Promotion Comes With Strings Attached

"Is that all you're worried about? You want to relive your touring days and sleep with other women."

"No, I don't, actually, but I get a little pissed when that motherfucker thinks he can bang my fucking wife, then tell me what to do. The guys a fucking dick."

"That clause is for our protection. It makes us all safe from STDs."

"Oh, you poor deluded bitch."

"Hey," she snapped. "I'm getting a little tired of the name calling."

"Fuck you." I spat back at her. Yeah, it was juvenile, but fuck it. I was pissed. "You're deluded, Coby. Men like that aren't going to be happy. If he needs sex that bad, then he'll be banging whoever he can get his dick into. Fuck, he's probably got fucking hookers like you waiting in every town."

"The fidelity clause is for him, as well. We would all be tied to it. It's for our protection, as well."

"Oh fuck off, you are deranged. Christ, I always thought you were the smart one. Turns out you're just a cheap fucking slut."

"Jeepers, Darren, I'm getting pretty damn angry at the insults. Can we just have a conversation without all the animosity and name calling? Just think about it. At the moment, all you're doing is firing shots. Take a breath, open your mind and think about it clearly for just one moment."

"I'm going to bed," I snarled. "I thought about it, and the answer's no. What's more, I think you need to resign and find a new job."

"What..."

I stormed off, heading for the bedroom. "You can sleep on the damn couch."

I slammed the bedroom door and climbed into bed. How do you even process shit like that? You read about it, but you never expect to have it thrown in your face.

I had been lying there for about an hour when the door opened and Coby walked in. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah, what the hell do you think?"

"Have you calmed down?"

"Yep, a bit."

Can we talk?"

"No."

"Can I at least come to bed?"

"No. Look, Coby, I have some serious reservations about our marriage right now. I need some time to think."

"I could be here. That way if you have questions, I can answer them."

"Questions, huh? Okay, here's one. Do you want to have sex with him?"

"How do you mean?"

Sitting up, I stared at her as she sat on the edge of the bed. "You reckon he just sprang it on you today? He says he wants to sleep with you, and you just said yes. So is that because you already have the hots for him?"

"No, he's a nice guy, he's handsome. I guess I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't admired him. Just like you admire girls and don't for one moment tell me you don't. I have never thought about him that way before. It wasn't until he told me what his expectations were that I considered it."

"Do you want to have sex with him? Just answer the damn question. Would you doing it begrudgingly, or are you already looking forward to it?"

Even in the dark, I sensed her blushing. "Okay, put like that, let me say, I don't think it will be a hardship. As I said, he is a nice guy, we've always got on well and he is good looking."

"That's all I wanted to know. You can go now."

"Darren, this is my bed, as well."

"Not tonight. You've made me sleep on the couch plenty of times, and my only crime was coming home drunk. Goodnight."

She sighed, but walked out, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

With a big day planned at work, I got up early. Coby was still asleep on the sofa. She heard me getting my breakfast and wandered into the kitchen. She looked contrite, but didn't say anything. She made coffee as I packed some food in my lunchbox.

As I prepared to leave, I gave her my ultimatum. "Today, I want you to resign. You can tell dickhead that my answer's no, and If I run into him somewhere, he better be ready to fight. I mean just maybe, we can save our marriage. If you don't, then I will be filing for divorce,"

"Darren, you're just going of half cocked. You haven't thought this through."

"Coby, listen to what I'm saying. You might be able to live with yourself after becoming a corporate whore, but I couldn't. Your options are clear. Resign, or we're through."

I slammed the door, and headed for work. Thankfully, work was full on. I had been put in charge of our scaffolding team, and it was stressful as fuck. The boys loved razzing me, seeing as how I was the new boy. At least it kept my mind off what waited for me at home.

It was about seven when I got home, and as I walked in the front door. I heard soft conversation coming from the living area. As I walked in, there was a guy sitting beside Coby on the couch. He stood as soon as he saw me. I watched as he braced himself.

He stuck out his hand. "Hello, Darren, I am Wyatt. Nice to meet you."

I ignored his hand, and him. Speaking directly to Coby, I rasped, "What's he doing here?"

She flinched, and was about to say something, when Wyatt interrupted. "Darren, I... sorry, I should have said we would like to talk to you about my proposition. I think we can come to an understanding if you will just give me a chance to explain."

"Wyatt, I did tell Coby to pass on a message. I said if we ever met, you better be prepared to fight. You're in my home right now, so I will give you two options. Leave now, without saying another word, or fight, because after I count to ten, we're gonna be going at it. Understand, boy?"

He glanced quickly at Coby, who looked shocked, but when her eyes locked on mine, she said quickly, "I think you better leave, Wyatt."

After giving me a very nasty glare, he walked out.

Coby just glared at me. "Did you resign?" I barked caustically.

"No, I told Wyatt what happened last night, we talked about it and he asked if he could talk to you first."

"I'm pissed, Coby, real pissed. I told you what my conditions were. Do I take it from that you want a divorce?"

"No, damn it. I do not want a divorce. I want to sit down with you and have a calm conversation. Discuss this like rational adults, rather than children trying to score points."

"What's for dinner?" I snapped quickly.

She sighed. "Nothing, we were waiting for you to get home. We have been waiting since five. You don't usually work late on Wednesdays."

Turning for the door, I said over my shoulder dismissively. "Big day. Guess I'll go and get a burger or something."

"I can get you something here; we have to talk."

"At the moment, we have nothing to talk about."

I slammed the door and headed into town. There was a great burger place on 5^th street. After the food, I stopped of at our local bar for a drink. Wednesday nights were usually pretty lame. Tonight though, there was a band, okay, they were playing country, but hey. Beggars can't be choosers.

I had lots to think about. Most importantly, what to do about Coby? To see her like that, just focused on her career and money and prepared to throw away her principles, none of it made sense."

At least the band was pretty good. It brought back memories of playing in the band, touring. It had been a blast, and it was how Coby and I met. She was dancing in front of the stage, her sweet ass gyrating in front of me, her pert little tits bouncing inside her slinky top.

Yeah, she was a stunner, trim and athletic, a cheerleader's legs. She was still at school, working every night at the bar to pay her tuition. She was a worker, that's for sure. She took nothing from her folks. She paid her way, and she was proud of it.

I liked her from the moment we met. We laughed and chatted during the break, and after that, she danced only for me.

It was pretty much the end of the band. She loved coming to shows to listen and dance her ass off, but working at the bar made it hard for her.

Our relationship was stalled. She was trapped working and studying. The only way we could make the band work was to tour and take gigs wherever and whenever we could get them.

I made the decision easily. I thought it would be hard, but in the end, it just happened. The guys in the band were upset when I said I was pulling out, but I'd already made up my mind.

Coby was shocked when she found out. "Why did you do that, Darren?"

"Because I'm in love, because when I'm away all I can ever think about is you. I've already got a job, I want you to move in with me, give up this bar job, and focus on your studies. I'll support you."

It meant I gave up my dream. I had long had this burning ambition to have my own recording studio. Start my own label, and release alternative artists who couldn't get on mainstream media.

That's pretty much what happened. With my new goal of making us a comfortable home, I worked my ass off; I settled down and put my nose to the grindstone. I had to take on a second job moving furniture during weekends, but it didn't matter. We got married, she graduated, with honors I might add.

She had no problem finding a job, and that's how we came to be were we were. It had been a great marriage up until then, and I really did love her. That's the only reason I hadn't left already.

Love, that word stuck in my craw; just saying it didn't feel right.

At home, I found Coby sitting on the couch with another vodka. She looked up when I walked in, and I threw her the sandwich and chips I'd bought for her. "Didn't know if you'd eaten."

She smiled. "Thanks, I wasn't expecting you till later." She ripped open the packet and chowed down on her chicken and mayo sandwich. "Yum, thanks babe."

I got a bourbon and came to sit beside her. We were both stuck; what do you say in a situation like that? I waited until she finished her food. "Why the fuck did you invite that old bastard here, into our home?"

She shook her head as she wiped away the mayo. "Darren. I know this is hard, and I'm sorry for the way it all went down. Wyatt just wanted a chance to talk to you in person. He thought if we all sat down together we could come to an agreement."

I couldn't believe it; she was still pushing this stupid idea. "Coby, do you still love me, or am I wasting my time? I've heard you say it a lot, but is that how you really feel?"

She threw her arms around me, spilling my bourbon. "I love you more than ever. You must never doubt that."

"What about yourself? Do you love yourself? Because I don't see how you could go through with it. You used to have such strong feelings about this shit."

"Yeah, I know, I'm a big fat hypocrite. I just about died when Wyatt gave me his proposal. I almost slapped him. He saw it, as well, and he told me to take the afternoon off and think about it. When I did, I weighed up all the pros and cons. It made sense."

"You'd be prostituting yourself.

"Yes, I know. It's way out there. It's sort of exciting, as well, though."

"So you like the idea?"

"I'm coming around to it," she said. "Darren, think about it. All the things we have talked about wanting to do. We could do them, and more. All our financial problems solved."

"What do you think your folks'd say?"

She shivered, visibly upset. "God, nobody must ever know. I would die."

"Let me get this straight. You're so ashamed of what you suggested you couldn't tell anyone, but you think it's okay?"

"No, I don't think it's okay. But I do think we could do it. That's the way the world works, every rose has its thorns. You have to pay the piper, nothing comes for free. All that shit is true."

"You could have sex with him, and then come home to me and everything would be all right, would it?"

She grimaced, a determined look set in her eyes. "I would always be clean. I wouldn't be giving you sloppy seconds if that's what you're worried about. Although after listening to some of the stories you and your buddies throw around when you've been drinking, it wouldn't be the first time. It seems you led a pretty wild life while you were on the road."

"That was before we met. I've never cheated on you. Never lied to you."

She snickered. "You lie all the time. Never nasty hurtful ones, but you tell lies. We all do."

"I've never cheated, Coby, never once."

She nodded her acceptance. "I know that, and neither have I. I know this is weird and out there, but it's a means to an end."

"I don't care, Coby. I'm not entering into something like that."

"Why not? Explain it to me? Why would it be so bad? For you and me, nothing changes. It wouldn't have to interfere with our lives together. I come home to you. It would be as if it never happened. Our two worlds would be separate. It is only sex, there would be no romance, no love. That's not what he's looking for."

"Yeah, and what about you, Coby? What are you looking for. I know you better than you think. You can't just have emotionless sex, there would have to be an attachment, feelings. You're not one of those people who can separate emotion."

"This is different, Darren. I didn't seek this out. We have to treat it as just a job."

"But you do want it though, don't you?" I said, struggling to keep my anger under control.

"I want the benefits, not the sex. I admit it will be difficult. I'm not trying to trivialize it. I have given it a lot of thought, and yes, I want to do it."

I let her words settle, taking time to try and reconcile my emotions. All I knew was, I didn't want this.

"I'm not sure where that leaves us, because there's no way in hell I'm prepared to enter into this. You're a very driven smart woman, Coby. You can get all those things we talked about without prostituting yourself. Ultimately, the decision is yours. If you can't accept my position, there's no future for us."

She slumped back on the couch, a sad defeated look on her face. We sat like that for a while, before I said, "I'm going to bed."

She sighed. "Am I allowed to sleep in our bed?"

"Yep, but sleep is all it'll be."

As I walked out the door for work, I gave her my ultimatum. "It's your career or our marriage. I still expect you to resign your current position and find work elsewhere. If you refuse, then we are over."

Just as the door was about to close, I yelled back, "And another thing. Don't ever bring that asshole into our house again. Next time, it won't end so peacefully."

Work was full on, and I should have been grateful for that. Coby stuffed it all up. She called me on my mobile during my lunch break. "Darren, are you free for a minute?"

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"Wyatt wants to meet with you. Obviously I couldn't invite him home, unless you're prepared to do that?"

"Nope, he will never be welcome in our home."

"Then would you come into the office tonight after work?"

"No, I'm not stepping foot in his fortress."

"You're being paranoid; he just wants to talk to you. He thinks he has a solution."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"I don't know, he hasn't told me. We talked and he has something that he thinks might make you reconsider."

"Yeah, okay, where?"

"There's a bar on the corner of La Porte street. I think it's called 'The Derringer.' In fact, I think you guys played there a few times."

"Yeah, I know it. All right, but I am serious, Coby. I feel more like fighting than talking."

"Just listen to him, Darren. That's all I ask, keep an open mind and listen."

I ended the call without any platitudes. It fucked up the rest of my day, I was a waste of space.

Dusty and dirty, I walked into The Derringer. I saw Coby and fuckhead sitting in a booth way up the back. At least there weren't a lot of patrons in. I grabbed a beer and wandered down to their booth.

He stood up as soon as he saw me walking up. Again, he tried to shake my hand, which I ignored. "Lets get this over with. What do you want?" I tried to keep a lid on it, but my words still came out with a quiet snarl.

Coby shuffled along and I slid in beside her. He sat back in his seat on the other side. "All right, Darren. I wanted a chance to talk to you. I wanted to try and give you some reassurances concerning my proposal. The..."

I cut him off. "I've heard your proposal. I don't need to hear it again. Get to the point, why am I here?"

He sucked on a deep breath, his frustration plain to see. "This is going to be hard if you wont let me explain."

He took a sip of his liquor, and I swilled my beer. "All right, I'll try and explain. In talking to Coby today, it helped me understand you a little better. You're a very passionate man, as I see it. You have dreams of your own, dragons to slay and all that. What if I could make those come true, as well?"

Glaring at Coby, I hissed, "Get to the fucking point, asshole. The clock's ticking."

I watched as he bit his lip; like me, he was trying to keep a lid on it. "All right, Coby told me you have dreams of setting up your own recording studio and record label. Is that right?"

I sank the last of my beer, shrugged and said offhandedly, "We all have dreams."

"What if I could make that dream a reality? Coby is getting her dream job, something she wants. Why not you as well? What if I could make that happen?"

"How are you going to do that?"

"What I am suggesting is, I take a portion of Coby's salary for the next five years and give it to you as a one off cash payment. An incentive, if you will."

That took my breath away, I felt the bile and anger trying to erupt right through my esophagus. Staring at him, I said with a rasp, "I'm going to get a beer." As I stood up, Coby, who looked nervous, asked, "Could you get me a cosmopolitan please, and Wyatt's drinking whiskey."

At the bar, I got my beer and her cosmopolitan. Walking back towards the booth, I could see them both leaning close over the table, deep in animated conversation. That came to an end as I sat back down, sliding her drink to her. She received it with a scowl, obviously unhappy that I didn't get Wyatt one.

He ignored my asperity. "Darren, in talking to Coby, music is your second love. You're passionate about it and you have dreams and aspirations, which I applaud. I can make that dream a reality."

I leaned back in the booth and drank my beer.

"Darren, would one hundred and fifty thousand dollars be enough to get your dream off the ground?"

I shrugged. "The way it would work is, I will offer you that up front. The money would be levied from Coby's salary over say five years. She would in effect be financing your dream."

I chuckled stupidly. "And all I have to do is let you fuck her whenever you want. Jesus, you're one contemptuous fuckhead. People like you piss me off. You think you can just get whatever you want. You don't give a fuck that you're destroying people's lives. You're a real piece of shit, you know that."

I finished my beer and slammed the empty bottle on the table. Staring at Coby, I snarled, "This is it Coby, your last chance or we're through."

Turning to him, I snarled, "I'm not interested in your shit, your money or your fucked up ideas."

I started to walk away, but turned back to Coby. "If you want what this dirt bag is offering, don't come home tonight."

I strode out walking tall, my back straight, principles intact.

Sitting in my truck, I ran my hands through my hair and closed my eyes. "What a motherfucker," I growled. He went straight to the one thing: my biggest dream. I was just as angry at Coby for telling him.

At home, I was just coming out of the shower when she walked in looking, what, guilty, hopeful... Oh my god, that was it, she thought I was going to do it.

"Decided to come to your senses did you?" I snapped.

She sidled up to me as I rubbed the towel over my hair. "Darren, I want to talk about what Wyatt suggested."

I walked away to get dressed, and she followed hot on my heels... "Darren," she snapped. "Just talk to me. Explain why this can't work?"

"Because I don't want to be married to a fucking hooker. It doesn't matter if it ten bucks or a million. You'd still be nothing more than a whore."

She sighed. "Okay, I deserve that, and it's true. I probably am, but it would mean we both have our dreams crystallized."