Hayley Strikes Back

He walked towards the carpark still chatting to Sophie. He noticed that she was unsteady and once caught his arm for support.

Geoff made up his mind, he couldn't let her drive home drunk. She protested that she was alright but he insisted. She was impressed by his 7 series BMW.

"This is so kind of you Geoff. I hope you don't mind, I live a way out of town." She looked up at him earnestly with her dark eyes wide open.

Geoff's heart missed a beat. She was so young and somehow innocent. Her youthful skin was perfect, and he had already noticed her long legs.

"Don't worry, it's my pleasure." He patted her hand reassuringly.

She looked around the BMW. She patted his hand to get his attention.

What's this?"

"That's the audio." His hand was tingling from her touch.

"Can I put something on?" Without waiting for his agreement she started pushing buttons."

"Here, I'll show you."

Their hands brushed. He felt what seemed like electricty running through his skin.

"Sorry," she turned and giggled.

She started pushing buttons again. It must have been the drink, Geoff thought afterwards, or maybe her youthful playfulness. He put his hand on top of hers to guide her. She turned to look at him, her eyes innocently wide and giggled again.

Their fingers intertwined then their hands clasped.

She put their hands on her skirt about three inches below her pussy and traced her finger tips over his. Geoff slid his hand so that it was nudging her pussy through her skirt. Sophie put hers on top to hold him there.

They stopped at the first motel. As soon as they were inside, she knelt down, extracted his erection and kissed it. She lay on the bed, her hands behind her head as she watched him undressing her. Her young gymnast's body with its muscle tone, breasts which extended almost horizontally even without a bra and the slim lightly muscled legs and the treasure in between.

Geoff was a skilful lover and Sophie was enthusiastic and unihibited and they spent an exciting hour. He got home before Hayley, went for a run and showered before she returned. His first misgivings had started as he had driven home.

"Why did I do it? Hayley gives me everything and more. Why am I risking everything?"

The next day Sophie gave a discrete wink and they went to a downmarket hotel where he hoped no-one would recognise him. This happened for each of the next three days, but he found that once the excitement of the seduction was over, the idea was less attractive and he became more concerned that someone in the office would find out.

He was becoming consumed with guilt about Hayley. At the Friday lunch time meeting with Sophie he told that it was the end. He was worried she might be angry or start to cry.

"That's fine Geoff. It's been great, you're good in bed."

Geoff's guilt became worse and he confessed to Hayley. She was distraught. She was humiliated that he gone with another woman and appalled that he would do anything to upset their perfect marriage. Her response was unrestrained fury.

"You fucking shithead. How could you do it? With an 18 year old slut."

"I was stupid, I was pissed the first time."

"The first time? How many times were there?"

"It only lasted a week."

"You fucking ass-hole. You fucked your slut for a week. You disgust me."

"Hayley, don't be like this. It was silly. It was nothing. Truly."

"Nothing? Nothing? Betraying and humiliating your wife is nothing?"

.

He started to see the enormity of what he had done. He truly loved Hayley and hated to see her so devastated. He hated himself for what he had done. And he hated the idea that their marriage might end. Why did he do it? Sure Sophie was pretty, sure she had a lovely young body and was fun. But to hurt Hayley so and to undermine their marriage for that?

Tears came to his eyes.

"Hayley, darling. I was so stupid and so selfish. I swear on my mother's grave it won't happen ever again."

The reference to his mother's grave made Hayley pause. She knew how sensitive he was about her recent death.

"Sack the slut."

"She's not a slut, Hayley."

"Any woman who fucks a married man is a slut. Sack her"

She stormed out to the guest bedroom.

Geoff found Sophie a position with another firm and never saw her again. During the next week Hayley had stayed in the guest bedroom and had hurled torrents of abuse at him. There were tears: Geoff's in public, Hayley's in the guest bedroom. Finally she relented. She did love him and knew that despite this fling, he loved her. Their marriage had been perfect and she desperately wanted it to continue. She gave him another chance.

Over the ensuing months Geoff worked hard to make her happy. She overcame her misgivings and worked hard at it as well. They had a holiday at an exclusive resort which both agreed was a second honeymoon. After six months, apart from a few bitter memories, their marriage had fully recovered.

No-one else, apart from the Sophie knew about the matter. Tony Jacobs, who knew Hayley very well and was an asute observer of people had noticed the change in her behaviour, but didn't know why.

A month after Danny's promotion it happened again. Another week's fling. This time Geoff decided not to confess. It made no difference.

"Marcie tells me she saw you taking a slut to Pierre's Restaurant last Thursday. You told me you had a client meeting."

"We held the meeting at Pierre's. She was my client's lawyer"

"Marcie tells me you were holding hands."

"She's mistaken. It was dark."

"I've looked up your credit card on the computer. Your credit card tells me it was a meal for two. Is your credit card mistaken?"

That was the end of her restraint. She hurled abuse. He confessed, cursed himself and begged for forgiveness. She went to the guest bedroom. Humiliated, losing confidence in her sexual attractiveness, hating him for treating her like this.

In one way it was easier for her because she was confident that he hadn't been doing if for love of this woman. But that made it worse in another. How could he do this to her and their marriage, just for a cheap thrill?

After two weeks she returned to the matrimonial bed. The same pressures forced her back but with more reluctance.

Danny noticed that she didn't smile or laugh as often and sometimes seemed to be staring vacantly at the wall. Tony noticed as well, but didn't ask questions.

The only person Hayley discussed it with was her mother who was also her best friend.

"That ass-hole Geoff's been unfaithful to me," she sobbed and told her mother everything.

Her mother was sympathetic and hugged her.

"What do you think you'll do?"

"I thought about leaving him, but apart from these two flings we are really happy together."

Her mother nodded, letting her talk.

"I think it'll be fine now. He's so guilt ridden, he's promised and I know he really loves me."

Her mother said nothing for quite some time. She braced herself before she spoke.

"Did you read about the lion at the zoo?"

"The one which attacked a keeper and was put down?"

"Yes. They said that once a lion gets a taste for human flesh, it'll crave it for the rest of its life. Given the opportunity that lion would always attack again."

Hayley immediately understood. "Don't say that Mum, I'm sure he will be faithful this time."

"Your father wasn't."

"What?" Hayley was horrified. "you mean Dad . . "

Her mother nodded. "Very similar to what Geoff's been doing. Occassional and short term flings. My reaction was exactly the same as yours. Humiliation, grief and fear. But I didn't leave because we still loved each other and we had you."

"I can't believe it. Dad doing that."

"Mmm."

"Does he still do it? I just can't imagine it."

"No. After the third time he stopped. Forever, I'm sure."

"So Geoff will stop just like him."

"Hayley dear, I made him stop."

"Made him? How?"

"Well, I had abused him, I had cried, I had pleaded, I had tried threatening him, I had tried in all the ways I could think to make our marriage succeed. I even tried to understand him. Nothing worked. So, I decided to see how he would like it if the boot was on the other foot."

Mum, you didn't." gasped Hayley

"I had an affair and told him all about it when it was finished. He took that very badly. It had seemed OK for him to do it. But his wife doing the same? That was immoral. He told me he was humiliated so I asked him if he had considered that I might feel the same.

"He said the thought of me with another man was disgusting. I told him I felt the same about him with another woman. He cursed that I had foresaken my vows and I agreed but said that he set the standard there.

"I told him that he was welcome to have his affairs and each time he did, I'd have mine. To cut a long story short, we had a month with no sex, but have lived happily ever after."

Hayley looked at her mother in astonishment. "Who did you do it with?"

"I just went to a bar. The first one who was good-looking, well spoken and could laugh. By good luck Jim was great in the sack." She had a far away look in her eyes.

She looked at Hayley.

"There's another reason they put that lion down as well as its new craving for human flesh. There was a power balance change."

Hayley didn't understand.

"Before the attack, the lion had respected the keepers. Now it knew it could hurt them. His behaviour to them changed completely."

"No Geoff would never be like that."

"I did a lot of reading about it. Your father and a lot of men and maybe Geoff get a lot of different thrills from a quick affair.

"The first is obvious, the taste of forbidden flesh, the thrill of the seduction.

"The second is a bit strange. But some people get a vicarious thrill from guilt and being found out.

"The last is the nastiest I think. It gives them power. Your father and Geoff treated us in about the worst possible way. The first two times I forgave your father, just have you have forgiven Geoff. This makes them think, subconsciously, that they can do what they like and get away with it. They know they can control us. They respect us less and the sexual flings aside, their behaviour changes.

She held Hayley's hand.

"Geoff's done it again even though he begged, even though he promised on his mother's grave. The reason he did it was because he knew he would get away with it. That you would forgive him."

"It is high risk Hayley, but I thought that I couldn't put up with it forever. Think about it. But if you do decide to do it, don't threaten him, don't warn him. Make him know it's real. Do it then tell him afterwards. Your marriage will either die a quick death or start living again."

The more she thought about the more Hayley liked the idea. She had a weapon, something she could do othet than yell and plead. She wasn't going to let Geoff have his little affairs for the rest of the marriage. Either they would stop or the marriage would stop.

She knew exactly how to respond to another affair. Hopefully it wouldn't happen, but if it were to, she had a response. She would go to a bar and be picked up just as her mother had been.

This inner confidence meant that the marriage actually recovered far more quickly. They went on another holiday.

"It was fabulous Danny, so exclusive and so romantic"

She showed him some snaps. Mainly of them in swimsuits. Hayley's was a very small bikini which was white and offset her perfect tan. Danny looked without much show of interest. But his eyes feasted on her body. Those breasts just about completely revealed by her bikini, the tiny waist, the tiny briefs and those lovely long tanned legs.

"Here's a shot of Geoff and me together."

Geoff had a perfect gym sculptured torso and a tan as perfect as Hayley's. Both looked very happy and he had his arm around her waist and Hayley was cuddled in."

Danny's hatred of Geoff intensified.

Tony recognised that Hayley and Danny worked well as a team and their individual skills combined well. He gave them joint assignments which were professionally completed. Each came to respect the other more and their business relationship was tension free.

On two occasions they went interstate on assignments. Hayley set the routine the first night when they returned to the hotel.

"I'm going to work in my room and have my meal there. Have a good night Danny."

Their professional relationship, the age difference and the company wide knowledge that Hayley's marriage was perfect meant that no-one ever considered that there was anything between them.

A month after the second trip Hayley embraced Geoff when he returned home from work. She pulled back, her eyes blazing.

"You've been fucking another slut!"

Geoff couldn't work out how she knew.

"Hayley, don't be silly, of course I haven't."

"I can smell the slut's perfume all over you. And now I can see it in your face. You fucking ass-hole."

Geoff braced himself for more of her abusive rants, but she swirled around and went to the guest bedroom.

There she went though her options.

Number one, she wasn't going to have a husband who kept on having affairs. That would end in murder.

Number two, she could never believe any of his promises again.

But number three, they had been so happy for the last three months, the holiday had been been so romantic and sex fuelled.

She made up her mind. The next day she told Geoff that she would be working late with Danny and told Danny she was leaving early to go to a dinner with Geoff.

At an upmarket bar on the other side of the city she quickly attracted a group of admirers. Some were good looking, some were well spoken and some were humorous. Stephen was all three and the others drifted away as she concentrated on him. They had some drinks and he bought her a meal. He was good company.

As they finished their coffees Stephen took her hand and looked into her eyes. He knew he was onto a sure thing.

"Your place or mine?" he asked.

Hayley squeezed his hand. "Yours."

But as he put his arm around her as they walked to his apartment she had a panic attack. She simply could not have sex with a stranger. She'd never done that in her life. She valued her body too much to give it to someone she had only known for a couple of hours.

"I'm sorry Stephen, I've just remembered, it's my sister's bithday party tonight." She fled away.

"Fucking cock teaser," Stephen muttered. That night Danny wasn't the only man masturbating with an image of Hayley in his mind.

Tears of frustration flowed down Hayley's cheeks as she drove home. She had made a huge emotional commitment to try and save her marriage this way. But she knew should just couldn't do it the way her mother had with a stranger.

Hayley thought of the men she knew. Most were from couples who were friends of Geoff as well. She knew there were some there who would do it like a shot. And she'd prefer to be shot than do it with them.

She thought of the men at her bridge club. There was John who was very nice, but she knew he would get emotionally involved and that wasn't part of the deal.

She arrived home.

"Did you have a successful day darling?" Geoff asked from his bedroom as she walked past. She didn't reply.

Geoff was full of remorse from his own stupidity. But underneath he was confident. Hayley would never leave him and it would take only another week or so before she came back.

In bed Hayley thought about her man problem. What about men at Supreme Corp? It came to her in an instant. Danny!

She thought. He was nice, she regarded him as a good friend in a professional way. He was reasonable looking. He had shown her photographs from his beach holiday, Certainly not Geoff's gym sculptured perfection, but lean and nicely muscled.

She had a moment of worry. No girlfriend for months. Was he gay? No, she had seen the way he used to look at her and still did when he thought no-one was looking.

Would he boast about it all around Supreme Corp? No, he wasn't that sort.

Would he become too emotionally involved? This was important for Hayley. This relationship was about paying Geoff back, to jolt him into understanding what he was doing. The thrill of an illicit relationship excited her. But it was going to be short term.

Danny was her friend and she didn't want to hurt him. No, the age difference would sort that out. For goodness sake, she'd be 40 when he was 25. The thought of 40 didn't feel so good and she had another sob for herself.

Would he be any good in the sack?

She started to have doubts. No girlfriends for all this time. He had talked about how he played sport all the time at college and never talked about parties.

Hmmm, probably a fail mark here. But then he was sensitive, he was a quick learner and his adoration of her had been going on for over two years.

"It'll be up to me to teach him. That'll be fun."

She arrived at work feeling good. She had eaten breakfast with Geoff without abusing him. Her conversation had been brief and curt.

In the office she saw Danny. She felt even better. "He is a nice person, he's good looking enough. I like him. None of those reservations I had with Stephen. Right Hayley, let's get this going."

The first stage was "innocent" touches. To attract his attention she tapped his shoulder. Danny was surprised the first time, but two hours later the same thing happened. Later, when he passed her a file, her hand brushed his. He wondered what this might mean. That, after more than two years, his fantasies were coming closer to reality?

He dismissed the thought, he didn't want to build up his hopes. Those two shoulder taps might just be a sign of workplace familiarity. But that hand? It had seemed to linger a little.

Should he respond? Dangerous, he might be totally misinterpreting and he didn't want make a fool of himself and upset a good working relationship.

Hayley came to his office. "Danny, where are the sales figures for car parts?"

He flicked his computer mouse a couple of times.

"Here."

"Are you sure?" She came closer to look at the screen, leaning over from behind him. Her hand rested on his shoulder for at least 10 seconds. He could smell her perfume. He glanced at her profile only a few inches from his as she peered at the screen. Suddenly she turned to look at him, their faces were only 6 inches apart and they looked at each other.

Danny felt an urge to kiss her smiling lips but resisted.

After a few seconds, she said, "Yes, those are ones. Thanks Danny." She gave his shoulder a squeeze and went to her office.

This took all the doubt from his mind. For reasons he couldn't understand, after all these years, Hayley was interested. He felt excited, but then he felt anxious. He wasn't sexually accomplished at all. His experience had been limited and he always had a shyness with attractive girls. Ogling from a distance he could do, making an advance was just about impossible. Let alone with Hayley Stewart.

Hayley thought it through.

"Why didn't he kiss me then? Is he gay? No, I'm sure of that. Perhaps he doesn't fancy me. No, I'm pretty sure on that one. Perhaps he has some scruples about married women. I can't answer that. God, I hope not. I really did want him to kiss me."

She remembered the expression on his face. At first he had his adoring look. But then it had changed and he had averted his eyes.

"I know, he's just nervous."

THE BUSINESS TRIP

They met at the airport the next morning for their two day trip. Danny had purchased a new suit.

"That's a nice suit. You do look so handsome. But your tie is crooked."

She put down her suitcase and moved close to him. He felt her fingers against his throat, her breath on his face and he could smell her perfume.

"That's better," she looked up and smiled at him and patted his shoulder. But she noticed that he responded to her smile and then his face seemed to freeze for a moment.