All Comments on 'Heads I Win, Tails She Loses'

but you couldnt resist the forced undeserved RAAC

forced , undeserved RAAC always deducts 3*

so net result is 2*

They always seem to do more to hide the original deed than whatever happened during the original deed. And many more times. How can someone not realize this? Trusting the blackmailer? Seriously? That's as bad as trusting a serial cheater not to cheat.

It doesn't apply here, but one thing I hate is when the wife does MORE under the threat of blackmail than what she is being blackmailed for.

"If you don't fuck me I'll show your husband this video of you giving me a blowjob."

"If you don't give me your ass I'll show you husband this video of you fucking me."

In any case, giving into blackmail requires trusting the blackmailer, not exactly the most trustworthy person!

I gave it too stars because it was fun to read. But it's far from finished and y ou know it. Just a lazy writer like many others here.

I disagree with anonymous. With the coin flip there were always two choices: this drink or that one; nuts or pretzels. Lauren called heads; Gina flipped tails. Lauren made the call, not Jack. Jack may have given Lauren first shot, but without the coin, fate has said there's another option.

I think it's nice...

burger made me hungry.. well thought out little mind fuck

What was so hard to figure out about that ending, people? Gina flipped Tails.... a loser. Bad luck... The cheater's going to win. (after he WATCHED her fuck the other guy... knowing she'd been doing it for months.)

But I crave more.

It's up to the author to decide where he leaves it. I'd like to read more about these characters, but I can live with the current ending.

Leaving it open ended like this makes us the readers, provide our own closure. Many of us are too lazy or ignorant to know how to do that, hence the ambiguity rather than closure.

As sympathetic as the bartender is, she is also an opportunist and will do her best to land him "on the rebound". He doesn't deserve her, nor does she deserve him.

Lauren shot herself in the foot by not trusting him to be on her side and help come up with a way out of the situation. I can understand the helpless feeling in a blackmail situation. I think she has the capability to get him back and hope she manages it. She inadvertently set herself on the recovery trail when she sacrificed her dignity and pride to try to make sure he got out of the house safely. That effort can count a lot in her campaign to regain his love.

Cute and well written. Kudos to you again.

Ok, so finish it.

I gave it four stars instead of five because you're suggesting that he'll end up going back with the cunt who didn't have faith in her husband but, instead, kept fucking the other guy and repeatedly exposed him to HIV and STD's.

She's tough enough to fight for him NOW but NOT before she did the damage that LOST him. She doesn't deserve a second chance and to suggest that she does is simply an example of the culture of milquetoast Liberalism that's destroying our society. NO man can ever forget or forgive what he's seen and heard his wife doing. No matter how hard they try or what they do to salvage it, their marriage is ruined.

and I had just finished reading a newspaper article on female psychology.

And that makes this story work MORE for me. Bear in mind, nothing exonerates fully. In a perfect world, the brainy wife would team up with her brainy husband and would come up with some caper to turn the tables on the blackmailer in a painful, discreet and plausibly deniable way. (See Big Ass Marine)

However...slut shaming is a thing. It is, and for a woman, it is HUGE. A woman who is known in her circle as a slut will lose HUGE amounts of status among men (who treat her as a festering cunt to masturbate in, but certainly not marry) AND women (who see her as a man stealing cunt who also makes it harder for other women to say no to things they don't like, like BJs or anal. Hard to say no to BF if Sally Roundheels over there is passing out BJs like candy.)

So a thought experiment. Say you are a teenaged guy, and you are busy nailing your 16 year old GF. And you turn 18...and Daddy GF is PISSED (as daddy's are wont to be at gents deflowering their daughters)

Except he goes to the cops and he has you registered as a sex offender.

Exactly how wildly known would you want that? Do you want to have that SAME TEDIOUS CONVERSATION with every single person you know? This is what the woman faced with that sex tape. Except that every slimy scumbag of a swinging dick will ALSO think she is now 'fair game'.

So her fears were rather real. Do not dismiss them lightly. Does it exonerate? No. But it certainly puts things in a grayer hue.

great story TTT, personally i would like to see the two reconcile ..... but if the bartender gets him he will be happy ...... I love the idea of a happy ending for the guy no matter how it turns out

open ended does not mean incomplete.

Interesting mixing of emotions as Lauren's story comes out. In the end though, her dishonesty was depressing. Who was she really, what had she done that was so bad that her husband couldn't know about it? Why had she not mentioned her "wild college days" in passing while they were just dating? She should have said something at that time after a couple first has sex, and then goes into a sort of sexual history to get it out of the way. She would not have had to get too specific, just mention booze, drugs, crazy parties and sex. Instead she lied to him completely by omitting and part of the truth to him. How can you be married to that kind of person? What other things has she not mentioned? If you can't trust her on the basic stuff, how could you trust a person like this to be the mother of your children? She is a selfish coward, not fit to be married or have children.

Super story, really enjoyed it and the characters. The characters all seemed real and believable to me on the pages. I really enjoyed the element of chance with the use of the coin toss and the simple setup with the sound system. The story seems ripe for a second installment. Where the blackmailer’s foiled? Did a reconciliation occur? Were lives rebuilt or were new lives lived?

Thanks for the fun story and please keep writing!

Unusual scene. No "revenge" in the activities, as Lauren chose her path, and then didn't trust that Jack would or could save her. Gina is a different story, but she is entitled to take advantage of what fell into her lap.

Good to read that Jack was actually as nice as he could be under the circumstances.

It leans neither this way, or that. It leaves it entirely up to the reader to decide their future, depending on which side of that coin flip your views tend to land.

I don't agree with some comments that insinuate that she was a victim. She was blackmaiked. So what? She still had a choice to make, and choose she did. She chose secrecy, she chose to protect her past, over her husband, over her marriage, over her trust in her husband's love.

She didn't enjoy it? Again, so what? What if her boss hadn't wanted sex? What if he blackmailed her to kill an ex wife, or a business competitor? Unless she was a psychopath, she certainly wouldn't have enjoyed that, either. So, if she chose to do it, would she be forgiven? After all, it would still be blackmail, and she still wouldn't have enjoyed it. But of course, she wouldn't choose to kill someone, because she has a sense of right and wrong, she has a conscience, and she couldn't look at herself in the mirror, if she did. But, she could forgive herself for cheating, (after all, she chose to do it), because her husband's love was merely something that could be conveniently set aside, when her self image was at stake! She did it out of love, alright, but out a love for herself. She said she never wanted to hurt him, but she chose exactly that option, time and again.

Personally, I tend to believe he walked away from her. Love is like a star. It burns intensely and hot. It outshines everything around it. Gradually, over the years, it cools, but it also expands far beyond what it was. Everything you are revolves around it. When someone cheats, it makes that love explode, just like a super nova. It shatters. Cheating creates a blackhole in the centre, around which everything now circles. Just like a blackhole, cheating is invisibly in the background, always there, putting a gravitational strain on everything that follows, destroying all that was there before it, eating everything that comes after it. It's inescapable, always there, and when you get too close, it rips you apart. Yes, you can rebuild a new world, from the ashes of a supernova, the ingredients are all there, waiting to come together, but you can never rebuild that same love. It's gone, once shattered. You can spend the rest of time, scratching out an existence, spending all your time trying to avoid that destructive singularity around which your broken world now revolves. Or, you can build a whole new world with someone else, and live there in comfort and happiness. But here's the key. You MUST first leave that destructive blackhole far behind you!

With apologies for my meandering ramblings.

I have read this one again...

And I went though many of the comments.

I'd like to add a suspicion that Jack, by flipping a coin, was trying to find a way back to Lauren. He couldn't find a way by himself... he couldn't get to anyplace good by reason... so he committed himself to chance.

Perhaps not what the author intended, but I kind of like the idea.

Green-something

Or rather the readers' feelings toward the ending. It could certainly have a followup chapter, no problem. But even though this is a fictional story I just can't shake the feeling that he's in real trouble. Everything he's done is right there on the tablet. The speakers are in the house, the window is glued shut, the locks are changed and the garage door is reprogrammed. He's even made the mistake of moving his things out of the bedroom. It seems that the real ending to this mess would be in Court with her attorney getting her 100% of the marital assets and him MAYBE avoiding jail time. She even has Gina to testify to all his planning. And a good attorney takes her blackmailer to Court, gets her damages and him significant jail time. So unfortunately, the logical person in me sees a much different ending than what has been written. Where's FTDS when you need him?

Depending on your intent. As a vignette of 3 people's lives, it's okay. Not my cup of tea since I like finished products. As a story about 2 people's lives, it's incomplete. But so many authors write stories like this (the non-ending) that is an epidemic. A guy named JPB is the master of the non-ending. The writing was good. The non-ending sucked, therefore I can't give the partial story a good number.

A complete well written story it is. One might add what the outcome of the blackmailer's antics ensued. Cheers!

It asks all the questions, clearly defines the issues, and puts it in the hands of the pertinent players for them to decide what happens next.

Consciously, she made only two BAD decisions.

First, getting into drugs... Then trusting a blackmailer about anything.

I'm not saying her (and by extension, their) lives wouldn't have turned to complete crap if she hadn't... but that might have been crap in which she still was married without a serious worry of it being otherwise.

About the only responses to a blackmailer should be either telling them to fuck off... Or killing them.

And yeah, if you consider that unreasonable, you should accept that she did the best she could under trying circumstances. You can't have it both ways...

After reading some of the older comments I looked up this story, and was disappointed that it used a trope that I can never understand, the "I've never had sex with anyone else" BS.

As I have said before, "So what?"

If you cheat on your spouse "To see what it is like" to be with someone else, what good can come from it?

If the sex with the other person is no better, then you've basically cheated for nothing, and you STILL don't know that someone ELSE might be better.

If the sex IS better than with your spouse, now what? Will you be satisfied to live with less satisfying sex? If so, then wouldn't it be better to not even know? And if not, what are you going to do about it? Divorce? Continue to cheat?

Any way you look at it, either experiment before committing, or live with your choice.

I'm not usually a fan of "unfinished" stories, but for this one it seems to fit.

I for one would be sad for whichever woman lost.

I know that the cheating wife hasn't got a chance. The last flip was tails which means she loses.

How's that?

Open ended endings that I like. Well done!

5*

FTDS, where the hell are you when you're needed so badly???

liked this one. I generally favor BTB, but once Lauren and Jack started talking, I began leaning toward some form of reconciliation. I, too, liked the way this one ended - especially with Gina's flip. Without knowing about that, however, ending with Gina saying "Game on." would also have been an excellent ending.

...and I like the way it ends with a glimmer of hope. The "letting the fates decide" theme reminds me of Luke Rhinehart's great book "the Dice Man", one of my all-time favourites.

Not as grim as some of your stuff. Gave it a 4.

A marriage means many things. One it is a partnership. Try and screw my wife over, you'll deal with the face of death, me. Try and screw me over and you'll face my wife, something that will leave you dead and gutted.

So, dear fucking cunts out there, trust your husband. You are a team, a partnership, you and her against the rest of the world. If you can't trust, there are two choices. One, run. run as if the hounds of hell are on your heels, because they are. Or two, when the hounds of hell get to you, your body should be cooling.

It ended in the right spot, where we readers can muse about the ultimate outcome.

...and LOVE will mend the fence. She and Jack will take care of good old blackmailer!

Jack knows he'll always love her and he really knows she loves him and was not just scared but stupidly foolish. He also noticed that he witnessed the fact that she Did Not enjoy the sex and the call imploring him to get out of the house to save himself...he knew, she would never screw up again and he never really lost her love, emotion or caring for him so...

Nice tail...pun intended!

The author says some will think it isn't complete. Nah...it's complete, and it's good. Walked a fine line between BTB and compassion, well done.

Damn you're good

Good solid work!

No matter what she did before she was married, she was a fool to give in to blackmail, you can never pay them off. She did not trust her husband at all, ever. NEVER should he consider to take her back or even to screw her unfaithful ass, ever. Good story made us think.

Trust no one, don't bother being trustworthy yourself. Everyone is unfaithful at one time or another.

Honestly thought the coin was the same at both sides like at the end when he was deciding his wife's fate like he took out a different coin or something. But this is good too :)

Always fun when there is a twist or two in the plot.

I really enjoyed this story, nice finish, good tension. I think the open ending works well.

This story needs a series and to be out of the loving wives and into something else. I want to know more about Jack I could defiantly see this getting more pages. Well done

I don't understand why any man would bother lifting a finger for a WHORE like Lauren! She .. AND ONLY SHE, made the choice to become a three hole SLUT in a gangbang video, chose not to tell her husband about her sordid past, if not lied .. deceived him about her past by NOT showing any faith that he would understand HER "situation", not only spread her slimy hole for someone that was not her husband but did it repeatedly AND in THEIR marital bed, broke her marriage vows, lied to her FAITHFUL husband's face ........ AND COULD HAVE KILLED JACK! How you ask .... considering her gutter slut history and the number of STD's swimming in that cesspool between her legs, the diseased WHORE could have killed the man she professes to love ( if she hasn't already done it)!

So based on the Overwhelming evidence .... No I DON'T get your asinine argument THAT JACK HAD ANY RESPONSIBILITY TO ASSIST, DEFEND **OR** FIGHT FOR HIS VIRTUOUS? FAITHFUL? LOVING? WHOR... err ... WIFE!!! As a matter of fact, the only type of man who would support and defend this type of action from his wife would be a CUCK LOVING WIMP use to spending his time in a closet watching his whore wife take a strange cock up her ass ... sound familiar FanCUCK???

Adolescent Tolls Beware! My commentary will pop all your pimples.

Lauren and Jack, a marriage made in mutual delusion. Lauren realized that Jack is too immature, too narcissist to help her resolve the blackmail against her. Frankly, she should of gut shot Doug but then that's just my opinion for what little it's worth.

My reasoning. Jack knew there was a serious ongoing problem in his marriage but did nothing to investigate the cause of the problems. He automatically assumed it had to be the woman's fault, cause hey, the Bible says so. Once he identified Doug as the 'other man' he made no effort to dissuade the asshole from contacting Lauren.

I had that problem with one of my wife's pre-marriage ex-boyfriends. My fists upside his head convinced him to go far away and keep going. I do not understand males (they sure don't qualify as men) who won't fight for the woman they claim to love.

When it comes to trust, this story makes it obvious that Lauren did not and could not trust Jack. His childish tantrum of tricks proved his unworthiness. I do understand that women make these desperate choices all the time, to remain with the perpetual boys they married. I do not understand why.

Open possibilities! Not a bad ending. This is a short story, not a novel, and the author has the freedom accorded an artist. Thanks, Tx Tall Tales . Dan

Wife was foolish in not trusting her husband. If he couldn't handle her history, perhaps he wouldn't be a good long term partner. 5 STARS.

5*. Thanks T3...

Nice twist.

she got what she deserved and the prick blackmailing her is going to get his just rewards when he catches up with him but the slut should be kicked in to the gutter where she belongs and he should go for the barmaid......

I gave it 5 Stars.

That said, I still don't think that blackmail is a valid excuse for cheating. I know there are those who disagree, but TRUST is part of LOVE. Wifey should have trusted Hubby enough to at least tell him what Asshole was doing to her. A lot of people don't seem to realize that blackmail is even more dangerous for the blackmailer than it is for the person being blackmailed. The video most probably showed that she was obviously out of it and not responsible. The possession of that video by Asshole would show two women being raped with possible date rape drugs having been added to their drinks. There are a whole slew of sex crimes charges that would be leveled against him for that alone.

I also recognize that a happy ending is all well and good. However, if Wifey didn't trust Hubby enough to tell him what was going on, why should he trust her not to cheat again if something else was to pop up?

Well written as always, Triple T. I like the JPB style "Choose your own" ending.

This was an original idea, a very creative concept in a story genre that is often tiring. It's a genre filled with too many one dimensional whore wives, and men more concerned with the technologies they'll use to try to prove what they already know so they can plan for a divorce for which they already know the outcomes. I sympathized with both spouses; neither really did the right thing or things, but both are clearly filled with remorse. They are both confused. Will Jack man up? And what does that mean anyway? Does that mean getting the divorce, leaving his foolish wife, hooking up with the barmaid, and seeking some sort of pay back against Doug. Does it mean getting the divorce, and then re-approaching his wife and life in a new way? We don't know do we? Like the toss of a coin; it's all up in the air, a matter of chance.

Thanks for something really interesting and different. I wished I had thought of it.

TTT never finishes a story. Pity

I liked all of the characters. (unusual for the Loving Whores category) I would certainly like to read more about them.

But...,

Readers need to show writers more respect. The writer told an interesting story. It was a slice from the lives of these characters. The "slice" was the story of the "outing" of the sordid relationship between the wife and her blackmailer. The "slice" did not include the beginning of these characters lives, nor the endings. But the story that was told, was told well, and it had a beginning, a middle and an ending. It was a "slice of life". I am actually pleased that the author did not provide a "contrived", "wrapped in a neat little bow" ending. I like, everyone have my preferences. But I admire the craft as well, even when I don't like the choices or actions of the characters.

Robert

But as the author of the piece - that's your decision to make. As a reader of the story, it's my opinion that your choice made the story bad. It's worthless to read and then not get an ending. Yes, I can make up my own ending, but that's not why I read stories. I want a complete story. And while I'm at it, he was a worthless bastard of a husband. What kind of man lets his wife sink in the swamp without either confronting her or trying to help her? And then to make his decisions based on the flip of a coin? What a prick! I don't see how either woman would want to have anything to do with him. He's the lowlife pond scum in this sorry story.

how was Doug going to get his ? And how was Jack going to fix things ? He Jack came off as a man that can make things work. Like to read about that....bill

Would have been better received if it were categorized as "Non-erotic". Great writing, but did not meet my expectations of a "loving wives" tale.

basic moral truth is better than lies in a relationship, no matter the reason

Awesome writing. Loved it. Liked the characters, they were well done. Liked the suspense.

This is not a happy ending - yet. Almost like life, hmm. Thanks for some food for thought, but remember forgiveness is a great healer, especially for the one who's been wronged.

i got the picture even with that ending and still wish the wife loses

nice one

Honestly, for me, I felt the husband was in the wrong here. I mean, what the wife did was wrong as well, but she was blackmailed, she could have been destroyed forever to everyone. She did what she had to do, she didn't know what to do, she collapsed under the pressure. But then going and saying that she ruined the marriage entirely, that the trick he pulled off she deserved, was just wa too much. If anything, he should have helped her, not throw her out. He just overreacted in my opinion. Then again, I don't really know what it would be like to be in either of those positions, so maybe I am wrong. But this is what I think, sue me.

reminds me of Ryan in Fool me Once.

@ Offender Anon The last injuring was good. LOL

Your incoherent rambling is embarrassing everyone. You are the guy who shits himself in the frozen food section and we have to hide our disgust and pity as the "Clean up on aisle seven" announcement is made. Jesus wept....

@ Offender Anon You are that sexual minority husband who get erection from that your wife is fucked by others. I am very tolerant for sexual minority people. However you are very interesting people to think everybody's sexual fantasy your sexual practice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know less than nothing about what men think since you are an insecure goat-fucking eunuch.

@ Anon Because the extramarital fun for a sexual majority husband is (definitio explaining: sexual majority husband is who do not like his wife is fucked by other men) to get rid of a cheating wife and to change her to a better woman.

Normally really enjoy your writing, but I don't get how these sorts of stories are literotica material... yet they are all over the loving wives section. :/

Made me think with my bigger head for once tx

You dragged the reader along, creating the feeling that the situation was unreal, right up until the wife started unloading in the bar. And then, one by on, the pieces started falling into place.

One thing, though: The wife has no judgment. She's just one disaster after another waiting to happen. I'm rooting for the bartender.

WTG TTT thx great yarn.

What more do I need to say?

TTT you have written a great story. It must be since you got so many comments. I don't understand all the comparisons to other stories, I just try to enjoy each story on its own merits. Furthermore, I have no clue why readers take this stuff so serious, damn people it is just a made up story. Thanks for writing. And by the way, the ending is perfect don't screw it up with a sequel. 5*

I am IMPRESSED....

really good stuff

an interesting and fresh look at the genre. I like the ending. It worked within the context of this story.

Also in Telephone Blitz, she never got to go through with the act itself. She only got to take off her shoes and that was it. She knew what she was going to do was wrong but as FD45 laid out "poor impulse control". That part I can see, not having the sense to say fucking no. But over all FD45 hit the nail right on the head.

When the people actually read it and think?

In a way Jack is somewhat like me. I don't care why or why not. All that matter is what is or is not. Sometimes that make people like that, look like derange psyco's, other times like saints. In reality, it just makes them human and flawed. What I find interesting in this little tragedy, is that there are no winners. Lauren can never be trusted again, Jack is a broken man, and Gina is the rebound, never knowing when Jack is going to snap. There is always hope, but is it a fools hope? Great Brain-candy. Keep up the good work.

Myhands316

FD45

Telephone Blitz's ending just didn't work for me but each to their own as its makes the world a more interesting place.

Not to derail this too far, but I want to defend the ending of Telephone Blitz for the reason I alluded to before.

This comes down to a principle of philosophy, frankly. Do you believe that a person's actions are set in stone?

Because if we believe 'once a cheater, always a cheater', or 'once a thief, always a thief' etc, than any parole of people is just plain stupid. As soon as they get out, under that assumption, they will go right back to their cheating, stealing, drug using ways.

MAYBE, in some instances this is true. People with poor impulse control come to mind. However, as a society , WE determine 'if you steal X amount, you serve Y years in jail' If Jethro also has poor impulse control...well...we'll keep a cell warm for him. He'll be back.

So if it's 'once a cheater, always a cheater' why DON'T we tattoo them with a big scarlet A on their foreheads? I mean, if they are destined to be that forever, why not warn everyone else?

Because, as a society, we like to believe in free will and repentance. We believe in paying our debts to society and hoping that Jethro or Janet starts to wise up.

So...I like Telephone Blitz because Janet paid her price. Her mom sees her as a whore. Her son knows she's a cheater. She lost her career. She was humiliated. She also SELF IMPOSED punishments on herself. She lived like a nun. She knew she did wrong and she did penance.

That doesn't mean she wasn't mad at the person who gave her the pain. It's a human thing. She ALSO thanked him for saving her dignity. But the BTB clique don't want to recognize that portion. Also, she paid her punishment. She's allowed to be a regular human being again. He got his pound of flesh. Being a Stepford Wife is for when she's given GRACE (unearned forgiveness) instead of Penance (Paying for Sins).

Her balance sheet is clean. This worked for me...almost like this story.

@Anonymous "interesting character study"

I'd say it's better than 80% correct. Gina's character serves three purposes, an external view of what's going on, and to give background to Jack, a possible romantic foil, as a form of ego-building (depressed man, being cheated on, questions his own worth, and Gina give some ego soothing), and as a neutral mediator. Exactly as you state in the first paragraph, except the last line.

I disagree. Jack's not a psycho, he's a man who makes the mistake of looking to respond to his wife's cheating, without confronting. Big error. As soon as he knew something was going on, all this pain and suffering, on both sides, could have been avoided. THAT is his biggest mistake in the story, nearly the equal of Lauren's ill-fated solution of going along with her blackmailer. Anger, pain and betrayal, real or perceived, can lead to terrible things, in this case a carefully planned, but ill conceived, revenge on this wife.

I don't like perfect people in my stories. Flaws are the building blocks of all the better issues. I don't like evil people as protagonists. Most people have reasons and justifications for what they do. They may do bad, even evil things, but rarely are they purely evil people.

To give Jack the benefit of the doubt, he was confronted with the unthinkable. A loving wife who enters an affair. To his eyes, that's what it is, an ongoing, weekly consummated affair. He blows a gasket and seeks out revenge, hopefully, for the reader's sake, in a somewhat interesting and believable fashion

As Anonymous said, Jack misinterpreted Lauren's actions. The first clue to burst his little bubble of deserved destruction for the cheating slut, is her phone call. I try to go out of my way to show how this effects him. Her explanation sets him back, making him re-evaluate his response. Remember, He's gone from a depressed misery upon discovering her affair, to an emotional high, when his revenge plays out perfectly, to a deeper low (described by Gina) as he sits in the bar, thinking over what he's done, and the end of his marriage. The call weighs heavy on this mind.

When Lauren appears for the exposition, he's surprised, but not completely shocked. He was aware something was wrong, but not what. It's not that he doesn't want to BELIEVE the love of his life - he does, at no time does he indicate otherwise - he's just not prepared to handle it after the roller-coaster of emotions, and the fact that she still did wrong, in his opinion, by not coming to him.

Jack falls back on his crutch, the coin-flip, making up excuses to stop the destruction and somehow come to terms with what his wife has done. His answers are no longer pat, and predetermined. In fact, do we know that each coin-flip is not an excuse to do exactly what he wants to do, since he refuses to enumerate the choices before each flip?

It's true, he's having difficulty facing the truth, confronted with his own actions, and his lack of support for his wife, when she needed him most. If only he'd known..

Why would either woman want to have anything to do with him? I think that part should be obvious. Lauren loves him, cheated on him, failed to trust him when she should have, and thoughtfully gambled her marriage on getting away with something she knew was wrong, and lost. She feels largely responsible for her own actions, and unlike Anonymous, understands the hurt her betrayal has cost her husband. She's terribly hurt by his actions, but is not ready to give up on their marriage.

Gina's a tougher one. We don't know her background. She's tall and pretty, works in a bar, lives in a small and lonely apartment. The people she meets day to day, working the day shift at a bar, are hardly 'catches'. In walks an interesting, humorous, intelligent, good looking man. The sudden exposure of his plan, and why he did things makes her re-evaluate what she knows about him. He's dangerous (bad boy), aggressive, and in pain. Not being a woman, I have to try to get into that complex thought process. In the end, he's more interesting and even a little scary, but exciting, and possibly vulnerable. He's shown a lot of interest in her. Mothering instinct, physical attraction, interesting character, and the whole manly/dangerous/man-of-action thing comes into play. Plus, he's a family man, already able to attract a beautiful woman. Enough to confuse her but at the last moment to throw her hat in the ring. In time, and after consideration, will her interest hold? Only time would tell.

I know, another long response. I just wanted to give a little view into the thinking that goes behind a story like this, where characters are important (at least to me) and hopefully more than simple caricatures.

And again, I feel vindicated. Do I have the best Anonymous commenters, or what? Thank you Anonymous.

TTT

story just like most of your recent work, like the ending as well, five stars, thanks for sharing.

Too bad she burned down the house. Speaker thing was funny. Ambiguity at the end appropriate. I appreciate the comments about PapaToad - nobody writes women better than PapaToad. That said, the wife in this story could almost have been a PapToad woman.

But is the author aware of it?

First plus point: Gina, the outside observer. This gave me hope that the story's 'universe' would not be defined by Jack's perceptions but by an objective perspective. For example: "she saw him differently now. A dangerous man." Indeed, Jack's a psycho.

Second, I could go through the second half confrontation sentence by sentence to show how Jack made a misinterpretation of Lauren's actions - it was blackmail, not cheating. She explains it all and does it make a difference? No, loving Jack does not want to believe the love of his life. He prefers his misconception because the poor guy was HURT.

That's how the story is written. Both Gina and Lauren confronting him with his emotionally immature, insecure, and vindictive behavior. He can barely face the truth about himself.

Why either Gina or Lauren would want to have anything to do with the guy is beyond me. That's why I'm not sure if the author is aware of the spot-on character study of the 'type'. Jack's perception (not the objective perception) colors their actions. Such guys need slavish devotion to buttress their own lack of self-esteem.

actually for the majority of the BTB crowd, this story was a bullseye. It bothered me that the wife's deeply flawed rationale for the adultery was not examined in a. deeper sense. This was allegedly a one-off mistake in terms of the whole adulterous cover up.

But her flawed logic used to make that decision would seem to crop up inevitably on many more aspects & that's where a great story was passed by. This was competently executed but there was mega- potential fascinating aspects of the mentality of a woman who would succumb to that kind of extortion that was short changed.

I'm rating this at four stars for the story's worth alone but if factoring in sexpectations' based on the author's talent counted... Oh well I can always read one of TexasTallTales past extensive triumphs that are crafted much mire' to my liking.

Papatoad lives, he stopped writting. He began a website with his stories and he invited guest authors with stories in his website : Vulcez, JPB, Happyhugo (he publishes on SOL only), Winterfrog, DG Hear, Denham Forrest and others. I sign in

As complete as it needs to be.

I gave it a 5

Sadly, he is deceased no?I am sad many of the greats authors of Literotica LW section has passed.TheCelt,CastleStone,Joesephus...sad.

I liked it tho would love a second chapter to see who he ends up with and how the blackmailer gets taken care of though I understand leaving it as it is I loved the rose bush lol only part I would change would be him getting his dick sliced up by the glass and thorns

Thanks for the story...again.

3T, a very, very fine story. Thanks.

Easiest 5 star vote ever.

There was the one detail that may sink the revenge boat. Very fine discussion of the reactions of the commentators by the author. You are quite correct in all that you say. One thing is that while JPB and MM ignore the audience reaction it sounds as if you are doing a fine job of listening.

You know what I love, Jounar and Duna both? A good discussion, no personal attacks, and an ability to try to see things someone else's way. Even if unsuccessful, a clear open exchange of opinions is a good thing.

I appreciate everything both of you wrote, even if it's not so much about this particular story, but about the genre in general.

One dimensional, brain dead women in these stories drive me crazy. I need character, some understanding of why things happen. I can even respect HarryInVA's complaints about my reply to Nici's Something we have to talk about, when he states rightly, I finally asked the question 'Why?' without having the wife deliver a response.

Jounar, you are absolutely correct that in many Reconciliation stories, there is a drastic personality change, many times unbelievable. More often, the characters are so shallow, I don't even care. It's what makes a good reconciliation story so damn difficult to write.

Strangely, the disagreement between you and Duna is almost laughable, since you both enjoy the same type of endings, as Duna likes to put it, 'the second chance woman.' Living life well is often the best revenge.

For extreme betrayal, I lean more towards Radke's nuclear option. For moderate adultery, I believe that some type of emotional pain is warranted (if not physical) and the Living Well revenge is most appropriate.

The Romantic in me, and I readily confess it's there, wants to see a chance for reconciliation, under the right terms, when the issue between the two is least disturbing. But you damn well better have made me believe the offender is repentant and worthy of at least the chance.

It's the only reason I'm thinking of adding a third chapter in reply to "Something We Have to Talk About," and see if it's even possible to create that possibility with Susan, even if not totally successful. I consider that a hell of a challenge. And maybe I can even give HarryInVA his answer about 'why?'. It's a daunting task, and I'm not sure I'm up to it, but you've got to stretch yourself, if you want to improve, and that would be a hell of a stretch.

To finish this ridiculously long response, I want to thank you both, for the comments, taking the time to express your opinion (which only happens about one in 1000 readers), and for being reasonable and clear in your opinions, respectful in how you presented them, with no ad hominem attacks. I really appreciate it. As I appreciate every comment, of every flavor, each giving me a little tiny window into my audience.

And yes, that includes you, zed0 and karan9876. I understand your views probably represent a large part of the target audience, and I like to hear them, seeing what works and doesn't work for you. I gotta admit, sometimes it confuses me, but I'll keep trying.

I would be remiss, after such a lengthy treatise, not to mention how very much I appreciate the appropriate and insightful comments from many of the regulars around here, including FD45, njlauren, Vulcan_in_Ohio, cantbuymy, Harddaysknight, betrayedbylove, and so many others, who take the time to help me write better.

In my reply to Agena's A Joke, I made my own little 'joke' at the end. I made Roger 'Anonymous'. I mentioned it wasn't about MY anonymous commenters. Let me make it abundantly clear. I've read literally thousands of stories on this site (I have had 12 years in which to do it.) I can honestly say the vast majority of my Anonymous reviewers are insightful, respectful, and deeply appreciated. If you have any doubts, read their comments here. I'm lucky, and I know it.

Thanks again. I'm gonna stop typing now before the comment becomes longer than the story.

Of all the reasons for cheating, blackmail is the most understandable and, therefore, forgiveable. Add the phone call to save his ass, under the circumstances, and she gets a little more of an opening. The coin flip idea added a little humor, but didn't really change his plans. I like the ending. This little story didn't warrant more detail or a final conclusion.

I am glad you left it open at the end,it seems obvious he will reconcile with his wife,the phone call told him she was telling the truth and that he had enough compassion to understand her situation.

Btw there are ways to deal with blackmail,it is a major crime plus even now if they went to the cops it would be blackmail and rape,coerced sex is rape,pure and simple,because she didn't give consent freely.Depending how long ago those videos were made (the blackmail ones) slime could be charged with suppressing evide.ce of a crime,if she was out of it when having sex that is rape as well,he would.be in deep doo doo if the statute of limitations hadnt run out.

Sadly a lot if hubbies if she told him eould walk away,husbands blame the wife when these things,happen irl,husbands abandon wives who have been raped,seeing them as dirty or somehow wanted it,so saying 'why didnt you tell me' isnt so cut and dried.

Great story,tex,another good one.

@ Tx Tall Tales

I agree with you 100% that not all stories require a BTB nuclear response ending and personally I prefer a life lived well ending. The problem I have and from what I'v read in comments, lots of other readers have as well with most reconciliation type stories, is that the plot becomes way to unbelievable or the character's mindset suddenly change so much it's like they are completely different people, all just to get the happy ending.

@ Tx Tall Tales and Duna

Telephone Blitz is a very well written story containing some very clever revenge antics on the husband's part but as a reader I want the start, middle and end of the story to be good and Papatoad's story is ruined by a very weak WACC ending imho.

1. When I was 16 years old we learnt from the World Literature the Italian mediavel Trias (Dante, Petrarca and Bocaccio). In my High School class we boys almost everybody read Bocaccio "Decameron" with dumb husbands and smart cheaters.

After 40 years it was a revelation to meet stories, where smart husbands do revenge on cheaters, and this revenge stories are better than Bocaccio's Decameron.............

2. I have a little inclination to Ramantic, so I like those stories when somebody can stand up from a family catastropha, as a cheating means. I like those stories, where the betrayed ex husbands find the happiness and success again with a new mate............against the cheating ex wives..........

3. Against not being foundamentalist BTB, I do not like cheaters........................

@ Jounar - I tend to agree I didn't like the ending to Telephone Blitz. Especially the attitude. However, from a writer's perspective, it was close to brilliant. Very clever, well thought out, short and to the point. Extremely memorable. I can read 100 titles and not remember the story, but every time I see 'telephone blitz' I smile. It's a unique solution to a sticky problem, and PapaToad owns it.

The only way it could have been better was to stop after 3 pages, once he'd dealt with both of them, and moved on.

I believe there's a place for reconciliation in some cases. The way PapaToad painted the wife wasn't one of them. Total annihilation for an adulterous spouse isn't always required. There are different levels of betrayal, and if we paint all with the same brush of revenge, the worst are getting off too easy. I consider purpose, intent, malice, response after exposure and the extent of the cheating all elements in how badly the spouse should pay.