Temptation Island

As the door opened, Jeff shook my hand and led me to my own kitchen. We talked and we worked out a deal that was good for both of us. It gave Jeff the ability to go to work and do his job without worrying about the house or the kids and me the chance to see my kids grow up. I hinted around from the start that if he wasn't above fraternizing with the help, I wouldn't mind offering him fringe benefits. In fact, one night about a month after I moved back in, I went to his room in just a robe. I pretended that it had been just a mistake from my habit of sleeping there for so many years.

He smiled and as he looked at my naked body, I could sense that he wanted me. I got into bed with him and he took me. He spread my legs and fucked the hell out of me. I pulled his face down to mine and tried to kiss him. "I love you Jeff," I said feverishly, overcome by my lust and love. He stopped and pulled out.

"I'm sorry, Lisa," he said. "This should never have happened." And it never did again. It took me days to get over it. And I knew that it wasn't his fault. It was mine. I'd gone to his room naked. He hadn't had sex since the last time that we were together and he was weak. He was also fighting very hard to get over me and what I'd done had only confused him more.

Eventually, we got a comfortable friendship going. Soon, Jeff started dating. The first woman he dated was hard on me. I hated her on sight. Luckily, she didn't last very long. The next one lasted longer. We actually became friends, I think that I was the reason she broke things off. Our situation was simply too weird for her.

I think that Diana was probably the third or fourth woman that Jeff dated and I knew from the first day that she walked into the house that she was the one. She was very pretty and very well built. She had that same energy that Jeff has. I could just see them going for runs together and doing all of those things that I could never do. And she literally lit up whenever he came into the room.

I knew that it was only a matter of time before I was superfluous. I spoke to my parents about moving back home. I figured it would be better to leave before I was asked to. I also didn't want to confuse my children anymore than necessary.

She came over one day when Jeff was at work.

"We need to talk," she said.

"Don't worry," I told her. "I'll probably move out next weekend."

"That's what I wanted to talk about," she said. "Why do you need to leave? I love your kids, but I'm not their mother. I'm also not a housewife. I can barely burn water. Jeff loves me and he'll never cheat on me. But he loves you too. I know about your history and I know that you still love him too. You hurt him really badly Lisa, but he still wants you around."

"But..." I began.

"I grew up in a part of the country with a history of polygamy," she said. "That isn't what we're going to do, but I think there's enough love around here for everyone."

And it worked for us. The three of us shared company for a few years. No, we never had sex together. Diana and I never even considered having sex with each other either, but she and Jeff made me feel like a part of the family. Five years later, I met a man. He was older and no he wasn't Jeff, but that ship had sailed. Jeff and Diana were at our wedding and I visit them and my kids often.

I'll always love Jeff, and I'll love him even more for my second chance. Though he never actually said the words, his actions, spoke loudly about his ability to forgive. A far smaller man might have spent the rest of his life trying to hurt me or keeping me away from my kids. A medium sized man might have kept me around just to fuck me and humiliate me for what I'd done. It took a really special man with a very big heart to resist both the temptation to try to hurt me and the pain from his own broken heart and give me the chance to save at least a friendship.

Diana and I are very good friends. We're actually not that different and we each need the example the other provides. I need her to make sure that my kids and MY Jeff are loved and well cared for since I can't be there. She like me is very ambitious when it comes to her job, but she uses me as an example to know that there are some places in your life where you can't make sacrifices. Your marriage and your family are among them. I still have trouble believing that I threw away the man I love and my family to get ahead in a stupid job that I no longer have. Every time Diana sees me look longingly at Jeff, she realizes exactly what she'd lose if she were to do something stupid. She hugs him just a little bit tighter, every time.

The end.