It's Complicated Ch. 04

I had some thinking to do. What had happened between Mona and me was a potential game-changer. But I still had work to do, money to spend, and then ... there was Kim.

I wasn't just playing games. If I was going to be her Dom, then I had to care for Kim, and protect her, too. I would have to find out, from her, how far she was prepared to go to protect herself. First, though, I had a rain check to collect.

Kim was afraid to go to a hotel, in case she ran into someone who might recognize her - she was the wife of a city official, after all. So I had her come to my house late Wednesday morning. Carol would likely be spending the afternoon at their house, with Steve.

Kim was more than a little nervous. She had been swapped and traded away by her husband, but she had never done something like this of her own volition. I saw this as 'recovering' the swap that Steve had spoiled for us, but Kim knew that she was cheating - never mind the fact that he was doing the same thing (and had been for years).

My solution to that was to slowly undress her, and then give her a massage with warm scented oil. Her body was truly spectacular. I enjoyed exploring every inch of her. She was purring like a kitten by the time I'd finished, and thoroughly aroused. I brought her off with my fingers in under thirty seconds.

Thoroughly relaxed now, Kim waited for me to do whatever I wanted with her. I went down on her, giving her the slowest, most luxurious treatment I could. She played with her own oiled nipples as I worshipped her pussy. I treated her like a queen - something I knew she hadn't experienced much of (if at all) in her marriage.

Yes, I wanted her to enjoy it, but I was also seducing her. One day soon, there was going to be a reckoning. The shit was going to hit the fan, and people were going to get hurt. I didn't want Kim to be one of them, if at all possible. To that end, I wanted her to see that she had other options. Better options.

Her second orgasm built up slowly, and seemed to wash over her rather than shake her up. But her blissful smile told me that she didn't mind one bit.

I entered her in the missionary position, and made love to her as sweetly and gently as I knew how to. She pulled my head down and kissed me quite passionately. Sooner than I had expected to, I turned her over, and put her on her hands and knees. I re-entered her in one long, slow thrust, but then immediately picked up the pace.

She needed to know that soft and gentle weren't the only arrows in my quiver. I plundered her from behind, my pelvis slapping into her ass with a staccato rhythm. I had a good grip on her hips, and pulled her back to meet every thrust. Kim came again, with a groan, and I followed suit a moment later, spending inside her with a series of powerful spurts.

I almost collapsed on top of her. Kim was strong enough to hold me up. I finally lay down beside her, and she snuggled into me.

- "You're amazing." I told her. "Steve is an idiot. If you were mine, I would never have shared you with another man. There's something wrong with that."

- "I don't understand your wife." she said, softly. "She had you. How could she throw that away?"

- "She doesn't know that she has. She thinks that she can have both me and Steve."

- "You're going to divorce her, aren't you?"

- "Yes. But only when I'm ready. And I'm sorry, but Steve is going to be named. This won't do his career any good. My only regret is that you might get caught up in it, too. I don't want to hurt you."

- "You won't."

- "Not intentionally, but ..."

Kim took a shower, to wash off the scented oil, while I aired out the room and stripped the bed. When she came out, dried and re-dressed, I asked her to sit down.

- "What's my name?" I asked her, rather abruptly.

- "Chris ..."

- "And you know what that means."

- "I do. Chris." She said it perfectly. She meant 'Master'.

- "There are two things I want you to do for me, Kim. First, you're going to be sick on Friday night and Saturday morning. Too sick to go the swap. Do you understand?"

- "Yes."

- "Good. Second, I want to collect on our second rain check. You remember the swap that Paul spoiled for us? You know that it wasn't his idea; Steve sent him to do that. I want my second opportunity with you. And next time, it'll be you giving me the massage."

I could've sworn that a little moan escaped her lips.

"Do you understand?"

- "Yes, Chris."

- "Monday. Here. Same time."

- "Yes, Chris."

***

I had sent Mona a text on Monday, asking her how she was. She didn't answer it until Wednesday night.

- "Busy. Finding it hard to concentrate. You?"

- "Lot on my mind."

- "Me?"

- "Yes. But ... It's complicated."

- "You really need a new line. And don't say 'How's your Mom?'"

A few minutes later, she sent me another message. "We should probably talk, at some point."

- "Yes. Lunch? Next week? Wednesday okay?"

- "I'll call you."

***

On Saturday morning, the emails started flying. The swing club were all on a mailing list; Kim informed us all that she wouldn't be attending the swap that night because she was sick.

Julie and Diana responded immediately, commiserating with her. 'Hope you're okay', and so on.

The next email was from Steve. "I'll still be there, of course."

Diana responded first. "Couples only, Steve. That's the rule."

- "Exceptional circumstances. One time only. Easy enough to make an expcection."

- "Like you made an exception for Gino?" wrote Julie.

Who the fuck was Gino? Ancient history, I suppose, but interesting nonetheless.

"To quote you," continued Diana, "Rules are rules."

- "You should look after Kim." suggested Julie. "Is she okay?"

- "Mild allergic reaction. No big deal. C'mon, guys, I can still show up."

- "What if we voted?" wrote Paul. "A one-time exception?"

- "No." said Julie.

- "Hell, no!" said Diana.

John abstained. Paul voted yes. Richard voted no. I waited.

- "It's not fair." wrote Terry. "Odd numbers mean that somebody gets left out. Or they have to share."

My wife made her first contribution. "Well, maybe some of us don't mind sharing ..." She added a smiley face and a couple of other emojis - including a fucking eggplant.

Steve voted yes.

- "You don't get a vote!" said Diana.

- "I have to agree with the majority." That was my only contribution.

Carol sent a pouty face emoji.

- "Seriously, people." said Diana. "Couples only. It's a rule. Get over it."

That led to an interesting conversation with my wife. She wondered why everyone was making such a fuss.

- "I'm just curious." I said. "So, hypothetically speaking, if you were sick, you'd be okay with me going to a swinger party alone?"

- "Well ... yeah." She didn't sound quite so sure, though. I don't think she'd considered that possible contingency.

The swap was ... interesting. The mood was weird, because Julie had found out that Kim had been in the hospital late Friday night.

- "The hospital?"

- "She ate something with nuts - she's seriously allergic. Swelled up like a balloon."

It was probably a good thing for Steve that he wasn't there. He would have heard about it.

Carol fucked Paul - no doubt to reward him for his loyalty to Steve. Diana came straight to me. Julie watched, and waited her turn. She got me second. Terry had given Richard a blowjob, but she came to me for a fuck. Poor John got blue-balled.

- "Don't worry about it." said Julie. "I'll take care of him later."

Carol was fairly nonchalant about it on the way home.

- "You were getting a lot of attention, from what I could tell." she said.

- "I was. But, you know ... if you're ever in the hospital the night before a swap? I'll stay with you."

***

Kim called me on Monday morning.

- "Chris, I'm really sorry, but ... I won't be able to make it for our ... rain check."

- "Are you still sick, Kim? How are you feeling?"

- "I'm ... okay."

She wasn't. "Kim, I want to tell me the truth. Did you deliberately eat nuts last Friday?"

There was a long pause.

- "Yes."

- "And you're allergic to nuts?"

- "Yes." She didn't hesitate - she told me the truth.

I had to take a deep breath. "I'm not happy, Kim. That is not what I wanted you to do. I specifically told you to say that you were sick - not to go and make yourself sick. Do you understand why I'm angry?"

- "Yes ..."

- "I don't think that you do. You put yourself at risk. You hurt yourself. I never wanted that."

- "I'm sorry. Chris."

There was something off. She didn't sound right. If I had been with her, I could have taken her in my arms and comforted her. It was hard to support her from a distance.

- "Please don't do that again." I said.

- "I won't."

- "I ... I'll be in touch."

That was a terrible way to end a call. I knew it, but the alternatives frightened me. I wasn't built for punishing her. But I also balked at telling her what she needed to hear.

I should have simply said 'I love you'. But I didn't, because I'd been thinking about Mona.

I'd told Kim that I wasn't going to be her part-time Dom. But the reality was that I was only her interim Dom - like an interim coach when the actual coach is fired. She needed stability, and consistency, from someone who cared about her. Was that me? Could it be me?

Kim had gone too far, but she'd done it for me, out of some misplaced loyalty, or perhaps an inability to lie to her husband. She'd taken a grave risk, and it was partly (if not mostly) my fault.

I worked my ass off Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, and showed up at her lab on Tuesday, just after lunch time. I saw her co-workers leave the building. That would give me at least an hour. I went in.

The laboratory had a wooden door - not a glass one. When I pressed the buzzer, Kim came to answer it. She opened the door.

She gasped as she saw me. I was shocked, too.

Kim's right eye was surrounded by a ring of purple and black flesh. The bruise spread lower, over her cheek. There was a cut on the bridge of her nose, too, covered by a small band-aid.

Steve was left-handed.

I felt the rage swell up inside me, like a massive tide. Had he been there, I would have done him serious bodily harm. I could have done any one of a hundred things. But would those have helped Kim?

I saw her face, and I reacted as I had to. I stepped closer, and enfolded her in my arms.

- "Oh, Kim ..." I said. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen."

She buried her face in my chest and shoulder, and let it go. She cried.

I stroked her back, and her hair. "I'm so sorry, sweetie."

- "S'not your fault."

- "I should have known. Has he done this before?"

- "O - only once before."

- "Twice? That's two times too many, Kim."

- "I know."

- "We have a lot to talk about."

- "Yes. I know."

- "Not today, though. I'm ... too angry. And ... you have to make some decisions. Kim - will you call me when you're ready to talk? I'll meet you anywhere. Anytime."

She nodded.

I kissed her.

"I want the best for you." I said. "If not with me, then with somebody else. But not with him. You have to let me know if that's your choice, so that I can back away. Or so that I can embrace you completely and bring you into my life. I have my own issues, Kim - it's complicated. But we have to open up to each other."

- "I know." she said.

I left her, and drove straight to City Hall. Those over-entitled fucks were all on their expense account lunches - Councillor Steve Harmon among them. He was good at 'networking' - when he wasn't fucking my wife.

I was incandescent with rage. No one came near me, as I sat outside the Councillor's office. That wasn't a bad thing: I had time to go from homicidal to merely intent on mayhem.

He waltzed in about 2:30.

- "Chris? What are you doing here?"

- "I had a client in the Webster Building today. I thought I'd drop in on Kim at her lab - especially since she'd been in the hospital. I saw her face, you piece of shit."

Steve was surprised, but he recovered quickly.

- "Let's discuss this in my office." he said.

- "Discuss? What's to discuss? You hit her! She had a black eye!"

Steve grabbed me by the arm and propelled me into his office. I loved it. City Hall has cameras everywhere - lawsuits, don't ya know. Let the record show that Councillor Harmon physically pushed me into his office.

He shut the door behind us.

- "What the fuck are you talking about?" he snarled.

- "I saw her - and the big bruise on her eye. You hit her!"

- "I didn't do fuck. And what happens between a husband and wife is none of your fucking business!"

- "You hit a woman half your size, you coward!"

- "It's none of your business how I treat my wife! You should worry about your own!"

Yeah - I heard that. I didn't really care, though. That ship had sailed.

- "You're a fucking wife-beater." I said.

- "Shut up, dick-wad. Who are people going to believe?" He touched his chest. "The City Councillor ..." Then he pointed at me. "Or the slime-bag lawyer?"

- "If you hit her again, I'll break both your arms."

Steve laughed. "Sure - you and whose army? I'll kick your fucking ass."

There wasn't much more to be gained from this confrontation. I left his office, got into the elevator, and then turned off my phone, having recorded just about everything I needed from that conversation.

No, it wasn't admissible in a court of law, since I'd recorded it without his consent. But there was also the court of opinion of public opinion, newspapers, TV, and the social media circus ....

***

That night, I told Carol what I had seen and done that day. She seemed genuinely surprised.

- "I'm sure that there's some reasonable explanation." she said. "What did Kim say?"

- "She lied, at first. But when I pressed her, she admitted that he had hit her."

- "Did she do something to provoke him?"

My wife, the feminist. This was the first time I'd ever heard something like this from her.

I assumed that Carol went over to the Harmons' place on Wednesday. She was quiet that night. She didn't say a word about Kim.

***

Kim and I met for a drink on Friday afternoon. The bruise wasn't quite as bad, but it was still impossible to conceal.

- "I'm sorry." I said. "I had no idea that it would come to this."

- "It's not your fault." said Kim. "I knew that I couldn't just say I was sick. I had to be sick. But ..."

- "His reaction?"

- "I never thought that he would get that angry."

- "It's no excuse." I said.

She hung her head. "I know." she mumbled.

- "You should have told me. Before you made yourself sick."

- "I'm sorry."

I played her the recording I'd made. She cringed at the sound of his voice.

- "I'm going to ruin him, Kim. I'm going to destroy his political career. He wrecked my marriage - and yours. But I don't want to hurt you."

- "What are we, Chris?" she asked. "What is our relationship? What exactly are you offering?"

- "I'd like to offer you whatever you need, Kim. But ..."

- "It's complicated?"

***

Carol was little more distant than usual. Had Steve told her about our confrontation? I was surprised by how little it bothered me.

Then I went to lunch with Mona.

Is it possible, in the space of a week, to forget how beautiful someone is?

She wore a sleeveless blue dress, showing no cleavage, but a bit of leg. Her eyes, though ... her hair was gleaming, and smelled of almonds.

- "You make it seem effortless." I said.

She raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

- "Looking beautiful."

Mona smiled at me. "Thank you. But ..."

- "I know. That's not why we're here."

- "No." she said. " But I do want to be with you again. More than once."

- "You ... you don't mean another swap."

- "No." she said. "Rob ... isn't in the picture anymore. I broke up with him. He's moving out today."

- "I'm sorry."

- "No you're not. And I'm not sorry, either. Rob knew what we were - it was convenient for both of us. But I can't go back to that. Not after ..."

I could only nod. I knew exactly what she meant. Mona was one of a kind. Making love to her had been a revelation. I'd be crazy to let her go. Except for ...

"So I need to know where you stand, Chris. What are you going to do? I can't imagine that you're going to forgive Carol, but if you do -"

- "I won't."

- "Are you sure?" she asked again.

- "I'm sure."

She sighed. "Then I need to know what you want. Is there room for me in your future? For us?"

- "I know how I feel, Mona. That's not the issue. It's ... complicated. You don't have all of the information about ... me."

- "I know you pretty well, Chris. You might be surprised to learn how well. For instance, I know that you have a soft spot for underdogs and stray cats. And I know that it's not just talk, with you."

- "I'm not sure what you mean."

- "I know what you did for the St Giles Mission."

- "What? How?"

- "I have a friend who volunteers there. She said that they were going to be evicted, because their sleaze of a landlord found some way to break their lease. Then some bad-ass lawyer comes in - free of charge - and not only prevents the eviction, but actually has their lease extended. To top it all off, the lawyer makes a $20,000 donation to the mission. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

I thought I'd been careful to cover my tracks. Apparently not careful enough. Carol didn't know anything about it; I thought that Andrew and my assistant Brenda were the only ones in the loop.

"You don't want your paying clients to think that you're a big softie? Or is it that you don't believe good deeds should be publicized?"

Mona was right: she did understand me - especially when it came to certain matters where it was clear that my wife did not.

"Are you trying to avoid seeing me on the rebound?" she asked. "Or you don't want to drag me into your divorce?"

- "There's more to it than that."

- "Because it could take a long time to resolve?"

- "No. It's ..."

- "Maybe it's time you explained to me what 'It's complicated' means." she suggested.

She was right. It was entirely possible that I had little chance of a future with Mona. But that hope dropped to zero unless I came clean with her. There was no time like the present.

I told her everything, from the beginning.

Mona was a good listener. She didn't interrupt, but waited until I ran out of steam - or breath - or when I needed a fresh drink before she asked a few very pertinent questions. I didn't sugar-coat anything, or try to make myself look good. While part of the story involved me trying to protect Kim, there was also my drive for retribution, against Carol, but especially against Steve. I didn't think that I came out looking quite so heroic in that part of my tale.

But she understood everything.

- "Thank you - for telling me. I understand that you don't want to punish Carol, but you refuse to reward her. I feel the same. Steve deserves everything he has coming - and more. I understand, too, that you need more time. And I finally see what you meant by 'It's complicated'. It is, when it comes to Kim, and to me. But maybe it's not that complicated."

- "How do you mean?"

- "Let's deal with the simplest, most immediate issue: do you want to be with me, Chris?"

I was taken aback. Had she not heard me describe all of the complications involved in a relationship between us?