Betrayed Over Conception Ch. 04

Engineer Mike Giles and wife have been unable to start a family and neither will undergo tests, fearful of being identified as the problem party. Gloria takes a lover leading Mike to suspect her motive is pregnancy. The tip off came from his wife's sister Liz. He sneakily identifies this bastard before deciding how to deal with it. Then he learns that his girlfriend on his worksite 200 miles north is pregnant which answers the question about his alleged infertility problem. Mike now follows Gloria to see is she is meeting her lover.

TEN

Mike followed the sports car driven by his wife Gloria to a stately house in the street lined by trees – Summit Street. She'll stop at number 13, the home address of James Henry Mercer, thought Mike, and that's what she did.

A heavily built man in a dark sports jacket and light slacks came out of the house, waved to Gloria, and hurried to the car, getting into the passenger's seat. Mike's expression remained passive as the watched the outlines of their heads come together for a fifteen second greeting. Gloria then drove off and Mike followed, glad that she hadn't doubled back as she may have recognized his truck.

He flipped though radio stations till finding a sound he liked – it was C&W but that was fine and it was some little while before he caught the words, 'You're Breaking My Heart'. The next tune was little better, 'Wild Woman' and Mike sighed at the next tune, 'Heartbroken and Lonely'. It was great knowing he was not alone!

The sports car ahead turned into a parking lot beside a small stand alone restaurant. Mike parked and was happy to find a restaurant most conveniently located right opposite. It was Thai food which he didn't particularly like, but then unless he was the cook he often ate food he didn't particularly like. He asked to be seated at a particular table – one that allowed him to watch the restaurant doorway across the street and the entrance to its parking lot.

"Sorry sir, this table is reserved."

Mike sat at that table, a twenty buck incentive encouraging the waitress to place the 'reserved' sign on to another table. He was halfway through his second bottle of beer when Henry and Gloria were shown to their table – obviously they had been at the bar. Their table was only one back from the window and he could see their faces lit from below by candles; they looked grotesque.

Watching them and feeling nothing in particular, not even the desire to slap them both a bit for being naughty for trying to get Gloria pregnant, Mike wondered if this was their farewell meeting – that Gloria either had decided this was not acceptable or, damn it, she was pregnant which was unlikely considering his latest news.

But then she could have been tested and been re-wired or whatever they do. He phoned Liz to talk to her about Gloria but was invited to leave a message. He panted heavily into the phone and grinned; she'd be startled to have a heavy breather but perhaps had a system that enabled her to identify the caller's number. Either way, it didn't matter.

A soup with some things floating in it arrived, and the charming Asian waitress explained what it was. She wore a spicy perfume and without thinking Mike asked her what it was; the name meant nothing to him but it switched on the woman's interest in him. Glancing to the back of the restaurant, she turned back to Mike and whispered, "I finish at 11:00 if you want."

"Want what?" Mike asked, pretending to play dumb.

"If you don't know what it's for I'll enjoy showing you," she grinned.

"I'm a happily married man."

"I am also, but know how to make myself happier," she giggled.

"Some other time, perhaps."

"Oh, I'm so sad," she replied, looking very sad.

Across the road the lovers were talking, waiting for their first course.

Mike phoned Nancy.

"Hullo, sweetie. How do it go?"

She replied excitedly.

"Good Mike, it went well and I'm weary through being distraught but am fine, especially now hearing your voice."

"What about emotionally?"

"To tell you the truth, a bit like you over Gloria – confused and not knowing what button to push."

"Does that mean you're thinking of dumping me?"

"Mike – don't say that, of course not."

Mike was thrilled to hear the alarm and passion in her voice – never having received such intensity from her before other than in bed.

"Okay, sorry and I'm thrilled to hear that."

"Thrilled? That's an usual word for you."

"It's how I feel after what you've just said."

"Oh Mike, you make me so happy. Mom and dad don't want me to go back to the site; I've still got another month before returning to university."

"You decide what's best for you, Nancy – put yourself before of all of us."

"That's kind of you to say that, Mike."

"I'm that sort of person. Well, I ought to go and let you rest up."

"Keep talking to me, Mike. What are you doing right now?"

So Mike told her, and Nancy was fascinated.

"Don't assault him, Mike and don't touch Gloria. Do everything verbally and simply defend yourself if either of them strikes you if a showdown eventuates."

"Assault them? What do you mean?"

"Jimmy Carson told me about your exploits, Mike. I said he was an exaggerating bored mechanic so he took me into the men's washroom and showed me that press cutting Mike."

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Nancy. It wasn't pretty."

Jimmy told me you did brilliantly, Mike, that it was the only way you could get that brute MacKellar locked up without loosing respect for what he called ratting on one of your men."

"Jimmy told you that?"

"I just told you that, Mike."

"I know, but it's sort of like a secret society – the men don't talk about things like that to outsiders. I'm amazed."

"Perhaps you'll be amazed that the men now regard me as one of them, Mike."

"Jesus."

"That's more like it Mike."

We talked for almost an hour, and then she said her mom was waving at her to get off the phone and get to sleep.

"Do you think it will take much to get over this unfortunate situation?"

"I don't think so Mike, but one never knows with one's mind; it can be unpredictable. I was counseled about possibly psychological side-effects but Mike it just wasn't my time – I wasn't ready to mother a baby and I feel I should have some say in this. I've been on the Minipill as I have sensitivity to estrogen and occasionally, exceedingly rarely in fact, there is a breakdown or what they call a breakthrough, and my egg was fertilized."

"Oh."

"Are you all right, Mike?"

"More of less; this sort of medical talk tends to make me got a little green around the gills."

"You require more education and tender guidance Mike, to make you a more rounded person."

"Yeah, but who's going to want to do that?"

"I wonder," she giggled. "Good night, sweet one. No violence – promise."

"Yeah, I promise. Good night, baby. Heal thyself." " Oh Mike, you're teetering on becoming romantic. Oh, thanks a million for those glorious flowers. Mom was gob smacked."

Nancy cut the call before I could reply. Romantic – me?

The waitress brought me my main dish – chicken something.

"I've keep this warm for you, as you were on the phone, but it's not the only thing I'm keeping warm for you," she giggled.

I grinned. She was rather cute for a 30-plus babe.

Across the street the other diners were cruising along, it appeared.

I finished up and paid the bill, handing the money plus a generous tip to the waitress. She looked at the money and said "Wow!" and as she escorted me to the door sighed: "I would be willing to swap this for another kind of tip."

I smiled and kissed her. She beamed, after looking nervously at the back of the restaurant where a husband or lover worked, no doubt.

"You're a very nice man."

I waited in my truck, listening to classical music. When they came out of the restaurant I drove forward, stopping opposite the parking lot when they stopped against the sports car and kissed. I was some distance away but clearly saw the arm of James Henry Mercer disappearing under the hem of my wife's short skirt and saw her legs widen – at least her shoe moved to the left quite some distance.

James or Jim or Jimmy or perhaps Harry Mercer's hand was snaking up to my little darling's pussy. I drove off quietly instead of doing a wheelie and screaming abuse at them. I may have appeared calm but my hands were squeezing the steering wheel as if trying to flatten it.

At home I went into the office and looked through Gloria's phone book for Liz's cell phone number – I only had her house phone number.

"Where are you?"

"Oh, Mike. Nice to hear from you. Actually I'm in the apartment of some bloke who's making coffee; I'm guessing he's figuring out how to get me into his bed."

"That's nice. What have you got from Gloria?"

"It's not good, Mike. Your hunch was correct – she teamed up with him; he's her boss at work who's currently separated from his wife. She explained to him she wanted him to get her pregnant and naturally how could he refuse. He began banging her on instructions – every two to three nights during the right term of her cycle.

"Then Gloria said it just happened; he asked for her a social fuck out of cycle and she was lonely and agreed, and the next night she phoned him to come over and now they've settle into a regular liaison, though still sleeping in their own homes."

Well, lucky Gloria, I thought.

"Does she know she's barren?"

"What do you mean?"

I lied and said I'd had myself tested and passed with flying colors.

"You mean you're not firing blanks – Gloria is convinced you are?"

"No, every shot is ready and primed, making me feel I'm a complete man."

"Don't get arrogant about it Mike, think of those poor sods who are firing blanks or have some other malfunction."

"I do, and feel sorry for them. In fact I feel humble that I am in full working order."

"What are you going to do?"

"If I divorced her, would you consider marrying me if asked?"

"Mike!"

"What?"

"You can be such a callous prick at times. Don't you know anything about romancing a woman?"

I rubbed my chin thinking she's stalling.

"Come on, Liz. You've had plenty of time thinking about it."

"You won't like my answer, Mike."

"Of course I will, I take nothing for granted."

She paused, obviously building up her courage.

"It would destroy my relationship with Gloria, Mike, and anyway you're too much of an insensitive, narrow vision male to live with permanently. Yes, I'd love you to fuck me – I'd climb all over that body of yours Mike. Go find yourself a little darling like that young engineer student you work with up north – a babe who will worship you without question; that's what you need."

"Is that a no?"

"Yes."

"But you're willing to rut whenever we both feel like it now and in the future?"

"I wasn't thinking of the future, but that sounds acceptable. Yes."

"Thanks Liz, for being so honest with me; I find what you've told me very agreeable, and thanks for telling me about Gloria and him."

"She calls him Henry."

"Thanks now go get your man."

When Gloria came home almost four hours later, she found me sleeping in the guest bedroom, only I wasn't sleeping. I heard her crying in the other bedroom until I fell asleep, still confused, but feeling the tiles were falling into place, indicating I'd soon be looking at the big picture.

ELEVEN

I lunched with Liz next day. We had a brilliant sixty-nine but both seemed not ready for full penetration. We didn't even need to discuss it. The food was starvation rations but she poured lovely wine.

I spent the two hours before Gloria came home looking at everything in the house and noting what I wanted in the carve-up, as driving home from Liz's I had decided to seek a divorce.

Surprisingly, reaching that decision seemed neither to lighten nor weigh more heavily on my mind; I felt just the same – what do they call it? Oh yeah, just as shallow as usual. I actually thought of my tongue in Liz's twat more than my decision to end my marriage and then to my astonishment I found myself thinking that being with Liz in that manner I'd been unfaithful to Nancy.

That was an amazing thought – as there's nothing between me and Nancy except we share a bed and time together out of mutual convenience.

Loyalty?

I had to be joking. Just because you're shagging someone it does mean you're under lock and key, though I know some weirdoes think like that. Then I thought of my mom. She doesn't play around – I've no evidence of her fidelity to dad, but I don't need it; I know my mom. She was loyal despite being married to a compulsive stickman who's fucked enough other women to fill a village, and that's only considering the ones after his marriage.

My mind returned to Nancy.

Those men on site, they'd come to terms with Nancy, at least some of them had and influenced their colleagues. She'd won their respect without apparently trying as far as I am aware, and those guys had made it quite clear that she was accepted. Bloody amazing! There wouldn't have been a meeting with handclapping and presentation of a lapel pin or something like that. She'd just noticed that when she'd checked on their work they would have stood aside smiling, rather than scowling, and listened to her attentively instead of looking at if she didn't know her face from her ass when it came to construction work.

In all probability the first thing to happen would have been one morning, instead of going to get her first coffee, someone brought it to her as they do for supervisors and other bosses.

Jesus, I wished I'd been looking at her unnoticed when that coffee was handed to her and she realized the significance.

Then when she walked into the lunchroom instead of conversation dying and everyone looking at her ass and tits the conversations would have continued, though with everyone still looking at her ass and tits, but when she had her tray in her hands someone would have called, "Over here Nancy" and a space would have opened up and another guy would have called, "Not with those jerks, Nancy, over here."

We get concerned about the big things in life, yet what is big? I reckon Nancy being handed that cup of coffee that morning – and I really believe that's what happened – well that's not big – it's huge in the context of Nancy and her career.

Fuck, here am me getting all fuzzy about Nancy. What's going on here?

My musing shattered with Gloria bursting in, slamming her handbag on the table and almost snarling, "We've got to talk!"

"Agreed, I'll get the drinks first."

"Whisky!"

"No elegant cocktail?" That grinning quip earned me a big fat scowl.

"You go first," she said, running her tongue over the lip of her glass of whisky.

"Ladies first."

"I asked first."

I hold both palms at her and say I'm happy to begin.

"You're having an affair."

"Ha!" she said. "Your little brain has managed to work that one out, has it?

"Yeah, and I want a divorce."

"You arrogant, conceited man – you're the biggest adulterer in this street, probably the entire neighborhood."

Time to get her settled down.

"Does James Henry Mercer also fire blanks?"

The still very pretty face of Gloria Irene Giles – nickname Gig – turned ashen.

"Who told you? Don't answer, I know – Liz the bitch."

Time to tell an untruth.

"One of the neighbors wrote me."

"That fat nosey-parker Mrs Roberts; I feel like strangling her."

Mrs Roberts was the woman who'd bad-mouthed me in the deli; it suited me not to deny she was the informant.

"Insanely jealous I grabbed a heavy hammer and roared down here one night hoping to catch the bastard screwing you. To my delight he was parked here in our driveway."

Gloria's eyes were as big as drink coasters.

"But by then I'd cooled down, thinking that you being an adulterous bitch was no worse than me having my occasional fling. So I scratched a message on the door of his F-150..." Gloria finished the story for me.

"And came into the house, ripped his zip in his trousers and then set the alarm which scared the crap out of me when I went for a pee during the night."

"That's it babe, but I also got his name and address from his wallet and also had a good look at his photo before deciding what to do with him."

"But Mike, you can't touch him," Gloria cried, or rather whined. "Although he's much heavier than you he's an office softie – you'd beat him to pulp."

"Yeah, you remember that newspaper story I showed you a long time ago about that guy who messed up our admin girl on-site and told you how I did that to him?"

"Oh Mike, you can't – he'd be disfigured for life and he and I..."

She tailed off, biting her bottom lip.

"I figure you're trying to get him to impregnate you."

"Yes, and he's also fallen in love with me."

Time to really turn it on.

"Well, fancy that. As well as beating him up I'll cut his dick off."

"No, no!" screamed Gloria. "Please Mike, don't."

Tears were streaming from her. I'll say this about Gloria, it sounds impossible but she even looks beautiful when she cries.

"Hmmm, So where does this leave us, Gloria."

"I agree to a divorce?"

"When?"

"Immediately."

"Right, that's fine with me. I look around for another babe."

"There's Liz, you're seen the new look Liz, I know, because she's told me you've been to see her – twice."

I told her that I thought Liz had her own agenda and she seemed satisfied with that.

"Do you want me to move out?"

She said no, that we'd been living like an unmarried couple on and off for sometime so the only change in reality was looming finality.

I couldn't help it, I said that's a pretty cool way of putting it and she smiled and said if I wanted to, we could remain friends. I replied I'd like that, and that was the truth; all that really had happened was our marriage had run out of steam and neither of us was interested in stoking it back to life.

Gloria said since I was returning up country on Sunday morning she'd try to get our lawyer to see us tomorrow, unless I wanted separate legal representation.

"No, providing this is going to be an amicable parting."

"I don't see why not," she said.

"Right, same lawyer and rapid conclusion is what I want."

"Good," she said, smiling softly, the edge of hostility I'd seen on her in recent months all but gone.

I excused myself and got the list of things I wanted from the house.

"I've made a list – you all me to take these things and you can have everything else and you can also have the car."

"You always were a calculating, methodical bastard," she grinned, taking the list. "Are you sure about the car, it's still worth a lot of money."

My Chevy was company-leased; I knew the value of the sports car.

"You'll gain on the car to partly compensate for the hassles I've given you needlessly over the years, and we'll split everything else down the middle, which means selling to house but I willing to agree to you taking twelve months to quit it."

"That's very generous of you, Mike."

"I'm that kind of guy," I said, and we both grinned, knowing it was true.

"May I take you out to dinner this evening?"

"Yes, of course – I'd love that," I said, struggling to remember when she'd last paid for our meal out – my thirtieth birthday actually.

Very late that night, when I checked her bedroom to make sure she was asleep or at least snuggled down, I went to the study, closed the door, and phoned James Henry Mercer.

TWELVE

Harry Mercer pulled in beside me in his Mercedes at the riverside lookout.

I got out and we shook hands and sat on a bench seat.

"Is it okay if I remind you that last night you promise not to crack me one?"

The guy had guts – he asked me that and was grinning.