Bad Day at Black Rock

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK

I CAN FEEL IT COMING IN THE AIR TONIGHT, OH LORD

AND I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FOR ALL MY LIFE, OH LORD

CAN YOU FEEL IT COMING IN THE AIR TONIGHT? OH LORD, OH LORD

Phil Collins, 1981

Nick Tracy brought his wife Annie to the party. He hadn't wanted to go, and hadn't wanted her to go. She insisted.

The party was being thrown at the estate of the famous pro football linebacker, Mike White. White was thirty-four, and had retired after last year's season, in which he led his team to a Super Bowl victory. He was big, blond and rich. He got rich from investing his endorsement money wisely, guided by Annie's company, and, of late, by Annie. Annie was a financial whiz, who worked for Bragg Incorporated. They handled a lot of athletes and celebrities.

Annie was thirty. She was a stunning, light-haired beauty, and Nick counted himself lucky to have wooed and married her out of college, eight years before. Their son Travis was seven. He looked a lot like his dad. Nick was nearly a six-footer, of medium build. He looked benign. He wasn't. He hadn't always been so big. Growing up, he was always the smallest, and poorest kid around. His dad, Greg, was a drill sergeant in the army. He had been stationed at the same base for all Nick's life. Nick was an only child, and his mom Nora was a stay-at-home mother. She was second generation Vietnamese. That added a little to the problems Nick had around the neighborhood. Nora was a great mother, but from home she couldn't save Nick from the bigger boys. Nick's only defense, for a while, had been to run. He was good at that, but when he was seven, he lost a race. He came home battered. His dad spoke to him about it, and then had Nick go to a family friend, Jojo Nolan. Jojo's dojo was where Nick learned to fight. Jojo didn't call it the euphemistic 'self-defense.' He called it fighting.

Nick was a natural. He had almost infinite depths of resentment and even hatred simmering in him. Jojo's task was to guide those traits, and keep them from surfacing at the wrong time. As for technique, Nick was strong and quick, although small. Nick went to Jojo's dojo four days a week, including Sunday. It was his church, and fighting was his religion.

Greg and Nora became somewhat hesitant about Nick's participation at the dojo. But apart from being quick and strong, Nick was whip smart. He never got less than an 'A' in any course. He told his parents, truthfully, that much of his work at the dojo involved controlling his emotions. Jojo told Greg the same. What Jojo didn't mention was that control of the emotions allowed for much more effective fighting. An emotional punch was likely to be wide and sloppy. But a punch needed to be precise in order to do the most damage. Same with a kick or head strike.

One day, when he was nine, Nick kicked a bigger, older kid's ass in an alley near the school. Literally kicked his ass. But he was able to hold his rage in check, somewhat. The kid suffered, but nothing permanent. And, after that, Nick wasn't a target anymore. It's amazing how word gets around at a school.

When he was sixteen, Nick grew tall, and filled out when he was seventeen. The process made him a bit awkward, but Jojo was able to deal with that. At eighteen, when he graduated high school, Nick was lethal.

Nick got into a local university, on a full ride, due to his perfect grades. He studied math and computers, as well as a minor in business. It was at the business classes in his junior and senior year that he met and wooed Annie. They were immediately attracted to each other, at first by their obvious intelligence, and shared interests. But it wasn't long before they were intimate. They were deeply sexually compatible. Annie was adventurous, and liked to explore. So did Nick. They were always on the lookout for ways to keep life interesting. But, none of those ways involved other people - well, not for real. Sometimes Nick wanted Annie to be Jamie Lee Curtis. (His absolute favorite fantasy. Blue Steel.) Sometimes he could be Annie's flavor of the month. But both of them made it very clear that fantasy was all there would be. When they agreed to be married, they wrote this down and signed it. It wasn't a pre-nup. It was a solemn promise, though.

Out of school, Annie was an immediate high earner. She was as smart as Nick - well, almost as smart. Her career at Bragg was only marginally set back by Travis' birth. Nick was doing computer programming for a local company. He could work from home. So, after two months, Nick was the primary caretaker for Travis.

Nick also monitored Annie's work. It was interesting to him. When he got a nice bonus for a program he wrote, he invested it in a start-up that he found in Annie's list of hot prospects. Magnetism was indeed a money maker. It was three guys who proposed to sort through dating information to match single people. And other people as well. That was the promise, and it worked pretty well. Nick made a lot of money on the IPO. The he withdrew. It seemed to him that the idea had a limited time before others copied it.

He mentioned that to Annie. She thought about it, and had her clients pull out as well. That - her clients' pull back - started the downward drop of Magnetism. Nick had shorted it. (Probably illegal - maybe not.)

Now Nick had a big pot of cash to invest. He never told Annie about all that. It was five years into their marriage, and Nick was unsettled by her recent behavior - less family time. So, he kept his business success quiet. He incorporated, and got a salary from his company. He quit his job, and went into business for himself, doing some programming for various government agencies. It was sensitive stuff, and he had to get clearance. He did. And he accessed the assessment for his clearance. (Probably illegal.) The section about Annie was revealing. She was a major player at her firm, now, and made a lot more than Nick had understood. Nick looked into where that money was, and found it in an investment account at her firm. (Not illegal, all publicly available.)

But not mentioned by Annie at home. She made contributions to the joint account. They filed separate taxes. But, while Annie was a financial whiz, she paid scant attention to her computer. She just wasn't interested in tech, except as an investment. So, her life was an open book to Nick. He had avoided plunging too deeply into her thing. (Her job thing.) But when he discovered the investment account, he made a thorough search of her laptop. And her new cell phone. She had a plan through work.

Nick's monitoring of Annie's tech did not yield any suspicion that she was straying, which was what Nick had wondered about. Instead, she seemed consumed by her work, and the celebrities that she and her company represented. The two of them went to some parties thrown by actors, basketball players, baseball players, singers and just rich people. These happened about five or six times a year, and Nick always enjoyed them, even though Annie forgot about him when she got to the venue. But she always rode home with him, and never disappeared long enough to get into mischief.

Their sex life was almost as great as ever. Almost. Sometimes Nick felt like she was elsewhere. Maybe once a month he felt that way. That was one reason he'd decided to check up more on her. But, he decided that she was only absent on those occasions due to work.

Things drifted along like that until she got the Mike White account. White was married to an actress, Jill Slayton. She was a beauty and they had two daughters, six and eight.

Annie's predecessor had been Jake Blake. He was a rake. And he got into trouble with the White account by making a determined effort to seduce Jill Slayton. Jake was not ultimately successful, but she was tempted to a degree that Mike noticed. So, Jake took his hot, handsome self elsewhere, and Annie got the job. Partly she got it because she was a woman, and Mike asked for that. (She didn't know that Mike specifically asked for her.)

When Annie got the White account, she spent even more time at work. She also went to lunch with Mike White, and Jill. Jill was aware that Mike had specifically asked for Annie to do his investments. So, she went to lunch with them, just to see what was what. Surprisingly, she was not totally against Mike fucking Annie. She wanted to go to bed with her co-star in a movie she was to start soon. She figured that if Mike fucked Annie, he couldn't complain about her and Dirk Madden, as long as it wasn't too public.

At the lunch, she saw that Mike was very, very interested in Annie. He tried to keep it businesslike. But she knew him oh so well. Annie didn't. Jill really wondered if Annie would give in to Mike. She had researched Annie, and knew that she was married with a child. But her husband was no player, and stayed at home taking care of the son. He looked average. She thought Mike would succeed. She didn't worry about Annie's marriage and her family. If she screwed up, that was on her.

Jill and Mike had been married nearly ten years. He had strayed some in the early years, when he was on the road. She never worried too much about that. So had she. But in the last six years, since they had both discovered each other's sins, they had promised to keep to their marriage. And they had both succeeded.

But now here was Mike, lusting after his financial advisor. Granted she was a beauty. But still. Jill dealt all the time with sexy men who tried it on with her. Only lately, with Dirk, was she sorely tempted.

She figured a little outside action would not mess up their marriage. He loved the kids, and so did she. They'd both forgive. Maybe they'd work out a different arrangement. Mike was one of the best at sex that Jill had ever had. She would be hard pressed to give that up. But she was coming to the opinion that variety may well be the spice of life. Of sex life, at least.

After the lunch, Jill kidded Mike as they were riding home.

"You want that bitch. I could see that, no matter how hard you tried to hide it from me."

"Sorry. We made our promise, and I'll keep it."

"Unless I let you off?"

"Would you? Why? It's that asshole Dirk! I don't believe what I heard about his cock. But maybe you know about that."

"I don't. Only word of mouth, so to speak. No direct experience. But we'll be working for two months, and he'll be after me to show me."

"And you'd like to see if it works."

"Maybe. If he's a dud, it would only be for one night."

"Jill, I won't agree. We have a family."

"And we'll keep that. I'll always love you the best. Another dick wouldn't stop that. It didn't before. Anyway, I see that you're gonna try for that woman. She's married, Mike. And she has a kid. Not to mention a husband."

Mike looked at her. "You're proposing a swap, of sorts. Tit for tat?"

"More like tit for dick. But yeah."

"You'd have to go to great lengths to keep it quiet. I don't want the girls reading about it in the papers, or on the net."

"That'll be my main condition to him. If he breaks it, I'll let you break him. I'll tell him you're a jealous husband with lots of friends with guns."

"I see. Maybe. Let me think it over."

"You know what? It's possible that she won't succumb to your efforts. Wouldn't that be a hoot? No substitutes. The deal is for her."

"You think I can't get her. Bullshit!"

"Show me. I'm from Missouri." She smirked at him. Once again, she thought, men are so easy.

And that's how Annie became the target of Mike White.

After lunch Annie drove back to her office. She was not as clueless as the famous couple thought she was. She was just good at keeping a poker face, or a social face. But she knew that Mike had been erect during the entire lunch. She could see that from her seat, but Jill couldn't. Still, Jill seemed to know. Annie wondered which of the two women had turned him on so much. But, she decided it had to be she. Not his wife of ten years, no matter how sexy she was.

Annie had to decide what to do about Mike. His account was a big step up for her, but she didn't really need that. What did she need? Because, being honest with herself, she knew that she might accept an offer from Mike. He was big, brash and strong. Nick was strong, but not big. Nor did he project an outsized personality. One more thing to consider was the fact that Mike had a very big cock, as she saw at lunch. One bigger than she'd ever had. She admitted to herself that she was curious.

Then there was the idea that Mike was married to a beautiful movie star. Yet he wanted her. An ego booster - that Annie really didn't need.

On the other side, she had a family, and a great husband. She didn't want to blow that up. She also knew that if she snuck around with Mike, Nick would find out. It would destroy him. It would destroy the family, as well, she thought.

That was too much to risk. She decided against Mike.

But Mike was persistent. As the date for Jill to go on location approached, Mike worked hard on Annie. First, he was subtle about it. Then less so. Annie was being drawn to him, as if he were a magnet. It got so that she'd get aroused when he walked into the room. But she consistently denied him. Once she let him kiss her, after a business meeting, in her office. It was a hot kiss, but she broke away and fled behind her desk. She was breathing hard. He was just hard.

He said, "Let's do this, Annie. No one will know. We both want it bad."

She almost cried in frustration when she said, "I made Nick a promise. I won't break it. I WILL NOT."

Mike accepted that. He turned and walked out of her office. He was as frustrated as she. He returned home and took it out on Jill. Jill relaxed and let it happen. It was fabulous for her. She liked Mike when he took her like a savage. That's what he was, really - a savage with a veneer. Perfect for her.

When it was over, they were wrung out, as if they'd survived a hurricane. They lay on the bed.

Jill said, "I surmise that your financial advisor has you in a state. All to my benefit. I'm rooting for her, not you. If she frustrates you like this too much longer, though, I may have to flee."

She was laughing at him, and he knew it.

"I'll get her. She's really loyal to her husband. It's admirable, when you consider it."

"Why not let her alone? If you succeed, she'll be.....screwed, not only by you."

"I can't let it sit. You'll be fucking knife guy. I bet he's no big deal. That won't stop you, though, will it?"

"I told you, if he's no good, I'll make it a one nighter."

"I may have to kill him, Jill. I could be so frustrated by Annie."

"Wait until shooting is finished, then. We don't want to ruin the film. But his mysterious death just before release would boost the box." They chuckled.

Mike thought all of this over. He was virtually certain that Annie wanted him as much as he wanted her. When they kissed, he felt her passion, and she felt his. She gasped when she did. But....he wasn't going to force her.

Jill was about to leave for the movie. Mike had an idea.

He spoke to Annie about it.

"Annie, I can't tell you how much I respect your dedication to your marriage. Because I know how much you want me. I have an idea."

Annie was immediately suspicious. "What?"

I'm going to have a party at Black Rock. Lots of fun people will be there. Do you remember when you told me that Jamie Lee Curtis was your man's secret fantasy?"

"Yes, so? She's not what she was in the movie he likes."

Mike showed her a picture of the woman who was playing the second female in Jill's movie. The part of a temptress.

Annie said, "Jesus, she looks just like her. Who is it?"

"It's Samantha Jordan. She's in Jill's new movie they're making. She can be at the party."

"So? Why is that....?"

"I can arrange for her to.....come on to Nick. She'll dress the part. She's twenty-four and Jill says she's up for an adventure."

"And then we'd do what?"

"Jill will have her co-star, Dirk. She'll take him upstairs, late, when people leave. Samantha will take Nick upstairs. That leaves you and me."

"You want me to trade sex with you and him have sex with the starlet?"

"That's the idea. Jill...she's going to be away with the jerk Dirk. I need...well, we can go from there, while she's gone, or it can be just the weekend."

'All nice and cozy. An orgy. But Nick will say no. Then....he'd know I set him up. He's not a nice man, when riled."

"Would he hurt you, really?"

"No. Not me, Mike."

"Don't worry about that. No fights. He's way smaller. I can have security as well. In fact, I always have security at these parties."

"He goes to some dojo, you know."

Mike smiled.

The conversation was at a restaurant lunch, and they were in a dark booth. Mike was next to her. He pulled her in and kissed her as she turned. He put her hand onto his hard dick. She didn't move it away, and she kissed him back. He thought maybe he could have her right there. But it was too much of a risk. She half-heartedly pushed him away.

She whispered, "Jesus, Mike. Oh shit. Oh Lord." She pressed the button for the waiter, and he showed up right away. He eyed them, but said nothing. Mike paid the bill, and they left.

Annie drove her own car back from the lunch. The party at Black Rock was to be Friday after next. A band, lots of celebrities, mostly from the movies. Some ball players, maybe. And, possibly wives. Or, maybe not.

Annie was worried about asking Nick to the party, and about tricking him into a swap. She knew him, and he didn't seem flexible, sexually. At least as far as other partners. That was why they signed the promise. Also, he was smart, and he'd see right off what was happening. But if she told him in advance, he'd never go.

That night at dinner, a chicken stir fry that was Nick's specialty, Annie told him about the party.

"Nick, Mike and Jill are throwing a party, before she goes off on location. There'll be lots of famous people there. We're invited. Friday a week."

Nick looked at her. He was aware of her struggles to resist Mike. At one point he was about to confront Mike. But he decided to see where things went. He had to be able to trust his wife. Mike wasn't the only studly guy around her. But Nick knew that Mike had maybe made some progress. He had reports from a source at her work. He also knew that she had turned him down, repeatedly.

He said, "I've been meaning to speak to you about Mike White. It's my belief that the two of you are way too close. He's after you and, so far as I hear, he's close to getting you. That would be a disaster for you."

"I haven't done anything with him. He is after me. I say no."

"Well, maybe. But not an emphatic no, eh? And you never mentioned it to me."

"Nick, I want to go to the party. And I want you there as well. I won't cheat."

"What I think is that you should resign from his account. Like the last guy only the opposite. Sexual attraction. Maybe he should have a gay guy. You have two at the firm."

"I won't do that. I admit that he's a temptation. But I will not give in."

"I don't want to go to the party. He'll only try for you there. It could get ugly, if he does."

"Nick, he's a big guy and there'll be security. I can take care of myself. Don't get hurt."

Annie knew that Nick went to a dojo. She didn't know how long he had done that, or how good he was at what they did there. She sort of knew his deep seated rage. But she didn't know...how intense it could get. In the end, though, she was unaware of just how dangerous the party could be. Nick knew. He resisted going.

However, as we found out at the start, she insisted. After school that Friday, Nick dropped Travis off at his parents' house over in the next county. They'd pick him up Sunday evening.

The real reason Nick agreed to go to the party was that he wanted to settle the Mike thing once and for all. He was tired of living on pins and needles. And he was pissed off about that.