It's Complicated Ch. 05

Diana was ticked off - seriously ticked off. Since the inception of their little club, Steve had been in control. He decided on the match-ups. None of the women were all that excited to be paired up with John (because of the combination of his age, his looks, and his lack of stamina), but they were prepared to 'take one for the team' every now and then.

Things changed when Carol and I joined. Steve started monopolizing Carol (or 'hogging' her, as Diana put it). Paul wasn't going to object, because his nose was so far up Steve's ass, and John was happy to get any action at all. But Richard was denied access to the new woman - and he didn't like it.

My little subversion, when I'd changed Steve's cards, seemed like a giant step forward - especially for Diana. It effectively broke Steve's dictatorship (or 'Dick-tatorship?). Also, none of the women had to hook up with John any more if they didn't want to.

Steve's attempt to come solo, while Kim was in the hospital, was another key moment. He had essentially barred anyone else from doing this. One rule for everyone, but an exception for Steve? They had enjoyed blocking him.

They had had just about enough of Steve, but they were annoyed with me as well. Terry, Julie and Diana had all enjoyed their time with me, and wanted more. But now I was 'pulling a Steve' - monopolizing Kim - and none of them liked that.

I tried to look contrite, but inwardly, inside my head, I was celebrating. Remember, I generally don't like people. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy having sex with the three women. They were attractive, and adventurous. But they weren't my friends, and they'd treated Kim pretty badly. I didn't care for the men, either.

I'd destroyed their little swap club - with a major assist from Steve.

John came out to join us, first. He saw the expressions on Julie's face, and then Diana's.

- "Oh, shit." he said.

Paul came out next. He saw their faces, and read the room correctly. He turned around and went to get Steve. The big man came out a minute later, followed by Carol, who was fully dressed, but still looked thoroughly dishevelled.

- "What's going on?' said Steve.

- "We're done." said Diana. "This was our last swap."

- "Us too." said Julie. John knew better than to contradict his wife.

- "I'm out." said Terry. "Paul can still go, if you change the rules again. But I won't be back."

Steve was having trouble digesting what they'd said. "What? What are you talking about?"

- "We're quitting." said Diana. "We thought that we'd do you the courtesy of telling you in person, instead of by email."

- "What? You can't quit!"

Diana arched an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

Steve knew that he'd stepped in it. "No - I mean ... why? Why would you want to quit?"

- "Because you just never learned to share, Steve - and that's what swapping is all about." Diana stood up, and picked up her purse.

- "Wait! We can change things - we can go back to the cards to decide the pairings."

- "Yeah - 'cause that was really fair." said Terry. Richard and Julie also rose.

- "Wait!" shouted Steve. "We can talk about this!"

- "We just did." said Diana.

John hurried after his wife. Paul looked like he wanted to say something, but Terry was glaring at him.

- "Well ... on that note ..." I said, as I stood up. "Ready, Carol?"

- "Sit down, numb-nuts." growled Steve. "We have to work this out - find a solution."

- "Numb-nuts? Really? You think that's going to get me on board to help you find a solution? You're an idiot. Carol? Are you coming with me, or getting a ride home later?"

She actually looked to Steve, as if asking for his approval.

- "She's going with you." said Terry. "The swaps are over. If you want to talk about how to get us back - which won't work anyhow - you can do it someplace else."

She basically kicked us out. Paul told Steve that he would be in touch. As we reached the sidewalk, Steve apologized - sort of.

- "Sorry, man." he said. "I'm just ... a little stressed out right now - you know?"

- "You're still an idiot." I said.

Carol got into the car, and turned on me right away.

- "How could say that? Can't you see how hurt he is?"

- "Hurt?"

- "The rest of the club just stabbed him in the back."

- "In the front, you mean. They told him to his face." I said.

- "Whatever. You had no reason to call him an idiot."

- "But it's okay for him to call me a numb-nuts?"

Carol finally realized that she might not have been taking the best approach to this situation, if she hoped to experience oral sex ever again. She shut up, and stewed in silence the rest of the way home.

***

"She called me." said Mona.

- "Oh?"

- "You know I haven't had lunch with her for a month - which she doesn't seem to have noticed. But she called to ask for my help - with you."

- "With me?"

- "Apparently you're being 'difficult'. She thinks that you had something to do with the breakup of the swapping group."

- "I did. But I have to share the credit with Steve."

- "Thought so. But Carol also wanted my advice on how to - and I quote - 'Get Chris back to normal'."

- "By 'normal' she means attentive and romantic, and eating her pussy."

- "Pretty much. She has me wondering: how did I misjudge her so badly? Selfish, delusional ... how did I miss all of that? Was I blind?"

- "No more than I was. I saw her every day for years, and never figured it out."

- "You ... you don't sound all that angry."

- "I don't want to hurt her, if that's what you mean. Not physically, anyway. She'll have time for regret, later - especially when she finds out that she's lost you, too. But I am angry, Mona. It's just mostly directed at Steve Harmon."

- "Will you be able to get past all of this?" she asked. I could hear the concern in her voice.

- "I think so. And I'll have you and Kim to help me forget."

***

D-DAY Tuesday

It was moving day. Mona and I drove (separately) to Kim's house on Tuesday morning. Steve was at City Hall. Kim had identified what she wanted to take with her, but she hadn't been able to pack much of it, for fear of her husband finding out what she was up to.

I put boxes together, and taped them, while Mona helped Kim to organize her clothing and personal items. Kim was only taking half of her clothes, leaving behind virtually all of the revealing things that Steve had made her wear.

- "Is that alright?" she asked me.

- "You know it is. I won't ever ask you to dress like that."

She took one last look at her closet, and bowed her head. "Thank you." she whispered.

There was more than enough room in our two cars for Kim's possessions. We stopped at an ATM, so that Kim could withdraw the maximum allowed. Then we drove to our new condo.

Kim had a bedroom all to herself. I'd bought a queen-sized bed for it, and Mona took care of sheets, pillows, and pillowcases, plus a lovely comforter. Kim couldn't help herself: she stood in the doorway of her new room, and the tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Mona reached her first, and enfolded Kim in her arms.

- "You're good now, Sweetie." she murmured. "You're safe. And we love you."

I wrapped my arms around the two of them. Believe it or not, I had some idea of how she felt. She was free. Free of Steve, and his use of her. Free of his constant criticism, and belittlement - not to mention the threat of violence.

She trusted Mona, and she trusted me - we hadn't abused her yet, and she was reasonably confident that we weren't going to.

Mona helped Kim unpack, and move in. I picked up the traditional pizza and beer, so that no one had to cook. I like to think that we were already a trio, but that day we bonded even more. Mona had gone above and beyond to make Kim feel welcome, and at home, but I could see that Kim still needed me.

I texted Carol, telling her that I would be working late. Very late.

- "Okay." was her only reply. She had other things on her mind.

What I did was take Kim to bed. No, not for sex. She was in an unfamiliar place, in very unfamiliar circumstances. For all of the good feelings, she was still frightened, and uncertain.

I lay down beside her, holding her in my arms. She recognized my intent, relaxed, and snuggled closer. Kim took a good hold of my arm, with both hands.

After a while, though, I heard her regular breathing. She was asleep.

I waited another hour, to make sure that she was comfortable, before I gently disengaged, and slipped out of her bed.

Mona was still up, waiting in the living room. Her expression asked the question.

- "She's fine." I said. "Sleeping. I don't know what the next few days will be like, though."

Mona rose on tiptoe to kiss my cheek.

- "I love you." she said.

She was fortifying me for what was to come. That didn't mean that it wasn't true, though.

- "I love you, Mona." I said. I kissed her - only once, even if the kiss did last for three or four minutes.

Then I went home, to my soon to be ex-wife.

***

D +1 Wednesday

"Kim left Steve." Carol told me. "She just disappeared. And then she had him served with divorce papers - at City Hall! How cold is that?"

- "Wow."

- "I think she's unhinged. Honestly? Steve told me that she has ... issues. You know?"

- "Issues?"

Carol rolled her eyes. "You know - mental health issues."

- "Really?" I said. "You never said a word about it. Don't you think that's something that you should have told me?"

- "Oh. I didn't ... I guess ... I mean, I didn't think that I should ..."

Or maybe he just told you that yesterday, I thought.

- "What do you want for dinner?" I asked her.

- "I don't know. I should be home at the usual time." she said. "Surprise me."

As you wish.

I packed a couple of bags: clothes, toiletries, and a few personal items that I didn't want to leave lying around. At 10:00 the techie arrived to install four cameras - it was an idea that had occurred to me after the last swap. Call it a gut feeling. He set them up and showed me how to download the recordings. It was all done by 12:30.

I took another walk around the house, and found a few more things that I might want to keep, which I put in the trunk of my car. Then I spent a few hours working from home. I wasn't all that productive, but it passed the time.

Carol got home around 6 pm., no doubt after visiting Steve and consoling him. It took her a moment to see the 'For Sale' sign on the front lawn. She blinked at it several times, as if she was having trouble processing what it was.

She came inside the door and saw me standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

- "Chris? What's going on? Why is there a For Sale sign on our lawn?"

- "Because it's for sale."

- "No it's not."

- "Yes Carol, it is."

- "But we're not selling."

- "Yes, we are."

Carol was finally recognizing that something was wrong. "But ... we never talked about this. You never asked me."

- "I'm telling you now. But I didn't have to ask you, because the house is in my name."

- "I don't understand!" she complained. "What are you talking about?"

At just that moment, our front doorbell rang. Carol turned around, and by reflex, opened it - to find a complete stranger looking at her.

- "Carol Pierce?" said the stranger.

- "Yes?"

- "You've been served." said the process server. She touched a large envelope to Carol's arm, and then dropped it on the floor at her feet.

Carol was stunned.

- "Chris?" she got out. "What is this?"

- "It's the beginning of the divorce process, Carol. I suggest that you read it all very carefully."

- "What? But ... I don't want a divorce."

- "You can't always get what you want."

- "No. I don't understand." She did, though. She was beginning to to connect a few dots. It was too early for a denial, though - especially because I hadn't accused her of anything yet. She chose to continue with confusion, or incomprehension. "Why are you doing this?"

By this time, I had my phone out. I took a couple of pictures of Carol.

"Now what are you doing?"

- "Taking photos. Time-stamped photos, that will confirm that you show no signs of having been assaulted, or abused - just in case Steve tries to persuade you to claim that I hit you. So if you do show up later with cuts or bruises, we'll know that it was him - after all, he does have a track record of his own."

- "Chris?" she pleaded. "I don't understand. What's going on?"

I took a deep breath. "Really, Carol? You can stand there with Steve's cum running down your leg, and pretend that you have no idea how we got here?"

Swear to God - she jumped, and looked down at her crotch. Then she looked up at me, and it was as if her face sagged.

"I'll give you two days and two nights, starting now." I said. "Pack up the things you want to take, and move them somewhere else. I want you out by Friday at 8 pm.. I suggest that you get a lawyer before then."

- "What? But I don't want to go. I don't have anywhere to go."

- "You can go back to Steve's." I said. "You know how to get there."

I stepped back into the kitchen, and picked up my suitcase and my overnight bag. That was just for dramatic effect, though; my valuable possessions were already in my car.

Maybe it was the sight of the suitcase that finally got through to Carol.

- "Chris, wait!" she said. "Can't we ... talk about this?"

- "We just did." I said.

***

I drove to the new condo. I'll admit that for the first few minutes, my knuckles were white on the steering wheel. I'd thought that I could keep my cool; after all, I'd planned the day out pretty thoroughly. But I was angry. Yes, I was angry at Carol, for the years we'd spent together, which would now be forever tarnished in my mind. But I was also furious with myself for failing to see the signs much sooner. I had indulged in a lot of 'What if?' thinking for the past few months, and those thoughts came back, like bile rising in the back of my throat.

Strangely enough, it was the trip up in the elevator that restored my equilibrium. This elevator was fairly new to me, as a gateway to my new home; it was also far removed from the driveway and front lawn that I'd returned to so many times in the past.

And as I walked down the hall to the door of our condo, I couldn't help but smile as I thought of who was waiting for me: not one, but two incredible women.

Mona heard me coming in, and rushed to the door. I was taken aback by the expression on her face: it was one of concern - something I hadn't come home to in quite some time. I put my bags down, and opened my arms. Mona flowed into my embrace.

- "Are you alright?" she asked.

- "I am now."

Mona squeezed me tight, and kissed me.

- "Come see what Kim is cooking."

- "It smells divine." I said, as we approached the kitchen.

Kim put down the utensil she was holding, and came over to hug me too.

- "How are you?" she asked.

- "Wonderful. What are you making?"

- "An Asian stir fry. Beef and vegetables. I'm not sure how authentic it'll be, because I don't have much practice with exotic dishes. Steve thinks that spaghetti is 'ethnic food' -"

The instant she said that, Kim realized that she'd used the name of He Who Must Not Be Named. She flushed, and put a hand to her mouth.

- "No." I said. "Don't you dare worry about that. We can't escape our pasts by refusing to talk about them, or being afraid to even mention them." I hugged her tighter.

We ate together, and complimented the chef. Kim was easily a better cook than I was. Mona insisted that I tell them about my day, and how the 'confrontation' with Carol had gone.

- "Get it off your chest." she suggested. "Put it into words, and it won't seem so bad."

She was right. I described my encounter with Carol without losing myself to anger.

Afterwards, Mona encouraged me to take a shower. "I'll take care of the dishes." she said. "That I can do."

- "I'll help." I said.

- "No you won't."

I left them to it, and did as Mona had suggested. As someone who has taken 99% of his showers in the morning, it was slightly decadent - and very relaxing - to let the hot water cascade over my shoulders at this time of the evening.

My pampering wasn't done. Kim was waiting for me as I exited the shower, with a pair of big, fluffy towels that she'd warmed in the dryer.

- "Oh, my." I groaned. "You're spoiling me."

- "I know that you stayed with me last night." said Kim. "I can't even begin to tell you how much that meant to me. You made me feel safe, and ... important. Tonight is about you, though, and Mona wants you to feel the same way. Just the two of you."

I understood. Whatever her own needs at the moment, Kim was giving us a gift tonight. There would be plenty of opportunities for all of us to do the same in the future - I hoped.

Mona had lit scented candles in her bedroom, and turned off the lights. Kim handed me over, kissing me on the cheek. "Enjoy." she said, and then she left the room.

- "Hi." said Mona. Her long hair flowed over her shoulders. She wore nothing but a pair of black panties.

- "My God ..." I breathed. "You're so beautiful."

- "I'm glad that you think so. But I'm the lucky one, here."

She was delusional, of course. My wife had discarded me, and I'd landed in the lap of a goddess who thought the world of me. I was the lucky one.

Tonight, though, Mona was determined to make me forget everything. I didn't just forget: I lost the capacity for coherent thought. She massaged my feet, the backs of my legs, and my ass, before she even touched my back and shoulders. I'd never had anyone do something like that for me.

She had me turn over. Her massage rapidly declined in quality there, but I didn't complain, because she transferred her attentions to my erection. Mona had gone down on me before (and made me realize what I'd been missing with Carol), but she outdid herself that night. It was as though she was the Chief Priestess of some Priapic Cult. This wasn't just oral sex; it was oral adoration. In my occasional moments of lucidity, I promised myself that I would pay her back in kind.

Not this night, though - everything she did was for my benefit, and she wouldn't allow me to concentrate on her pleasure.

- "No." she said, when I tried to reverse our positions. "I want you inside me. Your only choice is where you want to be: bottom, on top, or behind me."

- "You on top. For now."

- "Aahh ..." she sighed, as she sank down on my shaft.

- "So beautiful ..."

- "You're mine now." she said, as she braced herself with her hands on my chest. "Mine and Kim's."

I could only take so much - and Mona knew that. She wasn't surprised when I sat up and flipped her over, so that I was on top. I was well on my way to losing control - my hips began working on their own. I was pounding her, trying to stamp the imprint of her body into my new mattress.

- "Nnnggh ..." I came hard, and nearly saw stars. Mona clutched me to her as if her life - or mine - depended on it.

I fell asleep.

***

Kim woke me up with breakfast in bed. Mona had gone to work.

- "That was beautiful, last night." she said.

- "What? Were you watching?"

- "No. Listening. The outer walls have soundproofing, but the inner walls don't."

- "Oh." I had a sudden vision of Kim masturbating as she listened to us. "I'm sorry."

- "Don't be. It was wonderful. And tonight, it's my turn."

- "Is it? Hmm ... what about today?"

- "Oh ... I hadn't thought about that. Don't you have to work?"

- "A little. But only for a few hours. Then we can do a scene - if you're up to it."

She was - I could see it in her eyes.

"Answer me." I said. "Are you interested?"

- "Yes. Yes please, Chris." She'd found a breathy way of saying my name, to let me know that what she really meant was 'Master'.