that’s what decided me to intervene with her and Pullen. I loved her, and I had loved her for a long time. I couldn’t stand the thought of her being lonely in the world.

I made arrangements for my parents, who were in town, to have the kids from Friday through Sunday afternoon.

I spent a good deal of time now listening to the recordings, and checking texts and phone numbers. I wanted to see how far things had progressed. There was a conversation between the two of them. Apparently, the case was suddenly close to completion.

Joann said, “Will, I think we can wrap this up in about two weeks.”

“We might have to go to New York to finalize. Maybe we could do it on a mid-week day and stay over.”

“You’re a very bad guy, Will. I think Jerry would not like the idea of us going off overnight at all.”

“Just tell him it’s necessary, and he has to trust you, that’s all.”

“He’s no fool. He’d have some way of checking what we do. He doesn’t trust me.”

“Don’t tell him until the night before. He couldn’t arrange anything then.”

“Sure, he could. He could just come with me, offer to take me to a show. I’d have to accept that.”

“Look, Joann, when this case wraps up, I want to celebrate with you and only you, privately. You want that, too, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll think of something. We could just get a room in town, or you could come to mine. On a work day.”

“That’ll work, I think,” Joann said. “Get a cab, stay from lunch to dinner time. Might work more than once, if it goes well.” Joann laughed.

“Deal. Shake on it.” There were some shuffling noises.

“Enough!” Joann was breathing hard.

“I’m gone. See you tomorrow.” Door opens and closes.

That evening after the kids went up, Jerry called Joann to the kitchen table for a talk. She looked nervous.

“I believe that you and your assistant Pullen have become too close. I have lost trust in you. I…well, I wondered if I just shouldn’t let things go this time, and you’d reap what he sowed. But I thought I owed you more than that. And the kids.”

When Joann heard that, she was filled with emotion, sorrow and anger as well. Her face was about to crumple, but then she sucked it up, sat straight.

“I don’t deny that I have feelings for William. I would really like to…to act on them. Are you saying that you were just going to let that happen?”

“I was. Then we’d have to split up. It would end us. But I thought we might talk it out, before that happened. I love you and I’m making the effort to stop this before you go too far.”

“Well,” she huffed, “thanks so much.”

“Joann, really. This is on you. You need either to control yourself, or decide to make a new life. I hope, before you decide, that you consider what that new life might be like. You’d have a fun fling with toy boy. After that?”

“You would really divorce me for a fling?”

“Absolutely no doubt about it.”

“I don’t want to be divorced. What I really want…well….I want some wiggle room, I guess.”

“What’s that mean? You want to be able to fuck around and no divorce. Dream on.”

“Why shouldn’t I get- just this once — get a chance to experience someone else?”

“You can experience anyone you want. I’ll file the papers Monday. Make arrangements to move out somewhere as soon as possible. Tonight, you get the living room couch.”

“Jerry, come on. I was just kidding. I wouldn’t blow up the marriage.”

“You weren’t kidding. We both know that. I won’t believe any promise you could make. I don’t want to take on the burden of constantly monitoring you. Anyway, you could just sneak out some afternoon with boy toy. We’re done.”

Joann said, “What about the kids?”

“You can spend as much time with them as you do now. Maybe more, considering that they seldom see you.”

“I….well….if that’s what you want. But if you give me just a little wiggle room, this one time, I’ll never ask again.”

“Until the next big case and big dick. Go!”

Joann got up and packed a bag. She drove away. She got a motel room. She slept. The next morning, she dressed and went to work.

Will walked into her office just after 9:00 am.

“We can do this this afternoon. I don’t have anything pressing. Neither do you.”

“Okay. Let’s have lunch at your place. Noon?”

“Great!”

“Jerry threw me out last night. I stayed at a hotel. I asked him for permission to, you know, have a fling — just once. He turned icy and tossed me out. I told him I was kidding. He didn’t believe me. I guess I wouldn’t have believed me, either.”

“What are you going to do? Get a divorce?” Will looked worried.

“I’ll try not to do that. I…I’m not sure if he means it for real.”

“If he divorces you and alleges adultery, we could both be in trouble. Maybe we should cool it.”

“I don’t want that. I want my fling. With you. Today. How would he ever find out?”

Will was overcome by desire for Joann. It clouded his judgement. “Okay.”

Joann and Will met up just outside the office at noon. They took a cab to his apartment. Will opened the door.

Joann turned to him and hugged him. She had been wet all day. She felt his erection through her skirt. They had a passionate kiss.

Joann stepped back, took off her blouse. She dropped her skirt. Will watched as she surrendered to him. She unhooked her bra and dropped it. Her nipples were hard. She stepped out of her panties. She only had on her high heels. She twirled around for him and then dropped to her knees. She undid his belt, pulled his pants down from his hips. She fished his hard cock out from his boxers. She kissed it, licked it, sucked it into her mouth.

He pulled her up, before he came. He wanted to fuck her first. He stripped quickly, and picked her up. He carried her to his bed. She spread her legs for him.

Will paused a second, looking at his boss, before he mounted her. She stared back at him.

“Please. Will, just fuck me.” He entered her slowly, looking into her eyes all the while. He saw her breathing faster. She pulled him into her. He was bigger than Jerry, and she felt that right away. He picked up his pace, began slamming into her. She slammed right back, grunting and working hard. She felt it all over herself when she came. It was just as intense as she thought it might be. New man, bigger cock, the thrill of illicit sex. The combination made for a perfect fuck. When Will began to spurt off into her she had another massive orgasm. Then they fell next to each other.

“Was it worth the risk, Joann?”

“Oh, yeah.” She smiled at him. They spent the rest of the day in his bed, or close by. They didn’t eat lunch.

At six, Will said he had to leave, and Joann dressed. She wondered if she should try going back home. Jerry couldn’t know what she had done. Maybe he had had second thoughts. She made sure to freshen up before she left. She caught a cab across the river.

No one was home. She thought they were likely at some extra-curricular event. She sat in her kitchen, eating a sandwich. She drank a beer. She looked all around the place, where she had lived for so long. If she had to leave, she would be sad. She decided to brazen it out with Jerry. There was no way he could know what she had done, she told herself. She could promise him that she’d be faithful. She could point out that she’d been faithful ever since her slip with Fred, which wasn’t a slip at all. It had been a long time.

Jerry and the kids came in about 7:30pm. They had been at kiddy basketball. The kids were all excited to tell her about it. Jerry just sat aside and watched. They had all eaten. Jerry shooed the kids up the stairs to get ready for bed.

“Why are you here, Joann? I thought I had made things very clear.”

“I’ve decided to withdraw my request for wiggle room. I understand that it was a big mistake. I’m taking it back. I just want you and the kids.”

“Too bad. Where were you this afternoon when I tried to call?”

“I had a meeting.”

“You know, we have that phone app that lets us locate each other’s phones. I used it when you weren’t at work. You were at Will’s apartment for several hours. Any comment. What sort of meeting was that?”

“How….how could you check up on me like that?”

“How could I not? You fucked that guy all afternoon, and now you turn up here saying you’re withdrawing your request for wiggle room. Such bullshit. WE ARE DONE!” He said this with emphasis, but no shouting.

Jerry got up and went upstairs to put the kids to bed. They settled in. They were all tired from a long day. When he got back downstairs, Joann was sitting at the table.

“I’m sorry I did that. I won’t do it again. I don’t know why I did it anyway.”

“Just get out, Joann. Wait… tell me. Was the afternoon fuck worth losing your marriage and family? Because I think you believed it was worth it, and that’s why you did it.”

“It was good. I loved it.” Joann was a little defiant. Jerry didn’t care.

“I’ll file the papers as soon as I can. Don’t come back here. I’ll have movers come and take your stuff to wherever you fetch up. Maybe Will’s place, eh?”

Joann left.

The divorce was easy on both sides. Joann insisted on liberal visitation. But financially she was okay and didn’t ask for anything. Jerry didn’t ask for child support.

The kids got used to the new reality fairly quickly. Joann would pick them up every other Sunday for the day. They ended up seeing as much of her, almost, as they had before.

Joann and Will kept their relationship for about a month. Then she became leery. He was seeing a younger woman. She didn’t mind, but she didn’t like risking getting an STD, and Will wouldn’t use condoms. They called it off. Joann wasn’t that broken up about it. The sex, after the first time, was only okay. She’d had a lot better with Jerry, who was more creative.

Jerry was okay with the way things turned out, except for one thing — Will. Will couldn’t be allowed to get off without so much as a sore belly. Jerry used some time in the middle of the day to research Will. He also spent some time observing him, from time to time. At first, he also saw Joann, but later just a good looking blonde. He assumed Joann and Will were no longer an item. Jerry hired a firm to do further research, and to follow Will. He had a lawyer look over filings done by the firm where Will had signed.

What Jerry found out was that Will was an amateur boxer, sang in a choir at church, and had relationships with several women, none of whom really knew about the others. He also found out that the law firm billed way more hours in Will’s name than Will actually worked. (A buddy of Jerry’s hacked into the firm’s computer files.) Jerry didn’t think that any of this was a hook to mess with Will. He was stuck.

One day Jerry was jogging when Will ran up behind him. Will gave Jerry a short push. They were in a park near Jerry’s house. At the time of the push, no one was around. It was after ten on a Saturday. Joann had the kids. Jerry realized that he might be able to capitalize on Will’s arrogance.

“Jerry, I know you’re having me investigated and followed. Let up. It’s all over between me and Joann. I don’t need your shit.”