Contamination

I was seething that our son had overheard her intimate conversation with the asshole. I was ready to strangle her right then and there. I knew anything else I said would be explosive, so I asserted, "I'm going to bed now. We'll talk tomorrow," as I lumbered up the stairs to my bedroom. Leslie huffed but acquiesced that there would be no discussion in my absence, so tomorrow night it will be.

Morning found me once again in my normal jovial mood with the children as I made a game of helping them get breakfast, and ready for school. I quickly double-checked their homework to make sure it was correct, and easily accessible to hand in when needed. Leslie watched me in amazement, a natural-born father if there ever was one, in his element. When we locked eyes, she teared up and wordlessly returned to her bedroom to get ready for her day. She knew attacking me this morning would be fruitless, especially with David right there.

Leslie was in Tom's office almost as soon as he was. She urgently wanted his advice on how to approach me in her conversation with me later this evening. "Tom, when you checked to ensure that Vernon had been promoted, I was shocked beyond belief to learn that he had quit his job. I mean, we have both worked so hard to get to this point and he just tosses all of our hard work in the trash as if it's worthless. I just don't get it."

"What did he say last night when you confronted him?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not a word. When I jumped him, he just took off and abandoned me high and dry to deal with the kids' supper and homework by myself. I cried all evening and waited up for him. He tried to sneak his way to bed around midnight but I was loaded for bear."

"What did he say when he saw you?"

"He just blew me off and said we'd talk this evening, not giving me any other choice. Then David showed up confessing he overheard me tell you that I loved you on the phone earlier that evening. That killed any chance at talking last night. I'm going to have to be careful what I say at home from now on."

"I see" indicated Tom. "Sounds to me like Vern is calculating his options and seriously considering his every word before speaking. That's not good, lover. A hothead blows off steam and then can be dealt with and manipulated by directing his emotions. But your Vernon, he's a thinker apparently, and that's not good."

"What do you mean? Have we made a mistake with him?"

"Oh, don't go getting your panties in a wad, though I'd like nothing more than to remove them from you and take you again right here. No, what I mean is that he's not going to make this very easy for us. Quitting his job probably means that he suspects that you and I have already had vaginal sex because you told him that his promotion would immediately follow his consent. Even though he didn't give it, he more than likely has figured out that his promotion was a direct result of our coupling, which he must have found so objectionable that he quit his job rather than accept things, and go along with us."

"You think he knows what we did?"

"It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to put 2 and 2 together."

"What am I going to do, Tom? I love Vernon with everything in me. I love you too, of course, but as you know, you gave me your word that my relationship with you would only improve my marriage and intimacy with my husband, and he has already mentioned the D-word. I can't live without him, Tom. I'd just die without him, I NEED him, Tom!"

"Now, now, now my little sex kitten. Don't you worry your pretty head. It'll all work out. We just need to be patient, and find a way to get everything back on track, is all. It's what I do best. I didn't get where I am in life by accident. Just give me a little time to figure something out. It'll be fine, you'll see."

"Will it Tom? Do you promise?"

"I give you my word."

"Oh, Tom! That makes me feel so much better."

"How much better my little vixen?"

"Let me show you how much.....as she dropped her panties, pulled up her skirt, and bent over his desk.

"Well now, let me see if I can help you out with that sweetheart," as he sank his erection in her.

After sex, Tom and Leslie discussed at length how best to approach me in her confrontation set for later that evening.

I sent Leslie a text at 4:30 pm indicating for her to meet me at The Carriage House Restaurant at 6 pm sharp because I had made reservations for that time. She was thrilled at the prospect of me making this romantic, and possibly conciliatory gesture because The Carriage House was a very upscale affair that we had only been to twice before. She quickly texted back that she would be there with bells on!

Anxious to diffuse the tensions between us, Leslie found me already seated at a table nearly in the center of the restaurant, surrounded by quite a lot of other patrons seated nearby. It was then that she realized my ploy, putting us in a place where our conversation would have to be low-key to avoid a scene. Even though she was displeased at this turn of events, she smiled thinking that this was just like me, prudently planning things out.

"Hi Honey. Where are the kids?"

I stood at Leslie's arrival and pulled out her chair for her, ever the gentleman. "I dropped them off at my folks' after helping them with their homework so we could have some time without little ears listening in."

"What made you pick this place as if I don't know?"

"Well, I thought it best to have a nice dinner in a pleasant atmosphere where we could have our conversation about some very important matters without either one of us losing our temper, so please forgive my calculating ways."

"On the contrary, that is one of the many things I love about you. You always cover all the bases, and I should have expected no less," she said with a smile.

"At least we're off to a good start. I just hope it stays that way."

After placing our orders with the waiter, I began, "Okay, last night you said you wanted to have a serious talk. So here we are now. What is it that you want to discuss?"

"Well, first of all, I think I have figured out the answer to my first question but I want to hear it directly from you. Why did you quit your job?" she asked in hushed tones.

"Fair question. Well, as you may recall, you told me that you and I would both receive promotions and raises once I gave my consent for you to have sexual intercourse with dickhead."

"Don't be so vulgar. He's not a dickhead, he's a very nice man. Under normal circumstances, the two of you could be great friends."

"You can call him your sex god if you wish. He might be nice to you, but he's nothing but a pile of shit to me; now let me finish."

My tone did not bode well for Leslie. I'd never used such profanity or vulgar references before in our marriage. This was uncharacteristic of me.

I continued, "Since I was blindsided by my unexpected promotion the other day, I asked my boss what prompted him to give me an edge over the others he was considering. He informed me that it was your lover, shithead Thomas that induced him to give me the position. Immediately I knew that it was because you had already fucked the asshole, even without my consent, and that was the reason for my promotion. I couldn't, in clear conscience keep such a job knowing that it came at the expense of my wife and my marriage. At that moment, I also lost a lot of respect for my boss, so I felt it best to cut ties and resign immediately."

Leslie teared up, trying to maintain her composure, and whispered, "But don't you see? I did it for us, for the betterment of our family. I was in a unique position to take advantage of an opportunity for both you and me to advance our careers. Can't you see that?"

"What happened to not going through with it without my consent? I never gave it."

"I realize that but you had been so cold to me for the past couple of weeks, I felt we were at an impasse. And I thought that the best way to break through all of that would be for you to get the wonderful news of your promotion and pay increase. I want what's best for us, don't you see?"

I heaved a big sigh. "I've heard countless times about what YOU want. For some reason, you never get around to asking what 'I' want. I want something you can never give me, EVER! I want a faithful wife! I realize that perhaps YOU honestly believe that what you've done is best for us. But from where I am sitting, you betrayed me, betrayed your vows, betrayed our marriage, and yes, even betrayed our family. I don't give a flip about any pay increase and even less about my job, not if it comes at so high of a cost. Your actions have produced the opposite consequences that you had intended. Suffice it to say that I have never been through a more miserable experience in my entire life. I have never been more distraught over the loss of anything on a scale like this before. Our intimacy is not the single most important thing in the world to me but it is damn close. And you shit all over it and gave it away to some rich fuck-head who convinced you to become his whore. I don't get it. I will never understand that. Why don't you just take that steak knife, and thrust it through my heart right now and put me out of my misery?"

Leslie began weeping softly at my emotional response. This wasn't at all how Tom had told her things would go. "Honey, you're looking at this all wrong. I LOVE you. You and you alone. Tom is a wonderful friend but I don't feel the same way about him as I do you. Things may not have turned out exactly the way Tom and I had planned but that's only because you are being so hardheaded about all this and refuse to see things our way. Look, now that we both have our promotions, we can go back to the way things were before all of this exploded, and we can breathe easier with the extra cash in the coffers. Please honey, please let's just get by this and be happy again." She was at a loss at what to say or do next.

"HE is not the repository of knowledge you believe him to be. Look how wrong he's been about me. As far as I am concerned, Leslie, your body has been violated, defiled, and desecrated by him," I seethed. Your body is repulsive to me. I may very well throw up this meal. Looking at you almost makes me physically sick. Your hair which I once treasured is nothing more than a filthy rancid mop. As for my job, I am never going back to that place ever again, so forget it. I will look for work elsewhere. I still have my credentials and skills. Another company may appreciate what I have to offer, even if you don't. Right now I am so disgusted with you and our marriage that I can't see any way to get beyond your treachery. Divorce appears to be my only option."

"NO! Please, Vernon, don't say that! Let's take some time and talk through this before making any rash decisions."

"I'm all talked out right now, I'm afraid. You've had your say."

The one thing I had hoped to hear but never came was an apology for her behavior and treatment of me. She felt no remorse and that's all I needed to know from this meeting. I said as I stood up, "Here's $200. That should cover dinner. Enjoy the rest of your meal. I'm going to pick up the kids now," and I walked away leaving her in tears.

Leslie was in dire straits. All the wonderful benefits that Tom promised her never materialized. She began to think that perhaps I was right and that she was just being used by Tom, and the destruction of our marriage would be the natural outcome. She was the only one who had put everything on the line. Was she truly that gullible? These thoughts flooded her mind and saturated her emotions. She would have a serious talk with Tom again in the morning. Leslie finished eating and made her way back home. If anything, she found things even colder at home than they had been before. She once again cried herself to sleep, achingly missing the love of her life.

I was curious about what the next day's audio recording would reveal in light of last evening's conversation with her. While she was preparing supper, I downloaded the file and replaced the batteries, resolving to listen later upon retiring for the night. What I later heard surprised me, learning of ever-deepening treachery.

"Tom, I love Vernon with everything I have, and I don't want to lose him. You should have heard him at the restaurant. He was talking about divorce calmly as if it was the next logical step. You're supposed to be the man with all the answers. What can be done to turn all of this around? I want my loving husband back in my arms. We don't kiss, don't have sex, hell, he won't even let me touch him, saying I'm contaminated by you. Please Tom, please help me save my marriage!"

"Now, now Leslie. All is not lost. Not by a long shot. Things aren't nearly as bad as you think they are."

"That's easy for you to say. You don't go home to a walk-in freezer every night."

"Look, I've got a plan to set things right for you again, and I am ready to set it in motion."

"That's the best news I've heard in a long time. What do I need to do? I'll do anything!"

"Well, that's the beauty of my little trap, baby. You won't have to do a thing. I'll send out a beautiful spider for him and he will be the fly."

"Huh? What do you mean, fly? What do you have in mind Tom?"

"Well, it's simple really. All I need to do to set everything in motion is make one phone call. It may take several days for the trap to be sprung but once he's in it, you will have the upper hand once more."

"Oh? Come on, spill the beans. Fill me in on the details," she pressed excitedly.

"I can tell you right now that you're not going to like the details, Leslie but unless you can come up with a better solution, frankly I can't see any other way to set things right. What I have in mind is getting Gloria involved. You have never met her but she and I go way back. She is a stunner, drop-dead gorgeous. She could wear a burlap sack, smile at a dead man's corpse, and give him an erection. She has that effect on every man that she comes across. She's simply irresistible, and I intend to use that to our advantage."

He resumed, "First of all, I'll have my P.I. keep tabs on Vernon, especially during the day. Gloria will be with the P.I. and constantly be aware of his whereabouts, and just happen to cross his path on more than one occasion. Oh, she's good. Very good. She begins all innocent-like, and when she turns on the charm, he'll fall under her spell, guaranteed. He's a man, he has no choice. Hell, even women fall for her magic, and Gloria's straight as an arrow. Eventually, she'll gain his confidence and his desire. He will meet her in a hotel room that my P.I. will have prewired for video and sound. Once he succumbs and has sex with her, and he will, then you can present him with the evidence of his own infidelity. Once you expose his hypocrisy, he will have no choice but to say that you're both even and call off this stalemate between the two of you, then things can go back to normal."

"I don't know, Tom. I don't like sending my husband into the arms of a woman I can't compete with. What if he falls in love with her?"

"You don't have to worry about that at all, my love. Gloria is a high-priced call girl, very high price, mind you. Her only love is money. Your husband would be nothing more than another John to her. Once they have done the deed, and we have our evidence, they will never cross paths again, simple, beautiful, and effective. I tell you it will work."

"The thought of Vernon having sex with another woman, especially one more beautiful than me, sickens me, Tom. But I guess I don't have much room to talk. I mean, look at me, at us. At least she's a high-price hooker and not a husband stealer. Okay Tom, once more, you've won me over. Now let's get on that couch so you can stick that big cock of yours in me and seal the deal. Make the call and set your plan in motion."

After listening to the conspirators' conversation, I'd heard enough. I knew the saying, 'being forewarned is forearmed'. I steeled my resolve for what was to come. Even if this Gloria was the goddess Aphrodite herself, now that I was aware of their ploy, there is no way I would succumb to her trap. It also confirmed my suspicion that Leslie's vaginal sex with dickhead was ongoing and not a one-time thing. I would make sure that their P.I. would be unable to take any pictures, video, or audio that could, in any way, be construed as incriminating against me. To do that, I would prevent all but innocent minimalist contact with the hooker. I had the beginnings of a plan.

Then, as I resumed listening, I heard Leslie excuse herself to the ladies' room. It was while she was out that I heard the asshole make his call. Of course, I could only hear one side of the call.

"Hey Belinda, Tom Henley here, long time no see."

.......

"You too."

.......

"No, there's no problem with the Ecstasy you sold me. Per your suggestion, I added some to her fruit smoothie every day, and as you predicted, I had her sucking my cock inside of a week. I kept her on it for a few months but since I'm fucking her regularly now, I've recently weaned her off of it. She now calls me Master and she's my slave so I no longer need the drug," he chuckled.

.......

"Awesome, I'll keep that in mind for my next conquest. But there's another service I need you to provide if she's available."

.......

"Well, I need Gloria again. I realize that she doesn't come cheaply but I need someone of her.... Caliber to resolve an issue I'm having."

.......

"Excellent, I'll explain everything to her when you have her call me. Thanks. Catch you later."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ecstasy? He's been regularly dosing her with the sex drug for months? That alters my perspective of how this situation had evolved. And Leslie didn't even know. As strange as the thought sounded to me, I was relieved a tiny bit that she was his victim and not solely his seduced lover. Needing more factual information, I looked Ecstasy up online to learn some facts about it. Namely, it produces various energizing effects, which can include increased feelings of closeness, enhanced sexuality, alertness, and distortion of time and perception. Many of the effects are similar to cocaine. Most use it to enhance sexual arousal. Its effects are usually felt within 30 to 45 minutes of ingestion, and the effects may last 4 to 6 hours.

My emotions were rampant about what I'd just learned. On one hand, she was seduced by a predator after he eradicated her inhibitions with the drug. Yet, she is off the drug now and is so firmly ensconced in his camp that she has chosen to be his, at the destruction of our marriage. I know that in the State we reside, audio recordings are legally inadmissible unless one party knows it is being recorded (which neither Leslie nor Tom did), and I'm sure that no residual traces of the drug remain in her blood that he'd administered her in those damn smoothies. Although I can't legally prosecute him for drugging her since she has no knowledge of it, I can hurt him in other ways. I filed that information away for future analysis. Right now I needed to deal with my new immediate threat.

I didn't have to wait long. Two days later, when I was having lunch at an outdoor café, a heavenly beauty approached me and smiled. She reeked of sexuality, practically dripping with it. I'd never seen a more beautiful woman in my life. Gloria said, "Please excuse me. Most of the other outdoor tables seem to be taken, and since it is such a lovely day, would you mind sharing this table with little old me?"

Hers was the smile that would launch a thousand ships. I had pre-planned my reaction to such an approach and nearly forgot that this had to be their setup. It wasn't lost on me that there were several other empty tables nearby. I quickly raised my finger as if to garner her attention for a moment, then quickly brought out my cell phone as if it was on vibrate, intimating that I was receiving a call. "Hello? Yes, Dave, what's up? Well, I'm about halfway through my lunch right now. Hmmm.... Crap. Okay. Sure. I understand. I'll be back in the office in about five minutes."