What Do I Do Now?

Just a short story to make you think. What if it happened to you? Would you do as Angie did?

Edited by LadyCibelle with typical care and comments.

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Angie makes a discovery.

Angie Harmon sat on the floor of the laundry room, holding one of her husband Cliff's T-shirts in her right hand. The perfume was the first thing that caught her attention, but then she noticed the lipstick stain she found around the collar. The color was called Passion Pink, one she was familiar with from shopping with her daughter. It matched the shade she found on the white dress shirt she held in her left hand. Both were in the laundry she collected this morning and were on top of the pile, indicating they were placed there last night before Cliff took his shower.

Shaking with anger, Angie stood up, threw the offending articles of clothing across the room to land on the floor beside the ironing board. "That son of a bitch!" she thought to herself. "That dirty rotten selfish son of a bitch is cheating on me!" She stared at nothing in particular as she digested that painful fact.

Angie and Cliff Harmon had been married twenty one years. They had one daughter, Sophie, now twenty, who still lived at home with them. She was 'finding herself' before heading off to college. Right now she was working at a local clothing store catering to young people. Sophie was a beautiful young woman and never gave her parents trouble. She was saving as much as she could for later, when she did go to college.

Angie and Cliff had what she once believed was a happy home. She and Cliff met in college where they attended the Kokomo branch of the University of Indiana. She was majoring in education while he was pursuing a degree in engineering design. She lived nearby in Marion and had family there while Cliff lived further away in Ft. Wayne. They dated their senior year and their relationship became exclusive by mutual agreement. When they graduated, they continued their relationship and worked hard to find jobs where they could be together. Cliff found a job working at the Chrysler Delco plant in Kokomo and she was able to land a teaching job in the city schools there. After a year of living together, Cliff proposed and Angie accepted. They were married soon after in her hometown with a beautiful ceremony planned by her mother and sister.

Angie's family was a close one with her mother Cecile Walker, her sister Rachael and a younger brother Paul. Her father had been killed in a car accident when Angie was just starting college but fortunately, there were extenuating circumstances and there were lawsuits. Cecile was awarded a major payout which allowed Angie to continue in school.

Rachael turned down the offer of college to go into a beauty salon business with one of her friends. Paul graduated college with Rachael and Angie helping pay for some of the expenses. Paul was now a practicing attorney and had his own practice specializing in family law. They continued to stay close, even after all the years apart.

Cliff's family was more traditional. His father was a doctor, a surgeon specializing in cardiology. His mother was a full time society maid, hosting all kinds of charity affairs. Together, they were in the society pages most of the time. Cliff did not share their refinement and tended to be more conservative in action and needs. His degree in engineering was a small rebellion against his father but there was no animosity between them.

All of this ran through Angie's mind as she walked out of the laundry room toward the kitchen. She went to the pantry, moved some cans aside and pulled out a bottle of Scotch. She took the bottle to the counter, grabbed a water glass from the cupboard, walked to the refrigerator for ice cubes, then back to the counter where she poured a good three fingers of the scotch over the ice. She swirled the amber colored fluid over the ice, just chilling it before taking a healthy swallow. She waited for the inevitable, and shuddered as the grimace overtook her. The heat scorched her throat and mouth, even as it settled in her stomach. She hated scotch: she really, really hated it, but it had the kick necessary to drown her pain. She looked at what remained in the glass, then drained it with one more swallow. She almost threw the glass into the sink, but pulled it back at the last minute. She carefully set the glass aside and put the scotch back where she found it.

Thus begins the story of Angie Harmon, pudgy housewife, angry woman, vengeful spouse and scorned lover.

With the discovery of Cliff's cheating, Angie's life was about to change. The first thing she did was ask herself what she felt. Did she love Cliff, even with his cheating? Could she live the remainder of her life without Cliff in it? Could she divorce him? Did she even want to divorce him? And what did she need to do? Should she confront him and demand he stop? Should she continue to monitor his activities and gather evidence? Should she get even by having her own little fling? All excellent questions.

There was more. It seemed so easy in the stories in the magazines when she read about infidelity. It was just a matter of confrontation, apologies, sometimes revenge and then move on stronger than ever. It seemed like a lot of bullshit to Angie. She had so many questions it would take her weeks or months to figure out all the answers. And she wanted those answers. To divorce Cliff was not an answer since she really loved Cliff with all her heart. That was something she couldn't change. It made her hurt when she found out about his cheating but she couldn't help herself. A divorce would hurt her as much as it hurt him.

Angie went through a lot of turmoil, blaming herself, blaming Cliff, wondering why he would do this, wondering what it would be like to have her own lover. But to make her story a lot shorter than it actually is, we'll skip a lot of that useless crap. Let's see what she does first.

Angie went upstairs after finishing the scotch; shaky and unhappy. The scotch had filled her with warmth and some liquid courage so she walked into the bathroom, took off all her clothes, stood in front of the full length mirror embarrassed but determined, and looked hard at herself: body and face. After a good long, piercing look, one word escaped her mouth: Yuck!

Angie had to face facts. She was drab! From head to toe, she was drab; dull, overweight, slump shouldered and slovenly. Her hair, once a deep reddish brown was now just drab brown. No luster, no shine, no body. And there was some gray beginning to streak it. That had to change. And her body: where had all those folds come from? That was just fat, plain and simple! And her breasts: her breasts were sagging, even more than they should at her age. They were large enough, but now that they were unrestrained by her support bra, they sagged! Who would want a woman who looked like this? Certainly not her husband! That was clear as shown by the proof. Certainly not a lover who would be repulsed by what she saw.

Angie was ashamed at how she had let herself go over the past few years. The mirror didn't lie! It was there to see, and it was no wonder that Cliff had strayed. And she had allowed it to happen! Wasn't that why he looked elsewhere? If she was a guy, would she want to have sex with her if she looked like this? Hell no! While that didn't excuse what that asshole Cliff did, she could certainly see how she had made him look elsewhere. The important thing was her body was not something that she could use as a weapon to lure him back home where he belonged.

Angie sat there on the bed that fateful day after seeing what she had become physically and thought of herself as a wife. What had she done to fulfill her role? She tried to think of the last time she and Cliff had made love. It was. . . . . . Interesting, she couldn't remember the last time. It was more than a year at least. That thought drove the heat from the scotch right out of her stomach. It replaced that heat with a chill so cold it frightened her. Over a year since she had made love with Cliff! My God! No wonder he had run from her to the arms of another. And one much younger by the looks of the lipstick. Over a year!

The knowledge of what she had become was almost enough to destroy Angie's self confidence. But thanks to the recent warmth of the scotch, and the inner strength forged from the early trauma of losing her father at a critical time in her life, she was able to pull herself back and decide on a strategy of change rather than one of surrender. Of all the things that our Angie did, that was the most important and the one that makes this story worth telling.

Angie first began a careful accounting of Cliff's times. She knew his work schedule and knew when he took lunch. She also knew where he normally went and who he was with, so that was the place to start. She set up a diary and every day, she wrote down the time he left for work and the time he came home. Any discrepancy was noted. Next, she began to call him during the day at work just to say hi and check to be sure he was in. He seemed confused at first but came to expect the calls and look forward to them. That was perfect for Angie. And it gave her the first hint of hope. Hope that her husband still loved her.

On at least two days during the week, Angie drove herself downtown to sit across the street from the café where Cliff normally took his lunch. His habit was to go with one or two of the guys that worked with him, but now she noticed a woman there as well. She was a young blonde who seemed quite comfortable with the other guys, and she noted that she seemed to sit close to Cliff more than the others. On one occasion, when the others left, Cliff and the girl remained for a while longer, their heads close together, talking. When they came out, they walked closely together back to the office, Cliff's arm around her waist. There was nothing more than that, but it was apparent they were closer than employer/employee. She returned several times over the next month, finding nothing more than she first noted. She made note of that for her records, and at the end of the first month, found no evidence that Cliff had done anything more. But she knew there was a woman and she knew what she looked like.

From the day Angie put all of her plans into motion, she also began her membership in the body building classes at the local Y. She met and signed on with one of the trainers, a young man named Will who promised to give her back a body to be proud of. He was said to be very good by some of the other women. He was also quite good looking so that helped considerably to make the pain more tolerable. Angie began a very aggressive diet and exercise routine and within six weeks, had lost over fifteen pounds of pure fat. With the exercises Will suggested, she could feel her thighs and calf muscles firm up and slim down. She lost three inches on her waist and she noted that her breasts had gone from a 38D to a 36C and they tended not to sag as much.

While all this was happening, Angie had begun to make some overtures to Cliff at night. The first real effort was two months after she began her exercise program. She was feeling good from her workout and fresh from a shower, she snuggled up to Cliff, putting her arms around his waist. She felt him tense up, then relax and turn toward her. All he said then was that he would love to respond but that he hadn't taken a shower and he had to stay up for another hour or so to finish some work. He suggested she hold that thought until the weekend. As she went up to bed, Angie was disappointed but noted it down in her diary. First contact!

That weekend, Angie waited until after dinner to move over to Cliff where he sat on the couch and sit herself down beside him. Sophie was out and wouldn't be home for hours. She leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled as his arm came around her shoulders. She stayed that way for a minute more before she let her hand slide down to lay on the inside of his thigh. She moved her hand up and down his leg, each stroke becoming longer and moving higher. Finally she slid her hand over his swelling erection and squeezed her prize. To her delight she found him already getting hard. She began to move her hand up and down his shaft, squeezing as she did. It took only seconds before she knew he was fully engorged.

She turned her face upward to look at him and was rewarded with a huge smile. His hand dropped down from her shoulder onto her breast and he returned the favor with a squeeze of his own. At that, her nipples became hard and rubbed against her bra as his hand began a circular motion over her blouse. In order to make sure this continued, she reached up with her free hand and unbuttoned the blouse completely, letting it slip off her shoulders down to her waist. Cliff then deftly moved his hand behind her, unclasping her bra, lifting it off her breasts and pushing it down to join the blouse. She sighed in contentment as he now began to kneed and squeeze her nipples and the soft flesh of her breasts.

While she was helping Cliff free her breasts, she had also been busy with his belt and his zipper. His cock was now exposed and was being stroked by her hand. She heard his sigh as she began to move her hand faster and faster, but she modified that with a reduced pressure, making it pleasant but not overly stimulating. She didn't want to waste a perfectly good necking session with sex. That was for later. Now she wanted to make him feel good and to feel good herself. Just making love to each other without the ultimate joining. Cliff seemed content to follow her lead and together they stayed this way for almost ten minutes. Angie felt her own climax growing inside and let it grow, knowing that she could be ready again almost immediately. Cliff was good for one, maybe two climaxes and she didn't want either one of them to be in her hand.

She decided to make it happen quickly by taking his hand and moving it down between her legs. When he cupped her mound, she took her hand away and used it to cup his balls while she continued to stroke him steadily but loosely. Cliff understood her unspoken request and began to bring her to a climax with his fingers. He slid his hand inside her jeans and slipped two fingers inside her, bringing a loud groan of approval from her. Once inside, he began to finger her to a strong climax, her legs squeezing his hand until he almost complained. But this was what she needed and she slumped back against the couch in contented exhaustion. Cliff watched her face, a smile on his own.

Once she recovered, she stood up, holding her blouse with one hand and taking his hand with the other. She pulled him toward the bedroom as he followed. She moved directly to the bed, sat down on the edge while removing her jeans and underwear, then leaned back, naked and waiting. Cliff had removed his pants and shirt and now stepped out of his boxers, his erection standing proudly on display. She dropped her eyes to it and licked her lips, reaching for it as he stepped forward. He stopped in front of her, his cock now only inches from her face. She opened her mouth and leaned forward, taking him fully inside in one motion. As she knew, he fit perfectly, almost as if he were made just for her.

Angie wanted this one to be special for Cliff but also to be quick. She really wanted him inside her, but she wanted him to have some staying power. To do that, she wanted to bring him off first with her mouth. Cliff loved that and she rarely let him cum that way but tonight was special. As she began to move her head up and down, her hand twisting the shaft on each stroke, she took his hands and placed them behind her head. Cliff took the hint and began to use her mouth as she liked. As Cliff's hips began to move, Angie moved her hands to his butt to pull him in. Cliff was groaning in pleasure and the motion of his hips increased as he held her head stationary. As he felt his balls tighten and the incredible pleasure of a climax approaching, he tried to push Angie's face back but she resisted. She held on tightly and continued using her mouth and tongue to bring on the climax she was waiting for. Cliff gave up and suddenly went rigid, his hips jammed against her face and his hands holding her head tightly against him. She felt the spurts of liquid hit the back of her throat and she swallowed as fast as she could.

When it was over, Angie was sitting on the edge of the bed, a huge smile on her face as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Cliff was standing in front of her, his legs bent at the knees, his face covered with a sheen of sweat and his eyes glazed. He finally collected himself and sat down beside her.

"Holy Shit! Where the hell did that come from? My God Angie, that was fantastic!"

"I'm glad you liked it. I just realized we haven't made love for a long time. I thought it was time we got back to it.

"You're right it has been some time. I should have mentioned it myself but I've been so busy. And it seems to me that you have been doing something different lately. You look different and you feel different. I mean that in a good way."

"Thank you for noticing. I've started working out. It makes me feel good and I have more energy."

Cliff sat down on the bed beside Angie and they began to kiss and touch each other like lovers once again. Before too long, Angie felt Cliff's cock come to life and this time she wasn't going to waste it on foreplay. She pushed Cliff back onto the bed, smiling at his surprise. As he lay back, she moved up to her knees, swung one leg over his hips straddling him. She rose up over his now engorged cock, took it in her hand and guided it into her waiting labia. She rubbed it a few times to wet the tip and then sat slowly down taking him inside. It felt gloriously tight and she had to stop to accommodate its size. She remembered how big Cliff was now: how had she ever forgotten that? She rose up, waited a breath and then lowered herself again. This time it slid fully inside without discomfort.

Cliff was amazed at the tightness and how wet Angie was. And she was riding him! This was a night for surprises but they were pleasant surprises. He felt her slide fully down taking his whole length inside her. He groaned in pleasure as she began to ride him, up and down, each stroke massaging his cock like a warm, wet glove. God! How had he not missed this? How could he have forgotten what she was like?

Angie was pleased with her night with Cliff. She had given him something to think about and it seemed to be working. All weekend he looked at her with renewed interest and they made love again that Sunday night, this time waiting till they were in bed together since Sophie was home. It was good and both were satisfied. Angie felt she was beginning to recover her marriage and get her husband back. Maybe this was all it took: taking pride in herself and pleasing her man. That was until almost a week later when she was again doing the laundry and found the same lipstick stains and the perfume on his white dress shirt and undershirt. She was furious! How in the world could he make love to his wife at home and then fuck around with some floozy from work?

Angie spent a few days checking up on Cliff as before. Again, he was with the same young woman and they were acting very close as they walked back to work together, the girl bumping her hips against his in a suggestive way. She decided they had some way of doing it during the day, probably in a locked office somewhere. So be it! Cliff would have to understand that there was a price to pay for cheating. She loved him still so she had to give him something that would get his attention.

Up to this point, our Angie has been very controlled and sure of herself. She made great progress in her quest to win back her husband, but now she was going to make some decisions that would be better off not made.