The Girl in the Gilded Cage

I plan a sequel to this one. As it will be a romance I've put this one in the same category. This one isn't a love story per se. It's certainly about two people coming together then those two people coming apart.

* * * * *

My maid woke me promptly at eight and opened the drapes allowing the morning light into the room. I lolled in bed for a few minutes then got up, did my bathroom thing and selected my workout gear for the morning. My husband, Jason, had left for work an hour ago after awakening in his bedroom and dressing in his dressing room. One of the joys I had was not having to sleep with him and listen to him snore. Pierre, my trainer, would be here promptly at nine and put me through a hour and a half of exercise, stretching and yoga. I followed that with a half hour of swimming then I showered, dressed and carefully applied my makeup and styled my hair until I was perfect. Lunch was served at noon and Jason expected me to present myself as his trophy wife, smiling and greeting him. The afternoon was mine and I met with friends, shopped, or just wandered from store to store looking. I would change for dinner and greet Jason when he arrived home at six, then dinner would be served at seven. There, we would talk about our day and look forward to the weekend when we would entertain friends and family in our palatial home.

I was literally the girl in the gilded cage, the perfect trophy wife.

It hadn't always been like this. I came from a middle class upbringing but strived for more. At an early age I knew I could have the looks just by gazing at my mother but I needed a push to achieve the next level of living. I had carefully chosen my college, picking one known for grooming young women for upper class marriage. I pledged the top sorority and began a life of learning, though primarily I was learning the manners and mannerisms I would need to move into the upper realm. Young men would flock to our parties and I danced and talked with them. I learned the proper progression of male sexual satisfaction I was to achieve when out with one of them. I was popular but frustrated more than one young man after I wouldn't fuck him.

Jason Clay III was in my sights. I met him at a frat party and he asked for my number. When he called I casually turned down his request for a date saying maybe another time. I became a legend at the sorority for turning him down. No one had ever done that. His invitation was more of a summons, not a request. The hook was baited and the catch was circling it. We danced the dance for a year until we graduated after many professions of love. Afterward I moved to his hometown and met his parents on more than one occasion. Having been presented to and approved of by his parents, Jason finally proposed and the hook was set. Now to reel him in. A year later I walked down the aisle a married woman. A lavish honeymoon followed then we moved into our palatial new home on the grounds of the family estate. I had reached the upper class. Then I learned I was a captive of the upper class.

I could look into the distance and see his parents home. Given how he looked at me when we were together his father probably had a telescope to spy on me hoping for a flash of flesh. My exercise routine was five days a week. I was expected to keep my perfect figure. My breasts were 'enhanced' at Jason's direction, my stomach was flat, I had a slim figure and an ass to die for followed by long shapely legs. The four inch heels I wore twice a day brought me almost eye to eye with Jason, something that amused him for whatever reason. Saturday was for friends and Sunday was for family. We entertained or visited friends every weekend. Family lunch was promptly at two every Sunday afternoon after which the women gathered in the family room as Jason, his father and his two brothers gathered in the living room.

I had everything I had aspired to and I had loved it but over the years I found myself coming to hate it. It was so carefully structured. In entertaining friends I could relax to some extent. Entertaining others was an exercise in degree with regard to my skirt length: from long to long with a slit, to knee height and finally four inches above the knee. When instructed, I performed the sequence Sharon Stone made famous in the movie Body Heat years ago. The short skirt was slightly bunched up and I would begin to cross my legs in the opposite way. When my two feet were on the ground two seconds would pass where someone sitting opposite me would have a perfect view of my naked pussy, then the legs would cross and the show was over. Jason had instructed me a year after our marriage and I had performed it several times for various men we were entertaining for business purposes.

"Hey girlfriend, how's my favorite sister?"

"I'm your only sister."

Lorene, my dear sister, called every week, keeping me current with family news and gossip. When she came to visit she was always in awe of our home and surroundings. More than once I had screamed at her in frustration as Lorene dominated the conversation as she went on and on about some aspect of my life.

"Just listen!," I said. "Hear me for once. I got everything I wanted and found it's a leash that gets tugged when I'm to perform. For years now, I've been expected to be perfect for lunch, dinner and when entertaining. Sunday is for family interaction that's carefully staged and choreographed. Some days I just want to scream."

"Robin, I'm sorry. It all seems so perfect to me."

"It is perfect. The facade must be maintained."

"In other news, Dad's dealing with some issue. They're sending him to a specialist for examination and testing."

"Keep me informed. I'll be there the next day after you call and say I need to come. I can use the jet for the trip. I've already cleared it with Jason." The corporate jet primarily flew Jason III and Jason II, his father, to meetings and occasionally vacation travel or trips to see the grandfather in Florida.

"Come and visit anyway. Don't wait for Dad's prognosis. You've not visited in a while. We would love to see you. Don't bring any heels, just flats!"

"I may do that. It would be a break from this. It would be nice to put all of this down. I don't know what he'll do for his weekly fuck, though. Maybe he's got a mistress somewhere."

"Weekly? That's it?"

"He'll indicate he wants sex and I'll be on the bed naked when he enters in his robe, takes it off and mounts me. I use a gel to prepare my pussy because in general I'm not wet from being aroused. He fucks me from behind or while on top of me, comes and lays beside me while I tell him how satisfied I am and how good it felt. Ten minutes tops. He goes to his bathroom to shower as I do the same in mine. I'm reading on my iPad in less than an hour."

"Get on that plane, woman! Tell me what time to meet you at the airport. I will not take no for an answer."

Forty hours later I was at Lorene's home, meeting my family for the first time in a year.

"They've grown so much! All of that in a year!"

"I don't see it, it happens too slow for me to see. I can only tell when they outgrow another set of clothes and shoes. Liam will be eight feet tall if shoe size is any indicator of height. Lucas seems to take after me, much to his dismay. He wants to be as tall as his brother. Also, there's no energy, they just wear me out. I get them to bed and I brush my teeth then it's lights out."

"How's Greg?"

"You mean the man I'm married to who I occasionally see? He's an absent father. Raising these two has become my job alone. He's a paycheck and a little bit more, but not much."

"Any news on Dad?"

"Something's wrong but they're not sure what. They're eliminating things one by one. It's a good thing he's got good insurance coverage otherwise he'd be signing over the house to them. Will Jason call to check up on you?"

"I've deleted four apps from my phone I didn't recognize. I'm thinking one or more of them was a tracking app. I've turned off my phone finding app as well. But he'll expect me to call him every day and tell him how much I miss him. I'll call after dinner there."

"Don't tell me he'll keep to the same schedule when he's alone?"

"Oh yes, the Clays are all about tradition. Thursday night will be the exception."

"Why?"

"That's fuck night usually. It's the rare Thursday that he isn't in the mood. Either that or he needs to check the box on his daily to do list. It's so nice to be away from all that. I forget sometimes what the real world is about."

"Please come anytime you can. We'd love to have you. Tonight we have dinner at dad's."

"Sounds good."

At dinner, I sat by my dad and talked with him as we ate. He was distracted by his continued medical testing.

"Anything I can do, dad?"

"I love you, Robin. Pray for me."

After dinner, Lorene said to me, "You've got a great life in some ways but it seems so confining. It really seems to be getting to you."

"You're right, it is confining. The Clay family is old money and they are set in their ways. I had hoped Jason would be more flexible and open but he's a reflection of his parents. In college he was spontaneous. Being this close to mom and dad has pulled him back into their world."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't really know. Some days I want to run away from it all. The one thing Jason didn't do was make me sign a pre-nuptial agreement. If I divorce him my settlement could be a very comfortable life, as long as he doesn't sue me for some reason. He might allege an affair but I don't see anyone in particular. Some afternoons I just wander and I do interact with people but I just talk for a while then wander on. I've thought about it a lot, especially lately. I did the Sharon Stone thing last week and I hated it. It's so blatantly sexual."

The next day Lorene and I went out. I was wearing jeans and a top, far from my normal outfits.

"It's good to see you in normal clothes. You're beautiful when dressed up but you look more real now. I took the opportunity to have you meet with an attorney while you're here. I'll go with you in case you're spotted. If confronted you could say you went with me as I consulted a lawyer about my marriage. Maybe we could get a good deal on a double divorce."

"I can't see an attorney!"

"Yes you can. Besides I hear he's cute and single."

The next day we met with Logan Sebastian, regarded as the city's top divorce lawyer.

"How can I help you."

"I want to explore a divorce. I'm Robin Clay, wife of Jason Clay III."

"I know the name. Did you sign a pre-nup?"

"No, I did not. Jason didn't bring it up."

"In that case it could be straightforward. You're entitled to half of his estate unless he's hidden his wealth behind shell companies or other legal actions. If he has hidden his assets it will require some digging and confrontation. It could be messy. Ready to start? Here's a brochure outlining my services and fees. In your case there would not be any upfront fees, I'll take those from the proceeds."

As we left, Lorene voiced her concern, "the fact he didn't ask for a pre-nup makes me think there's not a lot of assets in his name. You could get a nice level of support as long as you don't remarry unless he doesn't draw a salary. I think Jason's thought of all of this already. Getting at his assets may be brutal."

"You're probably right. Would you do some research for me? What's public knowledge? He's got to have left a paper trail."

Otherwise I enjoyed a week of normalcy, wearing normal clothes and shoes, doing normal things. On the flight back I was already dressed the part including the four inch spikes. I was ready. I hadn't brought the attorney's brochure as Jason would have my maid go through my bag. Lorene would scan it and send me the relevant images. I could hide them in an old folder on my iPad.

The limo was waiting and I got in as they waited for my luggage. I traveled light as most of my clothes I wore were stored at Lorene's. The bump of the trunk closing signified it was time to face the music. I arrived at home during the afternoon knowing I would have time to prepare for dinner. I changed and swam then showered and prepped myself for the evening meal. When I was perfect I went downstairs where Mrs. Andersen who managed the house welcomed me home and brought me up to speed on what was going on. I'm sure that by this time my maid would have put away my clothes and stored my bag for later use, looking for anything out of the ordinary to report. Promptly as six Jason came home and I made the required genuflections saying I was glad to be home and to see him. We kissed, not a passionate kiss but a press of the lips together for a brief moment. Jason went upstairs to change for dinner and later we ate as he told me about his day. Nothing was said about the week I had been gone, it was just time away. That night he signaled his desire for sex and I prepared myself and lay on the bed naked. He moved me to be on my hands and knees and savagely fucked me, probably the most forceful he had been since our marriage. Afterwards he didn't lay with me, just donning his robe and leaving in silence.

'What was that about' I said to myself as I showered and got ready for bed, I lay there trying to think of why he acted in that way. Maybe it was my being gone and disrupting the natural order of things. I had seldom gone home, as my sister often reminded me. Otherwise, who knew? I put it down, lay there looking at the ceiling then going to sleep. I awoke and resumed my life of exercise and swimming followed by lunch with Jason. In the following week, in a first, he brought his dad home with him. A third plate magically appeared as if he was expected. Jason the second leered at me. I had worn the shortest of my expected hemlines for Jason and my bare legs were on display. I sat between them feeling vulnerable and exposed. I tried to hang on every word he said, appealing to his ego.

"Daddy, how are you? I'm sorry to have missed our lunch last week. My father is having issues and I went home to check on him and my family." We ate our lunch, then I said, "I'm glad you're here."

"It's always a treat to see you. You look enchanting today. I'm glad I came here with Jason."

"Any particular reason for your visit? It's always wonderful to see you. Please come more often."

He looked at me and said, "we're concerned to hear you visited with an attorney while you were there."

It was what I had expected. There was some sort of spy, exactly what or who I didn't know. I was surely glad Lorene had gone with me. "I went with my sister as she consulted with him regarding a possible divorce from her husband. Many of his assets sit outside their marriage and she doesn't know if they can be split."

"I'm sorry to hear she is contemplating a divorce. A divorce involving children, money or both is messy."

How did he know she had kids? Was I being spied on? It sure sounded like it and that both angered me and frustrated me. "How do you know she's got kids? I've never talked about her family with Jason."

Daddy spoke, "before he proposed to you we did an extensive background check on you and your family. The resulting report spoke highly of you as well as your family. It's one reason we are so glad to have you in our family."

Of course they would investigate. I had been on my best behavior for years prior to and during college, working with the local food bank and volunteering to help disadvantaged kids. It all must have paid off.

"Is there some reason you would expect me to divorce Jason?"

"No, dear, you've been exceptional, always perfect. Your exercise plan has maintained your muscle tone well. I hear you've gained one pound in a year. Congratulations on doing such a good job of weight control. You look amazing."

Spies everywhere. I knew they would spy but I did not like my nose being rubbed in it by talking about my weight in this way. It's why I had left the attorney's brochure with Lorene. My maid would have reported it immediately. "I'm glad you approve. My trainer is excellent and I love the routines he has started. Every month we work on every muscle group. It's exhausting but it's worth it."

"Jason exercises at work. Our gym has trainers in every discipline. You should try it sometime. I hear you swim as well."

"The pool is just awesome. After a swim and shower I'm ready for my lunch with Jason."

"I'm glad to hear you didn't visit this attorney for your own sake. We like calm in our relationships. Still, you should have a better understanding of your family assets. The house is owned by a trust, not the two of you. Jason makes one dollar per year and is otherwise paid in stock options which he cashes from to time to pay off the loan extended to him by the bank to pay the family expenses. His financial advisors maintain all of that for him. Jason has several trust funds which he will access as he ages. Currently the net value of your family is less than $100,000. You would receive no financial support as Jason does not draw a salary."

"Thank you for the overview. As I have no interest in divorce this has been enlightening but unnecessary."

With one more leer in my direction Daddy, as he likes to be called, excused himself and left. Through all of this Jason had not said one word.

I turned to him and said, "Satisfied? Did your fuck last week work off some of your anger? Speaking of anger, what were you angry about? What have I done that angers you so?"

"My rhythm was off-balance. It disturbed me. I missed your presence and calm. I apologize for my behavior."

"Are you so scared of divorce that you hide all of your assets and income? This feels very controlling, like it's all or nothing, a threat."

"It's all Daddy's doing. He did all of this before we were married."

I stood up, reached under my skirt and pulled my panties to my ankles, then carefully removed them. I turned my chair to face him, sat and crossed my legs as I looked him in the eyes. Then I uncrossed my legs, then after a time crossed them the other way. His eyes had left mine when I began and only returned when I had finished. "Like the show? Want more? I'm available anytime, anywhere", and smiled at him. I uncrossed my legs and left both feet on the floor, then widened the space between my legs, leaving me totally exposed to him. I reached under my skirt and finger fucked my pussy as I said, "I'm your slut, your whore. Use me, fuck me." I undressed myself except for my heels, pushed the dishes aside, bent over the table and told him, "fuck me."

He came up behind me and I heard his pants hit the floor. His cock found where it was to go and he slammed it into me shoving me against the edge of the table. He fucked me, exceeding the level of sexuality he had shown last week. This was raw, almost primal even. He filled me with his cum and withdrew. I turned and dropped to my knees and sucked his cock clean while looking into his eyes. When he was clean I pulled his slacks to his waist, zipped him up and buckled his belt. I didn't kiss him. He might not like that after I swallowed his cum. I gathered my clothes and threw them over my shoulder and strolled naked toward my bedroom suite. As I got to the door I looked back and found he was still watching. I winked at him and walked into the room. The show was officially over.

"You were right, he knew about the visit with the attorney. He's got a spy somewhere there. And of course the entire staff spies on me here. He told me I had gained a pound over the last year. The only person who would know about that was Pierre who weighs me naked once a month. I know it's part of his job description but it feels creepy as hell."

"It is creepy," Lorene said. "That floor show you put on should have gotten them off your divorce trail for a while."