Replaced Ch. 01

"I am impressed." Lisa said. "You really controlled the conversation." I smiled wryly and said my 'control' is more imagined than real. I was barely getting started with the process. "Well, you are miles ahead of me. I never pursued divorce three years ago. Can you give me some advice? Like what you have done so far?" I nodded and pulled a business card for the lawyer I was using. I told her to call him first thing to retain him. Then I pulled the prepared sheet he had given me of things to do.

"This is mid-afternoon on a Friday. " I said. "If I were you I would hit the banks before your husband can. Take half the balances from your checking and savings accounts. If you have investment accounts, I'd suggest you call to get your advisor to lock them. I am sure about now Sheila is in your husband's office telling him the game is up. He will suspect I have either told you or will soon. Get to the bank before he can clear out the accounts. You'd get still your half later, but it might put you into a cash crunch in the meantime."

Lisa looked at me and asked, "Why are you helping me? I mean other than just giving me the information my husband is a cheating bastard?"

"Simple." I said. "I like to do what is right. At least I hope to do what is right. You need help right now. I was in your boat several days ago. I got help and advice from a few people. I am just passing that advice on." I paused. "You said your kids are taken care of for the evening. Why don't you plan to come for supper tonight? I know it will be hard, but it might help. Call me." I gave her my number. I waited for her to call my lawyer to make sure he would represent her and not her husband if he should call. She was told representing her husband would be a conflict of interest as he was already representing me. I suggested once more she get her banking done immediately. I stood to leave.

"You knew I had a pistol didn't you?" Lisa asked. I nodded and told her I packed on occasion also. Then I had a thought. I asked her if Jason carried. "No. He thinks his muscles are enough. I have always been afraid somebody might get the idea I carry money out of the store and attack me. We don't. The mall has a secure service that picks up money from the stores and transports it to the banks for us." I made my way to the door. "I'll call you later Frank."

Lisa did call later that afternoon. She said she appreciated the invitation but wanted to confront her husband this evening. She had plans to "rip him an new one." I told her she seemed remarkably calm. I was impressed she'd have a plan already. It took me a few days to really come to grips with what was happening.

"I went through this three years ago." Lisa said. "Don't get me wrong. I bawled this afternoon after you left knowing my marriage is over. But I realized it was more about how my kids are gonna lose a resident daddy rather my loss of a husband. That might make me look like a heartless bitch, but fuck it."

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This brings us back to the beginning of my story. Sheila's call, well the one I had just accepted was a full week after she had been served. I got tired of putting her off. I knew we would have to talk. In a couple hours I would be going to my lonely motel apartment, quasi home. I had been eating at Karen's every evening for supper. That was my agreement. Actually a promise. Karen knew I was a man of my word. She pointed out the small lies I had made, grinning and telling me I was a bad boy who deserved a spanking for them. She constantly made sexual hints, coyly. When the kids were not around, she kissed me passionately molding her body against me as she did. My resolve to not fuck her was in jeopardy.

Out of hearing of any of the kids, Karen confessed. "Sheila knows the kids are staying here." Midweek Karen decided on her own to have Darren move into her third bedroom. I do not know what she said to him and the girls. None of them would tell me. Karen had taken charge and ruled the situation. She had obviously laid down some rules. I just went along with what I was told.

I told her Sheila wanted to meet in person. I was extremely leery. I suspected Sheila might try to record the conversation or make claims I threatened her. Karen shrugged. "So I go along as witness. You make the meeting conditional on that. She and I are friends." My look of surprise amused her. "Look, I've known her as long as I've known you. I trust her. She has always been there for me. The fact I really want you now makes me feel slightly guilty. But that guilt is not enough for me to give you up. I did not get in the middle of your marriage so I don't feel guilty about that. The fact she fucked around on you was a dumb-ass act on her part. I told her that when I saw her earlier but told her I was not going to have a big ass discussion at the time. At some point in the very near future, I plan to tell her she threw you away and I am going to take advantage. I don't know when that will be, but I'll know when the time is right."

"I know you love her. That is why you are so hurt. You will always have some feelings for her. Sooner or later you need to talk to her. You will have to deal with her for Darren and Sharon's stake if no other reason. They will eventually come around and forgive her. Plus we will have life events where Sheila will be included. I will do my best to include her."

"Did you get an end of week report from your lawyer on how things are going from his perspective?" Karen asked. I told her Sheila has retained an attorney. The two lawyers talked about suing Sheila's company for sexual harassment. Sheila is reluctant and wants to discuss things with me in private saying she will explain everything to me. That was relayed through my lawyer. It is one reason I am considering talking to her. I want to know why she refuses to sue."

"Also, Lisa called me. You already know she kicked her husband out that first night. Jason, the asshole, still has his job but it is hanging on by a thread. The only reason he is still there is because he does a good job. He's been told if Sheila sues, his ass is gone. He told Lisa all that. Macho man is on the ropes. He is begging and trying to be honest all of a sudden so he tells Lisa anything she asks. She told me she had a pre-nup to protect her business interests but she did not mention the post-nup they signed when he cheated on her three years ago. He will barely leave with his skivvies. That was the way Lisa said it, laughing. Then she told me that was almost literal. He'd get to take his clothes and personal toiletries. If she demanded it, he'd have to give her his wrist watch. But she has two impressionable boys to consider so she can't be too vindictive. She is trying to think up rules. She said she put him through the ringer the first couple days, but did not elaborate."

Karen laughed. "Damn! You have to wonder why he would even glance at another woman, let alone start an affair." I shrugged. I honestly wondered the same thing myself. I wondered if Jason had been hiding money, but I was sure Lisa was way ahead of him on that too. It would be interesting to see how that worked out. Then I caught myself. My own business was paramount. This was NOT a novel or a movie I was watching for entertainment. This was my life. My future was at stake.

"I've made an executive decision." Karen announced an hour later. "We are going to talk to Sheila in person. Call her now and tell her we will be at your house at eleven in the morning." I told Karen I was not sure I was ready to see her. "That's why I made the decision for you. To push you to get off your ass."

I realized Karen had been running things for the past two weeks since everything turned to shit. With the exception of my being adamant that divorce was a certainty, Karen was the motivating factor behind the other decisions for all of us. I went along. Everything had worked for the best so far. I would have been lost without her. I followed her advice now as well and called my soon to be ex.

Sheila took me by surprise when she answered the door the next morning. It was Saturday so nobody had to work. She answered the door wearing a simple tee shirt and tight cotton shorts. The shorts were a size or two too small. I was sure they belonged to Sharon. Maybe some Sharon had quit wearing a year or two ago but had not thrown away. If the shorts were painted on they would have been looser. I wondered how she even got them on. Sheila breasts moved freely and her nipples poked out through the thin material. "Is that how you answer the door now?" I asked, taken slightly aback. She closed the front door behind us.

"I was told to make it obvious I had no place to hide a recording device." Sheila said, as she blushed. When I asked her who told her that, she said, "My lawyer. She also said I was to answer EVERY question honestly and completely and to tell you everything." Now I was more than puzzled. I had brought Karen along to make sure I had a witness to prove I said nothing to threaten Sheila. Yet Sheila seemed to be going out of her way to make that easy. "Karen, are you going to insist on being here or are you going to let me talk to Frank in private?" Her question was asked demurely, almost submissively. I caught onto that right away as did Karen.

"Nope. I'm going to sit right there the whole time." Karen declared. "Just like Frank told you when I had him phone to arrange this meeting. I'll be a witness for whatever is said." Sheila just nodded and ushered us into the kitchen.

"My phone is on the counter. I turned it off." Sheila said. "I can't ask you to put yours over there. If you want to record our talk, go ahead. I am going to be as honest as I can, no matter what." This was most certainly not the encounter nor the woman I expected. I asked her why she was acting this way, so out of her normal character. "The short answer is I fucked up. I know I made a huge mistake and ruined our marriage. I am going to try my best to at least preserve something of a relationship. I want that SO much. I NEED that." She began to cry.

Sheila was not a good enough an actress she could cry on demand. She was honestly devastated. I looked over at Karen who wore a look of bewilderment. She knew Sheila well enough to be totally dazed seeing this woman in front of us. Karen and I had talked before coming over. We fully expected to find Sheila trying to give evading answers and random cliches, defiant and demanding to have her actions be seen as reasonable or at least totally forgivable. That was how we had prepared. Not for this woman in front of us.

"Would you like something to drink?" Sheila asked, wiping her tears. "I can make coffee or I have beer. I have not touched the hard liquor, Frank. That is there also." I suggested a beer. Karen nodded. Sheila got three and sat at the table. "Okay, where do you want to begin?"

"First I want to know why you are acting like this." I said. "This is not your normal self." She repeated what she said earlier about doing whatever she could to salvage some kind of relationship with me.

'Okay, let's start with this. When did you start cheating on me?" I asked. "When did you and Jason start messing around."

Her answer surprised me."That is two different questions. Which do you want first?" I told her Jason. "About two months ago now. He was flirting with me at the office. I was flattered. When he said he wanted to fuck me, I was both surprised and aroused. I was primed and told him I would but with conditions. First it was to be sex only. No kissing. I might suck him a little to get him hard but not cum. And I wanted him to screw me only doggy style. Hard and fast. I wanted to be fucked, not make love. He was happy with that." I looked at Karen amazed. She was obviously astounded.

"So you have been fucking him twice a week for two months?" I asked. I did not want to explain how I knew the twice a week part, but was now really interested in how she would answer.

Sheila shook her head. "No. We haven't even talked in the past week. And the week you were gone we did not do anything. Before that we usually met once a week. We had blocked two days a week as possible days but often something at work would come up or I called it off at the last minute. We actually did not have sex that many times."

"Not that many times but here in our marital bed. Was he too cheap to spring for a motel room?" I said this with a little more venom than i should have. Karen gave me a little kick under the table. She had advised to remain civil so we could get information. Conversation would shut down if I lost my temper.

"Jason had a friend who worked as day clerk for a motel. For thirty dollars we could have one of the un-occupied rooms for an hour or so. Then we'd leave and the maid would be sent in to clean. It was off the books. The clerk pocketed the money. We went once a week for two weeks in a row. But that got expensive. Then we skipped a week I think. For the last three weeks I brought him here. Well, one week, I was on my period, so we did not do anything. Can I ask how you caught us?" I told her I would tell her later. "Okay. I just wanted to know how much you knew already. Not that it makes any difference. I will tell you everything. I just can't remember every time. I did not keep track."

I looked at Karen for her reaction. She sat there, wide-eyed as if not believing Sheila's honesty. I found it a little hard to believe Sheila did not remember every time. Was it that unmemorable? Sheila saw the look and asked, "Are you two having an affair, now? Not that it matters either." Karen answered honestly that she has never touched me in any way that Sheila had not seen in the past.

"You told me I asked two questions." I said. "You cheated on me before Jason, right?" Sheila nodded, Now she turned beet-root red. I asked the obvious questions. "When, who?"

"About a year and a half ago. The who was Rebecca. You know her. We used to work in the same office." Of course I knew the woman. Sheila had worked not exactly under her but their jobs crossed paths frequently in the course of the business day. Rebecca held a higher position. "She and I were friends." Sheila said as explanation. "We talked all the time. One day I told her I had never been with a woman but I had always wondered what it was like. I knew she was gay. I had read a bunch of stories online. One thing lead to the next and we started having sex."

I had not honestly expected this. I had suspected Sheila had been fucking around on me with other men. I asked her if she had. She immediately denied ever touching another man than me except Jason since we began dating seriously.

Karen cut in. "I remember you asking me a few years ago if I ever experimented with another girl. I had not. You said you hadn't either. Then you acted like it was all a joke. You didn't seem really keen, just curious."

"I lied about that part." Sheila admitted. "I thought it was seriously kinky. I had an active sex life with Frank but this was different. There was a kinky element that made it thrilling. I hoped you were willing to give it a shot. You said you never had. You looked aroused by the idea though. I had the impression you might if I pushed but I was too scared to do that. Our families were too close for me to risk doing something too outrageous. If you think about it I hinted a couple other times too. But I was not as obvious as the time you mentioned. I thought it would be super wild for us to play and even bring Frank in for a threesome."

Karen began to giggle and looking at me, stopped. I remembered what she had told me. I suspected her imagination had taken her far more into the scenario than she admitted to me. She looked at Sheila. "Well if you HAD pushed, things might have turned out far different." she said cryptically. Sheila was now the one surprised and asked Karen what she meant. Karen shook her head and told her, "Maybe later. Well, yes I'll tell you later. I promise"

"So you got involved in a lesbian relationship with Rebecca?" I asked. "Just like that?"

"Oh, no!" Sheila said. "I'd read some of your online reading history. You deleted it often but every now and then you left it. I figured you might not be upset if I had an affair with another woman. I told Rebecca that. She told me you had to give your full approval before she and I would do a thing beyond just being friends."

"You never told me a word of this." I said quietly. "Nothing about wanting to play around with a woman. Have you had that desire to experiment all along?"

"No. I just thought playing with a woman was super erotic." Sheila offered in explanation. " I lied to Rebecca and told her you were on board. She seemed to like the idea, saying she would teach me but I had to follow all her rules. She would own my sex life when I was away from you. She would have total control of when and if we played. And of course what we did. I could call a halt at any time, though. You were my husband and she would not do anything to interfere with our marriage. She said her wife Alyssa would have to be involved. I agreed."

"How did you get away with having an affair with Rebecca without anybody being the wiser?" I asked. "You never got home late or went out at night by yourself."

Sheila sheepishly admitted, "Covid hit right about then. People were supposed to stay at home. You began to work from home. The kids had virtual classes. It was too much like a weekend for me to stay home too. Always something I needed to do around the house. The company offered anybody willing to go in to the office an increase in pay as a bonus. You agreed. I pretty much was the only person there. The other three women plus Rebecca stayed home." I nodded.

"Well, since I was the one at the office, I also had the task to take hard copies of files to the others. That was in addition to my regular duties. Plus there was no need for me to get dressed up or even wear makeup. For my coworkers, I just stopped and dropped off files and picked up others without even going inside. But that was only if the file was not online already. With Rebecca it took on a whole different thing."

"As soon as I walked into her house, I had to strip naked. It became part of our play. I was her submissive slut. She totally controlled if I was Sheila, company worker or Submissive Sheila, lesbian play toy." Sheila said quietly, staring at her beer bottle and not at me nor Karen. "Some days I'd stand there bare ass as we went over work. Then she'd tell me to get dressed and go back to work." She was blushing as she made this admission.

"What kinds of things did you do?" Karen asked abruptly.

"Whatever I was told. Mostly it was oral, you know- licking pussy, but other stuff too." Sheila said. "I had an itch I needed to scratch. You were my first choice but you were not interested in the slightest. I really had envisioned you, me and Frank playing, doing kinky stuff. I knew you did not have any sex life with guys. You made that clear. I hoped you were at least bi curious. Maybe even secretly lesbian. But you told me you never had."

Karen began to laugh and caught herself. "So because I did not pick up on your hints you started a lesbian affair with your boss."

"I didn't mean for it to sound like it was your fault!" Sheila said suddenly.

"So you had a full blown lesbian relationship for all this time? Or did you end it before you took up with Turner?" I asked. "You've all been back in the office for a while."

"It never stopped completely." Sheila said, turning red. "Well, it slowed down a few times, especially when we were busy at work. Becky, I mean Rebecca got promoted to vice president and I got promoted to her old job." I quickly made a snide comment about how she licked her way to a promotion. Sheila bristled, "No! I worked my ass off! But I do admit there were times I'd go to her office and be ordered to get on my knees and lick her pussy. And if I confessed to have messed up at all, even at home, I'd be punished. Like a spanking. Sometimes other things."