The Newly Divorced Resort Ch. 01

"Well, 413's cat got out and it took myself and two other staff to help the owner corral it before it found a way off that floor. That cat is fast and hard to corner, but at least it doesn't have any claws, so actually catching it wasn't too bad," he chuckled.

I stayed and talked with George another five minutes and realized he was full of interesting stories if anyone cared to ask, which I vowed to do more often. I found myself smiling as I rode the elevator up to my condo.

While dinner cooked in the skillet, I thought about my 23 year marriage and had to admit to myself that I was happy most of the time, but I had fallen into a rut and took too many things for granted.

As a result, I had become complacent and stopped paying attention to people that I used to because now that I had a partner beside me. The others in my life seemed less important as I worked to make Tiffany happy.

I had focused my attention on interactions and office politics at work as I climbed the corporate ladder, but as I reached the point where I was unlikely to go higher, these interactions also went on autopilot and I just went through the motions in my job much of the time over the past few years.

As this realization came to me, I understood that even though I was good at my job, it didn't make me feel excited or eager to walk in the office anymore as it did when I had something I needed to achieve if was going to be successful. I was successful now and most tasks were routine maintenance, not exciting or demanding.

I guess getting divorced had an upside because it shook my foundation and forced me to look at myself and my routines in a whole new way. This was a lot to take in and I figured it would take some time to work through, but it seemed as if there was a rising feeling of excitement along with the uncertainty that came from this change.

That decided it for me. I called Matthew after cleaning up from dinner.

"I have been giving this a lot of thought since yesterday and I want to give this Resort of yours a try. I feel like I'm a bit out of my depth and it's going to feel as awkward as hell, but I figured that as long as I'm going to be forced to rethink and adapt, a chance to try something totally different might be a good place to get my new life started," I said.

He gave a short chuckle, but said seriously, "William, you have no idea how normal that feeling is after a divorce and that is the exact reason why we called it The Newly Divorced Resort and we cater to clients just like you."

"I have heard from many former clients to whom I have offered this opportunity and almost all of them felt like different people after the week there. I feel like you deserve this chance and you'll be glad you went. I'll send you an email with a web link for the application and a special login code."

"Thank you for being a good lawyer and for taking an interest in me as a person," I responded as I hung up.

I saw that the email had arrived a few minutes later when I sat down at my computer and opened the enclosed link.

The first page looked like most vacation websites with beautiful pictures of a tropical paradise and people having a good time. However, there were no details or links for more details, only a login area at the bottom of the page. I used the special code Matthew had provided and I was redirected to a page where I could create an account, which I did.

A confirmation email was sent and I followed the new link where I logged in with my new account details.

The first page explained of the purpose of the Resort:

The Resort is a place of refuge and relaxation following the significant life event of divorce. You and the other guests will spend a week enjoying the opportunity to move past this traumatic change and work toward building confidence in healthy personal relationships.

This will be a guided experience initially focused on creating situations that take the awkwardness out of meeting and engaging with new people on a personal level. Toward the end of your stay, there will be increasing opportunities to initiate and interact with other guests in a less prescribed manner, thus helping you reach the goal stated above.

Activities range from simple companionship to openly sexual in nature. You will always have the choice of how intimate your interactions with other guests become. Boundaries between guests are set by those individuals as long as consent is freely given and there are no safety or health concerns.

The next page offered some testimonials accompanied by pictures from past Resort guests:

I wasn't sure what to expect from my week at the Resort, but it turned out I needn't have worried. The accommodations and activities were top notch and staff was VERY welcoming (wink, wink). - Amy from Seattle

There was a good blend of guests and the activity planning was focused quite well on helping me move forward after my nasty divorce. A special shout out to my day two and three partner (you know who you are). That was something I'd never seen before :-) - Steve from Albany

The Resort is a brilliant idea and I hope my lawyer and her buddies are making a fortune because it is worth every dollar! I feel like a completely new person and I could almost kiss my bastard ex again just because I would have never experienced this in my life if that manslut hadn't slept with everything that had at least two legs and a pulse. - Crystal from Oklahoma City

This sounded promising and the more I thought about it, the more eager I became about the opportunity. The website led me through a series of screens collecting information about me, some of which I found rather intimate such as my preferred sexual orientation and inclination toward various different sexual experiences, but it explained that this information would help them match guests to create a more compatible initial experience. It asked about my medical history such as conditions, disorders, physical limitations, and a specific section on past or current sexually transmitted diseases.

It also asked about interests, hobbies, food preferences, usual activity level, places I had lived and vacationed, as well as places on my list to visit in the future. I realized that these questions were most of the things one learns about another person as they date and work to build a relationship, which helped me refresh those things for myself as well. After all, I hadn't thought much about myself over the past few months and it was nice to focus on something else beside Tiffany and her needs or what she wanted from me.

The next screen outlined the amenities to be found at the Resort. It listed the various opportunities such as parasailing, hiking, scuba, birdwatching, boating, spa treatments to name a few as well as the beach and pool. It gave a schedule for the week as well.

The first day involved a personal tour of the grounds after arriving and a masquerade dinner that evening once all the guests had arrived and been given a chance to settle in.

The second and third days would be spent with another guest that staff had selected for me based on my profile, but the activities each day were selected by the couple. The fourth day would be Woman's Choice. Each female guest would choose a partner for the day, but the partner she chose would determine the activities that day.

The remaining three days would be free of any staff intervention and each guest was responsible for their own companionship. However, there would be special activities available for guests to join only on those days, but it didn't offer specifics, so I suspected the choices would be based on some analysis of the guests staying there that particular week.

The weekly schedule made sense because it made things easier in the beginning as we were rediscovering the world of dating and after leaving the Resort, I would be on my own and need to find my own relationships, so having a chance to practice with other guests in a similar situation helped ease into that eventuality. It seemed like they had really thought this through and knew what they were doing.

The final page discussed costs and ask for my availability over the next couple of months, ranked by preference. The fee for the week was substantial, but when I considered that I could easily afford it, I hadn't had a real vacation in three years, it was probably cheaper that years of psychotherapy, and that my ex Tiffany wasn't going to have an opportunity like this, it seemed well worth it. An added bonus of likely having some fun sex with new women made the whole thing seem practically a steal.

I reviewed the details one last time and clicked the SEND button. A reply email arrived almost immediately saying that my application would be reviewed and some availability and flight options would be sent within the next few days for me to select. It said payment would be required at that time and although it would be nonrefundable, special circumstances might allow a rescheduling if deemed appropriate.

I got up and poured myself a drink. My thoughts were now someplace I would never have guessed if you'd ask me 48 hours earlier what I'd be thinking about at this moment. I had already gotten used to living alone over the past few months and activities like eating out and shopping without Tiffany had already become routine, but there were still times when it felt weird, like coming home to an empty house or not getting her opinion about what movie to watch.

The idea of the Resort shifted my thoughts in a fundamental way. I didn't have to spend time comparing my current behavior with what it was like when Tiffany was in my life, which is what I had spent most of the past few month doing: I buy this brand because that's what she prefers; I'm eating dinner at a place she never liked; she would probably have loved this movie.

Now, my thoughts were turning toward a life and experience that have nothing to do with her and there is no need to bring her thoughts or expectations into it at all. My life post-Tiffany has truly begun I thought as I finished my drink.

Because I was in a better mood now that I had made a decision to try new things and focus on my own needs, I decided to revisit my encounter with the woman in the building elevator yesterday, but this time I felt I wanted it be a fantasy like a romance novel rather than the depressing way I had thought about it yesterday.

In my current version, we entered the elevator together (no boyfriend this time) and when I smiled, she blushed and seductively licked her lips. In this new fantasy, I was quite suave and confident, so I boldly stepped closer to her and looked her in the eyes and said something suggestive.

She of course was filled with lust for me and stood on her tiptoes and tilted her face toward me for a kiss as she closed her eyes. I took her in my arms and kissed her passionately.

"Wait, I've got a boyfriend and this is wrong," she said breathlessly.

"Feels alright to me," I said and began caressing her body while resuming our kiss.

"I shouldn't being doing this," she said as we reached her floor and the door slid open.

"You should stay here with me, so choose now," I said.

When she didn't walk away I pushed the button to close the elevator doors. And course, this being fantasy, she fell back inn my arms as the elevator continued upward. The next time the doors opened, she tentatively took my hand and we walked to my door.

"I love my boyfriend, but I have seen you around and wanted you since I first saw you. We can only do this once," she said.

"Fine by me," I said in my most cavalier voice.

I envisioned us barely getting the door shut behind us before we were hurriedly undressing and back in each other's arms. Our lips and hands roamed freely for a brief time, but then I pushed her roughly facing against the nearby wall and pinned her hands in one of mine over her head so she was trapped. With my other hand I fondled her breasts and pussy while she begged me to enter her.

I used my feet to spread her legs wide and moved in tight behind her with my cock leading the way. I found her entrance and took her hard, smashing her breasts and hips against the wall with every thrust. I imagined her moaning and begging me to go harder and faster and that her boyfriend never fucked her this well.

She came first and seemed to lose control of her legs muscles. I released her hands and let her weight drop, but turned her body so her back slid down the wall until she was on her knees in front of me.

"Open your mouth," I told her.

I then proceeded to use this orifice as I had her pussy until my own climax emptied a load down her throat. I told her use my bathroom to clean herself up and thanked her for the quickie. She blushed and gave a smile as she left as if maybe this wouldn't be the only time we did this.

"Now that was a nice fantasy," I told myself, much better than my previous attempts with her as the ingenue.

I poured myself another drink while I settled down to watch television for the rest of the evening, feeling much better about my life going forward.

I continued my observations of other people at work the next day as well as practicing some of my increased interactions with coworkers. I smiled more and was pleased by the number of smiles that were returned.

"Hi William. There's something different about you today," said Heather from my office doorway just before lunch while tapping her forefinger lightly against her lips with a curious expression on her face.

I certainly didn't feel prepared to pursue building a relationship with anyone from the office just yet, but I decided that having lunch with a coworker was not inappropriate and certainly Heather appeared approachable in this respect.

I said, "Actually there is Heather. I'm famished and was just about to get something to eat at the deli down the block, so you are welcome to join me if you wish."

Given how I have always squirmed and been uncomfortable in the past with her flirtatious advances, this caught her somewhat off guard.

"Sure...that sounds great. Give me a minute to grab my purse," she stammered with surprise.

She appeared to have regained her emotional footing when she returned with purse in hand and we walked toward the elevator together. The irony of last night's fantasy involving a beautiful woman and an elevator was not lost on me at this particular moment, but I stopped my thoughts from going any further in that direction as we descended to the lobby and the street below.

Apparently Heather was as familiar with the menu options as I because neither of us even looked before giving our order to the man working the counter. We found a quiet booth in the back and talked some about work between bites.

After a few minutes she finally repeated her observation from earlier, "There is something different about you today and this lunch proves my point. As you may have noticed, I'm rather forward when there is something I want and I've had my eye on you for awhile now. You've always run for cover in the past, but not today, so what gives? Not that I'm complaining of course, but inquiring minds want to know as they say."

"Before I tell you, can I have your promise that this stays between us? I'm not usually open about my personal life and am not ready for this to get around the office and then have to deal with all the gossip that will inevitably follow," I asked.

Heather's face grew serious as she said, "I may be a flirt and have an easy going manner, but I am not a gossip and anything you tell me now will not be repeated."

Her face broke into a smile again and said, "After all, I'm not one to kiss and tell and I've done plenty of kissing."

I couldn't tell if she was serious with the last part or just trying to lighten the mood again, but I believed her first statement, so I decided to take the chance and open up a little bit to her.

"My wife cheated on me and we have been in the process of divorce for the past several months. We've been separated during that time and the decree was made official a couple of days ago, so I'm starting to come to terms with my life going forward."

"I'm not sure about much, but I've decided I want to be happy and doing some things differently is a first step. That's why I probably seem different and certainly the reason I invited you to join me for lunch today. I haven't been immune to your...charms...but the married part of my brain prevented me from being tempted."

"Wow, I've always flirted with you because my hormones went into overdrive every time I saw you, but damn, if I had know you were a good man on top of that, well now I really do want to jump your bones, or at least one in particular," Heather replied.

I'm pretty sure I was blushing from embarrassment at her comment and couldn't think of a good response anyway, so I just looked at her. She returned my gaze and let me ponder her statement for an uncomfortable moment.

Finally I said, "I admit the thought of that excites me, but I still have some things to work out in my head before I'm ready to make that step, so I hope you understand that my reluctance to act on it right now has nothing to do with your desirability. In fact, far from it. Trust me on that part," I added with a grin.

Heather sighed and gave a mock pout, "Fine, I'll take a raincheck for a little while, but just so we are clear, don't make me wait too long or else I might tie you down and have my way with your body regardless of your protests."

We shifted the conversation to topics less fraught with sexual tension as we finished our lunch and walked back to the office. The rest of the afternoon went quickly for me as I prepared the research data for our quarterly board meeting next week.

On the way home, I continued my people skill development and found it was becoming a bit more automatic to smile and make eye contact with others. It seemed that opening up to Heather at lunch today helped me feel less nervous about how others might react to me.

I sat down at the computer after dinner and saw that I had received an email from the Resort with a selection of upcoming dates from which I could chose. After checking my work schedule, I found one at the end of the month that would work well and selected it. A banner popped up and spelled out the terms and conditions and asked me to confirm the week I had chosen.

Pausing only a second, I clicked the OK button and a confirmation email with my reservation number and flight details from Miami to the Resort showed up a couple of minutes later. I immediately booked a flight to Miami for earlier in the day that gave me plenty of time to arrive without needing to worry about potential delays.

As I put the computer to sleep, I felt an unexpected sense of relief, like I had been holding my breath in case this was just a dream and finally knew it was real. The feeling of excitement and anticipation grew over the next couple of weeks and every night I slept better than I had in years.