Ashes to Ashes Ch. 02

"Prior to that first time, did you ever cheat on me?" he asked.

"No, John, you have to believe me, I never cheated on you before then. Ever," she said.

"Sorry, but I'm having a hard time believing you right now and it's going to take a while for me to wrap my head around all of this," he said. "For starters, how do I know this is over for good? Will I ever be able to satisfy you again? Do I even want to try? I have so many questions."

"I understand your concerns and all I can do is show you how much I really love you. I've spent much of the last three months working with the FBI to get Jenkins and his cronies put behind bars," she said. "They wanted to put me in protective custody. That's how dangerous Jenkins is, or was. I told them, no. I figured if Jenkins had me killed, I deserved it after what I did to you. When I wasn't working with the feds, I was going through intense counseling and therapy. I came this close to being put in a mental facility," she added, holding up her thumb and forefinger.

"You never answered my questions," John said. "Is this all over? Can I ever satisfy you again?"

"Of course," she said. "Look, I was just a piece of meat to them. None of them loved me and I certainly didn't love them. I had already decided to end it all the last time I called you from the apartment. I was so disgusted with myself and I really didn't care what Jenkins did."

"So am I still a clueless wimp?" he asked. Her face turned red and she looked down at the floor.

"No, John," she said. "You never were, and I'm sorry for calling you that. I just got wrapped up in what was going on but you woke me up pretty fast with that funeral."

"What about the ethics charges against you?" he asked.

"Those were dropped after I resigned," she said. "And the FBI got the other agencies to drop their investigations since I was helping them go after Jenkins and the others." Neither one said anything for a few seconds. "Look, John," she added. "I know this is a lot to lay on you and I know you weren't expecting to see me again. If you want, I'll leave and you can get on with your cruise. I was just hoping you'd give me a second chance."

"I promised you two months, and I live up to my promises," he said. "But so help me," he began before she cut him off.

"There won't be a next time," she said. "I'll throw myself overboard. I swear." He looked at her, wondering if she was joking.

"Not if I throw you overboard first," he said. Her eyes widened in shock until she saw him start to smile. She wrapped her arms around him, tears falling down her face. He hugged her back, taking in her smell. God, I missed her so much, he thought to himself.

"I love you so much, John. Please believe me," she said.

"I love you, too," he said. "But I need some proof of what you're telling me. I want to talk to your contact at the FBI. Right now."

"What?" she asked. "You can't be serious?"

"I am," he said. "Or you're gone and the divorce goes through. That's the way it has to be. You didn't trust me enough to come to me at any time this was going on. So now, I need proof that what you're telling me is true." She sighed in resignation and pulled up her contacts. She hit one and listened to the ring tone on the other end.

"Put it on speaker," John said. April nodded her head and put the phone on speaker so they both could hear the call.

"Special Agent Williams," the man said when he answered the call.

"Ryan, this is April Sullivan," she said.

"Yes, April, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"Ryan, I'm with my husband right now and I need you to talk to him," she said.

"Your husband is with you?" he asked. "I thought he was going on a cruise?"

"I am," John said. "April's with me and she just told me a hell of a story. I'd like to verify what she said. Can you do that?"

"I can't tell you much, Mr. Sullivan, assuming that's who you really are," Ryan said.

"I am who I say I am, Agent Williams," John said. "How do I know you're really with the FBI?" John wrote down the identification number Ryan gave him. "Now, can you verify that my wife has been working with you?"

"Yes, Mr. Sullivan, she's been helping us now for a little more than a year," Ryan said. "I can't get into it over the phone due to the sensitive nature of the case, though. By the way, I spoke to the PI your attorney hired in Washington, and he tells me you have pictures and video. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is," John said.

"I'd like to get a copy of what you have, Mr. Sullivan," he said.

"How do you plan to do that?" John asked. "I'll be gone for 200 days."

"I understand your cruise will be pulling into Los Angeles," he said. "We can meet there. You give me a copy of what you have and we can talk if you want. Will that work?"

"Sure," John said. They confirmed the date the ship was set to hit Los Angeles and planned to meet there.

"I look forward to meeting you, Mr. Sullivan," Ryan said. They ended the call and April put her phone back into her purse. John noticed the number had a 202 area code, the code for Washington, D.C.

"Satisfied now?" April asked.

"It's a start," John said. "But I still need more verification. Talk doesn't cut it with me anymore. I need to see action to back up your words. And there's one more thing."

"What's that?" she asked. Before she could say anything else, he grabbed her and threw her over his lap. Before she could respond, he gave her a hard slap on the rear end.

"Owwww! That hurt!" April exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Quiet, woman! You said I could hit you," John said. "You've been a very bad girl and I think you need a spanking." He hit her jean-clad ass two more times, causing her to cry out. "Admit it," he said. "You've been very naughty."

"Yes, I've been a bad girl," she cried. He smacked her ass again.

"You deserve to be spanked, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Yes, WHAT?" John asked angrily as he gave her two more smacks on the rear, causing her to cry out again.

"Yes, sir," April said through her tears.

"Maybe I should've spanked you months ago, when you were being a no-good cheating bitch," he said, hitting her ass again.

"Yes, sir, you should've," she cried. He smacked her again.

"I can't believe how fucking stupid you were," he added, giving her another swat. "You weren't some 27-year-old freshman with no experience. You've been in Congress for years." SWAT! "You know better than to let yourself get into that position." SWAT!

"Yes, sir, I was a stupid bitch," April cried.

"Are you going to be a good girl from now on?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, I promise, I'll be a good girl for you," she said through her tears. "I'll be the best wife a man could ever want, even if it kills me."

"Good," John said. "Because next time, I'll tan your hide with my belt and toss your ass to the sharks." He let her up and watched as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She was shocked -- who was this man? Secretly, she liked what he had become. Her ass stung, but she found herself getting excited. Maybe if he had been this assertive and confident a year or so ago, none of this would have happened.

From John's perspective, she seemed to be repentant and contrite. But could he ever trust her again? Only time would tell. They unpacked their gear in silence and grabbed some lunch.

About 12 hours after leaving Miami, the ship made it to Havana, Cuba, where it would stop for the night. John and April decided to take in the local culture for a while, visiting Old Havana and the Rum Factory. By the time they got back to the cabin, they were both exhausted and slept soundly.

"You said you have video of me?" April asked over breakfast the next morning. John nodded his head.

"Yes, I do," he said. "Why? You want to watch it?"

"I know it sounds strange, but yes, I'd like to see what you captured," she said. After they got back to their cabin, John pulled out his laptop and plugged it in. He brought up the folder with the videos and opened it up. He plugged in his headphones and handed them to her.

"This isn't pretty," he said.

"I know," she said. "But I need to look at them."

"Why?" John asked. "You were there. Don't you remember what you did and what you said?"

"I know this is unconventional, John," she said. "But trust me. I need to see and hear everything you saw so I can understand your pain." John nodded his head. "My counselor said it would help me relate to you better."

"Okay," he said. "While you're at it, just imagine how you'd feel if the roles were reversed. How would you feel if that were me having sex with other women. Maybe that'll give you a clue what I felt."

"Okay," April said.

"And don't even think about deleting those videos," John said. "I have other copies and Mark has the originals."

"I won't," she said. John sat down on his bunk with a tablet and watched a couple episodes of his favorite cop show as she watched the videos on his laptop. He heard her sob a few times as she watched them but returned to his program. A couple hours later, she stopped watching the videos and turned to face him, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh my God, John," she said tearfully. "How can you stand to even look at me?"

"For the longest time, I couldn't," he said. "I hated your guts. I wanted to wring your scrawny neck and cut your lovers into tiny pieces. That's why I did what I did. What would you have done if that were me in those videos with a bunch of different women?"

"Honestly," she said. "I would've buried your ass along with everything else. After I cut your balls off. Did you really file against all the men in those videos?"

"Yes," John said. "The PI identified them and Mark filed against them." April pointed to the man in the last video.

"Even him?" she asked. John nodded his head.

"Yes, so far as I know," John said. "Why?"

"Do you know who this is?" she asked. John shook his head.

"No idea," he said.

"His name is Robert Cramer," she said. "He's Senator Jenkins' enforcer. You've heard bloggers talk about the 'deep state,' right?" she asked. John nodded his head. He had heard the term used on cable news shows but didn't think about it very much.

"He's about as deep as they get," she said. "Former NSA, CIA, he's one of those guys you don't want to get pissed at you."

"Are you saying he'll be coming after me?" John asked.

"I'm afraid so," she said. "And probably me as well. My last encounter with him didn't end on a happy note."

"For Christ's sake, April," John said. "What the fuck did you get involved with? Do you think he'll go after the children?"

"I don't know," she said.

"Well, at least we're on this cruise ship, away from it all," he said. She shook her head.

"John," April said, "I found you after just one call. It'd be a piece of cake for him to find you as well. He could be on this ship and you'd never know it. There's what, five, maybe six thousand people on this cruise? He could blend right in. That's what he does."

"Crap," John said. He pulled out a small portable printer and plugged it into his laptop. He took a screenshot of Robert's face and printed it out. He grabbed his cell phone and connected to the ship's "Cellular at Sea" service and called Mark. It would cost extra, but this was worth it, he decided.

"Hey, buddy, what's up?" Mark asked when he answered the call. "I thought you'd be out enjoying yourself on your cruise."

"Mark, did you file papers against a Robert Cramer?" John asked.

"I think so," Mark said. "Let me look." John waited a few minutes as Mark went through his paperwork. "Yes, we did. And he was officially served about nine weeks ago. Why?"

"Mark, we have a problem," John said.

"What's that?" Mark asked.

"According to April, he's some kind of an 'enforcer' for Senator Jenkins," John said. "A real bad-ass. Used to work for CIA and NSA. She tells me he's not the type to just sit quietly and wait to see what a judge says."

"Wait," Mark said. "Is April there with you?"

"Yes, she is," John said. "I didn't know she was booked on this cruise until she showed up."

"I see," Mark said. "Do you think you might be in danger?" Mark asked.

"Hell yes," John said. "The kids might be in danger as well," he added.

"Alright, I'll get an order of protection for you and the children," Mark said.

"That's good, Mark, but I don't think this guy really gives a damn about things like protection orders," John said.

"You may be right about that," Mark said. "I'll contact the authorities and get my PI to put some protection on the kids as well. We'll also see if we can find Cramer and put surveillance on him. If I were you, I'd contact the ship's security folks."

"I'll do that right away," John said. "Thanks." He ended the call, picked up the in-cabin phone and called security. There was a knock on the door a few minutes later. John opened the door and a man in a white security uniform entered the cabin and introduced himself as Security Officer Michaels.

"Is there a problem here, Mr. Sullivan?" he asked.

"Maybe," John said. "Do you know if a Robert Cramer came on board?" The officer looked at his tablet before shaking his head.

"I'll have to double-check the ship's primary manifest to be certain," he said. "Unfortunately, even if he were registered as a guest, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to tell you under our privacy rules. Why do you ask?" Michaels listened calmly as John and April explained the situation. When they were finished, John handed him the picture he printed off his computer.

"This is him," John said. "Can you at least have your officers do a discreet search for him?" Michaels looked at the photo before answering.

"Mr. Sullivan, please believe me when I say your safety is paramount to us. I'll pass this picture out to our staff and we'll do a quiet search of the ship," he said. "If you like, I can make sure one of our security contractors remains nearby. Don't worry, you'll never know he's there and he'll be very discreet. Would that help?"

"That would be terrific," John said. "Will you please keep us in the loop?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Sullivan," Michaels said. "We'll keep you informed. You folks go about your business, and please enjoy your cruise. If there's anything more I can do, please let me know."

"We will," John said. "Thanks."

For the next two days, John and April stayed close together, and didn't venture out of the cabin after hours. John called Mark every day to see if there was any word on Robert, but so far there was nothing. It was as if he had disappeared off the face of the earth.

In the meantime, John and April ate together, spent time at the pool, talked, cried and spent the time reconnecting. The only thing they didn't do was have sex, which bothered April more than it did John.

"John," she said, "do you think we can maybe do something tonight? I really need you."

"Maybe," he said. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, the cruise director says there's a nice adult night club where we can drink and dance the night away," she said. "We always used to enjoy dancing. What do you think?"

"Why not?" he asked. April smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Smiling, she headed for the head to prepare herself for the night. John had changed into a polo shirt and a pair of khaki trousers when April came out wearing a short black dress that hid practically nothing. April obviously wasn't wearing a bra and her breasts stood out proudly. She certainly didn't look like a 47-year-old mother of two.

"Oh baby," he said. "You look good enough to eat." She smiled. It had been a while since he had talked to her like that.

"I'm going to hold you to that," she said. "You look pretty good yourself." They went to the club and was ushered to a small booth. After they placed their order, a young dark-skinned woman wearing a very short club skirt came to their table.

"Hey, sugar," she purred, ignoring April completely. "My name is Sheree. That shirt looks really nice on you." John smiled as he held April's hand. He could feel her heat up as Sheree flirted with him.

"Well, thanks, Sheree," he said. "My name is John and that is a mighty nice dress you're wearing." She smiled and lifted the hem of her short skirt to reveal her pantiless crotch. He couldn't help but notice the small landing strip above her slit.

"What, this old rag?" she asked. "Say, why don't you dump the old skank and let a real woman take care of you tonight?" April was fuming and almost jumped out of her chair to deck the girl, but John tightened his grip on her hand. Furious, she looked at John, shocked that he would allow this girl to come on to him like this in front of her. John looked at her and smiled. He turned back to Sheree.

"That is a mighty tempting offer," he said. "But I'm here with my wife." Sheree looked at his fingers.

"I don't see any rings on those fingers," she said.

"That's just a temporary thing," John said. Sheree nodded and looked at April before speaking.

"That's a mighty fine man you've got there, girl," she said. "You'd better take real good care of him. 'Cause if you don't, I promise you Sheree will." She looked back at John. "See ya around, stud," she said before sashaying to the dance floor. John could tell April was mad enough to spit nails.

"Hurts like hell, doesn't it?" he asked quietly.

"You set that up, didn't you?" she asked. "You had to." John shook his head.

"Nope," he said. "Never saw her before in my life. But it's humiliating, isn't it? To have someone come right up to your spouse like that in front of you? Trust me, what you're going through right now is nothing compared to what I felt at the fundraiser, knowing what you and Simpson were planning to do." April looked down, tears filling her eyes.

"I never thought of that," she said quietly. "That girl would probably have fucked you right here if you had let her."

"Probably," he said.

"Is that what you wanted?" she asked.

"I gotta admit, the thought crossed my mind," he said. "She is an attractive woman. But you see, I made a conscious decision. I chose my wife over my dick." April stood up and walked in front of John. She looked around for a moment, pulled her panties off, then opened her short dress, revealing her bare breasts and freshly-shaved pussy. John's eyes opened wide. This was the first time she had ever done anything like this, and he had never known her to shave before. He felt a familiar stirring in his trousers.

"Well, stud," she asked, handing him her panties, "what do you think of this old rag?" John smiled and wrapped his arms around his nearly-nude wife and kissed her breasts. She ran her hands through his hair as he sucked on her hard, erect nipples. At that moment, she didn't care if everyone saw her. She sat in his lap and surreptitiously unzipped his trousers. She took hold of his growing manhood as she whispered in his ear.

"Fuck me, my husband," she said. "Right here, right now. Make me your woman again. Please."

"Isn't this what got you in trouble to start with?" he asked, rubbing her bare flesh. April flushed before answering.

"Yes, sir, it was," she said, remembering the spanking he gave her earlier. "But I was drunk and drugged then. I didn't know what I was doing. I'm sober as a preacher on Sunday now. I know exactly what I'm doing." He smiled at her and kissed her bare breasts.

John felt as if he was about to explode. It had been months since he last had sex with April. Looking him in the eyes, she guided his cock inside her. They both moaned quietly as he penetrated her warm, wet depths.

"Oh God, you feel so good," he moaned as she rode him. April smothered his face with wet kisses as she rocked back and forth on his manhood. Soon, he felt the beginning of his orgasm and grabbed her buttocks as he exploded deep inside her. She trembled as her orgasm swept over her and the two sat there, holding each other tight.