Vanessa's Mistake

Vanessa's Mistake Part 1 - A misguided wife makes a tragic mistake after the influence of a friend. The ending of Part 1 leads to the events that will set the stage for revenge, and extreme pain in the final Part 2.

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Vanessa and I just left our twin girls, Stacey and Abbey, at the university after a long weekend visit. My name is Lucas Jones. My wife and I are now "empty nesters" and have missed being with our girls and arranged a visit for this past weekend. We have always been a close family and spend all our free time together, so it takes a while to get used to the absence of our girls.

As a senior engineer specializing in artificial intelligence, I worked from home, was well paid, in high demand, and could work anywhere in the world. For the sake of my family, I decided to work from home in my converted hobby room above the garage. Being home, I was able to see my girls every day as they were growing up, and now that they are gone, we miss them.

Vanessa, my wife of 20 years, has worked closely with Jackson Grant as his personal secretary for the last 7 years and has enjoyed being out of the house for a change. I mean, what wife wants to be home with her husband twenty-four hours a day, as our situation required? So when she got the job at the law firm, I encouraged her to take it, which turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life.

For years, Vanessa spent her free time doing yoga, modern dance classes, and hours at the gym to get out of the house and stay in shape. At 40 years old, she easily passed for 30, because of her toned body and spectacular breasts. I loved making love to her, and our sex life never waned. In fact, we still made love at least three times a week. Yes, it was not hard or mind-blowing sex, but we enjoyed our bodies and satisfied our needs. At least that was the illusion I was living.

Vanessa had her hobbies and I had mine, including fishing and boating. I saved up for a new bass boat and needed another $25,000 to buy the Bass Cat Puma, which cost only $75,000. I have been saving for the last five years, which was difficult because I had to pay all the bills and send my two daughters to college. At the rate I was going, it would have taken me another five years to save up the money.

Vanessa was great, and when she started working, she helped me save and contributed to my boat fund because she knew how much I wanted the new toy. She told me I was the best husband and appreciated how I took care of her and the girls all those years and that I was the best father ever. She always knew how to make me feel appreciated and loved. Vanessa was the first and only woman I ever loved, and I was grateful to have her in my life. We both looked forward to growing old together and spoiling our grandchildren. Life was beautiful.

Her Workplace

Vanessa loved her work, and Jackson loved that she worked for him. Her ability to meet his work requirements and her attention to detail made her extremely valuable to Jackson and the firm. Without going into detail, Vanessa saved Jackson's butt on several occasions and enjoyed helping the firm's other partners in emergency situations.

Over the years we had dinner several times with Jackson and his wife Mary, who were great fun to be with. They had three children, two in university and a girl in high school. Eventually, we went out to dinner together a few times a year and also attended company events. After a few years, both Mary and I noticed how close Vanessa and Jackson seemed to be when we were together. Vanessa seemed to know Jackson as well or even better than Mary, which worried us a little.

One night, after dinner, we all went to the lounge and enjoyed some music and dancing. After a few dances, I was ready for a break. When we returned to the table, one of Vanessa's favorite songs was playing and she asked me to dance with her. I pulled away smiling and said I needed a break. Jackson was still standing at the table and said I'll dance if you want. I nodded and they walked out together.

Mary and I were talking and noticed that our spouses had not returned after several minutes. We noticed that our partners were still on the dance floor and were now dancing to a slow song. They were holding each other tightly as their bodies were closer together than a normal dance partner. As they danced, we looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking. "Mary, do you think they are a little too friendly, or am I just imagining it?

"Yes, a little too cozy, and to be honest, I don't like what I see here. I mean, they look like a couple, not friends."

"Do you think they are, you know, having an affair?"

"I do not know, Lucas, but I am going to find out."

They came back to us and acted unphased, without guilt about their appearance on the dance floor, as if everything was normal. That night in bed, I inadvertently brought up the subject of how comfortable they looked dancing.

Later That Night

"Vanessa, I couldn't help but notice how close you are to Jackson and how comfortable you looked in his arms when you danced with him tonight. Is there anything I need to worry about, baby?"

She gave me an angry look and said, "Are you serious? Do you think I would ever cheat on you? Never! Jackson and I have become close friends because we work so closely together, and we are very comfortable as friends."

"Don't be angry, I was just asking. I mean, both Mary and I thought you looked more like a married couple the way you danced. It's obvious you have danced with him many times. When you are out of town with him, do you often dance together?"

"Oh my God, are you jealous of Jackson? Honey, he's 10 years older than you and no comparison, you have nothing to worry about. Yes, we have danced a few times, but nothing more than you saw tonight, I promise you that."

"Has he ever tried to do more with you?"

"Honey, I do not want to lie to you, and yes, he did try a few times, but I made it clear to him that I was happily married and would never cheat on you. He understood and knows better, and now we are just close friends."

"Have you ever kissed him or done anything else with him?"

"Look, this is childish, and I just told you that I've never done anything sexual with him and that I've been faithful to you since we've been together. I've never been with another man."

"But you didn't answer my question. Having sex is one thing, but intimacy is also cheating in my eyes. Have you been intimate with him? Kissed him, held his hand, shared our private moments with him?"

"He tried to kiss me once and surprised me by doing so. After my shock, I pushed him away and told him I was off limits and it wasn't going to happen. We held hands, yes, but not as a couple, just as friends. I swear I have been faithful to you and never showed him even a hint of intimacy. You have to believe me, I never lied to you, and I'm not going to start now."

"Are you attracted to him; I mean, if we weren't married, would he be someone you'd be with?"

"Honey, you want me to speak in hypothetical terms? Really? My God, you're just a boy, a jealous boy. OK and if I'd never met you, he'd be a good catch. I mean, he's good looking, we get along well, and he's a strong man, which is an aphrodisiac for a lot of women."

That was the end of my evening. For some reason I wasn't happy, but I had no reason to be upset. I knew she was telling the truth and being honest. She wasn't having an affair, and they were nothing more than friends. I still had a bad feeling, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Mary's Drive Home

That same evening, Mary had similar questions for her husband.

"Jackson, are you fucking Vanessa?" she yelled at Jackson as they drove home.

"No, of course not. Why would you ask me that?"

"Because I'm a woman, and I see things. I see the way you look at her, and the sexy way you dance together, which tells me you've danced with her many times. You talk about her like she's the most important thing at the office. To be honest, sometimes I feel like she's more your wife than I am. I'm just not sure you're if fucking her. Tell me the truth, and don't lie to me or I'll cut your balls off in your sleep."

"Mary, I love you and only you. I've never fucked Vanessa. Yes, we're close and I think it shows when we're together. We've been working together eight to ten hours a day for a couple of years now, and I guess you could say she's kind of like my work wife. She knows what I like in my coffee, she knows my moods, and we talk about all kinds of things. But we've never had a sexual relationship. We're just good friends, I promise."

The Next Day Mary called Lucas, and they exchanged their conversations and compared notes. Lucas wasn't happy about the statement that she was Jackson's work wife, but it reassured him that they both admitted there was no sex.

"Well, I'm not convinced, Lucas. I didn't like what I saw last night, and I'll keep a close eye on him and let you know if anything comes up."

We said our goodbyes and promised to keep each other informed. What I didn't know was that Mary was going to hire a PI to accompany him on their next trip out of town. A month later, Mary called me and asked me to meet her for lunch, which she had never done before. She explained to me that she had some information she wanted to share. We met for lunch the next day at a nearby Olive Garden.

"Lucas, since we last spoke, I hired a private investigator to accompany them on their trip to Nashville. Here is the report, which I'll share with you, as promised."

I felt my heart pounding with fear as I looked at the folder in front of me. She saw my face and tried to reassure me. "Don't panic, Lucas, it's not that bad, and in fact it's exactly what we've been told. But I'm not sure I'm comfortable with it. Here, take a look at this," she said, handing me the file.

"According to the report, they checked into the hotel, and then checked into separate rooms, and met for dinner at 7 p.m. They shared a bottle of wine, danced to three slow songs, talked at their table, and then took the elevator back to their separate rooms.

There was no sex or signs of misconduct, and aside from a few slow dances, nothing suggested an ongoing affair. The following night, they repeated the same events without incident. Attached were a dozen photos of them sitting next to each other and talking, and some of them dancing as we saw them that night at dinner, with a closeness that made us both uncomfortable. But nothing else. It seems that the two of them are faithful and honest in their relationship, but I worry that over time this could lead to an affair."

"I agree, but I know Vanessa would never do that without telling me. One of her core values is honesty and that she does nothing in secret, and cheating would be a big reason for that. She also knows that I would not condone adultery, and she would not jeopardize her marriage. I'll keep an eye on them, but for now I think they'll both be faithful to us, Mary."

The Following Week

It had been chilly at home since the night I had asked Vanessa about Jackson. She knew me, and knew I was still angry because I had seen her so close that night. She gave me some time and space, and we eventually got back to normal. I noticed that she no longer talked about work when we were together, and she no longer mentioned Jackson's name, which was a big change. Until that evening, she loved to come home and tell me about her day and how Jackson and she had done this or that or solved some problem together. Vanessa made an effort to ease my worries.

When she announced her upcoming trip, I could tell she was nervous about my feelings. It was the trip to Nashville where Mary sent the PI that I later learned nothing had happened. But before she left, Vanessa assured me that she loved me and I had nothing to worry about.

For whatever reason, after Mary told me she was his work wife, I became a little distant, and there was an obvious change in our relationship. I did not like the idea of sharing my wife, even if it was not sexual in nature. But it bothered me so much that our sex life became less important and more casual. After we had been married for 20 years, Vanessa sensed my disposition and realized that something was wrong.

Vanessa's reflection:

I felt terrible when he asked me if Jackson and I had an affair that night. I never thought our dancing would reveal how close we had become at work. Of course, I kept sexual situations out of our relationship, but Jackson and I became close friends and shared our personal feelings. We were aware of each other's feelings and moods to the extent that we knew what the other was thinking. Over the years, a close friendship developed between us, and we had a special chemistry that kept us together. In another life, we both knew we'd be together, but neither of us made those feelings a reality. I loved Lucas more than anything in the world, except for my girls, and I'd never cheat on him or do anything behind his back.

My marriage to Lucas and my family were the most important things in my life. I cherished our children, our wonderful life together, and my wonderful and loving husband. But since dinner with his wife that night, Lucas has been acting strange. He's no longer so loving and has been distant. I know that my closeness to Jackson bothers him, and I don't know what to do. I'm going to talk to Jackson in the morning. He's always so helpful, and I need his help to get my marriage back on track.

A week later at her office

Jackson saw Vanessa's expression as he entered his office, and knowing her so well, he knew she was in pain, "What's wrong, Vanessa?"

"Lucas hasn't been the same since he saw us dancing that night. He believes we are closer than just work associates. Nothing's been the same since, and I need to make things right with him, but I don't know how. Any ideas?"

"I understand what you're saying. Mary felt the same way that night. I think our dance gave them some insight into our relationship. I made the mistake of telling Mary that I consider you my work wife because we're so close throughout the day and know each other so well. That didn't go over well and she was very upset too."

Vanessa winced when she heard him call her his work wife, knowing that if Lucas heard that comment, it would become a real problem at home. She looked down at her hands, upset that her husband had been hurt by her display. Finally, she replied to Jackson, "I want to make it up to Lucas. He has been saving for this boat, and it'll be several years before he has enough money. I wish I could give it to him to cheer him up and show him how much I love him. You're a man, what would you think if I took out a loan for the balance and surprised you like this? Would he be angry or happy?"

Jackson thought about her words and had an idea, but didn't immediately share it with Vanessa. "No, I'm not sure about that. Let me think about it and try to come up with something, and we can discuss it over lunch today. Would that be OK with you, babe?" She said yes, thanked him, and went back to work on a project.

What Jackson didn't tell Vanessa was that Mary would be flying to Phoenix for two weeks next month to visit her mother, and maybe he had a plan that would solve his craving for this woman. Yes, Vanessa was his work colleague, but he had wanted her in his bed since he met her. The one night he had tried and she had rejected him so vehemently had kept him from trying again. She was the forbidden fruit, and temptation was at its peak. Now, finally, after all the years, all the nights of dancing together, all the private thoughts they had shared, he might have a chance to have his way with her. As promised, Jackson took Vanessa out to lunch that day and shared his thoughts with her.

Lunch

Once they were finished with their meal, Jackson smiled at Vanessa and said, "I don't know how you'll take it, but I've an idea I'd like to discuss with you. If you object, just say so and I'll never bring it up again."

"Okay, now you have got me curious. What do you have in mind?"

"It's no secret how I feel about you, and we both know we'd be together if we were not married. I have wanted to be intimate with you and sleep with you since I met you, but I have respected your wishes and have not tried since that one time. I also love Mary, and I know you love Lucas, and I would not do anything to jeopardize either of our marriages."

Vanessa looked at him, wondering where this was going. Yes, she was attracted to Jackson and wondered what it would be like to be with him sexually, but she would never consider cheating on Lucas.

"Jackson, yes, I feel the same way, but as I told you before, I would never cheat on my husband."

"I understand, and I have an idea. What if there was a way to be together for once without cheating?"

"Are you crazy? Lucas would find out and my marriage would be over."

"What if we told him? Then it would not be cheating."

"Okay Jackson, we need to get you to the hospital. You have obviously lost your mind. Did you hit your head or fall down a flight of stairs?"

"Very funny, Vanessa. Let me tell you my idea. Mary will be gone for two weeks next month, and I have an idea that I think will benefit everyone. I'll have access to the corporate resort for a weekend while Mary is gone. I will invite you and Lucas to celebrate with us that weekend to thank you for your years of hard work, and the resort weekend, food and drinks, the spa, boating, and fishing will be included.

That's when we will tell Lucas that you and I've always been faithful to Mary and to him, but that we intend to be together only once this weekend. After this one time, we'll never go down that road again, we'll be 100% faithful spouses. We'll even put it in writing in a postnuptial agreement that states, we will waive all financial assets if we're ever together again."

"Jackson! You're not listening! He's not going to let me cheat on him. He'll divorce me in a New York minute and never look back. I'll never let that happen!"

"No Vanessa! It's not cheating if he agrees to it. If you tell him beforehand that we're doing it, it's not cheating. And it goes even further. I will present him with an award bonus of $25,000, and explain that the bonus is to thank him for all your extra hours, and hard work. I'll explain the bonus for the spouse that sacrificed his time for her hours away.

That's the amount you said he needs for his boat. Listen Vanessa, I know men, and if he knows you're safe, and doing something you want to do, he will allow it. He'll be there the entire time, and he'll know you're safe. He won't feel like you're cheating on him because he'll know, and be okay with it. And besides, you'll be with a friend - only one time in twenty years of marriage.

Lucas will get the boat he dreamed of, you and I'll be together one time, and we can go back to our lives without wondering what it would be like. It'll be a wonderful memory. I'm sure after twenty years he'll agree to give you that one time. Like I said, I know guys, Vanessa, and I know that Lucas will give you this gift if we present it correctly. He loves you, and will understand when we explain that he'll get you back forever, not to mention that wonderful boat he has been dreaming about."

"Wow, you've really thought this through. So, if we tell him we're going to be together and he agrees, it's not cheating? I don't think he'll agree to that."

"What about you, Vanessa? Don't you wonder what it would be like, just once? We're so close, and I desire you so much. Tell me you don't feel the same and I'll forget all about it. Tell me that your loving husband won't give you a one-time hall pass, after twenty years of marriage. Just once, because he knows that's what you want. I promise you that it won't change anything in your life. Once he knows it's something you need to do, and only once, he'll accept it."