Love Me Tender - Please Pt. 02

There was a receptionist at the desk over which hung a "Congratulations Karen!!" sign. Two potted plants and several cards were sitting on her desk. He could see the name "Karen" written on one envelope.

"Yes sir, may I help you?" she asked. "Are you delivering those for Karen Royals?"

"Um, not exactly. I would like to give her these in person. Is she here?"

"Yes sir, but she's with someone, just a moment please."

Punching three buttons on her phone she waited then said, "Karen? This is Veronica at the front desk. There is someone here with flowers for you and he wants to deliver them personally."

She paused and listened.

"No, no beard."

Turning away from him she whispered something into the phone then listened again. Ray thought he heard her say, "No, he's white."

"May I have your name sir?"

"Ray, Ray Royals."

"He says his name is Ray Ro ... Oh, he has the same name as you. OK. She said she'd be out in a minute. Would you like to have a seat?"

"No, I'll wait here. Thank you."

It was more than a few minutes before Karen appeared around the corner of a hallway leading back to the private offices. Ray watched her as she strode down the hall with a grim look on her face. He saw Mike along with a huge, Latino-looking stranger looking at him from a doorway. He waved to Mike and received a raised hand in reply.

The Latino must have been six foot six and was as wide as the doorway. Ray smiled as Karen came closer to him until she stopped in mid-stride and her mouth opened in a big "O" of surprise.

"Congratulations and again, I'm sorry," he said and walking towards her he held out the roses.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," she hissed and grabbing his arm she steered him into the closest cubicle. "Are you trying to humiliate me? What the fuck is this all about?"

Ray could not speak for a moment. He was at a loss as to her reaction.

"I'm ... I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Look at you. You look like a bum. Have you been drinking?"

Ray followed her eyes down and they fell on his stained work pants and dirty sneakers. He had been so upset he had not changed clothes from working in the yard.

"Well? Do you have an explanation for appearing in my office looking like that?" she said with anger in her voice.

"I ... I didn't realize ... I was just trying ..."

"Never mind," she interrupted him. "Just get out of here. I'll be the laughing stock of the office. That poor new receptionist won't know what to think. Now get out. Here, use the side door so you won't have to go back through the front reception area."

Karen pushed him towards a door with little shoves against his back.

"We'll settle this when I get home. Now go!"

Ray paused at the door and turned towards her holding out the bouquet.

"Here, the roses are for you," he said in a conciliatory voice.

"I don't want them. You've embarrassed me enough. Now get out," she ordered while holding the glass door open for him.

Ray had a stunned look on his face from her dismissal of him. Turning, he walked through the doorway and stopped on the outside stoop. Opening his hand he let the roses drop onto the little porch along with the card. Raising his foot he intentionally stepped on the flowers and ground them into the concrete.

When he looked up Karen was staring at him with widened eyes. He could not read her reaction as being either angry or surprised before she turned and strode purposely back down the hall without a backward look.

Donna Flannery sat in the driver's seat of her Mercedes that she had just backed into a parking spot. She watched the little episode and although she could not hear what was said, she smiled at the implications of the body language. She laughed out loud when Ray dropped the bouquet and stomped on it.

She was enjoying the scene playing out in front of her. She was still determined to get Mr. Ray Royals into her bed and she saw this as an opening. She did not think he was particularly handsome and the only thing that made him special was that he had rebuffed her advances.

"No man has ever said no to me after I held his cock in my hand," she muttered as she remembered their little bathroom incident. "And this one won't either."

She continued to watch as Ray walked towards his van with slumped shoulders. She liked to see men subdued. They made for easier picking and they were more appreciative of her trying to cheer them up.

Ray sat in his van for a while before starting the engine and driving home. He now knew why the people in the gym were staring at him. He looked like one of the homeless men outside the mission. He was surprised the receptionist did not say anything about his appearance. She was new and was probably thinking he was some kind of deliveryman or something.

"I keep getting deeper and deeper into a hole and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. She's right, there is no excuse for my appearance but what was I going to say? I'm sorry dear but I was so upset that you're fucking Trey that I forgot to put on a tie? Fuck it and fuck her. Let her do what she wants."

Ray's determination to stay out of Karen's life was now set in concrete as far as he was concerned. He had tried everything he knew in the hopes that she would realize what she was doing but he had failed. It was decision time and he made his plans on the drive home.

When Ray arrived at the office looking for Karen she was involved in a discussion with Mike and Montrell Escavido, another broker. Mike wanted her to start working out of the Tybee Island office when she returned from her Las Vegas training course. It was a great opportunity but she was hesitant about accepting it because it would mean being away from home.

The upside was that she was already upset with what was going on in her life and she felt an urge to try a geographic cure to try to put things back together. Maybe some time away from Ray would help. Being without her for a while would help him to realize that she needed some space and consideration to build her career and her clientele.

Mike had been outlining the advantages of working on the island. He argued that since she was a new agent this would give her a jumpstart in lining up listings. She would have the opportunity to connect with people who came to buy retirement homes in the coastal area. Montrell was starting to list all of the advantages when the intercom buzzed.

When the receptionist told her there was someone at the front desk, Karen's first thought was that it was Trey. She asked Veronica if he had a beard and if he was black and Veronica answered in the negative. When Veronica whispered that he was wearing grungy clothes she got a little afraid.

"Maybe Trey sent one of those guys that I used to see hanging around that mission thing outside of the gym," she thought.

When Veronica said Ray's name she was at a complete loss for words. She could not imagine him being there in dirty clothes. She thought that maybe it was someone using Ray's name. She asked Mike and Montrell to follow her when she went out to meet him. They held back and stood in the hall until Mike recognized Ray.

"I'm sorry guys," she apologized to Mike and Montrell after she shooed Ray out the door. "It was just my husband trying to make up for being a jerk. I've made up my mind. I'll work at the Tybee Island office when I get back. You're right, it'll be a huge opportunity for me and I'm all for it."

Montrell looked at his watch and said, "It's too late to drive down there today so how about I spend the night here and we leave early tomorrow morning so I can show you around."

Mike added, "Why don't we have dinner so you two can get to know each other better. I'll have Veronica arrange for a hotel room."

"Why do that?" Donna asked from the doorway. "You're welcome to stay with us. Isn't he Mike?"

Montrell rose to greet her.

"Ah, Donna. It's good to see you again."

"Hello, Montrell," she said as he kissed her on both cheeks. "You will stay with us, won't you?"

"Of course," he replied. "You're the boss."

"Hi Karen. Well? Are you going to do it?"

"She agreed," Mike offered. "We're going to dinner this evening. Will you join us?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. You look fabulous, Karen, congratulations."

"Thanks, Donna. I have some work to do. I've hardly been in my new office so I have to get myself organized. Come and get me when you're ready, OK?"

Chapter 30

Ray pulled into his driveway and was getting out of his van when Melody came running out.

"Dad, Brian just called. He's waiting for you to pick him up."

"Oh, my God! I forgot about him. Do you mind getting him?"

"No, I'll be glad to. I'll be back in a little while."

Ray continued into the house with a plan taking shape in his mind. He knew what was probably going to happen but for some reason his mind was calmer than it had been for some time. Whether or not she had cheated on him was no longer in doubt. He felt the pain of her rejection but instead of distressing him it made him stronger and he now felt a resolve that he had not felt for a long time.

"I've been doing all I can to wait for her to come around but she refuses to see what she's doing, no, make that done, to us. She can have her money and her car and her adoring co-workers and clients. She won't have me anymore."

His last words to himself caused him to stop for a second and realize that she probably did not want him anymore and he had to ready himself for even more rejection. To keep his mind off of his problems, he kept busy with finishing the chores he had abandoned when he left a few hours before. He was in the middle of stacking the clean sheets to take to the kids' rooms when Melody came back with Brian.

"Thanks, dad," he said sarcastically. "Did you think you could get rid of me that easy?"

Ray reached out and pulled both of his children into his arms. They were startled at first but they stood there and gave each other a three-way hug.

"I love you both more than you will ever know," he said. "I'll always be here for you and don't you ever forget that."

Melody turned her head to kiss him on the cheek and she tasted the salt of his tears.

Tilting her head back so she could see him, she asked, "What's wrong dad, why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying," he replied releasing them from his embrace. "I'm just a little sweaty from working. How about making your beds. Here's the sheets, I'll order pizza in for dinner? OK?"

"When's mom coming home," Melody asked.

"I don't know, but I'm hungry and I'm going to eat. What do you want on your pizza?"

Ray waited on the phone for the pizza shop to answer and watched as Brian and Melody had a whispered exchange at the top of the stairs. He knew they were aware of the problems he and Karen were having but he did not know what to tell them until he had made his final decisions.

Dinner was quiet and strained and Brian finally asked if he could take his pizza up to his room. Ray helped Melody clean up and then she disappeared into her room. Going into his office he opened his safe and pulled everything out of it and put it on his desk.

Sorting through the pile of papers, he realized that he had not looked at the stuff in the safe for several years. Chewing on the crust of the last piece of pizza, he once again studied the deed to their house and the mortgage papers that were in the folder.

"A little over a year and the house will be paid off," he said to himself. "We had looked forward to that but it looks like she doesn't care anymore."

He stacked the insurance policies and the car title in one pile and put them all into a folder with the deed. He would make an appointment with a lawyer and see where his options lay.

"I definitely will not put up with her shit anymore," he said aloud.

"Dad?" came a voice from the doorway.

Ray whirled around to see Melody standing there with her hand up to her mouth.

"What do you mean, 'her shit'?" she asked. "Do you mean mom?"

"I'm sorry you heard that," he replied and moved to take her into his arms. "I'm sorry, honey."

"Are you and mom getting a divorce? Why? What's happened to you two? What's happening to our family?"

"I wish I knew," he consoled her. "Your mother is pulling away from us and I haven't been able to stop her."

"Where is she? Is she coming home? Can we talk to her?"

"I don't know the answer to any of those questions right now," he said and sat down heavily in his chair. "I just don't know."

"Daddy, what's she done? Has she met someone else? Is that what's happened?"

"I'm ... I'm not sure," he admitted almost under his breath. "I'm not sure what she is doing. I just wish I knew."

"Let me call her. I'll talk to her. She'll listen to me."

"I wish it were that simple," he cautioned. "I'm sorry you got mixed up in this right now. Let me work through this a little longer before you talk to her. I know it will be difficult but at least wait until after your graduation. We don't want your grandparents to worry now do we?"

"OK, but I want to know what's going on. Please tell me."

"Sweetheart, this is between your mother and me right now. I told you, I don't know what's going on and I have to get that settled first. Please don't go and get your mother all riled up until I have a chance to talk with her. OK?"

Ray wanted to confront Karen and he waited for her to come home until nearly midnight before he finally gave up and went to bed. He had carefully planned a confrontation with her and had written a script in his head with several variations depending upon her reactions.

It was almost one o'clock in the morning when he heard a car pull into the driveway. Getting out of bed he saw what he thought was Karen's Escalade sitting in the driveway. It was hard to tell with only the yard light dimly illuminating the interior. He thought it looked like a woman sitting in the passenger seat and a man driving. When she moved the light fell on her and he knew it was Karen from the dress she wore to work that morning.

He watched as their hand movements indicated they were carrying on a conversation for a few minutes. The man's hand moved towards her and grasped her shoulder before they both leaned towards each other and shared a kiss over the center console. Her arm came up and grasped his bicep during the kiss. The kiss appeared to be more than a friendly peck but not a long, passionate one. Ray's guts wrenched at the sight of his wife kissing a man and he wanted to go down and rip the door open and pull her out of the car.

The SUV's interior lights came on when both doors simultaneously opened and the passengers got out. The interior color of the vehicle told Ray it was not Karen's and he wondered where she had left her vehicle. He recognized the man as the huge male he had seen at the Real Estate office earlier that afternoon. He came around the front of the vehicle and taking Karen's arm he escorted her towards the front door of the house.

Ray moved to the top of the stairs and watched and waited for the front door to open. He could not see what was going on but it took longer for the door to open than it would have if she had just been fishing her keys out of her purse.

After what seemed an hour, but was only a minute or two, the door opened and Karen stood holding it and facing the man who had escorted her. She glanced inside the darkened house and seeing no one she stood on tiptoe and raised her face for another kiss from the guy. He leaned down and they shared another lingering kiss and he whispered something before Karen closed the door and locked it.

The kisses hit Ray more than any other image of what he imagined she had done. His mind could wrap itself around any imagined sex act but watching his wife passionately kiss another man almost made him throw up.

He did not make a move or a sound, but sat on the top step completely drained of all emotion. He had just watched his wife making out with another man in his own home. He could not believe her brazenness or her lack of any consideration for him, for their children or for their marriage.

He continued watching Karen as she took off her high heels and disappeared into the interior of the house. A minute or so later, she came back into view still carrying her shoes in her hand. She started quietly up the stairs in the near darkness until her face came to the level of Ray's feet resting on the step.

Karen gasped and her hand went to her neck in surprise as she looked up into Ray's face.

"Jesus, you scared me!" she said. "What are you doing awake? It's late."

"Just waiting for my wife to come home," he said quietly through clenched teeth. "I'm glad she's found someone she likes to spend quality time with since she's decided her husband is not the one."

"It's not what you think," she whispered. "It's not like that at all. He's a co-worker and I'm going to be working for him, that's all. Come up to bed I don't want to wake the kids. I'll explain everything."

Ray's first impulse was to push her down the stairs and hurt her, but he resisted the urge and tried to get up but his body was not responding. His anger had changed into a deep sense of sadness and he could feel the tears of total rejection running down his cheeks. It had been many years since he had cried like this and he made no effort to stop.

Karen reached out but he slapped her hand away and managed to get himself up and go into their bedroom with her following closely behind him.

"Oh shit!" she said to herself. "I don't need this. I should have been more careful. What's the matter with me? He's really pissed off and he's going to throw me out, I know it. It didn't mean anything. I was just fooling around and trying to make points with my new boss."

Ray did not turn the bedroom light on but just walked to the bed in the gloom of the yard light filtering through the curtains and sat down to wait for what she had to say.

"I'll be right back," she said and went into the bathroom.

Looking into the mirror she saw a face flushed with the remains of arousal and also with the realization that she had just been caught violating her marriage vows.

"It wasn't as if I really did anything," she rationalized. "We just had a few friendly kisses. After all, he's going to be my new boss and I want to be on his good side."

Pulling off her clothes she wiped off her smeared lipstick and washed the makeup off of her face. Sitting on the toilet she urinated and when she wiped herself she realized she was wet not only from her pee but also from her excitement at flirting and kissing Montrell.

Her thoughts went back to their dinner with Mike and Donna and the drinks and dancing afterward. Montrell was a huge man and dancing with him was like nothing she had ever experienced. He was light on his feet and he enjoyed the faster dances.

He was so wide and so tall that when she danced a slow dance with him all she could do was put her cheek on his chest and hold onto the sides of his suit jacket. During the first dance she realized that if she were not wearing heels her face would be dangerously close to his belly.

The feeling of strength and power that he exuded fascinated her and she fantasized at how it would be trying to fit him between her thighs. She had to open her legs to straddle his and it was easy to pretend to accidentally rub against him during the dances. She never felt an erection but she knew he was aroused by the way he caressed her back while they moved around the floor.

They had enjoyed a steady stream of margaritas and wine and it was getting late and Mike and Donna decided to leave.

As Donna was leaving she bent to touch Karen's cheek with hers and whispered in her ear, "You go girl, I'll bet he's a better fuck than Trey."