A New Life Ch. 02

I walked into my office with a headache. Worrying about what Benjamin would say or do kept me up most of the night.

Sheila stayed with me for the second time while the others booked hotel rooms. No doubt they wanted their privacy.

Alexander greeted me at the door with a hug, "Thanks," I said as I went to my desk.

"He tried to bribe me," Alexander said as he stood near my desk.

"Of course, he did," I shook my head. "What did he offer, and what did he want?"

"He wanted me to keep my mouth shut about the video, you sent, as well as to trash talk you," Alexander said.

Benjamin knew that Alexander and I had been working for nearly ten years. He bought the houses, his son Derek renovated them, and I got them decorated and ready to be sold. It was a good arrangement. An arrangement that benefited everyone.

I shook my head. Alexander would never trash talk me to anyone, let alone for the sake of my soon to be ex-husband, that cheated on me with a child.

I knew Benjamin was reaching at straws now. He was becoming desperate. I had all the leverage, and he wanted something on me to keep me from finishing what he had started after the moment he closed the most prominent case in his career.

Benjamin wanted, no, he needed to be the best. Since the day I met him, he had strived to win my heart. There were plenty of others. But Benjamin wanted to beat them all, to get the bustiest young woman in the school.

It worked. Benjamin won me over in a couple of weeks, and after a few years, we were married.

Now, he wanted to run for a congress member. I was the only thing stopping him, and I knew how he was, Benjamin saw me as a threat, and threats had to be eliminated.

'Damn,' I thought as I knew Benjamin would try to threaten poor Charlize. I knew she was the one that was part of this all, but she didn't deserve to be endangered.

I called Bernice and asked for Charlize's phone number.

"Meet me," I said as she answered.

"Where?" Charlize asked

I selected a spot where it would be very public and less likely to draw attention. I asked for the rest of the day off to ensure everything was in order before the court date.

"First," Charlize said as she met me at the café. I stopped her dead in her tracks.

"This meeting is about the upcoming court date, nothing more," I said as I looked at her doe eyes staring back at me. "I don't care about how you feel and how sorry you are," I said, setting the ground rules.

Charlize took a seat and nodded.

"Good," I said as I looked over at her. "When did it start?" I asked.

"Just over a year ago," Charlize answered promptly.

That hit like a dagger straight to the heart. I had sex with Benjamin during that time. If I knew he was fucking around on me, I would have. I stopped myself there. I couldn't have known, and thinking about the past wasn't something I wanted to do.

"How often?" I asked.

"Anytime he was away, or if you were gone for a long time," Charlize answered.

"Weekly, then," I nodded.

"Yes," Charlize replied.

"Gifts, clothes, any of the sort?" I asked.

"Plenty, also weekly," Charlize nodded as she looked down at the notepad I was writing in.

"Just at the house or other places?"

"Mostly your house, but a couple of times, hotels, and resorts, he took me on vacation last winter," Charlize answered.

I nodded. "He told me he was going to a convention," I said as I remembered that event.

"Yes, it was boring, I was there with him, but it was only for one day, then we went.... Well, we went somewhere else," Charlize said.

"I see," I nodded.

I came here wanting answers, and Charlize gave me more than I needed.

"My mom told me to tell you everything," Charlize said. "I haven't answered any of his calls, or ...."

I held my hand up. "I don't need to know," I said. "What happens now is between you and him, I just need this information before he threatens you not to talk to me."

"I wouldn't do that," Charlize said. "He told me that the two of you were separating this year."

"Well, he wasn't wrong," I chuckled.

"May I ask something?" Charlize asked.

"Sure," I nodded.

"How is Sheila taking it?" Charlize asked.

I shook my head and stared back at her. "If I were you, I would avoid Sheila as much as possible."

"I see," Charlize nodded.

The rest of the meeting went well. Charlize answered all my questions without hesitation and got me all the information I needed to know and then some.

I bid her farewell and told her to stay away from Benjamin as I knew he would try to manipulate her.

I went to the gym afterwards to clear my head. I always thought better after a bit of a workout. As I left, I saw Benjamin standing by my car.

"What?" I asked.

"Papers," Benjamin said, handing me the divorce papers.

"Oh no," I said as I declined to receive them. "You're not getting off that easily."

I knew that he wanted a quick divorce out of the courtroom, but he was the one that said he would see me in court, so that's what we were going to do.

"Alison!" Benjamin shouted as I put my things in the truck. "Why?"

"Why fuck her, every week?" I shouted back. "You bought her gifts and took her on vacation, sometimes, right under my nose, and in our house, in our bed!"

Benjamin shook his head. "Cheating happens, I was bored, and unhappy she was there," he said. "We haven't been intimate in months!"

"You have been screwing her for over a year!" I said, staring at him. "A year!"

Benjamin shook his head as he stared at me. "You're going to ruin me," he said as he pleaded for me to take the papers.

I pushed them back at him. "You should've thought about that before sticking your dick where it doesn't belong!" I said as I opened the door. "If you weren't happy, you could have told me, we could have gone our separate ways peacefully, I wouldn't have fought you."

"That's what scared me," Benjamin said. "You would've left, and I would...."

"Be just fine," I shook my head. "You can't have it your way all the time, sometimes you do lose."

I left Benjamin in the parking lot, he was running out of options, and he knew it.

Luckily, he had a few more weeks before the court date, which he scheduled, not me.

~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Everybody returned home after a week of checking and rechecking that I was alright. Sheila was the only one that didn't have to board a plane. The others made sure to tell her to keep an eye out for me.

Showing homes always made me relax, and this one was no different. It was a large ranch style house with a vast backyard, in an up-and-coming neighbourhood, way out of the city limits.

As people came into the house on the date, I set for the open house. I started thinking about getting a place like this for myself. A new start, new neighbourhood, new furniture. In essence, a new me.

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted a new start. Except for the job, I loved my job, but I could do with a fresh start on many other things. Especially a house, that sizeable two-story house was going to be too big for me now.

'Great,' I thought as I saw one of Benjamin's friends walk in.

"Stuart," I said, meeting him in the kitchen.

"Alison," he nodded.

"Didn't know you were in the market for a new house," I said as others walked around.

"It crossed my mind, a time or two," Stuart smiled.

'Bullshit!' I thought. Stuart owned three houses and a few rentals; he had no reason to buy another.

"Cut to the chase, I have clients," I said as the room cleared out.

"The house, the rental, and the fishing lodge, all yours and a substantial amount, just to walk away and sign the papers," Stuart said as he pulled out a large vanilla envelope.

I laughed. "It's going to cost him a lot more than that," I said.

"Alison, come on," Stuart said.

"He was fucking a twenty-year old in my bed for over a year!"

"And he is sorry," Stuart pleaded. "Don't ruin the man because he had an affair," he shrugged. "Everyone is having or thinking about having an affair, just because they don't...."

"There, right there, carry on, don't stop," I smiled. "They don't go through with it, of course I have had thoughts about it, but I have never acted on it."

"So, you're saying you are better than him?" Stuart asked.

"Better, no," I smiled as someone passed. "Loyal, most definitely, I didn't spread my legs at the first time that I wanted to screw someone, that I found attractive."

"Alison," Stuart said, shaking his head.

"Did you, or have you?" I asked, looking at Stuart. "Have you cheated on Mandy?"

"Our marriage isn't in question," Stuart said, shaking his head.

"My god, you have," I said, shaking my head. "Was it with a twenty-year old? One of Charlize's friends?"

"No! stop it!" Stuart barked.

I knew that look; I had caught him. "You better leave," I nodded. "If you can't look me straight in the face, there is no chance you can mediate between the two of us."

"Fine," Stuart retreated.

"Tell Nadine I said hi," I said as he left.

"I will..., "he stopped and looked at me.

I knew it had to be Charlize's friend Nadine; she was more outgoing than the rest of the others.

"Fuck!" Stuart said as he stormed out.

'What's with these men,' I thought.

Mandy didn't deserve to be cheated on; she was the picture-perfect housewife. Of course, she was a tad older than me, and Stuart was older than Benjamin, but that did mean he had to cheat on her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The open house was a huge success. After a few days of the house being on the market, I sold it for a considerable profit, which made Alexander happy and myself.

Working extra hours made me take my mind off everything that was happening, and for a change, I didn't feel like I should rush home to be with someone or make someone dinner. It was pretty satisfying that I knew it would all be over soon.

What hadn't stopped was Benjamin's attempts to bid for me, allowing him to walk away. I even got a notice from the mayor's office to sit down and talk with him. I denied it.

They could all go down together. I knew if Benjamin was willing to go to these lengths, he had nothing on me.

What could he have? I was lousy in bed? I was a terrible cook? All of which were lies, we had four kids, and if we didn't get things taken care of so that we wouldn't have any more kids, I knew there would be a lot more of them.

As for the cooking, there was more of him these days than when we first got married.

"He's at it again," Kelly said as she returned from lunch.

I shook my head as I saw Derek entering the office.

Unlike his father, who was a man of his word and a pillar of the community. Derek was a horndog, the rumour was that he wanted to fuck every woman he met, but I didn't believe it until I went out to one of the houses he was working on and saw him fucking one of the helpers.

That image and the other images of my husband were now locked inside of my head for good.

"One day you will say yes," Derek smiled as he looked at Kelly.

"One day I will sue you," Kelly replied.

"He will stop," I said as I looked at Derek, who jumped at the sound of my voice. "Won't you!"

"I thought you were still out," Derek said as he looked around our small office for his father.

"I've been back for a while now," I said as I stared a hole through him. "Your father is out, what do you want?"

"One of the contractors are asking for more, and the Cherokee house needs permits," Derek said, leaning against my desk.

"Permits," I said, handing him the papers. "Which contractor?" I asked.

"Deadland," Derek answered. "So, when's the big day?"

"Three weeks," I answered as I looked up the contractor.

"Nervous?" Derek asked.

"Leave her alone," Kelly said from across the room.

"It's okay," I nodded. "No, I am not, he is in the wrong, I am in the right, there is no reason to be nervous."

"Depends," Derek said as he lifted one of the unicorn paperweights I had on my desk and tossed it up and down in his hand. I loved unicorns and collected figurines. "If it's a male judge and he takes one look at Charlize, he might understand why the old man did it," Derek said as he looked over at Kelly.

"She's young, that's all," Kelly said.

"He means that Charlize has a cheerleaders body, tight muscle toned and long legs, with blonde hair," I said.

"And a tight little ass, that begs to be...." Derek made the motions of fucking.

I shook my head. "Well too bad she turned you down and fucked Benjamin," I smiled.

"Guess the old man has better moves than you do," Kelly laughed.

"He has more money and more popularity, that's all," Derek said as he stood up and put the unicorn down.

"Not what I heard," Kelly smiled.

I laughed as I knew she was playing on his ego. "He did go for over two hours," I nodded.

"I bet he had medical help," Derek said, standing in the middle of the room.

"Not what I heard," Kelly chimed again.

"He did fuck her ass," I said. "Twice!"

"No way," Derek said.

"That's what I heard," Kelly nodded.

"I have the video proof and the sounds to prove it," I nodded again as I found the contract. I printed it and then handed it to Derek. "Here," I said.

"Nice!" Derek nodded as he looked it over. "Two more houses, then they can ask for a raise, very nice! They will be pissed when they see this," he nodded as he tucked it away.

"If they want to break it, remind them of the penalty," I nodded and shooed him away.

Derek took one last look at Kelly and then walked out of the office.

"So, what did you hear?" I asked.

"Well, let's just say that conversation lasts longer than he does," Kelly smiled.

I laughed as we continued our talks. It was good to feel normal for a while, but deep down, I was nervous. I knew Benjamin would be building a case for himself. If he wanted to keep himself in the running, he knew he had to make me out to be the lousy housewife and for him to be the victim.

I had to be ready for anything and everything he would throw at me.