The Unreal Estate Business Ch. 01

"The other thing you should probably know because it effects you is that Carl is NOT the developer he claims. He is the front man. I am the money behind the whole thing so I control the purse strings and actually take care of the business side of our development. Carl is a great salesman. Hell, he could sell ice to an Eskimo. But he would be in way over his head if he tried to run things and I did not reign him in. And that is a constant battle. He wants to sell the homes way in advance. I don't think sticking our necks out that far is prudent from a financial standpoint. So since I control the purse strings and my brother Brad handled the contract in my favor, I have the power to put my foot down."

"But won't Carl get half of the profits if he really is cheating and you divorce him?" I asked.

"Nope. The money comes from the trust fund our father set up for Brad and I. We are able to manage the money, but we cannot receive a nickel of any profit. That is the beauty of it. We get a relatively small stipend from the trust each month. What Carl gets is the sales commissions which amounts to something like $24000 per house. Who sells the property determines how much is actually his but he has exclusive listing rights to what we build. So we can boost our household income indirectly. But each house is a separate contract. Brad insisted on that. He and Carl do not get along."

"So Carl can lose his contracts to sell the homes you build..." I said, thinking how that could affect my own family's income. Amelia nodded.

"Carl advertises himself as a developer so that gives him a little boost in the regular resale market also. And a BIG boost to his ego. My Mom says he is all 'fluff and no stuff'." Amelia said grinning.

'Well, I hope Carl is not stupid enough to really be cheating on you. I would hate for my wife to lose that portion of her income." I said. Amelia assured me she would make sure Sarah was protected since I had been so helpful.

Enough time had passed that I felt comfortable to drive. The pot of coffee that I had brewed while we talked helped considerably. We went out to the garage and got in my sedan. Amelia began to giggle when she reclined the passenger seat back far enough to almost be lying down. "I have not had to hide like this since I was eighteen and sneaking out to be with my boyfriend." I knew nobody could see her. I suggested she have Brad bring her back to get her rental. We settled on my driving around the block and dropping her off. She said the walk would not kill her. Just before she got out of the car, she reached over and took my right hand and squeezed it, thanking me again for being so helpful. That touch was electric. I could not help but get a little aroused. I realized with more than a little bit of guilt that I found her company enjoyable. I had a few quick and dirty thoughts about this delightful and sexy woman. But I was a happily married man and I could not and would not do anything about it.

I took a quick trip to the grocery store as an excuse for not returning home so soon after leaving. "Who is playing Secret Squirrel now?" I chided myself, amused.

I was back home and hard at work on the computer when I heard my youngest son get home from school. He stopped by my office to tell me he was home. "Okay. Let me know when you want to eat." I said. "We'll grill some burgers. It's just you and me tonight. Your mother is working late. She has a late showing and will fend for herself for supper."

"Again?" Sam asked. "Seems she works late two or three times a week lately." I said, yeah, but she is making money while doing it and there is nothing wrong with working hard. But his comment sent up a red flag especially after my visit from Amelia Proudmore.

It was almost eight before Sarah showed up. She greeted me with a kiss on the cheek, before going to our bedroom to change clothes. She returned a few minutes later dressed in sweat pants and a tee shirt and went into the kitchen. "Been drinking today instead of working?" she accused me. I wondered briefly if she was trying to pick a fight. Then it dawned on me I had drank three beers but Amelia had consumed a couple herself. There were five empty bottles in the trash. I covered by saying I had a couple this afternoon while starting my new project. And then a few more while I grilled supper. She shrugged and sat down to watch television without talking about her day. She used to give me report of how things went after a showing. As I reflected on that, I realized it had been a while since she had done so. Now she barely tells me when she makes a sale.

I may have been paranoid, but I looked in the clothes hamper to see if she had discarded her panties. Only a blouse and a bra were in there. She had hung up the pants suit she wore. When she came to bed, she claimed to be too tired to 'fool around'. I made a mental note that she was wearing black panties and resolved to check them in the morning. Once again I admonished myself. Had I not had that visit from Amelia, I would not have any reason to be suspicious. Indeed, when I fished her panties out of the hamper the next morning, there was no sign of semen. I admit I sniffed them as well, but could detect nothing but her normal feminine scent. Once again I chided myself that I was not only paranoid, I was a perverted paranoid.

We made love the next night. She was as energetic and loving as ever. We slept the night entwined in each other's arms nude. The next day was Wednesday and once again she texted she might be a little late. She got home before five o'clock though which dispelled any suspicions I might have had. Thursday she was home early again.

Amelia Proudmore phoned me ten thirty Wednesday morning. "Do you have time to talk?" she began. I said I did. "I am really feeling depressed and could use a shoulder to cry on. Thanks to you and that cell phone tracking program, my suspicions are confirmed. I know for a fact Carl is cheating. The investigator said he won't have his report ready for me until Friday, but I know what it will say. Carl spent two hours at home just after noon on Monday and he never does that. Then went back to work and later to a restaurant. That part could be normal since I was supposed to be out of town and he does not cook for himself. But yesterday he spent the early afternoon at home again. I am betting he was entertaining his new love in our bed. Can we meet and talk? I'll buy lunch." I agreed and we met at a sandwich shop far away from Carl's brokerage.

"You have no idea how happy this makes me that you are willing to take the time to meet with me today. I would probably still be sitting at Brad's house wearing my nightgown, otherwise." I had a quick mental image of her in a nightie. "I have been bored out of my mind." Amelia said. "I can't do any of the things I normally do. I usually spend a couple hours going over the new houses with Ed, my contractor. Or I might go to the gym and work out a little. I don't have any close friends, not anyone I could confide any of this stuff with, anyway. I realized most of the people I know are just acquaintances. Not a friend I can trust, like you." I thought it a little strange she considered me a friend after spending a few hours together.

She realized how that sounded. "I know that sounds pathetic. But that is how I feel. Most of the people I associate with are only social contacts. Carl likes to network and expects me to do the same. He is constantly pushing me to join civic committees for the extra exposure. Part of that is he wants me busy so he can get more involved in the decisions concerning building our houses. But he and Ed do not get along. Ed is a damn good general contractor but he is gay. Brad brought him on board. Carl and him rub each other the wrong way. Carl is constantly trying to tell Ed how to do his job. I am the buffer. It got down to Ed and I making a list of options like carpet styles, counter tops and whatever features for Carl to sell."

"We have like ten floor plans to select from." Amelia said. I could tell she enjoyed talking about her business as a departure from her grief. She was getting more animated as she went along. I sat and listened. "Our architect is a guy Ed knew. You know, of the men I can really talk to, between Ed, Brad and his partner, Dave, the architect and Carl, only Carl is not gay. And you now of course." She gave me a look of consideration and I almost blushed.

"I guess it says something about me." she continued. "I feel more comfortable talking to gay men. They don't hit on me, even subtly." Then she realized what she had said. "Oh I didn't mean it to sound like that. You are not hitting on me and I really appreciate it. I know you looked me over and I did the same to you. It is automatic." She blushed.

"Damn, let me regroup and take my foot out of my mouth." she said. "I could tell the other day, you deeply love your wife and would never consider messing around. In that way, you really ARE the boy scout, Carl said you were. But I think it is very nice you have ethics. That makes me trust you even more. I want to make sure you are not going to get hurt when the bomb goes off. I talked to Brad last night. He and Dave both agree that when we get rid of Carl, we bring our home sales back into the company. As developers we can do that. We just let Carl handle that side to get around the rules of the trust and give me a little extra legal income. For your helping me and being a friend we were thinking we might bring Sarah on board as an employee. She can do the selling for us and your family income will not get impacted."

I was surprised at this. It was something I had worried about. I made more than enough to support the family but we were trying to fund our kid's college expenses and invest for our eventual retirement. Sarah and I had a decent nest egg built up already and I hated to think the extra income stream would get cut off.

"I am NOT trying to bribe you into keeping my secret safe." Amelia said. "I just want you to know that I really value my friends. And I consider you my friend. When I called you this morning, I was still sitting on my ass wearing my nightie and watching the morning talk shows on television. Well, that is not true. The TV was on but I was having my own little pity party. The last two nights I talked to Brad and Dave and helped their kids with their homework. Anything to get my mind right and not be so damn depressed. The kids picked up on it though and asked their dads what was going on. I was trying to make plans but I found myself really just feeling down. You really came to my rescue when you agreed to meet and let me bend your ear."

I felt bad for her and told her she could call me any time she needed to talk. "Just letting me babble on about all this is a great help. I hope I meet someone half as nice as you once Carl and I go our separate ways. I know that is inevitable. The worst part is, he has put enough doubt in me that even if he is not actively having an affair, I am unhappy with our marriage. That makes me a bitch. And I always thought of myself as a nice person. You know what I mean?"

I told her I did. I had checked out my wife's panties looking for semen stains because of our conversation Monday. And I felt guilty. Amelia told me to be careful and not read into things too much. After a little more talk, we parted ways.

I called Amelia the next day at noon to check on her. I was concerned about her and thought she might be more depressed than she admitted to being the day before. She assured me she was fine and had gone to an appointment with her divorce attorney. "She told me to wait until I had proof of an affair before I over-reacted. I am unhappy with my marriage, but counseling might be possible if there is no cheating going on. Plus proof of adultery means an easier divorce and a split of thirty to seventy percent of assets as opposed to a fifty- fifty split. Brad insisted on a good pre-nup. Having a big brother look out for you is awesome!" I wished her well and got back to business. Once again a check of Sarah's panties in the hamper showed nothing. I gave my self a mental kick in the ass to tell myself to knock off the distrustful crap before it poisoned my own marriage.

Ten o'clock Friday morning I was actively pounding away on my keyboard. I had just finished a video conference with my team so we could assess our progress. This game was going to take a year of development at least before we could even release a beta version. Horizon games had other smaller games in development at the same time which I also supervised but this one was hopefully going to be the one that put us on the map. It was going to be a career changer if we got the game up and running like we planned. Not to mention the stock options, Horizon offered me to keep me on board each year. I would be financially set. My four person team was on board with the endeavor. We had a good plan. Each person knew his or her part.

My momentum was broken when I heard the doorbell ring. I considered ignoring it thinking it was some salesman wanting to waste my time but when it rang again, I sighed and pushed my chair back to go see who was there. Amelia Proudmore stood on my porch. She had obviously been crying. That much was evident from her smeared makeup which she had not bothered to fix before ringing my doorbell. From her tense attitude I knew she had absolute proof of her husband's infidelity. I wondered if she just wanted my counsel or a shoulder to cry on. From what she had said two days prior, outside of her brother and his partner, she had did not confide in others much about personal matters.

"We really need to talk." she said, grimly. "I'm sorry. I just could not bring myself to do it over the phone. You know I tracked Carl all week with my phone." Amelia's grim countenance as she followed me into my living room made my stomach lurch. I had a sense of foreboding. "I told you he went home every afternoon. It is what he did at home that is the issue. Well, that, and who he did it with. The investigator I hired gave me his full report this morning. I really suspected I would find it to be one of two of the younger women in the office." she offered. "Do you remember the cute girl who sat at the next table over from us at the banquet? The little Barbie Doll?" I nodded. How could anyone not remember her. I had seen her around the office a few times when I stopped by to visit Sarah. She was like twenty three and a total sexpot. She just exuded sex appeal and every time I had seen her she radiated a 'come here and fuck me' look. I didn't know anything else about her but I certainly was aware of her as was every other straight male in the room. "Well, she was there with her brother as her plus one. I immediately suspected that was a cover and Carl had decided to place her at a different table as a screen. I was wrong."

Amelia had tears in her eyes as she told me this. Despite her anger, she was more upset and saddened than she had been a couple days ago. I suddenly realized she did not just want a shoulder to cry on. Her expression told me the identity of Carl's girlfriend. "Oh, fuck!" I muttered. ""Fuck! So you have already watched the videos your cameras picked up?" I asked. She nodded.

Before I could say anything, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a call from an unknown number, It was from Jamaica so I knew it was one of those scam calls. Thankfully the phone tells you who is calling so you don't waste your time answering. I stared at the phone a few more seconds. I had a revelation. "Oh my God! I cannot believe how utterly FUCKING STUPID I have been!!" I jumped up almost screaming. Amelia sat back in surprise at my outburst. "WHAT A COMPLETE IDIOT!!" I stood there in shock, angry at myself.

"What are you talking about?" Amelia asked softly. "Calm down and I explain. Why are you an idiot?"

"Because it NEVER fucking occurred to me to track her damn phone. Not even after I explained the process to you and loaded that app onto your cell. I knew all about those apps because I linked our phones up long ago! I did it to check on the kids."

"Well, maybe you did not check because you did not really suspect Sarah would cheat." Amelia offered. "Or deep in your subconscious you just didn't want to know. Don't kick yourself too hard because you trusted your wife."

"I pulled her panties out of the hamper twice last week to inspect them." I offered weakly. "Not a sign of semen. I chided myself for being paranoid. Actually, I was more than a little ashamed of what I was doing. Before we talked Monday I never even considered the possibility of her cheating. But I should have thought to track her phone as well. Part of being a gamer is to look for breadcrumbs to follow. You look for subtle hints. I failed. We would have known who it was immediately if I had only looked. I wasted a week."

"Well , now we know what we are dealing with. I have the videos. How much do you want to see?" she asked softly. "I've been watching this off and on since I got the report. I had to fast forward through most of it. I just stopped when it looked like they were talking." I nodded. The sudden lump in my throat threatened to choke me. I had tears in my own eyes as well.

"Everyday this week, he has taken Sarah to our house and had sex with her." Amelia said, now holding my hand. "They mess around for a few hours and then shower, before leaving. Yesterday, they got into our jacuzzi for a while."

"And she managed to not leave even a little stain in her panties." I said.

"Yeah, I know why." Amelia responded. "That was the last video I watched. Do you want to see it?" I shook my head and told her not yet. I needed a few minutes. I stood up and almost stumbled. Amelia reached to catch me but I regained my balance and held up my hand to wave her off. I stumbled out of the room. Suddenly I could barely see. Tears filled my eyes. I did not want to lose it in front of Amelia. Entering my bathroom, I stared at myself in the mirror. My face was scarlet. Tears were coursing down my face. I felt nauseous.

Those mornings I examined Sarah's discarded panties I felt a little fear of what I might find and tried to imagine the emotions I might have if I found actual proof. I somehow expected to feel anger and then a sense of loss course through me. Followed by the grief of having lost my wife and my marriage. I had already decided that if she cheated divorce was inevitable. What I felt now was far more intense.

The difference from my imagination to what I was now experiencing was like anticipating the death of a loved one who was terminally ill and on life support but still having a glimmer of hope for a miracle. That compared to actually experiencing that loss when the person expired. The two do not compare. I had gone through that when I lost my mother.

I splashed cool water in my face. I knew I would experience this feeling several times in the near future, but now anger was taking over as my primary emotion. I wanted answers. I wanted to know why Sarah would do something she knew would rip my heart out. Her total disregard for me and our family totally pissed me off. I dried my face and went to back to the living room.

"Sorry. I lost it." I said to Amelia. "Thinking what I might feel and then the reality..." I trailed off. "And then thinking how I was so blinded that I was not thinking clear. It just got to me."

"I fully understand. I went through the same thing earlier in the week watching that phone tracker." Amelia offered quietly. "You were there for me. Let me know when you are ready. Tell me how much you want to know and when."

"All of it." I said simply. I had regained control. "I want to see everything you have. Then I want to figure the best way to proceed. I want to nail both their cheating asses to the wall." I added.