Merl and Heide

Looking further, I found envelopes filled with cash. I counted about $6,000 total and found folders filled with pictures of Heide. Some were of her on stage and others were of her with one, or quite often, more men engaging in a number of sex acts. I wondered why she left these here but put others in the folder I found in the kitchen.

I took the statement, the hospital documents, tax forms, and the contract with Rye Balled Productions and went into my home office, where I made copies on our printer. I called Leanne to let her know of my discoveries.

"Damn," she said. "Tell you what, scan those and email them to me, okay?"

"Consider it done," I said. It didn't take long, and when I was finished, I put them back, hoping Heide wouldn't notice her box had been opened. I went back to my computer and grabbed one of the DVDs. Something told me I was going to regret looking at whatever was on it, but I felt compelled. My initial assumption was correct.

The first video showed Heide on stage, doing a fairly standard striptease. Subsequent videos showed her going a bit farther, masturbating herself on stage and fucking herself with a large dildo. From there, I saw videos of her doing naked lap dances as men gave her money.

The next few videos showed her in what appeared to be a motel room, giving customers blowjobs or getting fucked. The last video showed her getting gang-banged by at least five guys. None of the men wore condoms and yes, all of them finished inside her pussy and her mouth. I also saw her getting made "airtight" by three men. That video finished with the men leaving dollar bills on the dresser as they walked out.

I ejected that disc and inserted another. This one was more of the same. Heide dancing, stripping and getting herself off on stage and more lap dancing. But the following videos were different. These showed her with just one man at a time. I recognized our city's mayor in one, and Spencer, my so-called "friend," in another.

The last video on the disk showed Heide and her friend Meredith getting fucked next to each other in what looked like a motel room. When the guys finished inside them, the two girls engaged in a 69, licking each other's pussies. Afterward, they laid next to each other and engaged in some small talk.

"God, that was so good," Meredith said.

"Yeah, it was," Heide said.

"I bet poor Merl would go nuts if he saw us right now," Meredith said. Heide laughed.

"He would probably ask for a manual or something so he would know what just happened," she said, causing her friend to chuckle.

"Seriously, though, how much longer do you plan on doing this?" Meredith asked. Heide shook her head.

"I don't know," she said. "As long as I can, I guess. Maybe a couple years. Rye Balled owns me for a while yet, at least until I finish all ten movies. Merl doesn't know, and hopefully he'll never find out."

"Think you could ever go back to just having one man?" Meredith asked.

"I don't think so," my wife said. "Merl's a good guy, but there's no way he'll ever be able to satisfy me by himself. Not anymore. Besides, we only do it maybe twice a week, at most. Except lately, it's been a lot less than that."

"Think he's getting any on the side?" Meredith asked.

"Nah, not Merl," Heide said. "He did once, a long time ago, but that was it."

"Seriously, though," Meredith said. "You know somewhere along the way, he's going to find out. You haven't exactly kept all this a secret. I mean, you were photographed in public with the mayor. What will you do?"

"I don't know," Heide said. "Throw myself at his mercy, maybe. Even if he does throw me out or divorces me, I've got plenty of money saved up. It'll be hard, but I'll be okay. I don't think he'd miss me much anyway. I'm hardly ever at home these days." That's the damn truth, I thought. As I watched, Meredith looked up at the camera.

"Turn that damn thing off, willya, Greg?" she asked. Greg? As in Meredith's husband? The video ended after that last statement. I knew I was going to have to talk with Greg before this was all over. I had to wonder how much he knew about their antics.

I ejected the disk and locked them all up in my desk. I sat there at my computer, trying to process everything I had seen and heard. I turned the computer off, grabbed a beer and sat in front of the television. I really wasn't paying any attention to what was playing -- it was just background noise to me anyway. I was having a hard time seeing, and realized I was actually crying.

I went upstairs and washed my face. I looked at myself in the mirror and didn't like what I saw. My face was still red and my eyes were puffy from crying, but I knew that divorce was the only option. There was simply no way I could stay with a woman I couldn't satisfy sexually. I trudged back downstairs and grabbed a sandwich. All this crap had made me hungry. I thought about going out, but my heart just wasn't into it.

I looked at the clock and saw it was already 10:00 pm. Time certainly flies when you're having fun, I thought sarcastically. Still no sign of Heide, and no messages or calls. She did say she would be late getting home, and I had a pretty good idea of why. I pulled up the Life 360 app on my phone and it said her phone was at Rye Balled. Of course, I thought. I shut the thing off and went to bed.

I woke up when I heard the garage door open. I looked at the clock and saw it was 2:30 am. Terrific. It was officially my birthday. Happy fucking birthday to me. I sarcastically wondered how much she had made tonight and closed my eyes. I heard her come upstairs into the bedroom. She walked to the bed and I felt her touch my cheek. When she walked away, I looked and saw that she seemed sad for some reason.

She went into the bathroom and closed the door. A few minutes later, she came out wearing a long nightshirt and climbed into the bed. She started snuggling up to me, but I turned on my side and scooted away from her. She kissed the top of my head and laid down. I thought I heard her sobbing into her pillow, but I just didn't care anymore.

A couple hours later, I heard her softly snoring and decided to get up. I put my bathrobe on and went downstairs as quietly as I could, grabbing her phone off its charger. I went into my office and looked at her text history the way I had done earlier. I noticed there were more texts between her and Spencer.

"So, how's the wimpy little cuck?" he asked her. She apparently didn't like that question.

"Stop calling him that," she said.

"Why? Isn't that what he is?" Spencer wrote.

"He's no wimp," she replied.

"Maybe not, but he is a cuck," Spencer said. "And you made him one."

"Stop reminding me," she said.

"So, have you fucked him since we talked last?" Spencer asked.

"No," she said.

"Good," he told her. "You going on the cruise?" Cruise? What cruise? I hadn't heard anything about this.

"Yeah, I'm going," she wrote. "It'll be hard to explain to Merl."

"You don't owe him an explanation," he said. "Just tell him you're going. From what I hear, you could make a ton of money."

"That's true," she said. "R U going?"

"Pretty expensive for my taste, but I might," he said.

"From what I heard, they're already sold out," she said.

"I guess that's the way it goes," he said. "Maybe I'll see ya when U get back."

"K. Gotta get back 2 work. TTYL," she wrote, ending the texts. I had to find out about this cruise. Would she actually go on a cruise without telling me, or worse yet, just tell me she's going and expect me to just suck it up? This was getting out of control.

I looked around a bit more and saw she had a text from what looked like a payment processor. I opened it up and from what I could tell, she had managed to earn just over $2,500.00 today. No doubt on her back. I closed everything out, put her phone back on its charger and made my way back upstairs.

The next morning, Heide made breakfast as before, and I dutifully ate what she prepared. She sat and looked at me as I ate. Apparently, she was somewhat disturbed by the absence of a greeting or a good morning kiss.

"Are you alright?" she asked. I stopped chewing long enough to glare at her.

"Uh huh," I mumbled, going back to my food.

"You sleep okay last night?" she asked. "You seem a bit grumpy this morning."

"I guess loneliness can do that," I said. "You gonna be home today, or not?"

"I'm sorry, but Meredith and I are going to be busy again today," she said.

"Of course," I said. "You know, we still need to talk about things. Do I need to book a reservation in advance or something? Is there a booking agent I should call?"

"Of course not," she said. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh I don't know," I said sarcastically. "Just the fact that I hardly ever see you anymore. Seems like you're just home long enough to get some sleep, then change clothes and go back out again."

"Look, I have things I need to do as well," she said.

"Whatever," I said, getting up from the table. "I gotta go to work. I'll see you when I see you." I grabbed my jacket and keys and headed out the door. I heard her say she loved me but I didn't respond. I was done with her.

That afternoon, I got a call from Leanne.

"Hey, little brother," she said. "How's things at home?"

"Not good," I said.

"Well, why don't you come over to our house tonight? Ron and I would like to celebrate your birthday," she said.

"That sounds good," I said.

"Is Heide going to be around?" she asked me.

"I don't know," I said.

"Well, it'll actually be better if she isn't," Leanne said. "I got a call from John. He says he has some information so I invited him over as well. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure," I said. "What time should I be there?"

"Come over any time after work," she said. "I'll be leaving here about 4:30 this afternoon."

"I'll see you about that time then, I guess," I told her. We ended the call and I went about my work. I left a bit early and checked out the 360 app to see where Heide was. Sure enough, she was at Rye Balled. Again. I shook my head and drove to Leanne's house.

Leanne and Ron met me at the door. She gave me a hug and he shook my hand. It felt a bit strange to think I had gotten more affection from my sister in the last two days than I had gotten from my wife in what seemed like weeks. Ron handed me a beer and we went into the dining room. Leanne had gone all out for dinner.

The doorbell rang just as she was putting a freshly-made pan of lasagna on the table. Ron answered the door and invited John inside. We all sat down and had a nice dinner, topped with ice cream and cake. Naturally, they sang happy birthday to me after I blew out the candles. Afterward, Leanne handed me a birthday card -- I thought it was quite funny and had the first good laugh in a long time.

John opened his briefcase and pulled out a report. He handed me a copy and began to talk as I read the report.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially after such a wonderful meal," he said.

"That's okay," I said. "It had to come out sooner or later."

"I gotta tell ya, Merl," he said. "Your wife is quite the star down there at Rye Balled. There is something you need to know, though."

"What's that?" I asked.

"The club is sponsoring a five-day adult cruise in the Caribbean," he said. "Of course, when word got out that Flaming Red was part of it, tickets sold out almost immediately. Our source inside the club confirmed to me today that she committed herself to the cruise a while back."

"Oh my God," Leanne said.

"Happy fucking birthday," I said. "So, when is this cruise taking place?"

"The hostesses -- that's what Rye Balled is calling them -- are supposed to leave for Miami on Friday," John said. "The boat leaves on Saturday and is scheduled to be back sometime Wednesday." He pulled out a poster and handed it to me.

"Sun, sea and sex," the poster declared in garish red and yellow letters. "Join Flaming Red and friends for the first Rye Balled Windjammer Caribbean Cruise!" The poster showed what looked like a modern schooner on the water. Heide's smiling face was in the upper right-hand corner.

"Is this supposed to be the boat they'll be on?" I asked.

"Yeah," John said. "Supposed to be a take on the Bahamas Windjammer Cruises. I don't think I need to explain what will take place on this cruise."

"No, I get the idea," I said.

"We've also learned that the cruise will be used as a backdrop for her next adult movie," John said. "Flaming Red Does The Caribbean, or some such nonsense. From what we gathered, the people who bought tickets will get to see her perform live." I felt like I was going to throw up. "I'm sorry, Merl," he added.

"That's okay, John," I said. "I guess I should've expected it." I looked at Leanne. "When is your friend due back from Europe?"

"Two weeks," she said.

"Is she really as good as you say?" I asked.

"The best," Leanne said. "She hates cheaters with a passion."

"Alright, when she gets back, I want to file for divorce," I said. "Do you think you have enough for your friends at Vice?" I asked John.

"I believe we do," he said. I nodded my head.

"Alright," I said. "Let me know how much I owe you. I think I have enough evidence for my purposes." We talked for a bit longer, then ended the meeting.

"I'm so sorry," Leanne said before I left. She gave me a sisterly hug and I shook Ron's hand. "If there's anything I can do for you, let me know."

"Thanks, Leanne," I said before leaving. I was drained by the time I got home. Of course, Heide wasn't home, so I went to bed and fell asleep almost instantly. I woke to the smell of bacon and went downstairs after I got ready for work.

"Where were you last night?" Heide asked when I got to the table. "I tried calling the house but got no answer."

"I was at Leanne's house," I said. "Her and Ron had me over for my birthday last night."

"Oh my God," Heide said. "Yesterday was your birthday? I completely forgot. I'll make it up to you, I promise." Yeah, right. Like her promises mean anything to me anymore.

"Don't worry about it," I said.

"Just so you know, I'll be spending the night with Meredith," she said. "We're flying to Miami for a shopping excursion early tomorrow morning."

"Oh?" I asked. "When did this come up?"

"We've been talking about it now for a few days," she said. "I know it's last minute and all, but she said the place is crawling with flea markets this weekend and we can get some really good deals on stuff."

"Does this shopping excursion include a five-day Caribbean cruise?" I asked. She looked at me, shocked.

"What are you talking about? What cruise? I don't know what you're talking about," she said. I opened my briefcase and pulled out the poster John gave me last night. I tossed it on the table.

"This cruise," I said. "The one with Flaming Red. Yeah, I know who -- and what -- you are," I told her. "Enough with the lies." She looked at the poster for a minute before speaking. I could see the wheels turning in her head.

"I... I," she stammered.

"Don't give me any of your shit," I said. "You've been lying to me our whole marriage, haven't you, Red?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said.

"Bullshit," I told her. "Were you ever going to tell me about your abortion 14 years ago? I wondered why we never had kids, and now I know." I tossed the hospital paperwork on the table. "You had your tubes tied at the same time. Tell me the truth. Was it even my child?"

"I... I don't know," she said. "I had sex with a whole bunch of guys one night while you were gone. I don't know whose child it was and I didn't want to take the chance that it wasn't yours. I'm sorry. I should've told you."

"Yeah, you should've," I said. "Were they paying you to fuck them?"

"How can you ask me such a thing?" she asked, getting indignant.

"Oh, please," I said. "I know about your career as a high-priced prostitute and porn actress. How long have you been getting paid for sex?" She started trembling and tears ran down her face.

"I started taking money for sex after the abortion," she said quietly. I shook my head. "We had an open marriage, remember? We both agreed."

"Yeah, we did," I said. "But it seems to me that the word 'open' would involve a bit of truth and a modicum of respect for the other partner in the marriage. The truth is you've disrespected me, humiliated me and lied to me for at least 14 years. Isn't that right? Hell, you had an affair with the mayor, for crying out loud!" I tossed the newspaper clipping that showed her with Rudy on the table.

"But you aren't exactly innocent," she said.

"No, I'm not," I said. "I had sex with one other person early on in our marriage -- Cindy. But that's it. And you knew all about it because I told you. Since then, I've been completely faithful to you. But you! You went off the fucking deep end. How many guys have you fucked in the last 14 years? A few thousand? And now you're a goddamn prostitute and porn actress. Do you realize prostitution is illegal? You're damn lucky you didn't get busted by the cops. Were you ever going to tell me about that? Were you ever going to tell me about your offshore account in the Caymans or that expensive coin and necklaces you have stashed away upstairs?" She looked at me, shocked.

"You know about that?" she asked. I nodded my head.

"Yes, I do," I said. "I also know you fucked my so-called friend, Spencer. You even did it one time at the pig roast my company held not that long ago, about 100 yards away from me. And I know he wanted you to cut me off completely. Tell me, wife, how many times have you fucked him this month?"

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe five or six times."

"Five or six times," I said. "That's more times than you've been with me this last month. Do you know what it's like to be seen as the biggest goddamn cuckold in the county? Do you know the humiliation you've heaped on me? I may have to leave town because of you, you goddamn lying bitch." Tears started falling down her cheeks but they had no affect on me whatsoever.

"You know, I've asked myself a million times if it's possible to cheat in an open marriage," I said quietly. "You've shown me the answer to that is 'yes.' I probably could've handled the odd one-night stand now and then, but I can't handle what you've done. It's not just the lack of physical attention. It's the complete disrespect you've shown me these last 14 years."

"I'm sorry," she cried. "If you want I won't go on the cruise. I'll stay home. I'll quit Rye Balled. I'll be faithful to you from now on." I shook my head.

"No," I said. "You won't. You can't. Fidelity is impossible for you now. And you're already committed to this lifestyle of yours. Besides, our marriage is toast anyway. Go, have your last fling as a married prostitute. That's what you are, after all. What was it you told Meredith? There's no way I can satisfy you by myself anymore?"

"I didn't mean it that way," she said through her tears.

"Yes you did. It doesn't matter anymore," I said. "Just go. I loved you once, with all my heart. But I can't handle what you've turned into and I won't stay with someone who constantly lies about everything. Go. Have your fling. Make your goddamn movie. Do what you gotta do. Just know that I'll be filing for divorce when you get back."

"But I don't want a divorce," she said.

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn what you want anymore," I said, echoing the famous line from that old movie, Gone With The Wind. "I'm done with you. Goodbye. Don't be here when I get back. I don't ever want to see your face again." I picked up the papers from the table, tossed them back in my briefcase and left for work.

I wanted to ask her about the stuff she kept in the kitchen, but I figured it didn't really matter -- not anymore. I had my say and I was done with her. Later that evening, I got a call from Greg, Meredith's husband.