Philanthropy

Natalie and James, or Natalie, Justin, and James saw each other frequently in the next few months. On the nights they did not go out, she and Justin tried all the tricks she had learned from James. He never said where he suspected she learned them from. He was enjoying the improved love life too much. Both quantity and quality of lovemaking increased.

On those nights it was just Natalie and James, they wound up at the guesthouse and intense sex occurred. Before long, James proposed a change in their relationship. "Natalie, I need to go to a dinner again where I am expected to have a date. Normally I would hire an escort and pay $2000. I don't want any escort but you. I would like you to consider me giving you the money I would usually pay for an escort. You could use the money to build an emergency fund for you and Justin. I have already talked to Justin to make sure he would not be offended. He seemed okay since if I was going to pay someone to accompany me to events anyway, it might as well be you."

"James, you don't have to pay me to go with you. I'm glad, no I'm proud to be with you. In a way different from what I feel for my husband, I love you." This was the first time she had used the "L" word and hoped it would not scare James.

"Natalie, I love you too. Our time together has been precious to me. Please reconsider. I would not be paying you for sex. Sex is always optional and always for you to choose or not. I am only talking about you being with me at public events when I want to be seen with a beautiful, intelligent, and caring woman."

Natalie was almost in tears. "James, I will never turn down a chance to be with you," she smiled devilishly before continuing, "even if I get paid to do it. Now if it's up to me, let's try that optional sex thing you were talking about."

The six-month anniversary of the arrangement to help Justin and Natalie was approaching. Natalie wondered if James had forgotten the guideline he had mentioned. She was not going to mention it as she was afraid it might affect their special relationship.

James called Natalie and asked for her to go to dinner, non-escort dinner, at the dining room at the Hyatt. Their dining room was a four-star restaurant so one of her special dresses could be used. The conversation was lively for the most part, but Natalie thought she detected a sadness in James. After a glass of wine to finish the dinner, he asked her to accompany him to his penthouse suite. She breathed a sigh of relief as she was sure this would mean the next bout of hugely enjoyable intercourse.

The penthouse and the view was spectacular. Natalie looked around and returned to James. "Do you want to undress me tonight?"

James' expression turned dour. "We need to talk."

Natalie knew that was often a signal for divorce in married people and other couples. She felt tears about to come up. She could not speak.

"Natalie, you and Justin have become a financially stable family now. You no longer need our help. My sister and I need to move on to the next worthy couple." Then he let the hammer fall. "And I think, no, I know we need to end our special relationship." He barely could talk any more as emotion overtook him.

With her tear duct faucet fully on, "No, James, no. No matter if the financial arrangement has to end, I love you. I want us to continue someway, somehow. Please don't end our relationship. I will do anything to keep it." She stood sobbing.

"You may not feel that way in a few minutes. What I'm about to tell you is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Please sit down and listen." He breathed very deeply before talking. "My ex-wife wasn't totally lying. Your family was chosen partially because I was attracted to you and I hoped for a sexual relationship. I set up the incident at the Olive Garden to make me look magnanimous. I got Justin's boss to hire him back early and to fix it so he would be gone to the Eagles game which allowed us have time just the two of us. Although the scene with my wife was real to some degree, Ellen did her best to shame you into pity sex in hopes you would enjoy it enough you would want it to continue. Ellen and I take turns in finding couples. She is a lesbian and has about the same amount of success I do in seducing the wife. It's her turn now and she has a couple in mind. I have to assume the role you saw her in."

It took a while for James' words to sink in. Finally, Natalie spoke, "I am such a fool! How could I have been so easily tricked? I must be an absolute idiot. And you, you are a ... a horrible, awful, outrageous bastard. Call me a cab, James. I want to get away from you as quickly as possible."

He complied with her demand. His last words were, "I hate that I deceived you but please believe that I meant it when I said, 'I love you.'"

On the cab ride home, Natalie cried and tried to figure out how she could make things up to Justin. The frequency of sex had dwindled in the last couple of months although the quality had remained high as she passed along anything learned from her time with James. She figured Justin knew she and James were intimate, but she had been afraid to actually talk about it with him. The question was: Should she confess or not? Her decision was that It would be best to tell him everything and beg for his forgiveness. They would have time tonight as she was returning home early and the boys were at his parents' house spending the night.

Natalie felt courage from deciding to come clean and walked into her living room. The sight almost caused a heart attack. Her husband was having sex with a woman who was leaning over the living room couch. Without saying anything, he pulled out and pulled up his underwear and pants. The woman saw Natalie and looked fearful. Justin told her to call a cab and leave. She did and waited out on the porch.

Natalie was still almost catatonic. Justin was calm and spoke, "I guess it's confrontation time. You look like you can't speak so I will. It started the night of the Eagles game. The booth had great seats, great food and plenty of strong drink. They also had girls. Pretty girls willing to provide just about any service anyone wanted. It didn't take too far into the first lap dance for me to become unfaithful. I came home that night to confess but I hoped you might confess to having sex with James, so we could call it even. Even once I was sure you were swapping bodily fluids with James, and I became surer every time you came back and had a new wrinkle to add to our sex life. I didn't say anything, I guess I didn't want to rock the boat. From then on, I felt I had the same freedom you were exercising. I didn't go out looking for women, but I began to take advantage of offers I previously had turned down because I wanted to remain faithful to you."

Justin paused but Natalie offered no reaction. He went on. "Now it seems I've fallen in love with, can you believe it, her name is Justine. Justin and Justine? Crazy huh? I have divorce papers being prepared. You can have the house and your car. I'll take my car. Checking and savings split evenly. No alimony because of the equity in the house. I'll pay child support and continue to be with the boys as often as possible. You, of course, have primary custody and will keep them in the house they are used to. Thanks to James, you should not be hurting financially. We are out of debt and you can have the emergency fund you've built up. I'm going to pack a bag and go live with Justine. You can call James and let him know you'll soon be able to be with him full time." Justin went upstairs. Natalie was still in shock and flopped down on the couch until she remembered the scene that had just transpired there. The next morning, she was not sure if she had slept or just passed out from numbness.

The next six months passed in a cloud. Her teaching and becoming the only parent most of the time kept her busy. Justin took the boys frequently especially when they had sports activities, if you can call Pee Wee soccer a sport. More like organized chao. The hardest part of her new life were the questions and comments from her sons: "Why did you make Dad go away?" "Are you going to get us a new daddy?" "Dad would let us." And the worst, "I wish I could go live with Dad."

When the final divorce decreed arrived, Natalie cried. A small part of her heart was hoping that at the last minute, Justin would call and ask to come back. She wasn't sure she would want him back, but it would do her ego good to think the divorce was hurting him as much as her.

Months became a year. Men had asked her out, but she felt no interest and told them it was too soon. For a long time when she had thought of James, it repulsed her. How could he have done that to her? But gradually the memories of their times together wore down her acrimony. At first, she remembered the intimate times with James, but gradually other memories came to mind.

James never failed to treat her special. He always asked about Justin and the boys. Tales of what two boys at the age where girls are yucky amused him. He seemed delighted with the stories she had of some of her students and their parents. Most importantly, he asked Natalie's opinion on things, important things. She remembered when he told her he had to make a decision between two charities to support and asked Natalie to help him decide. "There I was," she thought, "little Ms. Nobody, helping to decide where millions of dollars would go to. Wow!"

Natalie began to realize that there was more to her love for James than just sex, much more. The memories began to create a renewed desire for being with James despite the deception. It seemed to become impossible for her not to. But Natalie had still not tried to call him. Shame for having fallen for his seduction was the initial reason. When she challenged herself, however, she self-confessed that Justin's suggestion that she call James had made her mad. In large part, she had not called just because Justin had said to do it.

The memories of their times together finally overcame her reservations. Her heart was pounding when she made the call. The receptionist answered, "JET Foundation, how may I help you?"

"Could I speak to James Townsend, please?"

"Who may I say is calling?"

"Natalie."

"Natalie who? What agency are you with?"

"Please just tell him Natalie."

"Just a minute."

Soon that familiar male voice came on the line and Natalie's body reacted the same as so many other nights when she anticipated joining him in bed. She shook her head to clear her mind.

"Natalie, it's good to hear from you. How are you and the boys?"

Natalie noticed he did not mention Justin. "I guess you heard that Justin and I are divorced."

"Yes, I'm sorry. How well are you and the boys dealing with it?"

"It's been difficult with the boys at times, but I think we have the new routine down pretty well, now."

Then there was a pause that seemed to last forever. Neither seem to know what to say next.

James finally broke the silence. "Why did you call, Natalie?"

Natalie decided not to try to mask her feelings and just lay out what was on her heart. "James, I miss you. Not just the sex but someone to talk to and be with. I still think you're a horrible bastard for what you did, but it was somewhat my fault for being so naïve. You never forced me to do anything I didn't want to do. I guess I got what I deserved. Obviously, my marriage wasn't as strong as I thought it was. Can we meet and just talk?" She knew it would not take much for her to go beyond mere talking.

A date at Red Lobster was made. They arrived separately. Both knew as soon as they saw each other that the feelings that usually accompanied a night of sexual bliss were present. Although they talked, neither one of them really listened closely to the other. How the evening would end was what was on their mind. Natalie decided to force the question. "Can we go somewhere more private? Say the guesthouse." She was done with subtlety.

James chuckled. "No." He watched as Natalie went from being disappointed to profound sadness. James quickly tried to save the moment. "You see, I don't have the guesthouse any more. In fact, I don't have the mansion at all. I need to bring you up to date on some major changes in my life." He ordered more wine for them both.

"When I confessed my ulterior motives to you and told you it was Ellen's time to seduce a new woman, it became the last time we found couples to help that way. I was so despondent in losing you that I told Ellen this was the last time. As it turned out, Ellen and the wife of the couple she had found fell deeply in love. After the woman got a divorce, and her husband got a lot of money from Ellen to not contest the divorce, Ellen and the woman moved to a state that allowed same sex couples to get married. By that time, Beatrice was receiving hospice care and passed before Ellen got married. The mansion was too large and lonely. I live in the Hyatt penthouse now."

"What about your philanthropy?"

"The Foundation staff handles almost all of it. I have focused my personal philanthropic efforts."

"How so?"

"Well, I'm only looking to help divorcees with a couple of kids."

Natalie felt a rush of adrenaline. "Oh. Is it just for six months at a time and then you move on to another divorcee?"

James became serious. "No. This time will be for life."

"Are you taking applications?"

"Nope, I only plan to interview one person."

"Where are you doing the interview?"

"In my penthouse. Are you interested in applying?"

"If I can interview now, I am."

"Shall we go?" James got up and escorted Natalie out of the restaurant.

Once up in the penthouse, Natalie stood in the same spot as the first night she had been there. Then she walked up to James and smacked the fire out of him with her hand.

"What was that for?" James asked as he rubbed his face.

"That's for taking advantage of a vulnerable woman."

Natalie approached James again and grabbed him. This time she planted a kiss that could have curled the toes of a mannequin.

"What was THAT for?"

"That was a sign of appreciation for what will be your LAST act of personal philanthropy."