All Comments on 'It's Complicated Ch. 02'

Where's the revenge!

4

Was interesting in the beginning and now its kinda cowardly and becomes stupid. I dont get how he cant clearly tell his wife what he thinks. Even in the beginning he couldnt. How they managed as a couple till then is an enigma. The same with Mona. Why doesnt he tell her that he actually doesnt want 'it'? Probably because he knows that he is a hipocryite. Nevetheless he could tell both of them what up. Then there is the stupid scheme about the money and the house. The buisness I get. He was stupid before and didnt set up a contract to remove the buisness from the marriage like normal people do when they partner up for buisness. Thats alright but the money and the house? Its a net loss for him. Sure Carol doesnt get anything but neither does he and he puts himself in a position to be screwed afterwards. But hey, its fits his IQ. Lastly, why is he so into Kim? She plays the same part in the overall deception. One might say she is even instrumental. She could have said anything at anytime but decided to not do so. That was her decision and he still is into her? Because shes good at giving head? Wow. As far as I know Julie and Terry are also very attractive and additionally, they have nothing to do with the deception and are more genuine than Carol and Kim. Why isnt he into them? Doesnt make sense to be honest.

loving it

As a character, he's starting to annoy me, his "method" of dealing with things, is really pretty pathetic. Why on earth did he agree in the first place.. all he needed to do was say, "sorry but I don't share you with anyone".

As for Steve.. yes I know he's supposed to be the douche of the story, who thinks he's god gifts, because he's got a bigger dick, but are you honestly telling me that a pump chump is honestly have women that want him or that the other men are all going to put up with his obvious BS..

I kind of feel like the only winner when this is all said and done will be Kim. Everyone else is destroying themselves for power or revenge or just another tool. Feeling less enthused about the mc as well.

Love reading this, keep it coming!

@Thorlol

Exactly, couldn't say it better

Fuck - this is awesome!

He really needs to screw this lot over - but I guess it's coming.

I'm enjoying the story even though the main character doesn't seem to be developing correctly. At the start we are introduced to Chris as the crusty, straight talking one in the legal partnership. But he can't talk straight to his wife, nor tell Steve to back off and get his dick back in his own wife. It doesn't make sense.

Also, Chris is entirely money orientated. Maybe this is a play on him being a lawyer: greedy, money grabbing bag of shit. I certainly haven't warmed to him as he's just as much an arse as Steve.

That said, I'm looking forward to seeing how this pans out.

Wow, I hope I never get to be in that situation. So much anger, so much destruction waiting to happen.

Regardless of what I would have done in his place, you're making me care for him (and mona and Kim).

Great writing as usual, I'm looking forward to what's coming. It probably won't be good for anyone.

Agree with @Thorlol. It's incredulous and now it's just dragging. I've liked many of your other stories. Usually your attention to detail is so well placed. My feeling is because this is coming from such a negative and dark place, the specific details (money, gambling, business, the sex details with Mona) is actually hurting the story.

Thank you for another quick chapter release!

Good story you can't leave us hanging like this though when's the next chapter coming out????

Different but the writing remains excellent

An excellent “ Fuck around and find out!” Tale. 😈

Very enjoyable plot!

I agree with everyone who has complained that the MC behavior is inconsistent and unlikable, but I am still looking forward to see how he burns the whole thing down.

Agree with @Thorlol. Also, women usually get a lot of practice at reading people's expressions and reactions. For Carol not to develop a read on any of Chris's expressions, or his noncommittal answers, or the change in his behavior and interest level means that she's either clueless or so into Steve that she's beyond caring. And she's talking to Mona and Mona has no idea either? Really?

And Thorlol, Chris is into Kim because she's beautiful with a big bust and is clearly unhappy. He can be her hero/savior. And then, when he decides to take revenge on Steve, she also becomes useful as an informant.

More masterful writing from you, covering most every base I can imagine too! The only thing that confuses me really has nothing to do with the story but several of the commenters. It seems that many have forgotten that this Chris was an orphan and lived in foster homes. That means Chris would have developed a lot of survival mechanisms just to survive the experiences, and he would have developed a lot of ways to hide what he's actually doing so his real feelings are not known. For those saying that the main character is being inconsistent? He's being completely consistent just because he's a straight talker doesn't mean that he's anyone's fool! Also to become a lawyer, the first rule you have to learn to be a successful one as the story stipulates, is that you only say enough to get your point across and sometimes if you can get away with it you say nothing. So by the story structure he is completely on point, and character, and acting just like a lawyer. Too many people are also forgetting that the story establishes Chris as an extremely practically-minded person: that means that he's not going to waste words efforts nor actions on anybody he deems not worthy of them. So since so many of you have missed that, you need to go back and read the first chapter and refresh your memory. The only thing that slightly confuses me is that while he's going to all this link to protect his business interests, couldn't he have just put his money and stuff into an annuity? That was how Enron in 2000 was able to protect the money they had siphoned off from employees 401K accounts, was that they simply shoved it into an annuity, to where neither the state nor the government or anybody could touch it. So that's probably the only weak part in the story that I find, because while I definitely understand him not wanting Carol to get half of much of anything, there's probably shadier ways that are still legal besides that annuity to hide his money and for him to keep it. The thing is this is very much an AE story, because it's very detailed, you see a lot of the main character's thoughts and proceedings, and it's very on point! It's clear that for example Kim is the biggest victim of all of this: he just recently stated that she wasn't shy, but I kind of have to disagree with that, because basically she is, in addition to being indecisive. It's obvious with a piece of the puzzle that Kim is the forced voyeur of Steve and Carol coupling, that she is very much dragged along as the unwilling party to all of this. This is why she's so willing to confess to Chris. For anyone demanding that the revenge take place right away, you are completely missing the whole point of this, because Chris has got to not only make sure Carol comes away with nothing, but he's also got to ensure that he thoroughly ruins Steve - - which means he has to have very intimate knowledge of how Steve got his position, his money, and whatever power he might have, along with his cronies - - and so he can thoroughly subvert his friends first, then completely lower the boom on Steve and pull the rug out from under him in a masterful stroke. This also has to save Kim, without causing collateral damage that might come on to her if he's not careful with how he engineers his revenge on Steve. So yes, if somebody is impatient about wanting their revenge, they're clearly missing the point... because this has to be well-executed in every way imaginable, or somebody that shouldn't be is going to get hurt. The fact is, that I'm already imagining this to end at least in the idea of the movie The Mask of Zorro: Anthony Hopkins told Antonio Banderas that he would teach him how to take his revenge and enjoy it too. I'm sure that's going to happen in this story, and all the commenters have to be patient for its execution, because anybody that's read any of AE's previous stories will know that they're well-executed, well-planned, and very few times have any holes that could be exploited or griped about. Look at where Chris is now: he's already managed to subvert two of the wives, one of them being Terry and the other one being Julie- - because they got Steve's cronies frustrated as husbands and now making them think about it - - while he's pretty much still able to plan unimpeded. I'd say that's a very masterful stroke, and it makes me admire how well this main character has been developed for this point, because he's playing his cards close to the vest, and he's going to make sure that he lives well after this. That's kind of the whole point isn't it? He has to extricate himself from this entire situation where he comes out on top, and he has to save Kim, and then he has to be able to get on with his life. One last thing is that we have to remember Carol was never termed as a pretty woman; in fact, she had to get wardrobe and makeup advice from Mona to start with! This means that Carol, while she may have had nice assets and nice body, was never fully confident in herself, her abilities, nor in her value as a woman.. which precisely explains why she got into all this with Steve in the first place. We have to remember she is the one that was trying to subvert and change her husband to her way of thinking so she couldn't feel guilty nor have any recriminations about this. Basically if she could swing him over to her way of thinking, everything would be good. But what was the entire problem? The entire problem is nothing needed to change! The entire point is she couldn't appreciate what Chris was giving her, and now that she's been trying to subvert it, and been so perverted by Steve's way of thinking, she's blind to the fact that she has ruined the entire dynamic and the entire relationship, because now she's whining that he's not tender with her anymore! Well, that's like griping about the house burning down after you doused it with gasoline and threw a couple of matches inside and refuse to call the firefighters! So the only person that is clueless and unappreciative here is Carol. It's obvious that too many have already lost track of that, and it's Carol more than Steve actually needs to burn, but this author is being exceptionally painstaking in making sure that all of them will go down. So, fasten your seatbelts and stay long for the ride, and read a little more carefully. This is an absolute masterpiece still worthy of a 5, without any reservations! Keep it going, and I'm sure I will not be able to predict exactly how you're going to ruin this mostly- defective bunch.

I kinda get the folks who don’t understand why Chris behaved as he did, or can’t understand why Carol isn’t reading his signs. But…as someone who has been a cheater, unfortunately, logic doesn’t always come into play in these scenarios. It’s easy to ignore red flags when it involves someone you love and trust. And it’s easy to miss signs when you’re wrapped up in an addiction, especially if you think the other person is also into it.

I don’t think this story is THAT nuanced. It could be. I love Aspern’s stories - some of the best on Lit - but this is definitely new territory for him. That said, I don’t think he’s that far off. Cheaters and their victims can have blinders. Now, whether that makes Chris a dick is another matter. But, I’m looking forward to his revenge ploy.

Oh, and I’m also an attorney…the scheme to divest himself of assets…wouldn’t work. It’s called a fraudulent transfer. Can’t sell a valuable business for $6. Gambling losses, ok. But selling the biz, and then reducing his salary to minimum wage…yeah, that would never fly. Especially not in California.

Ah. I get it now. It _IS_ complicated. Poor Carol. I still can't say I'm loving this -- cheating is my anti-kink -- but I'm certainly enjoying it immensely. Write faster. I'm all caught up. ;)

Comentarista82 wrote a very good review, I am enjoying the story and looking forward for the next chapter.

I normally don't like swapping. I guess I'm too selfish or territorial for it. Having a close friend who survived being force swapped by a violent husband (she described it as she could either be a submissive participant in a safe rape or be tied up, beaten with belts and crops, and raped by her husband and one time him and 2 of his friends one of them being a sheriff deputy the couple times she refused. he told her the first time it would get worse and she refused again so he brought in his buddies as well and told her next time it would be 10 guys one of them being a doctor who would make home visits to make sure she healed up. she was compliant after that before he was killed in a car wreck) has only strengthened my bias of the idea. But this story I kind of vibe with. What would a successful man do in this situation with the marriage laws as they are. Very good story so far and even though I'll never legally marry again (if you can't tell I got burned by a cheating whore) I like to think I would be able to take this thought out revenge path.

It's a good story. But it's just so sad.

No likable characters.

@Anon (the California Atty):

Could you please list some ways that the main character could hide his assets or in other words legally make it so Carol would get nothing?

Laboriously slow. ⭐⭐

@hind...

In what way or ways is the story slow in your opinion? Please give some examples if you believe there's something the author can improve upon.

To my knowledge, there are only 4 ways to legally prevent a spouse from obtaining a community property interest in assets.

First, get a prenup. Duh.

Second, get a post-nup. Good luck with that. But, married couples can decide that property will be treated as separate property.

Third, keep pre-marriage property separate. Assets owned before marriage are separate property. One wrinkle: I believe inheritances are considered separate property.

Fourth, put the property into a trust or jointly give it away. Either way, it’s a joint conveyance out of the community assets.

The idea that a spouse could “hide” assets to keep it from the other is a bit of a myth. It’s never legal. Not to say it isn’t done, but it’s never legal. If you get caught, you’re toast.

Most of the screw the cheating spouse stories start with assets being separate in the first place. For example, the husband had inherited from his dead parents before the marriage. In this case, if Chris had owned his business before he was married, then the biz is separate property. Income earned from the biz during marriage would be community. And Carol likely has a claim to the increase in value of the biz during marriage.

If you want to write a cheating spouse story where one screws the other out of the assets, then use a prenup or pre-marriage separate property (or both if there’s a business) as your basis for the screw the cheater plot line.

is there a next chapter coming soon?

I hope so. Submissions are usually accepted and posted within 3-5 days. The first two chapters came through in only two days, but I submitted Chapter 3 on January 3rd. I'm not sure what's going on.

I am really enjoying this story as I enjoy all of yours.

There are legit concerns about the legality of selling his share of the business for $6. As a note ,many such contracts are worded as $1 and other valuable considerations. If he were to inflate his gambling losses it might be an option to hide how much he was paid. A little chicanery could have involved him taking loans (or trying to take loans) against his interest in the business and he is bought out to protect the business but that would require documentation of losses before the attempt of sale.

As for the people critiquing him trying to be with Kim, I view that as him feeling compassion for someone forced into the same position that he is. It's not love or lust, but more pity.

I can see how people who love swapping would hate this story, but as MediocreGinger and Swebo said swapping is something that they are against and this story is against it.

The most important thought I have about the story though which is something that applies to all of your stories. You have characters with complicated goals and difficult choices to make. They are forced into difficult decisions and have to do things they think are morally grey or even black in order to get the results that they want.

I know how I *want* it to end. More importantly I want to see how you end it. Please, write more.

Loving this story as all of yours. Hope the next installment comes in soon.

Story really got under my skin.

Chris is a frustrating character on so many levels but maybe that’s what makes the story tick.

Some of the things that don’t sit well are

1. why a couple who had an amazing live life (by their own admission) have ended up going down this road, especially the wife’s infidelity before they even started swinging.

2. What does Chris have to complain about when he has all the other pussies in the story gagging for more!

All of that said I am really keen to read chapter three.

still waitingb for the next chapter... how long aspern i check everyday for the next chapter

Loving this. Eagerly waiting to see what he has planned, or what twist you're going to throw his way.

Chapter 3 PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

Nice story so far. Only thing that bothered me is when you said “ and she was staying away from me as if we were the opposite poles of a magnet”. Opposite poles of a magnet don’t repel, they attract.

Chapter 3 isn't complicated, it is literotically lost in electronic limbo.

Yeah, this one is not on ae.. there was some type of snafu with chapters being submitted about the time he did, and I'm convinced that somehow his submission was lost or set aside accidentally, because there have been others published since that time, but there was some type of glut of submission.. and there were even some authors that got their stories rejected for very odd reasons. So I'm sure it will be up as soon as he can get it up, although of course that depends on it being reviewed on the other side first before it's allowed to be posted for us to read. So yeah, we all have to be patient due to unforeseen circumstances.

I assume he tried resubmitting I’ve had that work once.

AspernEssling, I love the premise of this story. Can you please resubmit chapter 3 since it seems to be lost in limbo?

Its just fucking weird but I like it so Im just gonna roll with the punches. But I want to see the flames burn high

Easy 5 stars (and 10 stars for oveall story). I generally come down hard on LW stories where the spouse agrees to swapping/swinging; but here MC had perfectly good unassailable reasoning outlined by the author. Thank you for enjoyable story!