It's Complicated Ch. 05

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

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

Carol took a deep breath.

- "I ... I didn't know about that."

- "The conversation? Maybe not - but I told you that he had hit her - and you said 'Did she do something to provoke him?'. Yeah - that was you. Didn't you see her black eye when you went over to his house for your usual Wednesday fuck session? Remember when you told me that it was Kim who had mental issues?"

- "I think we're done here." said her lawyer.

***

Diane contacted me, to ask if I would meet her, Julie and Terry for a drink. I changed the venue to a cafe, and then agreed. I'd had sex with all three of them, so I suppose that I owed them at least a listen. I also had a sudden inspiration.

I told Kim all about it, of course, and even invited her to come along with me.

- "No, thank you." she said. "I don't think that I need to see those three again."

- "Girls night in, then." said Mona.

- "I won't be late."

- "You'd better not be."

All three women were waiting for me when I arrived. Diane's long hair was positively shining, and she wore a slit skirt that showed a lot of leg. Julie was showing quite a bit of cleavage, but she had a little too much makeup on. Terry had gone with her customary sporty look.

Diane greeted me with a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. Julie pressed her boobs into my chest, and Terry whispered "Mmm ..." as she kissed my cheek.

We sat down, and ordered.

- "It's so good to see you again." said Julie.

- "We've missed you." said Terry.

Diana frowned at her. Evidently, they were going off script.

- "We heard that you're divorcing Carol." she said. "And that you charged Steve with assault."

- "Both true."

- "Did he really piss on your clothes?" asked Terry. Diane glared at her again. "What? That's what they said on the news."

- "Also true."

- "We wanted you to know that we sympathize." said Diane. "We hope that Steve gets what's coming to him."

- "And that you don't lose too much in the divorce." said Julie.

- "Thank you." I said.

Diane asked how I was doing, which meant that I had to reciprocate. All three women brought me up to date with their lives. Julie didn't mention her husband John at all. Terry let me know that Paul was still in her doghouse, while Diane told me that Richard said hello. After about ten minute's worth of these pleasantries, Diane finally opened up the meaty part of the agenda.

- "Are you seeing anyone, Chris?"

- "No." I said. I'd anticipated the question. My answer was essentially true: I wasn't seeing any one - rather, I was living with two incredible women (which these three didn't need to know about).

Julie licked her lips, but it was Diane who spoke again.

- "You know, we really have missed you ..."

- "Oh?"

- "And we were talking - just the three of us. We were thinking: would you be interested in coming back to the group?"

- "No."

- "Steve is out. We're just talking about you."

- "But ... I'm not seeing anyone."

- "That doesn't matter." said Terry.

- "You could bring a friend," said Diane, "or even a casual partner. Or ... you could come alone." She gave me a smoldering look - it was a very promising look.

- "I thought that you had a rule about singles."

- "We're changing the rules." said Julie. "In fact, you could come alone, with just the three of us." Her expression told me pretty clearly that this was the option she was hoping for.

- "Or you could see us individually ..." said Diane, brushing back her hair with a painted fingernail.

- "I'm flattered." I said. Now I had to do some fancy skating, so that it wouldn't seem as if I was scorning three attractive women at once. "It's just that ... I'm going to be in court quite a bit for the predictable future. The assault charge against Steve, and now a vandalism charge, my own divorce, and the restraining order against him on behalf of Kim ..."

That did the trick. "Wait - Kim's getting a restraining order against him?"

I nodded, and put on my most serious face. "Were you serious, Diane? When you said that you hoped Steve would get what was coming to him?"

- "Of course I was. We all feel that way."

I produced my phone, and showed them the photo of Kim with a black eye.

- "What?" said Terry. "When did this happen?"

- "You remember when Steve wanted to come solo - because Kim was in the hospital?"

- "What? Are you saying that he put her in the hospital?"

- "No - she had a severe allergic reaction. This happened afterwards. He was upset at her for making him miss the -" I was about to say 'swap', but Terry's raised voice had attracted the attention of other tables in the cafe. In fact, they might have already been listening to us. I lowered my voice: "For making him miss the ... gathering."

- "Son of a bitch!" swore Terry.

- "That piece of shit!" said Julie.

- "Wait." said Diane. "Chris, how did you get that picture?"

I looked around at the other customers in the cafe, who were now definitely pretending that they were not listening to us. I lowered my voice again.

- "Can I trust you?"

- "Of course you can." said Julie. Diane just huffed, as if insulted that I would even ask.

- "It's not just about me. It's Kim's secret. It could affect her restraining order."

They all assured me that they knew how to keep a secret, that they would never hurt Kim, and so on.

I played them the audio recording of my confrontation with Steve. I wasn't sure how many people at the nearby tables could hear - but they were certainly trying.

- "He beat her." said Terry. "He practically admitted it."

- "Holy shit." said Julie.

Diane gave me a shrewd look. "That wasn't the first time, was it?"

- "No."

I didn't get out of the cafe for another hour. All three women expressed their complete support, and made me promise that I would call on them if I needed their help.

- "Any kind of help." said Terry.

- "Thank you."

I wouldn't have bet a dollar that those three could keep a secret. In fact, I was hoping that they couldn't.

***

The next three weeks were eventful.

Kim got her hearing, before a judge. Maria Fusco represented her (no conflict of interest there). She showed the photographs, and played my recording. Bryant objected, but the judge pointed out that while the recording was inadmissible in a criminal case, or even a lawsuit, it was highly relevant to a restraining order - which was granted. Steve was served at City Hall - again.

I was interviewed by a newspaper reporter, an internet journalist, and two podcasters. They were surprisingly well-informed. All knew that I had charged Steve Harmon with assault; three of them knew that he'd been having an affair with Carol. But they all wanted to know about the allegations that he'd beaten his wife (the reporter even knew that I had a recording of him admitting it).

I answered many of their questions on the record. Obviously, they couldn't cite me as a source for the audio recording, and I refused to let them have a copy of the photos. However, I did record our interviews - not for publication, but for my own protection if any of them identified me as the source of the information. Let the record show that I only confirmed what they already suspected.

That didn't stop them from publishing their 'findings'. The reporter cited 'an anonymous source', which was fine with me. Steve's lawyer may have threatened a lawsuit, but he wasn't about to proceed with it; there was no way that Steve wanted to end up in court again, this time to have all of his dirty laundry aired.

I made progress with Carol, as well. Negative progress. In our state, there's a mandatory six-month waiting period for couples seeking a divorce - even if they agree. For a no-fault divorce (when one party is contesting the divorce), it can take as long as fifteen months.

I didn't want this dragging on for over a year, for personal as well as financial reasons. Mona and Kim didn't need this hanging over our heads, and the sooner my divorce went through, the sooner Andrew could put me back on a decent salary, and the sooner I could resume my partnership (though that was still a long way down the road).

Carol was fighting me. She definitely fired the first shots.

- "On the advice of my lawyer, I've hired a forensic accountant to locate the money you've hidden."

I shook my head sadly. "That's only going to cost you a lot of your money. I told you: it's not hidden - it's gone."

- "I don't believe you."

- "Suit yourself."

But she upped the ante at our next meeting.

- "Now I understand ..." she said.

- "Understand what?"

- "Your motivation. Why you're doing all of this. Now I see why you gave all that money to Mona's mother! You're living with her! And Kim!"

This was potentially bad - for Kim, most of all. She wasn't prepared to be interrogated and harassed. Mona was better equipped to handle something like this, but she didn't deserve to be dragged into it at all.

- "How did you find out?" I asked, calmly.

- "The same way you do things! With a private investigator!"

I took a deep breath. "Carol, you need to warn Steve to stay away. If he violates the restraining order, he'll end up in court."

- "In jail." said my lawyer.

I took another deep breath. "Whatever you may think is going on here, it was never about punishing you. I gave the money away so that you couldn't have it, but that was because I didn't want to reward you for what you did. There's a major distinction there, if you can bring yourself to see it. But if you start hounding Kim - if you want to make this nasty ... you will regret it. And the same goes for Mona. Leave her out of it."

- "Really? You sic the police and the reporters on Steve, but Kim and Mona get to have their privacy protected? My supposed best friend shacks up with my husband, behind my back, and she gets off scot-free? I don't think so."

No, at this stage I barely recognized my ex-wife. Had she always been this self-righteous, this delusional? Maybe I'd just never seen her have to deal with a serious problem. I tried one more appeal to reason.

- "Don't start a fight, Carol. Please. You'll end up getting hurt, too."

She didn't listen. Surprised?

There were journalists camped outside our building when I got home. I gave them a 'no comment'. I wasn't go to say anything until I'd talked to Mona and Kim. The moment I got inside the door, I hugged them both.

- "I'm sorry." I said.

- "What happened?" asked Mona.

- "Carol hired a private investigator to follow me. Then she told the reporters, as payback for what I've done to Steve, so far. She's identifying with him completely. We attack him, so she attacks us. I warned her not to, but ... I'm sorry."

- "I should have known." said Mona. "They knew my name, and what I look like. She must have given them a photo, too."

- "It's my fault. I should have seen this coming."

- "Don't be silly." she said. "What were you going to do - stash us in safe houses? Stay away from us for a year, or more?"

- "No." said Kim. "Not that. But that's not what matters - what matters is what we're going to do about this."

We talked about it, and came up with a plan. I'd like to claim that it was all my idea, but large parts of it were from Kim.

***

I made a number of calls, and invited the journalists I'd already met with. That Sunday morning, Mona, Kim and I exited our building to meet the press. There were at least twenty people there, some carrying cameras or recording devices, in addition to all the phones. They immediately began shouting questions. I raised a hand.

- "Each of us will make a short statement, for your benefit. We'll address questions after that. Is that acceptable?"

Kim went first - she was only going to get more nervous the longer she waited.

- "My name is Kim Harmon. I'm divorcing my husband because he was physically and mentally abusive. Chris Pierce was the only person I knew that I felt I could trust, so I turned to him for support. We're living together now, because ... well, because I have no money to live on my own until my divorce is settled, and I'm afraid to go back to work."

She stepped back, and Mona put an arm around her. The reporters immediately began to shout questions, but I stepped forward.

- "Questions afterwards, please. My name is Chris Pierce. My wife Carol has been having an affair with City Councillor Harmon. I am presently divorcing her, and have charged him with assault and vandalism - these were separate incidents. I'm also short of cash at the moment, because I gave my money away rather than give it to my cheating spouse in a divorce settlement. I can always make more, but for now I need to share the rent with roommates. Fortunately, I've found two people I can trust, and that I love."

There were a few more shouted questions, but it was obvious that they were enjoying what they'd heard so far - and that they couldn't wait to hear from Mona.

I've said it before, but Mona is an incredibly beautiful woman. Today, dressed and made-up for success, she was an absolute smoke-show.

- "My name is Mona Sarkisian. I was a good friend of Carol Pierce - and her husband. When she told me that she was cheating on him, I couldn't believe it. I'd had a major crush on him from the moment I met him. But let me make this clear: I did not steal Carol's husband. She abandoned him. I did not tell Chris that his wife was unfaithful - he already knew. I would never have openly acknowledged my feelings otherwise. I have money, but I have to pay for my mother's long-term care facility in Florida, so it's convenient to share the rent with two people that I love and trust."

She stepped back then, and smiled for the cameras. They had questions, of course -we had decided which ones we would answer. I may have let slip where Carol was living. And where she worked.

***

Kim, Mona and I had decided that our privacy was probably a thing of the past - for the near future, at least. That was why we chose to get ahead of the curve, to get our story out first. I had no idea, yet, how it would impact my business; Mona actually thought that it might help hers. But it was Kim who pointed out that we could now answer 'No comment' or decline interviews because we'd already gone on the record.

Our story didn't help Steve or Carol, either. The only thing we hadn't revealed was the swap club - and it wasn't going to do Steve Harmon any good to spill the beans on that one. He would have to deal with the fallout from the formed members of his little group, on top of everything else.

My next meeting with Carol and the lawyers was far more productive.

- "You just had to, didn't you?" said my ex-wife.

- "Had to?"

- "I've been asked to take an administrative leave." That wasn't as bad as a suspension, but it wasn't good. "They waited for me outside my class. In the parking lot. They're everywhere. They just won't stop!"

- "They?"

- "Don't play innocent! You told them where I worked. You sent them after me!"

- "To be fair, Carol, I did warn you that you might get hurt. And I only did that after you sent them after Kim and Mona. Remember?"

I wasn't sure if she had any ammunition left, but I decided to take pre-emptive measures. I showed her what I'd kept in reserve: the video of her and Steve in my house - the sucking and fucking, the pissing, and the smashing and breaking while she packed her clothes.

"That goes public," I said, "if I decide to charge you as an accessory."

- "You wouldn't."

- "Of course I would. I haven't done it so far because I know what having a criminal record would do to your teaching career. But I'm not sure how much further you're prepared to go. Carol, you need to realize that if you choose to escalate the fight, I'll do the same. And more. As of now, I haven't shown this video to your parents, or to any member of your family."

That might have done it. The blood drained from her face.

Steve Harmon chose to resign. Or maybe he was coached to do it. He couldn't leave the area, as he was facing charges, but he certainly kept a low profile from then on.

Maria and I had another meeting with Steve's lawyer, Bryant.

- "My client is prepared to offer an out-of-court settlement if you would be willing to drop the charges."

I laughed out loud. "Seriously? Half of the money he's offering belongs to Kim. And half of anything I got would go to Carol. You must both think that I'm just as stupid as he is."

The wheels of justice turn slowly (when they turn at all). In this case, though, I was happy to leave the charges hanging over Steve's head. He couldn't run away, and he couldn't start his political career all over again in a new jurisdiction. I didn't think that he'd be able to do that in any case - the mud he'd spattered all over himself was going to stick. I wouldn't have been surprised to hear that his political patrons were now looking at him as a bad bet.

***

I was working out of my office, trying to figure out if all of this publicity was going to hurt our chances to expand here. Yes, some people were extremely well-informed, and they would see how I'd gotten revenge on the man who'd stolen my wife. Some would count the fact that I was now with his wife, and a second beautiful woman as a definite win. Others would only remember a sensational divorce; most people expect a little more discretion from their lawyer. A few would doubt my competence or my legal judgment, based on the fact that I'd lost my wife.

But it was becoming increasingly apparent that opinion was largely divided along political lines. Supporters of Steve's party talked about him 'having his day in court', or 'a chance to clear his name'. I, however, was "politically motivated', and 'a muckraker' (close enough, I suppose).

I didn't even hear the knock on the outer door. Brenda did, though. She rapped her knuckles on my inner office door.

- "There's a Mrs. Pierce here to see you." she said.

There was nothing to be gained by sending her away. Not yet, anyway.

- "You can send her in, Brenda. You don't mind staying, do you? At your desk?"

- "I can do that." Brenda would able to hear everything from there.

And there was Carol, dressed much more conservatively than what I'd become accustomed to. I stood, and silently ushered her to a chair. I made sure that the door remained open, and then sat back down myself.

- "This is harder than I expected." she said.

- "Oh?"

Carol wasn't wearing much makeup; she looked a lot like the somewhat pudgy, chubby-faced girl I'd married. It was an illusion, of course - this was not the woman I'd fallen in love with.

- "I rehearsed what I was going to say, but now it's ... it's hard to get it out."

I waited. If she was expecting sympathy, or encouragement, she'd come to the wrong place.

"I wanted to say ... I'm sorry, Chris."

- "A bit late, don't you think?"

- "I know."

- "And what exactly are you sorry about?"

She wasn't expecting that particular question, but Carol had a line prepared that fit.

- "I finally understood what you meant, when I asked why you were doing this. You were throwing my own words back at me. I can only say ... I thought that you'd like it, Chris. I thought you would enjoy it too."

- "No. I don't believe that for a minute." I said. "You thought that you could convince me to try it. That was the whole point of your 'Push our boundaries' campaign. It was all so that you could continue what you'd started without feeling guilty. Failing that, you figured that I would just come to accept it, eventually."