The Ultimate Payback

The Ultimate Payback

Background

Elliot Davidson owns an insurance agency that provides him with a seven-figure annual income. Elliot's wife of 14 years, Lynn, started her affair with Dr. John (Jack) Wallace shortly after his arrival at the Washburn Medical Center where Lynn worked. Lynn and Jack's twice-a-week-at-lunchtime affair wasn't enough for Jack so he made reservations at a nearby resort to spend a weekend with her.

Lynn had no idea that Elliot knew about the affair so Lynn decided to tell him that she would be spending the weekend with a man and claim it was a no-big-thing, one-time deal. The story picks up when she returns from her weekend with several well thought-out answers to the angry response she expected from him.

The Confrontation

Friday afternoon Lynn told her husband Elliot that she was going to spend the weekend in a hotel with a doctor from the medical center where she worked. He of course responded by forbidding it.

She came back with something from her childhood. "You're not the boss of me. I can do whatever I please."

He started to answer her but she quickly left and slammed the front door behind her. Elliot looked out the front window and saw a white Mercedes in the driveway. As she got in the male driver leaned over for a lingering kiss.

She came back early Sunday from her weekend of cheating, hoping that her husband of 14 years would still be asleep so he wouldn't confront her until she had time to shower and change clothes, but it wasn't to be. He was waiting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, working on the crossword puzzle from the Daily Tribune. He looked up and asked, "How was your weekend dear?"

She hadn't expected him to say that. She didn't know how to respond and tried to come up with something clever to change the subject. But her mind was paralyzed by his response. She had played this confrontation several times in her mind and was braced for a big argument, so she had come up with several possible answers to defuse him.

She was expecting that he would yell at her, wave his arms and curse - that's what a normal husband would do. And in her mind he was a normal husband and would react like one. Her plan was to smother him with love and sex until he forgot his anger, but his nonchalant attitude now left her uncertain about how to proceed.

She stuttered, "It...it was f-fun." Then she thought, Shit, what a stupid thing for me to say. Damn it, I don't have a response to what he just asked me. I spent half an hour last week coming up with answers - come-backs to all of his possible reactions; all except this one.

He said, "Well good. I'm glad you enjoyed it. So the sex was good I take it? Was it better than sex with me?"

She looked down at the floor and so she didn't have to look him in the eyes. "N.. no, Elliot. You're much better in bed than he's ever been." Fuck, I think I just told him this wasn't the first time I had sex with Roger.

She stood there for a couple of minutes waiting for him to continue. When he didn't she got angry.

"Is that all you're going to say?"

He replied, "This conversation is over unless you have something to add."

"Damn you, Elliot. Don't you have anything else to say to me?" she answered and ran upstairs to the bedroom. When he heard the bedroom door slam he thought, That's not what I expected. She didn't even apologize or tell me it was their first time together and that it's really me she loves. She doesn't know that I have proof of the times she shared a bed with that supercilious jackass.

She had tossed her purse onto the table when she first came in and it landed with her cell phone halfway out of it. He thought, should I take a quick look at who she's been talking to?... No, I already know everything I need to know.

He heard her yank open the bedroom door and rush downstairs to grab her phone.

"Were you snooping around on my phone?"

"Now why would I do that Lynn? Have you got something to hide?" She didn't answer as she ran back up to the bedroom and locked the door.

Her husband went into his home office and locked the door. He put on a pair of headphones and with a few key strokes on his computer keyboard he was listening in to her side of the conversation through the microphone he had hidden in the bedroom, right alongside the GoPro wireless video camera.

On the camera he watched her punch in his number.

"Jack, I'm glad I caught you. I just got home....

"No he wasn't mad. When I walked past him he asked me if I enjoyed the weekend and if the sex was good....

No, I'm not kidding. Not one word of anger. I couldn't believe it....

"I have no idea why. After I told him I was spending the weekend with you and there was nothing he could do about it I really expected a big blow up when I got back....

"No, it's not possible that he knows about our affair. He doesn't have clue about all the long lunches we spent in bed together....

"No, I was NOT hoping he would get angry enough to have a heart attack.... I know you would like that so you could marry me, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to leave him just yet. Somehow I still love him... a little.".....

"No, that's not what I meant. I love you a whole lot more than I love Elliot. And if you were here I would show you just how much that is....

"You know you can't come over now. You will have to wait until he's at work like we've been doing....

No, I don't know what he's thinking and it's driving me crazy.... Yeah, I love you too sweetie. Bye."

Elliott ran the conversation through his voice-to-text program, printed it out, and put it in his antique Wells Fargo safe along with all the other evidence he had collected.

The Discovery (6 months before the end.)

It was their love making that initially alerted Elliot that something funny might be going on. Even as long as they had be married making love was something they did almost every night. Elliot often told her how lucky he was to have a wife with such an appetite for sex and he was sure to show his appreciation by giving her several climaxes before the main event.

But then something changed. She put him off more frequently when he approached her for sex. He had asked her about it a couple of times but she just said she was tired from her workload at the medical center. He decided that it must be the beginning of menopause and left it at that. But the fact that she seldom said yes on Monday or Thursday nights bothered him a little.

The next clue was more difficult to pass up. One Thursday the client he was to have lunch with cancelled out at the last minute, so he thought he would ask his wife to lunch. Wanting to surprise her he lowered his voice half an octave and asked her assistant to connect him with Lynn Davidson. Her answer surprised him when he was told that she was out to lunch with Dr. Wallace.

Elliot asked, "Who is Dr. Wallace?" Mary told him that he was a new doctor that had started at the clinic earlier that year.

"When do you expect them back?"

"It could take awhile. They usually take long lunches together."

Elliott said in his normal voice, "Well this is her husband. Please have her call me the minute she gets in."

"Oh,... Mr. Davidson, I didn't know it was you on the phone." Thinking fast she continued "What I just told you was the cover story she asked me to use. She has an annoying client that keeps calling her. She's really out with some colleagues from the office to celebrate one of their birthdays. I'm sorry for giving you the wrong information."

"Well, I'm glad you cleared that up. Who is the birthday girl? I'd like to send a happy birthday email."

"It...it was Susan I believe."

"That's funny. Lynn never mentioned that she worked with someone named Susan. Can you give me her email address?"

"Um... I'm afraid I can't do that Mr. Davidson. It's against company policy."

At this point he was almost certain there was something going on with Lynn. Maybe with the new doctor. He decided he didn't want her to know about his conversation with Mary so he closed with, "O.K. Don't tell her I called. We can talk about it when she gets home tonight. Bye Mary."

As soon as he hung up he called a private investigator friend of his.

"Sam, how are you doing buddy?"

"Elliot I get calls like this every month or two. I know you don't give a rat's ass about my state of health, so what do you want?"

"I'm sorry Sam. I should have known I couldn't fool you."

"No harm, no foul."

"I... I think Lynn is seeing another man."

"How sure are you of this?"

"The evidence at this point isn't concrete, but I need to know for sure if she's cheating."

Sam thought for a minute. "It will cost you a few grand but I'm one of the best in the state for this kind of thing. And I have a staff of agents that is very good at collecting hard evidence. Give me the details and I'll get back to you in a three or four weeks."

"Thanks, Sam"

It was less than three weeks when Elliot got the phone call.

"Hi Elliot."

"What have you got for me Sam?"

"You're not going to like it. She has been spending one or two extended lunchtimes a week with a new doctor on the staff, a Dr. John Wallace. He goes by Jack. Sometimes they go to a hotel, but other times she takes him home and they do it there. Do you want me to continue surveilling her?"

Elliot almost choked up. "No, send me a written report on what you have and I'll take it from here."

"Sorry friend."

Elliot wasn't shocked by what Sam told him. In his heart he had already dealt with the pain when the evidence started to build up. He sat at his desk in the Davidson Insurance Building, a business he had created from scratch that was now the third largest casualty insurance agency in the state.

Random thoughts ran through his head for a while. He even thought I should have made this building taller so I could jump off the roof, but a fall from the four stories we have now would just cripple me.

He decided it was time to put his analytical mind to work and figure out how to deal with this. After considering all the options divorce seemed to be a good choice so he made an appointment to see his lawyer the next day. The news wasn't good.

"No matter how you go about this you are going to get screwed, Elliot."

"Financially I can handle a 50-50 split. As you know I have accumulated a lot of wealth."

"How much of that is in the insurance company's name?"

"Well, off the top of my head a little more than half."

"If she decides to go after you with a good lawyer she could claim that she was essential to your success and get as much as half of the company."

"That would gut the company. I wouldn't be able to stay in business."

"In that case my advice to you is to bide your time and hope she screws up somewhere down the line."

"So you're saying I'm fucked!"

"That's about it, for now anyway."

"What about her adultery?"

"Unless you have kids that's useless in this situation."

In The Doctor's Office (3 months before the end.)

Elliot's headaches were getting worse. He assumed it was the stress of what he knew about his wife. He hadn't said a word to her about it yet because he wanted to develop a plan first. Separation? Divorce? Open marriage? None of them appealed to him. The following week the decision was taken out of his hands when he met with his doctor.

The doctor had several tests run on him, and now Dr. Jenkins was going to reveal what they showed. When he entered the office Jenkins stood, directed him to the chair in front of the desk, and closed the door. When he got back to his chair behind the desk he looked up at Elliot.

"Mr. Davidson, may I call you Elliot?"

"Yes, but I can see by the look on your face that the news isn't good. Get on with it doctor."

"The tests have shown conclusively that you have a glioblastoma in the center of your brain."

"What's that?"

"It's the medical term for brain cancer."

"So when can I get it removed?"

"That's the thing Elliot. We can't remove it without destroying your brain - killing you essentially. There is no cure for a glioblastoma like yours. The best we can do is give you medication for the pain."

Elliot felt the blood drain from his face. After a few minutes he recovered somewhat from the shock and asked, "How long do I have?"

"We can't be certain, but my best estimate is four months. This type of cancer is very aggressive."

Elliot sat frozen in his chair for several minutes. Then he asked what those months would be like for him.

"Other than the headaches you've been having there shouldn't be any neurological effects for a couple of months. You should be able to function normally until that time."

"And then?"

"Then your brain function will quickly deteriorate and you will have little control over your body or your mind."

"So by then someone will have to wipe my ass for me?"

"A crude way to phrase it, but that is essentially true. But you won't be fully aware by then. You will need a continuous morphine drip to control the pain until you pass away."

"So you're telling me it's time to get my affairs in order."

"Yes. I'm sorry but that's what you need to be doing. That and spending as much time as you can with those you love."

Elliot stood and reached out to shake Dr. Jenkins hand with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Thank you for being up front with me doctor."

The Plan Begins ( 1 month before the end.)

The next Friday after supper Elliot told Lynn he had work to do and locked himself in his basement office. He had originally decided to file for divorce, but now he realized that he would be dead before the divorce was finalized.

I have got to change my plan, he thought. I need to find a way to keep my cheating wife from getting her hands on my money. I know it's mostly about revenge but she has it coming. She has a job to support herself so she can get by financially but not in the manner that I have provided for her.

He turned to his computer and started running the numbers. It took him all day Saturday but he finally came up with a revised plan. He printed out the timeline for his strategy and locked it in the safe, then sent the digital file to an off site storage account that he started when he first found out about his wife and Dr. Wallace. When that was finished he unlocked the office door, walked into the kitchen, and asked Lynn "What's for supper, honey?"

She turned and looked at him to see if he was teasing her, but his warm smile told her he was serious. She didn't know how to answer. Does this mean he has finally come to terms with my arrangement with Roger? Is he really O.K. with it? She decided to test the waters a bit.

"You're in a good mood for a change, Elliot. What's making you so happy?"

"I have come to a decision. I want our marriage to continue as it was before your get-away weekend with Roger. I mean we were good then, right? We lived like a married couple should, the sex was good, we were happy more often than not. Why should one weekend of indiscretion change that. I realized I was letting my male ego control me."

Lynn turned off the stove and walked toward him but still didn't believe he was sincere.

"So what changed your mind?"

"I remembered how comfortable we were with each other. I miss that and want it back."

He opened his arms and said, "Come here. I need a hug."

Lynn came forward tentatively but when she got close to Elliott he reached out his arms and pulled her into him. It took a moment or two before she could overcome her apprehension, but then she melted into his chest. He reached down, lifted her chin, and kissed her on the lips. It wasn't a passionate kiss because she was still holding back, expecting the other shoe to drop. When that didn't happen she smiled and went back for something more exciting. She softened her lips and met his, this time for much longer. When he answered her tongue with his own she knew she had him. She pushed her breasts against his chest, wishing she didn't have a bra on.

She thought, a great start, but now I have to seal the deal. Once I'm through screwing him senseless he will be putty in my hands. I'll have to be extra careful to keep my ongoing relationship with Roger under wraps, but we've been doing that all along. If I hadn't stupidly told him about our weekend he still wouldn't know. Roger told me the only reason I did that was to demonstrate how much control I had over Elliot. I guess he was right about that.... But never mind. Elliot is just a few orgasms away from being back under my control.

She reached out for his hand. "Come on, we have a lot of sex to catch up on," she said seductively as she pulled him up the stairs.

When she woke up beside him the next morning she thought back to the night before. God that was good. I'll be walking funny for a day or so but it was worth it. Why did I ever want to fuck Roger? Elliot is so much better at it.... But I guess I still like the variety. Someday the affair will end and then Elliot can have me all to himself.

The End Game

Elliot was running out of time, but he wanted to confront her in public. He hoped Lynn and her lover would go out to dinner and he could show up at the restaurant, but the two of them didn't do that very often. Then fate provided an even better opportunity when Lynn told him during supper that the following weekend her company was having their annual awards banquet where she would be receiving the coveted Employee of the Year award.

He smiled and said "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart. I'm sure you earned it."

She beamed at him and told him. "Thank you, dear. How about we go upstairs and celebrate."

"You never have to ask me twice you sexy thing. Will you let me give you some 'face time' first?"

"Of course, honey. You know what that does to me." They got up and he followed her up the stairs, watching her shed her clothes on the way.

Afterwards they were laying in bed with Lynn cuddled up to him when he asked,

"So tell me more about this banquet?"

"Oh, it will be great. It's in the ballroom of the Lexington Hotel with a live dance band afterward."

"How formal is this shindig? Do I have to wear a tux or will a classy suit be O.K.?"

Lynn didn't respond at first, until Elliot turned and looked at her.

"Well, which is it?"

"Uh, about that. You won't be going," she said quietly.

His first reaction was to get angry until he remembered the role he was playing, so he asked,

"Aren't spouses invited?"

"They can be, but every employee is allowed only one guest."

Elliot thought for a minute. This would be the perfect opportunity for me to complete my plan. I have to get invited somehow.

Elliot came up with the answer quickly.

"Well that shouldn't be a problem. Dr. Wallace is on the medical center staff so he's not really a guest is he."

"Not anymore. Roger went into private practice a couple of months ago so he's no longer considered an employee of WMC."

Elliot put a shocked look on his face.

"So you're going to take him as your guest instead of me?"

She looked down at the floor as she answered, "Yes."

"Well I don't see anything wrong in that as long as he gets you home at a decent hour."

There was a long pause before she answered,

"About that. Roger and I will be staying at the hotel for the weekend."

Elliott was quiet for a few minutes, as he expected a normal husband would be. Then he replied,

"I see. The last time you told me it would be only that once, but now you're going back for a repeat performance? I guess you lied to me then."