Just Once: At Least One More

Just Once: At Least One More

This is yet another continuation within Kalimaxos' magical world of 'Just Once...If You Don't Mind'.

You'll need to read that story first if you want to know what the heck's going on. You can find it here: https://www.literotica.com/s/just-once-if-you-dont-mind

This is my first foray into writing stories that aren't fan-fiction, so hopefully this is at least enjoyable to some of you. I don't write outlines or do much planning at all really, and it probably shows. I get an idea stuck in my head and I start writing and most of the time I just let the words flow. Which is probably why I suck at environmental descriptions, which then leads to my stories having a lopsided dose of thoughts and dialogue; but hey, I'm working on it. I also edited it my myself, so pardon any mistakes.

Feel free to leave a review, good or bad, I'm curious as to how this goes.

*****

"So, Rick? What do we do?" -- from the end of 'Just Once...If You Don't Mind'

Direction

I looked back down at the letter in my hand and stared at it for a few seconds in stunned disbelief.

If I hadn't made the effort to call Marcy and catch her in the act myself, this would've been how I found out. I would have found out my wife was deliberately cheating on me in a god-forsaken letter. If there was one thing she said that I wholeheartedly agreed with, it was that Marcy was being a coward. She had so little respect for me that she couldn't even break it to me in person.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Leslie's light touch on my arm. "Rick?"

It was then that I realized that a tear was running down my cheek. I was never known to be an outwardly emotional guy, but I was overcome by the notion that my marriage had likely just come to an abrupt and heart-rending end. Sure, I knew the eventual split would end up being a months-long process, but emotionally, it was like the time and effort I put into the last few decades of my life had just gone off a cliff.

I wiped my face on my sleeve before responding, "yeah, sorry...she just...kind of blindsided me with all this. If I hadn't forced her to talk to me on the phone before you came over, this would have been the first I'd heard of it."

She rubbed my forearm in comfort, "I'm so sorry, if I would have known..."

As her voice trailed off, I nodded at her in gratitude.

Touching Leslie brought my mind back to the last time I'd had intimate physical contact with someone other than my wife. It was another thing that stood out to me from Marcy's letter. The fact that she had tried to equate what she was doing now, with what happened between Dierdre and I. I get that I messed up, and hell, we might have gone even further had that siren not gone off, but in reality, it ended there, and we never picked up where we left off. It was a brief moment of weakness and heightened emotions that probably lasted less than fifteen minutes and I instantly regretted it afterward. There was no doubt in my mind that what I did was cheating, but when measured up against what Marcy was now doing? It was like comparing apples to watermelons.

"She gave me the impression that you two were going to have everything figured out before she left." Leslie spoke quietly.

I looked over at her shook my head, "communication hasn't exactly been our strong-suit lately. I'm sorry she put you in this position."

She smiled at my show of concern, "you're sweet, but you're not the one who should be apologizing."

"Yeah, well, I'd completely understand if you wanted nothing to do with us after this."

She leaned in closer to me and ran her hand slowly up my arm, pressing her modest chest against my shoulder, "my friendship with Marcy is probably done at this point, but make no mistake about it...I still want you. That is...if you'll have me."

Good god, if I were thirty years younger I probably would've jizzed my pants right then and there. My mind was already mush from what Marcy had just laid on me, but Leslie was now compounding the situation. As much as I wanted to give in to her advances, I was a planner by nature and making decisions on impulse almost never went well for me, my tryst with Dierdre being a prime example.

"As much as I'd love to take you up on your offer, this is all just too new for me. I think I need some time to think things over."

"That's one of the things I like most about older guys, you're less prone to thinking with just your dicks." She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek before getting up off the couch. "Please, let me know if there's anything I can do to help, and I'm not just talking about sex, okay?"

I nodded like an awkward, pubescent teen. She smiled down at me before turning to leave. When she stepped out the back entrance, she turned toward me to shut the sliding glass door and winked at me before making her way toward the back gate.

A dozen seconds later, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. I reached over with my left hand and rubbed my shoulder where she'd pressed herself against me. Don't get me wrong, I loved Marcy's boobs, even more-so after she'd had them augmented, and I'd touched plenty of other boobs in my life, but having Leslie's pressed up against me like that, even through her dress, had my little soldier standing at attention and ready for action.

I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts. After a minute of staring off into the empty back yard, I looked back down and saw that Marcy's letter was still in my hand. I sighed to myself and tossed it on the coffee table, deciding that another drink was in order. I made my way to the kitchen and poured myself another glass. After I gulped it down with a few swallows, I stared at the wine bottle for a moment, wondering what might have passed through Marcy's mind when she suggested that Leslie gift it to me.

I went back to the couch and sat, mulling over the possibilities.

Did she really think that there was a chance that this whole thing wouldn't end in divorce? I may have cheated on her, but what I did seemed like a puddle of water compared to the ocean she'd decided to dump on me. I felt guilty as hell and made an honest effort at improving our relationship after my indiscretion. Marcy went into her trip gung-ho and seemed willing to accept the consequences with an attitude akin to, 'oh well, it is what it is.'

Here I was feeling like my world was crashing down around me, and there she was in her letter saying that if we couldn't get past this, she would be hurt and she would mourn what she lost, but...ob-la-di bla-da, life goes on?

Did she really care so little about the life we'd built together?

On the other side of the coin, what would happen if I decided to stick around and make an attempt at reconciliation after she got back? I'd have to swallow a lot of pride in order to not feel like a complete loser. At minimum, Vincent, Leslie and every doctor and nurse that went on that trip would think that I'd accepted or even approved of her actions, which, at least in my opinion, would lead to them losing any respect they might have had for me.

But even ignoring what others thought of me, it was clear that Marcy had already lost a good deal of respect for me herself, based solely on her correct conclusion that I'd cheated on her. It turned out to be exactly what she needed to give herself a six-week 'hall pass' despite knowing that there was a high probability that it would mean the end our marriage. Those aren't the actions of someone that holds any respect for their partner.

The evening progressed slowly after Leslie left, and as I tried to make sense of the shit-show my life was about to turn into, sadness slowly gave way to bitterness, and bitterness gradually grew into anger.

It eventually became clear to me that Marcy was just using my past indiscretion to get what she wanted without feeling guilty. Even if it was technically true, she had no concrete evidence that I cheated, but she went ahead with her plan anyway. She felt that her little tryst with Doctor Asshole would somehow put us on even footing. She also made it sound like the ultimate decision about our marriage was solely up to me, but given her actions, what choice did I really have? The way she initiated this whole thing, along with what she said in that god-damned letter left me with very few options.

Shortly after two in the morning, as I laid in bed struggling to fall asleep, I finally decided on which direction I wanted to take.

Fortunately for me, there were a few ways in which to get there and all I had to do now was figure out how I wanted to do it.

*****

The Neighbors

Mid-day the next day, I rolled out of bed feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. Sure I had a slight hangover, but I also hadn't slept well at all due to the nightmares that kept waking me up. It seemed like every time I closed my eyes, my dreams were filled with crowds of people laughing at me, most of which were people I personally knew. It was especially painful to see my kids among the crowd.

After jumping in the shower, I got dressed and began my morning routine, all the while trying to figure out where to start.

I knew I wanted a divorce, but I also wanted to throw Marcy's letter back in her face. She was perfectly content dumping the fate of our marriage into my lap and jetting off with her fuck-buddy, so I wanted to see if I could somehow turn the tables. She'd made up her mind about Dierdre and I, so I knew she must have felt some of the pain I was now feeling, but I never threw my indiscretion back in her face like she was. I didn't try to justify my cheating with what I suspected she'd done while I was in Korea. I wasn't sure how bad she felt when she concluded that I'd cheated on her, but I had a hard time believing that it was on the same level as I felt right now.

In the end, when all this was over, I wanted her to actually WANT a divorce, rather than just resigning herself to whatever decision I made. She was having her cake, but I wasn't going to allow her to eat it too.

One of the only ways I could think of pulling that off was to find a fuck-buddy of my own. Fortunately, Marcy pretty much solved that problem for me already. Now I just needed to fine-tune some ideas before moving forward.

*****

A couple days later, I was in my backyard throwing some trash in my bin when I heard the back gate rattle. I turned around and smiled as Vincent leaned over the fence and waved.

"Howdy neighbor," he greeted.

"Vincent, how are you?" I responded as I met him at the fence.

"I was actually wondering the same thing about you."

I shrugged, "as well as one can be in this type of situation, I suppose. I'm guessing Leslie filled you in?"

"She did, which is why I wanted to apologize for how we've been acting toward you lately. We were both under the impression that Marcy had talked to you about everything. I'm actually pretty embarrassed now that I realize you had no idea."

I waved him off, "not your fault. I'm actually quite flattered, now that I know."

"Oh?" The glimmer in his eye told me that he was likely still open to the idea, which meant my first plan was still a possibility.

"I don't suppose the offer is still open?" I asked, watching for his reaction.

He was genuinely surprised at my question, "well, yeah, of course. We just didn't think you'd be interested anymore."

"I wasn't, at first, given how Marcy sprung this all on me, but I've had some time to calm down and think. I was hoping we could discuss things over dinner? Maybe tonight, if you're available?"

Vincent nodded eagerly before answering, "yeah, sure. That'd be great. Your place or mine?"

"We'll do mine, and since it's such short notice, I'll spring for takeout. You guys like Chinese?"

"Definitely. I like anything pork and Leslie likes anything spicy."

"Sounds good, see you at, say, six?"

"Six it is." I returned his smile as he walked away with a spring in his step.

I shook my head genially at how excited he became the moment I put Marcy's offer back on the table. Letting your wife have a relationship outside of your marriage was a foreign concept to me, but I wasn't one to knock another person's kink.

Part of the reason I wanted to get together with them was to get more detail on just how their relationship worked. I'd heard of people living in open marriages before but never knew anyone personally. I knew nothing about their lifestyle, but it seemed he and Leslie had figured out something that worked for them.

I'd grown up being a hard-liner on the concept of being loyal and faithful to your one and only spouse, but that stance had loosened a bit over the years. Sadly, some of that was because of what I'd done with Dierdre, but mostly my opinion on the matter changed because of how societal norms had changed in general over the past decade or so. Marriage wasn't as sacred as it once was, and non-monogamous relationships weren't as taboo as they once were.

I also wanted to lay everything on the table with them. I was truly interested in the possibility of something physical with Leslie, but to the outside viewer, it might seem like I was using them in my plans to stick it to Marcy. I was going to be honest with them right from the get-go. If they didn't feel comfortable with how I wanted to do things, then I'd just have to move on to another plan.

*****

I'd just finished laying things out on the dining room table when a knock sounded from the back door. I looked over and just about swallowed my tongue in shock. Leslie stood there waving happily at me as she bounced excitedly on her bare feet. She was wearing cut-off jean shorts and a too-tight t-shirt that left nearly nothing to the imagination.

She slid the door open a crack and smirked as she spoke through the door, "can we come in?"

I snapped out of my trance, "yes, of course! Please, come in!"

I didn't notice Vincent standing behind her until she made her way inside. I waved them over to the table and pointed out which dish was which and we dug in while keeping the conversation light.

When we were all stuffed, they helped clean things up before I suggested we move things to the living room. When we were all settled into our various seats with a drink in-hand, I was the one to start.

"So, one thing I wanted to discuss with you both, was how this is all supposed to work, but I also wanted to let you two know what's going on between Marcy and I before we move things forward. That is if you two don't mind."

Leslie shook her head, "of course not. Vinnie and I have a strict policy in regards to honesty. It's really the only way our type of relationship can work."

"Good," I responded, "then allow me to explain my decision before we move forward. That way if you guys aren't comfortable with it, the rest isn't really necessary anyway."

"Makes sense," Vincent replied as he nodded the go-ahead.

"First, I've decided to divorce Marcy." Leslie gasped as she covered her mouth with her hands, Vincent looked sad for me but nodded his understanding.

"That's not because of this is it?" Leslie waved her hand between the three of us. She looked genuinely worried that they were somehow at fault.

I shook my head, "no, this is strictly Marcy's fault, though I suppose I had my own part to play." I paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, "Full disclosure, I fooled around with someone when I was deployed to Iraq a few years back. We didn't go all the way, and it lasted probably fifteen minutes before we were interrupted by the base siren, but it was still cheating. I knew Marcy always suspected something, but she only confirmed that she'd made the correct conclusion in the letter she had you give me. I felt terrible afterward and it was one of the factors in my decision to retire so that I could be home more often, to put more effort into my marriage. I knew I'd been neglecting my family for too long and I wanted to make a change for the better."

Leslie smiled at me while Vincent looked to be in deep thought, "so she thought that you two would be even after this?"

"Pretty much," I replied. "She left it up to me to decide what happens when she gets back. Either I wait for her at the hotel she reserved a room at, or I don't show up and we end things. She said she'll go along with whatever I decide."

"Really?" Vincent asked incredulously. "She's willing to just...let it all go? No talking, no counseling?"

"From what I understand, yes. Apparently she deems this trip of hers worth whatever consequences she might face when she gets back."

Leslie shook her head, "that seems a bit...odd."

I nodded in agreement, "and it sounds more and more ridiculous every time I think about it. She ended the letter with some real emotion, but in the end, it all seems empty in the face of what she's now doing."

"So then, you're not going to the hotel when she gets back?"

"Actually, I am."

Vincent seemed to immediately know that something was up, "so you've got a plan, then?"

I smiled back at him, "basically yes, the gist of it is, Marcy ran off and laid the decision of whether we get a divorced or not on my lap, and I want to turn things around on her. I want her to actually make the decision to divorce on her own. I also hope that I can get her to feel some of what I'm feeling right now. She doesn't seem to be showing much of any remorse for her actions, probably using my indiscretion as justification, but she doesn't seem to recognize the difference in magnitude. If I can get her to feel even a hint of that, I'll consider it a success. Either way, I won't be staying with her. I just don't want her to get out of this unscathed."

The young couple looked at each other as if to inquire what the other was thinking. Vincent was the first to speak, "I don't really want us doing anything underhanded here."

I shook my head, "I wouldn't put you guys into that kind of position. Honestly, for the most part, the only thing you guys would need to do is what you'd already expected to do in the first place."

"For me and you to get together," Leslie stated.

"Exactly," I answered.

"So how will that make Marcy want a divorce?" Vincent asked.

"That's where a little bit of acting will come into play. For my part, I plan on acting like nothing at all has changed between the two of us, but I'm going to be as open as I can about the whole situation."

"About what we do, you mean?" Leslie asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"About all of it yes. I hope that's okay with you. I'm not going to throw it in her face, but Marcy gave me the impression that she wants us to forget what happens while she's on vacation and put it in the past once she gets back. I don't plan on making it that easy for her. I'm going to be completely open with her about what we do," I motioned between Leslie and I, "and I plan on bringing up what she's currently doing whenever I can logically insert it into the conversation."

The young couple looked at each other again. Leslie shrugged and then looked back at me, "I don't mind. Nothing wrong with talking about the truth."

I sat up a bit, knowing that this next part would be key, "On your guys' part, I want you to do the same thing, just be open and honest about what happens. But I'm also hoping that you can...play things up a bit."

Vincent grinned as he caught on, "you want Marcy to know how you rocked my wife's world."

"Something like that, yes," I replied awkwardly.

"I would hope that that was the plan anyway," Leslie added, which had me nearly coughing my drink up.

"Yes...well. It doesn't have to be so obvious, I just want Marcy to know what she's gotten herself into."

Leslie uncrossed and crossed her legs like she did the last time she was over, I tried my best to avert my eyes as she spoke, "the last time her and I talked, I got the impression that she didn't expect much to happen between us beyond maybe a few BJ's and a quick lay or two."