The Pampered Princess Chronicles

Marcus thought that 'the chat' was likely to be about starting a family. Things had been so much better recently; it felt like they were back on track and had talked about having a family in the past."

"Of course, what is this about, should I be worried," he asked jokingly.

Victoria didn't answer... shit.

"There is no easy way to say this Marcus, but I've met someone new."

She announced it in such a matter-of-fact manner, Marcus struggled to comprehend what she had said.

"You're having an affair?"

No, well not yet but we've become... close, I'm sorry"

"You don't sound sorry, who is he?"

"A client I met through work a couple of months ago. I was unhappy, we talked and got to know each other, he helped me. He is he most charming and attractive man I have ever come into contact with; it's hard to explain until you meet him."

"So why tell me and not leave me in blissful ignorance?"

Because I thought you had a right to know, and he's asked me to go on a trip with him on his yacht."

"Oh surprise, he has money then, no wonder you are attracted to him. Does he give you a return to the high-life you crave?"

"It's not that, I just haven't been able to resist Daniel, he's absolutely gorgeous and is on my mind constantly, he is almost too perfect."

Victoria went on, failing to hide her excitement, "His body looks like Brad Pitt in the film Troy, he was a professional footballer."

"Thanks for that, I feel completely inadequate now."

"There's no need to feel that way honey, I am still very attracted to you."

"Did you say he was a footballer, as in past tense, how old is he?"

"Older, 42 maybe."

"Jesus not even replaced by a younger model. So what, are you leaving me, do you want a divorce?"

"No silly, I still love you just as much. I need some time to explore things with him. I thought we could sit down when I get back and sort out how we both feel."

"And I'm expected to just suck this up!"

"Stephanie and Elizabeth have agreements with Rob and Steve and their marriages are both so happy. It allows them to explore things without risking anything."

"Not from what I hear, they aren't. I might have guessed the other pampered princesses would have something to do with it. Did you start feeling like you were missing out? Christ, you're just like them, a spoilt child playing with people's lives. You think you can have everything you want, well you can't!"

"We'll be discreet, no one will know. I'm not trying to throw him in your face."

"You already have."

"It hasn't been a quick or easy decision Marcus, I do love you, but I feel like I need this."

"When are you going?"

"Victoria looked at her watch, as soon as we are finished talking and I get changed. We thought it was better not to let things fester."

Marcus was incredulous, "Un-fucking-believable! You know, this is the end for us don't you..."

"Don't say that; I will be back before you know it and we can talk properly then."

Victoria went upstairs to change; she had already half packed a small carry bag. She had the decency to look embarrassed as she was putting stockings on before leaving on her trip with Daniel.

"I can wear them for you, when I get back. Try not to worry about the sex, you're no slouch baby."

Marcus was wondering who the person sitting in front of him really was, treating infidelity as if it was a girls guide outing or a famous five adventure, where everything was 'jolly good' and 'just spiffing'.

Victoria hesitated as she made her way to the door, "I love you; we'll talk when I get back."

***

The house was so quiet it was freaking Marcus out, his whole world had collapsed. He resisted the urge to get drunk, wanting to think clearly. He thought about leaving but then figured Victoria might never come back and he had a better chance of keeping the house if he stayed in it.

Marcus failed miserably at not imagining what she was up to. It tore at his mind and prevented his sleep and peace. Gym, exercise, long walks, none of it helped, he took time off work as he couldn't face anyone.

There was no contact from Victoria, not even a text, not that it mattered.

Marcus was stunned when she returned 5 days after she had left.

"What are you doing back?"

"I told you I was coming back."

"So, what happened, why haven't you skipped off into the sunset with lover boy."

"I decided it is you I truly love, Daniel was an infatuation, being away from you made me realise just how much I love you. I came back early to try and repair the horrible mistake I made."

"If you're staying, I'm going."

"But, but... you love me."

"So!"

"You can't leave me..."

"No one has ever said no to you, that's the problem. Well instead of no, try this for size, you can fuck off right off and out of my life! You aren't the heroine in a big romance novel; you just another adulteress tramp."

"We can go to counselling."

"Nope, you need truth and honestly for counselling, traits you lack. You just wanted a good fuck, its nothing more complicated than that, we don't need counsellors to dissect that little treasure. You weren't lacking for anything; you're just a greedy little rich girl and a cheap slut."

Victoria was furious; no one had ever talked to her like that.

"Ok if you want the truth, I wanted more and I got it. I lost count of my orgasms; I was in heaven when I was with him. I came just from him entering me and kept coming after that. I ached for him, it was absolutely thrilling. The way he took me, I wanted it badly again and again."

Their eyes met, Victoria put a hand over her mouth... the realisation and implication of her own words sinking in.

"He dumped you didn't he, there's no way you would walk away from that."

Victoria burst into tears, "I've been such an idiot, he had his fun before explaining I was just a hot bit on the side, he's married... happily seemingly."

"Well, isn't that just fucking tragic!"

Marcus could think of nothing more to say, he just felt empty and overwhelmingly sad. He quickly packed a bag and left before he did something he regretted, ignoring all of Victoria's pleas.

***

Elizabeth and Steve's marriage went from strength to strength. Things went remarkably smoothly and they settled into a life together. There was never any queries about the trust fund and Elizabeth used her money freely especially on travelling with Steve, they explored worldwide and found a shared love of new places and people.

Steve remained in awe of her beauty, marriage of convenience or not, Elizabeth was awesome in bed and out of it for that matter. He was basically being paid to fuck the hottest woman he knew.

What surprised Steve was the level of love and devotion he felt from Elizabeth; she told him that she loved him often. There was an intensity when she used the words that felt at odds with the arrangement they had entered into. He said the same words but felt like he needed to hold back and protect himself, reminding himself that their marriage was one of convenience.

The fact that they were really good friends helped, that friendship blossomed as they spent more time together.

Steve instigated some discussions about rules; he had heard some disturbing things about Stephanie's behaviour and wanted to ensure they avoided similar themes. Steve outlined his thoughts.

"So, when we are together, it's just us, no sneaking off with a date."

"Agreed."

"None of it ever comes into our home."

"Agreed, actually the only time I'd see anything happening is on out of city trips."

"We put each other first, if there are any clashes, family comes before everything else."

"Perfect, agreed."

"We don't share details of any exploits, if it's happening, I don't want to hear about it."

Elizabeth shuddered, "Absolutely."

"We practice safe sex at all times, condoms are mandatory."

"Does that include us?"

"Yes, one slip or a poor drunken decision could have serious consequences."

"Ok I guess, but it's a shame for us."

"If we start to have feelings for someone else, we let the other person know and give them plenty of time to decide what they want to do about it."

"Agreed, but that's more for you to tell me, I won't fall for anyone else."

Steve was surprised at that statement; he thought they would both be considering longer term options as their arrangement drew to a close after the three years.

Elizabeth did go to a lot of functions and business trips linked to her fashion work. Steve would often see her photo in fashion columns and online. He thought any liaisons would likely happen there, with all the hunky male models involved. She always looked a million dollars and attracted male attention everywhere, usually from confident alpha types. She was so dismissive of their attentions, that Steve begun to wonder if her liaisons might be with the female models. She always seemed so much more relaxed in their company and most were ridiculously attractive, although some looked too skeletal.

Steve career as an artist was picking up. He had used the £400,000 from the first two years of his marriage agreement to buy one of the many pubs that seemed to be closing on a weekly basis.

A friend of his, Michael from university had mentioned setting up a micro-brewery.

Steve suggested converting the storage sheds into a brewery and using the old bar area as a micro pub, while Steve converted the lounge and conservatory into an art studio/ gallery. It made sense for the both of them; Michael got a cheap venue and a place to live. Steve got someone to manage the place, an on-site presence and free beer... never a bad thing.

He was doing well and building a name for himself. It wasn't Royal College standard, but he was painting the landscapes he knew and loved so well. People who liked the same landscape, loved his paintings. With time and practice he also felt like he was improving and had scope to improve further in the future.

He split his time between the pub and the house in the city with Elizabeth. Elizabeth had been true to her word, paid on the agreement and no one had ever come close to querying their marriage. They looked to the outside world like a happily married couple, the arrangement had worked out surprisingly well.

Steve had tried a couple of dates with other women, but he never connected with them. It was hard to skirt around his marital status, most women thought he was looking to cheat, which was technically accurate. There was something else though, he was happiest in Elizabeth's company, their interactions were so easy.

Steve talked to Rob and he knew Elizabeth and Stephanie were close, if they were partying together there was no doubt what was going on. Rob's tales of woe continued in a downward spiral until finally he announced that he had left Stephanie. When Marcus announced out of the blue that Victoria had an affair, Steve expected a similar fate for his own marriage.

Steve became firm friends with Rob and Marcus, he couldn't believe how callous Stephanie had been, while Victoria seemed to have wondered off into cloud cuckoo land. He didn't suppose Elizabeth's behaviour was much better, but she had been open about everything. Talking to Rob and Marcus though gave him a nudge that he should seek a divorce after their upcoming third anniversary and get on with his life. He wanted a real relationship and eventually children, that couldn't happen with Elizabeth.

He was keen to support Rob and Marcus, they were both great guys and if they could escape their marriages relatively unscathed had bright futures. They would be regarded as 'catches' to just about anyone other than the pampered princesses. Divorce would be easier said than done though; the wives were used to getting their own way and were sure to fight. They decided to stick together, Steve adding the dissolution of his marriage of convenience in the mix before Elizabeth could beat him to the punch.

***

The Divorces:

The three friends were sitting back in the same exclusive restaurant for their regular Monday luncheon. The topic for debate as usual were their husbands.

"What... they want to see all three of us together."

"Yeah, the boys must have met up; they have refused to speak to us until it's time to get in a room with lawyers to sort the divorces."

A teary Victoria whinged, "But I don't want a divorce."

"None of us do snapped Stephanie. But even my father hasn't been able to track them down. They haven't spent on their cards or used their phones. Daddy is not happy with me; he says my actions are damaging the firm and costing him money."

***

They all attended a meeting in the board room of the illustrious law firm of Clark, Falconer and Hopkins.

Before the lead partner Randall Clark could speak, Steve shouted,

"Eighteen!"

"The hubbub of the room quietened."

"I'm sorry Mr Mathews what was that?"

"I've just counted, there are eighteen lawyers in this room and only 1 of them is ours and to be fair he's a mate doing us a favour."

Steve turned to look at his friend and newly qualified lawyer Dave, who gave him an optimistic if misplaced thumbs up.

"You must be worried to turn up this mob handed, especially as we only requested a preliminary discussion. It makes you look weak not strong."

"Well, we have a responsibility to represent our clients app..."

Marcus calmly interrupted, "Try three!"

"Sorry."

"Try three, just three... one lead representative for each of our wives, the rest can leave, you'll still outnumber us."

He looked at Victoria, "I've just saved you a fortune in billable hours, you should thank me."

There was a lot of bluster, noise and arguments, all from the assembly of lawyers. The three husbands and their mate Dave ignored it all not saying a word, and then they got up to leave.

Stephanie cleared her throat; Randall Clark got the message and instructed the rest of his colleagues to leave except for his senior partner Martin Falconer.

"We said you could have three."

"Mrs Mathews is not being represented by our firm."

Steve gave Elizabeth a quizzical look.

"Can we get some coffee and croissant, the nice infused herby ones," asked Rob.

Stephanie glowered, "Stop being a prick a Rob, you are all intelligent professional men, lay off the yokel act, what is it you want?"

"Ah Stephanie my darling wife, a divorce obviously, we here to establish if you three are going to provide them amicably or if you intend to fight things in your usual delusional manner."

It was Falconer who answered, "We will be seeking all possible legal avenues to resist what our clients feel are excessive and punitive action in pursuing divorce proceedings before considering reconciliation."

"Reconciliation really! You don't realise just how many men our wives have fucked since we got married Mr Falconer."

"I couldn't comment on that, nevertheless I would urge you to look forward at what might be possible in the future rather than dwell in the past. Your own impressive career is at stake here."

Rob looked at Dave, who nodded indicating it was what they had anticipated.

"So that's your plan, bury us in legal proceedings until we run out of money and give up or walk away with nothing."

"We're suggesting counselling as a start point," prompted Randall.

Victoria started crying, "I don't want a divorce Marcus, I love you, it was a mistake."

"Let's see, what was the phrase you used, yeah that was it: '...if you want the truth, I wanted more and I got it. I lost count of my orgasms I was in heaven when I was with him'."

"I didn't mean that, it was my temper, I was embarrassed and lashed out".

"Counselling is not happening, although I would be interested in a psychological assessment for Stephanie," quipped Rob.

"Don't do this Rob, you can't leave me or the firm, I am your wife."

"Don't make me laugh; you have no idea how to be a wife. It was all a lie from the start wasn't it. You were fucking everything that moved from before we were married, you just didn't bother covering it up after a while."

"I guess that is true Rob, but I can calm it all down. We can deal with this and still be happy together."

Rob laughed heartily, a real belly laugh, "Marvellous and how are we going to deal with that, I notice you didn't apologise, and didn't even say you would stop."

"I am sorry and I lacked... decorum. I was getting off on it ok! I like being dominant and assertive, taking what I want is a huge rush and I enjoy men. I thought you were getting off on it as well."

"Trust me I wasn't, you just were too busy looking for your next cock to notice."

"We had an agreement ..."

"Yeah a one in which you said you would try not to stray and be discreet. Being made airtight by those guys on the first day of our holiday falls somewhat short don't you think?"

Stephanie for once blushed and looked down.

"I can't live this way any longer, no one should."

"Please Rob, my mother explained a few things to me as well and I lost sight of you. I can correct those things. I can stop, think about your career."

"Come off it Stephanie, you wouldn't last a week. Honestly, you need help, you're a nymphomaniac and might have some form of compulsive disorder."

"Ok then. I'll get medical help, anything, I will try anything!"

"Too late, it's all just too fucked up, we need to end it. Have a nice life Steph, I'd say you were free to fuck what you want now, but you've been working your way through most of the population already."

Steve stepped in, "How's about we concede the legalities instead. You win, when we compare your legal resources to Dave or even Dave and a few colleagues if we can scrape up the money, we will lose regardless of the treacherous actions of our wives.

Randall Clark smiled at Steve's reasoning.

It was Elizabeth who spoke next, "What are you up to Steve? None of you are destitute, actually you are all remarkably well off. You can hire a firm and trade blows with Randall easily enough."

"Unfortunately, we aren't as well off as you might imagine. To fund such extensive legal proceedings, we'd need to generate further income... perhaps some media work."

Falconer got the implication immediately, "It would be a mistake to court publicity, that is a dangerous two-edged sword."

"Perhaps," countered Rob, "but we have less to lose than our high-profile wives and a national banking firm about to launch a critical merger. We think 'The Pampered Princess Chronicles' has a nice ring to it for a serialisation, maybe even a book; we seem to have lots of time on our hands."

Stephanie seethed, "You bastard, maybe I'll write a response about how you weren't man enough to satisfy a real woman."

"Is that right, even the number of lawyers Randall can muster up would fail to satisfy you! But I've an idea, why not ask your mum to contribute to that one."

Rob smiled at Stephanie's perplexed expression, "Go tell 'daddy dearest' about the media angle..., let us know what the offers are after that, might as well go straight to the organ grinder after all... rather than the monkeys."

The four friends got up to leave.

Victoria pleaded, "I don't understand what is happening Marcus, I love you, Daniel meant nothing to me!"

"So what, that statement doesn't make anything you have done any better, in fact it makes your behaviour even worse. Jesus Vic, what would you have done if you didn't love me. You are wrong by the way, you only love yourself; it's over Vic!"

Victoria burst into more tears; it was becoming a habit.

"Steve, could I catch you alone for a minute, its ermm about something legal."

Steve looked at Elizabeth and assumed it was about her trust fund and nodded agreement, they stayed in the room as the others left, Stephanie supporting a distraught Victoria out the door."