She Never Came Home

Danny O'brien let out a long low moan as he lifted a fire hose from the back of the fire truck.

"Sounds like someone is getting old," Cooper said as he smiled at his friend.

Danny rubbed his shoulder. "Not old, only tired. Can't wait to get home in the morning and snuggle up to Alice."

"Married for six years and you still got the hots for your wife. That's damn impressive," Cooper said.

"Why do you always turn the conversation into sex?" Danny asked.

"Listen, it's simple. We're firefighters for the FDNY. Women can't control their hormones when they're around us," Cooper said then smiled a big shitting grin.

Cooper was right. Danny was a firefighter. Fighting fires was what his father had done, as did his grandfather and his great grandfather. The lineage went all the way back to the old country.

Saturdays were always hectic in the city that never sleeps. Yet busy times were always better than cleaning equipment and checking fire hoses. Fires can't tell time so firefighters work on the weekend while most people are having a good time. This evening Danny would finish his shift at seven in the morning.

The early hours of his shift were consumed by automobile accidents and dumpster fires. For a Saturday night, it was an easy shift for Danny. Around one in the morning the alarms sounded, and Danny and his fellow firefighters jumped into action. An elevator was stuck between the eighteenth and nineteenth floors of a high-rise apartment complex.

Upon arrival, they split into two teams. One took to the elevator next to the faulty one, and the other team went in the service elevator. As they waited for the Captain to arrive, Danny took charge.

The two riders inside yelled and pleaded with the firefighters to get them out of the stuck car. The firefighters blocked the doors open, and they could see the elevator was two thirds past the eighteenth floor. The occupants continued to yell as a firefighter tried to calm them down.

It didn't take but ten minutes for the captain to arrive, and when he got on scene, the captain rubbed his chin. "Looks like you got things under control. What do you think, Danny?"

"According to Cooper, the two inside said the elevator shuddered a few times, dropped from the twentieth floor and stopped here."

"All right. Here's what we'll do. Cooper, take your group, go to the elevator's penthouse, and lock the cables. Then power down this elevator only. You got that? Make damn sure you have all the cables locked in. I sure as hell don't want this thing to drop while we're in the process of getting those civilians out."

It took Cooper's team almost half-an-hour to secure the elevator. Then, one at a time, the firefighters removed the passengers. First out was a woman in a small black dress, followed by a well-dressed older man. The woman in black kept looking away from the firefighters. The man seemed to be more pissed than frightened, barking orders and issuing demands. The captain stepped into the guy's face and confronted him.

"If you don't shut up, and shut up right now, I'll have my men toss you back inside the car, you got me?"

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Yeah, I do. You're the loudmouth I saved from certain death if the brakes had failed. That's who you are."

The woman, on the other hand, tried not to be heard or seen, she hid behind the firefighter she had attached herself to when he got her out of the car. It was quite apparent that she didn't want to be seen by anyone.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" One of the firefighters asked.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine and I really need to go."

When the woman spoke, her voice caught Danny's attention. He came over and the woman turned away. "Alice? Alice is that you?"

"Danny, before you say anything, let me explain."

Danny looked at his wife standing beside this stranger. Her little black dress was in fact quite little as the hem was easily eight inches above her knees. When she turned just so, the darker stitching of the panty part of her hose was exposed. She pulled at her dress in a desperate attempt to avoid giving the firefighters a show. Alice appeared much taller than normal, and that's when Danny noticed the extra tall high heels she had on.

At first many of the firefighters figured she was an escort with a customer.

"Jesus Christ," Cooper mumbled. He did a double glance to make sure the woman in the black dress was in fact Danny's wife. There was no doubt. Cooper knew her.

Suddenly a fellow firefighter grabbed Cooper by the arm. "Is that Alice? Danny's wife?"

Danny stood and stared at the floor. He simply couldn't un-hear what he had overheard.

Danny took a half a dozen steps and stopped in front of his wife. "Jesus, Alice. Why?"

Captain Morris worked his way between Danny and his wife. "This is not the place. It's certainly not the time. Go downstairs and put the equipment away. You got that?"

"She's my wife, and she's with another man!"

"Did you get what I said?" Captain Morris repeated.

"Yes SIR. I got it all right. Captain." He looked over at Alice. "Maybe you can pull the knife out of my back on the way down."

*********Chapter Two********

The start of the new week brought rain to the Big Apple. Danny sat in his recliner as Monday slowly came to an end. The only light in his apartment was the flicker from the television. The sound was turned down. Danny was deep in thought when the front door clicked and opened. It squeaked, and then the latch clicked again as it closed.

"Danny, are you in here?" Alice asked.

He didn't say a word. Alice moved toward the flickering light and noticed Danny in the chair.

"You didn't hear me coming in?" Alice asked.

"I heard you."

"I need to get some things. I figured you'd need a few days to calm down before I came over."

"Take whatever you want. Take it all, I don't care."

"All I came over for was some clothing and personal items, and I'll be as quick as possible."

"May I ask you one question?"

"What is it?"

"Why? Why did you do it?"

Danny watched Alice as she moved into the living room. Alice was the type of woman that didn't need, or wore, much makeup. While she would never be seen walking down a fashion show runway, Alice was girl-next-door pretty. Her face had the warm gold tone of a ripe peach. Her eyelashes were long and sooty black. Raven black hair tumbled over her shoulders. Her sable eyes had an almost magical glow that held people captive. She had an inch-long scar above her right eye, the result of a childhood boating accident.

Alice worked for the Port Authority, and she rarely wore a dress to work. Her work attire consisted mainly of dress slacks, black pumps, and a white shirt. She certainly didn't follow any of the latest fashions. When she wasn't working, as she was that tonight, she wore beat up jeans with holes in the knees and well-worn Adidas sneakers.

Alice sat cross-legged on the floor opposite Danny. "I didn't wake up on a Tuesday morning and decided to have an affair. It happened. This man approached me at the coffee shop right around the corner from the building I work in, and we chatted for a while over coffee. It grew from there.

"He complimented me on my appearance. Over the next several weeks I planed my lunch breaks so we could meet. He told me how beautiful I was, and how attractive a figure I had. He bought me Dolce & Gabbana dresses and expensive hosiery along with some high heels to show off my legs."

"Whatever Dolce & Gabbana is, it sounds expensive. I don't have that kind of money. I like to see your legs too, but you never seem interested in showing them to me. When was the last time you wore a dress for me? Apparently you have no trouble wearing short dresses for HIM. The whole damn squad got more than a glimpse of your ass cheeks hanging out from under that black dress."

"It's difficult to explain right now," Alice said.

"Difficult to explain? You were headed up to his apartment when the elevator failed. What were you going to do up there? Look at his stamp collection?"

"Why even try to answer that question? You and I both know what the answer is," Alice said.

"You had sex with him that night, didn't you?"

"Yes."

Alice's answer sucked all the air out of the room. Neither of them said a word for a long time. Danny let out a sigh and then said, "The last time we had sex, I'll always remember that evening."

"Why?"

"Because that was the time you told me to finish without you. You weren't going to come anyway. That had to be the most soul crushing thing you've ever told me." Danny lowered his head and said, "What a fool I've been."

"I didn't mean it. I was tired and wanted to go to sleep. I don't have a switch that you can flip and get me all hot and ready in seconds. It doesn't work like that."

"I guess I expected too much from my wife and my marriage," Danny said, "Alice, you hide in the bathroom when you get dressed. On those rare occasions you wear them, you won't even let me watch you put your pantyhose or stockings on. Why do you hide from me?"

"I don't know why. What's the bid deal? It's stupid, you wanting to watch me dress or put my stockings on. Is that the only way you get your jollies?"

"That was uncalled for," Danny said.

"I'm sorry, I'm under a lot of stress right now. If you wanted sex, why didn't you simply go out and get some. Christ, Danny, you'd have no trouble getting pussy."

"I stood in front of you and God and made a vow that I'd forsakes all others. I may be many things in my life, but I keep my word."

Alice wiped her eyes with the back of her arm.

"I didn't plan on any of this. It just happened. That's all. Lunches led to dinners. Several times he put his hand under my skirt and I had to pull it out. I didn't want it to go that far, but then one night he put his hand there and I didn't stop him. That night was the first time we...well...we became lovers."

"How long has this been going on under my nose?"

"We met about nine months ago, maybe a bit longer. We've been intimate for perhaps four months."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"I had planned to. I couldn't figure out a way to do so without causing a scene."

"And pulling you and him out from a stuck elevator wasn't a scene? At first I didn't recognize you. During all the years we dated and all the years since we've been married, I've never seen you wear a small black dress, especially one as short as the one you had on that night."

"I wish it hadn't happened the way it did, but in a way I'm glad it's all over. Danny, I'm going to file for divorce."

"On what grounds?"

"I don't want to be married to you anymore. There is no romance between us. There hasn't been in years."

*********Chapter Three*********

A cold raw wind ripped through the city. It had been almost two weeks since that morning when Cooper pulled Danny's wife and her lover from the stuck elevator. Now Danny stood alone in front of a row of photographs of firefighters that had died in the line of duty. The Hook and Ladder had them on display. There were dozens of photos; the majority of them were men and women who died when the World Trade Center Towers fell. Among them was Danny's father. He stared at the photo of his dad.

"What am I going to do, Dad? This is one fire I can't put out. Alice left me. She didn't come home. My marriage went up in flames. Dad, what am I going to do?"

Danny ordered a beer and sat in an empty booth. He took small sips of the brew and looked out at the customers. They were all firefighters and cops. This bar, the Hook and Ladder, was their watering hole. A place to come to tell tall stories, and remember those that died trying to save lives. And right now, it was as good a place as any to feel sorry for himself. Danny took another sip.

"Hey! Mind if I join you?"

"Who are you?"

"Sorry. I'm Sally. I work radio dispatch. You're Danny O'Brien, right? I heard about you and your wife. I thought you might want some company. I got off work a half hour ago. I was working the communications desk, and I could tell in your voice over the radio you could use a friend."

Danny looked up at Sally. She still had her uniform on, and in the dim light of the bar he could see that she stood barely five feet tall. Her short hair framed a round olive-skinned face. Long black lashes enhanced her haunting umber anime eyes. Her lips were painted fire engine red. Her breasts pressed against the front of her shirt.

"I'd rather be alone if you don't mind."

"Listen, the rumor mill is in high gear. It's no secret your soon to be ex-wife will be filing divorce papers."

"You move fast, don't you?" Danny asked.

"Good men are almost impossible to find in his city." A flirtatious smile flashed across her face. "The good ones are either married or gay."

"I'm married."

"That's only a formality for right now. Your marriage is nothing more than dried ink on a sheet of paper. It died years ago, so it's time you bury it." Sally said.

*********Chapter Four**********

Several days had passed when Danny heard a knock at the door. When he opened it, there stood Sally in a short green knit dress.

"Get yourself dressed, I'm going to take you out," Sally announced.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes you are. You've been sitting here in your apartment enjoying your one-person pity party for too damn long. It's time to get on with your life. Now are you going to get dressed or am I going to have to dress you?"

"Okay, okay. Where are we going?"

"A small quiet place I know, off the beaten path, where the lights are low and the music soft. That's where we're going."

"Like I said the other day, you sure move fast."

Sally's face lit up with a sexy grin and Danny smiled back. For some reason, probably her upbeat personality, Sally made him feel better.

"You need to wear a tie. They won't let us in if you're not wearing one."

Sally watched as Danny disappeared down a hallway. She slipped down the hall after him, and watched through the crack between the door and doorjamb as he took off his shirt. Danny might not have been ripped like the men in Sports Illustrated, but he certainly filled out a shirt. She continued to watch him strip down. He turned his back to her and Sally gasped at his tight bare ass. Danny stopped for a moment and stood there. Perhaps he was thinking about this impromptu date with Sally? Whatever the reason, it gave Sally a nice long look at his ass and how the tan line stopped at his waist. As she watched, a tingle began to grow between her legs. Sally took in every second, and then Danny began to dress once more. He turned toward the door, and then slipped a new pair of briefs up his thighs and gently arranged his cock inside them. She couldn't miss the nice bulge his cock and balls made in his white briefs. Sally wet her lips as she watched him pull up a pair of slacks and stuffed his shirttails down.

Danny hadn't worn a tie in years, and to the best of his memory, the last time was at his wedding.

Danny pulled out a drawer and out from a small black box, he removed a light blue silk tie. His fingers moved over the material slowly as he recalled better times. Danny let out a puff of air and started toward the door. Sally darted back down the hallway and stood in the center of the living room.

"You're going to need to tie this for me. It's been years since I've worn one."

"I'd love to." Sally stepped up and placed her arms around Danny's neck. She drew him so close their lips almost touched. The aroma of Sally's perfume filled Danny's senses, and he could almost taste her lips. Somehow Danny's hands settled on Sally's butt, and he squeezed her gently. Sally rose on tiptoes and murmured, "Kiss me."

"I can't do that."

"Alice isn't here anymore. Kiss me. I know you want to."

"I can't."

"Maybe I want to kiss you?" Sally tilted her head and placed her lips within a hair's breadth of his.

Danny ever so slowly pulled her close. Their lips touched and he held Sally tight to his body. She felt so goddamn good in his arms. He closed his eyes and in his mind's eye remembered holding Alice exactly the same way. But that was years ago. He wondered if the man she left him for held her as close and as tight as he used to. His hands cupped Sally's butt and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Jesus, this is nice," Sally said.

Danny's kisses moved from Sally's lips to her eyelashes, and then continued along her cheeks to the side of her neck. Danny wasn't thinking when his hands somehow managed to lift the hem of Sally's dress over her butt. His hands soon began to roam across her nylon-covered rear. A minute later, he pulled her dress down again.

"I shouldn't have done that." Danny's face turned as bright as a three-alarm fire. "I haven't been with another woman since I married Alice."

"I'm not Alice. I enjoyed that kiss and I didn't want you to stop."

Sally reached down and began to pet Danny's cock, and at first Danny made no attempt to stop her. Sally's long fingernails followed the length of his dick held captive by his white briefs. When Danny tried to move her hand away she pushed his hand aside.

"You like this, don't you?"

Danny didn't say a word. He closed his eyes and Sally could tell he truly enjoyed her touch.

Danny leaned in and their foreheads touched.

"If you keep doing that, I'm going to have an accident."

"What would be so wrong with that? Wouldn't that feel so delicious to come in your pants?" Sally asked.

Danny grabbed her hand. "Not now. Sally, it hasn't been a month that Alice has been out of my life."

"That was her choice. This is mine."

*********

Sally was correct. The restaurant she selected was exactly like she said it would be. They had finished eating and were enjoying a drink when Sally turned toward him.

"How do I look tonight?" Sally asked.

"Great. You look great."

"I thought I'd get something better than great out of you."

"I'm still trying to wrap my mind around tonight—and you," Danny said.

Sally tasted her drink. "Wouldn't you like to slip this dress off of me tonight?"

"Whoa, damn. We've only known each other for several hours, and you're talking about me taking your dress off?"

"That's what I asked. Besides back at your apartment, I could tell by the bulge in your pants how much you were thinking about me and getting my dress on the floor." Sally reached out and took Danny's hand and placed it high on her thigh. "No is a word neither of us may use tonight."

Danny didn't move his hand. His eyes were locked onto hers as his fingers wiggled further under Sally's dress until his fingers felt the difference in the stitching of her hose. Like any fire, he could feel the heat growing between her legs. Slowly, Danny moved his hand behind Sally's neck and pulled her lips to his. In the dim light he placed gentle kisses on her cheeks. His hand slipped out from under her dress, and slowly meandered up her body. He cupped a breast, and his thumb flicked back and forth across a nipple that pushed out from her bra.

Sally's hand dropped onto Danny's lap. Her fingers stroked his hard cock though his dress pants.

"I do work fast. I heard you and Alice weren't going to stay married so I jumped to the front of the line. I want you."

Sally continued to run her fingers on Danny's crotch.

"Alice hasn't even filed the divorce papers." Danny squirmed. "If you don't stop what you're doing, I'm going to come in my pants."

"Did Alice ever do this to you while you went out?"

"No. Never."

Danny almost stopped breathing when he felt Sally's fingers pull the zipper down on his pants.

"Sally, what the hell are you doing?"