Valuable Lessons

Don look chagrined and said, "What I meant was, we can all be tempted, even Candice. Not that she ever would go beyond temptation, but if she did, I'd forgive her."

That seemed like a load of crap to me, so I asked his wife, "Candice, if you cheated on Don, who I know you love, would you expect to be forgiven?"

"I can't believe you'd even suggest I would do that! I'm not some kind of whore!"

Linda caterwauled and collapsed into a fetal position. Candice raced over and hugged her. "No not you Linda, you aren't a whore just because you had sex with another man other than your husband."

Linda wailed louder.

Candice tried to fix it quickly, "Having sex with someone else does not make you a whore. You are not a whore. You didn't do it for money. You did it because you have low self-esteem issues."

Linda started shaking at that point and slapping herself in the face. I could see Don debating whether or not to call an ambulance. Don and Candice grabbed her hands and kept Linda from abusing herself.

Once again I tried to bring a voice of reason to the room after Linda was restrained from assaulting herself. I looked at Candice, "So let me see if I have this straight... Linda wants me to have an affair, Don says he'd forgive you having an affair, you say it's normal for someone to want sex with an attractive person and that lapse of judgment shouldn't be held against them. Do I have that right?"

Don said, "Yes. We all told you that."

"Candice, you also told me I should love Linda as much as you do, because I'm the one that married her."

"Yes, Ryan. You married her, for better or for worse. Don and I are showing a greater concern for her welfare than you are. She's clearly a hot mess."

"Well," I said, "You've all given me a lot to think about."

It did seem like a good time for me to excuse myself and call it a night. I liked Don, I liked Candice, and I sure as shit loved Linda. Cutting them all out of my life would be painful. However this evening had turned into a circus, and not in a good way. I left that night feeling I had disrupted their tight relationship, but no one of them really cared about me.

I went home and stared at the ceiling for hours while thinking. Around 3 am I had an epiphany. I did get two hours of sleep, after I bounced it through my head a few times. I awoke to the door bell ringing after I had my first cup of coffee. Yes, I wake up after my first cup of coffee. I have no memory of how I somehow got Thing 1 and Thing 2 to school. I wasn't sure I'd fed them.

It was Candice. I invited her in but was wary. The previous night had been a shit show. I got a second cup of coffee and poured her one.

Candice said, "Sorry about the shit show last night."

I nearly spit out my coffee when she echoed my thoughts. After a few seconds I said, "I've decided you're right. You are showing her greater concern for her welfare than I am. So I have a solution."

"I'm glad you've come to your senses."

I paused for dramatic effect. "You and I will have an affair. After that, Linda will be completely forgiven."

"What?! Seriously, what?!"

"Linda said I could have an affair if it would make things better. So I'm taking her at her word. Don said he'd forgive you if you cheated on him, so I'm taking him at his word. You said that you'd expect to be forgiven so I'm taking you at your word."

"I have to talk to Don about this before I even consider it."

"That would defeat the purpose. Linda hid it from me, lied, and kept me in the dark. Don has already said he'd forgive you, so no need to consult him. Tell him after it's over, if you need to. Linda never told me, I had to catch her. Hell, I want you to tell him after it is over, but not before then. I certainly will tell Linda."

"And how the hell am I supposed to face Don every day and keep this a secret?"

"You could try compartmentalizing. I hear it's a thing all women can do better than men."

"I don't think I can do this. There is too much to consider. Why don't you just find someone else?"

"Well, Father Time hasn't been kind to my hairline. I'm pretty sure I won't find the hottie out there that is actually attracted to me. I'd probably have to hire an escort. Not exactly an affair. You have a vested interest, and an amazing bod. So you're my option."

Her response was, "I'll have to think about it." Of course that meant, "No."

I wasn't surprised Candice really didn't mean what she said. I was making plans for the divorce. Two days later, Candice changed her mind. "I've decided to accept your solution."

I'd like to say it was because she was fantasizing about my bod the whole time, and just caved to the inevitable. The real reason was more predictable. She showed up at my home in a frenzy, not even knocking, but just opening the door and stampeding in. "I can't take this any more! She's driving me and Don crazy. She's ruining my marriage."

I could have said something sarcastic at that moment, but when things are going well, it's best to get out of your own way. Which is too bad because I did have a killer line.

Candice agreed to all my conditions. Her only caveat was an insistence that I would truly forgive Linda if she followed through. I honestly hadn't expected her to ever acquiesce to everything I said so I was hesitant for just a slight moment. A slight moment immediately followed by, "Absolutely."

Candice said, "I'm only doing this because she's my best friend. You... I'm not too fond of right now."

She did agree though, and really that was the important thing. Once she committed we could work on the details. She did have a concern and said, "It will look suspicious if you immediately forgive Linda. How do we sell this to Linda and Don that you are accepting Linda back?"

I had an answer for that one. All I needed was to offer Linda a lifeline. I called Linda during my lunch break that day.

"Linda, I need you to report your relationship with Hunter to your Human Resources department."

"Why? I can't claim it was sexual harassment. I won't lie."

"I wouldn't ask you to, my dear. I wouldn't ask you to do something unethical that would affect your conscience. However, I did discover from reading your employee manual, there is a policy on fraternization between a superior and a subordinate. You know, one of those policies designed to prevent the possibility of sexual harassment. You are really working for a forward-thinking company. So just report the relationship."

She did. It turned out Hunter was married to a very wealthy woman and there was a prenup in place. That's a gift when an enemy is someone is kind enough to put their head in a noose for you, all you have to do is kick the chair out from under his feet. Let's just say, bad things happened to Hunter, and he left Hawaii never to be seen again.

After Linda had done that, I welcomed her back home. I welcomed her with kisses and we made passionate love the night she came home. Linda and I were back together. In my mind though, it was conditional. I didn't drop my reservations completely. Linda sensed it. Although we were making love and acting as a family, she knew I hadn't completely forgiven her. She knew there was still a wall there.

She was right. That wall wouldn't come tumbling down until Candice delivered. Candice didn't back down when I coordinated our first rendezvous. I made sure it would be spectacular.

I booked a room at the Four Seasons with a king-sized bed. I put rose petals all over the slightly turned covers. I had candles lit and made sure that they wouldn't trigger the smoke alarms, because I turned them off. A bottle of champagne and a bowl of strawberries would be the first thing she saw when she entered.

If this was going to be an illicit affair, I was going to play the part of the lover to the hilt. I wanted her to be into it, so it was only right I be into it as well. That turned out to be easy for me. I was looking forward to it and while part of me felt Candice might cave at any moment, I wasn't going to be the one that killed the mood. I was going to do my part and trust she followed through on hers. If not, we'd just be right back to where we started.

Candice wrecked my expectations.

She showed up in a long coat that was very inappropriate for the climate, as well as with what might as well have been an overnight bag. "Ryan? What's with the champagne and strawberries? This won't work."

"Why not?"

"I already have the most romantic, wonderful, bestest lover at home. So I don't want you to even dream of being a better lover. Sweep those fucking rose petals off the bed. I also am not eating strawberries, and just give me a few minutes in the bathroom."

"Does this mean you're backing out?"

"No, it doesn't mean that you ignoramus, it just means we're going to fuck and not make love. I better not see a goddamn rose petal on that bed when I exit this bathroom."

She slammed the door after she entered with her overnight bag.

"Old Faithful" had been standing at attention before she'd ever come into the room. As I waited for her to come out, the poor fellow wilted with each passing minute as I wondered, "What the fuck is she doing in there?"

The woman that came out of the bathroom was packed into a black bra that was a size too small and black panties that looked like they were painted on. Her newly-applied lipstick was a shade of red that I think is called, "Fuck me."

"So if this is going to work, I'm Candy. You don't make love to me, you don't call me Candice, I'm Candy. I'm not your lover, I'm your slut. Every time we meet, I'm Candy and I am here to suck and fuck you."

So much for my plans. I was rapt with attention.

"Call me Candice one time and it's over. As of right now, and until we are finished with the hot and sweaty, I'm Candy. Got any problem with that?"

Jesus. Once again, get out of your own way. Suppress the sarcastic comment and just say nothing. I grabbed her and our tongues were dancing in moments. It was not what I had imagined or planned for. It was better.

Candice (or was it Candy), took me to the bed, pushed me back onto it, and just pulled my pants down and started sucking my cock. It was the sloppiest blow job I'd ever gotten. I have no idea how anyone generates that amount of saliva.

I thought I was going to die after that. Our pillow talk after that was a bit non-traditional. I was in a post-orgasmic haze and she talked while I listened. I was very receptive at that moment to anything she had to say.

"Here's how it works. You are not having sex with Candice, you are having sex with Candy. Fuck that up just one time, and I can't deal with it. Don't say whatever the fuck smart-ass comment you want to say, just agree and Candy will fuck your brains out. Agreed?"

Looking back, I think this might be a CIA technique, although it could've been just the endorphins talking. I agreed.

"Good. Now Candy wants to be fucked, so fuck her and you'd better not disappoint."

I was silent while she sucked me back to hardness then went on all fours and presented herself. My moisture-seeking missile found its target. It was as wet as Scotland in September.

The next meetings were a variation of the first. We'd fuck, she'd get me hard again, then we'd fuck once more. She liked doggy style the most. She also liked talking dirty.

"Fuck my slutty slit, fuck it hard you son of a bitch."

When she was talking like that, I couldn't tell if she mostly hated me or liked it. I guessed it was a bit of both, because it intensified after each subsequent meeting.

Those meetings became increasingly difficult to arrange. Sneaking around turned out to be a lot harder than I imagined. Much of that difficulty came because Linda wanted to call me at every opportunity to assure me of where she was and that she wasn't cheating on me. This made it much more difficult for me to cheat on her. I'll also assume Candice had difficulties hiding it from Don, but we never talked about it. When we got together, it was just a fuckathon.

While my affair with "Candy" was going on, I surprised myself by dropping much of my hostility toward Linda. Every infrequent rendezvous of hot sex with Linda's best friend, allowed me to further appreciate making love with my wife. After every illicit fuck with Candy, I grew more and more comfortable with Linda. We were getting back to where we had been before. I appreciated the ravenous sex with "Candy," but it also made me appreciate the tender coupling with Linda. I did wonder if that's what she'd been feeling as well when she juggled her sex with Hunter and was still loving with me.

The only awkward moments initially, were when the four of us were together. Don or Linda would make a comment that was perfectly innocent, yet made my brain say, "Don't look at Candice, don't look at Candice, don't fucking look at Candice."

As an example, Don once said, "I admire you Ryan. I know this was hard for you. You've taken the high road. You could have hired an attractive prostitute as revenge, but you didn't. You asked Linda to make it up to you and she did. Well done, brother. While I was thinking, "Why does Don think I need to hire a prostitute," reason kicked in and then, "Don't fucking make eye-contact with Candice. So I said, "Thanks, brother."

Candice seemed at ease with the whole situation. I had to admit, there was something there about women compartmentalizing better. For me, I was on edge for any comment that suggested sexual innuendo.

While our Things were playing with their Things, as the adults were drinking wine, Linda looked at Don and Candice and said, "I want to thank you both for your support. You've helped bring Ryan and me back together." Then she kissed me. After we broke the kiss, all I was thinking was, "Don't look at Candice, don't... look at Candy." It was relatively easy since Candice also avoided meeting my eyes in those situations.

Candice and Candy seemed to be two different people. "Candy" would send me messages as we got close to getting together. And yes, it was Candy, not Candice. I briefly worried that I might be contributing to creating a multiple personality disorder, but I dismissed it since I had a marriage to save. Nothing worthwhile comes without a cost.

Candy would send me pictures of her in outfits that were tantalizing. Yes, I'd already seen her naked, but those photos still stimulated me. She'd send them on Snapchat. It wasn't that I couldn't have saved them if I wanted to, I just didn't want to. I was fucking "Candy" to prove a point to her and Don and Linda. I was also fucking her because she was hot. I had no idea if any of my relationships with these people would survive at the end of this, but I did hope so. I'm an idealistic asshole.

"Candy" was more than true to her word. She was a beast. I'd fuck her, usually from behind, she'd suck me or touch me until I'd get hard again, then we'd fuck a second time. Besides doggie style, she'd love it if her ankles were around my shoulders or a reverse cowgirl position. All the positions that avoided intimacy and were just about sex. Dirty sex at that.

The exception was the final night. We had more time than usual, since we didn't have to worry about getting caught. After this night Candice made it clear she was going to tell Don everything. We were going out with a last hurrah. That was the only time she let me lick her pussy. It certainly wasn't as a result of tender lovemaking. It came about through an impromptu 69. My tongue focused on a target at center mass, then vigorously savaged everything within a one inch radius while she sucked me off to completion. I think she squirted, but I can't be sure. From my point of view, it was like a honeycomb exploded in my face at the exact same time a geyser erupted from "Old Faithful."

She swallowed the entire thing before she stopped sucking my cock, then snapped her head back and screamed something like,"ohdhhonughitshitfuckohahohahnonoofuckfuckfuckahostoppfucknnnngnnngstopstopstop!" That's as close as I can come to what she said. My ears were a bit muffled by having her thighs crushing my head. Then she rolled over on her back and just lay there for a few moments in a quivering heap. I was shuddering a bit myself, and my ears were ringing from the way she'd put my skull in a vice. We lay there in silence for a few minutes, or maybe an hour, head to feet.

Candy broke the silence, "How do you feel?"

"I think I just died. Maybe we should just end it on a high note and not go for round two."

She actually giggled before she said in her girliest voice yet, "I really had hoped the rumors of you being a quitter weren't true..."

I had two more orgasms after that, and have no idea how many she had. We both were so loud and vocal, I'm surprised the other people fucking in that cheap motel didn't report us to management because we were disturbing their own fucking. We definitely went out with both a bang and more than a few whimpers.

After our final frenetic fuck, I showered first and managed to mostly keep my balance while doing it. Candy took hers next, and when the bathroom door opened again, Candy was gone forever. Candice was dressed in her usual modest attire when she came out of the bathroom. It was her demeanor though, that told the tale. We were done. It was a good thing. Indulging in some candy every so often is a treat, but a steady diet of it will kill you.

Candice left before I did. There was no kiss goodbye, just a discussion of what we were going to do next. She was going to tell Don everything that evening and after she did that, we'd all tell Linda. This was a family affair after all. Candice would tell Don, then we'd all meet after at my home.

I told Linda Don and Candice would be coming over after the Things were in bed. It was time to lay everything on the table. Don had a something come up so was going to arrive late. So it was just me, Candice and Linda.

I went first. "Linda, I am completely prepared to forgive you. In fact, I am already there. Before you accept that though, I think Candice should talk first."

Linda was excited hearing my words, then looked at Candice quizzically.

"I fucked Ryan."

Linda immediately hugged Candice. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh God, you really are my sister."

Candice hugged her back and said, "I'm so sorry I had to do it. It was the only way. I love you."

Linda said passionately, "It had to be you. Now I don't have to worry about wondering if Ryan got a disease or he had gotten someone pregnant. Thank you!"

That had not gone how I expected. I had assumed the intervention was crap. I didn't believe anyone was sincere in what they were saying. It turned out I was wrong. When I'm wrong, I'll admit it, as painful as it is to do so. I joined them in a group hug.

I looked at Linda and said, "Everything is truly forgiven. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She jumped on me and kissed me. "Thank you my love, you'll never regret this."

"Well, I think we've all learned valuable lessons here."

I had to put her down eventually. I looked at Candice and said, "You've shown me something, and I want to apologize to you. I put you into an uncomfortable situation and you showed me the true meaning of love. I was wrong to ask that of you. You have made me a better person by showing me what real love actually is."

Candice grasped me into a tight squeeze and gave me a peck on the lips, a much different kiss than those in the last months. "I did it for both of you. You two belong together."

The doorbell rang. I assumed it was Don.

"I'll get it."

As I walked up to get the door, I realized I had a lot of things to say. I'd learned a lot about myself and the people that were close to me. I had a tear in my eye as I realized the people around me were much more selfless than I was. I'd tried to show how hypocritical those around me were, and I discovered they weren't. It really was my male ego that was the issue. I owed everyone an apology, but most especially Don.