Wearing the Boss's Anklet: A Sequel

Wearing The Boss's Anklet: A Sequel

I would like to thank biggie79uk for giving me permission to write this sequel to his story, "Wearing the Boss's Anklet." This is from the husband's perspective and picks up during the wife's company Christmas party.

I would also like to thank those who offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories.

And now, the disclaimers:

For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper... In addition:

1. Characters in this story may participate in one or more of the following: Smoking, consumption of adult (meaning, alcoholic) beverages, utterance of profanities.
2. All sexual activity is between persons 18 years of age or older.
3. Statements or views uttered by the fictional characters in this story do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the author.

Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. (Yes, I DO moderate comments) And please remember, this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama...

...

This is turning out to be the worst Christmas of my entire life. Why? Simple. I just witnessed my wife having sex with her younger boss during her company's Christmas party. I managed to get enough of the action on video to support my upcoming divorce.

The sex was bad enough, but the flagrant disregard and disrespect shown to me by both her and her boss pissed me off so much I wanted to hurt them -- bad. Instead, I went back to the couch where she thought I had passed out and sat down to wait for my next planned move.

My name is Joseph Parker, Joe to my friends and family. I've only been married to Theresa, or Terri, as she likes to be called, for a little less than a year. We dated for about a year before we got married and at the time I thought I had hit the jackpot.

A few months after we got married, she started working at a coffee shop that sat in a busy shopping center just south of the freeway that went through town. I work as an investigator for a nation-wide insurance company and make pretty decent money, so there was really no need for her to work.

But I understood she needed some adult interaction and I figured this would let her make some "mad" money for her to use as she saw fit. I've been by the shop a few times and liked the coffee. It was just a bit bigger than your typical Starbucks and seemed to draw quite a crowd. Most of the customers were younger, college-aged kids, and most of the people who worked there were also a bit younger.

The guy who owns the place, Paul Dansing, seemed to be a rather nice young man somewhere in his twenties. Terri and I are a bit older -- I just turned 31 and Terri is a couple years younger than me. I won't bore you with the details of our courtship, because those are irrelevant to this sad little tale.

A couple months or so after she started working there, I noticed a little anklet on her left ankle. I had never seen it before and wondered where she got it, so I asked.

"Where'd you get that?" I asked. I figured she might have bought it with her money, but her answer stunned me.

"My boss, Paul, gave it to me," she said. "He likes to give one to the women at work he likes to call 'his ladies.' What do you think?"

I looked at her a bit funny. Why would her boss give jewelry like that to women he calls "his ladies?" What kind of a boss is this? I didn't follow up, but what Terri asked next raised more than one red flag.

"Do you know what it means when a married woman wears an anklet?" she asked. I shook my head.

"No, what does it mean?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I was just wondering if you knew," she said with a wave of her hand. After dismissing me, she walked off with a little smirk on her face. Why wouldn't she tell me? What was she hiding? This certainly didn't bode well.

Naturally, my curiosity was piqued. Surely she knew I wouldn't just let something like this drop. I am an investigator, after all. So, I did a Google search. And I didn't like what I found. I stopped at the coffee shop a few times when Terri wasn't working and looked to see if anyone else wore an anklet.

Sure enough, two of the ladies working in the shop wore one just like Terri's and I noticed they were on the right ankle. I also noticed their wedding rings. Several of the sites I had read suggested an anklet on the right foot of a married woman meant she was open to having an affair.

During one of my visits, I watched the interaction between Paul and these women for a while as I sipped my coffee and pretended to read an article on my laptop. I saw Paul give one of them a sly smile. She smiled back and the two of them disappeared into the back of the shop.

About 25 minutes later, she came back out looking flushed. I think the actual phrase is, "well-fucked." One of her co-workers gave her a knowing smile and they continued on as though nothing happened. Paul came back out and whispered something to the other woman, who smiled at whatever it was he had told her.

Over the next couple months I noticed something else -- the frequency and the quality of the sex between Terri and I dropped off significantly. I knew that as married couples matured in their relationship that sex generally dropped off, but Terri and I hadn't even married a whole year. By all accounts, we were still in that "honeymoon" phase.

On top of that, it seemed like she was just putting out to do her "wifely duties." Sex between us had always been invigorating and fun. But now it seemed as if she was just going through the motions. She didn't even like to cuddle together the way we used to afterward. She would just roll over and go to sleep. I tried talking to her about the situation a few times, but she simply waved off my concerns.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"What makes you ask that?" she responded.

"You seem... off. Like there's someplace you'd rather be. Even in the bedroom. What's going on?"

"Dammit, nothing's going on!" she exclaimed, causing me to reel back. "I'm sorry," she said, seeing the look on my face. "You didn't deserve that. I just have a lot on my mind with work and all." I wondered what part of her work could make her so short-tempered. All she did was take orders from customers and make coffee. Or was there something else going on she didn't want me to know about?

"Is something happening at work that shouldn't be?" I asked. "Are you being sexually harassed or something?"

"No, of course not," she said.

"Because if you are, we can take steps to deal with that, you know," I added, hoping to get more information from her. "Have you thought about quitting your job?"

"I'm not quitting my job," she said defiantly. "Please. Just... back off, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," I finally said, walking away. Why is she so defensive, I wondered to myself, shaking my head. Whatever it is, I thought, the truth will eventually come out. Things were a bit frosty in the house for a few weeks but seemed to get back to some semblance of normal by Thanksgiving.

During that time, Terri and I only had sex a couple times, but I could sense it was just because she thought it was something she had to do. She was there, but only physically. Mentally, she was somewhere else. Maybe she was thinking about doing her nails or something. I don't know.

We went to visit with my parents on Thanksgiving and the place was packed with family. We enjoyed a nice meal and I was sitting in the front room with Dad and a bunch of other guys watching football. My cousin, Jacob, a student at the college, leaned over to me during one of the commercials.

"I hear Terri's working at that coffee shop over by the school," he said. I nodded my head.

"Yeah, she's been there for a while now," I said.

"Better keep an eye on that place," he told me. "I know a guy who works there. Tells me there's a lot more than accounting that takes place in the back office if you know what I mean."

"Oh?" I asked.

"Yeah. From what he tells me, the owner is a real pussy hound. Especially likes the married women. The other guys who work there also get in on the action. Or at least, that's what he claims."

"Think you can put me in touch with this guy? Maybe introduce him to me?" I asked.

"I'll try, if you want," he said. "Might take a couple weeks with the holidays and all."

"Thanks, I appreciate that," I told him. Jacob was true to his word and a couple weeks later, I met with Alan James at a diner not too far from the college. He was very young, maybe 19 years old. He was tall, lanky and sported long hair. We sat down after shaking hands and introducing ourselves. I pulled an audio recorder from my jacket.

"I hope you don't mind if I record this," I said. "I want to make sure I get everything right."

"I'm not in any trouble, am I?" he asked nervously.

"No, I'm just looking for some background information on a claim," I said.

"Alright, then, go ahead and record if you need to," he said.

"Thank you, I appreciate your help." I pulled out a photo of Terri and showed it to him. "Do you know this woman?"

"Terri something or another," he said. "She works at the same coffee shop as I do."

"The Beanery?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's the one. All the kids from school go there. It's pretty popular in this area," he said.

"They make a pretty good latte as well," I said with a smile.

"Oh yeah, they're the best. Even got an award once," he said.

"So, you work with this Terri?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No, she usually gets off work when my shift starts," he said.

"So, how do you like working at The Beanery?" I asked.

"Oh, I love it," Alan said with a big smile. "We get paid pretty good for what we do, and Paul's a really neat guy. Lots of fun to work for and he takes good care of us."

"Good benefits, then?"

"The best," Alan said.

"I noticed the women there all wear anklets. What's the story behind that?"

"That's Paul's doing," Alan said. "He has a thing for the ladies, know what I mean? Especially the married ones."

"Oh?" I asked.

"Yeah. He gives them this anklet, tells them if they want to get fucked that day to wear it on their right ankle."

"And is Paul the only one who gets to sample these women?"

"Oh no," Alan said with a smile. "Any of us guys who want can join in. Hell, there's been days where we've had three guys on the same woman at the same time."

"I see," I said. "Does Paul use protection of any kind?"

"Paul? Hell no. He hates using condoms. Most of the rest of us do, though."

"And this goes on every day?" I asked.

"Pretty much," Alan said.

"And there's never been a problem? What if someone's husband finds out?"

"It hasn't been a problem yet, at least not that I've heard. The best part though, is the year-end party. That's when it really gets wild." I knew the party was coming up soon, since Terri had mentioned it to me.

"And why is that?" I asked.

"Paul usually rents out a nice space that has a private room or two. He also has an open bar to get the husbands drunk. Once they're too drunk to do anything, the real party starts," Alan said.

"You mean, orgy?" I asked. Alan smiled as he nodded his head.

"Oh yeah," he said. "Paul gets a real kick out of cuckolding the husbands right in the next room."

"I'll bet he does. Are you going to this year's party?" I asked.

"No, I'm going back home for the holiday this year. My older brother is getting married and he asked me to be his best man," Alan said.

"Well, Alan, I hope you have a safe trip," I said.

"Thanks. Is there anything else you needed?" he asked.

"Yes, just one or two things. Do you know if this Terri engages in sex with Paul and the others?"

"Yeah, she's his main squeeze at the moment. And I happen to know she's put out to all the other guys on her shift as well," he said.

"Have you ever been with her?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Nah. Like I said, she's usually just getting off work when I come in. Is there anything else?"

"No, Alan, you've helped me out a great deal. Thank you. And remember, not a word of this little talk to anyone, okay?" I reached in my pocket, pulled out a crisp $100 bill and handed it to him.

"Not a word," he said as he took the bill. We said our goodbyes and I left the diner after paying for our meals.

I thought about my next steps as I drove. Alan pretty much confirmed what I already suspected. The only thing I lacked at this point was concrete evidence of Terri's cheating. I planned to get that at the upcoming party, which was only two days away.

I had already done my research on the divorce laws in this state. Generally speaking, while this is a no-fault state, divorces could be granted on the grounds of adultery, but I needed to have clear and compelling evidence to support my case. This was also one of the few states that allowed for alienation of affection lawsuits, and I intended to go after Paul Dansing.

Fortunately, we had no children, so that would not be an issue. Also fortunately for me, I had bought the house before we were married and the mortgage was in my name only. Which, of course, precluded her from getting any of it. The only thing we would probably have to split 50-50 would be the bank accounts.

The first thing I needed to do was take the gifts I had already bought for Terri back to the stores where I purchased them. I intended to use that money to help pay for the divorce. She didn't know I had them, so there was nothing for me to hide from her. She had been after me to tell her what I wanted for Christmas, but right then, I wanted nothing from her. Except for her signature on the divorce papers.

Does that make me a cold, heartless bastard, I asked myself. Perhaps, but right then, I simply didn't care if it did or not. Whatever love I had for Terri was now gone, replaced by sadness tinged with anger.

I called and got an appointment to see a divorce lawyer on Friday. Then I went about the rest of my day. I decided to stay as far away from Terri as I could since the thought of her now filled me with disgust. It wasn't really all that hard to do.

She came home with an attitude that day and I saw the anklet on her right foot. I knew what she had been up to and didn't even want to touch her. She went upstairs and took a shower before going into the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"No," I told her. "Stomach's not feeling too well. I think I'll just go into my office for a bit and sleep in the guest room. I don't want to give you anything." More like, I didn't want to get what Dansing might have given her, but I didn't say that. She gave me a funny look and made a tuna sandwich for herself. Thankfully, she left me alone for the rest of the night.

The next day, I got up early, did my business and left the house without giving her a kiss goodbye or telling her I loved her. I never left the house without doing that, and I hoped it would have an impact on her. It did. I got a call about half an hour after I left.

"You left without giving me a kiss or telling me you love me," she whined. "Are you upset with me or something? Have I done something wrong?"

"I'll let you ponder that for a bit, okay?" I asked. "Now if you don't mind, I have work to do. Bye." I ended the call but she called right back. I let it go to voicemail and didn't answer when she called two more times. Let her think about that, I said to myself.

I returned the gifts I had bought for Terri and pocketed the money -- it would come in handy when I went to see my lawyer. When I was asked if there was a problem with the purchases, I simply said there had been a family emergency and the money was needed elsewhere. I ended up having to pay a restocking fee, but that was a minor glitch in the grand scheme of things.

That night, I noticed Terri had the anklet on her right foot when she came home from work. I didn't need to ask -- I already knew what she had been up to. I grabbed a slice of cold meat loaf and made a sandwich before going to my home office.

"Aren't you going to sit and have dinner with me?" she asked. I shook my head.

"Not that hungry. I'll be in the guest room tonight," I said.

"Are you going to make it to the party tomorrow night?" she asked. "Paul has a room reserved for the whole night so we can stay if you get too drunk to drive home."

"I plan to be there," I said. "I'm just not feeling too good right now."

"Is there something I can do?" Yeah, I thought. Stop fucking around on me. Fat chance of that, though.

"No," I finally said. "There's nothing you can do right now. Good night."

"Are you going to ignore me tomorrow morning like you did this morning?" she asked.

"Maybe," I said as I walked into the guest room and closed the door.

The next morning, I got up early, did my business, grabbed a cup of coffee and left before Terri was out of bed. I never even bothered to give her a kiss on the cheek. Frankly, just being near her made my stomach churn. She called as I drove to work but I ignored the call and let it go to voicemail.

My boss knew I had an appointment to see a lawyer, so he wished me well as I left the office. The lawyer, Sam Winston, told me pretty much what I already knew.

"I will need to have some evidence that your wife is actually cheating on you," he said.

"I'll have that tonight," I said. "I'll email it to you after I get it." I went on to explain what I wanted done. He smiled as I laid it out for him.

"That's gonna cost you a bit extra," he said.

"No problem," I said.

"Alright," he said. "I'll work this up and get the ball rolling. Get me that evidence and let me know if there's any changes in the plan." I shook his hand, gave him a retainer and went about my business. That night, I dressed casual for the party, as Terri suggested. I double-checked and made sure I had everything I would need. I noticed the short dress she wore and noticed the anklet on the right foot.

When we got to the party, I noticed Paul hugged and kissed all the women, right in front of their husbands. I took note of the fact that all of them wore an anklet on their right foot, just like Terri. As I shook hands with one of the other husbands, I overheard Paul whispering to Terri.

"The open bar is to help the husbands get drunk so they won't notice us leaving," he said. "If that doesn't work, put this sleeping pill in his drink. He'll be out until morning." I heard Terri laugh as she took the pill from him.

I sat down on a couch and watched the action around me. Paul, Terri, the other wives and employees seemed to have a good time, talking and dancing. The rest of us were all but forgotten. Terri kept bringing me drinks, which ended up dumped in the potted plant next to where I was sitting. The other wives did the same for their clueless husbands.

"Are you having a good time?" Terri asked when she brought me another drink.

"No, actually, I'm bored out of my fucking mind," I told her.

"Well, this IS an employee party, you know," she haughtily told me. "Here, drink up. This'll help make the night a little better for you." I took the drink from her and waited until she was out of sight, then dumped it into the pot next to me. I saw her whisper something to Paul, who glanced in my direction before walking toward me.

"Terri tells me you're not enjoying yourself," he said with a bit of a smirk.

"Actually, I think this potted plant is having more fun than I am right now," I said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said. "Here, let me refresh that drink for you." He took the glass and came back a minute later and handed it to me, full. "Drink up. This IS a party, you know." He walked away and I dumped that drink as well. Then I saw residue of a powdery substance in the bottom of the glass. The fucker just tried to drug me!