A Man Called Asshole

I racked my tiny brain for an answer but came up empty. I trusted my friends to have my back, especially right now. I had not met anyone of Lisa's friends or family who seemed intent on harming us. Yeah, I didn't have daily contact with any of them but I trusted my feelings. Could it be one of the many women I previously had sex with? After all, I couldn't tell you which women I had carnal knowledge of, there had just been too many of them over the years. Maybe one of them was whispering in Lisa's ear trying to make me pay for some perceived slight. Jeez, could it be one or all of my brothers trying their best to fuck with me again? I really didn't think so but who really knows?

I just signed the pre-nuptial and labored on. The goal was in sight. I was going to be the first of my crowd to bite the bullet and say those time honored words, "I do."

Then came my bachelor party. The posse was in high hopes of me going out with a bang, a big nasty gang bang. The stripper they hired was pretty poor at a teasing strip but she was willing to go all the way. When she was naked she rubbed all over me while I was sitting front and center as the honored guest. I saw a couple of the guys, including Jimmy, who had arranged this whole shindig, with their phones out and, I assumed, the video function on. I made sure to keep my hands away from the hooker posing as a stripper. I couldn't risk having any video where I might even accidently rub against another woman.

After a bit she relented and went on to the next sucker. The crew took their turns taking her into the other room and fucking her brains out. A couple of Lisa's friends and relatives, who had been invited, also took their turn with her. I sincerely hoped she wasn't carrying any kind of disease.

I got bored with the whole evening and finally left the hotel's small meeting rooms and went down to the bar and had a couple of brews while talking to the bartender. At last call I called for an Uber and headed home to my quiet apartment, one I hoped I would soon be sharing with my bride. I had enough alcohol on board to assure a good night's sleep.

In the morning I woke with a slight headache and gut ache. This told me that maybe I had imbibed a little too much but it had been a good party even though I had passed on the strange pussy.

I didn't hear from Lisa for most of the day even though I called her many times and left just as many voice messages. Finally late in the afternoon she returned my call. Actually she sent me a text message. "You need to give me an exemption from the pre-nup if you expect me to forgive you for what you did last night with the stripper."

I was perplexed as I responded with my own text. "I did nothing with the stripper except allow her to give me a lap dance. Check with anyone else who was there. They will confirm that I did not do anything wrong."

Her response was quick. "I did. Why do you think I need an exemption before I forgive you?"

"Please check with your relatives who were there. Don't believe whoever told you I did anything more than allow the lap dance. I did nothing with the stripper. It was obvious she was a hooker so I made sure I didn't touch her. She touched me while doing the lap dance but I was always in plain view of everyone else."

"They said you left. I suppose that was to fuck one of your other bimbos. I can't trust you."

"Check with the bar. I sat there until last call and then went home. The bartender's name was Charlie."

She didn't respond to that. Her bachelorette party was that night. We had planned it so my party was on Friday night, hers on Saturday the same week and that would allow us both to recover before the next weekend which was the wedding.

I sent one final text to her. I also included her maid of honor, Margo, so that there was a witness to my statement. "I have done nothing to be ashamed of. I had fun at my party, just as planned. I am still true to you. Tomorrow if I find out that you were not true to me, we will just call it all off."

There was no response from either of them. Needless to say my night was shot to hell. I didn't drink as I wanted a clear head. Jimmy and a couple of the other of my friends came over and we played some poker, even some cribbage and one of the guys tried to teach us how to play canasta but that was a lost cause. It did help to keep my mind off what my fiancé might be doing at her party.

The last friend finally left about three a.m. and I fell asleep from pure exhaustion. On Sunday I woke very late due to my late night. Damn, I could remember when I could party until all hours and still get up and work or play all day. I must be getting old and not even thirty years of age yet. I guess that is the price I pay for falling in love.

I left a couple of text messages with Lisa but got no response until evening. I tried to assume she was extremely hung over and not all fucked out. Without any evidence of her cheating on me I was having to just go on trust that she came to her senses before she went too far.

She actually called me this time. "Sorry, Troy, that I didn't contact you earlier. We had an after bachelorette party today after we all crawled out of bed. It was a slow start as we were a bit hung over but then the pain killers and the fluids kicked in and we all laid out in the sun at Margo's place."

I wanted to ask her but I bit my tongue and tried to find out without directly querying her. "Did your girlfriends get a stripper for you?"

She gushed, "Actually, Margo said it was a late change in plans but they ended up with three strippers. All of them were very buff and wore tiny little posing pouches under their speedos. I mean they had that perfect wide shoulders to narrow hips, tight little buns, dimples in their cheeks (both ends I swear), big chest muscles, strong arms and very nimble on their feet. They did some amazing dance moves as they stripped. They even did some handstands and other gymnastic moves. It was impressive. I think some of the girls videoed them."

"I suppose now I need to up my game and do some kind of gymnastic moves on the dance floor to impress you? Do I need to get a speedo or posing pouch to complete the illusion?"

'I don't know how you would compare. They were in very good shape."

I was still very active at my dojo and also exercising on a regular time frame. I realized she had never seen me even partially dressed so she didn't know how I might compare with her strippers. I let it go for now.

I just had to ask. "Even though I didn't grant you an exemption from our agreement, did you have sex with any or all of the strippers?

Her answer was as vague as I knew it would be. "I did nothing more than you did with the stripper. Despite what I was told, you swore you didn't fuck her."

It was a non-answer and I expected it. It was time to redirect the conversation. "So, will we see each other at all this next week or will I not see you until the rehearsal and supper?"

"Well, actually, there are a lot of plans being made by my family and the bridal party. You can wait a week to see me again, can't you?"

Of course I could but I didn't have to like it. I bit the bullet and my tongue and reluctantly agreed to see her on Friday night at the rehearsal.

When I got to work on Monday my boss called my team into the office. It seems contract negotiations had broken down with a pipefitters' union in a city three hours away and we had an emergency contract to get the negotiations back on track. The economy was booming and a work stoppage for any reason would cost millions, to both businesses and the union members. We were scheduled to hop the next commuter jet and be there in the morning to start work after a good night's sleep in a local hotel. Luckily the next plane wouldn't leave until late afternoon so there was time enough to get to our respective homes, pack and get to the airport with little problem.

I called Lisa to tell her the news. "Lisa, I am sorry but we are being sent to Craterville to help with a labor dispute there. Hopefully we will be back in a few days. No matter what, I will be there for the rehearsal and the supper afterwards."

Her reply was not what I expected. "How did you get Conrad to set this up on the spur of the moment? I suppose that slut, Heather, is going with you? I knew you wouldn't or couldn't change. You couldn't be satisfied with the slut stripper for sex so I suppose this is how you will hide your fucking Heather by pretending to leave town for the week before our wedding? Well, I wouldn't marry you now so go have sex to your man-whore satisfaction. Jimmy was right, you can't change." She hung up before I could get a word in edgewise and wouldn't answer when I tried both her office number and her cell phone.

I was in the midst of packing when she unloaded on me. I had to sit on the edge of my bed and review what she had just imparted. One: Lisa believes that I had sex with the stripper at my bachelor party and will not believe me no matter how much I deny it. Two: She believes that I am having some kind of sexual relationship with my co-worker, Heather. I have no idea where she might have gotten that impression. Heather was rather cute, but very married, and I have never had any kind of personal (that reads "sex") encounter with her. Three: Somehow my best friend Jimmy was involved in how Lisa feels. Was he the one who was torpedoing my love life? I needed to know but didn't have time to find out right now. I had to finish packing and get to the airport.

I met with the rest of the team, yes that included Heather, at the airport in plenty of time to catch the commuter plane to Craterville. We arrived with little incident and soon were at the hotel. We ate in the restaurant and then spent some time reading any material concerning this negotiation. We needed to come in knowing what had worked and what had not worked so far. We then called a halt and headed to our respective rooms. No, I didn't go trolling for a bed partner. Even if I had been so inclined, I was too upset about Lisa's pronouncements to think of sex right at the moment, even though it had been months since my last penetrative sexual interlude.

I did try to contact her but it went to her mailbox. I left a message stating how much I loved her and was looking forward to our wedding that weekend. Even if she cancelled on me, I wanted some evidence that I was trying to work through this.

The next day was hectic. My team was acting as arbitrators instead of representing one side or the other. Sometimes the arguments got very personal and we were expected to reduce tensions so each of us had to be fully engaged. We called a halt for lunch and the whole team headed out to a restaurant across town to try and avoid either side's representatives so that a conflict of interest would be avoided. It was a working lunch. We each discussed strategy to get both sides to work for a solution instead of warfare. A strike needed to be avoided because of the costs involved and the loss of public confidence.

I don't know if our presence helped or the two sides had a private "come to Jesus" meeting but the afternoon session was so productive we didn't break until seven that evening with the promise to have a written agreement to present to the union the next day. I, at least, was exhausted, so I just had room service bring a soft drink and a sandwich to eat. I called Lisa again and left a message.

Wednesday, we hammered out some of the minor parts of the agreement and finally had something for the union to vote on by late afternoon. Again, that evening I called for a sandwich and opted for a beer as my reward. This time I found a message on my phone. It had to be turned off during the negotiations so I had not had any time to check for messages or even phone calls.

It was from Jimmy, my now former best friend. "Man, I can see why you want her so bad. She is hot, hot, hot! She even sucks a mean cock and SWALLOWS! Too bad you were so stupid as to cheat on her all this time. And to think, you claimed that she didn't want to sully your relationship with premarital sex and I even got to tap that ass. What a fucking fool. All I had to do was keep telling her that you must be fucking some one at work and she became ripe for my cock. I am really the best man after all. See you at the altar, dumb shit."

I was beyond pissed off. I could feel the asshole coming out of his den like a bear after a long hibernation. My hands clenched as well as my jaw. I could hear and feel my teeth grinding in frustration and the need to lash out and hurt someone.

I loved her. I had never felt this way about any woman and now she has betrayed me in the worst possible way. How do I make her pay?

My friend has been part of the betrayal. I didn't know he was that kind of false friend, a man who would deliberately sabotage my relationship with Lisa. And then gloat about it. He would have to pay a painful price. And there was no time like the present to get some of that accomplished.

First, I worked and finally figured out how to forward the message to Lisa's phone. I hope she liked how Jimmy portrayed her. I also sent it to Lisa's parents and to her best friend, Margo's phone. I doubt if it would do much to repair our relationship but right now, I didn't care.

I called and got a rental car delivered within the hour. It was still early evening and I could be home before the bars closed. Yes, it was a Wednesday but I figured my former friends were still out having a beer or two. I might miss one or two but Jimmy was always the last to leave the bar unless he scored some poontang. I headed out after checking out of the hotel and letting my team know that I had to leave early because of a "family" emergency.

Normally it took three hours to drive the distance between Craterville and home but I managed to shorten that time to two hours. I walked into the usual haunt and only found a couple of my "friends" there. Greg and Bill were having a drink and laughing at some private joke. I guess my demeanor was telling as their smirks died rapidly. I made it short and sweet, "Did you know what Jimmy was doing behind my back?"

Both nodded but put their hands up to ward off the punch they thought was coming. I didn't give them the pleasure. "If you ever see me, turn and walk the other way very, very quickly. And don't call Jimmy or my fiancé and tell them I am back in town. Let them find out when they see me. Don't you agree that I should have the privilege of surprising them, just like I did you?" I leaned forward as I said the last and they leaned back and nodded.

"Now, tell me where he is."

Greg grimaced but finally got it out. "He was going to Lisa's. He said he would make sure that she broke it off with you."

I nodded and stood back. "Now is the time to run, not walk, toward the door. You have ten seconds." They were up and gone in a flash. I went to the bar and dropped some bills to cover their drinks and clear the tab I knew they were running for the night. The bartender just nodded. He had always been a friendly cuss so I wasn't surprised when he offered to ban them all if I wanted. I just shook my head in denial. "No, it might be handy to know where to find them if I feel the need to make them suffer for my loss." He nodded and kept wiping the glass in his hand as I turned and left.

This area of town has many bars in very close proximity. I went down a few doors and entered another of our hangouts. Greg and Bill were there speaking very forcefully to Ian, Dan, and Joe, the rest of the gang outside of Jimmy. When they looked up and spotted me it was obvious there were two factions at play. Greg and Bill looked like the hangman was coming for them and they booked out the back door into the dark and dirty alley like a demon was on their backs. The other three at first tried their friendly look but, I suppose because of their numerical superiority, degenerated into smirks of derision.

Ian spoke first, "Well, Stupid Shit, I suppose I can't call you a cuckold as you are not married yet, but you abandoned the group and started to act like you were superior to us all. Now your fucking cunt is playing house with Jimmy. And, to top it off, he has promised all of us a piece of her ass when he is done. And, you, the mighty Trey, haven't ever even gotten a taste of her. What a fucking fool you are. Haven't you figured it out yet, there isn't a cunt alive that is worth the sacrifice you seemed so intent on making? You are a spineless..."

His diatribe stopped when I punched him in the gut and then in the mouth. I sidestepped and kicked Dan in the knee and he was just starting to scream when I turned and hit Joe in the shoulder plexis. That made his fist unclench and drop as the nerves went numb. A second strike to the left shoulder and both arms were down. I swung back and hit Ian again as he was starting to straighten up. He went to the floor this time.

I turned back to Dan. He was down and clutching his knee. I guess he wasn't as tough as he thought he was. Joe was looking daggers at me but he wasn't much of a threat and wouldn't be for about twenty minutes as the feeling came back to his arms. I made my statement short and sweet. "You have just seen the rebirth of the Asshole. From now on there is no nice, there is no forgiveness. I hate only with provocation but when I hate, I hate forever. Make sure you see me first and turn away. Fuck, make that run away as I will not stop next time until you can't stand, walk, or move. DO YOU FEEL ME, SHITHEADS?"

All three nodded and I walked out. The good bartender had called the cops but their sirens were still in the distance. I walked back to the rental car and pulled out my bag and started to walk. Long ago I had come to the conclusion that traditional luggage, except when on vacation, was too cumbersome to manage on short trips so I always packed a duffle bag. This one had rollers if needed but since we had only planned to be in Craterville for a few days, I had not packed too heavily so I just slung it on my shoulder and walked away. If the cops were looking they would probably be searching for a vehicle. Only Greg or Bill would be the ones to say what my ultimate destination was and they were in the wind.

My intention was to get to Lisa's for the final confrontation. The duffle bag would be a hindrance so I walked a couple of blocks and found myself in front of the bus station. I quickly stashed the bag in a locker and retrieved the key. There was nothing, outside of my laptop, that I would miss if it came up missing but I intended to return yet tonight and retrieve it.

I then sat down and sent texts to my parents and my brothers. In the texts I explained that the wedding was postponed and probably cancelled and so to not come. I also asked that they spread the news to others of the family so no one would make the trip unnecessarily. I was pleased that all responded quickly and with condolences.

I also arranged with the rental car company to retrieve their car. I would have to pay a penalty for abandoning it but I wasn't taking any chances that the police might be looking for it. Was I being a little paranoid? Maybe, but I had a mission to complete. The Asshole demanded it.

From the bus depot I jumped on a city bus that dropped me off a block from Lisa's apartment. It was about the final bus for the night. I would have to use a cab after that if I didn't get a ride by the local constabulary. When I got to Lisa's apartment house I was forced to use the call box to call her. One of her roommates answered up. "Trey, why are you here? Lisa moved the rest of her stuff to your place to surprise you for when you got home from your business trip. I thought you weren't due back until just before the rehearsal. What gives?"

I had to apologize for the mistake and turned to go. What was this about her moving to my place? We had planned that she would not move until after the honeymoon so we wouldn't be tempted to violate the agreement to wait until the wedding to consummate our love. Yes, she had had a key to my apartment for weeks but she had only used it to come and fix meals as it would provide more privacy than trying to get her roommates out of her apartment. Oh well, it was just prolonging the inevitable to ponder the whys.