A Whole New Life Ch. 06

Dave spun suddenly, his arm slipping from around Tania's waist as a feeling of dread washed over him. "Fuck," he thought, "you have to be kidding me."

As he turned Joan made a beeline for the couple, a look of absolute rage on her face. As she saw Tania, she froze and the look of anger mixed with confusion before she said, "Who's this? Kicked Karen to the curb already for a teenager?"

Dave reddened and turned to Tania, saw a quick look of confusion and what looked like sorrow on her face for a split second, then just as quickly the confident and strong Tania returned and she said, "You must be Joan, the whore who was sucking her neighbor's cock when her husband was at work." She moved purposefully close to Joan, standing directly in front of her, eyes glaring. "I'm Tania, the woman that's going to drag your sorry ass out the door into the street if you don't back the fuck up."

Joan stammered and took a step back. Dave couldn't help but chuckle to himself and when Joan saw the grin on his face, she turned even redder than she was before. Realizing that her bullying approach wasn't going to work right now, she went to her backup. On demand, tears poured from her eyes, and she lowered her face and brought her hands up. Sobbing she said, "Dave, when you sent me those texts with Karen, all those horrible things". She paused and sniffled, looking up from her hands to see if she was getting a reaction before continuing, "I was worried about you. You didn't return my messages for days. I thought something was wrong with you, so I came here to make sure you were OK. And what do I get for my concern, this foul-mouthed child threatening me?"

Dave began to laugh, and Tania stood shaking her head. "Joan," Dave began, "what do you want? We have dinner reservations and need to get dressed."

Joan stood stunned and lowered her hands. Now she was truly pissed. He had just dismissed her. "How fucking dare you talk to me like that? I am your fucking wife, asshole, and you are not only fucking my best friend but obviously also fucking this little foul-mouthed slut." The words trailed off as she looked up and saw the look in Tania's eyes. The kind of look that sent shivers down your spine.

"Joan," Tania said at almost a whisper, "that is the last time you will say anything insulting to me. If you have something that you need from Dave, let's hear it, otherwise we have plans and I hate to be late."

Looking past her Joan said to Dave, "Dave, can we talk alone? This is personal."

"No, if you have something to say, just say it," Dave responded curtly.

"Fuck you!" she spat, turning and storming away and out the revolving door of the hotel.

Dave watched in amazement. All the years he'd been married to her he had never seen her walk away from a fight. His normal response when she got like this was just to let her have her way, it was just easier. But watching Tania face her down had made him realize how absurd her act was. He smiled and turned to Tania and her face suddenly changed to one of near sorrow as a tear welled up in her eye.

"Who's Karen?"

The last few days with Tania had made him almost forget about Karen. He hadn't even met Tania when he and Karen had hooked up, but for some reason he felt guilty. He thought about what he should say and realized that there was no sense in anything but the truth.

"Karen is a woman that Joan was close friends with back in college. I ran into her the night before you and I met, in the hotel bar and we slept together." He started to continue but she cut him off with a finger to his lips.

"Have you been with her since we met?"

"No, I haven't".

Tania smiled then, her face lighting up as she said "Good, let's go get ready for dinner". She took his hand and they headed for the elevator lobby.

Dave was in near shock. He had just told her that he had slept with another woman the night before he slept with her, and she was fine with it. What the fuck?

As they got into the elevator, Tania leaned up against him and kissed him on the cheek. "In case you didn't know, I slept with other people before I met you too. Not the night before I met you, but you know".

He smiled and slipped his arm around her as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Now, if you'd slept with her after you met me, I'd have cut your balls off," she said softly.

Dave swallowed hard, not sure if she was kidding and remembering that Becky had used the same threat.

The door to the elevator opened and she looked at him, then burst out laughing. "Wow dude, you need to lighten up." She grabbed his arm and nearly dragged him out of the elevator and down the hall to his room. As he fumbled with his wallet to pull out his key card, her hand slipped down to his crotch and his cock responded immediately to her touch.

On the street in front of the hotel Joan stood enraged. The doorman approached her and asked, "Ma'am, can I get you a cab?"

"Go fuck yourself!" she snapped and stormed away, leaving the young man staring blankly after her, before shaking his head and turning to greet the passenger of the car that was pulling up to the curb.

She walked quickly down the street and around the corner before stopping. Unsure where she was going and realizing that she did need a cab she scanned the street. Snatching her phone out of her pocket, she scrolled through her contacts until she found the name she needed, pressing the button to call her. "Sydney, hey it's Joan....Yes, it has been a long time...I'm sorry, Hun, but I'm in a crunch at the moment. I am supposed to meet Karen at her house and somehow misplaced her address. Can you text it to me.. Oh, thank you so much. I will call soon, and we can catch up. I'm sorry, I'm late and you know how much I hate that. Yes, talk to you soon." Pressing the button to end the call she muttered under her breath, "Bitch." A moment later she received a text with the address.

Looking around she realized she was on a one-way street and that all the cabs were going toward the hotel entrance. Without hesitating she headed back and upon arriving walked directly up to the doorman and stated curtly, "I need a cab."

The doorman turned and saw who it was, put his best fake smile on his face, the one he reserved for the worst customers who he knew would never tip him, but would complain to the GM at the most imperceptible slight. "Of course, Ma'am", he said, turning to hail a passing cab. As it pulled up, he opened the door and before he could turn, Joan pushed past him and into the back seat, grabbing the door and yanking it closed. Smiling brightly, he touched the brim of his cap and turned away, chuckling to himself. He was an atheist, but in moments like this he hoped he was wrong and that if God existed, that He had a special place lined up for people like that. Then back to work he went.

Joan read the address from her phone, never looking up or acknowledging the driver's existence. The driver knew this type and simply nodded, put the car in gear and merged into the downtown traffic and got ready for a quiet ride. He much preferred to chat with his customers, but no sense in even trying with this one, twenty years of experience told him that, and that he would get a buck tip if he was lucky.

Upstairs in Dave's suite, Tania was mercilessly teasing Dave. She really wasn't angry, the logical side of her brain, the part that she had been taught to let rule, told her that Dave had done nothing wrong. What happened before they met was none of her business. Since they had met, he had been wonderful. He treated her with respect and care, was honest and open, and was an amazing lover. But her soul was hurt. The logical brain kept telling her to stop being a girl, but the emotional part of her, the part she kept tamped down, was not happy. Her strong response to Joan was an act. A well-honed response to bullies that her father had taught her as a young girl. But she knew that it wasn't over. Joan was obviously not the kind of woman to give up. She had fled because she was shocked by the response she got, probably the first time she had ever been told no by Dave, but she'd be back. And she'd be prepared next time.

As her hand ran across Dave's crotch, she could feel his bulge straining against his jeans. He resisted as long as he could, but eventually turned and tried to kiss her. She pulled her hand back, looked at her wrist at the watch that didn't exist, and stated in her best teasing voice, "David, we are going to be late."

This continued for several minutes until Dave finally exhaled, kissed her forehead and with a big smile, turned and left the bathroom. "I'm going to get dressed. You better hurry or we'll be late."

Tania broke into a deep laugh and slapped his shoulder playfully as he left. "Damn you," she thought. Turning back to the mirror she finished touching up her makeup and turned to pull the dress from the hanging bag that she had hung on the back of the door. Unzipping it, she looked at the dress and smiled to herself. "Let's see if you can be that cool with this," she whispered to the empty room. Slipping out of her work clothes and underwear, she slipped the tight blue dress over her shoulders, no bra or panties to create unsightly lines. She smoothed the dress and looked in the mirror. Yep, tonight is going to be fun.

In the other room Dave couldn't stop smiling as he put on a pressed dress shirt and slacks, then grabbed a tie from the closet and quickly tied it. He'd probably be the only person at the restaurant in a tie given the way people dressed these days, but he knew that Tania would appreciate it and that's what mattered tonight. This evening was about showing Tania how much she mattered and how important she was to him. It had taken a lot of phone calls to get a private room at this restaurant this evening, but she deserved it.

He threaded his belt through the loops on the slacks and snugged it tight then slipped on a pair of black wing tips. He glanced in the mirror and smiled. He looked sharp and he knew it. That was when he caught a glimpse of Tania standing behind him, leaning up against the door jam. He realized he could have worn a paper sack, and no one would have noticed because not a person in the world would see anything but the red-haired vision in blue that would be on his arm.

As he turned, her eyes got soft and she said quietly, "Fuck baby, you look amazing."

Dave blushed a bit as he walked toward her, taking her hand and kissing her cheek. "Not that anyone is going to notice me," he said with a chuckle.

As confident as Tania was about most things, she didn't take flattery well. She laughed nervously and fidgeted, looking at the floor.

"You are absolutely stunning, sweetie," Dave said as he placed two fingers under her chin and lifted her eyes to his. "Stunning."

Knowing that she was uncomfortable, he kissed softly on the lips, laced his fingers with her and whispered, "we should head down, the car will be waiting for us."

Tania nodded and squeezed his hand, and they walked out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. They rode down to the lobby quietly, Tania leaning softly against him as they held hands. As they reached the ground floor, Dave had a moment of worry that Joan would be waiting for them, but a quick scan of the lobby indicated she wasn't, and he exhaled. He had felt Tania tense a little as well then relaxed and assumed she had had the same concern. They walked across the lobby to the door and yes, every eye in the place was on Tania and as childish as it seemed, Dave loved it.

They stepped out into the noise of the early summer night downtown buzz and walked toward the black town-car with the driver standing by the rear door. Dave nodded to the driver who quickly opened the door and extended a hand to assist Tania as she slid in. The driver closed the door and Dave walked around the other side where the driver had quickly moved and opened the door to allow Dave to slip in. Closing the door, the driver moved behind the wheel, checked his mirror and slowly and steadily pulled out into the busy downtown traffic.

"Good evening Mr. Osbourne, good evening, Ma'am," the driver said looking in the rear-view mirror. "We will arrive at the restaurant in about ten minutes. Please help yourself to a drink if you'd like."

Dave looked at the two decanters and mixers in the rack attached to the seat in front of them. His favorite bourbon, a top shelf vodka, water and cranberry juice, along with a bucket of fresh ice and two crystal glasses. He smiled inside, most of the time he was a fairly simple person, but there were times when the trappings of money and the perks that went along with it were so enjoyable. When he'd asked his assistant to arrange a car service for the evening, she had asked him their preferred drinks for the evening, he had told her, and everything needed was waiting and the driver knew exactly where to go. Looking over at Tania he asked, "Would you like a drink, or do you want to wait until we get to the restaurant?"

"Thanks babe, but I'll wait, such a short drive, seems like a waste," she said as she reached over and took his hand, squeezing it. Service like this wasn't completely foreign to Tania, but having grown up in a military family it was definitely unusual and made her feel just a bit uncomfortable. She would never let Dave know that as she knew this was for her and she appreciated it so much.

On the other side of town, Karen sat at the small desk in her family room, catching up on some work. She had just ordered Chinese delivery, so when the doorbell chimed, she stood up and shuffled across the room in her worn-out jeans and a baggy gray t-shirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Without looking, she opened the door, expecting to see the delivery driver with her dinner. Seeing Joan standing in front of her, she froze.

"Joan," she stammered, "what are you doing here?"

Joan's eyes were like daggers as she stared at her, and Karen moved slightly to put the door between them. Then suddenly Joan's eyes welled up and her face fell into her hands as she began crying. "Karen, how could you do this to me?" she said as she sobbed, "Dave is my husband, I thought we were friends, how could you?"

Karen relaxed and pushed the door open. "Joan, come inside," she said softly, reaching out and taking her arm and guiding her in. Closing the door behind her, she turned to Joan and placed her hand softly on her shoulder. She thought this whole thing with Dave was over, she had realized it was a one-night thing, had put it behind her and moved on. She figured that other than a memory that would be front and center a few times when she masturbated, it wasn't something she was going to deal with again. Now this, Joan standing in her house sobbing.

The doorbell rang again, startling her. Remembering the Chinese food, she quickly opened the door. The driver smiled and held out the bag for her. She smiled politely, said "Thank you," and quickly closed the door. Setting the bag on the small table in the hall, she turned back to Joan who was still standing with her face in her hands whimpering. "Come on Joan, let's go sit down," she said softly as she led her to the couch in the family room. She remembered that Joan was a master at turning on the waterworks when she needed it, but this seemed different. Her body was tense, and she was shaking softly.

Karen was starting to feel guilty now. Yes, Joan had cheated on Dave, and they were separated, but still, it was a pretty cold thing to fuck him. Not just that, but to taunt her with texts while she did it.

"Oh Joan, I'm sorry," she said as she draped an arm over Joan's shoulder. "I was lonely and had been drinking. I started thinking about how you had fucked Frank in college and." Her voice trailed off as Joan's face lifted from her hands. Her eyes were swollen and red, her mascara running down her cheeks.

Joan looked into Karen's eyes, then her eyes welled up again and she buried her face in Karen's shoulder, her body shaking again as she sobbed. She said softly into Karen's shoulder, "God, I am such a bitch, I fuck over everyone that I ever meet, everyone that cares about me."

Karen reached over and grabbed a box of tissues off the side table with one hand and used her other hand to gently lift Joan's head up. She held the box of tissues out as she looked Joan in the eyes and smiled. "Yeah, you kinda do, Hun," she said with a slight laugh.

Through her tears, Joan started to giggle. One thing she would never forget about Karen was that she didn't sugarcoat the truth. When you needed to hear it, Karen was the one to talk to.

"I saw him today," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes with a tissue. "He was with some young girl with a terribly foul mouth." She sniffled and balled the tissue up in her hand as she pulled herself together and continued, "and you know what that bastard did?"

"What?"

"He fucking stood up to me," she said with a slight laugh. "As long as we've been together, when I said jump, he jumped. And he basically told me to fuck off."

Karen started laughing and said, "How fucking dare he."

Joan wrapped her arms around Karen and pulled her close. "Karen, I'm sorry. I was such a terrible friend to you and so many others."

Karen put her arms around her and squeezed her tight. "You know Joan," she whispered, "that was a long time ago. How about we just call it all even and move on with our lives"

Still holding Karen, she nodded and whispered, "That sounds like a plan. Thank you."

After a few seconds of silence, Karen let go and said, "How about some food? I ordered Chinese and I have a bottle of good wine."

"Sounds wonderful," Joan responded sitting up and wiping the tears away again with the back of her arm. "Where's the bathroom? I need to get myself together."

Karen pointed down the hall and Joan stood, straightened herself a bit and went off, grabbing the box of tissues as she went. In the bathroom Joan looked at herself in the mirror, saw the mess around her eyes and down her cheeks and began to rub it off.

Karen had put two plates on the small round table, along with two wine glasses and two containers of Chinese food with serving spoons sticking out of the top. Karen was walking back to the table with a bottle of wine in her hand and Joan walked in just as she pulled the cork. She grabbed one of the glasses and started to pour as she said, "you're supposed to let this breath, but I think it's a night to just dive right in." She finished a pretty long pour, handed the glass to Joan and grabbed the other and began to pour. Joan sat and took a took a sip of wine and relaxed in the chair as Karen finished pouring her own glass and sat down opposite her.

"Help yourself," Karen said, nodding to the Chinese food container on the table. They both spooned rice and beef and broccoli onto their plates and began to eat as they drank wine and began to catch up. Not too long later Karen retrieved a second bottle from the wine rack on the counter and they sat chatting about friends and what had been going on in their lives over the last few years.

About halfway through the second bottle, as they were laughing about one of the stupid things they had done in college, Karen looked up at Joan seriously and said, "Joan, I just have to know. Why did you cheat on Dave?"

Joan got a very serious look on her face and responded softly, "I don't know." She paused for a few seconds, thinking about it and realized that she didn't know. "Maybe because I could."

"Joan, I'm sorry, that was completely unnecessary. I have no right to....."

Joan held up her hand and cut her off. "No, it's a fair question," she said. "But the reality is I don't know why I did it. The guy is really an asshole, and the sex was nothing special. But I couldn't help myself." She paused for another moment, then continued, "It wasn't the first guy either. And none of them were special."