Unaticipated - Alternate Version

I was pushing for all I was worth. Our hands didn't budge. It was as if I was pushing against a piece of steel. He asked a friend to call thirty seconds, which seemed an interminable time. Then he loudly boasted, "I'm going to give you an education in muscle therapy, little man."

He grinned and began pressing my hand inexorably toward the table. My hand and wrist trembled like a leaf in his grip as I resisted the downward arc with all my might. It wasn't enough. As if in slow motion, my wrist hit the padded bar as the referee called the match in Goliath's favor. The room erupted in thunderous applause at his success against the mouthy husband.

I stepped away from the table for a few seconds as I did some deep breathing and swung my arms as I shook off the loss.

"Best two out of three," I reminded, as I immediately placed my arm back on the table.

Goliath laughed in my face. "You obviously don't know shit about muscles, little man. Quick-performing muscles are anaerobic. All the deep breathing in the world won't save you from certain defeat. By the time I'm through fucking your wife all night, her pussy will be too sore to touch for a week. I promise you she'll earn every penny of that twenty thousand." The room once again erupted in roaring approval of Goliath's claim. His statements only served to anger me more. I tried to quell that anger and divert it. Kevin provided instructions again and signaled us to begin.

Goliath had a huge smile on his face. Once again I was pressing against him for all I was worth. I used the peg and swiveled my hips for maximum leverage against him. After about ten seconds, he began his press down to secure his final victory. My hand shook like a leaf once more, trembling as every ounce of adrenaline fueled my strength. He had forced me about a quarter of the way down when I felt something. It was a strange sensation. It was as if he had reached the end of his tether. My arm stopped shaking and locked solidly onto its mission. I groaned out loud as I gave it my all. I was huffing and puffing like a runner during a marathon. Then it happened, his hand gave quarter as my stamina relentlessly pressed against his limited reserve. An unbelieving crowd grew silent as they watched me press Goliath's hand down toward his side of the table. I could almost feel the gas emptying out of his tank as he became weaker against the endurance my arm provided. When the referee slapped his hand acknowledging the pin, you could have heard a pin drop on the floor. The astonishment was unparalleled.

He jumped back from the table in disbelief. "NO!" He shouted. There's no way in hell he beat me. That was just a fluke. You're going down, boy! I'm going to squash you like a bug. No more playing around. Let's do this!" He ordered.

He tossed his jacket aside and took both hands to rip his t-shirt off his torso. His musculature gleamed in the light as all the facets of his ripped abs and shoulder muscles became the envy of every man in the room. Well, every man perhaps but me. Goliath drew his arms back like the Incredible Hulk and growled out his rage at the embarrassing loss. I loved watching him burn his energy as he raged. He slammed his elbow solidly down on the table, calling me out for the final match. One of us was about to suffer his second loss and ultimate defeat. He was bound and determined for it to be me. I ignored his antics. I had seen this kind of bluster many times before. Again, I performed my deep breathing exercises to enrich the oxygen levels in my blood before accepting the big man's challenge. I wanted this next match sooner rather than later before allowing him the opportunity to re-build his reserve.

Kevin performed his professional duties and called the start. I knew Goliath's anger would compel him to give his first effort his all to prevent a recurrence of my aberrant victory. He roared out in rage, shoving my arm with all of his energy in one go. All I needed to do was keep my arm from going all the way down and wait him out. My wrist was about an inch from being pinned. My hand and wrist again shook like a leaf, trembling against his massive effort. It was all I could do to hold my own against his surge. Then I heard a voice call out from behind me.

"Come on, Goliath! Take him down. Show the boy who the real man is here. Finish him so I can get you between my legs. Finish him! Do it now!" Stacy urged. The crowd went wild at Stacy's boldness and lust-filled encouragement. But Stacy didn't count on what effect her words would have on me. Enraged, my body was infused again with a fresh hit of adrenaline. Coupled with my regularly paced breathing, I gave a deep groan as a fresh burst of energy overcame the impasse we had been at for nearly forty-five seconds. Our hands slowly rose and began moving in the opposite direction. I felt his arm give once more as I solidly locked in my relentless pressure. Our hands went over the top and headed down toward putting the back of his hand in the direction it didn't want to go. He growled and twisted his body more, trying to obtain an ounce more torque from his leverage to no avail. With all the reserve I had to give, I shoved his wrist against the padded mat as Kevin announced my victory. I 'd done it. I'd defeated Goliath two times out of three. It was over at last.

Silence pervaded as Goliath asked in astonishment, "How? How in the hell did you do that? I've never lost to anyone as small as you. I've got to know," he pleaded.

"I'll answer your question if you give me your word on two conditions," I offered.

"Name it," he conceded.

"Number one, I'm handed the winnings before I give my answer, the entire forty grand. Secondly, I want to walk out of here after my explanation under my own steam with no one trying to stop me. Do I have your word?" I stipulated.

I wanted to give one more plea to the crowd. Maybe if I got hurt later tonight somebody would come forward.

Goliath nodded his assent, "Go ahead and hand over the money, Justin." I untied my windbreaker and put it on. Justin handed me the cash, which I quickly zipped into the windbreaker pockets.

"I want everyone here to know that Mr. Bostic has won this contest fair and square. Whether we like it or not, he is not to be touched. After he provides his explanation, he will be free to leave here unhampered," Goliath asserted. Stacy just stood there in shocked silence. I knew the man was lying, only one of the five goons stood nearby. I suspected the rest were already outside ready to waylay me.

Reassured for the moment, I decided to fill everyone in. "All my life, I've either worked on a farm or in construction. I have dealt with heavy loads day in and day out. I've done this nearly non-stop all of my life. I may not have developed well-defined bulging muscles in my arms as many others here have but what muscles I developed gave me endurance and stamina in addition to strength. When I joined the Marines, I was stationed for a couple of years with the 12th Marine Regiment located at Camp Hansen, Okinawa Japan, and also at Camp Mujuk Marine Corps Installation in South Korea just outside Pohang near the eastern shoreline. We had a lot of downtime, but we still had to stay close to base.That being the case, we became very inventive in developing creative ways to pass time with a lot of testosterone pervading the base, much like it is here tonight."

"Arm wrestling soon became a popular activity to mitigate stress and boredom. We even got a little formal and developed weight classes. The best of each weight class go up against the best of heavier classes to see how far we could go. After a year of arm wrestling, I had never lost a match. One of the base doctors gave me a special examination to determine how I was able to win against opponents nearly twice my size. He surmised that my arms were primarily served by aerobic slow-twitch muscles. People like you, who lift heavy weights for short bursts, develop fast-twitch muscles which give great bursts of energy for short periods. My arms might not be as strong as many others but I have endurance and stamina. My arms can go all day long as long as I breathe and provide the oxygen they require. The way I won against you was not by sheer strength but by outlasting you as your anaerobic muscles began running out of gas. Even though I was in the Marines, they nicknamed me Army for two reasons: the word Army means strong, and I also gained notoriety for my arm. So there you have it. I've given you my explanation; now I'll take my leave and let you guys get on with whatever else it is you wish to do tonight."

"Where is my cell phone?" I asked. I was handed the envelope and tore it open while I scanned the faces around me. They all seemed friendly enough. I quietly began walking toward the door. No one made a move or spoke a word. They were still in shock. Then Stacy called out to me.

"Honey, this is wonderful. Hold on and I'll drive us home," she pleaded. "We do need to talk." I heard a murmured, "No shit!" come from the side. From another person I heard, "There's not enough talking in the world to smooth over her crap."

"I'll wait outside. Go put some clothes on before going home," I responded. She loudly asked for me to come with her. She was doing her best to lure me back to the office where I suspected I'd be subdued by one or more of the goons. "No, I need some fresh air. I'll be out front. We can talk there or in the car."

She took my remark as a sign of encouragement I'd at least talk. I meant for it to be nothing more than a delaying tactic, to buy me time to get away. She turned to the office to change back into her regular clothing while I made my way quickly to the front door. "Head on a swivel, marine!" I admonished myself as I peered outside.

Seeing no one in the immediate area I rushed outside to look for Hal. When he saw me emerge, he flashed his lights. I knew he wouldn't leave me in the lurch. He was obviously keeping a sharp lookout. A Marine on sentry.

As I was hurrying over to his car, I saw a group of three coming out from behind an SUV. They began running in my direction. Marines do one thing all the time and that is physical fitness training. Every Marine can run, maybe not sprint, but certainly they can outrun most normal civilians. I put the three in my dust and jumped into Hal's car.

Hal decided not to wait around and peeled away from the scene burning rubber. I had miraculously made my escape with my memories of the night still intact.

"I swear I didn't leave you in there alone, Army," Hal informed me quickly. "Several big lugs forced me out the door and tossed my cell phone out on the ground. They told me it was a closed event and I had not been extended a proper invitation. So I waited for you, I'd have stayed all night. Actually I was getting close to calling the police but nobody else had emerged so I figured you were still safe. From the looks of those guys on your heels, it didn't appear to be a friendly withdrawal."

"So what's the story, and where do you want me to take you?" He asked.

"Take me to my place," I urged. Then I proceeded to explain all of the events of the night. Hal was shocked beyond measure. He expressed his disbelief that Stacy would ever betray me the way she had done. And the drug angle was over the top. He simply shook his head at her egregious betrayal.

"What do you want me to do?" Hal asked as he pulled in front of my place.

"How about parking behind my building? I imagine Stacy will be along shortly. If she comes alone, I'll talk to her as I'm packing. I'm hoping you'll let me hang out at your place for a day or two until I get my bearings."

"Of course, you can. You don't even need to ask but all I have is a spare couch to offer you in my small apartment."

"The couch will be perfect, Hal, thanks. If Stacy comes home alone before I leave, I'll confront her tonight and make my intentions clear. If she brings any of the thugs with her, I'll slip out the back door and escape with you to your place."

"Wait, I have a better idea." I pulled the cash out of my pockets and stuffed it into an empty fast food bag he'd left on the floor of his car. We put the bag under the spare tire in his trunk. "I may need backup. You got your weapon?"

"Stupid question." Hal muttered and pulled it from his console. He slipped the holstered pistol inside his waistband and followed me inside.

I had two suitcases packed and was zipping up the second one when we heard the front door unlock. Hal slipped into the closet as Stacy ran inside to greet me.

"Thank God you're here. I was worried sick you'd be gone when I arrived. I'm so sorry. We need to talk." the now penitent woman exclaimed.

"Are you here alone? Or are the five cocks you sucked off earlier somewhere nearby?" I demanded.

"No one else is coming, Army," she winced. "It's just you and me. I want to apologize for my behavior earlier tonight. I was caught up in the excitement of it all. I was supposed to rev up the guys and I guess I went overboard."

I smiled sardonically. "Why rev up the guys? They'd already paid their money. It's not like you were going to get more out of them." I suspected I knew. It was advertising for future events. Future opportunities to have her. Just like that video of her masturbating. I wondered if it showed her face.

"Goliath said he wanted the guys wild for me. He wanted me to be a distraction." Stacy said. Did she believe ALL the guy's bullshit? I wondered. Those arm wrestlers were not going to be distracted by some slut when it came time to compete.

"I was hoping against hope that you'd win but I had to play both sides of the fence so we would end up with at least twenty grand to finance the start of our family. You were amazing! You put Goliath in his place and showed all of them what you're made of. You saved me from a night of debauchery, baby. Now the entire forty thousand is ours and I'm so happy to be your love slave for the entire night, rather than having to submit to someone else."

That was a crock and she knew it. She was hot for Goliath in his office. That was no act. "That's not how I remember it, Stacy. I'm sure I heard you say, 'Come on, Goliath! Take him down. Show the boy who the real man is here. Finish him so I can get you between my legs. Finish him! Do it now!'

She had the good grace to look at the floor for a moment. "As I said, I was playing both sides of the fence."

"Once we're divorced, you can fuck and suck all the men you want on both sides of the fence with no objection from me," I seethed.

"Divorce? You can't be serious! All of this tonight was about us getting enough money to kick-start our family. I want to have YOUR babies, Army, not Goliath's and not anyone else's, YOURS! This was only going to be a one-and-done event, Army. Goliath swore that you had no chance to win it and that you'd have no memory of any of it by morning."

"Yes, divorce. The thing is you'd always be a cheating bitch whether I remembered or not. And you'd do it again. You cheated on me, Stacy. You sucked off all those guys today. And to make your betrayal worse, you were perfectly fine with having me held against my will and drugged. I told you and everybody there they'd have to kill me before I'd let them drug me to erase my memory and you still went along with the plan. Actually that was your main concern. It still is if you stop to listen to what you are saying. That I not remember your night of slutty behavior. It's crystal clear to me now that I married the wrong woman."

"I did NOT cheat on you. I never had sex with anyone. Former President Clinton himself says oral doesn't count as sex."

"Do you believe your own bullshit? You let every man there who wanted, feel your tits. You spread your legs and let Goliath finger you in front of me. You heard him describe how you two have done everything but fuck. Do you seriously think I will go along with you that is NOT cheating?"

"You can call it whatever the hell you want to, Stacy but I call it cheating. You were unfaithful to our marriage and to your wedding vows. And the ONLY reason you aren't getting fucked by shithead right now is that he lost the arm wrestling match to me. Otherwise, you'd have him between your legs right now and all night long, while the other shitheads attached to the five dicks you sucked off would be beating the crap out of me to force drugs into me to make me forget everything. I will never trust you again for the rest of my life. We will never have a child together, even if you had a million dollars. Divorce is the only way forward for me." I fumed.

She began sobbing uncontrollably. "NO! You can't mean that! You're just upset right now. I will never give up on us, Army. We belong together forever."

Suddenly there was a knock at the front door. "Why don't you go see who it is sweetheart?" Stacy sweetly asked, her tears stopping. She was caught up in her role.

"I don't give a fuck who it is." I asserted. I had a pretty good idea who was at the door. It was the five thugs coming to finish the job that they had been commissioned to do and I was not about to get within arm's reach of any of them.

"That's okay, I'll go see who it is," she sweetly offered. On her way out the bedroom door, she grabbed my cell phone off the charger on the dresser where I'd left it.

"Move out to where you can hear." I whispered and walked out of the room. Hal was armed and ready to defend my back should it be required.

"Here he is boys." Stacy said as she let the five goons and Goliath into our front room. "I have his cell phone, so I know he is not recording anything." I certainly was. I'd turned the top of the recording pen as soon as Hal and I heard Stacy unlock the front door earlier. I had recorded everything she'd said. "And he can't call for help either. We have him."

"Now remember you promised not to hurt him too bad. Just hold him down and get that tube down his throat. Then just enough of a beating to make it look like a real mugging." Stacy said.

"What is this? Get out of my house, all of you!" I exclaimed loudly.

"I'm sorry, honey. But you have to have your memory erased. I can't have you remember what happened tonight and leaving me." The guys gathering just inside the door grinned. "It'll be so much easier if you just drink the stuff Ralph made and go to sleep. You'll wake up and it'll be like it was before. Happily married. Only we'll have twenty thousand dollars. I promised to give Goliath back the other twenty if he'd help me make you forget even though you won tonight."

"And if I don't?" I growled.

"Please, honey. They are gonna hurt you. They'll beat you up and force it down your throat. Then they'll stage it to look like a mugging. It'll be the same result in the end but you'll get hurt."

"So you planned this out on the way over." I offered. She admitted they had to make a quick plan. "Well, you probably didn't plan on this." I said as they stepped a little further into the room and began to spread out. They apparently thought I was about to run and they wanted to cut me off. I pulled out my Glock 17. "Now everybody stay where you are. I'd hate to shoot one of you. Well, I'm not gonna shoot one of you. If I pull the trigger at all, I will shoot three of you and the other three can decide if they want to hold pressure on the wounds until the ambulance arrives." They froze.

They had obviously not anticipated I'd be armed. "You wouldn't shoot." Goliath declared with a sneer. "You might get one or two of us but the others would get you and kill you."

"Want to bet?" I said, with a slight smile. "I was a Marine. Actually I still am. Once a Marine, always a Marine. The one thing the Marines teach beyond physical fitness is small arms. I am rated expert with a pistol. I have no doubt I can put a round into each of your bellies before you get near me. And yes, I will shoot for the belly and not the chest. I want you to hurt, not die. Now sit your asses down."