Steph and Don

If you're looking for a lot of hot cheating sex, or a bitter divorce, click the back arrow. You won't find any gratification here. It's just a story about how two people lost their way.

I don't use an editor, so if you're looking for bad grammar or misspelled words, this is for you. Any comments about it will be deleted along with any snarky comments. Constructive comments are welcome.

My name is Stephanie. I'm twenty nine years old and I'm married to Don. I work for the Federal Court system as a clerk for Judge Cavanaugh. He's a Superior Court Judge, and I've been with him for two years.

My husband, Don is the co-owner of Ruhle Systems. He and his dad own the company. His dad was slowly turning daily operations over to him. As of now, he's about ninety percent in charge, and that's my problem.

Don micromanages the company. As he says, he's responsible for employees and their families, and he doesn't want to let his dad down. Well, that's really good for his employees and his dad, but me? I'm somewhere lower on the totem pole.

It wasn't that way when we first got married. He had gotten into sailing when he was in college. After he graduated he bought a 25 ft. mono-hull. I loved spending weekends out on the ocean.

One afternoon, we found a cove, quite by accident. We were looking for a place to anchor for lunch and Don saw an inlet and turned in. It opened up to a little lagoon. There was a small sandy beach off to one side.

It was so romantic back in our little lagoon. We ate lunch and went skinny dipping. That evening, just before dark, Don lowered the Zodiac and we went ashore with a blanket and some marshmallows. He gathered some wood and made a small fire. We fed each other roasted marshmallows, making a mess, of course, before licking all the mess off of each other. We cuddled on the blanket looking up at the stars. I started kissing Don and moved down to his seven and a half inch cock. Yes, I measured it one night. I got him hard and pulled him into my saddle. I maneuvered him around and took his cock with both hands and guided him into my wet depths. We made slow sweet love long into the night.

Those nice times got fewer and fewer. It was a slow progression. We hadn't been sailing for more than a year. Our sailboat just sat there in the marina gathering seagull shit.

At first, he would be home at five thirty or six, and that was fine. After five years it got to be seven thirty with an occasional eight pm. He would be in bed by ten thirty or eleven every night and up at six am.

Saturdays, if I got lucky, we would talk for maybe a half hour in the morning while we ate breakfast, but he soon disappeared into his office. He always had some paperwork to go over. Sunday should have been our day, but there was always some more paperwork for him to go over getting ready for Monday morning. My weekends consisted of housework, shopping, prepping some things for meals and watching TV. It was like living with a roommate.

Occasionally, I would go to lunch or shopping with my friends. Of course, Don was too busy. Our social life was all but nonexistent. I would try to get him to go out with other couples we knew, but it was like pulling teeth without any anesthetic. I finally just gave up.

Even our sex life waned. Maybe, every week or two we would rub out parts together and exchange body fluids. It was just slightly better than using my power tools.

Two months ago I called him on it and he was good about coming home earlier, but about two weeks later he was back into his micro management mode.

It's Saturday morning and I'm sipping my coffee, waiting for Don to finish his breakfast. Today is the day I close the door. It was going to be he hardest thing I ever did.

"Don, before you go, I want to talk."

"Can't it wait till tonight. I don't want to be late for work."

"You own the damned company. You're not punching a time clock. You can be late for once in your life. So, sit down and listen."

"OK, what's so important that it won't wait?"

"There's no way to soft pedal this, so I'm just coming out with it. I want a divorce. I've contacted a lawyer and had the papers drawn up. You'll find them more than fair."

"A divorce. What the hell's got into you. I thought our marriage was just fine."

"It is fine for you. You have a job you love, someone to take care of the house, cook your meals and rub your body against now and then. From my side it totally different."

"But you never said anything. This is all out of the blue."

"Really? Do you remember that talk we had two months ago?"

"Yes. I thought that was all taken care of."

"It was for about two weeks. What time did you get home last night?"

"I don't remember."

"I do. It was seven forty five. The night before that it was seven thirty and the night before that it was eight. It's not what I signed up for. The man I fell in love with is gone. Now, I just have a roommate."

"But Steph..."

"But nothing. When was the last time we had sex?"

"I don't remember. I didn't mark it on the calendar."

"It was a week ago Sunday night. When was the last time we made love?"

"Steph..."

"It was two months ago when I put my foot down and you started coming home at a decent hour. Even then, every time I was out of your sight, you were on your phone, working."

"When was the last time we went sailing?"

"I'm not sure. It's been a while. I've been so busy."

"That's the whole problem with our marriage. You're too busy. You come home late at night, turn on the TV, do paperwork and you don't even know what's on the TV. You eat dinner and do more paperwork till you go to bed. Every weekday is the same. You pay to have the yard work done so you have more time for your work.

"Steph, honey. Please don't do this. I'll start coming home earlier."

"You know that old saying. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We tried that and it didn't work. I'm not going to try again. This isn't a baseball game where you get three strikes and you're out."

"Please don't try to fight this. I've made up my mind. I'm not asking for much. You can keep your company, the house and the sailboat. I just want twenty thousand dollars so I can set myself up in a place to live. My lawyer's card is in the envelope."

I turned and walked out.

I sat in my car for a few minutes realizing the finality of what I had just done. I wondered why I didn't feel some sense of relief or a great weight lifting off my shoulders. Maybe it would come later.

I knew Don would be OK in time. He would probably tunnel deeper into his work. That was where he was the most comfortable.

I thought back to the early years in our marriage. How much in love we were and how it has slowly drifted away like smoke in the wind. The fire had burned down and now all that was left were a few warm coals covered with ashes. The Phoenix would not rise from those ashes.

I took my to do list from my purse and drove away. I had a week off and a lot do to. I drove to a Holiday Inn Express near work and rented a room. I would go back later and pick up what I wanted after Don left for work.

First on my list was the bank where I took out the $20K I needed. I put $10K in my new checking account and the rest in savings. With my new credit/debit card and a book of temporary checks, I drove to the apartment complex where I had a appointment to do a walk through. An hour later I signed the lease, wrote a check for the first, last and the cleaning deposit. It was unfurnished so I would need everything. I went by a mail room store and picked up some boxes and strapping tape. I figured Don was gone by now so I went to get my clothes. I spent the rest of the week fixing up my new home.

******

What the hell just happened? Didn't she understand what I was doing. I had all this responsibility to my employees, my Dad and us. I didn't know any other way to run the company without it becoming some third rate worthless engineering company. I had to keep it on the top of the heap.

Another seven or eight years and we would be on easy street, traveling the world, enjoying all the benefits of my hard work. Now, I just have this dark cloud of rejection descending down around me. Thank god she isn't cheating on me. I don't know how I would handle that.

I feel like life is piling on me. I'm negotiating three new contracts for factory renovations. My engineers are out now, getting the specs so I can make a bid and now I have to deal with this.

I know there was no hope of stopping this divorce. Steph is the most organized woman on the planet. It's her strong suit that makes her so good at her job. She had this all planned out ahead of time and now it's set in motion.

I glanced at my watch. Fuck! I'm late for my morning staff meeting. I called Carol and told her reschedule for this afternoon.

*******

My secretary followed me into my office.

"I rescheduled the staff meeting for two and Jeff is back from Tulsa. He has all the specs for that account. Bill and Lee called. They'll be here tomorrow with their specs."

I had work to do.

******

Monday morning was going to be interesting. I was positive word had gotten out about my divorce. The Courthouse grapevine would be working overtime.

I walked down the hall toward my office with my head held high, looking over the heads of all the people. A few people said hello and I acknowledged them, but I didn't stop to chat. I walked into the office I shared with Liz, the Judge's secretary.

"Good morning, Steph."

"Good morning, Liz."

"By the look on your face I'm guessing you did it."

"Yes, I did, but I didn't think it would show. My first week being single certainly is different. It's a whole different mind set."

"From what you've been saying, it's not a far leap."

"I never thought about it that way, but I think you're right."

"Are you ready for all the creeps to come out of the woodwork? The words out and you're on the market as far as they're concerned."

"Sheesh. I haven't thought about that. I need some turn down lines."

"How about, "The ink on my divorce papers isn't dry yet." That should work."

"It should, but I may need a few more."

"You're a good looking woman. Maybe a really hot single guy will hit on you.?"

"But, the ink on my divorce papers isn't dry yet."

We both laughed.

******

After a five minute meeting with my lawyer, I signed the divorce papers. His advice was: "Sign them now. She could take half of everything." I signed them and gave them to Carol to deliver.

I landed the three factory renovation contracts after a week of intense bidding. The techs had finished and we were in full production.

****

My secretary buzzed me.

"Yes, Carol."

"You ten o'clock appointment is here."

"Thank you, send him in, please."

I stood and greeted him. He was a very well dressed man and appeared to be in his middle forty's, slightly balding.

"Please have a seat, Mr Hawkins. What can I do for you?"

"I an employed by the Barnes and Noble law firm. I represent a group of venture capitalists that are interested in buying your company. We are prepared to make a good faith offer."

"There must be some mistake. My company isn't for sale."

"We're aware of that, but we're prepared to offer you twenty six million dollars for your interest in it."

He slid a paper across my desk. I quickly read the single page. I didn't let him see the shock that hit me. It was my 'never let them know what you're thinking' tactic I used.

"I don't really have any plans to sell, but I'll give you the courtesy of looking over your offer."

"Would two weeks be enough time. My clients are looking at some other investments also. As you well know, time is money. They will withdraw their offer at the end of two weeks."

"Very well. I'll have an answer for you before then."

"Thank you for your consideration, Mr Ruhle. I sincerely hope we can do some business."

We shook hands and he walked out. I fell back in my chair.

Twenty six million fucking dollars was looking me in the eye. It was like a slap in the face. I had my nose so deep in the trees that I hadn't taken a look at the forest. The first thing I thought of was to call my Dad. Initially he laughed at me and then told me it was my call. His retirement was set and he was satisfied he had done right by me.

I called my accounting manager.

"Yes, sir. What can I do for you?"

"John, how much is my company worth if I were to sell it today."

"Huh? Ummm let me get back to you. Give me an hour."

"You have ten minutes."

He chuckled and hung up.

A thought hit me. If I sold out, I had no one to share my good fortune with. I had been so deep in my work that I didn't even have any male friends. What the hell will I do with it all.

A few minutes later, John walked in.

"OK, what ya got for me?"

"Bottom line, a little under twenty six Million. You planning on selling?"

"I just got the offer a while ago."

"Do you know their plans. Are they going to chop it up and sell off the pieces?"

"I don't even know who they are. Some venture capitalists was all I got. They sent a lawyer."

"Give me his number. I'll do some fishing."

"OK. We have two weeks and then they'll withdraw their offer."

"That's more than enough time."

My employees! Holy shit. If they chopped it up and sold it a lot of people would lose their jobs. If I did sell I would have to give out some bonuses to hold them over till they got jobs. I had the best employees and I wouldn't leave them in jeopardy. They had been loyal and that meant something to me.

Three days later John came back with nothing. The lawyer clammed up and he couldn't find out anything. For four days, I agonized over what to do. I finally made a decision. How the hell could I pass up twenty six million dollars. I was going to sell and get myself a life.

A week later we had the final meeting. Everyone signed on the dotted line and a deposit was made into my offshore account. Out of my end of the deal I gave everyone a bonus. I didn't know if they would have jobs later or not. If they did, well, Merry early Christmas. I walked out of the meeting a millionaire.

At home I sat down in my recliner and turned on the TV. Now, what do I do to get a life. I had to chuckle at myself. I had no idea. Then I remembered my sailboat. That might be a good place to start.

I had a little flash hit me. I should call Steph and tell her the good news. I started to reach for the phone and stopped. What the hell was I thinking? Surely she has moved on by now. When she left, she made it clear she just wanted out. Well, she was out and I probably was too. She's a good looking woman and she surely has a suitor or two by now. Probably some high powered alpha male attorney. I quickly came to the conclusion that that ship had sailed.

******

True to what I had expected, they came out of the woodwork. I got hit on at least twice a day, usually during lunch and a few times in the parking garage. I always had my pepper spray ready on the way to my car.

It was good for my self esteem, but I wasn't ready yet. It really surprised me how many were married and looking to cheat. I shut them down quickly. No way I would be a side chick. The alpha males were the first ones in line and were more persistent. I didn't want someone of that type taking over my life. I would be looking for a nice guy to start out with, but right now, a relationship was the last thing I wanted.

***

It's been six months since my divorce was final and I was in the cafeteria eating lunch when Kevin walked up.

"Hi Stephanie. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all, Kevin. Have a seat."

"I'm having cardboard covered in sawdust. What do you have there.?"

"I think it's straight cardboard."

It took a few minutes, but he got around to asking.

"You up for a dinner date this weekend?"

I hadn't been looking for a date, but maybe it was time.

"I might be. What do you have in mind?"

"How about dinner and drinks at The Reef and a couple of hours on the dance floor?"

"The Reef, I don't know that place."

"It's down by the harbor. Great seafood and nice atmosphere. I think you'll like it."

"I love seafood. Let's try it."

"Saturday night works for me. I'll come by at six thirty, OK?

"See you then, I gotta run."

I walked back to my office thinking that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Kevin was a nice guy that worked in another courtroom as a court clerk. He had approached me a couple of months ago and I told him it was too soon. He just wanted to me on my list. I walked into the office and Liz looked at me.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean, what happened?"

"You have a big grin plastered on your face."

"Wow, Liz. You read me like a book. Kevin asked me out to dinner Saturday night. I accepted."

She did a couple of fist pumps and gave me a hug.

"I'm so happy for you. You've been hiding long enough."

"Kevin will be ok for a first time out. He's a nice guy and not pushy. I don't think he'll try to jump my bones first thing."

"I'll want a full report on Monday."

My first three dates with Kevin were about what I expected. He wasn't pushy, trying to get me in bed. We just had nice times. He seemed to know a lot of nice restaurants and night clubs, but he didn't seem like a hard core player into getting as many notches on his bedpost as possible. Maybe he was just enjoying being single and dating. He was good looking enough, so I figured he had other girlfriends, but I never asked and he didn't volunteer any information.

On our fourth date I decided it was time for some sex. I had been without for long enough. I knew how to let him know, too. I dressed with a purpose that evening. My little black dress that came down about four inches above my knees, no bra, black hose, and a thong. Just enough cleavage so he would have to look. A pair of strappy heels finished it off. At about ten o'clock I excused myself and went to the ladies room. In a stall I took off my thong and wadded it up in my hand. When I got back to the table I handed it to him.

He smiled and grabbed my hand.

"I'm ready to leave too."

He paid our tab and we left. In the car, I decided to play a little. When he pulled out of the parking lot I reached over and rubbed his cock. He was hard in seconds. He wasn't exceptionally big; five and a half or six inches. He would do just fine. I hoped he knew what to do with it. The last thing I needed was a guy with a short attention span.

"I'll slow down so I don't kill anyone."

"Just concentrate. You can do it. I have faith in you."

"Easy for you to say. I'll have to keep both hands on the wheel."

I reached down and rubbed my finger in my damp pussy. Then I stuck it in his mouth. He groaned and almost crashed.

"You bad girl. You almost wrecked us."

"Me, bad? You must have me confused with someone else."

We both chuckled.

Our coupling was successful. Yes, I called it a coupling. He went down on me and got me ready. It had been a long while and it didn't take long. He tried to take me without a condom, but I took over and rolled one on him. I was determined to be in control. He lasted long enough for me to orgasm twice. Yes, I did find myself comparing him to Don. He came up short and I knew why. I didn't love him like I had loved Don. I expected this was as good as it would be till I found someone special.

We cuddled for a while and it was time for me to leave. I wasn't going to spend the night. It was that control thing. He grumbled a little as we got dressed for my ride home. At my door, I kissed him and smacked him on the ass. I closed the door and leaned back against it.

'OK, first time out was fine, but we were just going to be friends with benefits. I would explain that to him later; probably on our next date.'