Seduction Ch. 06: Surprise!

Friday, I went shopping. I bought some sexy underwear and the most daring little black dress I had ever even tried on. I went to the liquor store and selected a nice bottle of champagne. I remembered Alex had served me Johnny Walker Gold Label (It's not the most expensive, but he mentioned he just liked it better). Still, I bought a bottle of the Platinum Label. I didn't want to serve him what I drank at Alex's. Then I bought flowers.

As I went to bed, I thought, "Well, this is it. Bill will be back tomorrow." But as I'm about to fall asleep, I find myself wondering what Alex is doing. Is he thinking of me? Does he imagine me in his bed? Is he hoping I'll come back to him? Am I? Then I cursed myself for my stupidity, and finally fell asleep.

Saturday morning, I was a nervous wreck. I got up early and mowed the lawn. I made sure the house was perfect. I had lunch, took a long shower, put on my new dress, and carefully put on makeup.

Bill should be home soon. I sat on the couch, our favorite drinks in front of me. I heard his car pull in and I rushed to the door, my heart pounding.

In my previous stories, there has always been a villainous seducer and a foolish woman who momentarily misplaces her vows. But in this one, there's neither; it's just a comedy, or rather a tragedy, of errors. Although her behavior after she learned the truth was not her wisest move.

So, gentle reader, where does it go from here? Can Bill forgive her? Does she even want to be forgiven? Maybe she's hoping for a future with Alex. Alex says he's ready to settle down, and he does seem to have a lot of affection for Beth. But can a leopard change his spots?

Well, I don't really know. As I do from time to time, I just let the characters loose. So, with Hemingway's immortal words in mind (Write drunk, edit sober), the story continues.

Just as Bill stepped out of the car, I ran out and threw myself at him in a big hug. I felt him stiffen, but I just hugged him tighter. "Please hug me, honey," I sobbed. "Please! I'm so sorry!"

He sighed and gave me a small hug. "Let's go inside," he whispered. "We're giving the neighbors a big show. Here, take this." He went to the trunk and pulled out my suitcase and handed it to me. He took his suitcase and another bag and carried them into the house.

We set our bags down by the door. He smiled as he looked at the drinks and snacks prepared on the coffee table, the dining table laid out in our fine china and the ice bucket by the side. He looked at me and said, "I see you went all out. But our problems go beyond a mere apology, no matter how sincere. But thank you for trying, anyway." He sat on the sofa and picked up his drink.

I asked, "Are you hungry, honey? I know your body is in a different time zone now. Can I get you anything?"

"This is fine," he said as he bit into the cheese and crackers I had laid out. "So, I gather you ran out because you thought I was leaving you. Then you spent the weekend fucking another man. How did you manage that? Did you have a lover waiting in the wings?"

"NO," I cried. "I had never met him before! He was going to have dinner with a client when I ran right into him. He caught me before I could fall. I told him I had to get out of there, so he led me to his car and we drove off. Honey, I went crazy. I asked him to drop me off at a motel, but instead he took me to his house. If he had done what I asked, I would have probably gone to a bar and gotten drunk, and maybe found myself chained up in a basement or working in a Mexican whorehouse. Instead, he gave me one drink and let me talk and cry it out."

"And then you fucked him."

"It wasn't like that. Honey, you are everything to me. When I thought you were leaving me, I felt like my whole insides had been ripped out. I was an empty shell. I felt worthless. Unattractive. He offered to put me up in the guest room, but I couldn't stand the thought of being alone. I asked him to make love to me. He didn't want to at first, because he said I was too emotionally vulnerable. But I insisted that my marriage was dead, and I needed something to make me feel alive again. And he did. Alex didn't just fuck me; he took the time to make me feel special, to make me feel desirable. Honey, please believe that I would never have cheated on you if I had thought that there was a 'you' to come back to. But that act brought me back to life."

"Then you stayed with him all weekend."

"Yes, honey. I told you how devastated I was. My brain just took a vacation from reality. I told Alex that I just wanted to have fun that weekend. We wouldn't talk about anything serious. So, we chatted, we laughed, and we cooked dinner together. We went paddling in his canoe in the lake behind his house. In the evenings, we danced, watched movies, and played games. And yes, whenever the mood struck us, we would have sex. I'm sorry, honey, but I just couldn't handle thinking about what I thought I had lost.

"When I went in to work on Tuesday, Natalie explained everything to me, and I listened to your voicemails. I felt so guilty! I wanted to join you, but you had my passport. All I could do was send you an email asking you to forgive me. Then Natalie kicked me out."

"How did you get home?"

"I was so embarrassed by all my coworkers staring at me that I just walked out and kept walking until I was out of sight of the building. Then Alex called to see if I was okay. I asked him to take me home. He dropped me off and went back to work."

"So, tell me about this lover of yours."

I sobbed, "Honey, please don't..."

"Sorry. Tell me about Alex."

"I don't know his last name, or what he does. He's 33 years old, never married, a bit less than six feet tall, and very good looking. He has a beautiful home and drives an expensive car so I guess he must be well off. He told me that he had been a shameless Lothario, and had seduced many women, but that he recently had an epiphany and wanted to settle down."

"With you?"

I blushed. "No, honey. Well, he may think I'm in the running, but we've only known each other a few days, and I'm sure he has many ex-lovers to choose from. I wouldn't trust him, anyway. He says he's sworn off seducing women for casual sex, but that's like an alcoholic saying he's kicked his habit because he hasn't had a drink in three days. I want a husband that would be as faithful to me as you've been, and as I was to you before my meltdown."

Bill finished his drink and poured another. He looked at me for a long time and said, "I have more questions, but first let me tell you about my trip. We had seats on the side of the plane, and the seat next to me was empty, of course. Across the aisle sat one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. Seated next to her was an obese man who could barely squeeze into his seat. As soon as the seatbelt sign came off, he lifted the armrest between them and flowed into her space. I could see she was uncomfortable, so I offered her your seat.

"She accepted, and we chatted. Her name was Janet Richards and she had just gotten divorced from a sleazebag who had been having multiple affairs. She left her boys with her parents and took this trip to get away for a while. She said she had nothing specific planned in Paris. It turned out we were staying in the same hotel. I told her about my situation. We agreed that it seemed like there might be some sort of misunderstanding, but I told her I had resolved to enjoy my trip and not think about it until I got home.

"I also told her that I had paid for a couple of tours and invited her to join me on them. She agreed, as both of us would have a better trip with company. When they dimmed the cabin lights, she held my hand as we slept.

"We did everything together in Paris. Spoiler alert: We did not have sex. We spent the whole first day at the Louvre. But on the two tours where she had to claim to be you, she went all out pretending to be my wife. Monday evening, we took a romantic boat ride down the Seine, drinking Champagne under the full moon. Tuesday, we toured Versailles, and she held my hand or put her arm around me the whole time. We strolled through the beautiful gardens, and we laughed when she kissed me by one of the fountains. It was great fun. Everybody in our tour group thought we were newlyweds.

"That evening I got your message and checked my email, and I learned that it was indeed a misunderstanding. I also learned that you had spent the weekend with another man. Janet and I talked about it at dinner. I told her how devastated I was that you had been cheating on me. She even offered to sleep with me that night. But I told her no. I was getting too fond of her, and if we were intimate, it would make any decisions even more difficult. I told her we should just continue as we were doing. I would prefer just to have her company for the rest of the trip and try to postpone any decisions about our relationships until we were home.

"Friday evening, I took her dancing. It was very romantic. We got to our hotel very late, and for the first time I got off at her floor and walked her to her door. We shared a passionate kiss. She opened the door and invited me in, but I declined. I told her we'd talk on the flight home.

"She sat beside me on the plane, and we exchanged phone numbers. I told her that my first priority would be to see if there was a way to save my marriage, but I would keep in touch.

"So, you may have destroyed my marriage, but don't feel bad about ruining my trip. I had a wonderful time. In many ways, it may have been better than if you had come along. I imagine you can say the same thing about your little vacation."

I'm glad I had the foresight to put a box of tissues on the coffee table. I dried my tears and blew my nose. "Honey, I..."

"You said that Alex dropped you off at home Tuesday. Was that the last time you saw him?"

I froze. I realized how badly I was feeling about his dancing with her, holding her hand and kissing her passionately once. I had told myself that if he could forgive my weekend of sex, he could certainly forgive my staying at a friend's house for a couple of nights, but I realized how ridiculous that was. I had an excuse for what I did on the weekend. I had no excuse for what I did afterwards. I did much worse than he did. I walked around wearing nothing but an apron and kissed Alex passionately more than once. Worst of all, I slept naked with him for two nights. Should I lie? But if he even suspects I'm not telling him everything, I doubt I have a chance.

I bowed my head. "No," I whispered.

"Well, you passed your first test. On the way home, I called Ron. Since he's married to the town gossip, he certainly knows everything that's going on. Sally told him that you left very soon after you got home on Tuesday and didn't come back until Thursday morning. So, tell me what happened."

"Alex saw me to the door. When I got in, I started crying. Everything reminded me of you. Alex suggested that I spend the afternoon at his home while he was at work. I could spend a night or two in a guest room until I could compose myself. He went back to work. I packed a few things, went to his house, and spent the afternoon relaxing. Then I fixed him supper. I decided that, since he was such a ladies' man, he probably knew a bit about the aftermath of cheating and perhaps could help me."

"Did he?"

"Not really. He said some husbands just got a divorce and never talked to their wives again. Others managed to stay together but he couldn't give me any details. He mentioned one of his lovers who was still with her husband after three months, but he hadn't touched her in all that time."

"That doesn't sound very promising. Go on."

"After supper, I told him the whole story, how I told Natalie I was bored, how you tried to surprise me and how I reacted. Then he told me that he had seduced a lot of women and destroyed a lot of marriages. That's why he was touched when he saw me as the victim of a cheating husband. He had begun to feel bad about his prior life and was wondering what he may have been missing by not settling down. He told me how comfortable he had felt spending time with me and how nice it was to come home to someone waiting for him with a home-cooked meal.

"Honey, I can't really explain what happened next. I should have just come home. But instead, I cuddled up to him as we watched TV. I joked that he was getting a taste of what an evening of married life was like. When the show finished, it was late, so he offered to let me sleep in the guest room. But then he joked that I could sleep with him and not have sex. 'I mean, isn't that what married people do all the time?' For some stupid reason, I agreed."

Bill glared at me. "I see. You decided to let him give marriage a test drive. Or where you test-driving him? Never mind. So, you slept with him. Naked?"

"Yes, honey. That's how I always sleep."

"He was naked, too?"

I looked down and whispered, "Yes."

"Of course. Go on."

"We just got into bed, I kissed him goodnight, and turned away."

"Let me get this straight. You 'just' gave him a passionate kiss and turned away. He turned towards you, cuddled up against your back, pushed his cock against your ass, wrapped his arm against your belly and pulled you back into his naked body. That's all. I imagine you slept very well."

"Yes," I mumbled. I realized how bad that sounded.

"Well, continue your story," he snarled.

"I got up early and fixed us breakfast. Then I kissed him goodbye, and he went to work."

"A passionate lover's kiss, I suppose. Were you still naked?"

I blushed. "I wore an apron."

"I'm sure you looked very sexy in it. But you still didn't go home."

"I called Natalie, and she told me how foolish I was behaving. I realized she was right. But I had promised to fix Alex supper, so I decided to go home after that."

"Just out of curiosity, what did you cook for him?"

"Tuesday, I made my white lasagna and on Wednesday I made Beef Stroganoff. Oh, and I made Eggs Benedict for breakfast."

"I remember you made Eggs Benedict for me on my birthday, two years ago. I really loved your lasagna. What's it been, about three years since you last made it? I don't think you've ever made Beef Stroganoff for me, but I'm sure it was delicious."

"I'm sorry, honey, I'll..."

"Never mind, I get the picture," he seethed. "But you still didn't come home."

"We shared a bottle of wine with dinner. Then we watched TV, but I sat apart from him. I told him it was so he could see what marriage would be like after a few years. Then I told him I was going home. He pointed out that I had drunk wine and suggested I spend one more night."

"You had shared just one bottle with dinner, hours before?"

"I know, honey. I certainly could have driven home. I guess I just wanted to feel his body one last time. But we didn't have sex!"

"No, all you did was get into bed with a man you had strong feelings for, both of you naked, kissed him, let him rub his body against you, then cuddled with him all night. But you didn't have sex, so that's alright! Gee, I wish I had known that rule. Eight nights I slept alone in my hotel room, tossing and turning, wondering if I had a wife to come home to. I could have checked out of my room and moved in with Janet! That would have saved me almost a thousand dollars. Instead of being alone, I could have been cuddled up to Janet's beautiful body, kissing her, rubbing myself against that firm ass and fondling those luscious tits. I'm sure I would have slept a lot better! I should call her up and see if she wants to make up for lost time!

"But not tonight. It's after 11PM in Paris. We didn't get to bed until well after midnight last night and got up early this morning to catch our flight. She's probably asleep and I'm dead tired. I'm going to sleep in the guest room." He got his carryon bag and pulled out my passport, wedding rings and birth control pills and set them on the table. "You didn't use any of these things last week. I always wanted kids, but you kept putting me off. Well, you may be having someone else's. I don't suppose I'll need this anymore." He took off his wedding ring and put it on top of the pills. Then he grabbed his suitcase and went upstairs.

I collapsed to the floor, sobbing.

Epilog - Ten years later

I learned several lessons from my ordeal. One is about the nature of surprises. First of all, you have to be open to them. I loved it when he surprised me with flowers, but I complained to Natalie that they were always carnations. Yet I imagine that if he gave me a rose, say, I would be disappointed. Doesn't he know my favorite flowers are carnations? Also, big surprises are dangerous. After all, they all involve a certain amount of sneaking around. Even something as innocuous as a surprise birthday party involves plotting behind the subject's back, lying to them, deceiving them to get them out of the way, and so forth. If the subject is observant or suspicious, she may become distressed, wondering what the hell is going on. Is the surprise at the end worth that grief?

Making the trip to Paris a last-minute surprise was even more ridiculous. It would have been better if he had surprised me with it two weeks earlier. We would have spent two weeks researching, planning, anticipating, working together - we would have enjoyed the vacation for three weeks instead of just the one week we would be there.

As for my boredom, that was mostly my fault. I should have been satisfied with my comfortable lifestyle. If I wanted a little spice, I could have provided it myself. I didn't have to cook spaghetti every Wednesday. True, some dishes take longer to prepare but I could have prepped a lasagna the night before, say, and then just put it in the oven when I got home.

As for the sex being stale, that was mostly my fault too. I had insisted we do it only at night in our bedroom. I also told him I disliked doing it from the rear, as I wanted to look into his eyes as we made love. But I came like a firecracker when, Saturday afternoon, Alex came up behind me, pushed me over the back of the sofa and just took me. Or Sunday evening while we were dancing, when he pushed me against the wall and had me standing up. Of course, it made things easier that we were naked both times. But I could have just not gotten dressed one Saturday and invited Bill to join me. Imagine if he had come home after work and found me in the kitchen wearing nothing but an apron! I could have bent over, wiggled my ass, and said, "Honey, I need some help. Could you please stir my pot?"

Another lesson I learned is to never run away from a problem. If, on Friday, I had just hugged Bill and said, "I'm not going to let you leave me," the problem would have been resolved right away. If, on Tuesday morning, I had faced up to the problem of getting Bill back, instead of seeking comfort in Alex's arms, that might have been enough to save my marriage.

Bill was not able to forgive me for my staying with Alex for the two days after I found out that he wasn't cheating on me. He was right - I should not have continued to be intimate with Alex and do things that would bring me even closer to him. I guess I couldn't hide my strong affection for Alex - hell, I was well on the way to falling in love with him! Bill just couldn't ignore that.

Bill and Janet were married three months after our divorce became final. Her boys love him, as her ex had never been a good father. They now have an eight-year-old daughter, and Bill finally has the children that I had denied him.

My daughter is now nine years old. Yes, I got pregnant that weekend. I really can't explain why I never took the morning-after pill. Maybe I was in denial, or maybe I just wanted to hedge my bets. I moved in with Alex after Bill and I split up, and Alex was able to sample the joys of married life. But his idea of connubial bliss did not extend to putting up with a pregnant wife or the thought of a squalling baby, and we only lasted six months. He gave me a lump sum in lieu of child support, and I was able to buy a small condo. Fortunately, my parents live nearby, and can take care of her while I'm working. I dated some, but never found anyone who could measure up to what I had. I think I was comparing everyone to the best features of Bill and Alex. Well, I'm still attractive and much wiser. I have hope.