Hotel Reception Confrontation

"I'm still not sure. I will know and Rob will see the guilt."

"You can't get caught, what's the harm? Just give him lots of sex, men are easy."

"I still don't know if I want to take the risk?"

"Shuss, he'll be back soon, we can talk about it at work. When I get the real hotel details I will tell you, remember nothing electronic."

There were no names, and they could have been talking about almost anything, but after what I'd seen I guessed it was an assignation with Harold. I just had to wait.

After the taxi dropped Dee home and carried on to our place I said to Shellie. "I saw you looking at Harold. If I find his slippers have been anywhere near a bed you have slept in, I will leave you. As I said I would just be gone."

All of a sudden, I wasn't so drunk. She looked at me. She knew exactly what I meant. She didn't say anything. Just looked out of the window.

I showed her I was pleased for her when she came home telling me about the symposium she would attend representing the bank. When I asked her what the symposium was about as she seemed a bit flustered, 'Banking in the 2030s'. That sounded made-up. Anyway, I sounded enthusiastic just in case my thinking was wrong and there was nothing going on.

I checked, there was such a symposium and in the hotel she told me. So why was she flustered?

The symposium was on a Friday but to save the nightmare drive early on Friday she was going down Thursday afternoon and staying in the hotel that the symposium was being held in. At least that was the plan I was told. And with the traffic in the area on a Friday morning it was the logical thing to do. But I think the room in that hotel would remain unused whilst Shellie met Harold elsewhere. To hook up with him in the same hotel as a lot of banking people, some of which she worked with would be stupid, and neither her nor Dee were that.

We rarely spent time apart so I suggested I accompany her and we could stay over for the weekend at the hotel, make a break of it, we had done that in the past once or twice. She got all flustered at that and said she'd be tired after the symposium and would want to be at home with her husband and in her own bed with him.

The assignation hotel couldn't be too far away as she still had to be at the symposium by eight o'clock ish, if she actually went. So, I started looking for reasonable hotels not far from the symposium. Bugger. There were quite a few.

I still wasn't certain this was an assignation and I had decided Shellie needed to make her own decisions whether to destroy our marriage or not, she'd had enough warnings.

I loved her and I would give her one last chance and then see how she intended to rebuild the trust. I felt she was being led by Dee, and again I had warned her about that.

Then a week before the symposium something aroused my suspicions even more. The Bank had an office party in a local watering hole to celebrate a new contract. I offered to pick them up when they finished, as I normally do. It would have looked odd if they refused my offer. They did try but not very hard. I had insisted.

I got there early and stood quietly in the corner, there was music and some dancing. I saw Harold lead Shellie on to the dance floor and halfway through the song into a corner, she appeared to stagger. I got my phone out. I had a look around, I don't think anyone was paying any attention to them, well Dee was watching, but she was the only one I could see. Then I saw it, Harold copped a feel of Shellie's right boob. I expected a good slap, but nothing happened. I took photos. Then they kissed, it wasn't a passionate kiss, just lips touching, I got that on photo as well.

The music stopped and Harold and Shellie returned to the crowd. Just after they got back to their table I turned up. Shellie was obviously not sober. She doesn't hold her drink well and is normally quite cautious. As soon as she saw me, she coloured up.

I wasn't happy with what I had seen, but it wasn't really enough for a divorce. I would have to give more warnings about cheating in the future.

On the drive home I asked if Harold or Dee were going to the symposium, Shellie told me she didn't know.

We were stopped at some traffic lights, I looked across at her and said. "I don't believe you would not know if a colleague was or was not going to the same symposium as you. I will not be happy if you are lying to me."

The lights had turned green, so I could only glance at her as I drove off. She was looking down into her lap. I said. "You know what I think of cheaters. If they are going and use it to get together and you cover for them. I will assume you condone cheating and may do it yourself, and if you do cheat on me, I warn you again. I will be gone. Just gone. You will never see me again."

Now I was convinced something was happening. But how to confirm it. I suspected that it was at the symposium, I would just have to do the Detective thing and follow her.

Then I had a break. I had stopped checking her phone after I heard Dee say no electronics, but I saw in passing Shellie's phone light up. "Best Western Solihull. Mrs Jones, your confirmation..." Our name is not Jones and the hotel the symposium was being held in was in a Best Western Coventry, not too far away.

When I checked her phone later the message was not there or in the recycle bin.

I had them.

I had several plans running around my head. She would get one last chance, and in case she chose the wrong one I visited our solicitors and started things in motion, I came away with a letter of separation as a prelude to divorce. I got a copy of a divorce petition off the internet for shock value. But given the choice I didn't think she would go ahead with it. But I had to put things in place to prevent her being tempted to do it again.

But even if she didn't go ahead with it, what would I do? The problem for me was that I loved her with all my heart, but there was a limit. If she allowed a part of any other person to enter her body, that would be it. I will not stand for that.

If she did not do it, we could work on the trust, and that would be an uphill struggle. One that might still fail.

The Wednesday night sex was fantastic, but I still couldn't stop wondering if it was guilty sex, I even got a blowjob on Thursday morning. That was rare. We were normally too busy on a workday. Shellie promised me more of that over the weekend.

I booked a room at the hotel in Solihull, still hoping nothing was going to happen. I took the day off work and got there early. I had a long chat with the receptionist about cheaters and trysts. She told me it was obvious who was having an affair. Married couples didn't walk in holding hands; they were much more practical. Normally the husband will be carrying the luggage and the wife a small bag. Either would do the talking. If they were having an affair, both carry small bags, and the man always did the talking and he would generally have his arm around her waist, or they would be holding hands trying to act like a married couple. As long as the staff didn't get involved, it was all a bit of fun. So, when I came up with my suggestion for Mr and Mrs Jones the receptionist thought it was all a good idea, a bit of a laugh especially if they caught it on the CCTV. But it did cost me £20.

I saw Harold and Shellie arrive and followed them in, there was a mature couple between me and them. They walked in just like the lovers the receptionist described. I managed a photo, and I wondered how long that lovers' look would last.

I heard him say to the receptionist. "Mr and Mrs Jones, we are booked in."

The receptionist looked at me, I nodded.

"Certainly sir." She bent to the computer and did her thing. She asked him to complete a vehicle registration form and then handed over a key card.

I had prompted the receptionist for this next bit, she seemed to think it was a bit of fun.

She looked at my wife who was beside her would be lover, she smiled.

Then things changed, I saw Shellie's body tremble. And she pulled away from Harold. She was shaking her head. I think she was muttering 'No, no, no, I can't' Harold looked at her, confused.

The receptionist carried on and said. "The hotel is not concerned with the names you use. However, I believe your real name is Mrs Shellie Harris." I saw my wife stagger, she moved away from Harold. The receptionist continued unfazed. "I have this envelope for you. Have a nice day." She smiled and handed over the envelope I had given her. With that, she turned back to her computer.

My wife just stood there with the envelope in her hand. The receptionist looked up and said, "May I suggest that you open that before you go to your room?" I had not asked her to say that, but it was a good idea.

Shellie just stood there frozen.

Harold took the envelope off her and opened it. "Oh Shit."

He handed the contents over to Shellie. She took them and looked at the pictures of them kissing and Harold fondling Shellie's breast. She opened the folded paper which was an unsigned divorce petition along with the letter of separation.

Attached to it was a note that said. 'What you do in the next 30 seconds will depend on whether you receive a signed divorce petition.'

I was timing her, but the time really didn't matter, her actions did. The couple standing behind them harrumphed and this startled them into action.

Shellie turned round and ran towards the hotel front door, right past me. She didn't look back.

Harold just stood there, looking dumbfounded. The receptionist handed him an envelope and said. "This is for you Mr Gault."

The letter inside it said. 'Your wife has received copies of the pictures and details of your planned night. Have a good evening', It was unsigned.

I walked outside. Shellie was dialling on her phone. I headed towards my Land Rover. My phone started ringing with her ringtone. She looked up and saw me.

I called out. "Do you want a lift somewhere?" She dropped her case and ran towards me.

"I'm so sorry."

I opened the passenger door for her. "Get in." Tears were pouring down her face as she clambered in. I went and picked up her suitcase and put it in the back of the Land Rover.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I'm sorry, I got dragged into this by Dee."

I ignored her.

"Which car is his?"

"That black Audi, over there."

She pointed to a black Mercedes parked under the trees. "Are you sure, that's a Merc?"

"Yes, I'm sure, he parked it there because he doesn't want it to be seen by anyone."

That was a Merc EQB SUV, a £50,000 car. How did he afford that on his wages, his salary must be about the same as Shellie's'. I wondered if his wife had money, or was it family money?

Never mind, I had things to do.

I looked at Shellie and said. "Don't you dare phone him." She quickly reached into her handbag and gave me her phone. Was that because she didn't trust herself? Or wanted to show me she was apologetic? I put it in my pocket, I had other things to do. I went to the back of my Land Rover and got out some tools. I've got a Land Rover, you've got to carry tools. I paused a little while whilst I sent a pre prepared email from my phone. I made my way to the back of his car, just in case there's any CCTV cameras working. Not that it bothered me, I'd just get probation or a fine for criminal damage.

My snips cut all the tyre valves off and the Stanley knife left a slash in each tyre sidewall. They were run flats, they wouldn't go down, but the car wouldn't be safe to drive and all the tyres would have to be replaced. The next thing was the two pound ball pein hammer struck the windscreen and it was right on the driver's eye line. It was better than I expected, the crack went several ways, and the car alarm went off.

I got back to the Land Rover. "Can we go home now?" Please?"

"In a little while. I've not finished here yet."

"Please?"

I didn't bother to answer her as the front doors of the hotel opened. Harold came rushing out dragging his suitcase. His phone nestled in the crook of his shoulder, whilst he tried to turn the car alarm off. I managed to snap a picture of him, the hotel name was visible. I sent that to his wife as well. My windows were down so I could hear him talking on the phone. "Sweetheart, it's not what it looks like. I would never cheat on you. I'm just going into the hotel. I'm on a course you know that." He paused. "No, I was just helping her." He got in his car, then he realised the state of the windscreen. He got out of the car, he was still on the phone. "Sweetheart, that's not me, I didn't do that." Then his phone pinged, he looked at the screen and I heard him say. "Oh fuck." I wonder if it was the picture of him groping Shellie's tit or the pair of them walking into the hotel with his arm round Shellie's waist. Although taken from the back it was obviously them and something I hadn't planned was the mirror behind the reception desk showing their faces. Or was it him leaving the hotel he said he was just entering. Never mind the damage was done.

Now it's time to go.

I started the car and drove out of the car park. Shellie just sat there crying. She tried to talk to me several times but failed. I kept hearing her whispering, 'I'm sorry'. I saw her gather herself together, she turned to look at me and said. "Sweetheart, can we stop and talk about this?"

I was in no mood to talk, but it would have to happen. She hadn't noticed where we were. "Not whilst I'm driving. The next motorway stop."

That was when she looked out and realised we were heading South down the M5 not North towards home. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Your parents."

"Please no, this would destroy them. You love them, you wouldn't do that to them."

I glanced across at her and growled. "I didn't."

She burst into tears again.

I had no intention, but she didn't know that. I said to her. "Did you think that that would be part of the fallout with you taking Harold as a lover."

"We planned it so carefully, I would never get caught, it was only going to be the once, you would never know, you wouldn't get hurt, it was just for the experience." All the excuses and reasons came rattling out through the tears, I wonder if these were the excuses Dee had used to convince her. Probably.

Just a thought, was Dee Harold's pimp, finding him lovers and arranging it all for him? That would be an interesting revelation at the Bank, I might have to suggest that, even if it wasn't true.

"By 'we' I assume you mean you and Dee." I saw her nod her head out of the corner of my eye. "I was asking you what you thought would happen if you got caught? Dee hasn't put her marriage at risk this time.

"The next services are just over a mile away, I will give you half an hour there to convince me not to take you to your Mum and Dad's."

She started to speak. I held my hand up. She just sat there looking out of the window.

We got to the service station, I parked the car and told her to find a quiet corner whilst I went and got some drinks. I got to the booth with two teas. She doesn't like tea much, but she hates motorway stop tea. She took a sip, that pulled her up, her face grimaced, she was expecting a latte. She gave me a look that said 'okay, I deserved that'.

She sat there until I said. "You have 27 minutes left." Again actually, the time didn't matter. The words did.

"I know I made a promised at the altar. And although I haven't broken it, I've come so close as to not make any difference. I have lied to you, hidden things from you and disrespected my wedding vows to you. So, I don't know if you will believe me, but I promise I will never do it again. Let's just say once nearly bitten twice shy. I will never see Dee again. I will leave the bank, if they don't sack me."

It appears she can think for herself when Dee is not around playing devil's advocate.

Shellie continued.​​ "Dee convinced me it would be safe. You would never find out and you would never get hurt. It was going to be a one off. Just like hers was. I got caught up with the planning and the excitement. I've never had anybody but you and Dee convinced me it was worth the risk as the risk was so low, providing we planned it properly.

"Doubts set in as soon as he picked me up from the bank and on the drive down there. Harold was a bit, how can we say 'energetic' in his driving, and then I had a thought, what if we had a car accident or anything. We hadn't considered that. It would destroy you.

"As Harold was booking in I looked into the mirror behind the receptionist desk. I thought to myself, and you've said it often enough. 'Do I like the person looking back at me', and at that moment in time I hated the person looking back at me and I decided not to go through with it, to come home and tell you how stupid I'd been.

"Then when the receptionist looked at me and smiled, I could tell she knew I was about to cheat on my husband. I was already having doubts, but if she could see it so would you and then the excitement Dee and I built up was gone and I was left with a naked fear. So even if I stopped now, it might be too late to save my marriage, but I know you. If I had gone ahead with it would be over for ever. So, at that point I was leaving, and I pulled away from Harold.

"Then she used my real name and gave me the envelope. I guessed what was in it, so you knew all along. You must have told the receptionist. It didn't matter how she knew. It was still the look on her face."

I told Shellie how the receptionist had told me how they recognise cheaters and that she and Harold followed the exact scenario, so I didn't need to tell her, she would have seen it straight away.

"So did you give any thought to what would happen if you got caught?"

"I did, but every time I brought it up Dee would just tell me it was foolproof, you wouldn't know, so it wouldn't hurt you. I'm ashamed to say I didn't even think about the parents and what they would think if I got caught.

"She told me the experience would be good for the both of us, I might learn new things to please you with. I now know that's a crock of shit because you would wonder where I had got them from."

"Dee planned everything, it worked for her, I just went along with it. But we planned everything, no strange flirty clothes, no late nights. All late working was real, and we always told you. I came home early from our girl's night out or got you to pick me up. We wouldn't give you any reason to worry."

"Ah you see, that was part of your downfall. You studiously wore the same sort of clothes whatever the weather or going out with your friends, that in itself was a giveaway you were hiding something. Coming home early from girl's nights out. Again, totally unusual and your excuse about being bored just didn't hold water. Getting me to pick you up from happy hour just so you could show off how much you loved me to your work mates by hanging all over me. And the sex was fantastic. I assume it was guilty sex?"

"Partly yes, because of what I was planning to do, but mainly because I love you and like doing it with you."

"Or as a comparison with Harold?"

She gave me a quizzical look. "No, that never crossed my mind."

I continued. "I saw all that and got worried and started following you. Turning up earlier than we planned to pick you up. You were brilliant. You never put a foot wrong until two weeks ago at the contract winning party. You asked me to pick you up at ten. I got there at nine and hung around in the corner. No one saw me. I watched you, you only had one dance with Harold and when he thought no one was watching he fondled your breast. And you didn't stop him. That would have got anyone else a slap. So, from that, I felt as you let him cop a feel, something was planned. Then when you came home last week and said you were on a symposium all the warning signs lit up like a Christmas tree. Even if I hadn't seen the grope I would still have followed you, but it gave me the chance for a photo.