Lilies and Roses

Ted calmly sat there watching Ron seethe. It was obvious he wanted to argue, but he couldn't without tipping his hand. Callie went to her desk and then finally, Ron left the office. After a moment, Callie turned around in her chair and, looking right at Ted, mouthed the word, "Yours." Ted nodded and they both went back to work.

About an hour later, Ted received a phone call. Picking up the phone, he heard his son Timmy say, "Hi, dad. Do you have a minute or so? I need some advice, I think.

"Sure, Timmy. What kind of advice do you need?"

"Well dad, I was first wondering about you and Melissa's dad, Mr. Clark. Are you two getting along better these days?"

"I'm sorry, Timmy. No we aren't. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking about quitting because of him. Why? What's going on that you are worried about him?"

"Well, dad, Melissa and I have been dating here at school. I got to know her because she is in a couple of my classes and I've been helping her get through them. We know that you two aren't getting along very well and we don't want to mess things up for you at work."

Ted cut him off saying, "Whoa, Timmy. Slow down here. I keep hearing a lot of 'we' in there. You don't need to worry about me and crap at work. You have your own life to lead. What is it you want advice about?"

Timmy paused a moment then the words started gushing out. "Dad, I think I am in love with Melissa. No, wait, that didn't come out right. Dad, I am in love with Melissa. I've been thinking about marrying her and I'm sure she feels the same way about me. I've been worried what being in-laws will do at work. Of course if you quit your job, then it becomes a moot point. Melissa and I don't want to become a bone of contention and cause problems. Can you see my quandary here?"

Ted sat for a moment. Wow. His son was wanting to get married. He had always been the logical thinker in the house. "Look Timmy," he started, "it is your heart and Melissa's heart we are talking about here, as well as your future lives together. I would like to be the first to congratulate you. I don't know Melissa's mom very well at all and can't say anything about her feelings on this matter. Have you said anything to your mom about this?"

"No, as a matter of fact I was going to call her next," he answered.

"What about Joan? Does she know?"

"Oh, of course dad. You know how she likes to mother me. She's totally cool with the whole idea and I think actually she is going to be the bridesmaid or something like that. I don't think that she has discussed anything with Melissa, though. I think she wants us to be engaged before she gets into planning mode."

"All right then, wait until this weekend and everybody is home before making any announcements to your mother. We have some things to discuss before that happens."

"Ok, dad. I'll wait until I get home," Timmy said. After a moment's pause he said, "Dad. Whatever you decide to do about working there, you have our support and I'm speaking for Joan also when I say that. I'll see you on Friday then." They hung up at the same time.

Ted sat for a moment, wondering if he should have told Timmy what was going on. 'No,' he thought, 'he has enough on his mind without worrying about his folks. I shouldn't have even told him I was thinking about quitting.' Ted shook his head and went back to work.

Back at school, Timmy hung his head thinking. Just then somebody knocked on the phone booth wall. He stepped out and took Melissa in his arms while someone else moved into the booth. After hugging for a moment, they turned and walked towards their next class.

At 515pm, Callie put on her coat and shut down her computer. She left with a group of employees who were going to a small bar down the street for a drink. As she was driving out of the parking lot, 3 cars drove in. A black Escalade pulled up and parked first followed by a newer BMW. The BMW parked in Ron Clark's space. Callie waited a moment and saw Tabitha Clark get out of the car. 'Ron left work early again, today,' Callie thought, 'and now his wife parking in his spot. Obviously she knows he isn't here. I'm having a talk with Ted real soon,' she decided. She decided to hurry to the bar. If she had waited, she would have seen Mr. David Jones get out of another car.

+++++++++++++

Chapter 7

What you see is what you get

Tabitha led everyone into the building and motioned them into the meeting room. She was wearing a white tee shirt with a light blue sweater and blue jeans. Ted came out of his office when he heard them and started setting up the equipment. Everyone was seated and he was ready to put in the first tape when they heard the coughing. Turning to look, everyone looked surprised as Mr. Harvey came into the room.

"Well, I'm glad the meeting hasn't started yet. I do hate to come in and stir things up after they've already started." Everyone sat in place until Mr. Harvey moved to his seat at the head of the table. "Ted, where are your manners? I know Tabitha, of course, and Congressman Mendoza, but who are these other people?"

Ted stood up straight and made the introductions. Then looking at Mr. Harvey he asked, "Do you want the background first or should we just watch the tapes and then have the meeting?"

"Oh, turn on the tapes first please. I think they will be enough to bring us all up to speed here. I really don't think I need to hear it twice."

Ted nodded and said, "This first tape is marked L. I presume that stands for the lobby. It's the extra tape that Freddy found. The next 3 tapes are marked H for probably hallway, and these last 3 tapes are marked J for Jacuzzi."

Ted turned off the lights and started the tape. He put it on fast forward until he saw movement, then went back to normal speed. They saw Ron, Megan, Greg, and Gretel step up to the counter. They were all dressed very well and had apparently just come from the Elite. He had never before seen the dress Megan was wearing this time, either. It was a soft blue with white trim around the hemline. It was strapless and stopped about 5 inches above her knees, and accented the curves of her pretty ass very well.

'Jesus, I wonder how many more new clothes she has that I don't know about? More importantly, how did she buy them?' Ted thought.

Ron announced himself as Mr. Ted Johnson and said that he had a room reserved. He presented a credit card to pay for the room and then the clerk asked for an ID as he signed for the room. Ted pulled out a drivers license and asked, "Why are you asking for ID now? We've been coming here a long time now without any problems."

"The hotel has just implemented new procedures, sir. I apologize for the inconvenience. We now require positive ID for all checks, travelers checks, and credit cards. Thank you for your understanding."

Ron picked up the papers and cards and they all went to the elevator. That tape ended and Ted got up to change tapes. He stood by the tape machine as it started. He pressed the fast forward button to speed things up. When they appeared in the hallway, he changed the speed back to normal. This was a different day and again Megan was in a dress he hadn't seen before. This was getting to be way too much. No one spoke in the hallway as Ron opened the door and they all went inside. Ted checked the date time stamp and wrote it down. He sped up the tape until they came out of the room. This time they all were wearing robes, so they were apparently going to the Jacuzzi. Ted noted the time stamp. He also noticed that both women's hair was mussed. So much for the salon hair do. He remembered when Megan had gotten new hair dos at the salon and then didn't let him touch her hair for a week. She wanted it to last as long as possible. Now it looked as though she was getting rid of it as fast as possible. 'Fucking bitch,' he thought.

Fast forwarding the tape again, it ran out before they came back to the room. Ted went through the same procedure for the other hallway tapes. He noted time stamps and each time the tape ended before they came back from the Jacuzzi.

The first Jacuzzi tape started with an empty room. Ted fast forwarded until they came in, then he slowed down to normal speed. He walked around the table and sat as they all watched the group. The bubbles were rather loud, but they spoke up to be heard and the tape picked them up very well. They all dropped their robes and all were nude. Ted felt like a spike punched him in the gut when Megan turned around. She had shaved her pubic hair. Totally. She was bald. He noticed that Gretel was also shaved bald, but he had never seen her nude so he didn't know if it was a change for her or not.

"Ahhh, Jesus, this feels so good," sighed Greg as he slid into the hot water first. "Too bad we can't keep doing this for a while longer. I'm starting to get used to this. Hey, Ron, what do you think? Can we add a couple of weeks?"

Ron's head snapped towards Greg as he snarled out, "What's the matter with you, dipshit? You NEVER call me anything but Ted when we are away from the house. The last thing I need is you screwing this up when we are almost finished. God damn it, but I wish I had people who could actually use their brains."

Greg just bowed his head and said, "Geez, Ron, er, Ted. I'm sorry. I just forgot, that's all. Can't I make an honest mistake?"

Ron glared at him for another moment, then looked at Megan. "Come here bitch and make me feel better. I don't know which is worse, putting up with that incompetent pussy at work that you married or this dumb fuck."

Megan got up and moved in front of Ron. She placed a hand on either side of him on the hot tub and leaned down to take his dick in her mouth. She swallowed the entire length and kept her chin on his balls while she worked to get him hard. After watching for a moment, Gretel turned and did the same for Greg. Ted noticed that Megan hadn't said anything in his defense. It was bad enough seeing her shaved, but now she was doing something for Ron that she hadn't done for him since their honeymoon. Even then, when their life together was new and exciting, she refused to do it again once the honeymoon was over. Now she looked like she was a pro, licking his now hard cock from bottom to top and then sucking on the head before shoving her head down to his pubes.

It was obvious to Ted and probably the group in the meeting room that this was a routine for them. They silently watched as the group went from sucking to fucking and then changing partners. Ted felt more than a little sick from watching their actions. Megan had never said anything about her having sex with other women. He had never known Megan or Gretel to indicate any sexual attraction between them, but they were very comfortable with what they were doing with and to each other. There was no hesitation at all. Ted wondered if it was Ron's doing or whether they just took the initiative themselves trying to please him. He did think that Megan didn't like sucking on Greg while Ron fucked her at the same time as much as Gretel did. Finally, the tape ran out with them still pounding away. After a moment, Ted got up to change the tape. Looking at the group he said, "Once was enough for me, so I am going to step out for a moment. If you would please let me know anything of interest in their conversation ..." He let his voice trail off and he started the tape in fast forward. When they came in, he put it back on normal speed and left the room.

He was somewhat surprised a moment later when Tabitha came out of the room to stand next to him in the hall. He could see the traces of tears on her cheeks and her bottom lip was trembling. Silently he held his arms open and she stepped into his embrace. They stood there, each silently comforting the other while they shuddered with sobs.

After they had somewhat calmed down, Ted took her to the break room and offered a soda from the machine. He took the cans in one hand and held her hand with the other and led her back to his office. A box of tissues was sitting on Callie's desk, very conveniently. He offered the box to Tabitha, then took a handful for himself.

They sat in silence drinking their sodas until Tabitha remarked, "Damn, I forgot the popcorn."

Ted smiled at her and remarked, "That's ok. We weren't scheduled until Friday evening anyway. Maybe next time."

After a few more minutes, David came for them. Walking back into the meeting room, Ted saw the tapes stacked in a pile on the table.

Mr. Harvey looked around the room, then cleared his throat to speak.

"You two lost everything tonight. I am here on record here and now to state you have my complete and total support however you decide to proceed. I have known Jorge for many years now, and I know of no finer lawyer in the country. After talking with him about this evening, I have decided to take this bull by the horns."

Looking at Ted, he quietly asked, "Is there any way you will get back with her?"

Ted just shook his head, not trusting himself to speak.

Tabitha looked at Mr. Harvey and said, "Me either. This is despicable and I still have two girls at home. I guess I am a very lucky person never to have seen Ron act like that. He has the Jekyll and Hyde routine down fairly well."

"Ok then, we are in agreement. Jorge if you will hand them their copies of the paperwork, we will leave them some privacy to go over the particulars. I need a bathroom break and will back in a minute or so." Starting to cough again, he got up and left the room.

The others headed to the break room.

Ted noted all of the assets were going to him and no mention was made of the blind trust. 'Thank you, Jorge,' he breathed to himself. He saw that Jorge had preempted their agreement from yesterday to start preparing these papers until after they'd seen the tapes. 'Well, that was using common sense on Jorge's part,' he thought. 'Maybe I just didn't want to see reality in front of me.

Tabitha made a small choking noise and Ted leaned forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?" he queried.

"Jesus, Ted. How do these people find out all of these things? I had no idea we had all of these assets or even where they came from. My God, we're rich and I didn't have a clue. According to this, he's going to owe more in monthly child support and alimony than he has been getting paid here. Of course, I wondered how he was going to pay child support while sitting in prison. But now, all these accounts and assets belong to me." That last bit gave her a small smile. "And here I was worrying about how we would get by if I threw him out. We do have friends here, don't we Ted?"

That smile made Ted feel a whole lot better and he began to relax for the first time in days. And then he started to tense up again. 'Oh crap,' he thought. 'Ron's been hiding assets from her. She didn't know that they are very well off.' He felt a little sick to his stomach as he realized that now, after all of this, he was really no better than Ron. 'In fact,' he thought, 'I'm really worse. I've known since before we were married about the blind trust. All of the scrimping and saving over the years and trying to live on his income while raising the kids was totally unnecessary. All I'd ever had to do was go to the bank and make a withdrawal. His stubborn pride and damned insistence on working for his job satisfaction had probably cost him his family.'

Despite the way he felt about Megan's cheating on him and the criminal activity she was actively pursuing with Ron, Ted had never felt so low. He felt like the most miserable, self-centered, SOB on the face of the earth.

Tabitha was patting his arm and trying to get his attention. She looked very concerned and as Ted looked at her, he realized her concern was for him.

"I'm sorry, what was that again?" he asked.

"Ted, what's wrong? You suddenly seemed to be miles away and you don't look so well," she replied. She was staring intently at his face.

"Look, Tabitha, I've just had this epiphany of sorts... I'm sorry, just a moment here... damn it...," he tried to talk, but the tears started and he couldn't see her and he couldn't talk and the next thing he knew she had her arms around him and was holding him to her bosom while the tears poured.

"No, damn it, no, just stop, please," Ted was sputtering at her while she just held him and patted his head while he cried.

'Everything is all wrong,' he thought. 'She doesn't know what a chicken shit self absorbed asshole I've been.' That realization kicked him in the gut and he lost any semblance of control.

Tabitha held him in her arms while he cried, not realizing her tears were falling like rain into his hair while she stroked it. She'd been in this town about a year since their move from Dallas. She'd left her home and family behind to follow her husband and bring the children on this move. It had been lonesome at times, but she had stayed focused on her family and their needs. It felt good to be needed like this. She felt more than heard the door open behind her. She turned her head that direction and shook it twice. The door closed. They were alone together again to share their grief.

It took another few minutes before Ted snuffled loudly and pushed himself up. Tabitha let him go easily, feeling that he would be embarrassed about his breakdown. She still had some of the tissues and silently offered him some. They sat quietly for a moment, then Ted began to speak.

"Thank you, Tabitha. I didn't know I needed that, or at least, needed it that much."

She just smiled at him, letting him talk. She'd needed it also, she had just realized.

"Tabitha, before we go any further here tonight, I have a confession of sorts to make," he started. "What started me off was the realization that I am a world class self serving asshole. It took the surprise you showed upon learning what Ron had been hiding from you to wake me up to my own crappy behavior."

He paused a moment and blew his nose again while Tabitha sat in quiet surprise.

"Tabitha," he said, "I'm rich. I've been rich since before I ever met Megan. It is all in a blind trust sitting at the bank. Not once since the day I learned about it did I ever tell Megan about it. Not once did I ever do anything for the kids, Megan, the family, or for me based on what is in that trust. We scrimped, we saved, we cut corners wherever we could. They always thought that we were living within our means. All I ever had to do was go to the bank and make a withdrawal and whatever problems we had at that time would just go away. I am so ashamed that I didn't do anything positive with that trust fund to help my family. I was so wrapped up in the philosophy of working for the satisfaction of a job well done, that I forgot the philosophy doesn't take care of some of the other things in life."

Tabitha listened to him while his pain poured out in words. His words were falling like the rain his tears had been. She was shocked at what he was saying, to be sure, but she was also feeling his pain in his self recriminations and self loathing. As he started to slow down, she reached out a hand to cover his on the table.

"Stop," she said quietly. "Just stop. Slicing yourself to pieces at this point is a pointless exercise in futility. You had your philosophy and you lived it. You learned that philosophy from people who loved you and you in turn taught that philosophy to your children."

He didn't say anything, he just sat and watched her face while she spoke to him.

"The main difference between you and Ron," she continued, "is the fact that you did not act out of malice. You did not ever intend to harm your family. Ron lies, cheats, steals, and abuses anybody and everybody who gets in his way. He has never cared about me or the girls except for how best to use his family to achieve his selfish goals."