The Book

It was about two hours later that I saw Clare come out of the apartment, get back into her car and leave the parking lot. I followed her again until I was sure she was headed home then I went to get something to eat and think about what I'd seen.

What was going on? Who was that woman? Was Clare having a lesbian affair with her? Finally, how do I get the answers to my questions? My thinking was a little confused as I ate but it came down to, should I hire the investigator to get the answers or do it myself? Finally, I decided I would try and get some information myself so after finishing my lunch I went to a nearby Radio Shack and bought three battery operated, sound activated micro audio recorders. They were fairly expensive but I figured cheaper then an investigator. By the time I had my purchases it was close to my normal time to get home from work so I headed for the rental car lot and retrieved my own car.

Getting home Clare was there to greet me with a seeming loving kiss and a hug.

"Honey, get cleaned up and make your drink. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour." she told me as she headed back into the kitchen.

After making my drink I went into the kitchen.

"How was your day?" I asked.

"It was fine. I got quite a bit of work done at the library this morning and I worked on the book this afternoon. Just the usual I guess."

"Hear from anyone? Did you hear from your mother about them coming down for a visit?"

"No, it was a quiet day. Didn't talk with anyone."

If I didn't know better I would have accepted what she told me without question. She never blinked when talking and telling me the lies. I thought how I would trust her with my life in the past but now that trust may be gone. Our whole marriage now seemed to be built on lies and possible adultery, even if it was with a woman. I went back out into the living room before I said something. When I confronted her I wanted all my facts in place.

"How was your day?" She asked coming into the living room.

"Just the usual. I was out of the office most of the day working on a project."

I mentioned that in case she'd called the office looking for me.

"Dinner is ready now if you care to sit down."

While we were eating she informed me she would be meeting with Professor Holcomb in his office the next day to discuss the latest chapter in her book. She was almost ready to send off the package to the publisher and she was getting excited. I just nodded and mentioned that I was keeping my fingers crossed for her.

After dinner I cleared up the dishes and the kitchen while she went into her den to work on her book. When I finished I took one of the mini audio recorders out to the garage and installed it under the drivers seat of her car. I made sure it was hidden but easy to get at. Then I took another recorder and installed it in the lining of her purse. The held back the third recorder to install it in her den in case she made calls from there. I watched TV after that until about ten and knocked on hthe door of her den.

"Honey, I'm going to bed to read awhile. Are you coming soon?"

"I'd like to finish this chapter so I have it to take to Professor Holcomb tomorrow so I may be awhile. I'll join you as soon as I can."

"OK." I responded and went to bed. I read for awhile but couldn't stay awake as I drifted off into dreamland. I don't know what time she got in the bed as I was sound asleep.

The next morning when I left the house for work she was still sleeping soundly. I was going to let the recorders do the surveillance for me now so I didn't have to take time away from my job for awhile.

When I got home that evening I waited until after dinner and she had gone into her den before I went out to the garage and checked the recorder in her car. I wasn't surprised that it was essentially blank as far as conversation was concerned. Next, I found her purse and checked the recorder I'd hidden inside with the help of some earphones. Again, nothing of any consequence as I listened to her conversation with Professor Holcomb about her book. There didn't seem to be any interest of anything else between them. So I reset it and replaced it. I would have to wait to check the recorder in her den. That evening was a repeat of the previous evening and I ended it by going to bed by myself again.

The following morning I was awake early and slipped into her den to retrieve the last recorder in her den. This one did have an interesting but brief one-sided conversation to listen to:

First, I heard dialing, which meant Clare was calling out.

"Hi, its me." I heard my wife say. "Are we still go for tomorrow"

I couldn't hear the voice on the other end very well but it sounded like a woman. "Yes, I'm looking forward to it also. I'm getting a little worried though. Jim is acting a little funny. I'm wondering if he suspects something."

"No. I'm not going to leave him yet, thanks for the offer though. I need to get this part of the book into a publisher and get a commitment from them before I do anything about leaving him. I need his support a little while longer. I'll be glad when we can be together full time. These twice a week trysts are barely adequate to hold me. I'm glad I'll be able to see you tomorrow for a few hours. Its been hard trying to be intimate with Jim just to keep him satisfied a little longer. I really don't enjoy it as much as being with you.

"Ok, I love you too. See you tomorrow at the library."

I was stunned. Here it was all laid out for me what she was doing and what her plans were. I thought I'd loved this woman and she loved me in return. Now it appears she's just using me to feed, clothe and house her while she writes her book and indulges in a lesbian affair. How little I knew this woman after all the years we'd been married. I hurriedly reset the recorder and hid it again then left for work quite shaken with the revelations of her treachery.

At work I was in a fog for about an hour and then decided I needed to seek some unbiased advice on how to proceed with my marriage. Obviously, it was doomed to the divorce court but I needed to protect myself financially before it occurred. I got the name of a divorce lawyer from a friend who'd just been through a hard fought divorce and called and made an appointment for the next morning. I wanted to listen to the recorders again and see if I could pick up more data to give to the lawyer.

That evening I found out that the recorder from her purse provided the ultimate reason for divorce. The tape started briefly at the library it seemed.

"All right I'm almost done here. I just have to pack uop and we can head for your apartment. God, I need you so much!" I heard Clare say.

Another woman's voice answered.

"Let's hurry; its getting late and you want to be home on time."

It was quiet then until it started again. They must have been at the other woman's apartment.

"Hurry, get those cloths off. I need your tongue in me really bad." It sounded like Clare.

It was quiet again then suddemly.

"Oh god, I'm going to cum. Don't stop! Don't stop! OOOooooo."

"Let me do you now, then you can fuck me with the strap-on."

It went on this way for quite awhile, then stopped as they were obviously getting dressed and then silence. I figured I had enough information so I didn't rehide the recorders. Instead I made three copies of the appropriate contents. Two sets I hid in my briefcase and the third I packaged to take to the lawyer.

I went up to bed without notifying Clare that I was doing so. This was not my usual practice and it might alert her that there was a problem, but I didn't care anymore. I would wait until I talked with the lawyer tomorrow before confronting Clare. I didn't get to sleep right away and as I lay there I wondered how Jean Holcomb was doing toward getting her divorce. That episode at the soiree has certainly been eye opening, but I was still confused as to why an affair between Clare and the professor hasn't been discovered. I fell asleep again before Clare came to bed.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next morning I checked in at work and after talking with my boss I took off for the lawyers. His secretary ushered me into his office immediately on arrival and I spent about fifteen minutes outlining the situation with my wife. I also let him listen to my tapes of her conversations with her lover. When I was finished he asked me a few questions:

"This book you're wife has been working on; do you know whether it will sell?"

"I have never read it but my wife has been collaborating with Professor Holcomb in the English department at the university on it and I understand that he is quite enthused about it. She is in the process of sending off a few of her early chapters and an outline of the story line to a publisher and I guess that will give her an idea whether she will have a book that will sell."

"Have you been her sole support while she's been working on it?"

"Yes, she gave up a good job a couple of years back to work on the book full time and I've been providing 100% of her support, financially, and I thought emotionally until now, during that time.

"What do you want out of this? Are you seeking a divorce, separation or do you see a reconciliation after some time of counseling?"

"I'm going for a divorce and I'd like to make it as difficult for her as possible after listening to what she told her lover. I've thought about destroying her book by trashing her PC and all her research notes."

"I would recommend against that. In my mind it could give you a good feeling when you're done but you could be missing out on an opportunity to extract a greater revenge."

What do you mean?" I asked.

"If the book has a good chance of selling, even being a best seller, you could be in a position to claim half of her earnings from its sale in a divorce. I think that would provide a considerable amount of revenge and be highly profitable to you. If you destroyed her work to date she could replace it all in a few months and you wouldn't get anything out of it."

"That is certainly worth thinking about but maybe not as fulfilling for a revenge."

"Well, you have to consider that this could be worth several hundreds of thousands of dollars to you. Whereas, she could recoup her position in the novel in less than six months and you could end up with very little from it."

"What do you suggest?"

"I would recommend you wait and see what the reaction is to her book from the publisher. If she asks for and receives an advance from the publisher it's a sign they see that the book has a big potential. If the advance is sizeable she may move in with her lover right away. If she does you can proceed with the divorce action then. This is a no-fault state so we will use irreconcilable differences as grounds and we will sue for a share of the book's return. You can use adultery as cause but it won't affect the outcome and will probably be a lot more expensive." If sale of the book provides her with an income, you probably won't have to pay alimony. Also, you say she had a good-paying job before she quit to work on her book. That will work in your favor also in regards to alimony."

"It seems that I have a lot to think about. Can you give me a day to mull it over and then get back to you?"

"No problem. Just give me a call and let me know."

I left the lawyer's office and went back to work. I didn't get much done the rest of the day thinking about my options. I really wanted to stick it to her somehow that would really hurt her for using me, but I didn't want to jeopardize getting a financial share of her book sales. Then I remembered something about Clare's parents. They were fundamental Christians and wouldn't take kindly to their daughter having a lesbian affair and committing adultery. If there were someway to capitalize on that for revenge it could give me a great deal of satisfaction after this was all done. An idea was forming in my mind. On the way home from work I stopped at Radio Shack again and purchased another item for surveillance.

Back home Clare and I had the dinner she'd prepared. She told me she would be mailing off the package for the publisher the next day but didn't expect a response for at least a month. She also mentioned that she'd heard that Professor Holcomb's wife was divorcing him because she'd caught him with another woman and it was going to be very costly for him. I smiled to myself and made a comment that I could see Clare didn't like.

"That's what happens when you play around. I know I'd want to get some pay-back if that happened to me."

She paled and quickly regrouped.

"Why do you think it would happen to you? Do you think I might play around on you?" she boldly asked.

"Now honey, I know you're as faithful as any wife can be. Its just that spouses cheating on one another get my goat and I get all riled up. You know I'm sure you'd never do that to me and I'd never do it to you."

She quickly changed the subject.

"Don't forget this is garbage night and there are a couple of bags of stuff in the garage that need to be sorted for recycling."

"OK, I'll take care of it."

She then disappeared in her study and I didn't see her again that night.

While she was in her study I installed the motion activated mini cam and a recorder with a large memory capacity I'd bought at Radio Shack that day in our bedroom. I tied it into the house wiring so I wouldn't have to worry about changing batteries. It also had audio capability. It worked fine when I checked it out but left it turned off until a could put the second part of my plan in motion.

The next morning I was up and away before she woke and had breakfast at Denny's. When I got to work I called the lawyer and told him to hold off on the divorce until we found out whether the book was going to be published. He told me that was the smart thing to do.

That evening I told Clare that I was leaving on a three day business trip the following week. Later when I listened to the voice recorders I heard her tell her lover, whose name was Eileen Carter and she was a divorcee I'd found out, about my business trip. She suggested that Eileen should plan to come over and spend the three days at our house and they could live together while she continued to work on her book. Eileen agreed and the second part of my plan fell into place.

The following week I packed my bags and took off for my business trip but it was just a short drive to a town forty miles away where I holed up in a motel with a good restaurant. Before I'd left I'd talked to my boss and secretary about being away a few days and if my wife called just tell her I was out of town. They seemed to know something was wrong in my marriage but agreed to go along with me. I called Clare every night on my cell to keep her from getting suspicious and just hung close to my hotel room as I didn't want to take a chance, though remote, that I'd run into someone who knew me. It was a boring three days.

At the end of the three days I went home and acted as though I'd just been on the other side of the country. Clare was there waiting with dinner ready when I got home. After a sisterly kiss from her I asked about her book.

"Have you heard anything about your book?"

"Oh no, its much too early. They've just barely received it. I would think another two to four weeks at least before I hear anything."

"Are you excited?"

"Heavens yes. I can barely sleep at night wondering how its going to be received. I've tried to get in touch with Professor Holcomb but he isn't taking any calls. I wanted to talk with him about some questions I have but I guess between his wife and the university, he must have a lot of things on his mind."

"What's the university after him for?" I asked.

"I heard it was because the other woman he was seeing was an undergraduate and the university has a very strict policy about staff fraternizing with undergraduates. He might get fired and I'd hate to see that."

"I think he deserves everything he gets." I told her.

"Aren't you being a little cruel?" she asked with a pout.

"I've told you my position on cheaters. There's no compassion in me when it comes to adultery." I told her with a hard stare.

She looked a little shaken but continued never-the-less.

"Well, if one partner can't provide for the other partner's needs I think he or she should have the right to fill those needs elsewhere."

"Do you really believe that? What about the marriage vows to forsake all others? What about talking with the other partner to see if something can be done? What about counseling before running off to someone else? As long as we're on the subject, can you tell me whether I'm filling your needs?"

Before responding she hesitated before responding with a sad expression.

"Jim, you satisfy me more than any man can."

Then she turned and walked into her study and shut the door. I didn't want to push her further as I wasn't ready to confront her yet so I didn't say anything more. I may have gotten to her, I didn't know. I didn't think it made any difference now anyway.

I checked the recorder for the mini-cam and sure enough I'd caught them in our bed as I'd hoped. The talk was similar to the previous conversations I'd heard so now I could sit back and wait.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For the next three weeks we entered a period of wait and see. Everything was hanging waiting for word on the book. We just seemed to co-exist together; each doing there own thing. We had sex a couple of times but I got the feeling it was just a mercy-fuck and it was hard to perform with that thought in mind.

Finally, I got home from work one day and Clare was all excited.

"Guess what? I got a call from the publishers today. They really like my book and they're sending me an advance of $25,000. I'm so excited. They also recommended I get an agent and gave me the names of a couple that they'd worked with before. I've been on the phone all afternoon talking to them and I think I found one I like."

"That's good honey. I'm real happy for you. You've worked hard on it and you deserve some pay-back. Do you want to go out to dinner tonight to celebrate?"

"I was going to suggest that. Let me go get changed."

We went out to one of the better restaurants in town and then went back home and had sex. She seemed to be into it a little more than normal and I was pleasantly exhausted when we finished by spooning and falling asleep together. My last waking thought was to call the lawyer in the morning and getting the ball rolling on the divorce. When she got that advance check in her hand I knew I'd be history.

The next morning at work I placed a call to the lawyer and he said he'd have the papers ready that day and file the next day. She'd be served the day after that. Before leaving the house that morning I ran a few DVDs of Clare and her lover in our bed and sent one over to the lawyer. I was going to wait a little before doing anything else with the others.

A couple of days later I took the day off to make the necessary adjustments to our mutual bank accounts, credit cards, finances, insurance, retirement and my will and retirement plans. Clare was still sleeping after another late night on her book when I left the house. She was supposed to be home all day and would be served there sometime in the morning. The papers were for a divorce based on irreconcilable differences and a 50/50 split of all assets, including future earnings from her book. At my request the package of papers included a photo taken from the DVD of her in bed with her lover. I wanted her to understand why I was seeking a divorce when she received it.

It was about 11:00AM that I received a call from her. She sounded very calm.

"I see you found me out. Your package arrived Jim and I'm sorry our marriage had to end like this. I'll be seeing a lawyer and I'm going to fight you on having a share of my book. I'll also be moved out of here by the time you get home from work."