Summer A Marriage In Trouble

A big thank you to Randi for her help and editing.

My wife Summer and I have been married for about ten years. When we first married it was like every other couple on the planet, life was perfect. Summer was the perfect fit for me. Attractive, a wicked sense of humour and warm and loving. We were the perfect match for each other.

Sumi (My nick name for her) and I started life as most couples do. We both worked and we focused on buying our first home. With that goal met, we started the next phase of our relationship: children. The first was a joyous arrival and Sumi was, as I expected, the perfect mother. She adored Sophie our daughter. She wanted to be a stay-at-home mum while the kids were young. We talked about it long and hard. I was lucky enough to get a new job for Revington's as an assistant project manager. With the new job came an increase in salary that took the pressure off her to return to work. All good, Sumi slipped into the world of motherhood smoothly and easily. The arrival of Sarah, our second daughter, was not quite so easy. Sumi had complications and it was a difficult birth that required a lot of stitches and an extended stay in hospital for recovery. We decided at that point two children would be our lot. Our family was now complete.

If only it had been that easy. With Sarah's arrival, the added stress seemed to really affect Sumi; she fell into a minor depression. It took a while to get to the bottom of her mood swings, but eventually it came out during a rather heated argument, "Artie, I wanted more, I always saw us with a huge brood; I feel like I have let you down. I feel like a failure."

"Hon, there's no need to feel that way. We have two wonderful healthy children. We should be happy, joyous. Please don't feel sad."

We hugged and she sighed. "I love you babe, are you sure though? I mean like we talked so much about a big family."

"It's fine, sheesh, I'm not sure I could handle more."

Sumi seemed to improve a little, but it took months before we managed to get back onto level ground. Our lives together never really returned to the early blissful harmony we enjoyed at the start. Because of her complications, our sex life took a while to restart. For Sumi, there was a lot of pain associated with sex, so it was a gradual process to get back into the swing, where she could enjoy it.

Because of the difficulties surrounding the birth and Sumi's dislike of the pill, we decided on a vasectomy. I didn't like it, not so much the pain, that part was easy. It wasn't the physicality, just the psychology of it.

There we were eight years later, and I was thinking of divorce. Why? Sumi and I were arguing, fighting quite often. It was always over simple shit, but it seemed to blow up in our faces.

I hate confrontation, I hate arguing. Quite honestly, I guess at heart I'm a pacifist. My first reaction is to just give in. Sumi, on the other hand, always wanted to win. It didn't matter what we argued about, she wanted to finish on top. Consequently, she usually got what she wanted. For me it was easier to just say, "Yes dear, whatever you say dear." Just for peace and quiet.

That had always been the same with us, I'm not a fighter. A couple of times when we were younger, out at pubs or clubs, and some neanderthal hit on her or bumped into her she complained. "Are you going to let him get away with that?" Or something like, "Are you going to defend me, stand up for me?"

It was stupid shit. If she was in physical danger, of course I would dive in, but because some clumsy guy bumped into her... forget it.

It wasn't just that aspect; she thought I was a pushover. In some ways she was right. Even at work I wasn't the sort to yell or complain, more the get stuck in and fix it guy. It meant I got passed over for promotion a couple of times. My annual assessments always said the same thing: "Needs to be more assertive."

Sumi hated that I got passed over, and it affected her more than me. We were comfortable, financially, we were making good progress with paying down the mortgage, the kids were at a good school, we had fairly new cars, we really wanted for nothing.

Sumi might have had issues with me, but the girls... she loved them, she pampered them continuously, showering them with love and affection. They weren't spoilt with gifts, they weren't spoilt in that sense, but they wanted for nothing when it came to attention or love. She spent hours reading with them, talking with them, and even though they were still young, she had an incredible relationship with them.

I guess all young couples go through the adjustment period after children arrive. Our social life evaporated, there was no more late nights and clubs, no going out with friends. Sumi made new friends who also had children, and they had their lunches and shopping trips, but we lost our old circle of friends. I kept in touch with some mates, and we still went to the odd football games.

My problem was Sumi's mood swings. I was at my wits end and honestly, I was ready to throw in the towel. I visited with a solicitor and discussed filing for a legal separation and possibly divorce. During the discussion he talked me through the financial split. It was apparent I was going to get screwed. I know it's wrong but, at that point I decided to stick it out, I mean I loved the kids. I had this vain hope that it would all blow over and the Sumi of old would somehow magically reappear.

It was so frustrating; she switched from loving to this hateful shrew with the flick of a switch. Except, that is, with the girls. She never blew up with them.

During arguments it became clear that she was disillusioned with me; she expected more. She wanted me to become more ambitious at work, seek out more opportunities.

Sadly, it wasn't in my nature. I just wasn't one of those career hungry guys, driven by status, power or money. In short, I was happy with my lot.

Work had thrown up an opportunity, though. The company I worked for, Revington's, was a privately owned company. We specialised in operation and maintenance management for other companies. In the past we had focused on smaller companies, but the boss and owner made a conscious decision to aim higher.

When I started at Revington's, I was happy. To get a job with a company like that was more than I had hoped for. As time went on, I became a little uncomfortable.

The office was almost entirely white. No other ethnicities, and it was all men. Okay, the menial jobs were women, but the engineers and above were all men.

The women working in and around the office were all gorgeous, as if that was a necessity for the job. This was a testosterone fuelled workforce.

Jobs were few and far between, so I accepted that this is the way it was.

This meant I was drawn into the circle of Mr Reynolds. Ross Reynolds, the company CEO, was a very intimidating man: big, strong and very powerful. He had a very commanding presence. Myself, I was afraid of him. He could be very brutal and didn't suffer fools easily.

The country electrical supply network had been privatised many years before, and was split into government owned enterprises. With the privatization process, the new owners wanted to revert from running the whole process. They wanted to pawn off the operations and maintenance. This meant they were offering tenders for the work.

Revington's wanted in. That required tendering for the scope of work. Reynolds wanted us to be in the running. It would be by far the largest contract we had ever undertaken. Our offices were turned into headquarters for the tender process. We weren't the only company in the running, and most of the others had a history of managing assets of this size.

It seemed that we focused on nothing but the tender process. Seeing as how I was an electrical engineer, I was pulled in. Mr. Reynolds was a very formidable man, and he had a very unapproachable, almost threatening persona. At least for me, anyway. He was a go-getter, no question about that. He could be a very demanding and dominant force.

Meetings were often side-tracked when one of the other engineers raised issues or concerns. He ripped their heads off in front of the whole team. More than one was let go on the spot. Me, I kept my head down. He seemed impressed by my work ethic, which led to a raise, based on my hard work.

He was quite the ladies' man. He had a reputation around the office. If the gossip was to be believed, he had bedded all of the women, including the married ones. His personal ethics were no better than his professional ones.

The fateful day came that we were notified we had made it into the final three bidders. To celebrate, he organised a party at his place for Saturday night. I have to say I was surprised to get an invite. Up until that juncture, I had never been invited into the inner sanctum, that included parties.

When I told Summer, she became extremely excited. "Artie, this is your chance to shine, Honey. We will need to put in a big effort. I will get a new dress; I assume it is going to be formal?"

"Yeah, suits and ties, the whole nine yards."

We turned up at the front gates and were both stunned. The place was a frigging mansion. There was security on the gates, the driveway meandered about 800 metres in a semi-circle. We pulled up outside, valets took the keys and drove off to park the car.

We strolled hand in hand up the marble steps into the house. Jesus, what a place. Not only was it huge, but everything glistened. The crowd was gathered in the great room, and if ever a place fit that description, this was it.

We circulated and I introduced Summer to everyone. She seemed impressed that I had been elevated to become part of the inner circle.

We wandered in, filtering through the crowd. I directed Summer over to the group where Mr Reynolds stood talking. We had to wait until there was a break in the conversation before, I could introduce Summer to him. I saw the look in his eyes. Normally when talking to me he was offhand, uninterested. The moment his eyes fell upon her he was suddenly a different man. "Well, hello, Summer, what a beautiful name for a gorgeous young woman."

Summer batted her eyes, soaking up the compliment. "Thank you, kind sir, you have a wonderful house, it's spectacular. Where is your wife? I would love to meet her and compliment her on her style."

He grinned with those perfect shiny white teeth, lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it gallantly. "Oh, my dear, there is no Mrs. I am a confirmed bachelor. This is my home."

She grinned wickedly, accepting his kiss with glee. "Well, I guess it's you who should get the compliments on the décor."

Rather than releasing her hand, he held it tightly and murmured softly. "Let me give you the grand tour."

She accepted with a mock curtsey, and he led her away. I started to fall in behind, but he turned to me with a dismissive grin. "Arthur, the team is gathering at the bar. Perhaps you should catch up, use this time to talk about the project." It wasn't a suggestion; it was an instruction.

"Smug bastard," I mumbled to myself as they headed off hand in hand up the hallway. I walked reluctantly back to the bar and caught up with the other guys. There was no talk of the project, they were all going on about Mr Reynolds home, the grandeur and, of course, the women. It seemed every other woman in the place had taken a leaf out of Summer's plans. It was more like a fashion show. It was hard to stay focused on anything.

I hung with the guys chatting, but deep down inside I had this horrible queasy feeling.

It was nearly an hour before Reynolds and Summer returned, still hand in hand, laughing like old friends. He led her over to the bar where we were gathered and she slipped in beside me. He stated rather loudly. "You are a lucky man, Arthur; Summer is a wonderfully attractive woman. Yes indeed, you are one lucky son-of-a-gun."

She smiled, enjoying his compliment. There were some nods of approval from the other guys, as well. I glanced at her. Yes, she certainly shone this evening. The full length sparkling blue gown fitted snugly and showed off her curvy form. With her long auburn hair tied up in a swirling updo, her slender neck exposed, she looked radiant.

Summer had always been blessed with fabulous smooth silky skin. Tonight, with her makeup perfect, it looked better than ever. She lost nothing in comparison to the other wives.

The gong sounded and we were all led into the huge dining room. We were seated down the far end, but I noted uneasily that Reynolds hungry eyes often fell on Summer, and I could see that she knew, and played up to it, as she chatted with Veronica one of the other wives.

This was the Summer of old: warm, sociable and chatty. She took time to hold my hand and smile.

After the dinner we were all escorted back to the great room where a small jazz band played. We were all shown to tables and served more drinks. Summer certainly was making the most of the champagne. We were never drinkers, so I could see her becoming quite giggly.

The conversation flowed easily among the group at our table. I knew all of the guys, but none of the wives and Summer was the same. We were deep into it when a dark shadow fell between Summer and I. When I looked up, it was Reynolds. "Hello again, Summer. I was wondering whether you would care to dance?"

He never looked at me, his eyes focused intently on Summer.

"I would love to," she twittered warmly, without even glancing at me.

They walked hand in hand out to the dancefloor where he pulled her into a very intimate embrace, much closer than would be considered acceptable in normal company. Summer, for her part, fell easily into his embrace, not even bothering to move his hand that was resting on the arch of her arse.

The conversation stalled at our table. There were a couple of uneasy glances shared among the group.

I quietly seethed under my breath; my teeth gritted tightly.

It was over an hour they danced together; their bodies close throughout. I could see him whispering in her ear and she responded with coquettish giggles and teasing words. They danced like lovers, not like friends.

As the band broke at the end of their set, rather than leading her back to our table, they headed for the bar where they stood leaning on the counter. Their eyes locked together as they leaned close together speaking confidentially. There was nothing discreet in his open show of interest.

Suddenly with a bottle of champagne and a couple of glasses in his hand, he escorted Summer towards the large glass doors leading out to the grounds outside.

Surprised, I quickly stood and strode quickly to intercept them. He saw me arrive and greeted me. "Arthur, I am just going to show Summer around the gardens. No need for you to come with us. Talk to the team."

Again, I was dismissed. Summer glanced at me almost guiltily. "It's all right, Love, we are just going to look around the garden."

They wandered off, his hand resting on her bum, her arm slipping around his waist as they disappeared into the darkness.

I returned to the bar for a drink. Glancing at my watch, it was now getting late. Our babysitter was only booked till eleven. It was already after ten. I trudged around the room, not wanting to return to the table. My rage grew one degree at a time. I seethed quietly. It was fast approaching eleven, and we should have already left. Taking out my mobile, I rang hers. She didn't answer the first time, so I called again. It rang for ages before she picked up. "Arthur, we won't be long, what do you want?"

Angrily, I snapped, "It's nearly eleven, and Jessica is only booked for another fifteen minutes."

"Wait, what... who?"

Even angrier, I spat back. "Jessica, our babysitter."

"Oh shit, sorry, I forgot. We will be right there."

I waited by the door and they strolled in, still hand in hand as if they didn't have a care in the world. He escorted her up to me and apologised. "Sorry, Arthur, my fault entirely. Look, why don't you stay the night, get properly acquainted. A couple of the managers are staying. It would be a good chance for you to talk to them."

It was becoming difficult to keep my bubbling rage from spewing out. "Sorry, sir, but we have to go. Our babysitter is waiting. We are already late."

He glared at me, his irritation showing. "That's ridiculous, why would you only get her to stay till eleven? Good lord, man, it's still early."

Summer jumped in. "Perhaps I could call her, see if she can stay a while longer?"

Before I could object, she was on the phone and arranged for Jessica to stay for another hour. "All done, Honey. Crisis averted."

Reynolds nodded. "Well done, Summer. Right, let's get another drink, shall we."

Without looking at me he led her off to the bar. I followed behind. When they arrived, he turned and saw me? "Arthur, I thought you were taking this opportunity to get better acquainted with the managers."

He scowled. "Do not waste this chance to mix and mingle. You might learn something."

When I didn't move, he waved his hand casually. "Well, off you go. I will try to keep this delightful creature entertained."

Summer giggled, flirting outrageously with him.

I stormed off to find the group. I found them out on the deck away from the main crowd. Without really participating in the conversation, I did find out some interesting information. Mr. Reynolds, in his rush to grow the company, had borrowed quite heavily and was investing everything in this new project. He didn't just want this, he needed it to recoup some money.

That was all rather interesting. The group were all a little tiddly and didn't mind that I was listening. In fact, a couple took the opportunity to brag about their roles and the project in general. Yes, it was very enlightening.

As midnight approached, I moved back indoors to find Summer. She wasn't hard to find; she was dancing cheek to cheek with Reynolds again. If his hands wandered earlier, now they were camped on her boobs and bum, roaming her body in a smothering interrogation.

I waited till the song ended before I tapped him on the shoulder. "Summer, we have to go."

She untangled her arms, lifted her head from his shoulder and asked blankly. "What?"

"We have to leave, it's after midnight."

She glanced nervously at Reynolds and he let her slide out of his arms. He turned to Face me. "Let's go and have a chat outside in private, shall we."

Again, it wasn't a suggestion, it was an instruction. Summer strolled off to the bar as he led me outside, his hand resting on the small of my back as he pushed lightly.

We stopped by the railing, and he turned to face me, frowning deeply. "Look Arthur, this is rather tricky, but Summer would like to stay. I think in this case perhaps you could go home and relieve the babysitter."

Confused, I grumbled, "What? No, we need to leave, we are already late."

His hand gripped my arm in a vicelike grip. "Arthur, I can't put this any plainer. Summer would like to stay. I think it would be best for all concerned if you went home by yourself and left Summer here. We have plenty of room. I will take good care of her and bring her back in the morning."

"Sorry, I don't understand," I growled. I knew exactly what the bastard was getting at and it pissed me off. "I need to talk to Summer."

He gripped tighter. "Don't make a scene, Arthur. It will do none of us any good."

When I didn't answer he continued, "You are part of my team now, and I expect my team to have my back. To be on my side. Now, if you want to remain part of that team, part of my organisation, I think you need to consider your next move very carefully."

I couldn't hold back. "You expect me to just walk out and leave my wife here alone?"

Ne nodded curtly. "That's right my friend. Look I will bring her back in the morning, no harm done."