Research Project Pt. 01

"I heard you were too sick to come last night. What's wrong?"

"Come, I'll show you." I walked him over to my TV, where Alex had cast the image from the computer screen. We walked into see some guy putting lube on his cock, with a woman bent over a chair in front of him. Other people were sitting around watching.

"You couldn't come because you're watching porn?"

I touched the screen image of the woman. "My wife, Marie." The guy behind her stepped forward and slowly inserted himself into her ass. The image wasn't sharp enough to be certain it wasn't her cunt, but the angle and the applause of the spectators seemed to confirm it.

"When was this taken?"

I couldn't get my voice to work.

"It's live, Dr. Markan. I've hacked into the resort's system. It's got the weakest version of Lorings Framework," Alex said.

"Oh."

"She told me that she's going on a business research trip." I pointed at the screen. "If getting fucked in the ass is her business, that makes her a prostitute. I didn't contract to marry a prostitute. How fast can I divorce her?"

"If you divorce her too quickly, she's going to be a well-paid prostitute. She's likely to claim half your contingency, about five and a half million dollars. We have to come up with a way to prevent that."

"She's entitled to it."

Alex laughed. "Is she that good a prostitute?" He saw no one else was smiling. "Sorry..."

"She supported us while I worked on the Lorings file. The only money I contributed was borrowing on the equity of the house. That's mine, by the way; I inherited it before we got married." I gestured at the walls. "She can't have my house. But I want this over quickly."

"With a five and a half million-dollar payout on the table, I can't imagine her fighting it. I can work off a standard template and have everything ready for you to sign by the end of tomorrow. Anything besides the house and contingency? Any significant assets either of you have?"

I shook my head.

When's she due back home?"

"Late Monday. Maybe that's another lie."

"Rudy, it's very easy and very normal for all your thoughts to be misdirected by the horror of what she's doing." He pointed at the screen, where another man had put himself in her mouth while the ass-fucking continued. "Watch out for it and correct for it. Fight to keep your mind straight. You'll be stronger and more able to deal with the situation."

"Is there anything that can explain this? Is there any way that I can rationalize or justify what my wife is doing..." I had to reach for a tissue to wipe my eyes. "...what my wife is doing with those people?"

"Nothing I can comprehend. I'd have to speak to her to know. Better yet, you'd have to speak to her. I'm glad you're asking the question."

"I've got other questions, David. Maybe you can speak to some of the guys at the office to get ideas. I need to know how I can get back at that resort. It's in the American Virgin Islands and I have no clue about jurisdictional issues. I want to damage Greenrock Capital, the company that sent her there. I need to get back at Marie's company; she's a twenty percent shareholder. Can I go for sexual harassment even though she went voluntarily? Alienation of affection? Can her boss be charged with pimping her out, living off the avails of prostitution? I need..." I needed something to lean on. I grabbed for the back of a chair as I sank down to the carpet, curled up and sobbing.

David and Alex waited for me to get up on my own. Alex handed me another couple of tissues as I dragged myself onto a chair.

"You don't need to torture yourself Rudy. You've got enough evidence of her behavior when she tries to deny it. You don't have to watch this."

"She's got a lot of integrity, David. She won't lie, she won't deny what she's done."

He gestured to the monitor, where Marie was lowering herself into the hot tub along with the two guys who had just done her, along with another woman. "You have an unusual definition of integrity." He turned his back to the TV. "They always deny it at first. Rudy, I don't want you to be alone until she's away from that place. I'll start working on your divorce. Adultery or irreconcilable differences? If you go for adultery, she'll have a harder time getting a job."

"She'll be getting five and a half million dollars. I'm not worried about her employment status. You'll tell me what you think is best."

"I'll stay with Rudy, Dr. Markan."

"Got any chores to do? Mow the lawn, dishes, laundry, work?"

I had a gardener for the lawn, a dishwasher for the dishes, and except for underwear, most of our clothes went to the dry-cleaner. I had worked on no other projects for the past ten months, so there was nothing job-related. There was one task that was more pressing than anything else. I thanked David for coming by and went to our bedroom to start folding my underpants.

That task complete, I looked for my next project and saw Marie's open closet door. An idea lit in my mind and I returned to Alex. I did my best not to look at the screen. "I need a mover."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"I can't get rid of Marie's stuff without maybe harming my position in the divorce proceedings. But I can pack it up and get it ready to go."

"I'll get on it."

"No Alex, I'll get on it. You keep monitoring my hooker, as much as you can stomach."

It was late afternoon by the time Marie's clothes and all her personal effects were neatly placed in boxes in the garage. I parked her Lexus on the street to make room for it. Alex and I got creative for supper, ordering Chinese, but I didn't have much of an appetite. We each had another shot of Eagle Rare, and withstood the temptation to get wasted. I took another shift monitoring my beloved wife doing things I would never ask her to do. When she went to bed in Harold's arms, I told Alex he could go home. "It's finished, Alex. My marriage has died. What's the point of torturing ourselves any more? I'll do the best I can on my own. If I have a problem, I'll call you."

"You're my mentor, getting me a business break I never would have had. More than that, you're my cousin. You were always there for me when I needed you. Family means we owe each other support. My plans for the weekend were to buzz out on video games. Instead, I'm doing something useful. I've never done this kind of operation, and though it's not technically challenging, it's still something new for me. Your guest room is as comfortable as my small studio apartment. My cel phone is here, my computer is here, I have good company while tasting exotic delicacies..." He smiled as he said the last part.

"You're a good guy, Alex."

"Besides which, maybe we can find a way to torture your tormenters."

"Oh, I will, I will. If anything, just the legal costs will destroy them."

"That will take time. I'm talking about a much earlier start to the pain." A wicked smile crossed his face.

I wilted. "She's my wife, Alex. As much as I hate her, she's still my wife. What were you planning?"

"I'm still working on it. I don't want to say anything too soon. But it will be targeted pain, Rudy. Targeted where you want to hit."

I hugged him, and we went to sleep.

SUNDAY:

Marie was still my wife, but by morning I felt I had buried the corpse of my marriage. It was no longer in front of me, festering. Alex made bacon, eggs and toast for breakfast. To my surprise, I was hungry.

"The alarm system is part of their security system. I've isolated the sirens and identified the model. They're loud, making a whoop-whoop sound rather than a constant bell, which is easier to ignore. I can take control from the system operators on site. I can also take control of the drawbridge."

"The drawbridge?"

"There's a creek that marks their property line. The only road across the creek traverses a drawbridge. You have to go a little cross country to get in or out without the bridge."

"That's bizarre."

"Judging from the records I've looked through, the bridge was a pet project of the original developer. It proved to be too expensive, helping the development go under. The guy who took it over completed the bridge, but on the cheap. Its default position is up. Any problems, and the bridge is impassable."

"Sounds promising. And...?"

"I know what problems to give it. You keep monitoring Marie for a few hours. By lunch I should have all the resort's financial and employee records for you."

"Wow."

"And Rudy? The resort's first vocation was supposed to be a luxury wilderness resort."

That sent me reeling. Marie's understanding, or at least her description to me should have been correct. But it's what she did when she got there that counted, not the resort's original vocation. Her behavior was not correct.

True to his promise, Alex delivered employee records, documenting the STDs a few of them had. The resort was owned by a company headquartered in Brooklyn. Its shares were in turn owned by Kuwaiti entities which were hard to trace.

It was evening. Alex and I had eaten supper. Marie and Harold had eaten supper, and who knows what else. They were back at the hot tub area, drinking. Alex called my attention to the screen.

"Something's happening."

I looked. Marie was lying on her back on a lounge chair, her thighs spread apart, a blindfold over her eyes. Five men were lined up in front of her, each playing with their crotch. Other people stood around Marie, watching attentively. Harold went first, going to his knees in front of her. The others seem to be cheering him on. It took a moment before it clicked in my mind.

"Alex, we have to stop them."

"What is it?"

"She's going to do a gang-bang. My beloved is going to do a gang-bang. She's still my wife Alex. I'm going to destroy that place, I'm going to destroy Marie, but I can't let them do that to her."

"The alarm."

I nodded and watched the screen. Alex touched his keyboard and the people in line, the people near her, my wife herself all started looking around. She quickly pulled off the blindfold. Everyone looked annoyed.

There was some animated conversation, and everyone resumed their previous stance. Marie slipped the blindfold back on.

"I'm having the alarm go on and off, unpredictably. If I leave it on they'll be motivated to pull the wires. Let's keep them off balance."

Harold leaned forward between her thighs. I gritted my teeth. "Well?"

The alarm went back on, ringing long enough for Harold to stand up, Marie to once again remove the blindfold. It went off. This time they didn't resume their positions as quickly. Marie stood, then sat. Harold rose, turning his back to her. He seemed to be arguing with the people lined up to fuck her.

Off. There seemed to be more arguments. Marie sat down, her legs closed. After some discussion she lay back down, the line reformed.

"Don't stop it so quickly, Alex." He nodded.

Marie stood up, squeezed her hands to her ears while turning her head back and forth- an emphatic "no" to whatever was being said to her. I took a bit of satisfaction knowing she could refuse something. One of the men in line tried to embrace her. She shoved him, and he fell backwards onto a lounge chair. Everyone looked stunned as she took off. Alex followed her on the walkway all the way back to the cabin. She was in the shower, washing herself while trying to cover her ears. Harold came running in, tried to join her, but she pushed him back. When she finished they talked, hugged, and climbed into bed together. They went to sleep, but not in each other's arms. Their hands were busy protecting their ears.

"That must be loud. They'll have a hard time sleeping." I went to the kitchen and came back with a bag of chips. "I hope they don't turn to other activities."

"Those will be even more difficult than sleep with the alarm going. How about I turn it off randomly, just to give them some hope, so they won't cut the wires?"

"You're the expert. What else?"

Alex motioned with his arm, as if he was yanking a cord. "Ah-ooh-ga, ah-ooh-ga."

"What's going on?"

"Raising the drawbridge. I've got control. Tell me when and if you want to release the prisoners."

"Are they really stranded?"

"There are things I can't see so I can't be sure. They're probably stuck, but not if they charter a helicopter, or something like that."

I pulled up her itinerary. She was supposed to fly out of Charlotte Amelie at three in the afternoon. It was about a two-hour drive from the resort, which meant leaving the resort no later than noon, to have enough time to check in and go through security; twelve-thirty if she wanted to cut it close.

I wanted her out of the resort but I didn't want her on today's plane. Give her some time to contemplate her deeds. And I wanted her to be served the divorce papers at the airport when she landed. "How about we let her go at twelve-fifty? That will make it unlikely that she gets there on time, but she'll have enough hope to try."

"As soon as she's over the drawbridge it goes up again and stays up."

"Sounds like a good plan. You staying here tonight?"

"I'm thinking that I should stay at least until we finish off that bottle of fine bourbon."

We had two doubles each that evening, not that I was trying to get rid of Alex. I don't know what would have happened to me without his support. I told him that I wanted to be in the office by eight the next morning, and we went to bed.

MONDAY:

The support from my colleagues was amazing. David had not gone into the gory details while outlining my problems. In fact, he didn't disclose more than anyone needed to know to prepare for the coming war. He organized our firm into the legal equivalent of the Seventh Fleet, bent on the destruction of Greenrock Capital, Pencer Research Associates, the Gossamer Sands Resort and anyone associated with it. Marie wasn't targeted for destruction; just for divorce, maybe humiliation. I spent most of the day in the conference room where a few days ago I had earned eleven million dollars. I asked and answered questions, reviewed drafts, suggested attack angles... I had been helpless over the weekend, and now I was preparing to exact revenge.

At one o'clock Alex informed me that Marie's car had just sped over the drawbridge. It had taken ten minutes for them to get out, once they realized they could get across. I hoped her car wouldn't get in an accident on the way. At two thirty I was tense; she should be close to Charlotte Amelie by now, in cell phone range. It would make sense for her to call me, but she didn't. Alex tried to locate her phone but couldn't. He suggested that she probably didn't turn it off when she handed it over to the resort staff, and that the battery was dead. I went back to my own office, shut the door and put my head down on the desk.

I wasn't asleep but was nonetheless startled when she called.

"Yes, Marie?"

"Rudy, I missed my flight home. I'm so sorry. I won't be home till tomorrow evening. I miss you so much."

"Where are you?"

"The Marriot, Charlotte Amelie."

"How's Harold? Is he with you?"

"He's at the Hilton. It was hard getting hotel rooms at the last minute."

"How was your research?"

That question made her pause. "Terrible."

"What went wrong?"

"I'm too frazzled to talk about it now. Can I tell you once I'm safely ensconced on your lap?"

"Can't tell me while sitting on a chair?"

I heard her take a deep breath. "Rudy, I love you so much, so deeply. I'm desperate to be in your arms. Can you wait till then?"

"I'll manage. See you tomorrow, Marie." I hung up and went to David's office. "She'll be arriving tomorrow at seven. I'll send you the specific flight details. I want her served at the airport."

"What did she say?"

"She'll talk to me when she's sitting in my lap. That's never going to happen. Can we get a restraining order to keep her from approaching the house?"

"No, and you're not having her served at the airport. It might feel good at the moment, but it will not help your position. I've been in this business for three decades, and I'm telling you that the chance of you having a good outcome is much improved if you talk with her first. Even if all she does is deny, deny, your tapes disproving those denials will likely crush her ability to resist your demands."

"She won't deny. I told you, she has integrity."

"Rudy, the fact that you're telling me that your wife has integrity makes it even more important that you listen to her before taking action. Don't tell her about the tapes for now. She'll speculate about what you know. At that point you'll be able to set the terms pretty forcefully."

TUESDAY:

I tracked her flight's arrival, coming in fifteen minutes early. Getting off the plane, picking up her suitcase, getting to the house should consume a couple of hours. I was sitting in my chair by eight thirty, awaiting her entry. Alex had offered to keep me company, but I preferred to rely on the Eagle Rare for support. By nine o'clock I was a little concerned. At nine-fifteen I heard a car door close. A minute later the doorbell rang. Why didn't she use her key?

I opened to find my wife on her knees, head bowed, at the front door.

"What happened to your hair?"

"I shaved my head."

'Why?"

She looked up at me. Tears were cascading from her eyes. Together with stubble of her hair, the effect was something out of a horror film. She crawled forward, wrapped her arms around my knees, her head pressing against my legs and sobbed.

"Come inside, Marie."

"Are- are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"If you knew what I've done... Oh, Rudy!"

I stepped around her, grabbed her suitcase and brought it inside. I was proud of the whore's integrity at the moment, and proud of myself for recognizing it despite everything. She rose to follow me in. We both stood in the vestibule, a couple of feet apart. I tried to keep the passion out of my face as I watched her mournful green eyes.

"Oh, Rudy. I've done terrible things."

I remained silent, stoic.

She looked at the floor. "It was a wild sex resort, not a wilderness resort. I... I didn't realize... I indulged. I didn't run away when I had the chance."

I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I had sex with Harold."

That was the least of it, to my mind.

"And other people."

"And...?"

"Oh, Rudy..." Marie started to weep piteously, taking a step towards me. I moved back; she wasn't entitled to any comfort. She leaned against the door-frame instead. It took her a few minutes to recover her voice. "Hold me?"

I shook my head and took another step away from her.

"I can't, I can't... It's too hard for me to describe all the horrors yet. I will, if you want to know; just can't now."

"What can you do?"

"I don't deserve to be in our home, Rudy. I'm going to go upstairs and pack a few things. I'll go find a hotel room until... until I don't know when."

She reached for her suitcase but I grabbed it and put it next to the door. "No, there's nothing here for you now. Take your car, go find a place to stay. Call me and let me know where you are in case I need to send you any documents."

"Documents?"

"Yes. We'll see. This is serious, Marie. Much more than serious."

"You're divorcing me."

"What do you expect, after what you just told me? I'm not going to do anything precipitous, but how can I stay married to you?"

"Can I—?" She pointed towards our bedroom.

"Just leave." I wasn't ready to tell her all her possessions were in boxes, ready to go. "Let me know where you are.

She took a deep breath. "Okay. Can I have one last kiss?"

She moved towards me, and I practically ran backwards. "Emily has genital herpes. I don't want any part of you touching me."

All the color drained from her skin. "Emily?"

"You know, the girl you did sixty-nine with."

She threw up. There wasn't much; she probably hadn't eaten much since we set off the alarm. I went to get a mop. Fortunately she threw up on the ceramic floor rather than the carpet. Marie was curled up next to her mess, her eyes closed when I returned with the equipment. I cleaned up her vomit and told her to follow me to the den. The TV showed her on her back, blindfolded, with five men lined up in front of her. I held the pail, ready for a repeat.