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Between the Pages of Adultery Ch. 01

By: laptopwriter



Once again, my thanks goes out to Moster1 for his help. He always makes my stories better.

As usual, I'm always interested in your comments so please, don't be shy. I hope you enjoy the read. Chapter 1 or 3. 

*

Chapter One

Laura reached up with both hands and interlocked her fingers behind her golden hair. I have it made, she thought as she leaned back in her leather chair. The corners of her mouth turned upward in a broad smile as she felt the material of her blouse pull up and rub against her thinly clad nipples. 

Just a couple months prior she would have been wearing a plain white cotton bra and probably wouldn't have felt a thing through the thicker material, but the new Laura was a much more sensual creature...sensual and sensuous, at least that's how she felt. 

The new Laura wore an ultra-thin, satin and lace bra that allowed the slightest touch to tease and tantalize her sensitive, little pink cherries. She closed her eyes and envisioned her next "appointment" with Brad Griffin, her company's largest client. She felt that familiar tingling sensation between her legs; it was the same little erotic thrill she always felt whenever she thought of him. 

Laura opened her eyes to make sure her office door was completely close before hiking her short skirt up to her waist. She raised her right leg and rested her foot on the corner of her desk for better access. With her left hand, she reached down and pulled her lace panties to the side. God, she couldn't believe it as she touched herself with the middle finger of her right hand, she was already wet.

Again she closed her eyes and fantasized about being with him as she lightly glided her finger up and down her wanton slit. Her lips pursed tightly, her tongue was dry. Steadily she picked up the pace. Her breathing quickened. "Oh yes," she moaned under her breath. Instinctively, her hips bucked upward in an effort to assist the long, slender finger that penetrated the warm confines of her womanhood. 

If she could just let it out, scream and rejoice in her ecstasy but her secretary sat just on the other side of her door. Just like yesterday and the day before, and the day before that, her pleasure would have to be subdued. God, it was so frustrating. 

In her dream-like state, she could feel his presence. He watched her with an evil smile. She could feel the wickedness of his touch as she pulled her love juice up, smearing it over her clit. 

Faster she rubbed the sensitive little button, back and forth, in circles, faster and faster until she could hold back no longer. Her chair rolled back on the carpeted floor as her body convulsed upward pulling her foot from on top of the desk. "Ahhh-ohhh-ummmm," she whimpered trying desperately to suppress her cries of euphoric mischief.

Still breathing heavily, she slumped back into her chair. Laura finally opened her eyes and glanced around making sure she was still alone. A small, devilish grin materialized on her pretty face.

The now appeased woman stood and took a deep breath as she pulled her skirt back down and straightened it out with her hands.

"I really need to get some work done," she mumbled to herself while wiping her fingers with a tissue.

As she sat back down at her desk; however, she found herself still daydreaming. Hmmmm, she thought, maybe some new lingerie; something really unscrupulous, like...like a bra with holes cut out for my nipples and some crotchless panties. I wonder if he'd like something like that? Ha, she chuckled to herself, of course he would, he's a man.

Briefly she pictured her handsome lover licking and biting her nipples as they stuck through the flimsy fabric. Laura looked at her desk clock, it was a little after four in the afternoon. Screw it, she told herself, I've done enough work for the day, I'm going to take off a little early and hit the mall on the way home. 

Anticipating she may be at the mall a while, Laura called her daughter.

"Hi Ashley, it's mom."

"Hi Mom, guess what, I got an 'A' on my history test."

"Oh Ashley, that's wonderful. Keep up the good work, young lady. I know you want a car when you turn sixteen next year; if you keep getting grades like that I don't see how your father can refuse," Laura said encouraging her only daughter. 

"Really Mom, you really think dad will buy me car?" 

"Well you keep your grades up and we'll work on him together. We both know he can't refuse the two of us when we gang up on him," she told Ashley with a chuckle. "Listen honey, I have to go to the mall and do some shopping on the way home, so will you be a dear and start dinner. Everything's in the fridge on the top shelve."

"Sure mom," Ashley replied still excited over the possibility of getting a car. "Are you buying dad's birthday present?"

Her daughter's innocent question caught her by surprise. Shit, she thought, I forgot all about Harrison's birthday. On the other hand, it's the perfect excuse for stopping at the mall.

"Yes honey, but don't tell dad."

"Oh I won't, mom. Ah, could you do me a favor and put my name on it too. I kind of blew through my allowance this week," she admitted sheepishly. 

"Yes honey, I'll put your name on it too; any suggestions?"

"Not really, mom. You've known him longer than I have," she joked.

"All right, young lady, just keep the wisecracks to yourself. I'll find something nice, don't worry." 

Damn, thought Laura after saying goodbye, I'm glad she mentioned it or I would have forgotten all about my loving hubby's birthday.

Laura stood undecided in the middle of the expansive aisle while hordes of people hustled by her on all sides. Decisions, decisions, she thought with Victoria's Secret on one side and Frederick's Of Hollywood on the other. Victoria's has better quality lingerie, but Frederick's stuff is sluttier. Since I'm probably not going to be wearing it more than once or twice, she reasoned, cheap and slutty it is.

An hour later, tickled with her purchase, Laura almost forgot again about her husband's birthday. Only as she passed the bookstore did she recollect her daughter's plea for the shared gift. Damn, get your head out of the clouds, she scolded herself silently as she turned and walked through the doorway. 

Now, let's see, she wondered, what would he like? She roamed aimlessly around the store glancing at titles and book covers. Her husband had a wide range of interests, everything from non-fiction to science-fiction, from history to fantasy. 

Laura's eyes scanned bookshelf after bookshelf looking for the perfect gift when a title jumped out at her, "'A' is for Adultery." 

Adultery, she silently repeated. She never realized before what a crude word it was. Almost immediately the word seemed to take on an evil connotation. A small chill went up her spine as her mind pulled up images of dirty motel rooms and illicit sex. Why couldn't they have named it, "'A' is for Affair," that sounds so much better, not so harsh. 

Laura couldn't help herself; she took the front copy from the shelf and started thumbing through it. Stopping at the table of contents, she skimmed over the different chapters.

1.)The difference between men and women. 

2.)Women's two needs; emotional, and sexual.

3.)The subtleties of discontent.

4.)The, "maybe," trap.

She read the subtitles of all twelve chapters but it was the last one that almost knocked the wind out of her...

12.) Can you salvage your marriage?

Almost as if it had been a snake that bit her, Laura quickly returned the book to the shelf, grabbed one she saw earlier that she thought her husband might enjoy, and headed for the checkout counter.

"Will this be all, ma'am?" asked the little clerk behind the desk. Laura wondered if she was even twenty years old.

"Yeah," she replied digging in her purse for the cash. What do they mean, 'can I salvage my marriage?' My marriage isn't in trouble she told herself, rejecting the very concept while still rummaging through her purse. 

Suddenly her hand stopped, she looked back up at the pretty cashier. "No, wait," she said almost frantically. "I'll be right back." Laura left the other book on the counter and almost ran to claim a copy of the troublesome hardcover for herself. 

Does she know? Laura wondered as she set the book on the counter next to the other one. She watched the young woman for any hint of disapproval or judgment as the cashier put both books into a bag and rang up the transaction. She'd have to get wrapping paper later, she thought, at that moment she just needed to get out of there. 

Chapter twelve felt like a weight pressing on her shoulders as she hurried to the car. Damn it, thought Laura while navigating the streets that led home, I don't really think my marriage is in jeopardy. Millions of people have a little fling now and then; they get away with it. Harrison suspects nothing, he'll never find out unless I tell him and I'm not about to do that. 

Still...she couldn't get her mind off the subject, I really do want to read that book, but when? I can't very well read it at home and I'm too busy to do it at work. I'll...I'll have to limit myself to lunch hours, she told herself. 

Harrison and Ashley were already seated at the kitchen table when she walked in.

"Hey honey," spoke a smiling Harrison, "you're just in time. Everything's still hot."

Laura grabbed her dish from the table and started loading it up. "Everything looks delicious, Ashley. Thank you so much. You're getting to be quite a cook," she said bending down and kissing the top of her daughter's head on her way to her seat.

"Thanks mom."

Even though he knew he'd never get it out of her, Harrison was going to have fun teasing his wife and trying get her to spill the beans. "So, what'd you buy at the mall, huh; some sexy lingerie maybe, for your dashing husband's birthday?" 

Suddenly it seemed she was drowning in a sea of guilt and disgrace. Yes, she had bought sexy lingerie, but not for her husband! Desperately she tried to mask her shame. "Wouldn't you like to know," she replied with a forced chuckle. 

All night she tried to act normal and evidently succeeded because neither her daughter nor husband implied they'd sensed anything wrong. That night Harrison climbed into bed but made no overture toward making love. Laura was relieved. She didn't think she could, she was too upset. That twelfth chapter kept haunting her thoughts. What if he did find out, would he forgive me? She worried. She tried closing her eyes but it was no use. Her mind was a whirlwind of, 'what if's.' 

The next morning wasn't much different. All she could think of was how her little tryst could affect her marriage. As she pulled into work she grabbed the book from under the driver's seat of her car. It was still wrapped in the plastic bag from the bookstore. Originally she was going to leave it in the car and only read it on her lunch hour but maybe she'd get a break during the day.

"Good morning, Laura," greeted her middle aged secretary. 

"Good morning, Cathy. Oh, Cathy," she replied as a second thought. "Do me a favor and screen my calls today, would you. I've got a busy day today and I don't want to be bothered unless it's something important, okay?"

"No problem," Cathy countered. At the same time she wondered what it was that would keep her boss so busy, she made up the itinerary, and as far as she knew, there wasn't that much on the agenda. 

Laura removed the hard bound copy from the bag and laid it on her desk before removing her suit jacket and hanging it on the back of her chair. She stared at the foreboding publication. It was written by a well know psychologist who specialized in marital relationships. She recognized his name when she saw it in the store. He had been on TV talk shows and even on PBS. She was sure he knew what he was talking about. 

As much as she wanted to jump ahead to chapter twelve and learn how to save her marriage, Laura decided to start at the beginning. She opened it and stared at the first page, "The Difference between Men and Women," loomed at the top. She forced a nervous chuckle, hell even I know that, she thought unconsciously trying to lighten her mood. Just then Cathy knocked on her door.

"Laura here's your coffee," she said merrily walking in like she did every day. Laura quickly opened the middle drawer of her desk and tossed the hardcover inside.

"Thank you, Cathy," she said taking the cup with a phony smile. Inwardly all she wanted was for her secretary to disappear so she could get started reading.

"Don't forget you have an appointment with Brad Griffin tomorrow. I thought I'd remind you today because I know you always like to dress a little sexy when you see him," she said with a wink.

Suddenly Laura's whole body seemed to break out in a cold sweat. If Cathy noticed was it possible her husband also noticed? Did Cathy know? Laura didn't know what to say. Should she admit to dressing sexy for him, or should she deny it? Before she could speak, Cathy let her off the hook.

"I know...a little innocent flirting never hurt anybody, especially when it comes to keeping our biggest client happy, huh. I don't blame you one bit. If I looked like you I'd flirt with every guy who came into this place," she said walking out of the office.

Laura's hand was actually shaking as she took her first sip of machine coffee for the day. She anxiously pulled the book from the drawer and opened it again to the first page. 

She was already well into the third chapter when a knock on the door broke her concentration.

"Laura I'm going to lunch, do you want me to bring you back something?"

She glanced at the clock, it was twelve-thirty. She was staggered. Where the hell had the time gone? She hadn't even looked at anything work-related all day.

"No thanks, Cathy, I'll grab something from the cafeteria," she answered. Laura waited to make sure her secretary left then lower her eyes again to the ominous text.

Almost every word she read so far seemed as though the author had written it just for her. Each chapter was an education, an insight into her own psyche. How was it possible that a man she'd never met could know her so well. He appeared to be familiar with her inner most thoughts and fears. She pondered over the various reasons why men and women have extramarital affairs and identified with several of them.

Yes, she was learning a lot about herself but she was still anxious to discover this wise man's secret to saving her marriage. Within moments of her secretary's departure, Laura had forgotten all about her stomach and delved back down into the depths of her soul as it was transcribed within the pages before her.

"That must be some book," said Cathy startling her boss. "You've hardly poked your nose out of it all day. Did you ever get anything to eat?"

Laura should have known she couldn't hide it from her secretary. She knew everything that went on in the office. Laura put another forced grin on her face before speaking. "Yeah, it's very good," she said still not showing Cathy the cover. "It's a psychology book. It's never a bad thing to learn more about what makes people tick," she explained. 

"Well I just wanted to let you know I'm heading home; see you tomorrow," Cathy cheerily declared walking out the door.

Again Laura looked at the clock. It was a quarter past five and she hadn't done one lick of work all day. She felt guilty but still considered it time well spent. 

That night at home, Laura was upbeat. She'd learned a lot about why people turn to infidelity when other things in their life seemed to be missing. She had only two more chapters to read the next day. She would be done before noon. By that time she would also know how to make sure her husband never found out about her little mistake.

When she and Harrison went to bed that night Laura wasn't horny, but she felt she had to reaffirm her love for her husband. Even if he never found out about her dalliance with Brad, she'd always know. She needed to make love to him for her sake. 

"Ummm, someone's hormones are raging tonight," he whispered with a grin.

"It's those he-man pheromones radiating from your body," she replied matching his biological reference with one of her own.

Laura loved running her fingers through his chest hair. She could feel the toned muscles lying beneath the curly strands. She reminded herself just how lucky she was to have such a man in her life. Slowly she let her hand drift southward where she discovered another patch of curly hair, only this one had a hard cock rising from it.

"Oooo, it looks like pheromones aren't the only thing radiating from your body," she chuckled. 

He moaned in exquisite, hedonistic pleasure as she gently wrapped her fingers around his stiff shaft. With her full lips and agile tongue, Laura worked her way down to her target. She licked, slurped, twirled, and bobbed up and down until he thought his skin would rip apart. 

When Laura knew the time was right, she scooted into position and mounted her hunky husband with a moan of her own. She leaned forward, resting her hands on his masculine chest and rocked back and forth. She could feel her vaginal walls gripping him, devouring his love. Together they moved in unison, their tangled bodies wet with sweat. 

Laura threw her head back, pounding on her stallion's chest as every nerve in her body raced to ecstasy. She could feel his hands around her waist, encouraging every thrust. 

"Oooooo GOD!" she screamed as her body shuddered with euphoria. Almost by instinct, she knew Harrison was coming as well. She could hear his guttural groan as her body took her higher into conjugal bliss.

With a mighty exhale she collapsed on her husband's heaving pecks. She felt his arm encompass her as they lay struggling to regain some respiratory rhythm.

Harrison chuckled from sheer exhaustion as he wrapped his partner up in both arms and held her close. "God, I love you so much," he told her. "What would I ever do without you?"

His words pierced her heart as if they were arrows. She wiped a tear from her eye as she prayed he'd never have to find out. Luckily his eyes were closed so he didn't see it. She looked at the only man she ever loved and wondered how she could have been so stupid. 

The next day Laura couldn't wait to get back to her book. She didn't even bother to hide it when Cathy came in with her coffee.

"Back to the book? It must be good. Can I read it when you're done?"

Laura looked up. "Well I think it's promised to someone else, next, but maybe after that." 

Cathy noticed her boss' conservative business suit and wondered if she'd forgotten about her appointment. "You haven't forgotten about Brad, have you?"

Laura had forgotten about him...all about him. She had no intention of keeping their "meeting," but she didn't want to waste time explaining it to Cathy, for the moment. She'd simply call him a little later and tell him herself, but for right now, all she wanted to do was finish her book.

She smiled up at her secretary. "No, I haven't forgotten. Thanks for reminding me though. Ah, just like yesterday, screen my calls for me, okay?"

"Sure," she said walking out and closing the door behind her.

Laura wasted no time, one sip of coffee and she picked up right where she'd left off the day before. She inhaled every word. At the end of the eleventh chapter she was astonished with the author's understanding of human emotions and his ability to explain them in layman's terms. What an education, she told herself. She'd learned so much. She had a much fuller understanding of what led her to that motel room, and why it was so exciting to let Brad stick his dick into her. 

Laura took a short break and leaned back in her chair. She closed her eyes to give her weary brain a rest. Everything she'd learned, all the self- examinations, introspective analyzing and soul-searching...none of it could ease the pain she felt for betraying her husband and daughter. 


Between the Pages of Adultery Ch. 01



With a soulful sigh, Laura straightened up and turned to the next page. "Chapter twelve; Can you salvage your marriage?" It had been what she was so interested in reading but now her hand trembled. Now she looked at the page with trepidation. What if the answer was no? She couldn't bear the thought of losing Harrison. Surely the author, with all his wisdom, will inform her of a full-proof way to keep that from happening. Laura started to read...

Chapter 12

Can you salvage your marriage?

So far we have examined the many traps and pitfalls that give some a license to commit adultery, at least in their own minds. We have discussed the most common needs, both physical and emotional, that were lacking in their lives and not being met by their spouses or their circumstances. We have inspected and scrutinized the emotional ties they felt with their lover. Now comes the hard part, taking full responsibility and facing the consequences of their actions.

She read on...

Finished! Laura closed the cover on the tear-soaked pages of chapter twelve. 

Cathy thought she heard crying from inside Laura's office. She gently knocked. "Laura, are you alright?" There was no answer but now she was sure her boss was crying. The concerned secretary and friend cracked the door open and poked her face inside. Laura was slumped over her desk, her head lay on her folded arms, her body heaved with each sob. 

Cathy walked to her side and affectionately laid her hand on her weeping friend's back. "Laura, honey, what's wrong?"

It was a couple minutes before Laura could compose herself enough to talk. "I'll...I'll be alright," she wept. "I have some...some personal problems right now, that's all. I'm sorry, Cathy. Please don't worry, I'll be fine," she assured her friend and co-worker.

For the first time, Cathy caught sight of the title of the book that had Laura so engrossed. Her heart suddenly went out to her boss as she immediately assumed the cheating spouse was Harrison. She had been the sounding board for other girlfriends in her position. She knew they were usually reluctant to talk but she wanted Laura to know she was there if she needed her.

"Honey, anytime you want to talk about it, please don't hesitate. I'm a good listener," she said. 

Unaware of Cathy's thoughts, she thanked her and promised to take her into her confidence at a later date.

Cathy set a box of tissues on her desk along with a hot cup of coffee. "I'm going to give you some privacy, Laura, but don't forget I'm right outside your door if you need something."

Laura thanked her but was more thankful for the privacy. She had to think, she had to sort this out. How could she...there was no way, the pain it would cause...

She was confused, frightened...no, terrified was more like it. She needed to talk to someone but not Cathy...Val, her best friend, her one and only confidant through all her trials and tribulations since high school. 

Laura pulled the cell phone from her purse and hit speed dial. "Hi Val, it's me." 

"Hi girlfriend, what's going on? You sound a little down."

"Val, I need to talk to you. I know it's short notice but could you meet me somewhere?"

"When?"

"Now...where ever you say, I'll come to you."

Valerie could hear the desperation in her voice and was immediately concerned. "Sure, honey. Are you at work?"

"Yeah, but I'll meet you anywhere."

"Okay, well I'm in Arlington Hills right now. Why don't we meet at that little outdoor café on Devon and River, that's about half way between you and me...say, in half and hour?" she said checking her watch. 

"Perfect, Val. Thanks so much, I'll see you there." Laura disconnected the call, stuffed the book into her purse, and hurried out of her office. "I'm going to take a long lunch, Cathy. If anyone calls, just take a message and tell them I'll call them back," she said as she hustled through the outer office.

"Wait...Laura, what about Brad? Are you..." Laura was already out the door. Cathy jumped up and tried to catch her but Laura was already in her car. "Shit," she said out loud. "This isn't good."

It was a little after eleven when Laura pulled into Plato's parking lot. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before walking to where they had the outdoor area set up in a little garden behind the building. She couldn't ever remember being happier to see her friend's smiling face.

Laura bent over and gave her high school chum a big hug before sitting down on the opposite side of the small, round table. "Thanks for coming, Val." 

"Okay, Laura, now what's this all about? You sounded frantic over the phone."

Laura took the book from her purse and laid it on the table. "Val, I...I've done something terrible," she was barely able to it choke out.

Val looked at the book, still not comprehending what her distraught friend was trying to tell her. She gave Laura a puzzled look.

"Val, I cheated...I cheated on Harrison," she blurted out as the tears started to flow again.

Valerie's face showed her definite disapproval, her voice turned harsh. "You...I can't believe it. Laura how could you?" she asked with vehemence. 

Laura's body was trembling again. She could feel her friend's disappointment. "I don't know," she said slowly shaking her head. "That book outlines practically every human emotion you could ever experience and then some. That guy knows what people are thinking, how they feel and act. He can give you a million reasons why people do what they do. I read every word and I still can't explain why I did it. Oh, I can tell you why the book says I did it; I just can't believe it myself."

Once the initial shock was over, Valerie saw the pain and suffering Laura was in. "Okay, okay," she said reaching over and patting Laura's hand. "Are you still seeing this guy?"

"No...well, I was supposed to meet him today but I'm not going to. I'm going to tell him I never want to see him again."

"Well that's at least a step in the right direction. Who is he, does Harrison know him?"

"No, no, the guy's a client. Harrison's never met him."

"Thank God. Chances are they'll never run into each other then. If you don't ever see him again, maybe you'll be lucky and Harrison will never find out."

It sounded so logical, but... "Val, I wanted to talk to you because...well, according to that book, the best chance I have of saving my marriage is to confess."

"Confess; to who...Harrison? Are you nuts, it'll kill him. He'd never forgive you, Laura. You can't." 

"I know, but according to the book..."

"Oh book, smook; think about what you're saying. God, if Harrison doesn't know, just pray he never finds out, and go on like nothing ever happened, that's all. Shit, Laura, think of what this could do to your family, how it would affect Ashley."

"Val, I am thinking about my family. My God, I'm terrified. I know exactly what it could do, I could lose them, I'm aware of that, but the book says it's keeping secrets that tears families apart. Val, adultery is about deceit and betrayal. It's about breaking trust. How do I ever get him to trust me again if I continue to deceive and betray him? Being open and honest from the start is the first step in regaining his trust."

She pulled a tissue from her purse and wiped her nose. "I know what I have to do, Val, but I've never been so scared in my life. I've got to tell him but how can I hurt the man I love like that. It's going to be devastating for Ashley too. I was so stupid and selfish before when I decided to have a little fun, but now I have to think of my family. They come first," she said wiping her eyes again. "I just wish I had thought of them before I slept with Brad."

"I don't know what to tell you, Laura. It sounds like you've already made up your mind and when you put it that way, it certainly sounds like the right thing to do...it's just...God girl, you're taking such a chance."

Just then the waitress came up to take their orders. As she left, Val remembered another case of infidelity. 

"I don't think you ever met my cousin, Marilyn, did you?" 

"No, I've heard you talk about her but I've never met her," Laura replied.

"Well her husband cheated on her and she divorced him. He begged her to forgive him but she couldn't do it. A couple years later we were talking and she told me she didn't think it would have hurt so much if she didn't love him like she did."

"How did she find out about the affair?" Laura asked.

"Ah, well yeah, he sure as hell didn't confess. He was screwing one of her best friends. A mutual acquaintance ratted on them and told Marilyn. They were still going at it when she found out. The fact that it was a friend of hers made it even worse. How long have you been seeing this guy?" 

"About two months...well, that we've...you know. I've actually known him for several months."

"Two months, is that all? I don't know, Laura, if you've only been doing it with him for two months, and Harrison doesn't even know him, what are the chances that he'll ever find out?"

"I know, I know, but what if he does? What if someone saw us come out of the room together or somebody overhears Brad bragging to a friend; can I take that chance? I don't want to lose my husband, Val. I can't lose him. I think I'd die without Harrison."

"No, you wouldn't die. You might wish you were dead sometimes but you'd survive. Don't forget, you have a daughter, too."

They both fell silent as the waitress brought their food and refilled their coffee cups. Both ladies needed a little break anyway so they started on lunch. 

Half way through eating, Laura's cell phone rang. She looked at the display and saw it was Cathy. "It's work, I'd better take it," she said tapping the connect button.

"Hi Cathy, what's up?"

"Laura, Brad Griffin called looking for you. He sounded upset. I tried to remind you before you left but you were too quick for me."

"I'm sorry, Cathy. I'll call..." she was interrupted by her phone's call waiting. "Cathy, he's calling me right now. I'm going to take it so I have to let you go."

Cathy was shocked to hear Brad had her boss' private cell number but before she could ask about it, Laura disconnected. Cathy made a mental note to ask Laura about it when she came back in.

"Hello, Brad," Laura answered while looking at her scowling friend across the table.

"Laura, where are you? Is everything alright? I've been waiting in this stupid motel room for over an hour."

"No, Brad, I'm sorry but everything isn't alright. I can't do it anymore, not now, not ever. It's over, Brad. I never want to see you again."

There was a moment of silence on the other end. When he spoke again the confidence in his voice was gone.

"Laura, what's wrong? Did I do something to offend you?"

"No, Brad, it's nothing like that. This is wrong. Us seeing each other is wrong. I'm a married woman with a teenage daughter. I love my family. It should have never happened in the first place and it'll never happen again."

"Did, ah...did your husband find out? Is he making you do this?"

"No, no he doesn't know anything. This is my decision, no one else's." 

"Well can't we at least talk about this? I mean, you and I were just starting to..."

"NO, I mean it, Brad. Please don't try to call me again or see me...nothing, it's over." 

Laura's voice was firm, full of resolve. He knew she meant every word. Too bad, he thought, she was fun and they were just getting to know each other. He had been looking forward to many more months of enjoying her body. Oh well, he knew she was married, he knew this would happen sooner or later, he was just hoping for later. I'll give her a little time, he thought. I'll still see her now and then at her office; I can always try to pick it up a little down the road.

"Okay, Laura," he relented. "But if you change your mind, I'll be..."

Laura disconnected the call before he could finish his statement. "That's, that," she said dropping the phone back into her purse.

"What did he say?" ask Val.

"Nothing much, just that he'd be around if I changed my mind."

"That's right, you said he was a client." A thought struck her. "You don't think he'd try and blackmail you, do you? You know, hold his business over your head if you don't continue to sleep with him?"

"I don't think so. He needs us as much as we need his business, besides it wouldn't make any difference, Val."

"No, no of course not. Not if you're going to tell Harrison anyway." She took a small sigh. "I don't envy you, honey. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes for anything." Her heart was going out to her good friend of twenty years. Again, she reached over the table and held her hand. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Not once during their luncheon, had Laura's eyes stopped watering. She moved her thumb to caress the loving fingers of a true friend. 

"There is one thing," she said looking up. "Would you be able to take Ashley tomorrow night for me? I've got a few things to do between now and then. I'm going to tell her tomorrow when she gets home from school. If you could come over about five, that would give me time to prepare to tell Harrison when he gets home at six. I'm not sure how he'll take it, but I don't want him to feel he has to restrain himself because of his daughter. He'll need to be able to express himself freely. I know it'll be hard on Ashley, but I think it's best," she said wiping her eyes again with a tissue. 

"Of course, honey, but you're not going to tell Ashley everything, are you?"

"Val, she's part of the family. She's going to be as deeply affected as any of us. She has a right to know the facts."

"I'll be there, Laura. Good luck, I don't think I could do what you're doing," she said. 

Laura got up and hugged her. "Thank you," she said with appreciation. "I don't have much choice; I'm fighting for the life of my family. I just pray I'm not too late." She grabbed the check and was gone.

It was after three o'clock by the time she got back to the office. "Cathy, I'm sorry I rushed out on you like that. It was kind of an emergency. Did anyone else call but Brad?" 

"No, just him." She couldn't stop wondering, she had to ask. "Laura, why does Brad have your cell number?"

"Cathy, bear with me until tomorrow. Then I'll tell you all about it, okay? Right now I have a ton of things I have to get done. I'll be in my office working. Just let me know when go, will you."

True to her word, two hours later, Cathy knocked on the office door and announced she was leaving for the day. Laura left soon afterward.

That evening Laura watched her family with a new appreciation for what she had, and fear of what she might lose. It would be the last night her family would be this happy for a very long time, if ever again. 

She stood in the kitchen doorway and watched with tears as Harrison helped their daughter with her Algebra. With the patience of a saint, he painstakingly explained each mathematical formula. She chuckled at their father-daughter banter. If it came down to it, who would she chose to live with, she wondered; more than likely, her father. Maybe that's what's she deserved, to have her family taken from her, but just the thought was unbearable. If it really happened she didn't think she'd be able to survive...what would be the point?

The whole time, her mind searched in vain for another way. Was Valerie right, what were really the odds her husband would find out what she'd done? Maybe she COULD just go on as if nothing had ever happened; it'd just stay her dirty, little secret. 'Secret,' there was that word again. The word that tears families irreparably apart; the word that destroys the trust we have in our partners.

She finally had to turn and walk away. She had to gather herself just to speak. "Honey, I'm going to relax in a hot tub for a while, okay?" 

"Go ahead, honey," responded Harrison.

"Yeah, mom, we'll be another hour here so take your time," Ashley told her.

Once in the sanctuary of her bath, Laura could hold back no longer. She prayed no one would come upstairs and hear her as she broke out and sobbed like a little girl. 

That night she felt compelled to make love to Harrison again but she could tell he wasn't in the mood. Instead of pushing it, she cuddled up and spooned him. "I love you, Harrison," she whispered.

"I love you too, babe," he responded. "Good night."

The next morning Laura appeared to be in full work mode as she greeted her secretary. 

"Good morning, Laura," Cathy said, laying her coffee down. "No book today?"

Laura thanked her for the coffee then responded to her question. "No, no book today. Cathy, I'm going to need about two uninterrupted hours this morning, okay?"

"Yes ma'am."

It was a little after eleven when Laura asked Cathy to step into her office.

"Hi, Cathy," she said looking up with red eyes. "Please, have a seat."

Cathy was beginning to wonder what was going on. She could tell Laura had been crying again but now she sounded business like; something wasn't right.

Laura continued, "Cathy, yesterday you asked why Brad had my cell number; for the last two months, he and I have been having an affair."

Cathy thought it must have been something like that; the way Laura had been acting, the tears then Brad having her number...still, to hear it was actually true was a shock. "What...Laura, no..."

"I'm afraid it's true. Up until the time I bought that book I was reading, I would have described it as an innocent little tryst, but as I found out, there's nothing innocent about adultery."

"Oh Laura, I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing TO say, Cathy. It's my mess. I created it, now I have to clean it up. Here are two envelopes," she said handing them to her over the desk. "They both have my signatures and confirm the emails I sent off to corporate a few minutes ago. The first one is my resignation..."

"Laura, no," Cathy broke in.

Laura held up her hand to stop her secretary from interrupting, then continued. "The first one is my resignation. The second one is my recommendation for you to take my job."

"Me?" Cathy uttered with surprise. "But I'm just a..."

"Yes, you; you were Mr. Barester's secretary before you were mine. You were the one who helped me take his place. You probably know more about running this place than he and I put together."

"Why, Laura, why do you have to quit?"

"Because as long as I work here I will still have to have contact with Brad, and if I want to stand any chance at all of keeping my family together, I can't allow that.

Now," Laura said with a sigh," I've cleaned up all the loose ends that I know of. You shouldn't have any emergencies popping up, at least not today. Right now it's lunch hour at corporate but I image your phone will start ringing as soon as the big wigs get back from their liquid lunches. Oh, by the way," she said opening the file drawer on the side of her desk and pulling out a sheet of paper, "this is a glowing letter of recommendation I wrote for you as well, just in case you ever need it. Hopefully you won't" she said sticking it back in Cathy's file.

Cathy was truly saddened by her boss' decision to leave. "Laura, I...I don't know what to say. Isn't there any other way? Do you have to quit?"

"Cathy, I let my stupidity, my inflated self-worth, and my ego, lead me into the worst decision of my life. As a result, the people I love the most are going to be terribly hurt. It's too late to prevent that. All I can do now is try to start the healing process as quickly as I can, and it starts today."

Cathy's tears now matched her boss'. They both stood and hugged one another. 

"Good luck, Cathy. Make sure you get those letters in today's mail. Corporate will want verification of my emails as soon as possible."

"I will," she wept. "Good luck to you too, Laura, I don't know what made you do what you did but I always liked you. I was so happy when they picked you to take over for Mr. Barester. Please take care of yourself."




Between the Pages of Adultery Ch. 01



"I will," she confirmed. "Now," said Laura looking around her office just once more, "it's all yours, my friend." With those parting words, Laura left her office for the last time.

Cathy flopped down in the leather chair while still trying to comprehend what just happened. While reaching across the desk for a tissue, something caught her eye. Sticking partially out of the trash can was a box from Frederick's of Hollywood. She knew it was wrong to open it. There was no doubt it belonged to her former boss, but you know what they say about curiosity. 

She dabbed her eyes with the tissue then reached in and pulled the box from the can. She laid it on the table and lifted the top. It was certainly a day for surprises. Never in her wildest dreams could she image Laura in such an outfit...then again, she couldn't imagine her cheating on her husband either. I guess we all have a dark side to us, she thought.

Just then the phone rang and brought her back to reality...and so started Cathy's new job.

Laura walked into her home a little after noon. She thought she had everything worked out but all she could do was stand in the hall like a lost puppy. It would be three hours before Ashley got home. I'll go nuts if I just sit and wait, she told herself. 

There was still some coffee left. She decided to sit and have a cup while she tried to think of something constructive to do. Her eyes fixated on nothing but air as her mind ran through one scenario after another. At first she tried to think of ways to soften the blow of her confession. Then she remembered what the book had told her; be totally honest, don't make excuses, don't try to minimize the gravity of the situation or the severity of pain your loved one feels, and answer all questions directly and to the best of your ability.

"Mom, are you home?"

Suddenly her daughter's voice jolted her back to the moment. She looked at the wall clock and was shocked to see it was after three. 

Fear gripped her entire being. She froze, her body went rigged, her mind went blank as she saw her daughter standing in the doorway. She felt tears filling her eyes but she couldn't move her hand to wipe them away.

"Mom, what's wrong? Are you sick?"

Slowly Laura forced herself back to a conscious state. "No, honey, I'm not sick," she said finally able to wipe her tears. "I've got some bad news..."

"Is it dad," Ashley cried, "Did something happen to dad?"

"No, no, honey, you father is fine," she responded immediately. "It's...your mother has done something bad, very bad, and I need to talk to you about it."

Ashley felt relieved. She thought something drastic had happened, something horrible. So her mother did something bad...this was her mother, how bad could it be?

"Mom, you scared me. Can I get a sandwich or something before we talk? I'm starving."

"Yes, honey, of course," answered Laura grateful for the small reprieve. 

With all the energy of a teenager, Ashley navigated the kitchen quickly and deftly as she prepared her afternoon snack and poured herself a glass of milk. She sat down to the side of her mother at the kitchen table. 

"Okay, mom," she said just before biting into her sandwich, "what did you want to talk about?"

Laura got up to get the last cup of cold coffee and stuck her it in the microwave. "I'll wait until you're done, honey. What I have to say will require your full attention."

Wow, thought Ashley, this sounds serious. She wasted no time in devouring her ham and cheese. She took the last swallow of milk while her mom quietly sipped the stale brew in her cup.

"Okay, mom, I'm done."

"Let's go into the living, honey. It'll be more comfortable there." 

Laura sat on the couch and Ashley sat next to her. Both faced one another with their knees almost touching. Laura felt all the air in her lungs was gone and took a deep breath.

"Honey, I've done something very bad, something that I'm afraid is going to hurt you and your father very deeply, I cheated on your dad."

At first Ashley didn't grasp what her mother was saying. Cheated? Then it hit her, but she had to be wrong, that couldn't be what her mother meant, her mother would never do such a thing.

"What do meant, cheated, mom? You mean you had sex with another man?" she said needing clarification while her eyes were already starting to get watery.

"Yes, honey, I'm afraid that's exactly what I mean," she was barely able to choke out the words.

"HOW COULD YOU, mom, how could you do that to dad?" Ashley exclaimed with tears now streaming down her cheeks. 

"I'm sorry," Laura blurted out, "I'm so sorry to hurt you like this." They almost fell in each other's arm and hugged. Ashley laid the side of her face on her mother's shoulder for comfort but couldn't stop weeping. The two held their embrace, trying to soothe one another while they cried themselves out.

It was several minutes before they broke the clinch. Laura grabbed a tissue and offered one to her daughter.

Ashley was still sniffling as she wiped her nose. "Mom, how you could do this? I don't understand, you love dad, how could you cheat on him like this?"

"It's hard to explain, honey. I bought a book that explains how things like this happen, but after reading it, I'm still not sure I understand it all. I can tell you that my promotion at work played a definite roll. I'd worked so hard through the years, there. When I was finally made the manager it gave me a sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately it also gave me a feeling of entitlement; I needed to enjoy the spoils of my success."

Laura grabbed another tissue before continuing. "According to the book, it's one of the most common reasons successful men cheat. It's a way of extending the control and power they have in the work place, to their personal lives. I guess I felt the same way," she admitted. 

"I won't say a thing, mom. I'll never tell, don't worry."

"Honey, this isn't something we can keep from your dad. I have to..."

"YOU CAN'T TELL DAD, YOU CAN'T," Ashley yelled. "Mom, he'll divorce you! You know he will. You can't tell him, PLEASE, you can't!" Again she threw her arms around her mother and sobbed.

Laura's heart was shattering into a million pieces. Why, she kept asking herself, why did she do it? 

"Honey, I did a terrible, terrible thing and now I have to try to make things right again."

"But, mom..."

"Honey, what if your dad ever found out on his own? He would be even more hurt than if I tell him about it; and, if that ever did happen, how could I ever convince him to stay with a woman, who not only cheated on him, but kept secrets from him as well?"

"Oh, mom, I'm afraid," cried Ashley. "Daddy's going to leave us, I just know it."

Laura held her sobbing daughter. She wanted to tell her that would never happen, her dad would never leave them, but she knew the reality was, he very well might leave.

"Honey, if it comes down to one of us leaving, it'll probably be me," she said while clearing her daughter's damp hair from her face.

"No, mom. I don't want you to go either. I want us all to stay together."

"I know, I know, honey. I'm going to try, I'm going to try as hard as I can, but I can't promise you."

Laura tried to console her daughter with loving touches as Ashley cried herself out again. By the time she finally started to calm down some, it was almost five o'clock.

"Ashley, I'm so sorry, none of this is fair to you, but I've got to ask you to be brave for me. I'm going to tell your father when he comes home today. As much as I hate to do this, I really think it'll be better if you're not here when I do it..."

"No, mom, don't send me away, please," begged Ashley.

"Honey, I not sending you away. I've asked Mrs. Collins to care for you for just tonight. You'll be back tomorrow, honey, I promise."

"Mom, can't I stay?"

"Honey, when I tell your dad, he's going to be very angry. He's going to have to let that anger out and I'm afraid he won't be able to if you're in the house. Please try to understand, honey. I'm so very sorry for this."

"Okay," responded Ashley wiping her nose again. "I understand. I'll go upstairs and pack." 

Laura watched while her brave daughter climbed the stairs. A couple minutes later she heard Val knock.

"Hi," she greeted while stepping in. "How did it go?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Laura sighed. "About like I expected, I guess. The poor girl is devastated. Val, if I live through this I think I'm going to write a book of my own. I want to warn every woman out there about what it feels like to betray your family, the people you love the most."

"Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea, Laura. Maybe it would be therapeutic. Who knows, you might even make some money."

Just then Ashley came walking down the stairs with her overnight bag. "Hello, Mrs. Collins."

"Hello, Ashley," she replied. "I've got fried chicken for dinner tonight."

It was heartbreaking to see the sorrow in Ashley's face, for both women.

"Thanks," Laura told her friend. She looked down at her grief stricken daughter. "I know it's hard, but try not to worry too much, honey. Your dad is a fair man who loves us both very much."

"I love you, mom," Ashley said hugging her mother. As she was walking to the car she turned to beseech her mother one more time. "Mom, please don't tell dad, I'm afraid. I don't want you two to get a divorce."

"Honey, please. It's the only chance we have if we're ever going to be a real family again."

They had one more tearful exchange of goodbyes and Laura watched her daughter and best friend pulled out of the drive. She sat heavily on the first step that led to upstairs. She had to get herself organized. Thinking about her daughter packing for the night made her wonder, should I pack some clothes? It's probably not a bad idea incase Harrison throws me out, she thought. 

Laura ran upstairs and packed enough clothes for several days then slid the suitcase under the bed so her husband couldn't see it. As Laura turned to leave she saw her purse on the dresser. She looked at the time on her cell phone; it was five-forty-five. In another fifteen minutes he'd be walking through the door. She took the book from her purse and carried it down stairs with her.

Almost zombie-like, she walked into the kitchen and made a fresh pot of coffee. She couldn't wait for the full pot. Her hand shook terribly as she poured herself a cup. She glanced at the wall clock...ten till.

Laura sat at the table, her heart was pounding in her chest; her eyes glistened with tears. 

"Hi, hon, I'm home," she heard as he walked in the front door.

Continued...



Between the Pages of Adultery Ch. 02



Laura sat at the table, her heart was pounding in her chest, her eyes glistened with tears. 

"Hi, hon, I'm home," she heard as Harrison walked in the front door.

She tried to speak up and let him know where she was but nothing came out. Her hand shook even more as she brought it up to her face and started to weep again. 

As soon as Harrison saw what was happening he rushed into the kitchen and to the side of his distressed wife. "Honey, what is it? He anxiously asked. He'd never seen her like this before. It suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't seen or heard Ashley yet. He was panic stricken. "Is it Ashley? Has she been hurt?" 

All Laura could do was shake her head and whimper out a weepy sounding, "No, no. Ashley's alright, she's spending the night at Val's."

"Val's? Honey," he said kneeling next to her and rubbing her shoulder, "please, try to pull yourself together and tell me what's wrong."

She was overwrought with fear. "Please... please, just give me a minute," she begged wiping her eyes. "Why, ah... why don't you get some coffee and sit down, I have something I have to tell you," she sniveled. 

Harrison respected her request. With one last gentle, reassuring rub of her shoulder he nervously walked over to the counter, removed a cup from the cabinet, and poured himself some coffee. By the time he walked back to the table and sat next to his wife, she was calming down a little.

"Harrison, I love you and Ashley more than life itself. I don't know what I would do without you both, but that love didn't stop me from doing something really stupid, something for which I am extremely ashamed and can only hope you will see it in your heart to forgive," she said finally looking at him.

Harrison sat, looking at his beautiful mate with a very perplexed look on his face. He had no idea what she was getting at.

"Harrison, I cheated on you; I had an affair with another man," she stated. 

Her voice was still weak from crying and Harrison thought he must have misunderstood. He froze as he stared at the terrified look on his wife's face and realized he had heard her correctly, his loving wife cheated on him. He felt as if a cold fog had suddenly enveloped him. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. He just kept hearing his wife's words echoing in his head.

Laura had tried to anticipate how he would react, but so far he hadn't moved. "Harrison, Harrison, please say something," she whimpered. 

"What... what do you want me say?" he said just starting to emerge from his daze. "What am I supposed to say? Oh, I know, how about, oh, don't worry about it, dear; or maybe, hey let's have a threesome!" now his anger was bubbling to the top. "Or... or maybe, GEE, CAN I WATCH!" he yelled.

Suddenly, in one motion, he stood and threw the cup in his hand against the wall as hard as he could. It shattered into a thousand pieces and sent coffee and slivers of porcelain flying in every direction. 

Laura flinched and ducked. She expected anger, but never in all their years of marriage had she seen him violent.

"FUCK YOU, LAURA... FUCK YOU ALL TO HELL," he yelled as he turned to leave. 

"Wait... Harrison, please don't go, we have to... " the slamming of the front door ended her desperate plea.

She would have thought she'd been all cried out by this time but new tears rained from her red and swollen eyes.

I don't believe this, I don't fucking believe this! Harrison's mind was almost shouting at him through his thoughts. He walked briskly past his car and made a left at the sidewalk, giving no thought to where he was going or even to what direction he was headed. All he knew was that he had to get out of the house and he was in no mood to drive. He'd probably slam right into a light pole or something. DAMN, his thoughts continued to scream at him. 

How could this happen? He asked himself. Have I not been a good husband; a good father? Have I not been a good provider? 

His body was tense, his breathing, uneven. He had already covered three blocks in a rapid walk. He had to calm down before... before... damn, he told himself, I wish somebody would look at me cross eyed so I could hit the son-of-a-bitch! 

It had been almost three hours since Harrison walked out. After crying until she finally could cry no longer, Laura swept up the broken cup and was on her hands and knees wiping up the sticky coffee when she heard the front door. She looked up to see Harrison come in and flop down in one of the kitchen chairs.

"I was worried about you. Are you okay?" she asked.

"Worried about me? Don't give me that crap; I don't want to hear it. If you were worried about me you wouldn't be in somebody else's bed. Well... now you can just go worry about your lover from now on." 

"Harrison, please let me talk to you."

"Fine, talk; although I don't know what there is to talk about. I think you pretty much said it all, you were very clear, you're sleeping with another man, end of story as far as I'm concerned."

"Harrison, please listen to me... "

"Do you love him?" he asked without looking at her.

"Oh God, no; no, not at all. I don't even really know him."

"Really," he commented with a sneer. "You went to bed with him, you FUCKED him. I'd say you know him pretty damn well. Who is he? Do I know him?"

"No, no, you don't know him. I met him through work. He's one of our major clients." 

"Ah huh, so if you don't love him, what was it then, a way to keep his business? Are you the new company whore?"

His harsh words tore into her very soul. She wanted to break down again but she couldn't, she had to at least try to talk to him.

"No, Harrison, it wasn't like that; please, listen to me. I was stupid and selfish but it's over. I quit my job today so I'll never have to see him again." 

That caught his attention. "You quit your job?"

"Yes, I also changed my cell phone number. I had to show you it was truly over. I'll never see or talk to him again, I knew I had to make a clean break and if that's what it took, it was a small sacrifice to show you how sincere I am."

"Sincere, what a laugh," he mocked under his breath. "So what are you going to do to support yourself?" he asked.

"I don't know. I'm not worried about that right now, the only thing that I'm concerned with is saving my marriage and keeping my family together."

"Huh, fat chance of that; I can't live with a cheater, Laura. You should know that by now."

"Yes, yes I know," she said bowing her head. Laura got up from the floor and sat down on the opposite side of the table from her husband. 

Harrison sat lifelessly, just staring into space. 

"Harrison, I know how hollow it must sound to you, but I am so sorry."

"Yea, I know, it was all just a big mistake; you'll never let it happen again... right?" he said derisively. "What's his name, anyway?"

She remembered what the book taught her, make no excuses, explain it the best you can, and answer all his questions honestly. 

"His name is Brad Griffin, and I wish I could say it was a mistake, Harrison, but I can't. Mistakes are made when people screw up because they don't know any better. I knew better, we both know that. No, it was selfishness and arrogance; I had worked so hard to break the glass ceiling at work, that when I did it, I felt entitled. I felt like life owed me something for all my effort. He was flattering and charming; I let myself believe he was my reward. It was the worst decision I ever made in my life and I'll regret it until the day I die."

Harrison lowered his head and rubbed his temples. He was getting a headache. He needed coffee; he might even drink it this time. He felt lost in his own house as he got up and poured a cup. His entire world seemed to be unraveling around him. This morning he was a strong, confident man with a loving wife and beautiful daughter. Now he was questioning his manhood and his loving wife turned out not to be so loving, but the worst part was his beautiful daughter. He was no fool. He knew how the courts worked. He was sure his wife would get full custody in the divorce. How would that affect the relationship between him and Ashley? They'd always been so close?

He stood at the counter, sipping coffee while he stared out the window. He just didn't understand how this could happen. He turned to face the only woman he ever loved.

"I'm going upstairs to pack. I'll see a lawyer tomorrow."

Although it really wasn't a surprise, her heart dropped at the mention of a lawyer. "No Harrison, if one of us has to go it should be me. I packed a bag earlier in case you threw me out," she admitted sadly.

"Really, and where would you go?"

"I don't know, to a motel I guess."

"Ah huh; and just how do you figure to pay for it?" he responded. "You don't have a job anymore, remember?"

"I don't know; I can afford a cheap motel, at least for a little while."

"And what happens after a little while? You think you're just going to move back in when you run out of money? Even cheap motels are fifty and sixty bucks a night and they're not very safe for a woman alone. Besides, we can't both quit our jobs. I still have to work and Ashley's going to need someone to be here for her. No, I'll get packed and be out of here as soon as possible," he said, in a voice still dripping with anger.

"Harrison, please, could you wait one more day so your daughter can see you before you go. She needs your reassurance that you still love her, that you're still her dad. Please, I'll sleep in the guest room tonight."

Ashley was the one and only card in the deck she could play and win. 

"How much does she know?" he asked.

"Everything... well, except for the details of course, but I told her what I had done," Laura explained.

"Why; why did you do that? Couldn't you have just told her we had a fight or something?"

"She's our daughter, Harrison. This is going to impact her just as much as the rest of us, maybe more; she has a right to know the truth," Laura sadly pronounced. 

Her argument was sound. It didn't take him long to relent. "Alright," he said with a sigh. "I'll come home after work tomorrow and talk to her before I take off."

"Thank you, Harrison, thank you so much."

"I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for her," he snapped.

Laura looked at the man who had always been a pillar of strength, the man with whom she always felt safe and protected. The anger was obvious, but behind it lurked the hurt, she could see it in his eyes; she could read it in his body language. He was slightly slumped over, his shoulders drooped and his head hung down. It was almost as if he had aged ten years in the last three hours. Laura couldn't ever remember hating anyone in her whole life, but at that moment, she hated herself, there was no other word for it.

"Harrison, I know I have no right to ask, but do you think you could do me a favor?"

"A favor?" he scoffed. "You've got balls I'll say that for you. Sure what is it, you want me to fix you up with one of the guys from work?"

Laura knew he was lashing out to hurt her like she hurt him, but his words still felt like a dagger through her heart. She had never seen him in so much pain and knowing she was the cause made everything so much worse. 

"Harrison, this is a psychology book that deals with adultery. It's very good. It opened my eyes to what I was doing and what I was risking. Will you read it? 

"Me... why? I'm not the one sleeping in someone else's bed." 

"I know, Harrison, but it explains the reasons why people get caught up in affairs, and there're tons of them. It goes into people's vulnerabilities... "

"Ah huh, and you think there's something in there that'll get me to forgive you. Forget it Laura."

"No, that's not it. Please, Harrison. I'm not making any excuses, but at the very least it will point out that my affair had nothing to do with your ability to please me, in or out of the bedroom. It will help you see that this was my fault, not yours. You weren't responsible in any way. Please," she reiterated while pushing the book across the table to where he had been sitting.

"I'm going up to take a shower," he said downing the last of his coffee. "Then I'm going to move some clothes into the guest room for tomorrow. You can have the bedroom. I don't want to sleep in that bed anymore."

Again his words cut into her soul. "What about dinner?" Laura asked.

"I'm not hungry," he replied walking past the table and leaving the book where it lay. 

No one got any sleep that night, not Harrison, not Laura, and not Ashley. Laura heard Harrison moving around an hour or so before the alarm was due to go off. She thought of making him some breakfast but if he was up that early it was because he didn't want to see her and she had to respect that. She knew she had to give him some space and time to deal with everything. 

She laid awake listening, visualizing what he was doing, and praying it wouldn't be the last time she would ever hear him getting ready for work. When she heard the front door shut she was sure her heart stopped. 

Laura wasn't about to get any sleep anyway so she got up and put her robe on to go down stairs. She was hoping he took the book with him but it was still on the table right where she left it.

Laura felt empty inside as she robotically maneuvered around her kitchen making breakfast. By the time she was finishing her first cup of coffee for the day, she had already questioned her decision to come clean, at least three or four times, again. 

She sat, numbly staring at the wall in search of her future. She was going to need a new job whether Harrison stayed or not. Her mind was also mulling around Val's suggestion to write a book. At first it sounded ridiculous. Other than a few essays in high school, she'd never written anything before, but the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. Even if it never got published, at the least it would probably be cathartic. It was something to think about.

Laura was so deep in thought that the ringing of the wall phone startled her. It wasn't even eight-thirty yet; it could only be one person.

"Hello Val, how is Ashley doing?"

"How did you know it was me," Val asked a little astonished.

"Who else would call me this early? How is she?"

"Ah... well she cried most of the night. I didn't send her to school. I think it would be a waste of time, besides she needs you."

"Yeah, I agree. Let me grab a shower and I'll come over and pick her up, okay?"

"That's fine. She's still in bed but I'll start breakfast and let her know you're coming for her. She just needs to be with family."

"Okay, thanks for taking her, Val."

"It was no problem. So... how did it go?"

"Not too well. He was going to move out last night but I talked him into coming home tonight after work so he could talk to Ashley first. Val, maybe I should have listened to you and not said anything. You should have seen him, I hurt him so deeply, he was in so much pain all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and hold him, but of course I couldn't. I've caused so much grief, first Ashley then Harrison, it was the most heartbreaking experience I've ever gone through and I know it was worse for them."

"Well, if it's any consolation, after we talked the other day I changed my mind about not telling Harrison. I think you were right to tell him, honey. A marriage should not be based on a lie, and by not telling him that's exactly what you'd be doing, lying by omission. No, I think you did the right thing. I'm still not sure about telling Ashley but I know you're doing what you feel is best. I just hope it works out for you."

"Thanks Val, that means a lot. Ah, if I come over about nine-thirty, is that okay?"

"Yeah," Val answered, "that'll be fine."

Laura dragged herself into the shower. She was hoping the soothing hot water would help calm her nerves but it did nothing more than wash away the tracks of her tears. 

Just before leaving, Laura remembered the book sitting on the kitchen table. She still hoped she could get Harrison to read it. He was right of course, there was nothing in it that would give him a reason to forgive her, but if he understood how many human emotions were involved maybe he at least wouldn't hate her. Laura brought the book upstairs and laid it on her dresser.

The moment she stepped into Val's house Ashley ran and hugged her tightly. Laura covered her with a protective wrap of her arms, cradling the young girls head in her hand.

"What did he say, mom; what did dad say?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

Laura looked to her friend sitting on the couch, for guidance but a subtle shake of Val's head told her there was none forthcoming. 

How could she tell her daughter? What words could she possibly use to reduce the terrible hurt Ashley would feel when her dad moved out of the house? Obviously there were none.

"Honey, Your father was extremely hurt and very angry. I honestly don't know what's going to happen, but he did say he was going to move out of the house."

She felt Ashley start to sob more heavily.

"Honey, you will still see him. If I know your father he won't move very far and I would never restrict your time with him in any way. Remember, honey, he's angry with me, not you."

Harrison sat at his desk. Something, a noise of some kind brought him back to reality. He realized he'd been staring at the same sheet of paper for the last forty minutes and had yet to read the first word. His mind was in turmoil. His subconscious was traveling back in time, not in a linear fashion, but in a series of broken flashbacks, searching for clues, for something that would make some sense of his current plight. There was nothing. 

His brain switched gears from the past to the future. What will life be like after the divorce, he wondered? What will it do to my relationship with my daughter? 

When he walked into his office earlier that morning, Harrison had every intension of calling a good divorce lawyer, first thing. He glanced at the clock on his desk, it was almost noon and he hadn't dialed the number yet.

Harrison rose from his chair and walked over to his third story window. He was tired. The emotional strain he was going through was draining him physically as well. He was confused, unsure of himself. What's wrong with me, he asked himself. He was always so confident in his judgment. Even as a young boy he could analyze whatever situation came up and use cold, hard logic to bring it to a successful conclusion. But this wasn't logical and as hard as he tried to look at it like that, in the end he knew the conclusion would be anything but a success. 

The other thing on his mind was Ashley. He knew she would be hurt terribly by him moving out and divorcing her mother, but somehow he had to make her understand. Huh, he snickered to himself, how am I going to make her understand when I don't understand it myself? 

As the day grew older, Harrison became more anxious. All day he'd been at a loss as to what to do. It wasn't like him. He had tried repeatedly to analyze things but how do you analyze feelings of the heart. He'd loved Laura for twenty years and as hurt, disappointed, and angry as he was, that love was not about to go away anytime soon. 

Harrison sighed, it was time to go home and face his little girl. He wasn't looking forward to it.

"Dad, oh dad," Ashley cried out as she ran to the front door. She threw her arms around his waist and squeezed for all she was worth. "Dad, I love you."

Harrison put his arms around his daughter and hugged her back. "I love you too, pumpkin." 

Laura watched from the kitchen doorway as a tear broke free from the corner of her eye and trickled down the side of her face. "Harrison, I hope you can stay for dinner," she said wiping the moisture away. "It's almost done."




Between the Pages of Adultery Ch. 02



He glanced up in her direction and nodded. "Come on, honey," he said to Ashley. "Let's go over and sit on the couch. We have something to talk about."

Laura walked back into the kitchen to set the table and give them some privacy.

"Dad, please don't leave," Ashley said as she sat next to her dad. "Please, dad, mom's sorry. I know she'll never do it again."

"Honey, I wish it was that easy, I really do."

"Don't you love mom anymore?" asked Ashley.

Funny, he thought, I've been asking myself that same question all day. Of course he still loved her, but that love had been badly damaged. It was no longer the first thing he felt when his wife entered the room. Instead anger, anguish, and maybe a little hatred was pushing that love to the back of his emotions. Maybe there it would die altogether, he wasn't sure, but somehow he had to make his daughter understand why he couldn't live there anymore. 

"Yes, honey, of course I still love your mom, but living as husband and wife involves more than just love, it also requires trust and respect by both people. Your mom said she told you what she did so I won't try to sugar coat this. Somewhere along the line I lost your mother's respect as her husband. Even though she didn't mean to do it, what she did hurt me, honey. It broke my heart. I know she's sorry, but that doesn't really help."

"Oh, dad," she cried.

"My pumpkin," he said pushing some hair from her eyes, "I wish I could wave a magic wand and make all this go away but I can't. I hope you understand, honey. I just can't go on living here. It would be a constant reminder of what your mom did. It would be torture for me, honey, I'm sorry."

Tears stained Ashley's pretty face as she nodded her head. She knew it was coming, as soon as her mom told her what she did, she knew there was no way her dad could accept it. She knew the loving home she had known all her life was history.

Harrison saw the grief in his little girls' face. He grabbed her and pulled her to his chest, his strong, fatherly arms surrounding her small frame. He could feel the moisture of her tears soaking into his shirt; he could feel her body convulsing with each sob.

He laid his cheek on the top of head. "I'm so sorry this happened, honey. I'm so very, very sorry."

Neither of them saw the tragic figure standing in the doorway. If she only had a crystal ball and could have seen all this before succumbing to Brad's charms, she thought. If she had foreseen the hurt she was putting her family through, there was no way she would have spread her legs for Brad or anyone else. If, if, if... 

Harrison let his daughter cry until the sobs were getting further apart. "Come on, honey," he said lovingly. "Your mom will have dinner done by now. I'm going to eat with you guys before I pack, okay?"

Ashley nodded her head. She wiped the moisture from her face and tried to be brave as they both stood. 

Laura was standing at the counter with her back to them. Her own pain was unbearable; she could only imagine the pain her husband and daughter were experiencing. "Have a seat," she said trying to keep her voice from shaking. There were three place settings at the table but Laura only prepared two dishes. She set them down in front of Harrison and Ashley.

"I... I'm not hungry," she said just before her voice cracked. "I'm... sorry," she said before leaving the room.

Harrison looked at his daughter's re-emerging tears. "It's hard on all of us, honey," he told her. 

Harrison tried to take his daughter's mind off things by asking about school, boyfriends, activities, almost anything but his impending withdrawal. After dinner they rinsed the dishes together and put them into the dishwasher. 

"I'll bet your mother has some ice cream in the freezer," he said breaking a short silence. "Want some dessert?"

"I'll get the bowls," she said opening a cabinet door.

The proud father tried to lighten the atmosphere as they continued to talk over dessert, and at one point, ever got Ashley to laugh a little. By the time they had finished their ice cream, they were both feeling a little better. 

Harrison went upstairs to start packing. Laura was still in her clothes but sitting up against the headboard of the bed. He looked at the couple dozen dirty tissues sprawled around her; if it wasn't so sad it would almost be funny. 

He stretched up to get the suitcase down from the top shelf of the closet, then opened it up on the floor next to his dresser. 

"I hope you were just saying those things yesterday to hurt me and don't really believe it," Laura whimpered.

"What things," he responded while throwing some socks and underwear into the bag.

"Please believe me, Harrison; I do still love you... as much I ever have. I heard what you told Ashley, about losing respect for you. That's true but not because of anything you did. You have always been the kind of man who deserves and gets respect from everyone he knows."

"Ah huh; except my wife."

"That's not true. In all the years we've been married there has never been one time where you haven't deserved my love and respect."

"Why then?" he asked with the same anger he'd displayed the night before. "You just said you lost respect for me. Why?"

"It goes hand in hand with false pride. When a person's own ego is inflated with false pride and they think they're better than everyone else, they lose respect for others. Some people go through life like that, believing they're better than others and some have the shit kicked out of them and are shocked back into reality. Sometimes those people wake up in time to ask forgiveness of the people they've wronged, but sometimes it's too late. I wronged the people I love more than life itself. I wronged my wonderful husband, my precious daughter, my friends and my marriage. Please tell me it's not too late, Harrison."

Harrison sighed as he stooped to close up his suitcase. "I don't know, Laura. I think I'm still in shock. I... I feel empty inside, sick from the pain. I... I just never thought you would... I honestly don't know if I can ever forgive you. I'm not sure what I want right now, but I know I can't stay here. I wish I could for Ashley's sake but I can't."

He walked the suitcase to the bedroom door then went back to the closet and grabbed a handful of shirt's and slacks before taking what he had out to the car. One more trip for his suits, sport coats, and ties and he was ready. 

When everything was in the car he went back one more time to say goodbye to his daughter. "As soon as I'm settled in someplace, honey, I'll let you know where I am. We'll still see each other, pumpkin, I promise. I can come and pick you up for weekends and maybe sometimes during the week as well."

For the first time since his wife's confession, tears overflowed from his eyes and streamed down his face as he hugged his little princess goodbye. 

"I love you, daddy," she told him. 

"I love you too," he replied. "I'm still your dad and you're still my daughter, that'll never change, honey, never. Remember that," he told her through a forced smile.

As he turned to exit his daughter's room he saw Laura standing in their bedroom doorway at the other end of the hall. There was no longer any inflated ego or self- righteous pride showing, just guilt, remorse, and extreme sadness. 

Neither had anymore words for the other at that moment, he turned to walk down stairs and out to his car.

"Come on," Laura said holding her arms out to her daughter. "Let's go down and wave to him."

They both stood on the front porch and waved goodbye as his tail lights disappeared down the quiet suburban street. 

"Don't give up hope," Laura said. 

Harrison's first thought was to check into the Holliday Inn a couple blocks from where he worked, but as he pulled into the parking lot he got a strange feeling... it was too far. It was too far from his home. He had to be closer, just in case Ashley needed him. He turned around and drove to the Extended Stay motel about a mile from his home. Not only did he feel better being closer to his house but his room had a small kitchen and he could get a monthly rate. 

As Harrison brought everything in from his car he put it all away. His shirts, slacks, and suits were hung up in the closet and everything else was either put into draws or in the bathroom. He had no idea what he was going to do in the long run, but for the short term anyway, that motel room would be his new home. As he settled in with that thought in mind, he called his daughter's cell to tell her where he was and assured her once more that they would still see each other on a regular basis.

As he took his shoes off and sat up in bed to watch a little TV a strange loneliness seemed to invade the room. Like an evil demon, it slithered in from under the door and spread out to permeate the air he breathed with solitude and isolation.

He had been away from home before, and sure, he had longed to be with his family on those occasions but he was still comfortable being by himself. This was different. For the first time in his life he wasn't just by himself, he felt alone... truly, undeniably, alone.

It was still early but it had been a long day and he'd gotten no sleep the night before. He clicked the remote to shut off the TV and lay down, still in his clothes. He closed his eyes as his mind asked questions of the future, questions to which he had no answers. 

At the house Harrison's wife was tucking their daughter into bed. She hadn't done that in years. Ashley was too old for that, but that night Laura thought her daughter needed to be comforted and Ashley didn't mind.

"Mom, do you really think dad will be back?" 

Her mom pulled the sheet up and tucked it under Ashley's chin like she did years ago. She smiled. "I'm going to do everything I can to see that he does, honey."

A little later that night, when Laura was getting ready for bed herself, she noticed the book missing from the corner of the dresser. For the first time in days a small smile reached across her face as she allowed a tiny glimmer of hope into her heart.

Harrison was still dressed when he opened his eyes to the morning light filtering in through the window. He was surprised that he had slept so soundly. He contributed his, "dead-to-the-world" slumber to complete and total exhaustion from all the stress. 

As he showered, he found the hot water invigorating. Slowly, the confident man inside him started to emerge again. The fog he had been living in for the last couple of days was being washed away and things began to come into focus. 

At work Harrison was the go-to guy. He worked for Marketing Specialists, Inc., a firm who specialized in collecting marketing data for other businesses. If XYZ Corporation had an idea for a new product, they would hire Harrison's company to see if there was a market for it. If the results of their analysis were favorable, the corporation's marketing department would use the data for developing ad campaigns once the product was in production. 

Harrison was project manager for the company's largest accounts. His staff consisted of Dana, his personal assistant, two secretaries who answered to Dana, and approximately twenty-five analysts, managers, and go-fors. He answered to only three people above him, all of whom seldom questioned the way he did his job. 

"Good morning, Harrison." Dana was an average looking woman in her mid-forties. She'd been his PA and friend for the last eight years. 

"Good morning, Dana." He always gave her a smile as he passed on the way to his office. "Dana, will you do me a favor, please. Print out my entire schedule for the week and bring it in with my coffee. I may want to reschedule some things."

"Of course," she replied.

A few minutes later, Dana walked into his office carrying his coffee in one hand and his print outs in the other. "Is something wrong?" she asked setting his cup down on a coaster. "I don't think you said two words to me all day, yesterday."

He thought for a moment. The last thing he wanted was to make everyone privy to his personal problems. At work he was Mr. in-control. How would it look to his co-workers... to his subordinates, if it got out that he couldn't control his own wife? But this was Dana asking, they'd known each other for many years and he knew he could trust her.

"Dana, this goes no further than this office, hear me?"

"Yes, of course, Harrison. What's wrong?"

"Laura and I are having some problems. I moved out last night."

"Oh, Harrison, no."

"I'm afraid so," he responded nodding his head slightly. "Sometime this week I'll be seeing a divorce attorney. That's why I wanted the itinerary; I have to see where I can juggle some time."

"Harrison, I'm so sorry. What about Ashley, does she know?"

"Oh yeah, she's well aware of the whole situation."

"How's she taking it?"

"Ah, well not good but she's a trooper. She'll be alright. I've assured her over and over again that we'll still see each other on a regular basis."

Harrison looked up and saw the concern in his PA's face. Another victim, he thought. How many more people will wind up being affected by his wife's infidelity? He didn't know, but the number was growing.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

"I appreciate the offer, but no, this is something I have to work out myself," he replied.

"Well if there is anything, please let me know."

"Thanks, Dana, I will," he told her looking down at the itinerary she laid on his desk. She took that as her cue to leave. 

Harrison saw he had a very busy couple of days ahead of him but if he rescheduled one meeting he'd have a good three hours available at the end of the week. He called out to Dana to do the rescheduling. 

It didn't take long for his analytical mind to pick an attorney. He simply looked in the yellow pages for the lawyer with the biggest ad. Dana set the appointment for him at two o'clock that Friday. It turned out to be a real eye-opener.

Stan Gilman was a tall, silver haired gentleman in his early sixties. Harrison was ushered into his office by a nice looking blond secretary and offered a cup of coffee. Once the pleasantries were over, Stan got right down to business.

"Okay, Mr. Corbett, how can I help you?"

"Well, I... I'm probably going to divorce my wife and I wanted to find out everything that's going to be involved."

"I see," responded Stan. "On what grounds do you want to sue?"

"Ah, does there have to be grounds? Can't I just get a no-fault divorce?"

"Illinois is not a no-fault state. You can sue for irreconcilable differences; that's almost like a no-fault divorce. It simply states neither party has to be at fault, but there are conditions involved."

"What kind of conditions?" Harrison asked.

"Would you wife be agreeable to a divorce?"

"I doubt it," answered Harrison shaking his head.

"Then you would have to maintain separate living quarters for two years before you can file."

"Two years!" Harrison bellowed almost falling out of his chair. "That's ridiculous!"

"Maybe so but that's the law," informed Stan. "Now, if you sue for fault you can file immediately. Does she suffer from drug or alcohol abuse? Has she committed adultery? Has she abandoned you for a year or more? Is she guilty of physical or mental cruelty?" Stan sat up and leaned his elbows on the large Oak desk in front of him. "Why are you considering a divorce, Mr. Corbett?"

"She cheated on me," he admitted. 

"Okay, are you sure; do you have proof?"

"Yeah, she told me she screwed another guy. She came right out and confessed."

"Really, well I assume she told you because she's planning on leaving you for her lover? Are you sure she doesn't want a divorce?"

"No, she promised not to see him again, in fact she quit her job because he was a client. She confessed to ease her guilty conscience."

"I see," Stan countered. He suspected there was more behind Laura's confession than just easing her conscience but that really wasn't his concern. His job was that of an officer of the court, not a marriage counselor.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Corbett, your wife's confession is not real proof. All she has to do is recant and it becomes her word against yours. The suit becomes baseless."

"She admitted it to our daughter, too. That's two against one, right?"

"How old is your daughter?"

"Fifteen."

"And you would really want me to call your daughter to testify against her mother?"

Harrison lowered his head in shame. He was getting frustrated and hadn't thought before he spoke. "No, no of course not," he said sheepishly. 

The distinguished looking gentleman broke into a small smile. "Mr. Corbett, if both parties are in agreement, divorce is a relatively easy process, but if not, the state goes out of their way to make it a long, frustrating, and costly procedure. If you can get her to agree to a divorce, that two year separation period can be cut down to six months. You could even live in the same house as long as you didn't live as husband and wife; in other words, no sex. But without her cooperation, I'm afraid you're stuck between a rock and hard place, at least for the next two years."

"Thank you, Mr. Gilman," Harrison said while standing and extending his hand. "I guess I have to think this through some more."

"That's a good idea, Mr. Corbett," he replied as he also stood to take his prospective client's hand. "Mr. Corbett, you might also give some thought to marriage counseling. From what you've told me, it sounds as if your wife is serious about making amends, and with a fifteen year old child implicated... well, it might be worth a try."

Harrison knew he was only trying to be helpful but he went there for information on ending his marriage, not saving it. 

"I'll give it some thought as well," he said just to be polite. "Uh, here's my card," he mentioned pulling a business card from his wallet. "Just send the bill to me at that address."

"There's no charge, Mr. Corbett. Most people haven't a clue when it comes to divorcing someone so I offer one free consultation, this is yours."

That was the best news he'd heard since walking into the lawyer's office. He thanked him again and left wondering how he could get Laura to agree to a divorce. 

The next day was Saturday. He'd made arrangements to pick Ashley up in the morning. She was going to spend the weekend. On the drive over he wondered if this was to be his new life, living alone, seeing his daughter on weekends. It certainly wasn't the life he had envisioned. 

As he pulled into the drive he didn't feel like seeing Laura so he left the motor running and honked the horn. It was a minute or two before Laura came out on the porch.

"Ashley will be a few minutes, Harrison. Come on in and have a cup of coffee while you're waiting."

"No, that's okay," he told her. "I'll just wait out here."

He could see Laura's face drop from where he was. A couple minutes later it was Ashley who stepped out next.

"Dad, can you come in and give me a hand with something?" 

Before he could question her as to what she needed, she was back inside already. He sighed and wondered if it was just some ploy cooked up between wife and daughter. He was really hoping Laura wouldn't try to use Ashley to manipulate him. He didn't really think she would do that, but then he didn't think she'd ever screw another man either.

Begrudgingly he got out of the car and headed inside the house.

"SURPRISE!" yelled both females.

And a surprise it was. With everything going on he had completely forgotten it was his birthday. There was a large banner stretched across the hallway saying, 'Happy Birthday, Harrison,' and on the coffee table was a birthday cake with candles. Standing next to it were two smiling ladies, each holding a brightly wrapped gift in their hands.




Between the Pages of Adultery Ch. 02



Temporarily the heavy heart he carried with him over the last several days became lighter and a large smile broke his solemn expression. 

"Happy birthday, dad."

"Happy birthday, Harrison," they said almost in unison. 

He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He was literally overwhelmed. "I... I don't know what to say. Thanks." 

"Come on," said Laura gesturing to the couch. "Sit down while I light the candles."

Before he could take a step, Ashley walked up and threw her arms around him for a quick hug. When she was done she took his hand and walked him to the middle of the couch. He sat down with the cake directly in front of him. Laura was bending over lighting each candle. 

As soon as the last candle was lit, she started to sing... "Happy birthday to you... " Ashley joined in, and together they sang the traditional celebratory melody, harmonizing at the end. 

"Come on, dad," Ashley said after finishing, "make a wish and blow out the candles."

Harrison closed his eyes as he wished, then opened them again, leaned forward, and in one breath, blew out all the candles. 

"Yea," Ashley chirped. "I hope your wish comes true, dad."

"Me too," he said humorlessly.

"Here, dad." Ashley handed him the present she was holding. 

Harrison found a beautiful, hardcover book on the early American West hidden beneath the wrapping paper. "Thank you, honey," he said giving his daughter a hug.

"Here, I got you something too," Laura revealed handing him what looked like an envelope wrapped in birthday paper. 

Harrison looked up at the woman he had loved for so long. His anger had subsided but the pain was still there. He removed the paper and pulled two tickets from a plain, white envelope.

"Second City?"

"Yeah, I hope you didn't make other plans for tonight. I thought it would be fun for both of you," Laura said with smile.

"No other plans; actually I forgot all about it being my birthday," he said pensively. "These must have been expensive. How can you afford them?"

"I took a job waitressing at Mama B's. It's only temporary until I can find something better, but actually the tips aren't bad, and the tickets weren't really that expensive."

"Can we go, Dad?" Ashley asked. "I've always wanted to see Second City."

"Sure, honey," he said looking into her smiling face.

"Wonderful," said Laura with a big grin. She felt good giving him the tickets. She saw it as a positive step in the right direction. "Now, how about that coffee with a piece of cake?" 

"Okay," he conceded with a nod of his head. 

It was almost as if they were a family again, thought Laura, as they all sat enjoying a piece of cake. Harrison made a joke that made Ashley laugh, something she hadn't heard in a while. As she watched the interaction between her husband and daughter the hope that had started to fade found a new spark of life. 

'Okay, time to go, honey," said Harrison after finishing his cake. They both headed for the door. On the way out he thanked Laura for the party.

She was almost giddy with optimism as she started to clean up the dishes. As she picked up one of the napkins she noticed the envelope under it. Laura opened it and looked inside. There were the tickets. She ran to her phone to call him before they got too far away but Harrison's phone went right to voice mail. Damn, she thought, how could he leave without the tickets?

She had expected to hear from him later that night but her phone remained silent all weekend. 

About five o'clock, Sunday evening Laura heard the duo pull into the drive. She walked out to greet them but Harrison stayed in the car as Ashley grabbed her overnight case, gave him a kiss on the cheek, then ran up to the porch. 

"You want to stay for dinner, Harrison," she yelled, "I have plenty."

"No thanks," he replied before backing out and taking off.

Laura was disappointed. She'd hoped to keep things going in a positive vain. She reached down and hugged her excited daughter.

"Did you have fun, honey?"

"We sure did. Second City was so cool. Can we go there sometime? I... "

"You went to Second City? But your dad left the tickets on the table. I tried to call but he had his phone off," Laura said a little bewildered. 

"Really? I wondered. When we got to dad's motel room he asked if I really wanted to go. I said yeah so he got more tickets online. I couldn't figure out why he did that but it didn't make any difference, we had a great time. I'm going upstairs to unpack," she said heading into the house. 

The elation Laura felt earlier evaporated into thin air. Tears began to cloud her vision. Her daughter's tale made her realize that Harrison didn't forget the tickets, he never intended on taking them. It was a cruel thing to do, not at all like something her loving husband would have done in the past. Had his heart hardened so? Have I destroyed the man I love? She wondered as her tears broke free and ran down her face.

For Harrison, it was only the first in a string of wonderful weekends that he would spend with his daughter. He began to live for those last two days of the week. The rest of his life was becoming very mundane, even his job. He used to enjoy the challenge. Now it was faltering on drudgery. 

He sat in his darkened motel room wondering what he should do. It was going on four months since he'd walk out on his wife. He thought about the two year separation law. He knew there was no way he could continue living like he was for two years. 

At the house, another situation was developing of which Harrison had no knowledge. Ashley was becoming increasingly moody and short tempered with her mom. The shock and sadness she first felt was shifting to anger and she was making no attempt to disguise her building contempt. There had been several derogatory remarks aimed at her mother over the past month, along with a couple of angry outburst, and even a fight or two. Laura knew she should correct her daughter's conduct but the truth was she felt she deserved it, so Ashley's behavior went unchallenged. 

About the same time Harrison was pondering his situation, Laura was coming home after working a double shift at the restaurant. She was tired and her feet ached. She stopped in the hall to slip her shoes off then braced herself on the wall while she bent over to massage the balls of her feet. 

It was late, the house was quiet, the lights were off and Laura assumed Ashley was in bed. Before hitting the sack herself, she went into the kitchen to make herself a sandwich. It had been such a busy night that despite working in a restaurant, the tired waitress didn't get a bite to eat all night; she was starving. 

As Laura sat eating, she pulled out her tips and started counting, a hundred and eighty three dollars; not bad for a day's work, even if it was a sixteen hour day. She put her dirty dishes in the sink and headed for upstairs, but before she got to the hall Laura heard someone on the front porch. She got scared. It was after midnight. Cautiously she went to the window and peeked out the drapes. Illuminated by only a small patch of moonlight were two figures clinched in an embrace just outside the door.

It had been a very long day and she was exhausted. Her brain wasn't functioning at full throttle because for a brief moment, Laura couldn't understand what two people would be doing hugging on her front porch at midnight; her heart sunk when she realized it had to be Ashley out there.

She darted over, threw on the outside light, and abruptly opened the door to confront the two lovers. "Ashley! Get in here this minute!"

"Mom!" Ashley yelled, "Shut the door, I'll be in, in a minute."

"Right now, young lady; get in here this instant."

Ashley looked up at her boyfriend and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow," she told him. He nodded and casually left the porch.

Laura detected a definite smirk on her face as her daughter passed on the way inside. Laura was beside herself with anger.

"What is wrong with you, staying out this late on a school night, and since when do you have a boyfriend?" she roared.

"He's just a boy from school. We went out with some of his friends, that all. Don't worry, we didn't do anything, I'm not a slut like you."

Laura was so shocked at her daughter's vitriol that she verbally gasped in disbelief. She stood, frozen while Ashley went upstairs. Unavoidably, tears filled her eyes and her legs were weakening from under her. She moved to the couch and cried. What two months of immoral self-indulgence had cost her, she thought; first her husband, now her daughter. She was drowning in her own despair with no life boat in sight. 

Laura didn't get a wink of sleep that night. In the morning she made breakfast for Ashley and tried to think of a way to approach the growing conflict building between them. 

"Ashley, I want to talk to you about last night," she started.

"Not now, mom. I'm going to meet some friends before school and I have to go."

"Who? what friends? That guy you were with last night? Who is he?"

Ashley got up from the table without answering. 

"Ashley, I'm not done talking to you... " she yelled as she heard the door close.

With no sleep and as upset as she was, Laura decided to call in sick. She had to concentrate on the brewing situation with her daughter. As soon as she came home from school she was going to sit down and have a frank discussion with her. 

Harrison worked late then stopped at a restaurant for dinner. It was a little past nine as he walked into his motel room home. He loosened his tie just as his cell phone rang. He picked it up and looked at the display. "Laura? What the hell does she want now?" he grumbled to himself. 

"Hello."

"Harrison, is Ashley with you by any chance?" Her voice was panicky. 

"No she's not here."

"Oh, Harrison, I'm worried. She's been acting strange lately. Last night she was out till midnight with a boy... "

"What, where the hell were you?" 

"I worked a double shift. When I got home I thought she was in bed until I heard her on the porch. She's been very sassy with me lately and this morning she left as I was talking to her about her attitude. Harrison, what should I do? I need you, I can't do it by myself," she cried.

"You should have thought of that before you went to bed with another man," he attacked.

He could hear her crying. "Alright, alright, calm down," he told her regretting what he said. "Did you call her friends to see if she went to one of their houses?"

"Yes, I called everyone I knew. Nobody's seen her since school," she answered fearfully.

"Okay, call the cops, I'll go out to some of the teenage hangouts around town and see if I can spot her."

"I'll go too... "

"No, you stay there in case she comes home... and if she does, call me." Harrison grabbed his keys and took off in search of his daughter.

Continued...



Between the Pages of Adultery Ch. 03



"No, you stay there in case she comes home... and if she does, call me." Harrison grabbed his keys and took off in search of his daughter.

Anxiously he pulled out of the parking lot with no idea where to look or who she could be with; all he knew was he couldn't sit around and do nothing. Who knows, he thought, I might just get lucky and find her in a restaurant somewhere.

Harrison drove aimlessly around, checking one restaurant after another. In one he saw some kids who looked about Ashley's age. He pulled out a picture and asked if they knew her. One boy said she was in one of his classes but he had no idea where she would be. 

Becoming more worried by the minute, Harrison continued his hunt until Twelve-thirty when his phone rang. He immediately pulled over to the side of the road.

"Hello," he nervously answered.

"Harrison, it me; she's okay, she just got home." He could tell his wife had been crying. 

"This stops here and now," he said angrily. "Don't let her go to bed yet, I'm on my way over there right now."

"I... okay," she said weakly. "She's already upstairs but I'll tell her you're on your way."

By the time he reached the house Harrison was fuming. He was no psychologist but he knew adolescent self-destructive behavior when he saw it. If he couldn't get through to his daughter he was afraid she'd set out on a path that would mean nothing but trouble. He turned off the engine and just sat there for a minute. He didn't want to go in screaming. He had to think. He had to calm down. He took a deep breath and headed for the front door. 

Laura heard the car and was waiting for him. She had the door open by the time he reached the porch.

"Where is she," he grumbled wasting no time.

"She's in her room. Maybe you can get her to come out; she won't for me."

Harrison took the steps two at a time. He stopped outside her door and took another deep breath before knocking.

"Ashley, come on out here, please. I want to talk to you," he calmly said through the door. There was no answer. "Ashley, open this door, now, and come out here." There was still no answer. He knocked a little harder. His voice was much firmer this time. "Ashley, open this door or I'm going to remove it from the hinges and throw the damn thing away. Then we won't have this problem again because you won't have a door."

Ashley knew her dad, he didn't bluff. He meant exactly what he said. Apprehensively she opened the door to face her father.

Harrison could see she also had been crying. "Good choice," he told her sternly. "Go wash your face and come on down stairs; we're going to Denny's for a talk."

He went down and told Laura. "Denny's?" she asked. "Can't you just talk to her here? It's a school night, Harrison, and it's already so late."

"I'm hoping the neutral atmosphere will help her relax and I can get to the bottom of this," he stated. 

When Ashley was ready she and her dad road silently to the Denny's a couple miles away. They found a booth. Harrison ordered coffee and Ashley, ice tea. 

"Now," started Harrison after the waitress brought their drinks, "what's going on, Ashley. Your mother tells me you've been sassing her and the other night you were out with some boy till midnight."

"I should have figured she'd come running to you. Don't worry, dad, Danny and I didn't do anything; I'm not a slut like her."

"Hey!" Harrison didn't yell but spoke very firmly. "First of all you're your mother didn't come running to me. When you didn't come home she called to see if you were with me, and second, she is not a slut and I don't ever want to hear you call her that again, do you hear me young lady."

"Fine," she said defiantly, "then what do you call it. She had sex with another man and now you're going to divorce her." His daughter's eyes were starting to glisten again. "I miss you, dad, and it's all moms' fault. I hate her."

Ashley was fifteen years old, but in his eyes, still his little girl. The situation was obviously having a negative impact on her. She always listened to her dad before; he prayed she'd listen this time.

"I see, so you're going to punish her by disrespecting yourself. Is that right?"

"Ah, no... I" she looked at her dad knowing he was disappointed in her. Now a couple tears broke free and ran down her cheeks. He always had a way of putting things in perspective.

"Tell me, how do you feel after sassing your mother?"

"What do you mean?"

"How do you feel about yourself? Does it make you feel good?" 

"It's not about that, dad, it's about what she did," she whimpered.

"It's exactly about that, Ashley. First of all, I don't believe you hate your mother and if you do, your hate is badly misplaced. Your mother did a terrible thing. Sometimes good people do bad things, it happens. People are not perfect, not even parents. It's our flaws that make us human. From what you've told me and from what I see for myself, not a day has gone by when your mom hasn't regretted what she did. Her pain is as deep as yours and mine but she also has to deal with the guilt."

"Well... she deserves it, doesn't she? If you can be mad at her I don't see why I shouldn't be mad at her too," Ashley snarled. "Dad, because of what she did, we're no longer a family," she said in a voice cracking with emotion. 

"Some kids at school have divorced parents and I always felt sorry for them, now I'm going to be one of them. I never thought it would happen to me. I used to think I was so lucky because my mom and dad loved each other, but now all that's ruined and she's the blame."

"Ashley, I understand you being angry, but we can be angry with people and still love them. Honey, your behavior is only making a bad situation worse. Both your mom and I are worried about you. Be angry but don't lose yourself in it. Don't let that anger destroy who you are. Don't lose your own self-respect by disrespecting your mother.

"But dad, you always said respect had to be earned."

"You don't think fifteen years of loving and caring for you should earn her your respect?" he shot back. 

"But, dad... "

"Listen Ashley, she's the same person who stayed up nights caring for you when you were sick; the same person who was there for you whenever you needed her, and the same person who always made sure you had whatever you needed. There isn't anything she wouldn't do for you and you know it. If the roles were reversed she'd be the first one in your corner, wouldn't she." 

Ashley picked a napkin up from the table and dabbed her eyes dry. "Yeah," she sobbed.

"Honey, sometimes people do terrible things but that doesn't make them terrible people and it sure doesn't mean you simply stop loving them, not if you truly loved them to begin with."

Ashley wiped more tears from her eyes while she thought about what her dad said.

Ashley, It's okay to be angry but we both raised you to be kind, loving, and compassionate. Don't let your anger change that; don't let it harden you or you'll wind up paying for her mistake for the rest of your life.

"Do you love your mother?" he asked her point blank.

"I guess." She hesitated for only a second. Yes, of course I do."

"Then go ahead and let her know you're angry over what she did, but also let her know that you still love her, honey.

"Okay, I'm sorry, dad."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, pumpkin."

Ashley nodded her head and wiped her eyes again. "I know. I'll tell mom I'm sorry."

"That's my girl," he said with a smile. "And no more back talk or staying out late," he told her.

She shook her head. "No, no more, I promise."

"Good, now are you hungry; you want some pie or something?"

She shook her head no as she took a sip of her iced tea.

Harris could see there was a question behind that beautiful face. "What is it, honey?"

"Dad, why can't you stand by mom? You told me you still love her."

The question caught him off-guard. 

"Honey, my relationship with your mother is different than yours. When two people get married they make promises and commitments to one another. Love is important but it's not the only thing. Fidelity, loyalty, trust, they're the foundation of a successful marriage and when those things are lost the foundation crumbles. It doesn't mean they don't love each other anymore, it just means that maybe they shouldn't be married anymore."

"You're never coming back, are you, dad?"

He could see the moisture still glistening in her eyes. "Baby, I don't mean to put you off but I honestly don't know."

It was one-thirty in the morning by the time they got back. Laura heard them pull in and was out on the porch by the time Ashley kissed her dad good night and got out of the car. Harrison watched as she apologized, then hugged her mother. He was praying it would be the last of Ashley's rebellion. 

Later in the week Harrison was still having a hard time sleeping. With everything else churning around in his head, he was still worried about Ashley. By Friday morning he was barely able to drag himself out of bed. Dana took one look at her boss and hated to have to tell him he was wanted in Mr. Prichert's office. Ken Prichert was founder and CEO of Marketing Specialist, Inc. He was also one of the three guys Harrison answered to.

He was busy looking at something on his computer when Harrison approached so he gently knocked on the floor to ceiling glass window of his boss' office. Mr. Prichert looked up with a smile and motioned for him to come in. 

"Have a seat, Harrison; I was just going over some of your reports." As Harrison sat down his boss looked away from the screen and straight into Harrison's face. "What's going on?"

"What's... I don't... "

"Bullshit, Harrison. You know exactly what I'm talking about. For the last month or two, your work has been mediocre at best. I'm not used to seeing this kind of effort from you, or should I say the lack thereof. Whatever problems you're having is affecting this company and I can't allow that to go on. You're too good at your job to let this kind of crap slide. Now what's going on? What has you so upset you can't do your job?"

Harrison was demoralized. He knew his work was not up to his usual standards but to hear the man he regarded so highly, express it so bluntly was really disheartening. 

"I... I'm sorry, Ken, it's... ah, a few personal problems."

"Okay; look, I don't want to pry into your personal life, Harrison, but neither do I want to lose one of this company's most valuable assets. If you won't tell me what's wrong how do I know if I can help or not? Are Laura and Ashley okay?"

"Yeah, they're both okay, it's just... " he took a breath. "Well, I've moved out of the house."

"I see." Ken's voice suddenly took on a sad tone. "I'm sorry to hear that, Harrison. I sure hope it's nothing that can't be resolved. You two always seemed to be a truly loving couple."

"Thanks, Ken. I... I don't really see us getting back together, though. I could forgive almost anything, but... " he really didn't want to lay his troubles on his boss. He thought he'd already said too much so he stopped in mid-sentence.

"You're telling me Laura cheated on you?"

Harrison's face showed his surprise. He hadn't intended to give out that information. The guy must be psychic, he thought. 

Mr. Prichert read the look on Harrison's face. "It's the one thing that most husbands can't forgive," he said, answering the unasked question. "It's funny, but women are much more likely to forgive infidelity than men, did you know that?"

"No, but then I hadn't really given it a lot of thought. I wonder why that would be, though. Women are more emotional than men; you'd think they'd be less likely to forgive."

"I suspect it has to do with a man's pride. Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not saying a man shouldn't have pride, not by a long shot. But I do believe there are cases where forgiveness is in order, when a second chance is appropriate but a man's pride gets in the way of it happening. I know that's what happened in my case," he admitted.

"Your case? I don't get it, you and Joyce... "

"No, not me and Joyce," he interrupted. "Joyce is my second wife; me and my first wife, Monica."

Harrison was stunned. "I didn't know you were married before."

"Yeah, we got married right out of college. I was so madly in love with her I couldn't see straight, but that didn't stop me from cheating on her."

"Cheating on her," blurted Harrison sitting up in the chair. "I thought you said she cheated on you."

"We cheated on each other," he revealed. "But I was first. It wasn't long after I started the company. It took off faster than I ever anticipated. My dad worked for the rail road all his life, but I owned my own business; I really thought I was a big-shot. I was a decent looking guy, suddenly had money to burn, and had ample opportunities to sleep with some good looking women. In the beginning I resisted, but after a while I thought what the hell, I'm a successful entrepreneur, why shouldn't I indulge a little. I didn't think of the consequences or how it would affect Monica if she ever found out."

Harrison was shocked and disillusioned with his boss' confession. This was a man he had always liked and admired. "Ken, I find this hard to imagine. You just don't seem like that kind of guy," he said disbelievingly. 

"Well I learned my lesson," he replied sadly. "Unfortunately it was too late by that time. When Monica discovered what I was doing she took revenge. The difference was I was discreet; she rubbed my nose in it. She flaunted her affair. I would have loved to beg for her forgiveness, maybe gone to couples therapy or something, but she had backed me into a corner. She made her affair known to friends and business associates alike. My pride was at stake. I had no choice but to file for divorce."

"Why did she do that?" Harrison asked.

"Why-huh," chuckled Ken, "because she was hurt; hurt and royally pissed. She was lashing out and I really couldn't blame her. I just wished she would have given me another chance. Don't get me wrong, Joyce is a wonderful woman and I love her dearly, it's just... " he paused briefly and stared into space. 

Harrison could see the sadness in his eyes. 

"It's just that I'll never stop loving Monica," he continued in a soft, regretful voice.

Harrison had never seen his boss look so melancholy. 

Ken looked into Harrison's face again. "Don't ever repeat that."

"No, of course not, Ken. I... I had no idea... "

"Well it's not something I'm proud of; I don't go around telling everyone. By the time you came aboard I was already remarried... anyway," he said as he appeared to come back to life, "I guess what I'm saying is, make sure you've explored all the options before you do anything, Harrison. A man's pride is very important. He needs to take pride in himself, in his work, in his achievements, and in his family; just don't let it stand in the way of your happiness, my friend." 

"I won't" Harrison promised as he started to stand up.

"Sit down, I'm not finished yet," ken demanded. "Tell you what; I want you to take a week off... "

Harrison didn't like that idea. "Ken, I can... "

"I won't take no for an answer," he responded, cutting Harrison short. "Don't worry, I'm still going to pay you, and because I'm forcing this on you it won't count toward your vacation time, but I want you to take some time to think things through, after-all that's your strong point, isn't it; your ability to see all the angles?" 

Harrison could see his boss was serious.

"I'll give you till the end of the day to make sure all the fires are out. Then I want you to bring one of your guys up to speed and tell him he's in charge for the next week. I want you to focus on your personal life and not worry about work, understand?"

"Yeah, I understand," he sighed. 

A week off was the last thing he wanted. At least work gave him a distraction so he didn't have to think about his situation, but as he thought about it more, he realized it was the right thing to do. Things needed to be resolved... one way or the other.

He stopped by a restaurant on the way home. He worked straight through lunch to make sure he didn't leave anything behind that would blow up while he was gone. While consuming his southern fried steak, Harrison thought of Ken's story. Something he said kept nagging at him; he cheated because he felt like a big shot. In essence that was just what his wife told him. The words were different but the concept was the same. 

It was still on his mind when he returned to his motel room, that's when he remembered the book Laura asked him to read. He walked over to the dresser and removed it from the bottom drawer. "'A' is for adultery," Just looking at the title brought back those horrible memories from the night she told him. He felt like tossing the book into the garbage but he stopped himself, pulled out a beer, and settled down on the bed as he opened it to the first page. 

Just like the former owner, he found it interesting and extremely informative. He was well into the third chapter by the time he fell asleep with the book resting on his chest. The next day was Saturday; the book would have to wait. The weekend was for him and his daughter. 

The weekend was like most he had spent with Ashley. He always had something planned that was fun for both of them. Sunday night he would take her to a restaurant before taking her home.

"So, how are you and your mother getting along?" he asked. "Any better?"

"Yeah, we've kind of come to a truce, I guess," she replied. "But it was easier being mad at her than it is to feel sorry for her." 

Harrison found that to be a strange statement. "I don't get it; what do you mean?" 

"She cries in her room almost every night. I can hear her when I'm in bed. When I was mad at her I used to think, good, be miserable, you deserve it. But now I feel sorry for her again and it hurts."

There seemed to be no end to the pain caused by his wife's selfish desires, he thought. His daughter's statement went right to his soul. 

Monday he started to read the book again but he only got as far as the fifth chapter before closing it and putting it away. Everything was swirling around in his head, the book, his daughter, his boss' confession... 

Harrison pulled out his cell and called home. The answering machine kicked on after the third ring so he left a brief message. 

"Laura, I want to come over and talk. Give me a call back and let me know when you're available, will you please."

The second call was to his boss.

"Harrison, this better not be work related," Ken grumbled. 

"No, Ken," he said with a little amusement. "I'm doing what you told me to do. I'm working on my personal problems."

"Good, in that case what can I do for you?"

"When we were talking on Friday, you mention counseling; I was just wondering if you ever went as far as to find a good counselor?" 

"Shit, Harrison, that was thirty years ago. Besides, I never even got that far, like I said, she cut me off at the knees. I'll tell you what though; I'll call Terry Hecter, our attorney. With all the ambulance chasers that work in that firm I'll bet one or two have to be divorce lawyers. They work with marriage counselors all the time; I'll see if I can't get a recommendation for you."

"Thanks, Ken. I appreciate it."

"Oh, Harrison," uttered his boss before he could hang up, "I think you're doing the right thing."

"Thanks, Ken, but there's no guarantees. If she wants to give counseling a shot I'll go along with it, if not then it's over."

"She'll go for it. I'm sure of it," he said optimistically. 

It was almost eight o'clock by the time Laura got home. She should have been home by six but the restaurant was so busy her boss asked if she could stay until the rush was over. She gladly agreed. 




Between the Pages of Adultery Ch. 03



"Mom," Ashley yelled down from her room when she heard her mother in the hall. "Dad left a message on the machine. He wants you to call him."

Laura momentarily froze with fear. Was this it... divorce? She wondered, what did he say, exactly? How did he sound... angry? Her hand trembled as she reached for the playback button but she had to hear him for herself.

"Laura, I want to come over and talk. Give me a call back and let me know when you're available, will you please."

That was it? She hadn't a clue. All she could do was call and pray. 

"Harrison... "

He could hear the hesitancy in her voice. "Hi, Laura, how are you and Ashley getting along?"

"Much better, thank you; whatever you said to her made a big difference."

"Good," he responded. "Listen, Laura, I've been given a lot of thought to our situation... "

Laura closed her eyes. Here it comes, she thought. She took a deep breath and waited for the hammer to drop.

"Would you have time some night this week to sit down and talk?" he asked.

She silently let the air out of her lungs with a small sigh of relief. At least he didn't tell me over the phone, she thought. She was still very anxious. She had to know what he wanted to talk about but she was too scared to ask. Still... she needed to know.

"Well I just got home but you're welcome to come over now. I'll put a pot of coffee on."

"Okay, see you in about twenty minutes," he said, then hung up without another word.

Laura quickly started the coffee then ran upstairs to change out of her uniform. 

"What did dad want?" Ashley asked when she saw her mom going into the bedroom.

"I'm not sure, honey. He's coming over to talk."

Ashley could hear the anxiety in her mom's voice and it scared her. She walked through the hall and into her mom's room. She saw her mom slipping into a skirt. There were tears in her eyes.

"Mom, why are you crying? What did he say?"

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. He didn't say anything... honest. I'm just a little nervous, that's all. Please don't be scared," Laura said trying to console her daughter. 

Ashley wasn't buying it. "He's going to divorce you, isn't he?" she yelled. "I knew it, I knew it! Why did you have to do it? Why wasn't daddy good enough for you?" she cried with anger.

"Oh, honey," Laura replied looking into the distressed face of her daughter. "I... I don't know why I did it but it had nothing to do with your father not being good enough. He's the finest man I know. I... I'm so sorry, dear. I'm so sorry!" 

Every tear that dripped from the grieving young girl's eyes was like a stake being driven through Laura's heart. She stretched out her arms as she closed the gap between herself and Ashley. 

"Oh mom," said the teenager. She wrapped her arms around her mother and pressed the side of her face into the soothing pillows of her mom's breasts, just like she did as a little girl.

"What are we going to do, mom?" she wept. "What are we going to do without dad?"

At that point they were both convinced Harrison was coming over to tell Laura he was divorcing her. For about the thousandth time since her confession, Laura cursed herself for all the pain she caused her family. 

The two held each other, each looking to the other for some solace. They were still embraced when they heard the doorbell. 

"Listen, honey," Laura addressed her daughter as she wiped away her tears. "Maybe this isn't what we think it is. I have to go down and talk to him, baby. Try not to worry too much; I'll let you know what's going on as soon as I know myself, okay?"

Ashley sadly nodded her head and returned to her own bedroom. She flopped face down on her bed and waited.

"Hi, Harrison," said Laura as she opened the door. She forced a smile. "You don't have to ring the bell you know; this is still your house."

Harrison forced a smile of his own as and he acknowledged her words with a nod. 

"Where would you like to do this, in here," she said gesturing to the living room, "or in the kitchen?"

"The kitchen's fine," he replied already heading in that direction. 

Laura made a little nervous small talk while she poured the coffee then joined him on the opposite end of the table. 

Harrison sighed just a little before getting to the reason he was there. He couldn't help being a little apprehensive; he still wasn't sure he was doing the right thing.

"Laura, I don't think you have any idea how much you hurt me. To this day I keep hearing your voice telling me you cheated on me and every time I hear it the pain starts all over again. I don't know how many times I've picked up the phone to call a divorce lawyer, but well... obviously I haven't made the call yet."

He took a sip of coffee then continued.

"Part of me wants to. Part of me says it's over, you cheated, that's it. But then there's another part of me that keeps saying, people aren't perfect, maybe after seventeen years together she deserves another chance."

He took a brief moment to gather his thoughts. 

"I read some of that book you gave me. You were right. It did help me understand how people can sometimes get sucked into a bad situation... that's still no excuse for what you did," he commented emphatically.

Laura was on the edge of her seat as he stopped for another drink. He kept going back and forth. She still wasn't sure what would be waiting for her when he stopped talking. What was he leading up to? Was he going to tell her he was divorcing her or not? It was sheer torture.

"Anyway," he resumed. "If you're interested I'd like try counseling. To be honest, I don't know if I can ever forgive you, but I'm willing to give it a try... "

Before Harrison could finish his statement Laura completely lost it. Four months of worry, grief, remorse, and guilt had just morphed into the first sign of actual hope. It was more than she could handle. 

Laura buried her face in both hands and burst out in tears. Ashley, who had been listening, unseen from the bottom of the staircase, rushed to her mother's side to comfort her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Laura bellowed. "I... I... " she was too emotional to speak. She stood and literally ran upstairs to the bedroom.

"What was all that about?" Harrison asked.

"I think she was just so relieved, dad. Before you came we both thought for sure you were going to give her divorce papers."

"Oh honey, I'm sorry. I should have said more over the phone. I'll go up and talk to her."

"Let her go, dad. She's been trying to stay brave for me but she needs to let it out. Just give her a few minutes, okay."

He looked at this daughter. This whole thing was causing her to grow up much faster than he wanted. 

"Dad, do you really think there's a chance we could be a family again?"

"There's a chance, honey, but I'm not making any promises," he said qualifying his answer. He still had his doubts and he didn't want to build everyone's hopes up. "If you're mother's interested in going to counseling... "

"Oh she's interested, dad."

"Okay," he said with a slight chuckle at his daughter's take charge attitude. "Well then I'll give it a try but there's an awful lot that has to be worked out before we could even start to patch things up, honey. I won't lie to you, it's a long shot."

"I know, but it's still a shot, right dad? That's the way mom and I see it." 

"Yeah, it's still a shot."

"Thank you, dad," Ashley said as she put her arms around him. "When would you guys start... the marriage counseling thing, I mean?"

"I'm not sure, honey. I don't even have a therapist yet. My boss is going to get me some recommendations, but the sooner the better."

They talked for just a little while longer then Harrison left before Laura came back down. 

His boss came up with three recommendations. Harrison checked them out on the Internet, and after two days of research, called his selection to see if they would take his case. 

Theresa was the doctor's personal assistant. She answered the phone in a pleasant voice. "Doctor Wexler's office, how may I help you?" 

The conversation took about twenty minutes. After Harrison explained about his wife's affair, Theresa asked several pertinent questions and took notes of the answers. 

She wanted to know if both parties were intent on reconciling. Harrison told her his wife was almost desperate for it, but clarified his own reluctance. That prompted a new series of questions; was he involved with anyone else, did he still love his wife, was he being shamed into therapy by someone else or was it his decision alone? Then she asked what other family members were involved, and of course Harrison told her of Ashley. 

At the end of the conversation Theresa told him she would confer with the doctor and call him back later the next day, but she was pretty confident the doctor would take their case. 

The following afternoon it was Doctor, Jane Wexler who called to confirm his wish for counseling. "Mr. Corbett, the simple fact that you have called requesting therapy tells me you wish to stay in the marriage; tell me, what is it you're hoping to achieve with counselling?"

"Doctor, right now I just can't get over my wife cheating on me. I... I guess I'm hoping you can show me how to forgive her."

It was an honest answer. "Okay," she responded. "Before we schedule a joint session with you and your wife," she explained, "I would like to see you both individually. Each session will last approximately one hour. After that I will meet with both of you on a once a week basis. Please hold, Theresa will schedule the appointments and work out a payment schedule for you."

With that the line went dead for a moment. Wow, thought Harrison, she's all business. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. A few seconds later Theresa said hello. Once the details were worked out she asked that he call Laura to have her schedule her own appointment. For the first time in a long time, Harrison felt like he had accomplished something, or at least was headed in that direction. He still felt it was a long-shot though.

Laura thanked him profusely when he gave her the info and apologized for her earlier outburst.

Since he was still on his forced vacation, Harrison was able to schedule his individual appointment for later that same week. He found himself strangely nervous as he entered the doctor's office. He had suddenly realized the impact the sessions could have on the rest of his life.

Theresa sounded much younger than she turned out to be. Harrison guessed her age to be closing in on sixty. She had him sit down and fill out some papers, including insurance forms, before ushering him into the doctor's office.

Doctor Wexler was also a surprise. From their phone conversation, he visualized a young, pretty woman, but in reality he guessed her age to be around fifty. Her hair was dark and cut short, barely covering one side of her forehead. As she stood up to greet him he figured she couldn't be more than five-one, or two, and she had absolutely no boobs to speak of. She did have a pleasant smile and a friendly voice; however, and was able to make Harrison feel more comfortable right from the start. 

"Now, Mr. Corbett, over the phone you said your wife had committed adultery. Do you know this for a fact or is it something you suspect?"

"Oh no, it's a fact. She admitted it," he replied.

"I see. Why don't we start with you telling me what led up to her confession."

Over the months, Harrison's anger had slowly dissipated leaving his pain and grief much more visible. As a veteran, Dr. Wexler spotted it immediately. She could see he was a man who had been head over heels in love, only to have been very deeply hurt by that love's betrayal. 

As the session neared the end of the hour, she knew he presented a challenge. Out of all the things that can be broken, the heart is the most difficult to repair.

Dr. Wexler was genuinely more optimistic after meeting Laura. Many women would down play their affairs. 'He needs to just get over it,' seemed to be their mantra, minimizing and disregarding the hurt they'd caused, but Laura was sincere in her remorse. 

They discussed the book she read and how it made her realize the gravity of what she was doing. She told Doctor Wexler that telling Harrison of her infidelity was by far, the worst moment of her entire life. She broke down and cried three times in the allotted hour.

After their session, the doctor was sure Laura would be able to adequately answer her husband's questions; but would he be able to dig down deep enough to forgive her? That was a question no one but Harrison could answer.

A week later it was time for their first joint session. Harrison was nervous but Laura was down-right scared. She was terrified she'd say something wrong and hurt him even more than she had. Dr. Wexler told her the same thing she'd read in the book. "Whatever he asks, don't even think about lying. It is impossible to rebuild a relationship with lies; the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth was her only chance.'

Once they were both seated, the doctor tried to set a non-combatant atmosphere with a short description as to how she conducted her sessions. Theresa brought in fresh coffee and laid it on a small table along the wall. When she thought everyone was ready, Dr. Wexler started things off.

"Mr. Corbett, during our first meeting, you expressed to me a question that bothers you almost as badly as your wife's affair itself. Do you know the question to which I refer?"

"Yeah, I think so," he responded. 

"Well," she continued, "I think it's a valid question and one that should be addressed right from the start. Why don't you ask your wife?"

Harrison turned toward a very worried looking Laura. 

"Why did you have to rub my nose in it? Or was it just to ease your own conscience?"

"Rub your nose... I'm sorry, Harrison, I don't know what you mean. I didn't rub... "

"Why did you have to say anything," he blurted out, cutting her off. "Why couldn't you have just broken it off with the jackass and not said anything. I didn't have a clue. I never even suspected you were having an affair," he said through gritted teeth.  

He could feel his anger resurfacing already. Unconsciously he brought his hand up in a closed fist attempting to hold back his rage as he spoke again. "Couldn't you have just kept quiet?" he growled. "I would have stayed blissfully ignorant and none of this would have ever happened."

Laura's tears were already starting to form. "I couldn't take the chance of you finding out on your own," she stammered. "Harrison, telling you what I had done was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. God, I wish I could have said nothing. To this day I sometimes wonder if it was the right thing to do. As for easing my conscience, believe me, it would be a lot easier living with the secret of what I had done than living with the consequences."

"I still don't get it," he stated with exasperation. "You were afraid I'd find out so you told me? That doesn't make sense, Laura."

She could see his face was still contorted with pain and anger, just as it had been that night. "Harrison, read chapter twel... "

"No, Laura," Dr. Wexler broke in. "He needs to hear it from you, not read it out of some book. YOU have to make him understand."

Laura felt dejected by the doctor's reprimand. She had gotten the mistaken impression that the doctor would be on her side in all this. She was frustrated; the book explained things so much better than she could. How could she make him understand? It was so important; she had to make him understand... 

"Harrison, do you remember what you told Ashley the night you moved out? You said a marriage was built on trust and respect. Well I broke your trust and disrespected you as my husband by cheating. How could I ever ask for your forgiveness if I had continued doing it? How could I ever show you I could be trustworthy again if I went on keeping secrets from you?"

Laura took a tissue from the box on the doctor's desk and wiped her eyes before continuing. "Harrison, you're a very intelligent man. It would be only a matter of time before something would've captured the attention of that analytical mind of yours and sooner or later you would have figured it out. When that day came and I confessed to the affair only AFTER getting caught, if ONLY then I told you it had already ended would you have believed me? Would you ever believe anything I said after that? Would you ever trust me again?" 

Harrison sat leaning forward, his elbows rested on his knees while he stared at the floor. He silently shook his no in response to her question.

She resumed. "How could I ever have looked you in the eye and said the affair was over, now you can trust me again, after deceiving you all that time? I know you, Harrison; it would have surely been over with no chance of ever getting you back. It was a gamble, I know, and I'm so terribly sorry for all the pain I've caused you and Ashley, but it would have been even worse if you had discovered my betrayal on you own. After what I'd done it was the only way I stood the ghost of a chance of keeping the man I love and keeping our family together."

It was an impassioned speech; the room fell quiet while Harrison thought over what she said.

Doctor Wexler was the first to break the silence. "Does that make sense to you, Mr. Corbett? 

He sighed before speaking. "I don't know. I guess in a way it makes sense, but I'm still not sure I agree with her decision to tell me like that."

"Let me ask you a question," addressed the doctor. "If Laura had kept the affair quiet and you did discover it on your own, would we be sitting here now?"

It didn't take him long to answer. "No, no way."

Neither Doctor Wexler nor Laura said anything else. Harrison thought about his answer and had to admit, it was a calculated risk by his wife, but probably one worth taking. 

The time went quickly, but the hour wasn't quite up yet when Dr. Wexler called an end to their first session. She knew the next topic would be a lengthy one and she didn't want to start something they couldn't finish. 

She dismissed Harrison but asked Laura to stay behind for a couple minutes.

"Laura, next week I'm going to have him ask you why you had the affair. He was dying to ask you tonight. I could see it in his face, but I want you to be able to gather your thoughts first. In our private session you told me how reading that book gave you a lot of insight into what you had done and why. I want you to use that insight, but tell it in your own words. I probably don't have to remind you to make sure you don't make excuses and don't try to shift any of the blame onto him. You told me, he did nothing to provoke your behavior, remember that when you're talking next week."

After the session, Harrison stopped at a restaurant on the way home. Everything they had discussed the previous hour was swirling around in his head. After his conversation with Ken and hearing how his first wife flaunted her affair, he had associated it with Laura announcing hers like she did. The words Ken spoke, "she rubbed my nose in it," hit home with him. Not that Laura let anyone else know about it, but maybe she was trying to punish him for something. Until an hour ago he just wasn't sure of her motives for coming clean when she didn't have to. He finished his dinner and refused a last cup of coffee, he was in a hurry to get home and read chapter twelve. 

Even though Laura had a heads up on the topic they would be discussing, she appeared just as scared as she had the week before. It was her fault her family was going through all the suffering. Now she'd been given a second chance, she couldn't blow it... she just couldn't.

Harrison was already seated. Laura took a deep breath before taking her own seat. 




Between the Pages of Adultery Ch. 03



"Laura, are you alright?" asked the doctor. "You look a little pale; would you like a glass of water?"

"No, I'm okay, just a little nervous," she replied. 

Harrison looked over, and for the first time since that fateful night, actually felt a little sympathy for her. He stood and walked over to the coffee pot on the other side of the room and poured two cups. He fixed one with cream and sugar and took his black. 

Laura thanked him as she took the cup with a shaky hand and a smile of genuine gratitude. He smiled back before taking his seat again.

Dr. Wexler viewed the act as a small break-through.

"Last week most of the conversation centered around why Laura admitted to her affair and didn't try to keep it a secret. Mr. Corbett," she said focusing on him, "do you have any more questions regarding your wife's confession?"

"No. I see why she did it, now." Harrison looked at Laura. "I also took your advice and read chapter twelve after I went home last week. In fact, I finished the book," he admitted. 

It felt as if a ten pound weight had been lifted from Laura's shoulders when he told her that. She was so afraid his pain and anger would prevent him from making a true effort to reconcile, but for the first time she really felt there was a good chance he would come back to them. Dare she smile, she wondered. She didn't want to do anything to jinx their chances. 

"Very good," intervened the doctor. "As I told Laura in our first session, I'm familiar with that book and it's very informative, but if you two are going to have any real chance of repairing your relationship, you need to clear the air completely with each other. That's something you can only do through communicating with one another."

Once the doctor had their full attention again, she continued. "Mr. Corbett, it's been my experience that the injured party in cases like this, usually has several questions they'd like to ask their spouse. Last week we discussed only one of yours. What other questions do you have?"

Harrison started to feel anxious. He nervously adjusted himself in the chair. He knew the doctor was right, they needed to get everything out in the open but he wasn't sure he was ready for that. Did he really want to know all the details, he wondered; probably not, but he did have questions and not knowing the answers was also agony. 

"I... ah, I guess the biggest question is why. What did or didn't I do? I... I thought you were happy... truly happy. What drove you to another man?"

His question sent chills to the very depths of her soul. He looked so sad. At that moment he was so vulnerable. She'd never seen him like that and it was ripping her heart out.

She hoped she could get through this session without crying but once she heard his pain again, there was just no way. Her vision blurred as she spoke. "Oh Harrison, you did nothing, absolutely nothing except be the finest husband and father any woman could ever want."

"That's bull, Laura. There must have been something. I read where it said women were usually looking for some emotional attachment that they weren't getting from their husband. I... I guess I'm hoping it was something like that and not physical. I also read that... where a woman simply wasn't satisfied by her... "

"Harrison stop... please stop!" Laura cried out. "Please believe me, it was nothing like that. Brad isn't nearly the man you are physically, and that's the truth, Harrison, so help me God, it's the truth."

"What then, what... "

"Do you remember what I said that night after you came back home? I told you I felt entitled. The reasons I had an affair were even more egregious than what you read because they were so totally greedy on my part. I felt like a big shot, I felt I owed it to myself, Brad was my prize... "

"Oh come on, Laura. You ran a temp-service office; you weren't the C.E.O. of some fortune five-hundred company. There had to be more to it than that."

Laura let out a small sigh. She did what the doctor told her. She practiced this conversation all week but it wasn't going at all like she had planned. 

"Harrison, I started there by answering the phone. I worked hard and moved up little by little; nine years it took me. Star-temp has sixty-five offices nationwide. You know how many of them are managed by women... two, and I was one of them. To me I WAS the C.E.O. I worked hard and made it to the top, at least to the top of my agency. I felt like a success," she said allowing a little pride into her speech. 

"I know," interjected Harrison. "I congratulated you, remember? I took you out to a nice restaurant to celebrate. Obviously that wasn't enough. I should have paid more attention."

"Harrison, will you please stop trying to blame yourself. Of course I remember everything you did for me. You were great. You and Ashley had those balloons for me when I came home from my first day as boss. You bought a bottle of champagne when you took me out to dinner. Honey, you've always been extremely supportive of me. Stop trying to shoulder the blame, it was mine, all mine, damn it," she reiterated, this time with a little anger in her voice.

She was trying hard to keep her composure but it wasn't easy coming to terms with her own greed, let alone putting it into words. 

"Harrison, at home I was a wife and mother, part of the family unit, but at work I was the boss. I had power and prestige. Subconsciously I wanted a way of maintaining some of that outside the office. Brad was our largest client; I'm the one who landed him. In fact, that's probably why I got the promotion. One of the first things I did as manager was take him out to lunch on my expense account. I had no intention of sleeping with him; I was just exercising my new-found status. Harrison, when I threw my corporate credit card on the table to pay for a forty dollar lunch, I felt like that C.E.O. I really did," the inflection in her voice rose with enthusiasm.

"Then Brad started telling me things to boost my ego even higher; things like how much I deserved the promotion and he wouldn't be surprised if they didn't offer me something at corporate in the near future. Looking back, I see now he was seducing me, but at the time I ate it up."

Laura had to think, was she explaining things correctly? She didn't want to sound like she was making excuses or giving herself a pass for what she did, not by a long shot.

"It didn't take long for all of it to go to my head. After a little while, it was obvious Brad wanted to sleep with me. The more I got used to be being the boss the more I felt I deserved to get something on the side, after all, isn't that what men executives do, get a little on the side. That was my thinking at the time. I was as good as a man; why shouldn't I enjoy the same spoils. Harrison, I actually authorized myself to have an affair."

As Harrison listened he couldn't help but compare his wife's story with that of his boss'. He shook his head in disbelief of their similarities.

"I didn't see it," he remarked. "I didn't see anything. You'd think that after seventeen years of marriage I'd be able to see a difference... something, some kind of clue."

"Harrison, when I was home I felt the same as I always have. I felt like a loving wife and mother. I doubt very much that there were any perceptible changes in my behavior when I was with you and Ashley. I didn't change into Ms. Boss lady until I stepped into my office. It was... I don't know... like superman when he stepped into a phone booth."

Harrison chuckled slightly at the analogy, although he still didn't understand completely. He moved up through the ranks at work just like she did; he was a boss too. He never felt like that.

"Boss lady or not," he said, once again his voice percolating with anger. "That didn't give you the right to betray me, to betray US, damn it. Have there been others?" he probed. "Honest, be honest with me, have you ever done this before?" His posture went rigid; his face took on a very stern, almost accusing expression.

"No, please Harrison, you have to believe me. Except for Brad, I've never been with anyone else since the day we met."

"I don't have to believe anything you say," he mumbled just loud enough for her and Dr. Wexler to hear.

"Mr. Corbett, usually things become easier the more we do them, even things we know are wrong. Does it make sense that your wife would admit to one affair but not to others she'd had?"

He knew Laura was telling the truth even before the doctor said anything. He'd said it because he still had not completely gotten over wanting to strike back and hurt her like she hurt him. It worked too. The tears that had been building up now leaked down from her eyes.

"I know," he muttered. "I just wanted to hear her say it." He caught sight of his wife out of the corner of his eye as she dabbed back at the waterworks with a tissue.

"Mr. Corbett, I almost wish you hadn't read that book because it seems to have given you some preconceived ideas about culpability. After what Mrs. Corbett has said, do you still feel you were at least in some way, partially responsible for your wife's infidelity?"

"I don't know. I just keep thinking if I'd been more observant, if I had spotted some change in her behavior or moods, maybe I could have headed this thing off before it happened."

"Would that have made a difference?"

Harrison knew exactly what she meant. The intent of doing something wrong is just as bad as doing it, but there were other factors.

"At least I wouldn't have to wonder how I performed in bed compared to this Brad character. She says he wasn't as good as I am but how do I know she's not just saying that? If we did make love again, how would I know she wasn't comparing me to him... thinking of him?"

"Oh Harrison," Laura cried out again, "I'm so sorry for what I've done to you, for everything I've put you through."

Dr. Wexler watched as Harrison took a deep breath then exhaled loudly. He looked tired and frustrated. She glanced at the clock on her desk and was surprised to see they were over their hour by ten minutes.

"Okay," she said. "You both look emotionally worn out, and our time is up, so we're going to call it a night. Is next week at the same time okay with both of you?"

They nodded their heads together.

"Fine, confirm it with Theresa on your way out," requested the doctor. There were no special instructions for Laura this time. She was more worried about Harrison. He was still in a lot of pain. It was obvious he was trying; after all he was the one who requested therapy, but she could tell he wasn't yet thoroughly committed to reconciling. 

The next couple of sessions went pretty much the same way. Harrison would ask questions and Laura would honestly and emotionally answer them. Five weeks into the therapy sessions, Laura had an announcement to make.

"Before we get started," she said as she took her seat, "I have something to tell Harrison."

Both Harrison and Dr. Wexler looked a little puzzled.

"Go ahead," replied the doctor.

Laura turned toward her husband with a worried look.

"I just passed the test to get a realtor's license," she said. "I... I don't know how you'll feel about that if you decide to come back to us. I want you to know, if you're not comfortable with it, I won't pursue it. Having you back is the most important thing in my life so if you have any problem with it, either now or in the future, just say the word and I'll quit."

It was a surprise for Harrison, he had no idea she was even thinking about going into real estate. 

"What... ah... I... why real estate?" he finally asked.

"Valery suggested it when I quit my job. She's been helping me study. She has her broker's license so I'd be working for her."

Laura watched as Harrison thought, but he wasn't thinking about what she'd asked. Her statement brought a new question to his mind.

"Did Valery know what you were doing?" he asked with a suspicious tone in his voice.

"No; I did confess everything to her just before I quit. I wanted her opinion about telling you, although she didn't think I should."

Harrison didn't say anything at first. He thought about what she said. "You're sure... right? Val had no idea you were cheating on me."

"No, absolutely not; no one knew about it. In fact Val was so pissed after I told her, I thought she might drop me as a friend."

"So, the only people who know about it are the three of us and Valery... and asshole of course."

"Mr. Corbett, please refrain... "

"I'm sorry," he responded cutting off the doctor's rebuke of his foul language.

"There's one other person," Laura said correcting him. "Cathy, my PA. I told her why I was quitting. That's it."

"Okay," he said seeming to be satisfied with her answer. "Why do think I might have a problem with you working for Val, then?"

"Not working for Val, working in real estate. I'll have a lot of free time. I'll be going to open houses and meeting clients to show houses. If you come back I know you're going to have suspicions. It's only natural. How will you know if I'm really going to show a house or meeting some lover some place?"

"Yeah, I see what you mean. Well, I'm not back yet. I guess we'll cross that bridge if and when we get to it," he stated.

Harrison didn't seem to want to deal with this new problem but Dr. Wexler saw the possibility for pending disaster. 

"Mr. Corbett, how would you feel watching your wife leave to go show a house?"

"I don't know," he replied. "These session are supposed to help me forgive her, I guess I'm hoping they'll also help me trust her again. Frankly, If I can't trust her I just don't see any way to get back together," he said with a sigh.

"Actually Mr. Corbett, forgiving and trust are things I can't help you with. Only you can find the capacity within yourself to do that. These sessions are meant to simply open lines of communication between you and your spouse. Inside the confines of that communication, hopefully you two can find your way back to one another."

Again it was the doctor that broke the moment or two of silence. 

"So... do think you think you'd be able to watch her leave without apprehension?"

Harrison looked into the troubled face of his wife. He thought about everything she did; quitting her job, confessing even though she didn't have to. He remembered how concerned she was over Ashley's rebellion and the genuine remorse she'd shown every day for the last five months. Would she go through all of it if she wasn't truly remorseful... if she didn't truly love him?

"I don't think I'd have a problem," he told them. "I know someone else who got caught up in the same kind of web as Laura; he cheated on his wife too. That was a long time ago. He told me he's never cheated since, that he's learned his lesson;" he paused for only a moment to look at his wife. "I believe him... and I believe Laura when she says she'd never do it again." 

The astonished look on Laura's face told the doctor she was about to jump the gun.

"Oh Harrison, does that mean you're coming home?" she cried out.

Dr. Wexler knew his answer before he spoke. One down, she thought; and one to go. Even if he feels he can trust her again, he said nothing about forgiving her.

"No, I'm not coming home," he told his disappointed wife. 

Laura's body language went from elation to dishearten as she slumped back in her chair.

"I still need more time, Laura. Just because I think I can trust you again doesn't mean I've forgotten what you did."

Laura nodded her head in understanding but with dissatisfaction. For a split second, she really thought she had her man back. I should have known, she thought, after what I did, it wouldn't be that easy.

She was right, it wasn't going to be that easy. After another four sessions, productive as they were, there was no more talk of Harrison moving back home.

Dr. Wexler was beginning to have her doubts. Harrison just could not let go of his pain, and until he did, there would be no reconciliation. 

Harrison wanted to go back home but the thought of his wife's betrayal still hurt. He had been looking for a sign. He wasn't sure what, something that would help him with his decision. He even searched the Bible, but not being a religious man, he had no idea what to look for and nothing jumped out at him in the way of inspiration. 

It was the night before their eleventh therapy session, it had been seven months since he'd left his home and family. He was stretched out on the motel room bed with his feet crossed, watching a documentary about Abraham Lincoln on PBS. Leave it to old honest Abe, he thought as the commentator quoted the sixteenth president: "I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice." 

Laura's mood was somber as she walked into the doctor's office and took her seat. After what seemed like impasse after impasse, the hope with which she started the counseling sessions, was waning. Even Ashley, after questioning her mother after each one, had given up hope of ever having her father back home.

It was Doctor Wexler who first picked up on Harrison's demeanor. She thought she detected a slight spring in his step as he strolled in. There was just a tinge of cheerfulness in his voice as he said hello.

Before sitting down, he walked over to the table along the wall and fixed two cups of coffee, one black and one with cream and sugar. 

There was a confidence in his manner that the doctor had not seen up till then. He looked like a man who had come to a decision and was confident with that decision. 

"Here you go," he said holding the plastic cup out to Laura. 

Her face looked like that of a beaten woman as she took it from his hand with a thank you.

Dr. Wexler was sure he'd come to a resolution, what it was, she had no idea. Well, no sense in dragging this out, she thought.

"Mr. Corbett, you look like you have something on your mind so I'm going to give you the floor," she said sitting back in her chair.

Harrison nodded to the doctor before turning toward Laura. 

"Laura, I know I don't have to tell you how much you hurt me. It's been well documented in these meetings, but I want you to know that in spite of the pain and anger, I have never stopped loving you. From the moment I first walked out of the house after you told me what you did, I have been searching my soul for answers. I've taken a lot of things into account; the welfare of our daughter, the seventeen years we have invested in each other, the experience of my boss at work and something he said about my pride keeping me from happiness. Of course I also took into consideration my feelings, the hurt and pain, and then there's my love for you." 

Laura listened with intent but she'd been shot down before when she got her hopes up; this time she was determined not to raise them.

"The actions you took when you broke things off have convinced me you'd never do it again and a very wise man told me that mercy sometimes bears richer fruit than justice. I'd like to come home. I'd like to raise our daughter together and put this behind us. What do you think?"

Laura couldn't believe what she just heard. She closed her eyes to savor his words. Salty droplets of water bubbled out from behind her lids and streamed down her face. Her chest began to rise and fall with each sob. Without looking up she raised her arms, searching for the comfort of her love. He was there. He took her in his arms and gently guided her head to rest on his chest as she wept. 

Even though Dr. Wexler had a good success rate for couple's reconciliation, this was a scene that wasn't played out too often in her office. She fought back tears of her own. 

Harrison cancelled the last session and followed his wife home. Ashley was sitting at the kitchen table doing homework when they walked in. Her eyes lit up like candles when she saw them both smiling.




Between the Pages of Adultery Ch. 03



"I'm home, pumpkin," he said with a big grin.

Ashley jumped up from her chair and ran into his arms. "Oh dad, dad," she blubbered as she held on to him with all her might. 

Later that night a naked Harrison crawled into bed next to his equally naked wife. 

"I... I'm kind of nervous," she whispered. 

"What are you nervous about?"

"Is it... ah," she took a breath. "Is it too soon... you know... "

Harrison knew exactly... he'd wondered the same thing. Had he really forgiven her or was he just lying to himself. Could he really make love to her again... really? Not just go through the motions? Could he dig deep enough down into his heart and let his love push back the pain and anger? It was the moment of truth.

Laura was still talking. "I, um... I want you to make love to me. I want you to show me you really do forgive me. I'm, ah... I want you so bad, honey. Please, do you think... "

Harrison rolled over and shut her up with kiss. As he broke the kiss he held his finger to her lips. "Shhhh." He planted another kiss on her chin... neck... around to the back of her ear; his finger left her lips as he slid his hand gently to the other side of her face and stroked her tenderly. 

Laura could feel her heart beating with unbridled desire. Silently she prayed, thanking God for a second chance and vowing to never screw it up again. 

Her loving husband's hand flowed tenderly down the side of her neck and onto her breast compassionately caressing one nipple, then the other. 

Laura moaned and closed her eyes. For so long she had craved his touch.

Harrison slowly worked his way down her body. When his hand reached the entrance to her vagina he found her flooded with passion.

"Please," she sighed, "please put it in." Instinctively her hands grabbed at his back as he moved into position. 

He had no trouble achieving an erection. He felt the warmth of her pussy as he slipped his rock hard cock deep inside. 

"Oh, oh, God, I love you so much," she cried.

"I love you too," he replied with his first thrust. 

It didn't take long for both to climax. They came together with all the hurt and pain disappearing within a fiery cloud of ecstasy. 

The continuing sounds of love made it down the hall and found their way to the ears of a young girl who was too excited to sleep. Once again she thought of herself as the luckiest girl in the world.

It took almost two months before wife and daughter started treating him like a person and not a king, but eventually life became normal again. 

***

It was about eight months after Harrison had moved back home when Ken called him into his office. 

He hadn't even had a chance to sit down before Ken started talking. "Harrison, I've created a new position, Vice President in charge of International operations."

As perceptive as Ken was, he knew what Harrison was thinking... they didn't have any international operations?

He laughed when he saw his confused employee's face. Yeah, yeah I know, it sounds bogus doesn't it; but with a little luck and a lot of salesmanship that title could mean the future of this company." 

Now Harrison was really puzzled.

Ken continued. "I'm sure you've heard of Sean Craig, the actor."

"Yeah, of course."

"Well he's starting a chain of restaurants. Right now he's thinking about seven here in the states and two in Canada, but if they're successful he wants to sell franchises all over the world. We are one of the companies he's considering to scout locations and analyze the market. If we could lock this in, it could mean millions." 

"Jeeze, Ken that's fantastic."

"Yeah, but you haven't heard the best part yet... "

Harrison listened with anticipation.

"I'm naming you as the new VP," Ken elaborated. "Your new cards are being printed as we speak."

"Me? Ken, I'm... ah... "

"Hold on there, cowboy, there're strings attached."

I should have known, thought Harrison.

"You're the best salesman we have, bar none. I want you to take your top man as your assistant and go out to L.A. next week. We're counting on you to nail this thing down. If you don't, I won't take the title away from you but it won't mean anything and you'll be right back doing what you've always done. If you succeed it'll be your baby. Sean Craig will be your one and only account and we'll work out a nice compensation package for you."

It still didn't make sense. "Ken, I don't get it; why not just wait until we see if I can land the account before giving me the title?"

"Because I don't want to send a project manager; I'm hoping Craig is impressed with us for sending a VP to talk to him."

"Ahhhh," said Harrison indicating he now understood. 

It took Harrison five trips to Los Angeles but he finally returned to Chicago in triumph after selling his firm as the one who could do the best job. There were cheers and accolades from all, including his loving family. 

Over the next six months, Harrison and his team had all the preliminary ground work completed and was working with Sean Craig and his team to select the first seven locations for his restaurants. 

Harrison had just returned from L.A. again when he was summoned into his boss' office once more.

Ken told him what a great job he was doing before getting to the reason for the meeting. 

"Harrison, does the name Brad Griffin mean anything to you?"

Just hearing his name again made Harrison's blood run cold. His body stiffened and he had to force air into his lungs. 

"Yeah," he declared with a growl. "He's the son-of-a-bitch that was sleeping with Laura... why?"

"I thought so," responded Ken. "Did you ever feel like you wanted to get revenge?"

"Are you kidding, plenty of times, but I didn't want to land in jail."

Ken looked at his star VP and spoke with an evil sounding tone in his voice. "Would you like to get that revenge?"

Harrison looked at his boss. He wouldn't ask something like that hypothetically. He had something up his sleeve. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Well your guy is quite the entrepreneur. Do you know what he did with that temp agency?" 

Harrison shook his head no. "I know he was their biggest client, that's all."

"He contracted to do the shipping for a bunch of retail companies that marketed seasonal products. He hired people from your wife's company and put them to work in the shipping departments. When the season was over, they'd be out of a job but Griffin had a whole stack of companies that he was working with so he'd be hiring all the time. He ran a pretty lucrative business."

"Whoopee for him," Harrison said sarcastically. "So how do I get revenge?"

"Well our boy has set his sights a little higher these days. He's making a pitch for the contract to ship all the food to Craig's restaurants."

Suddenly Harrison sat up in his seat. Ken had his attention.

"He's gambling to get in on the ground floor of what he feels will be a worldwide chain of restaurants. He's really bet all his marbles on one roll of the dice, in fact he's over extended himself. Right now he's pretty heavily in the red and if he doesn't get the contract he'll be financially ruined."

Ken saw Harrison's eyes light up.

"I can make that happen with one phone call," smirked Ken.

"Do it," Harrison said without so much as a second's hesitation. 

"Are you sure? I've never known you to be a vindictive person. Are you going to be able to sleep nights if I do this?"

"Like a baby," he replied. "Look, I know Laura was just as responsible as he was but this asshole almost ruined my life as well as hers. Ashley, Laura, me... we all went through hell; why should Griffin get off Scott free? He knew damn well she was married but it didn't mean a fucking thing to him. He knew she had a family who loved her, he didn't care. All he wanted was to get into her panties and he didn't give a shit who he hurt."

"Okay, consider it done," countered Ken.

Harrison started leave then had a thought. He turned toward Ken. "I want him to know it was me," he said. "It doesn't work unless he knows it was me."

Harrison sat back down where he and Ken hatched out a plan.

Three days later Harrison walked down Wabash Avenue in downtown Chicago. He turned into a high-rise office building and rode the elevator to the ninth floor. From there he took only a few steps before finding himself standing in front of the door marked, 'Brad Griffin Inc.' He smiled as he stepped inside.

"May I help you?" The S.O.B. had good taste in women, he thought. His secretary was a knockout. 

"Yeah, I'm Mr. Jamison. I'm here to talk about the food contract for The Sean Craig Group."

"Yes sir, Mr. Jamison, he's expecting you," she said while reaching for the intercom. "Mr. Griffin, Mr. Jamison is here."

The voice of the devil came emanated from the box on her desk. "Send him right in." 

"Go right in," parroted the shapely redhead. "Would you like some coffee?"

"No thanks, I won't be here that long," he stated. He tapped the 'send' button on his phone dispatching the pre-arranged text, as he entering through the office door.

Griffin had a large grin on his face as he stood to shake hands. "Mr. Jamison, it's very nice to meet you."

There he was, not more than four feet from the man responsible for the worst time of his life. "Sorry, my name isn't Jamison, it's Corbett, as in Laura Corbett, the married woman you had an affair with."

The big grin left Griffin's face immediately. He lowered his hand, Corbett wasn't about to shake it anyway. "What do you want?" Get out of my office," he demanded. 

Just then his secretary's voice came across the intercom. "Mr. Griffin, I'm sorry to interrupt but there's someone else from the Sean Craig Group on line three. He said it was urgent."

Harrison smiled. "You'd better take that, it's important."

Griffin stared him in the face as he cautiously picked up the phone and hit button three. A few seconds later his face contorted with distress. 

"What? You can't do that! No, wait a minute, but I... hold on... no, don't do that... " he looked up in horror as the line went dead.

Now it was Harrison who wore the big grin. "Payback's a bitch, isn't it." With that he turned and left. On the way back down the elevator, he reveled in his elation. It was almost biblical he thought. I met the prince of darkness and slew him, he told himself. Yeah!

Epilogue;

It's been three years since I reconciled with Laura. There were a lot of factors to consider back then but family was at the top of the list. To be honest, at the time I thought there was a good chance that by now I'd view that decision with regret, but thank God, the opposite is true. 

Laura is doing great in real estate. Val taught her well. These days she pretty much makes her own hours and she brings home a lot more than she ever did as the manager of Star temp. Am I worried when she leaves to show a house in the evening? Actually I've never been more confident of anything, than I am in her faithfulness. She has proven her loyalty and fidelity time and time again.

Ashley is getting ready for college; she'll be leaving in another month. We are so proud of her. 

I'm still the vice president of international operations but I really don't have that much to do anymore. My staff is amazing and has everything running very smoothly. Of course one of the major perks of that whole situation... well, aside from the kick I got destroying Griffin... was developing a friend like Sean Craig. He's a hell of a guy and we've become great buddies. I always have to laugh at Laura and Ashley whenever he comes to our house for dinner. It's funny watching them fall all over themselves.

Ashley couldn't help herself and started bragging in school about Sean being a friend of her dad's. Of course no one believed her and she was developing a reputation for being a liar. Sean heard about it when he was in town and asked if he could pick her up after school. He purposely made sure he was seen by as many teachers and students as possible, from that time on Ashley was the most popular girl in school. 

One other interesting anecdote; a couple months ago Laura said she had something she wanted to discuss. It seems she's authored a book about her experience with extramarital sex; no, not about the sex itself, but the aftermath. She wrote about her immeasurable guilt and shame. She described her own pain as she watched her family deal with the grief and anguish, while knowing she was the cause. She detailed the extreme remorse she felt for putting her family through the worst time of our lives. 

She wanted me to read it but I couldn't, it was too heart wrenching. She asked how I would feel if she self-published it on Amazon. She knew it wouldn't make much money but she wanted others to feel our pain in hopes that it might keep just one person from hurting his or her family the same way. I gave her my blessing with one stipulation, any money she made went into Ashley's college fund. She very heartedly agreed.

The first month it only made three hundred dollars but it's already surpassed that this month. It seems to be growing in popularity. 

If any of you are considering having an affair, maybe you should read her book first, it's called, "Between the pages of Adultery."

The end.

*****

I hope you enjoyed the read. As always, comments are more than encouraged. 
Thanks again,
Laptopwriter