The Party and the Indecent Proposal

She handed my beer back and reached into the refrigerator for another, picking one up for herself. "Adam, I shouldn't say anything. It was said to me in confidence."

With a deep sigh, I replied. "Yeah, I got it. Can you at least tell me how Craig took it?"

"Apparently, they did reach agreement before she left with Brett, and Craig was cool with it."

"You're joking. That doesn't sound like him at all. Jeez, today at golf he seemed really irritated."

"That was probably more to do with Jeff than what happened. He can be a real dick."

"No arguments there. If he was okay with it, though, why would he get so upset?"

Ali finished her beer and shrugged. "I can't speak for him, Adam, but according to Janice, they are doing okay. She did say they had a rocky patch when she got home, but Craig has been okay since. What I do know is, the money really helped them out of a bind. They were over-stretched, financially. Did you know they were close to losing their house?"

Not convinced at how that made things better, but not wanting an argument, I replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Oh, right. I guess that makes it all good then."

As I finished my beer, she said, "Hey, go and have a shower, you're all sweaty. By the time you finish, dinner will be ready. Dress nice. Damon tells me he's inviting his new girlfriend over for dinner."

Dinner was nice, it brightened my mood immensely. Damon's girlfriend seemed nice, if a little ditzy. I could see why he was attracted. She was totally stunningly beautiful. She certainly gave us lots to laugh at, with her girlish humor.

Even Ali had to laugh.

In bed, with our moods elevated, we finished the day with a passionate lovemaking. Lying together in post-coital bliss, I had to ask, it had been eating away at me since the day. "I know you said you shouldn't tell me, but. Did Janice sleep with Brett?"

"Oh god, this has really got to you, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean she just doesn't seem the type."

"Oh, there's a type is there. So who of our friends is the type?"

As usual, I had managed to stick my foot in my mouth. "I don't know, Ali. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, Janice is a nice person, at least I thought she was."

Pouting sulkily, Ali nodded. "Yes she is. If they weren't in a hole financially, I don't think she would have gone off with him. Self-preservation makes you do crazy things."

"Did she sleep with him? She had the option not to."

"Okay, Mr detective. Yes, they had sex, okay?"

Flopping back on my pillow, I sighed. "Damn, she didn't have to. Does Craig know?"

"Yes, Craig knows. Janice is a nice person. She wouldn't lie to him."

"Nice people don't have sex, cheat with other people."

"Wow, you live in a black and white world. People do things; maybe it was a mistake. I don't know. All I can say is, it saved them losing their home and has given them a future. Maybe it was the right thing to do. At least they're both still together, and they seem happier than ever. In my book, that's a good thing."

"Yeah, I guess so."

I felt the bed shift as she rolled over to stare at me. "Adam, what if had been me he asked. What would you have said?"

"I told you already; Brett and I would've been going at it."

"Yes, I remember, but what would that have achieved? He would've called the cops, and I would've had to sleep with him to get him to drop the charges and save your ass."

"I don't care. There's no way I'd put up with that shit. Living like Craig, with everybody talking about him behind his back, making snide comments. Nope, if you did that to me, our marriage would be over."

Her face took on a horrified pall. "Are you saying you would throw everything away, our whole marriage?"

"Of course. Jesus, Ali, no way would I stand for it."

"What if I went with him but didn't do anything?"

"Doesn't matter. Nobody would believe you. He would tell everybody that he did, and they would believe him."

"Why? It would be his word against mine."

"Don't be so juvenile. You packed up your sexy lingerie and went off on his private jet for a whole weekend. Does that sound like the actions of somebody who planned to sleep in separate beds? No, it doesn't. Nobody would believe you, Ali."

We lay in silence, the only sounds was that of our breathing.

"Ali, did you ever play spin the bottle when you were younger?"

Her sexy little giggle filled my ears. "Yes, everybody did."

"Yeah, I guess so. I did as well. I ruined a girls reputation. We ended up going into the closet together for five minutes."

"Uh-huh, we did something similar." She admitted.

"Yep, well I fucked up. The moment the door closed, and Missy and I were cloaked in darkness. I froze, I mean I had dreamed about that moment forever. The most beautiful girl in school, in there with me."

Biting back my shame, I added. "Yep, I froze, and I was so embarrassed. I didn't even kiss her."

"Who cares? I think most people chicken out." Ali laughed softly.

"Yeah, well, later when the boys asked me what happened, I lied through my teeth. I said we made out, and I fingered her, and she played with my cock."

"You bastard." Ali spluttered. "Why did you say that?"

"Because I didn't want anyone to know I chickened out. Anyway, word got around. I didn't tell anyone, but the guys spread the word. Missy was devastated. She never ever spoke to me again. I don't blame her. She denied it, but everybody believed me."

"Jesus, you dick, you god damned bastard. She might have done something stupid."

"Yeah, I know, I'm not proud. All I'm trying to say is, if you went off with Brett, it would be exactly the same. He would tell Jeff and anybody who would listen how you sucked his cock, begged him to fuck you. He'd probably tell them he fucked you in the ass, as well."

"Christ, men. You are a disgusting species."

"Maybe, but that's the way we are."

The conversation was forgotten as we focused on getting Damon off to college. It was quiet around the house with him gone. I got stuck into my car, enjoying the solitude. The bodywork was finished. Craig spent a few hours helping me get it ready for the paint shop. Craig was a nice guy, bit we never talked about personal stuff. It was always, family, and work, and cars. That was our thing.

The one thing that changed was Jeff and I. He still came around, like always. He'd just rock up with beers when I was in the garage working on the car. Our relationship was damaged. He invited me to his parties, as always, but I always had an excuse.

It was Ali who asked one day, "How come Jeff doesn't invite us to his parties anymore?"

"He does, I just don't accept." I replied hesitantly. I expected her to be irritated, and she didn't disappoint.

"Wow, you never told me that. I liked those parties. It gave me a chance to dress up and catch up with some of the girls that I don't see every day."

"We still go out. You see your friends all the time." I replied.

"Yeah, yeah, we go out, but at Jeff's parties it was different. All the girls took it up a level. It was our chance to bump into a few celebrities. Damn it, Adam, it was fun."

"I don't know, Ali, I actually don't miss them."

"I do, if this is about Janice and Craig, they still go to those parties, I know they do. Sheesh, if Craig can get past it, why can't you?"

"Settle down, Ali. We can go next time."

Life, work, and families took up our time. A year slipped by easily. It was Janice who threw me under the bus. Her and Craig were at our place for dinner one night, when Janice asked. "Are you guys going to Jeff's party next weekend?"

Ali glanced at me, before saying, "I don't know. Are we Adam?"

"We haven't been invited. I haven't seen Jeff for a few months."

"Maybe, it's because you keep turning him down?" Craig threw in. He wasn't trying to make trouble, it was just a casual comment. "He told me he stopped calling you because you just blew him off."

"I'll fix that." Ali commented, as she picked up my phone, which was lying on the table. She scrolled through my contacts and hit dial. She had it on loud speaker, so we all heard.

"Hey, what's up, Brah?" came Jeff's voice.

"Hi, Jeff, it's me, Ali. Just wondering why we hadn't been invited to your party next Saturday?"

"Jeez, girl. You guys don't need an invite, although I stopped asking because Adam keeps giving me excuses."

Ali smiled at us all, before saying. "See you there."

Janice and Ali quickly fell into conversation about what they would wear. Craig and I focused on the 55. It was due back from paint this week. I had all the new disc brake setup, and new suspension ready and waiting. I think Craig was every bit as enthusiastic as I was.

The party rolled around, and Ali seemed to take the opportunity to get dressed up to the max. A new outfit that looked very damn sexy. As always, I watched on in admiration as she wriggled her way into that damn dress. It hugged her sexy body in all the right places, not that there were any wrong places. Her body was a picture of curves, all beautiful. It amazed me; she wasn't a fanatical gym junkie, she worked out, but it wasn't a religion with her. Maybe two or three nights a week. How the hell she kept her figure, I have no idea; she wasn't the sort to watch what she ate, in fact sometimes she was a pig. Anyway, she looked stunning. Walking into the party gave me a surge of pride. The moment we walked in, the nice warm feeling from having her on my arm evaporated. I could already hear Brett and Jeff. Brett was as obnoxious as ever, with his entourage gathered around him. Ali slipped out of my grip, and made a B-line for her friends, who all squealed with delight as she sauntered into their fold.

I headed for the bar, where I found Craig. I ordered my bourbon and we chatted about the car. I showed him some photos of the new paint job. "Holy shit, Adam. It looks amazing, I love the yellow."

"Yeah, it sets it apart, I like it, too. I'll spend the weekend putting all the chrome back on and fitting these bad boys." I scrolled to a new photo of a set of custom mag wheels.

"Oh, shit yeah. They're going to look amazing. I might come over."

"I'll put some extra beers in the refrigerator."

He excused himself to take a drink over to Janice. It gave me a chance to glance around the room. A few friends waved, and I was dragged into their group for conversation. It was nice, we had a great bunch of friends. The only bad part was listening to Brett. He had always irritated me, but now, just hearing his voice made me want to grab him by the throat and squeeze the last vestiges of life from his dying corpse...

I wandered outside. The evening was warm, and there was a group standing by the pool talking. I meandered into their midst and reacquainted myself with some people I hadn't spoken to for a long time. It was nice, the air was warm, a little close, but still pleasant. We talked for a while before I ventured back inside for another drink.

As I ordered my drink, Jeff appeared beside me, his arm draped over my shoulder. "Hey buddy. Nice to see you. Come on over, Brett will be happy to catch up."

"Actually, I'm outside chatting with Tom, and Andy. Haven't seen them for ages." It was a feeble excuse.

"All good, brah. Come over when you're all caught up. If you weren't such an unsociable bastard, you wouldn't need to catch up."

"Yeah, sorry, pal. Life, you know."

"Yeah, you poor hen-pecked bastard. I thought once Damon left, you'd wriggle out from beneath her thumb."

"Fuck you asshat." He laughed and wandered away. I got Ali a margarita and took it over to her. She gave me a sloppy kiss as she grabbed her drink. "Adam, what a great night. It's been too long. We need to do this more often."

"Yep, I agree."

I stayed and talked to her friends for a while, but eventually went back outside. It was later, when I walked inside, that I found much to my dissatisfaction, Brett was hanging all over Ali. He had her trapped by herself and he was draped over her like a wet blanket.

I walked straight up and pushed his arm off her shoulder. He looked stunned at my intrusion, but not as shocked as Ali. "Take your god damned hands of my wife, asshole."

"Whoa, settle down man. We were just talking."

"Yeah, well go and find somebody else to talk to. If I find you hanging around my wife again, you're gonna be in big trouble, dickhead."

"Jesus, lighten up, dude. Fuck, we're only talking."

"Adam, stop it. You're making a scene," Ali hissed quietly.

I grabbed her hand and dragged her away, with her yelling at my back. "Adam, stop it, you're hurting my hand." Everybody was glaring at us as I dragged her staggering and reeling on her stilettos behind me. "Adam, stop it, have you gone crazy?" She finally managed to grab the door frame, and snatched her hand from mine. We were now standing outside, where we were free from laughing staring eyes. "Jesus Christ, Adam, what the fuck was that all about?"

"I've told you how I feel about that dickhead, and right there in front of all our friends, you let him hang over you like a fucking leach."

"Good god almighty, Adam. Sheesh, there was nothing going on. You know what he's like."

"Yeah I do, which is why I'm so angry. Shit, Ali, you know what happened with Janice."

"We were just talking," she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Funny, none of the other guys had to hang all over you to talk."

"Good lord, we were just talking. Plenty of guys have been closer than that and you don't turn into a crazy man."

"None our other friends would disrespect you like that."

"I wasn't being disrespected. We were just talking."

"Well stay away from him. I'm warning you, Ali. If you don't, then there's gonna be trouble like you never seen."

She poked her head back in the door. "They're all laughing at you; you realize that don't you?"

"What they're laughing at is you. You're a married woman Ali."

"So what, I don't go crazy when you talk to my friends."

"That's because I've got the good sense not to carry on like a sleazy shithead."

She gave me an angry glare. "I'm going back inside to try and enjoy what's left of the evening. Please try to keep your crazy anger under control."

She walked back inside, but my anger attacked my guts, the black bile turning to an acidic burning mess... Jealousy, fury, disgust, they all raged inside me.

I watched as she walked back to her friends, and they all grouped around her. Circled the wagons. I saw her eyes across the room lock onto mine, she never flinched, just stared at me.

There was no way I could walk back inside, I could feel the weight of expectation as all eyes were staring at the door waiting for my return... I stormed of up the road, my hands in my pockets to stop me hitting out at innocent breakable things.

Damn it, how could she not care enough to stay out of his way. She damn well knew how I felt. I walked around the block, and calmed down suitably. I felt the weight of the eyes as I walked in. I saw Ali talking to Brett the moment I walked in, but at least he had the decency to keep a respectful distance. As I walked purposely towards them, I was grabbed from behind. "Hey, buddy." Jeff said in my ear. "Why don't we grab a beer; you must be thirsty."

"Jeff, I'm going to give you ten seconds to let my arm go. If you don't, I'm going to break it, okay?"

He let me go, and I was about to carry on, when he said. "Pal, don't make a scene, believe me, Brett will call the cops."

"That's assuming he's still alive when I'm done, you mean."

"Jesus Adam, don't over react, pal."

As I approached them, I saw the sleazy smile vanishing from Brett's face, and Ali looked concerned. "Having fun are we?" I asked. "Ali, I've had enough of this shithole. There's something that stinks here. Are you ready to leave?"

"Adam, we're talking, pal." Brett said softly but with meaning. "Why don't you head on home. If you want. I can drop off Ali when we're done."

I was about to say something when Ali intervened. "I'm ready, Adam, I'll just go and say bye to the girls."

"But what about what we were talking about?" Brett gasped.

"Brett, it's a very generous offer, but. I already said no." With a smile and a wink at me she said, "It was flattering, but no thanks." She walked off to talk to her friends, leaving Brett looking very uncomfortable.

I walked off leaving him fuming. He was clearly not used to hearing the word no.

I waited by the door, as she approached, she reached out and slid her hand in mine. "What happened, where did you go?"

"Just a walk around the block. I needed to calm down." She leaned in and we shared a little kiss. "Yes, you sure did."

"I'm sorry for exploding like that, but you know how he affects me. I hate the sleazy shit."

"Adam, I know that, honey, but, you have to trust me. Forget him."

I opened the car door for her as she slid in. "Why was he hanging all over you?" I asked as I slipped my seat belt on.

"He just appeared out of nowhere. I didn't see him coming. I just didn't want to make a scene."

"Fair enough, why did you get upset when I dragged you away?"

"Because you made me look like an idiot in front of everybody. I had it under control."

"Didn't look like it to me."

"Damn it, you have to trust me. The reason I got angry is you treated me like property. I had it under control, and by grabbing me like that, everybody was laughing. Not just at you, but at me, as well. The girls were horrified by your behavior."

"I said I was sorry. I admit I over reacted."

"Apology accepted. He is a smoothie though."

"Yeah, polite way to say it. What were you talking about when I walked up at the end?"

She grimaced and swallowed hard before replying. "Do you promise not to get upset?"

"No, not at all. Sounds like I might've had good reason."

"No, you don't."

All right then, what the hell was going on?"

Pensively, she answered with a trembling voice. "He offered me money to go away for a weekend with him, like he did with Janice."

"Yeah, figured as much. Sleazy shit. I knew damn well not to trust him."

"Hey, this isn't about him. It's about me. If you trust me, then what he does doesn't matter."

"How much did he offer?"

She giggled, but again, her face was flooded with guilt. "He offered one hundred thousand."

"And?"

"I said no... obviously. Shit, I told him I was worth way more than that."

"What?" I gasped. "You were negotiating with him?"

"Hey, if I remember you said you'd suck his dick for a mill. You're not exactly on solid ground."

"That was never serious, and you know it."

"Yes, I know, but you're being silly. I was just having some fun at his expense, just like you were."

"No, Ali. You don't understand. He would've seen it entirely differently. The moment you talk money with him, he knows you're hooked, and the only thing in question is the price. He was playing you."

She sighed. "No, I was playing him."

"Jesus, you're naive, Ali."

"Don't talk to me like that Adam. I'm not a child."

"Yeah, then why the fuck were you negotiating how much it would cost him to fuck you?"

"Stop it, Adam," she barked angrily. "You make it sound like I was serious."

"If you weren't interested, why didn't you just say no?"

"I did, sheesh, I said no, I was just having some fun."

"That's not the way he sees it either. It's just like the car. Once you start talking money, he knows you're interested. He thinks he has a shot with you."

"Well he doesn't," she said grumpily, with her arms folded tightly across her breasts.

Once we were home, she stormed off to bed. I reclined on the settee with a bourbon. What a god damned night. I was furious and relieved at the same time. The whole situation made my skin crawl.

Jeff: the degenerate bastard. Our friendship was dead in the water now. The way he ran interference for Brett. He knew damned ell what was going on. By my third bourbon, I was feeling it. The last thing I wanted was another fight. Pulling my legs up on the settee, I lay my head back, and the darkness overwhelmed me.