Consequences - Erin Ch. 02

Additional Thoughts

I’m a little confused – I thought working with Addison on the lay-offs protected her, so why did she also have to submit to his harassment? For that matter, why not record and report him? LOL, I see she did just that!

Also, I’m no psychologist, but I don’t see how she can conflate love with her husband with sex demands from her boss. If anything, her husband’s love should be a refuge for her.

***

Came back as a reread. Same score.
Plots didn't align. Her actions played as if he was too dumb too understand / help or she was conceited enough that she wanted nothing from him. For a serious issue like this?

to sbrooks103

He probably did have an affair but, after all this shit, he's too damned smart to tell her about it. .... And if he did, it's her own fault for shutting him off and forgetting that she's married to him. She'd best hope that whoever it was isn't a better piece of ass and a keeper because THAT would be one hell of a consequence.

Psychobabble aside, I expected better

What was going through the characters' heads is a matter for the author. As a reader all we can take is what's given, and that is where I find the flaw in this one. From the first story when in the hotel and Paul called Erin after they went up in the elevator she was "out of breath..." Why, if the second story is to be taken at face value, would she be? In the first story it was what was used to make us believe that she was in the midst of sex...but wasn't even addressed in this retelling. It should have been. Given the circumstances there are several plausible explanations, the easiest of which (to match the tone of the retelling) would be that Erin was coming down from an adrenaline rush we all get when confronted with something that is as potentially life changing (and possibly dangerous) and it works as planned. But that's a leap that the reader shouldn't have to make. If the story is being offered up as an explanation then it needs to address all of the potentials and close all of the open doors.

I found this offering unfulfilling. I thought there was potential but I think that it was intended to be a shorter tale and to make it more fulfilling for me it would have had to be a sight longer. What was offered, minor typos aside, I felt was well written and is one of the reasons I read this author. They are generally pretty consistent and spin a good yarn, even if I don't always agree with the thinking and action of the characters therein.

The only consequences for her that I see here

is that now she has to make sure she brings him a nice cream pie every time she gets fucked by someone else. I'm sure that heavy burden will make her regret what she did. Wow, sucks to be a man in one of these stories.

This doesn't work

She let the guy use her as a masturbation tool and didn't report him, didn't tell her husband, and not once considered quitting (until faced with divorce) . She then taped more than enough evidence in the room to turn the guy in, but then continued to dinner in a LBD and kissed him at the elevator. Why allow the kiss? She, by then, had TWO taped confessions that he knew nothing about. She could have told him to pound sand at that point.

Sorry, but this is simply a retcon attempt that failed. Too many deus ex saves were introduced to allow a happy ending. The sad thing is that it could have easily been resolved by simply having the entire thing being an undercover sting by the company. It wouldn't have excused her keeping it secret from her husband, but it would have made more sense than her playing Nancy Drew.

Why do all stories try to convert working women into baby manufacturing housewives... Rarely I see a realistic sorry

Double standards

Reading the comments I'm amazed at the double standards MALES/HUSBANDS have (me included). Do we MEN want our wives dependent on us for everything and when SHE shows independence to take care of her work problem - we MEN ASSume the erroneous - in this story it is so. And this story is more the rule of how we HUSBANDS think than the exception - all due to our John Wayne USA culture.

Now WOMEN/WIVES don't mount your high horse to fast. Her FAULT was in the duration (+6mo) of time and not considering how it will affected her husband. We HUSBANDS are not totally obtuse - we know, we feel, we fear.
She had a problem and she wanted to solve her problem but when it drags out for many months it is time to clue your husband into the problem - remember the word 'trust'. We MEN might have some ideas (beyond beating the crap out of her boss) on how-to get to a quick resolution and still keep her in-charge and in-control of her work life......

Her mistake is in resigning - she earned the promotion and needs to take it. If they want motherhood then decide the future on that factor but not to appease her husband, which all the wrong reasons in having a child.

I think you are very very wrong

I believe your rambling misses the point. A true loving spouse would have informed their partner of the inappropriate behavior by the boss. There is no double standard. If she had communicated with her husband, then as partners they could have worked together to find a solution. He is a successful executive in this story and thereby no stranger to these types of situations. She did not, she kept it a secret, allowed another man to masturbate on her body and said nothing. She allowed what was happening to affect her and her marriage. She behaved selfishly and stupidly.
Put it this way,
If I was at a party and some woman behaved inappropriately towards me, flirting and touching and so forth. Then keeping it a secret would tacitly be accepting the behavior. I would be wrong to do so. This will only embolden the woman until a true problem occurs. It is my duty as a loving husband to inform my wife and let her decide how serious it is. Then we work on a solution together.

This a well written story about how sexual harassment can escalate if left unchecked, which many women allow, out of embarrassment or in this case pride and greed.