Karma is a Journey

Her: Wonderful!

Me: Nice of Duke to let you try the necklace

Her: I know! Can you believe it?

Me: I think it's what you do when you're rich and famous, like him

Her: I don't mind! Anything to wear this necklace!

I didn't give any indication that I suspected what was happening, and Lori offered no clue. She seemed perfectly happy concealing her feelings from me.

***

At the edge of my seat.

It was at that moment I knew that we were in trouble. Meaning the "her and me", or what was left of "her and I."

Me: Have fun then

Her: I'm sure I will. You too

'You too!' how the hell was she expecting me to have fun with what was about to happen?

About five minutes later, Lori returned and sat back down next to Duke. I watched from the corner of my eye, and after a short pause, I could see her pass something under the table to Duke. He had her panties, his first victory. Lori looked at me innocently, and I forced myself just to smile back. Yet, inside me, what had been "us" was collapsing.

The conversation returned to normal around the table, and there were two more auctions, but Duke didn't bid this time. I kept stealing glances at Lori and Duke and could see she was completely absorbed in conversation with him. Soon the dancing started, and Lori called over to Gail and I, fingering the necklace which adorned her neck.

"I'm going to dance with Duke. I hope you don't mind".

"She has to", added Duke with a huge smirk on his face, "that's part of the price for wearing the necklace tonight!"

I did not wonder what the other part would be. I knew.

Gail and I wished them well, and my wife set off hand in hand with Duke. Soon they were dancing intimately on one side of the dance floor. Her body melted into his, and she rested her head on his chest. The lights were lowered as the evening took on a romantic mood.

After three dances, Lori and Duke returned to the table. He had his arm around her waist, and she was smiling, giggling and flirtatious. As they sat down, Duke pulled his chair closer to Lori. Then to my surprise, Duke started a business conversation with me, asking about my firm. As we discussed various investments and he shared some information about his businesses, I noticed that Lori's eyes were glazing over. But it wasn't from boredom. Judging by the position of his arm and how she sat forward, it was quite apparent that Duke was fingering her under the table. Then it struck me - this was my test!

I just continued the conversation looking straight at Duke. I both hated him for his arrogance and admired him for his confidence. But mostly, it was hate.

After a few moments, Gail got up and walked behind Duke, gently massaging his shoulders. She also looked intently at me to see if I would flinch. She ran her fingers through Duke's hair and teased the back of his neck. As Lori began to breathe more heavily and her eyes closed, Gail winked knowingly at me. Duke didn't miss a beat and kept up his conversation with me as I watched my wife silently give a tiny shudder, and I knew she had come on his fingers.

Lori's eyes flashed open, and she stared straight into mine. Apart from a slight curling smile, once again, Lori gave me no clue of what was happening. I looked back at Duke. His smile was now smug satisfaction. He knew that I knew and that in his mind, I had passed the test of submission. And he knew I would not do anything to stop him with my wife.

***

Moment of truth

"Come on Lori, let's do what girls do best", Gail said. "Let's go to the restroom".

As they left, I expected Duke to confront me and tell me his intentions with Lori. Instead, he asked me to join him and introduced me to several of his wealthy acquaintances on other tables. We spent a little longer with two men, Grant and Davis, who Duke said were two of his best friends. He told them to make me and my 'exquisitely charming' wife welcome to their world and said he hoped to see them later in the evening. As Duke steered me back to our table, he put his hand on my shoulder.

"It's good that you have such a beautiful wife," he said, "Lori will be a great asset for your business career." Then he turned and shook my hand firmly, fixing me in a knowing stare, continuing. "Think about it. I would be a very valuable customer, and so would those two guys".

Before I could answer, I could see the women coming back to the table.

"Say nothing to Lori," was Duke's command to me. "This is all up to her now."

"I understand", I managed to say because I was sure where this was leading.

As they returned, Lori made her way directly to Duke and stood dutifully beside him with longing eyes.

"Surely I owe you another dance?" she asked him. "I can't imagine I've paid the rent on this necklace yet!"

"You certainly haven't!" He laughed, taking her back to the dance floor.

"Let's dance too", Gail asked, and soon we were dancing close together.

I deliberately positioned us away from Duke and Lori so as not to interrupt her "seduction." Gail was and still is a stunning and sexy woman. Having her in my arms had its inevitable effects. Pressed close to me, I know Gail could feel my bulging cock.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I said to Lori?"

"I'm dying to know!"

"I told her I'm OK whatever she does with Duke!"

"What was her reaction?"

"She was very surprised, then she thanked me, asked me not to tell you anything and keep you occupied, in case she decides to do it".

"So she still thinks I don't know!"

"Yes," Gail replied with a slight smile. "So kinky. Isn't it?"

If this woman weren't as attractive as she was, she would be annoying. But I had a feeling that there was an opportunity there with her if I played my cards right.

"So, occupy me," I responded, pulling her closer.

Satisfied her mission had been accomplished, Gail smiled, and she let my hands hold her closer as we dance.

Less than fifty feet away, my wife was dancing with another man and thinking of giving herself to him, keeping it secret from me! As I watched Lori dance with him, he whispered something to her, and she looked longingly up into his eyes and nodded yes. They immediately broke the dance and started towards the door. She never looked back to check where I was.

"They're leaving", I told Gail.

"You want her to do it, don't you?"

"It is all up to her as Duke said," I replied with a fatalistic tone.

Gail felt my cock between my legs. It had waned when I saw my wife leave with her husband, but she managed to bring it back to life.

"More distraction?" I asked her.

"I'm sorry I can't help you with this", she said genuinely. "Maybe if you do business with Duke, one day he will tell me to fuck you. I hope he does!"

"Gee, thanks," I sarcastically replied as I moved her hand away.

"Oh, don't be this way," she said, realizing I was not having a good time in this absurd situation. As if that was possible.

Gail and I went back to the table. She could see how nervous I was and started to reassure me.

"Don't worry, she's not going to leave you! Try to relax. He won't hurt her. Let her enjoy herself. Duke is an amazing fuck".

Her reassurances did little to settle my anger and disappointment toward my wife. My first instinct was to get up and leave. But another part of me told me that if I did, Lori would have a way to spin what had happened in my absence to her favour.

No! I needed to stay and see the "brutality and starkness" of what was happening. I needed to.

***

"Never turn away from the horror of life Brett," Patricia had advised me. "Embrace the horror. The harsher the experience, the easier it will be for you to survive it after. Harshness means black and white. It means clarity. Gray leaves ambiguity and a return to something best left behind you."

"What has made you this way?" I had asked.

"Terrible things," she had replied as her eyes stared back at me coldly. "But those things made me stronger."

"You are quoting Nietze?" I asked in surprise. "I thought you didn't like him."

She did a dismissive wave at my lat quip and answered.

"What does not kill us makes us stronger," she had repeated the famous quote. "Remember that. In that point, Nietze was right."

***

"How long will they be gone?" I asked Gail.

"Not long. He just wants to conquer her initially. Then he'll want to return and parade his victory in front of you. He'll want you to know she enjoyed fucking him. It's all about his power over both of you."

"I don't know how I let this happen!" I spoke out loud, to myself more than to Gail.

"Because he's the alpha male."

"No," I replied.

"No?" she said, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

In her mind, I had capitulated to her husband's aggressiveness because of my greed to land him as a client and advance myself using Lori in the process. I assumed that others had fallen prey to her husband's manoeuvres. Probably with Gail as a witness and willing conspirator.

"Too late for second thoughts Brett," she said with that knowing smirk.

I thought of running after them, but I didn't know what room they had gone to. But then, if I was testing my wife, I had to let the entire process play out and then decide based on the results. If I didn't have a breakdown first, that is.

"Is this how it started for you and Duke?" I asked as if I wanted to know more about the lifestyle in a new lifestyle enthusiasm.

"Something similar," she replied. "It's a long story that I may share with you one day. But yes, I was another man's fiance, and Duke lured me from him."

"Has it been rewarding?"

"Oh quite so," she smiled. "As you will find out. But it will be rough for you at first."

Then she started to explain what could happen next.

"If Lori's wearing the necklace when she comes back, it may be a long night for both of you. It means she has totally submitted and pleased him and that she has agreed to his conditions."

Gail emphasized the word "totally" to me while locking my gaze to hers.

"I see," I replied as her lips curled up for a knowing snicker.

"You have no idea Brett."

***

Crash point

Gail took a sip of her champagne and smiled at me. I realized she was an accomplice in her husband's conquests and that she was enjoying this as well. Duke's wife was preparing me for something. And in facing the "starkness," I wanted to know.

Letting her think I was now a willing accomplice, I begged to know the conditions.

"If Lori wants to keep the necklace after tonight, she has to confess to you, describe what she did with Duke and get you to join them upstairs to watch him fuck her again and again."

My head was spinning, but I needed to know the extent of this situation. Seeing no visible resistance from me, Gail continued.

"Do you want Lori to have that beautiful necklace?"

"Yes...yes, I do", I replied, knowing that this was expected of me.

But the question and my submission were not about that expensive trinket. It was about my agreeing to let my wife be used in return for monetary gain and career advancement.

"Duke may also have conditions for you, depending on his plans for Lori".

"What kind of conditions?" I was now more than a little nervous.

"That I can't predict", explained Gail, "except he will have decided how he wants to enjoy Lori by now, and he will want you to admit you want to see it happen. Then he's conquered you both. That's what turns him on."

A few other people returned from the dance floor, and our conversation was interrupted. About ten minutes later, I saw Duke and Lori enter the ballroom and make their way over to us. They stopped briefly at a few tables as Duke introduced her to some of his friends I had met earlier. As they got closer, I could see Lori was wearing the necklace and a very satisfied grin. She was flushed and radiant - just like I remembered her on our wedding night. Probably more so.

"Sorry I stole your lovely wife - but she didn't seem to mind", Duke said to me triumphantly, flashing a smile at Lori. Turning to Gail, he invited her to dance and left me alone with Lori.

"Come on, let's dance too", Lori said matter of factly, and I followed her to the dance floor.

I couldn't believe how composed Lori was as she slipped into my arms on the dance floor. She felt warm, and I caught the faint aroma of sex mixed with her perfume. Lori pressed up close to me.

"I have something to confess, and I need you to promise you won't make a scene here or get angry until I finish explaining."

'Starkness. Embrace the horror. Face it head-on,' I remembered all of Patricia's advice on adverse situations.

"I promise," I replied, forcing myself to stay calm.

Lori looked intently into my eyes, and a smile started to crinkle her eyes. In shock, I realized that she was actually looking forward to telling me!

"I just went upstairs and had sex with Duke. I couldn't help myself - he's the sexiest man I've ever met. He has my panties in his pocket, and his come is dripping down my inner thighs."

'He's the sexiest man I've ever met.' Imagine a wife saying that to her husband about another man. I didn't have to. She had tossed that slight at me as if I was her girlfriend -- not her husband. And not caring how I would feel at that cutting comment.

I gasped, speechless at her brazenness. I just stared into Lori's eyes as she continued. Who was this woman I had been married to?

"I know I should say I'm sorry, but I can't. It was amazing. He just seemed to break down my resistance so easily, and then all of a sudden, I knew I wanted him. I couldn't think of anything else. I didn't even think of you."

'Face the starkness. Embrace the horror. Remember it!' Oh Patricia! You had been right, but even all the warnings and advice had not prepared me for this. I felt so cold. So alone.

Lori looked up at me with questioning eyes, waiting for my reaction.

"So you're glad you did it?" I asked calmly.

"Yes. More than I can explain," Lori answered, letting it sink in for a moment. "And the sex was amazing too. He's an incredible lover, and he fucked me beautifully. I came twice in fifteen minutes. I hope you can cope with that. I need to make sure that you still love me?"

'Love! Love? Is she serious?' I thought inwardly.

How could she think that her blatant betrayal in front of everyone could pass for love? Does anyone who loves someone act this way unilaterally? The answer to me was clear.

Had she and I connived together to approach Duke and offered ourselves to him, I would have accepted my complicity to her debasement. But we had not. This evening's events had been Lori's doing. Lori's choices to make this decision for us both. A fait accompli, where she and I had not discussed and agreed to anything she did.

The way Lori had acted and behaved, I no longer felt a part of her as an equal. I was but a tool to her. The "starkness and brutality" hurt - more than I had expected that they would. This was the woman I had pinned all my hopes and dreams on; to live a life together as equals. Me and her against the world - advancing our careers, having children and growing old together. It hurt so much to know that all that was not to be. That all before that night had been but a fantasy -- an illusion.

And in that realization, all obligations of loyalty and fielty I had toward her faded into nothingness. And just as she behaved toward me with duplicity and ambiguity, I did the same.

Feigning my approval, I kissed Lori tenderly on the lips and told her I still loved her.

"Good, because I have a really difficult question to ask you," she said with a slightly mischievous smile.

"Ask away!"

"I want to have sex with Duke again tonight - all night if possible".

"That wasn't really a question."

"No, it wasn't, but this time I need something from you".

Lori bit her lower lip, hesitating.

"Duke has offered to give me this necklace if I have sex with him while you watch. Could you do that for me?"

"So it's all about the necklace?"

"No, it's all about us. I want to spend the night with him anyway, I really do. But I want you to get me the necklace by agreeing to watch."

There it was. As if what my wife had done with Duke was not enough.

I put my hand on Lori's tight bum and pulled her to me. The same ass he had touched and probably held as he fucked her. Her body no longer felt the attraction it had earlier in the evening, but I had to play my part in this charade.

"There's your answer", I declared as I kissed the side of her jaw. Not wanting to place my lips on hers as she had probably sucked "his" cock with them. "I would love you to have that necklace! You earned it."

Now it was Lori's turn to be surprised. I'm sure she had expected me to be furious, not approving or acquiescing as I seemed to be. She took a moment to gauge my state of mind further and asked another question.

"So you're turned on by this?"

Where had she gotten that idea? I had never confessed a need to see her with another man. I know some men get off on that, but it was not my cup of tea. But the answer was plain to see. Duke. He had been the one to plant that idea in her deluded mind. After all, Gail had said he got off on the conquest of other men's wives.

"Yes, I've been watching him seduce you all night!"

"And you didn't try to stop him?"

"It was so sexy to watch! I wanted him to succeed," I lied. "By the time he fingered you under the table, I knew I wanted you to fuck him too!"

"You dirty bastard!" she said, glad I was so accepting of it all.

I bet she couldn't wait to go back to her new fuckbuddy and tell him I was "down with it." More like "Down with the Sickness," as the Disturbed band's song was titled.

Strangely enough, the slow "seduction" during this hellish evening had helped me place it all in perspective. And once I did, playing along and deceiving Lori, in turn, came easy to me.

Once the tension was gone, Lori wanted us to share the thrill. She told me Gail had explained what she does for Duke "seducing" couples and that she could do the same for me. She clearly liked the idea that I would let her fuck for fun and profit. Playing along, I told her I was proud to have such a sexy slut as my wife.

Then she hit me with the big one.

"Duke has some more conditions that he wants you to accept. Please don't be too shocked when he asks you - I know what he wants, and it's OK with me. But you have to agree as well."

'Like you asked for me to agree to let Duke fuck you?' I thought of replying. But that we were past that point. After all, I had tested her by allowing it, so what would have been the point of challenging her. Unlike her, I was not deluded into thinking she would all of a sudden have felt remorse and beg for forgiveness. That shit only happens... never.

"What are they?" I replied with feigned anticipation.

"He has to tell you", she laughed, enjoying seeing me cringe.

Lori then steered us next to the dancing Duke and Gail. When we were next to them, she simply called out "Yes" to Duke, giggling with a huge sexy smile on her face.

At the end of the dance, we broke apart, and Lori went off to the toilets again with Gail. Duke took me back to our table. This time he sat next to me, and we refreshed our glasses of champagne. This was his moment to prove he could dominate me too.

"I enjoyed your delicious wife more than any woman I've had for a long time", he declared with great satisfaction, "Lori is so sexy, and she has such a sweet body. She was so willing. Lori begged me to fuck her. Her pussy just opened up, and she pulled me into her with her legs behind my back. She kept calling out my name and telling me how much she wanted me. She came twice before I came in her - did Lori tell you that just now when you were dancing?"