The Cuckold Diet Challenge Ch. 08

"You're still her best friend, Shelly. I'm going to trust you to work for us now, not against us."

"I will. I swear I will." I got another quick kiss, and she was off to find my wife.

Angela confronted me, while the crowd was still sparse. She grabbed me by the hand, and imperiously marched me off to seclusion in a corner of the yard. "This is all for real, right? Not some kind of sick, twisted revenge."

I was surprised. "I'm trying to get my family back. I could use help, not accusations. I thought you knew me better than that."

"I thought I did too. The last few months have had me wondering. I didn't figure you for the kind of guy that would hire a hooker, or who would think that sleeping with teenagers was a smart way to get even with a stupid wife. Let's not even get into all the revenge crap against her friends and boy-toys."

She was pissing me off. "I get it. You think I should have just rolled over and let her treat me like shit until it was out of her system. Whimpered in a corner while she cuckolded me and humiliated me. Stayed celibate while she had unsafe sex and refused to get tested. Well fuck you, Angela. If you don't mind, I'm going to go talk to some actual friends."

"Rick!" she snapped, grabbing at my arm. I shook myself free, and went into the house, grabbing a beer and disappearing into the basement for a while, so I could cool off.

I was going for a walk on the treadmill, when Tom tracked me down. "The party's starting to fill up," he said.

"I'll be up in a while."

"What happened with you and Angela? She's pissed."

"She made it very clear whose side she's on. Giving me shit for everything I did, questioning my motives, blaming me. Things are just starting to get better, and she's gotta be a complete bitch and start tearing at the scabs. Keep her away from me, Tom, or things are gonna get ugly."

"Angela said that? I don't believe it!"

"Fine. Then you can take her side as well. Right now I'm about 60 seconds from leaving this whole mess behind. I don't need her shit, and I don't need you calling me a liar. I was hoping for a nice pleasant afternoon with friends, and it becomes a backstabbing session before it even starts. Thanks for nothing."

I could see he was getting upset. "That's bullshit, Rick, and you know it. I've had your back this entire time. Have you forgotten how you were when you came to see me that first day? It's great you've got you balls back, but it doesn't mean you should piss on your friends."

I knew he was right. His wife's tirade wasn't his fault. "I appreciate what you did, Tom. Everything. You're a good friend, no, a great friend. I thought Angela was as well, but I was wrong. I understand you're going to side with your wife. You should. But she made it very clear who she blames for everything. Just keep her away from me, Ok?"

He nodded. "I don't know what she said, or why. I'll talk to her. She's supported you this whole time, so what you're saying doesn't make any sense. I know you're not lying, I think there's some kind of misunderstanding."

I laughed. "Sure, that's all any of it is. It's all a misunderstanding. That's how Shelly explained everything. All one big misunderstanding." I turned off the treadmill, slowing to a halt. "Not today, Ok? I don't need any misunderstandings today. I'm barely back on my feet, and my marriage is rocky at best."

"Alright. I'll do what I can. Maybe later we can talk. I know she didn't mean to mess up your day."

I tried to shake it off. It was difficult with so many reminders around. I did my socializing, spent some time with Jean Morelli and her husband, accepting an offer for a future visit with them. I was pleased that Weston showed up, with his wife Darla and their only child. He had grown kids from his first marriage, but his son from his second marriage was only a couple of years older than the twins. I met Jonathan Morris the Managing Partner at Parker, Morris and Naor, where Danielle was working. He was easy to talk to, and heaped praise on my wife's abilities. I introduced him to Dale, who'd taken my place at the firm, and they seemed to hit it off.

There were a dozen kids underfoot, and the food was a hit. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. I wondered if there was anyone else there like me, putting on a good front.

I was surprised that it was Shelly who called me out. She cornered me in the house, with a determined, concerned look. "What's wrong, Rick? Your party is a huge success."

"Nothing's wrong. I'm a little busy that's all."

She moved closer, her voice low. "I'm calling bullshit. Something has you upset. Talk to me."

"I'll be fine, Shelly. Take care of Danielle, alright? I imagine she's stressing out."

"Your wife is having the time of her life. She's so happy it's ridiculous. The only thing that could bring her down at this point was knowing you're not happy." She was very close now, closer than appropriate, not that we hadn't been closer. Her hand was on my side, open, caressing gently. "It's me, Rick. Don't you think I know you by now? Did she do something wrong? Did we? Tell me, so we can fix it."

"Nothing you two did, not today. Somebody said something that irritated me. It's not that big a deal. I'll get over it. Don't let it bother you guys, alright? Have a good time. I swear I'll be fine."

She looked into my face, serious. "Alright. I'll drop it, but if you need me for anything, I'll be here for you. If I need to kick someone's ass, you just let me know." She sidled in close, her body pressed against mine for a moment, then kissed my cheek, right on the edge of my mouth. "It's your party, handsome. Put on a smile and have some fun."

She was right, the party was a success. Nobody out of control, everyone having a good time. It was a delightful mix of people, friends, clients, work colleagues from both of our offices. Intimate enough for people to get a chance to know each other, while big enough to let people mix it up, and move around. The kids ranged from 7 years old to mid teens, and appeared to be having a blast.

Danielle hunted me down a few times, obviously enjoying herself, playing hostess, flirting enough to be charming and fun, without going over the line. Other than that first encounter with Angela, I was mostly enjoying myself.

My wife sidled up to me, slipping an arm around my waist. "This was a great idea. I'm so glad you suggested it," she told me. "Francine's a hit. I hope nobody hires her away from us."

"As long as you're enjoying yourself. That's what matters."

She leaned her head against my side. "I really like Jean and her husband."

"Me too. They invited us over for dinner in a couple of weeks. I told them we'd love to join them, I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all. When's the last time we had a party like this?"

I had to rack my brain. "It's been a while."

"A long while. Over a year. I'd like to do it more often, a few times a year maybe. What do you think?"

"Sounds great." I gave her a squeeze. "Are you happy?" I asked.

"Hell yeah. Happier than I deserve. I've got the best man here, wonderful children and great friends. How about you?"

"I'm feeling good. I needed this. Needed to see how I'd feel in a social situation, how I'd feel about you. It's all good, baby."

"That's what I want to hear. I think it's starting to wind down, we better get out there and mingle." She turned to me, pulled my head down and kissed me solidly on the lips. "I love you, Rick."

"Love you too, beautiful."

~ * ~ * ~

I spent a pretty penny on two new suits, and a dozen quality dress shirts. I liked the way I looked in the mirror. I still wanted to lose another 10 to 15 pounds. I'd never weigh in the 170s again. Jenny agreed that 185 would be a great target. My goal would be never to stray from the 185 to 190 range again. When I hit that target, I'd completely update my wardrobe.

I got a call from Angela mid-week. It was a mixed bag. She was initially apologetic, echoing Tom's sentiments that it was a misunderstanding.

"I know she did wrong, Rick. Believe me, I told her dozens of times. It was the wrong time and place to go into it. I get it. It's just that all this time, you and I haven't talked. You talk to Tom, I talk to Danielle. You and me, nothing."

"Right now, I prefer not to talk about it much. I'm trying to let the bitterness and hurt fade, and slowly build up some trust in her. I'm not wallowing in what happened."

"You're not just letting things slide, while you get your ducks in order before dumping her, right? That wouldn't be fair."

"Damn it, Angela. That's the second time you asked that. I'm trying to make my family whole. As long as she doesn't screw up, we should be fine."

"And if she does? You're going to go all nuclear on her?"

"If she does it's over. My forgiveness quotient is approaching zero. This is her chance. I guess it's both of ours."

"That's a lot of pressure, you know. Try to be patient. We all love you guys and want to see you stick it out."

"I know, believe me. I've heard it a hundred times, if I heard it once, that I had to give the marriage another shot. I'm trying, Ok?"

"Yeah. Sorry I messed things up. Maybe next time we're together, it can be as friends, and not as amateur counselors. What do you say?"

"Sure. In a few weeks, alright. Things are hectic now, with me going back to work, and having to deal with the changes around the house, and the issues at home. Give us a little time, and we'll get together."

~ * ~ * ~

Our love life was improving. I still had my concerns, but I tried like Hell to keep them buried. I did my best to please her, but I never got to see the woman I'd had glimpses of on the video. I couldn't satisfy here the way they had. I was enjoying myself, but there was that element of doubt now. Was she faking it? Did I do it for her? Did she miss those huge cocks? I still prayed that with time, my concerns would fade.

Saturday was a big party at home, just for us. I broke the 200 barrier. I clocked in at 197, and it was cause for celebration. Jenny was there, as was Francine who baked an absolutely decadent seven layer chocolate cake. Shelly made an appearance, but it was mostly about me, Danielle and the kids. I got an extra helping of dessert that night, dark chocolate. I was happy.

Going to work on Monday I had mixed feelings. I was champing at the bit to do something, yet I knew I'd miss the time spent with my kids, and I'd have to be careful not to let my old unhealthy habits resume.

I took over the reins from Mike on day one, and moved into my new office. I dealt with payroll, depositing 75% of my salary into the joint account, keeping 25% paid into one of my offshore shell companies, as a separate consultancy. I picked out my company car, and submitted the paperwork for the club-membership.

By the third day back, it was as if I'd never left, except things were even better. I'd been used to sharing a secretary, and I now had my own assistant, Dot, parked just outside my office, intercepting the flak. She'd been Mike's for the last 10 years, and she was a miracle worker. I made it clear that my work day started at 8:00 and ended at 6:00. I was in by 7:30 most days, and a little business might trickle over my self assigned end of day, but with the ground rules laid, and Dot enforcing them, my days rarely ran over 10 hours, including lunch.

Jenny was working me hard in the evening, and Francine was talking about raising the calories, and slowing down the weight loss. I pushed for two more weeks to get to the 190 mark, and take it from there. My morning runs started at 6:00, and I kept them under 1/2 an hour. I was in bed by 11:00 pm, and sleeping like a baby.

Danielle had settled into her job as well. Her hours were a little longer than mine, a little more sporadic. One day she'd manage to escape by 5:30, the next not until after 8:00. But it was better than the full week of 12+ hour days, and she seemed to be handling it better, stressing out less. I don't know if it was because our home life seemed to be settling in, or she was learning how to deal with the real world. The good news was she was picking up the kids 2-3 days a week, and her weekend office trips were much less frequent.

Our love life was the best it had ever been. She denied me nothing, and I took advantage of that. Impromptu blow-jobs were the new norm. She instigated at least half of them.

I felt pretty damn good about myself. I rarely thought of the week of Hell I'd gone through, or the months of purgatory afterward. It only took two weeks after I started work, to hit 190#, and I was proud of myself. My life was finally under control and I'd walked out of the flames, barely singed.

My life was my own, and my future was bright.

~ * ~ * ~

It was a stupid little thing. My weight had settled in at 185 for two weeks. I'd been at work for six. I had picked up my new Cadillac CTS-V, with twice the horsepower I'd ever need, and had taken the afternoon off to get fitted for new suits and a dozen custom made shirts. Not a big deal, right?

Walking out of the downtown store, I saw something that made my blood run cold. Meat. Peter Rossi. I'd recognize the big bastard anywhere. He was waltzing down the street, without a care in the world. He was supposed to be elsewhere.

I headed back to the office, and called Tom in.

"Get the door," I told him.

He nodded, closed the door behind him and sat across from me. "What's up?"

"Peter Rossi, Meat. Where did you say he went?"

"Philadelphia. We even gave him a relocation allowance of $5K. He signed a non-disclosure agreement, and promised not to return."

"He's back. I saw him today."

Tom's brow furrowed in anger. "The bastard. He should have known better. I'll put D&G on him right away. We'll pull him in, and I swear he'll be a memory before the week's out."

"I want him watched."

"Watched?" Tom asked. "You don't think..."

"I don't know what to think. It's hard for me to believe that he wouldn't contact Danielle or Shelly if he came back to town. I haven't heard anything from them. Not a word."

Tom shook his head. "I don't believe Danielle would do anything. Impossible. Not after dodging the last one. The asshole has to know better. We made it very clear what the cost would be if word ever got out, or if he kept it up."

"Asshole's like that don't have the brains God gave a squirrel. Their dicks think for them. I want to know what the hell he's doing back, how long he's been here, and I want it kept under wraps."

Tom nodded slowly. "I'll put them on him. I thought things were going well at home. You trust her don't you?"

"Trust but verify, right? I want to trust her. If it turns out she's clean, that'll be more bonus points toward rebuilding the trust."

~ * ~ * ~

I must have been off my game. Both Jenny and Danielle noticed I wasn't myself. I chalked it up to work issues, and after Jenny left, I told Danielle I needed to do some work from home, and retired to my study. The P.I. guys had pulled the surveillance gear, but the GPS in her car was wired in and prepaid for six months. It was still active. I checked her movements for the last two months, but there was nothing there. She went back and forth to work. She stopped by Teri's a couple of days a week, but the visit was short and she headed home. Probably picking up the kids. There were a few lunch outings, but the vehicle log showed her going to places where there was a restaurant, and heading back to the office. Even the weekend office visits were straight there and back.

She looked clean, but I still had my concerns.

I think the biggest was the fact that I knew I didn't do it for her. Not like they did. I'd seen her. Seen her with them. What we had was good, but it wasn't the same. She had to be comparing me to them in her brain. She had to.

I was miserable. I stopped my morning runs, too tired to get up after tossing and turning all night. I went to work, buried my head in business, trying to drive all other thoughts from my head. I got a few messages from D&G, telling me they had the subject under surveillance, and were improving their observation tools. Not much more than that. They'd located him and had him under watch. I needed more.

At home, I had Danielle under surveillance, watching her carefully, observing everything she did, where she took her phone calls. For the life of me, I couldn't see anything wrong.

After five days, including the weekend, I was convinced there was nothing going on. The bastard had snuck into town, but had kept his distance. Still, I couldn't let it go.

Shelly had managed to find a new job. Her salary had dropped by a quarter, but she was working. I showed up at her office, unannounced.

She met me at the receptionist's desk, and escorted me back to her office. It was a step down, but better than nothing. She saw me looking around.

"It's a start. A good reminder of how I screwed up." She sat down and waved at the guest chair. I remained standing.

"Has he contacted you?"

I saw the fear dance across her face before she played dumb. "Did who contact me?"

I leaned on her desk, growling at her. "You know who the hell I'm talking about. Don't you dare lie to me. Not again."

She was determined to do it the hard way. "Honestly, Rick, I have no idea who you're talking about."

"Meat, you stupid bitch. When did Meat contact you."

"Is he back in town?"

She was pretty good. I'd almost believe her, if not for that first guilty look when I broached the subject. "I've had him watched for a week. If I find out you're lying to me, I will destroy you. Absolutely destroy you. Do you want to rethink your answer?"

She was nervously passing a pencil from hand to hand, avoiding my eyes. "A little over a month ago," she murmured.

"A little over a month ago what?"

"He called me. He was back in town."

"And?"

"He wanted to get together. A couple of weeks ago I did." She looked up at me, defensive now. "I'm single. I can see who I want. It's not a regular thing."

"What about Danielle?"

She dropped her eyes again. "He wanted to talk to her. He wanted me to give him her number. I wouldn't. I told him if he was smart, he'd forget about her."

"When did he get hold of her."

"I don't know that he did. She wasn't with me, I swear. I don't think she'd do it. She knows better."

"Danielle knows you're seeing him, doesn't she?"

Shelly nodded, and I saw the tears start. "It doesn't mean she did anything. It's not a big deal, Rick. So the guy's in town. She wouldn't screw around. Don't you think I'd know if she did?"

"If she has, you're going down with her. You introduced the asshole into her life, and brought him back. You better hope to God she hasn't seen the bastard. I've had my guys on him for a while now. I'll know in a couple of days."

"I'm sure she didn't. She's happy now. She loves her new work, and she's crazy about you. She wouldn't risk her family for sex."

"Not even for great, mind-blowing sex with a 12 inch cock? Sex she'll never be able to get from me? The big-dick multi-orgasm sex you introduced her to?"

"She wouldn't! I know she wouldn't!" Shelly whined.

I got up to leave the office. "You better hope to Hell she hasn't."

~ * ~ * ~

Danielle was home when I got there. Jenny wasn't, Francine wasn't, nor were the kids. That didn't bode well. I had no doubt that Shelly had warned her.

"Eric and Erin?"

She had a drink in her hand, and could barely look me in the eyes. "They're having a sleepover at Teri's."

I went and poured myself a stiff drink. I suspected I'd need it. I sat down opposite her, and waited.

"I...I did a stupid thing, Rick. Really stupid. You need to know that I regret it, it meant nothing to me, and I swear it will never happen again. You have to understand that."