When God Closes a Door

On the day of my trial, Kimberly took off from work and came with me. I really appreciated the support. When my lawyer learned that Judge Parker would be the presiding judge, he convinced me to request a bench trial. That's where the judge rather than a jury makes the decision. My attorney explained that it would make the judge happy, and besides, Judge Parker hated cheaters.

The prosecutor presented three witnesses to the alleged assault. They told what they had seen and heard. My attorney cross-examined them, getting them all to admit that they hadn't seen the beginning of the fight, nor did they hear me threaten Jacob. They couldn't even state categorically that Mr. Sanders hadn't thrown the first punch. Then Jacob was called to the stand where he told his story. Naturally, Jacob went into great detail about what was called the unprovoked attack. Jacob was emphatic that he hadn't even thrown one punch and then listed the injuries he had sustained.

My attorney questioned him about his relationship with my wife. Jacob lied and said they were just friends. When asked about the child my wife was carrying, he told the judge that it was mine as far as he knew.

When Jacob got down from the stand, he smirked at me as he returned to his seat. I was the only witness my attorney called for my defense. And all he did was ask me to describe what had happened the day that led to the alleged assault and what I remembered of the incident. So, I explained how my wife had blindsided me that morning, telling me that she was divorcing me to marry my boss. I was especially devastated when my wife told me the child I thought was mine was, in reality, Jacob's. I explained that she had been the love of my life, but she had discarded me like a pair of old shoes. I told the judge that I remembered seeing Jacob by the door and him smirking at me. After that, I lied and said I didn't remember anything until I was at my desk throwing things into a box.

The prosecutor tried to trip me up about my recollections. He kept trying to go over the timeline. The truth was that I was in such a rage that morning that I had no idea about time. And the more he questioned me and tried to get me to commit to specific times and actions, the more it became obvious that I had no idea. Then he asked me if I really thought the court would believe that I, conveniently, didn't remember anything about the assault? I told him that I had a pounding headache on my way to work and saw flashes of light, which actually was true. I reiterated that all I remembered was Jacob smirking at me. Then he asked me if I knew for a fact that the child my wife was carrying was Jacob's. I responded that all I could tell him was what my wife had said. Carol was not in court as no one had bothered to subpoena her. My attorney told me that he felt my wife would be a wild card he didn't want to touch. I assume the prosecutor felt the same.

After I stepped down, the judge retired to his chambers to consider his verdict but was back in ten minutes.

"It's clear to me," Judge Parker said, "that Mr. Arnold was betrayed in a most cowardly and shameful manner. I believe that this shock to his nervous system rendered him badly impaired mentally. I believe Mr. Arnold was temporarily insane, and therefore I find him not guilty."

"That's outrageous!" Jacob roared from his seat, which brought Judge Parker's gavel down hard with a threat to have Jacob held in contempt. The sight of Jacob red-faced with anger pleased me. Jacob's victory over me had just taken a small hit. Still, I wanted revenge against him so badly. However, having just escaped a jail term, I would have to put any thoughts of revenge on hold for the foreseeable future. Besides, I had no idea how to strike back at either of them.

Outside the courtroom, Jacob was waiting for me. I toyed with the idea of trying to egg him into attacking me. But I wasn't sure how that would turn out, so I simply called a bailiff over. "I'm not supposed to be within five hundred feet of this man, but he is preventing me from leaving."

The bailiff looked at Jacob and told him to move along.

Jacob yelled back over his shoulder, "This isn't over! I'm going to sue you!"

That sort of concerned me, so I asked my lawyer, "Can he sue me?"

"Anyone can sue anyone else," he said with a smile. "But his case is weak. But if you really want to cut the legs out from under him, admit nothing but offer to pay his medical expenses that weren't covered by insurance. So, that's what I did in a letter addressed to his office. Jacob never responded, and he never filed suit.

The following night after my trial, it was now a little over nine weeks since Carol had laid the bombshell on me. While I was still seething with hatred, the win in court had lifted my spirits slightly, so I decided to take Kimberly out for dinner. I also had some exciting news I wanted to share with her.

At this point, let me disabuse any readers who think my story is going to follow the usual script. I've read a lot of similar stories about husbands who were betrayed like me. In those stories, it seems that the injured husbands all start up their own businesses. Then the cheated-on husband becomes fabulously wealthy, and his former wife realizes she made a huge mistake in dumping him. That was never going to happen to me. I am just a worker bee. I'm a good worker bee, but just a worker bee.

Kimberly and I had agreed to meet at a small Italian restaurant. She had to work a little later that night because all was not well in my former department. It wasn't anything serious; they were simply adjusting to my not being there. Anyway, when she came in, she looked wonderful. Kimberly was still heavy, but it was obvious that she had lost weight, and the dress she wore was very flattering.

I stood up and kissed her on the cheek. "Wow, you look wonderful. You've lost weight, haven't you?"

Kimberly beamed. "Yes, I've lost sixteen pounds."

"I'm sorry I didn't notice before now, but you wear those oversize sweatshirts and sweat pants. Anyway, like I said, you look wonderful."

The restaurant was small and intimate. It was exactly the kind of place that couples would choose for a date. But I didn't think of this as a date. It was just a meeting between two close friends.

"I asked you to have dinner with me tonight because I wanted to celebrate winning in court, and I have some news. I've found a job."

"That's wonderful," Kimberly beamed. "Who are you going to work for?"

"Sable Security out of Jacksonville, Florida," I responded.

"I didn't know they had an office here," Kimberly said with concern.

"They don't. I'm going to have to relocate to Jacksonville."

I was totally surprised when the light went out in Kimberly's eyes, and tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"I thought you'd be happy for me," I said, confused.

"I am happy that you found a job," Kimberly said as the tears continued to flow, "but you're going to be six hundred miles away."

"Kimberly, do you remember when you told me not to let my wife's betrayal consume me with hatred?"

She nodded.

"I now understand that the only way I can do that is to put some distance between Carol and me and let time do the rest."

"I understand," Kimberly said as she dabbed her eyes. "It's just that I'm going to miss you. I have really enjoyed having a friend."

"Hey, I'm only a phone call away," I said, trying to cheer her with no success.

I was truly surprised by Kimberly's reaction. Then it struck me that she probably didn't have many friends, so I offered another suggestion. "You could come down and visit if you like. I don't know what Jacksonville has to offer, but I'll find out."

"You'd really like me to come to visit?" she questioned.

"Of course," I said quickly. "Remember, I'm not going to have any friends down there either."

"When are you leaving?" Kimberly finally asked.

"I don't start for another forty-five days, but I've got a lot to get done before then. I've got to find someplace to live, open a new checking account in a bank there. I also have to go for a polygraph test, get fingerprinted, and take a drug test. I figure it's going to take at least two trips down there to get it all done."

The mood lightened somewhat after that, but I noticed that Kimberly didn't eat very much. I figured she was still a little upset. In fact, the closer it got to the time I was supposed to leave, I found Kimberly getting a little sadder each day. It seemed that she was hoping for something more between us. I have to confess that this confused me because I felt Kimberly could do so much better than me.

I spent my last night before heading to my new job in Kimberly's apartment. She made a delicious dinner topped off with a chocolate cake with the message, "I'll miss you" on top. After I helped her clean up, we watched television until it was time for bed. I gave her a peck on her lips before heading into the guest room.

Sometime during the night, I felt the bed shift slightly, and a body slid in next to me. I was still half asleep when I realized it was Kimberly and she was naked. I froze for a second as she reached down between my legs. But, by then, my cock was already iron hard. She stoked it through my boxers until I groaned with pleasure.

As quickly as I could, I kicked my underpants off and lifted my t-shirt over my head. When I turned to face Kimberly, she pressed against my body, and I felt her silky-smooth skin. Her soft breasts were pressed against my chest, and it all felt wonderful. I kissed her full on her lips, and she responded with a desperate passion. Her breathing came in gasps, and I knew she was close to an orgasm with me doing virtually nothing. When I began to messuage her breasts, it pushed her over the edge, and she arched back and groaned loudly.

I slipped two fingers into her slit and found Kimberly was already soaking wet. I stroked her vagina for a few minutes, and Kimberly climaxed once again. I slipped down and pushed my tongue in her vagina, which caused Kimberly to cum yet again. I attacked her clit for several minutes, with her breathing growing heavier and heavier. I could feel her insides begin to squirt as Kimberly screamed out, "OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! YESSSSSSSSSSSS!"

I rolled back up to her and kissed her gently.

"Please, I want you inside me," she begged.

"Kimberly, I don't have any rubbers with me," I tried to explain.

"It's not my fertile time," she said in a hushed voice. "Please, make love to me."

I debated for about half a second and then rose up between her spread legs. I took my cock and lined it up with her opening. Slowly, I slipped it in, but as I said, she was soaking wet, and my penis went right to the bottom without any resistance at all. Kimberly had a mini-climax by simply entering her. But as I began to slide in and out, she moaned louder and louder. Kimberly's insides were beginning to clamp down when I could hold back no longer. As I began to spray the walls of her vagina, she again screamed, "OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

When I was spent, I cuddled next to Kimberly, and she was sobbing. I was concerned that maybe I had hurt her or she was mad that I had taken advantage of her or something.

"What's wrong, Kimberly?" I asked in almost a panic. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, I'm just so happy," Kimberly said as she put her head on my chest. "I've had sex before with five or six men, but this is the first time I've ever made love. Thank you."

We lay there for several long minutes before Kimberly slid out of my bed. She took two steps toward the door and then came back to me. She leaned down and kissed me. "Will you sleep in my bed with me tonight?"

I was more than happy to oblige, if for no other reason than my bed was sopping wet. Besides, being in bed with Kimberly seemed a wonderful way to spend my last night in this city.

I woke up the next morning to Kimberly rubbing my cock. When it was fully erect, she mounted and rode me. I have never seen more pure pleasure and tenderness on a person's face than I saw on Kimberly's that morning. After that, we showered together, and it was there that I realized that Kimberly was about three-quarters of the way to being a stone-cold fox. She was already way out of my league, but I would treasure this night for the rest of my life.

After breakfast, I checked my car one last time to make sure I had everything. Then I turned to Kimberly and kissed her. She responded with perhaps to most passionate kiss I've ever received. Then, sadly, it was time for me to go.

As my car pulled away, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Kimberly sit down on the curb. She buried her head in her hands and sobbed. I desperately didn't want to leave her, but I knew this was for the best. I was still in love with Carol, and therefore, I was damaged goods. It was somewhat funny, though, because I no longer thought about revenge. I just had a profound sadness deep in my heart.

Jacksonville was an exciting city, but I didn't get to see much of it. I jumped into my new job with both feet. I worked long hours, not just to get caught up, but because it helped me forget about Carol. I kept in touch with Kimberly, and she always seemed so thrilled to hear from me and so sad when our phone call would end. It was from her that I heard the news that I dreaded. Carol and Jacob were married about a month after the divorce was final.

I also learned that Carol had a baby girl. For whatever reason, that news didn't bother me as much. Maybe I was beginning to get over the hurt and humiliation. It was true that I seldom had any sleepless nights anymore. I also rarely woke up in the morning depressed that Carol wasn't in bed beside me.

Kimberly came down and spent four days with me in March. Since we hadn't seen each other for some time, we were unsure about our relationship. We sort of danced around the issue of sex and didn't sleep together until the last two nights. It was almost as intense as that first time. Only this time, I had rubbers on hand. Maybe four dozen was a bit overly optimistic, but I did use six of them over those two nights.

About a year after that, I was told that I could hire an administrative assistant for my team. Sable Security was considerably larger than my old company. Whereas Zabba had one team that worked on cybersecurity issues, we had six. And in that year, I had advanced from just being part of one team to heading it.

As the decision was mine as to who to hire, I immediately called Kimberly. I had barely explained the job to her when she said that she wanted it. When I picked Kimberly up at the airport, she took my breath away. As I had predicted, she was gorgeous. I saw men's head snap around as she came out of the passenger area, but all she wanted to do was to get to me. She threw herself into my arms and kissed me with a passion that buckled my knees.

The plan was for Kimberly to stay with me until she found an apartment of her own. I figured that would only take about a week, but the search stretched out week after week. Each apartment she looked at had something wrong with it. I wasn't complaining because Kimberly and I were sharing the same bed. It's funny that over the year and a half that I'd been in Jacksonville, I had continued to think about Carol less and less. And when Kimberly arrived, I stopped thinking about her at all.

Still, I knew that Kimberly would eventually move out, and I was dreading that day. After five weeks, I asked Kimberly about her apartment situation, and she started to cry. I was totally dumbfounded. I knew that I had made her cry, but for the life of me, I didn't know why.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Do you want me to leave?" Kimberly asked timidly.

"Hell, no!" I said forcefully. "I'd love for you to stay permanently, but I know that one day you're going to want to leave. I just want some time to prepare. I'd ask you to marry me, but you are way too good for me."

"No, I'm not," Kimberly protested. "I've loved you almost from the day I started working at Zabba. I'd marry you in a heartbeat."

That changed everything for us. We went shopping for a ring that day and began planning our wedding. Even though I was terrified that Kimberly would eventually dump me for someone else, I was so in love with her that I had to take the chance.

Six months later, Kimberly and I were married. A year after that, Kimberly gave birth to a little boy we call Mikey, Jr. Eighteen months after that, we had a little girl named Charlotte. I had now risen in Sable to where I supervised all eight cybersecurity teams. Yes, we had added two more. Kimberly, on the other hand, had opted to be a stay-at-home mom.

It was close to Christmas, three years later, when I was called into a meeting. It was at this meeting that I learned that Sable was planning to acquire Zabba Security Software. I was to be part of a team that would conduct the due diligence before the acquisition could be finalized.

During the years that Kimberly and I had been married, Kimberly's mother had died, but my parents retired. They had moved to Jacksonville to be nearer to the grandchildren and me. With them as babysitters, I made plans to use the weeklong getaway as a mini-vacation. I would also use Kimberly's skills as an administrative assistant to help me do my investigation. That way, I could take Kimberly to work with me every day where she could see some of the people she had worked with, and we'd be able to slip away for long lunches together.

As the week in Nashville progressed, I learned four things. First, I learned that this facility was the only location where Zabba did its cybersecurity work. Second, Jacob had been installed as the Chief Operating Officer, and Carol was a Senior Project Manager. Third, that despite my animosity toward Jacob, I found that he ran a tight ship. I found that his entire operation, from my standpoint, was first-rate. And the last thing I learned was the Zabba was having their Christmas Party that Friday night, and I was expected to go.

Outside of the first introductions of our team to Jacob, I had no contact with him. Also, I never saw Carol during the entire week. However, that changed at the Christmas Party.

Zabba had rented a ballroom in the Hilton Doubletree in downtown Nashville. It was festively decorated with tables ringing the outside of the dance floor, and a five-member band had set up in one of the corners. They quietly played Christmas Carols, soft background music, and occasionally mixed in oldies. There was to be dancing after the dinner and speeches. Also, there was an open bar to everyone's delight. And it was gaining increased attention as more and more people arrived.

Jacob, Carol, and some of the senior officers from Zabba made a point of greeting the Sable team. I had not been looking forward to this. I didn't know how I would react to having to face Jacob and Carol together. However, my fears were for nothing.

Jacob, as I already knew, looked about the same, and Carol, while looking a tad older, still looked good. Strangely, I felt nothing when they came to greet us.

"Mike, I'm glad you could join us tonight," Jacob said nervously. "I hope our past differences won't interfere with the acquisition?"

"Not from me," I assured him. "That's ancient history."

"And who is this vision of loveliness?" Jacob smiled widely as he took Kimberly's hand.

"This is my lovely wife, Kimberly," I said as I kissed her cheek.

Jacob's smile evaporated as he looked at Kimberly and then me.

Kimberly smirked at Jacob. "Don't you remember me, Jacob? I was Michael's administrative assistant when he worked for Zabba. But I traded up to become Michael's wife. It was a huge promotion for me."

Jacob's eyes narrowed further, but he tried to put the smile back on. However, it didn't seem genuine. "Of course, it's been so long. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you."