The Velvet Choker Ch. 01

"I don't know. I can't promise you how long it will take. I just know that I'll come back to you. I don't love the guy, but I've got to experience this."

Bill had already guessed that she wouldn't commit to a time limit. "So, it's going to go into the summer, and it may go all of next year?"

"I'm sure it won't go that long. I think it'll burn out before the end of this year, but I can't tell you right now."

"I don't know how long I'll be able to take this. I'll work with you, but at some point I may come to you and say you've got to decide between him and me."

"Okay."

"Have you told your sister?"

"She knows I'm having an affair."

"Have you told her that you were going to ask my permission? How about Jeff?"

"I asked her not to tell Jeff and I don't think she will. I didn't tell her I was going to ask your permission."

"Like I said, if I decide that I can't put up with this, I'll tell you, but there are some more conditions."

"What?"

"First, have you had him here?"

"No."

"If I ever find out that he's been here, even if you didn't do anything, even if you just want to stop and pick up something, then our marriage is over."

"Alright."

"If I find out that anybody knows that I agreed to allow you to have an affair, that's a deal breaker. Not just for continuing the affair, but possibly for our marriage."

"I'll never tell anybody."

"If I find out that anybody who knows us, knows about your affair, then you'll have to end it immediately. That means you'll have to be careful when you're out together."

"That won't be a problem. We don't go out together. He lives in a different part of Atlanta anyway. There are five million people here. The chances that someone we know will see us are close to zero."

"He doesn't even take you to dinner? My, you are a cheap date."

"It's not like that. We're very discreet."

"How did this start, if you're so discreet? I'll bet you were just walking down the street one day and you decided to knock on a door." His voice changed to a high girlish pitch. "Sir, would you like to fuck me? I just want to know what it would be like to fuck around behind my husband's back."

"I told you I didn't go looking for it. It just happened."

"A deal with a client, then? You fuck him and he buys a house?"

"I'm not a whore! You know I would never do that for a sale."

"Pardon me, but I don't know you now. Maybe I've never really known you." He paused, lost in thought. "But that's neither here nor there. The last thing is about my feelings. I don't really want to know when you meet him or what you do. If you do anything that seems calculated to humiliate me, then all bets are off. I don't know what I'll do in that case about the affair or about our marriage."

"I would never do that. I love you. I don't want to hurt you."

"Every day I'll be wondering if you're with him, what he's doing that I can't do. I'll hurt every time I think about you. I'll wonder if he's bigger than me. I'll wonder if he's in love with you and hoping to get you away from me. But for awhile at least, I'll let you do this because no matter how you feel, I love you and I want to try to make you happy." He suddenly found it hard to breathe.

"You do! You do." She went to him and hugged him. He couldn't bring himself to hug her back.