An Indecent Proposal

JACK

It was our Friday night date night. We try to get one of those in at least once a week, and I think we manage to keep to that average. We were at one of our favorite places, a Mexican restaurant and bar called El Guapo's. They had a really nice outdoor patio and the weather was perfect - cool but not cold, breezy but not windy.

We had struck up a conversation with the guy at the next table. It was just one of those things that happens when you're out. He was by himself, but seemed pleasant enough. He said his name was John.

We'd been chatting with him about our future plans and when we'd have accumulated enough savings to be able to put a down payment on a house. If things stayed the way they were, we'd have enough in a year or so. This was Stage 1 of The Plan.

Stage 1 was house. Stage 2 was build equity. Stage 3 was bigger house. Stage 4 was kids.

We were young and had time. We being me, Jack Andrews and my wife Jill. Save the jokes, we've heard all of them. We had a nick-nack shelf in the apartment full of Jack-and-Jill themed tchotchkes from well-meaning friends and family members. We got married 2 years ago and have been living in wedded bliss ever since.

All we had right now was our one-bedroom love nest, but it was ours! We didn't have the latest cars, but they were reliable and (more importantly) paid off. We didn't have the biggest TV, but it worked well enough for us. Our furniture wasn't the newest or fanciest, but it was clean and well-built.

I had just made a comment along the lines of "So, if everything goes well, we can start putting buns in the oven in five years or so".

John replied "I might be able to help advance that timeline a bit."

"How so?"

"I got very lucky in business a few years back. I'm in the position to offer you a very lucrative deal."

"And what deal would that be?"

"Before I answer that, Google me. John Albright. That should establish my bona fides."

Jill pulled out her phone and looked him up. "You have your own Wikipedia entry. Holy crap. Says you have a net worth that's..."

"That's probably out of date by now, but I'm north of $10 billion right now."

"OK. So what's the deal?"

"Despite just having met you, I like you guys, and want to help you out. So I'll give you $1 million. That's after taxes, so the actual amount will be $1.4 million. But there's something I want."

I waited for the other shoe to drop.

"I want Jill for the weekend."

I was stunned. "WHAT? You can't be serious."

I looked at Jill. I can only assume that the look of stunned incredulity on her face mirrored mine. "Fuck off, asshole. Go back to your table and leave us alone."

"This is a serious offer. She leaves her phone and purse behind and leaves with me. I'll drop her off by 6PM Sunday and deposit the money into your account at that time. While she's with me, she'll do whatever I want. I promise I will not hurt her or mark her in any way."

"Fuck you! The answer is NO."

"I'll go stand by the door and wait for five minutes while you discuss things. If she doesn't join me by then, I'll leave and you'll never see me again." He got up and wandered to the exit, leaning against the wall.

"Holy crap. Can you believe the arrogance of that asshole?"

Jill replied, "No, I can't. I know that the rich live different lives, but that's a whole different level of entitlement." She paused. "But a million bucks would be nice."

"Not that nice."

"I mean, we could jump to Stage 4 immediately. Buy a house for cash, fund our kids' college, and still have enough left over to invest. We'd be able to retire in our 40s."

"Don't tell me you're actually considering it."

"Of course not! Just saying it would be nice."

I looked at her. "Good. Because if you did, it would destroy us."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'd never do anything to hurt our relationship."

I paused and looked at her. I could see John watching us. He tapped his finger on his wristwatch. "Suddenly, I'm not wanting to stay here any longer. Let's go home and watch a movie or something."

"OK. Watch my stuff, I need to hit the restroom real quick."

I watched as she moved toward the restrooms. She stopped to say something to John, no doubt to tell him off once again.

Suddenly they walked out the door together. I felt my heart clench up for a second, then was out of my seat running out the door. I saw her getting into a Mercedes. Just as she was about to shut the door, I screamed her name. "JILL! Don't do this!"

She looked at me, mouthed "I'm sorry", then shut the door. The car started out of the parking lot. I ran after it figuring I could jump on top of it or something, when suddenly I was grabbed from behind. I turned to see one of the biggest men I have ever seen grabbing me by my upper arms. "Let me go! That's my wife!"

"Sorry bud, but Mr Albright doesn't want trouble."

I watched the car pull out of the parking lot and drive off at a very high rate of speed. I tried to break free and follow them, but couldn't. He had an iron grip. I watched the tail lights fade into the distance, just like my marriage.

"If I let you go, will you do anything stupid? I have to point out that she was not coerced in any way."

I looked at him. "What would you do if it was your wife?"

"Beat the shit out of him, of course. Which is why he sent me here to hold you for a bit. But they're gone now, so I'm letting you go."

I stood there for a second. The bodyguard waited for me to do anything, then got into his own car and drove off.

----------------------------

JILL

"Ok. Watch my stuff, I need to hit the restroom real quick." I hated deceiving him, but I knew he'd never agree. I walked toward the restrooms, but stopped when I got to John. "Let's go before I change my mind, and before Jack makes a scene."

John turned and walked out the door. I followed. There was a Mercedes waiting right outside. John got in the driver's side. I opened the passenger door, but before I could get in, I heard Jack scream.

"JILL! Don't do this!" His face was a mixture of surprise and hurt.

I stopped for a second, then said "I'm sorry", got in and shut the door. It hurt that I was causing him pain, but I was doing it for us.

John immediately took off. "Don't worry," he said. "He'll get over it."

"I hope so." I tried to put Jack out of my mind. "So where are we going?"

"I have a house a little ways out of town. We'll spend the weekend there."

The remainder of the trip was spent in silence. We drove for about an hour, heading out of the city. We left the main highway fairly soon and traveled on a series of ever-smaller country roads. Eventually we came to a gate. John pressed a button on a remote control and the gate slid open.

We drove down a gravel driveway for about a minute, then came up to a rather large stone house. It was two stories tall, and looked like it had been there for awhile. We parked the car out front.

"This used to be a hunting lodge. I acquired it plus the surrounding acreage a couple of years ago, and made a few improvements." John said. "Come inside."

The interior was quite rustic. The door opened to an entryway, which connected to a large den. We walked through there into the kitchen. John opened the door to another short hallway on the other side. It reminded me of a hotel hallway. This impression was reinforced when John opened the first door on the right and stepped inside.

"This is where you'll be staying," he said. "These are quarters for the kitchen staff and other servants."

It was a small, windowless room made out of cinder blocks, which were painted in an off-white color. On one wall was an open closet, with nothing in it. Next to the closet was a bathroom. It was furnished with a bed, a dresser, and a desk. The bed was a bare mattress.

John opened the top drawer of the dresser and pulled out a folded-up piece of something that looked like cloth. "I want you to go into the bathroom, remove all your clothing, and put this on. That means underwear and shoes, too." He handed me the bundle.

I looked at him. He made a motion with his hands, shooing me into the bathroom, so I went in and shut the door. I unfolded the bundle. It wasn't made of cloth. It was some kind of opaque white plastic, tyvek maybe. It looked like overalls, except it was full body, and had mittens integrated onto the sleeves, and booties on the legs. OK, this was kinky, but whatever.

I stripped down, then stepped into the outfit. There was a zipper in the front. I zipped it up to between my tits, then stepped out.

"So you like this?" I asked.

John stepped up, grabbed the zipper, and pulled it all the way up to my neck. "There, that's better." Then he stepped into the bathroom and gathered up all my clothes. "These will be cleaned and returned to you on Sunday before you leave. There are more bunny suits in the dresser should you need to change. They are disposable. Throw them in the trash when you take them off. There are also sheets and a blanket in the dresser." He stepped closer to me, invading my personal space. "Are you ready for your first..." he smiled. "Task?"

I nodded, dreading what was coming next.

"Clean this room. Bathroom too. It's been months, and the place is not fit to be seen."

"What?"

"Clean the room. There are cleaning supplies in the cabinet in the bathroom, and there's a broom in the closet. I expect the floors to be clean enough to eat off of. Do you understand?"

"You want me to clean the room? That's all?"

"That's all for now, yes. When you're done, you can make the bed and sleep. If you're hungry afterward, there's sandwich fixings in the kitchen."

I stared at him.

"Go on, chop chop, time's a-wasting, get busy!" Then he turned around and walked out, carrying my clothes, shutting the door behind him.

What else could I do? I started cleaning the bathroom. There was dried urine on the toilet. The bathtub had a black ring around it. The fixtures were covered in water spots. There was mildew on the walls in the tub.

It took me about an hour to do the bathroom. Fortunately, the room itself wasn't that bad. I just had to dust the desk and dresser, sweep the floor, then damp mop it. The place gleamed.

When I was done, I made the bed. I was more exhausted than I thought I was. As soon as I was done, I took a shower, then crawled into bed naked and went to sleep.

Next thing I knew, I was awakened by a pounding on the door. "Wake up! Get dressed! Get out here! Now we get to the real stuff!"

At first I was confused, then I remembered. I was at John's place. "OK, be right out."

I looked in the dresser. There were a couple dozen bunny suits, so I grabbed one and put it on, making sure to pull the zipper all the way up. I opened the door and stepped out.

"In the kitchen!" John said. He was sitting at a table. "Make some breakfast for us. Can you make an omelette?"

"Yes."

"OK, do that."

The pantry and fridge were well-stocked, so I made a couple of omelettes. Lots of cheese, bell peppers, mushrooms, and some ham. I plated them, then put one in front of John, and sat down at the end of the table to eat mine.

"Looks delicious!" he said and began eating. We completed the meal in silence.

When he was done, he said "Clean up in here. When you're done, join me outside" and walked off.

To say I was puzzled would be an understatement. I was expecting to be some kind of sex slave, not a kitchen drudge. But whatever. The longer I could put off breaking my wedding vows, the better.

I loaded the plates and silverware into the dishwasher and cleaned the frying pan by hand. When I was complete, I walked out the front door.

John was sitting in an Adirondack chair, one of two on the patio, with a small table in between them. "Good, you didn't waste time. See that?" He pointed at something that looked like a handle with wheels on it. I realized it was a push-reel lawnmower. Then he pointed out to the expansive yard. "Mow the lawn."

"Hang on a second!" I replied. "I thought I was here to... you know..."

"You agreed to do whatever I wanted for a rather generous compensation. What I want you to do now is mow the lawn. If you don't want to comply with our agreement, you are free to leave at any time and forfeit the compensation. The gate is that way." He pointed down the driveway. "Or you can mow my lawn. Your choice."

I glared at him. I've mowed a lawn before, but not since I was a kid, and always with a powered mower. I grabbed onto the mower, rolled it over to the grass, and started mowing. The lawn had to be at least half an acre, maybe more. Fortunately, it wasn't too overgrown. I pushed the thing all the way to the far edge, then turned around and started back. Over the next few hours, I slowly managed to cut the entire thing, taking breaks only to drink water (that I had to get myself) and eat lunch (that I also had to make myself). Every half hour or so, John would step out to check on my progress, then go back inside.

By the time the sun started to set, I was hot, sweaty, and exhausted, but I finished. The bunny suit was like a portable sauna. I'd long since pulled the zipper down to my navel. I rolled the mower back to the front door, where John was waiting. "Good job. Go take a shower and change into a new bunny suit. When you're done, head to the kitchen and cook dinner. There are steaks in the fridge. I like mine medium." He started to go back inside, then stopped. "Oh, and pull your zipper up. You're indecent."

I looked down and noticed that one of my breasts was peeking out of the opening in the suit. I had no idea how long it had been hanging out like that. I zipped it up and stomped back to my room.

I spent a lot of time in the shower, then got dressed in a new bunny suit and went into the kitchen. Nobody was there. I looked in the fridge, and there were two steaks that had not been there this morning. I also saw some mushrooms and some veggies in the drawer, but fuck that. He said steak, so that's all I was going to cook. I fired up the oven. When the steaks were done, I poked my head into the den and yelled "Dinner's ready!"

I plated his steak and put it on the table, then sat down to eat mine. John sat down a minute later and ate his steak without comment.

When he was done, he told me that when I was finished cleaning the kitchen, I could go to bed. So I did. I pulled off the suit, climbed into bed, and was asleep within minutes of laying down.

The next morning, I was again awakened by a pounding on the door. "Up and at'em! Your final day of servitude is at hand!"

I got up and put on a fresh bunny suit. John was waiting in the kitchen. "Fix breakfast again. Same thing as yesterday."

The breakfast and kitchen cleanup were completed in silence. When I had finished and started the dishwasher, John directed me into the room next to my bedroom. It was the same as my bedroom, but totally empty. "I want you to paint this room," he said.

"What???"

"Paint the room. There's paint, rollers, brushes, and drop-clothes in the closet. Just this room. Do a good job, and this will be your final task of the weekend. And don't just paint over the switches and outlets. Remove the covers and replace them when you're done."

I looked at him, incredulous. "Paint the room? You're joking. You're paying me to do maintenance? That's all?"

"So far, yes. But get busy. You don't have a lot of time to finish." Then he walked out.

I stood there for a second, then looked in the closet. There was a five-gallon bucket of sky-blue paint and a bunch of tools and supplies. I grabbed a drop-cloth and spread it onto the floor. I found a screwdriver and removed the outlet and switch covers, then taped over the actual outlets and switches with masking tape. I poured some paint into a roller tray and got to work.

It didn't take as long as I thought it would. The room wasn't that big, and there were no fiddly bits to paint over or around. When I was done, I put the outlet covers back on, folded up the drop-cloth, and put all the supplies back in the closet.

He had said this was my final task, so I went next door to my room and took a shower.

When I was done, I found my clothes were cleaned and laid out on the bed. I got dressed and went to look for John. I found him in the den.

"Ah, there you are! I assume you finished painting?"

"Yes. You said that was my final task?"

"It was. Are you ready to go back to your husband now? You should know that he was quite upset when you left."

"I know. I'll make it up to him." I felt a sudden surge of guilt. My sweet husband didn't deserve what I did to him that night. He's probably been going crazy imagining all kinds of things. My guilt got worse when I realized that this was the first time I'd thought of him all weekend.

"The car should be here by now. This way." He walked out the front door and I followed.

As we were standing there, the Mercedes pulled up. It was being driven by the bodyguard from the restaurant.

"Your ride is here. Hop in, he'll take you home. The money should be deposited in your account by the time you get there."

I opened the door, but before I got in, I turned to him and asked "So what was up with all the tasks? I was assuming you were wanting a sex slave or something."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're not unattractive, but with a snap of my fingers, I can get women that make you look like some sort of cave troll, and for far less than a million dollars. This was more of a social experiment. Could I get a married woman to leave with me in front of her husband? How much would it take?"

I looked at him in disbelief. Without replying, I sat down in the car and shut the door. The bodyguard drove me home in silence. Not a word was spoken.

When we arrived at the apartment, I got out of the car and shut the door. He drove off. I walked to the door. It was locked. I unlocked it. I was glad my key still worked. "Jack? Honey? I'm back. Where are you?"

----------------------------

JACK, Friday night.

I looked at him. "What would you do if it was your wife?"

"Beat the shit out of him, of course. Which is why he sent me here to hold you for a bit. But they're gone now, so I'm letting you go."

I stood there for a second. The bodyguard waited for me to do anything, then got into his own car and drove off.

"Hey Jack! If you're leaving, you need to pay your tab first." It was Mike, the restaurant manager. We'd gotten to know many of the staff over time we'd been going there.

"FUCK! Didn't you see what happened? My wife just left me! And you're worried about a bill?"

"Wow. Don't worry about it, I'll comp it. Sorry. I would have never thought she'd do that."

"Yeah, me either."

Mike handed me her purse. "She left this at the table." Her phone was in a side pocket.

"Thanks. Not sure what the hell I'm gonna do now."

"Don't do anything too stupid. Go home. Think about things."

"Good idea."

I don't remember the drive home. As soon as I shut the front door, everything hit me at once. My wife was gone. My marriage was gone. All the dreams and hopes we had were gone. I collapsed onto the sofa and stared at the ceiling. All I could think was "She's gone."

I don't know how long I stayed that way. I must have fallen asleep at some point, because I was opening my eyes and it was morning. At first, I was confused by why I was on the sofa, but then the memories came back.

The anguish hit me again, just as hard. Then something else hit - anger. How dare she do this to us! She tossed away everything we had for money!

I held onto the anger and shoved the anguish deep down inside. Act now, hurt later.

There was no way we could stay together after this. I'd have to see a lawyer on Monday, but for now there were things I could do. I had until Sunday evening.

First, the finances. Paid the joint credit card, then cancelled it. Then I visited the bank. I opened a new account in my name only, transferring half of the savings account into it, minus $2000. That I took in cash, because I was going need it. I also transferred half of the checking account.