You Got to Know When to Hold 'Em

From the time Jack flew home, his phone and email had been bombarded with messages from Jenny, which he ignored, but didn't delete. Initially, Jenny sent a message every hour and, although that rate had decreased, still sent at least one message per day.

He considered changing his number, but all his clients had that number, and changing would affect his business dealings. He could block her, but didn't. Jack told himself that allowing her access would continue to give her hope, and since there was none, punishment would continue.

Cheryl and Diane were so excited to have Jack back in their lives, that they had him stay with them, until he got settled. By mid-September, he had rented an apartment, and was working from the Durham office. The daily calls and texts from Jenny continued, but he wouldn't review them.

The three friends continued their sexual escapades, with Jack getting his ashes hauled two or three times a week. The low frequency was due to two reasons. First, Jack needed to work long hours to establish himself in the new area. Second, it was soccer season and, since the girls were on athletic scholarships, they had to maintain their studies, in addition to soccer practice every day, and playing home and away games.

Jack was only five years older than the girls, youth allowed them to find time for pleasure. There was something missing though, the sex was phenomenal but there was only mild intimacy. He missed Jenny, but was still too angry at what she had done to consider any other direction other than one that led him away from her.

The trio continued their fast-paced relationship, with Cheryl being the primary girlfriend, and Diane enjoying a threesome with them irregularly, right up to the Holiday season. Thanksgiving and the Christmas break served to shorten Jack's time with the girls, because Cheryl flew home to Indiana and Diane headed back to Texas.

Jack also left Durham. He drove home to be with his family on Thanksgiving. His mother kept pushing Jack to talk to Jenny. Although he was civil to his mom, he did threaten to cut his Christmas visit short unless she backed off. Even then, she tried to press him further, because of her promise to Jenny. However, when he informed her that he believed Jenny had sex with Howard, his mom said no more on the subject.

Jack had the loneliest holiday season of his life and, although he was unaware, it was also Jenny's worst ever. She knew that Jack had visited home, and that his mother had unsuccessfully attempted to intercede on her behalf.

Christmas Day was the lowest point in Jenny's holiday season. She and Jack should have been snuggled together, sharing their first Christmas Day as husband and wife. Instead they were apart, and she berated herself because she recognized that the fault was entirely her own.

Monday, with the holidays over, Jack expected to hear from Cheryl. He thought that she would let him know when she returned to campus, ready to commence her final semester. When Tuesday passed with no communication, Jack was concerned, so he sent a text, "Delayed getting back?"

The reply lacked her usual warmth, "No delay, back now. Diane is out, can you come over, we need to talk."

"Shit," Jack said out loud to himself, "Something must have happened over break. Oh well, I knew it wasn't going to last forever."

He sent an answer, "Sure," then headed directly over.

When Jack knocked, announcing his arrival, Cheryl didn't rush to the door and smother him with kisses as she may have only weeks before. Jack didn't show any surprise as she handed him a beer and invited a sit-down chat.

"Ok Cheryl, let's get it over with. The chill in here says it all. You're ditching me, right?" he asked.

"Sorry that I didn't text you for the last two days, I just couldn't bring myself to do it," she apologized.

"You mean end it," he said.

"Yes. We both knew that our thing wasn't a 'forever' type of bond. We both had a lonely need, and our time together was great, wasn't it?" she began.

"Yeah, you got me through a rough spot. You and Diane," he said.

"Part of the reason for this talk, is that you are not all the way through it," she stated, hinting at more to come.

"And another part is that you met someone, I'm guessing," said Jack, trying to beat her to the punch.

"In a way, I guess, but I want you to hear the whole story. It has a bearing on you as well. Will you let me say my piece, before jumping in?" she asked.

"Sure, ba... er, Cheryl. Guess I'll be working on losing the 'baby' and calling you by your name," he said, a bit dejectedly.

"Jack, it would have been great if we'd met in different circumstances, and fallen in love, but that's not what happened. I need to fess up to a lie. I've been hiding the truth from myself and everyone else, you included. Do you remember my personal situation when we first met?"

"Sure, your boyfriend cheated on you and you ditched him," he recalled.

"Not exactly. The truth I've been made to face over the holiday break is... I messed that up. Ron Bailey and I had been going strong after we met here, at school in our sophomore year. We were supposed to go out one Friday, in the late spring of last year, but I got invited to a party hosted by Derek Winegrass.

"I don't suppose you know who that is, but the short version is: he's very handsome, star of the rugby team, and his family is very, very rich. Looking back, I am disgusted to admit that I was enamored with the notion that Mr. Big Shot had noticed me, and invited me to a shindig that he was throwing.

"Whoever is lucky enough to be Derek's girlfriend is bathed in luxury, and she moves up society's ladder several rungs. A typical weekend with him would involve getting picked up by a driver, then taken to the airport to meet Derek. Then he and his girl jump in the family's private jet and get whisked away to Aspen for a weekend of skiing.

"I'm ashamed to admit that I suddenly wanted to be that girl. I'd heard that the last Mrs. Winegrass wantabee got ditched for cheating. So, I lied to Ron, made up some crap about something coming up, broke our date and went to the party.

"I discovered later in the evening, that the reason that I had been invited was not to hook up with Derek at all, instead I was there for his buddy Danny. I already knew the guy and didn't particularly like him. Most likely I wouldn't have dated him even if I was a free agent. Plus, I had already made a fool of myself getting touchy with Derek, who at one point, left me standing and walked off with another girl.

"The next day, Saturday, I literally tried to avoid everybody I knew, except Diane who knew everything. After sulking around the entire day, I decided to find Ron and make up for my deception by fucking his brains out. He wasn't answering calls or texts, so I went looking, but without success. I decided to go home and get some sympathy from Diane. She always forgives me," she sighed.

"Diane IS about the best friend, ever," Jack agreed.

Cheryl continued, "Yes, she is.

"Anyway, the next morning, I had set my alarm, wanting to get up early and go over to cuddle with Ron. I used my key, walked in and put on some coffee for us. I heard some noises coming from his bedroom, some sounded female, so I went to see what was going down.

"Susie Bender was naked and riding cowgirl style on top of him. When I came through the door, she turned to me and said, 'You fucked up, he's mine now.'

"I screamed at the both of them, about how they could go to hell or something like that, and stormed out. He tried to contact me later, for several days after in fact, but I ignored him, because I didn't want to hear his excuses.

"She had made it known that she had the hots for him, and always seemed to be lurking around him, waiting for me to fuck up, I suppose. I figured that I had all of the facts that I needed, so I thought, 'Let him have the fucking bitch.'

"That was in May, last year. The school year finished shortly after that, so any chance of bumping into Ron, and allowing him to explain, was minimal. Then you and I hooked up at the beach. It was great and exactly what I thought I needed, as was you moving here.

"During the holiday break, Diane called to tell me that she'd discovered Susie had set up that whole scene at Ron's apartment. A few unflattering photos of me, at Derek's party, hit Facebook and Susie couldn't wait to expose my lies to Ron. She persuaded him to go out, got him drunk, took him home, and 'looked after' him.

"Diane found out, through friends at school, that Susie was very pleased with breaking us up. She bragged to everyone about how she'd 'done Cheryl's cheating ass in'. As I understand the story, as soon as she got him home, she stripped him, got naked herself, and crawled into bed.

"She half expected me to come over that morning, since she'd prevented Ron and me from communicating by deleting my calls from his phone and keeping it switched off. Her plan worked great, because I didn't stay to ask a single question. Looking back, I realize that Ron still seemed to be out of it. I don't think he said a word, but he was naked with her, and that's all I saw. I found out later that Ron transferred to Penn State to finish college. He did it to get away from me. He didn't feel guilty, other than for getting drunk, because his girlfriend, his love, told lies to be with another man.

"I called him four days before Christmas to apologize. He was gracious, but he was also aware of some of my activities with you since the breakup. I suspected that he despised me for what I'd done. I deserved his contempt, I'd earned it.

"Christmas Day lost a lot of luster for me, until seven in the evening, when there was a knock at the door. It was Ron. He stood there and apologized for only having a teddy bear as a gift, then asked me if I would like to start over.

"I cried for two hours, while I hugged him and reintroduced him to my family. So, Jack, I'm sorry, but Ron and I are back together, and we don't share," she finished, unnecessarily making a point that Jack already knew.

"I am very happy for you," he said, with some sadness, as his surrogate for loneliness had given her notice.

"Jack, it was great. For each of us, at the time it was SO great. But you don't love me, and I don't love you. You, my dear friend, are still in love with Jenny," she said, smiling like she knew more than she let on.

"Alright, you're right. I haven't been able to shake her off," he said.

"Listen up, she never fucked that guy. She didn't suck his cock. What little groping that guy got away with wasn't gained voluntarily. She knows that you were right, that she was wrong, and she is still desperate to get the chance to tell you the truth, how sorry she is, and that she would never hurt you again," Cheryl said.

"You've been talking to her, haven't you?" he stated, more than asked.

"Yes, I have. Right after Ron and I made up, I thought about the fact that I was going to have to let you go. But I also realized how much my fuck up snowballed and decided to get in touch with Jenny. It wasn't as hard as you might think, because I had already 'borrowed' your phone one night and copied her number, just in case, sorry.

"She told me practically the same story as you, except that she really did believe, or wanted to believe, that guy's bullshit. I understand her. I WAS her, because I also allowed the allure of a wealthy, luxurious lifestyle to seduce me, and I'm damned lucky to have been forgiven.

"Truth or Dare, I'll pick for you, you pick truth. Tell me if you could go back to the way it was before you went to the islands, would you?" she asked.

"Truth," she demanded.

"Yes, I would go back, but..." he said, but was interrupted.

"But nothing. She wants you back more than anything. Give me your phone," she said and he handed it over.

Cheryl, opened his voice mail, finding dozens of messages from Jenny which she started to play. All of them were essentially the same, how badly she wanted Jack back, how sorry she was, that she never had sex with Howard, and that she would never do something so stupid again.

Jack started tearing up. Cheryl saw that she was getting to him, but she was determined to drive her point home, "I've seen a lot of girls trying to reconnect after a breakup. Some can lie their ass off, some fake it really well, and some are honest to a fault. This one loves you with all her heart. She knows that she fucked up, and she would do anything to make it right. Give her that chance.

"Hey, you've been screwing a couple other women pretty regularly and Jenny knows it. Still, she is willing to put that aside, because her own stubborn act caused you to carry out your threat. Forgive her. You belong together. There will never be another woman love you like that, NEVER," Cheryl finished and handed Jack his phone.

"I don't know how to begin," he said, his fearsome masculine side diminished.

"Here's what you are going to do: text her that you are coming home Friday night and want to talk to her... Hey, get with it, you're not texting yet," she growled like a drill sergeant.

Jack snapped out of it and sent the simple text. Relief washed over him and the two former lovers, now friends hugged each other and wept. Cheryl zipped off a text to tell Diane the good news, receiving a typical Diane-type of response, "'Bout fuckin' time."

Jack was in a good mood all day Wednesday. He was going to get his love back and get his life back.

Thursday, after work, there was a familiar car parked in front of his apartment. As he got out of his Camaro, a door on that car was flung open and Jenny came running as fast as she could. She hugged him tightly and begged him to tell her that he loved her.

Emotions were soaring high for them both. Tears flowed freely. Words were difficult for them to say, but the meaning was clear. Jack brought Jenny inside his apartment, so they would able to make up, in private.

"Jack, before this goes any further, I need to make a confession. I'm terrified that what I'm going to tell you will cause you to reject me, but I can't have you wondering forever what happened that night," she sobbed, struggling to get it out.

"You don't have to tell..." Jack started, but his reply was cut off.

"Yes... I... do. I am so ashamed of myself. I allowed the lure of fame and fortune to tempt me into doing something that, down deep I knew was wrong. It's hard to explain why I didn't snap out of it when you gave me your ultimatum. I know you're a man of your word, and that alone should have made me stop and think.

"Jenny...," he said, trying to ease her suffering.

She placed a finger on his lips, and said, "Please let me finish. I've been rehearsing for months, deciding exactly what to say, if I ever got the chance."

Jack nodded, indicating that he was willing to listen.

"It WAS a date. I am so sorry. I had misgivings before I went, and you were right that I would feel obligated. But I went anyway, using any flimsy excuse to support the lie that I wasn't cheating on you. I wanted to believe the lie, I needed to believe it, otherwise, I would've had to admit that I was doing an awful thing to the man I loved.

"I tried to hide the new clothes, because I was ashamed to have you see me dressed like a slut. That should have told me I was in the wrong, but it didn't. When you flipped me off and called me a slut, I should have taken another look in the mirror, but I got angry instead.

"When we got to the club, it all seemed so wonderful, at first. I kept telling myself that you were wrong, that this was going to be an elegant evening, and nothing else. But soon, I started to realize that I had been deluding myself. I constantly had to keep my breasts from showing and prevent the slit in the dress from revealing my ass.

"During dinner I was mostly able to keep covered, and no one got to see more than they would if I were at the beach. But when we went for cocktails and dancing it was impossible not to show more skin.

"Howard danced with me first, and in the beginning he behaved. After he'd had a few drinks, though, his hands were everywhere. Baby, I tried to stop him without causing a scene, but he put his hands on my ass, and he got a good look at my tits.

"Then Howard went into 'sales mode,' trying to make his clients happy. He distracted the NFL player's wife with a dance so that the husband was free to ask me. He was an all-pro receiver, and his hands seemed to be everywhere. Then Howard ran interference for the Hollywood star, and it was his turn for a grope, disguised as dancing. I should have called them out, right there on the floor, but I didn't. Instead, I spent a lot of time in the lady's room.

"Too late, I realized that Howard had brought me to be a plaything for his clients. He probably was hoping that I would have sex with them, and he must have been disappointed with my lack of cooperation on the dance floor.

"Finally, the evening was over, but you were right again. Howard had booked a limo to take us back. He'd obviously planned to seduce me on the way home. He'd been trying to get me drunk all night, but I'd been secretly ditching most of my drinks. Without my consent, he ordered the driver to take us to his villa. He cornered me in the back seat, and was all over me, trying to kiss and grope me.

"Baby, this is the hardest part to confess: Throughout the night, I wrestled with what I thought that I owed Howard. I actually considered if I should allow him some liberties. Then as we arrived at the villa, he reached through the slit in the dress and tried to slip his fingers into my pussy. That was the last straw, and I screamed at him. The car had stopped, so I jumped out, and ran back to the bungalow, back to you, but you were gone.

"I'm completely disgusted with myself, for even considering allowing Howard any kind of sexual reward. That I immediately rejected granting him any such favor, doesn't reduce the enormous shame I feel, for giving the idea even a few seconds of contemplation.

"I beg your forgiveness. I am so sorry that I did this to us. That's the entire truth of what happened that night.

"When I discovered that you'd taken back my ring, I realized that you probably saw me take it off. I can't fathom the hurt that caused, but it did explain why you flipped me off as you left that night.

"I need you to understand why I took it off. It wasn't for the purpose of wanting to be a single, unattached woman for one more night. As I started applying my makeup, it would sparkle and catch my eye, reminding me of you, and your threats. Selfishly, I removed it to save myself from being reminded all night, that you were with another woman," she said, having finished her accounting of that night.

Jack stood there stunned. Her confession had rendered him speechless. He was silent for so long, that Jenny turned and left the apartment, heading to her car. She thought that, instead of healing the rift between them, she'd hurt Jack even more, and that now she'd lost him forever.

As Jenny reached her car, she looked back to the apartment. Jack was standing in the doorway. She said, "Thank you for allowing me to say what I needed to say. I'll leave you alone now. I love you, and always will. I'm so sorry that I couldn't have been a better person."

She then opened the car door, but before she was able to get in, Jack choked out, "I can't make it without you. I love you and I need you. Please don't go."

"Jack, do you mean it?" she said and one more time ran to his arms.

"Baby, please say that you forgive me and that I am once again your love," she pleaded.

"You are forgiven, and please forgive me for Cheryl and Diane. I was only trying to ease the hurt in my heart, but I never stopped loving you," he told her.