67 comments/ 139050 views/ 20 favorites Consequences - Shelly By: thecelt Why do people do the things they do when they understand that the consequences of their actions can be so devastating? No one really knows, and the reasons they give are always so foolish. In this case, what was in Shelly's mind? Thanks as always to LadyCibelle. * Consequences-Shelly Shelly Spalding Shelly raised herself up from the bed on her elbow to watch his naked body walk toward the bathroom. She had to admit that his finely toned muscles and tight ass were something to look at: his wide shoulders, covered by well-developed muscles; his long legs with the solid calves; the narrow waist that seemed almost too small to support his upper body. As if he could feel her gaze on him, he looked over his shoulder to flash her a grin. She smiled back as the door closed and the sound of the shower carried through into the room. She rolled over onto her stomach and thought about the feelings that were just now beginning to fade. The feel of his body on hers; his strong arms folded around her. The feel of his mouth on her breasts and especially on the nipples, which were still tingling from his assault. The feel of his cock as it slid inside her, reaching depths that had never been touched before. It all seemed like a dream, one she had only now experienced. It couldn't be real: but it was and that was a problem. Shelly Spalding, thirty six year old wife and mother, was just now beginning to come to the realization of what she had done. She had been unfaithful to her husband Jerry Spalding for the first time in their fifteen-year marriage. She had betrayed him and her daughter Tracy and the sanctity of the wonderful family that they shared. And she had done it without a second thought. Until now. As the thought of what she had done made its way into her sex-clouded mind, she began to shake. Her hands, the hands that had so recently held his hot and very hard cock, were suddenly clammy. Her mouth, which had so willingly tasted that hot and very hard cock was suddenly dry. Her body, that had welcomed his intrusion into that hot, wet place that until now had been the property of her husband and only him, was no longer relaxed and sated. Now she felt the need to get up, get dressed and get away! Panic was beginning to take charge and it was driving her to move. She slid off the bed, searched frantically for her panties and bra, donned both; then the same with the skirt and the blouse, and finally the shoes. She stood, looked for and located her purse and her jacket. She grabbed them, rushed to the door and yanked it open just as the sound of the shower stopped. She went out, pulled the door shut, making no sound that would draw his attention. She moved quickly down the hall and took the steps to the first floor and the lobby. She looked around carefully and saw no one. She went through the door and out the front, looking neither left nor right. She got into a cab that took her back to her car and then she drove away. The dark blue Cadillac Escalade that Jerry bought her for their fifteenth wedding anniversary carried her in soft, plush silence toward the large house on Scotland Drive in a very well-to-do section of Scottsdale, Arizona that was home. She pulled into the drive, waited until the garage door opened and drove inside. She turned off the ignition and sat there, letting her heart stop pounding and the perspiration dry on her face. The tick, tick, tick of the cooling engine relieved the silence but it did nothing to relieve the pain in her gut. She felt sick; the twisting pain playing havoc with her stomach. She sat still, waiting until it all passed and she was able to gain some sense of control. She exited the car and walked inside to find the house quiet and empty. Her daughter Tracy was not yet home since she had cheerleader practice tonight. Jerry wasn't scheduled to be home until sometime the day after tomorrow. Both facts were known to her when she agreed to meet Reed Cunningham at the hotel that afternoon. She knew that she had no one waiting for her and no one she had to lie to. She was free to do exactly as she did: betray everyone who trusted her! Shelly walked into the large open great room and dropped into one of the soft leather chairs that faced the fireplace that took up the entire south wall. The stone-faced wall rose two storeys to disappear into the beamed and vaulted ceiling twenty feet above. It had appeared as one of the features in a recent issue of House Beautiful. Their home had been featured as one of the most beautiful in Scottsdale. The architecture was praised as 'innovative and inspiring'. None of that registered on her consciousness however, as she stared at the now dark ninety inch, flat panel television centered in the entertainment center that flanked the fireplace. Shelly worked as a receptionist for Walter Kincaid, a candidate for US Senate from the State of Arizona. She had been volunteering for his candidacy for the past five months and two months ago, she met Reed Cunningham at one of the many fundraisers she hosted. He had been very charming, very good looking and he had made no secret of the fact that he wanted her. She knew it, found it amusing at first and then later, she found it to be stimulating. She couldn't answer why and that bothered her. His visits became more and more frequent, his attention to her more open and more demanding and through it all, she responded. At a word from him, her stomach did flips; a casual touch caused the skin where his fingers slid softly across her flesh to tingle; a smile or a glance caused her temperature to rise. She had never felt this way before, even with her husband! She should have stopped it immediately when she felt the desire begin to increase but she didn't. The obsession that was Reed Cunningham began to grow inside her and to become all consuming. When she was at home, she thought of him. When she was in bed with her husband, she thought of Reed. And the most damning part of it was that her feelings for Jerry, her husband changed. She was short with him, the idea of making love with him was revolting all of a sudden. The man she loved and who had been her one and only for the better part of her adult life, was suddenly a stranger. She hardly recognized him when she looked at him. In place of the love she should feel, all she felt was the emptiness that was filled only by Reed. She felt itchy all the time, itchy to do something that she knew was wrong, All she knew was that she was getting dangerously close to giving in to his request to meet him outside the campaign. That danger was realized today when she said, "yes!" What happened today was still a mystery to her. She was answering phones when he came in. She smiled at him and he came over to talk to her after speaking briefly with several of the publicity people. She took a break and the two of them went outside to get a breath of air. Reed made his usual pitch, reached over to stroke her hair and touch her cheek and for some reason, something inside turned over and she was no longer able to say no. She found herself following him to his car and back to his hotel. Once in his room, all thought of Jerry and Tracy was cast aside as his hands worked their magic. He stroked her arms, then her shoulders, then she was turned around and he wrapped his strong arms around her as he nuzzled her ear and that spot just below her ear and above her shoulder that made her weak in the knees. As she closed her eyes in pleasure, he unbuttoned the blouse she wore and pulled it aside. His hands then cupped her breasts and she leaned back against him, wanting only that he continue. She found herself wanting more and reached back to feel his erection pushing against his pants front. She turned in his grasp and began to work on his belt and the button to his slacks. Once she had them open, she slowly pulled the zipper down and reached one of her small hands inside to grasp the blood-filled cylinder she knew was there. His groan of pleasure spurred her on and she dropped to her knees to assist her efforts to pull his trousers off and expose his cock to her attention. She had to taste him, just once. She opened her mouth and took him in, the soft skin in contrast to the iron hardness more than she expected. She closed her lips over him and slid her mouth down as far as she could go before it began to enter her throat. She moved back, her hand following. She wanted to bring him off, to taste the salty bitterness of him, but he had other ideas. Reed lifted her to her feet, holding her close, letting her bare breasts press against his own naked chest. She could feel her own wetness now, so wet she was dripping. She reached down to pull his hardness against her own soft lips and sighed deeply when she placed the engorged head against her slit. She lifted one leg and placed it around his waist, giving him room. He pushed against her then and slid inside, his hard cock filling her completely. He drew back then pushed again and again. He fucked her standing there, one leg wrapped around his waist as one of his arms grasped her ass. She felt wild, wanton and daring. She grunted with the force of his thrusts but she wanted him to take her even harder. They rutted like crazed animals for a few minutes before he let out one loud guttural sound and came inside her. As the hot sperm coated her insides, she climaxed and her moan of ecstasy was almost as loud as his. They stood together as they came down from their high of lust and finally, Reed pushed her back onto the bed. He climbed between her legs and entered her again, his engorged cock still hard and throbbing. She welcomed him inside her again and this time, their fucking was slow and steady. She came several times before he climaxed once again. Reed was still not done and they took each other several more times that afternoon before she rose, dressed and drove home. It was almost five thirty when she was brought back to the present by the slamming door, indicating that Tracy was home. She sighed once, raised herself up from the chair and went in to be a mom again. She felt a twinge at that thought but then she forgot as Tracy began to tell her about her day and the new boy that had asked her out. She was well into her story as Shelly began to pull things out of the freezer to make them a late dinner. Shelly worked steadily at fixing dinner, her thoughts elsewhere as she daughter talked on and on. Fortunately, Tracy was not paying attention to her mother and failed to see that, at times, her words were falling on deaf ears. The two of them sat at the table and just talked as they ate the simple dinner she prepared. It was so pleasant, she thought, spending this time with Tracy as they chatted away about things that concerned only them. She watched her daughter and felt the love that she had for her blossom. She loved her daughter and her life. She loved the things they shared and the adventures her daughter had. She thought then about Jerry and how he had worked so hard to provide these things for them all and that thought brought about a flash of pain and an instant regret for the things she had done that afternoon. But then the face of Reed Cunningham filled her thoughts and all guilt fled. Her daughter's words faded as well. Tracy didn't notice the sudden change in her mother and the silence that descended, until she had stopped talking, expecting her mother to come back with some comment about her story of Jason, her crush at the moment. But she looked up and saw that her mother was staring out the window, her mind clearly somewhere else. Hurt, Tracy stood, took her plate to the sink and walked out of the kitchen. Her mother hardly noticed and that hurt Tracy more than she would have believed. But then, her mother had been this way for months now and she was becoming concerned. She decided to wait until her dad came home and then talk to him. He would know what to do: after all, he was dad and he could fix anything. Jerry Spalding Jerry Spalding was one of those rare young men who, in high school, discovered a very important secret. He had attended many speeches in the high school gymnasium about getting an education, finding a good job, working hard and getting ahead. It was necessary to impress those who were above you so that you, in turn, could advance yourself. He listened to every single word but didn't believe a single one of them. He didn't want to impress those above him. He wanted to work, yes, but not for others. His attitude was entirely different. Jerry knew what he wanted to do: he wanted to get rich by working for the most important person in the world; himself! Instead of going to college and learning a trade or a vocation after graduating from high school, Jerry went to the library and haunted the self-help section. There he learned of buying and selling real estate and doing it in such a way that it took little money but had the potential of making a lot. He read, he learned, he investigated more and then he decided to give it his best shot. He found an old two unit apartment complex that someone wanted to sell because they had depreciated it down to almost nothing. They wanted to unload it at a bargain price and Jerry decided to make his first deal. He lived at home with his dad. His mother had died of cancer when he was fifteen, and Jerry and his father had found a way to get by living alone. Although he was eighteen and could enter into a contract, he had no credit history so he had to get his dad to cosign for him. His dad was a very smart individual and saw exactly what his son was up to. He approved completely and cosigned with only a minimum of resistance. He kept his eye on his son but he saw very quickly that Jerry knew what he was doing. In less than two months, Jerry turned the property over at a nice profit. He paid the loan off, quickly found two more properties and did the same thing. Again, he turned them over and now had the money to go off on his own without his dad. Jerry was on his way to becoming rich! He never looked back. When he was twenty two, he was already a millionaire and on his way to becoming even more wealthy. His company was into larger and larger deals and his name was well known around Scottsdale. He was often invited to parties where the rich had fun and contacts could be made. He was attending one such party thrown by someone of importance when he met Shelly Lambert. He fell hopelessly in love that same night and he went after her like he did everything else: with everything he had. His only purpose was to make her his own. They dated for almost a year before Jerry proposed. Shelly was ready and accepted his offer of marriage. Her parents were both school teachers and they were impressed by Jerry's wealth and his personality. They gave their blessing and Jerry's dad had already fallen in love with Shelly. He said he would be delighted to have her as his new daughter. They made their plans and were married three months after Shelly turned twenty one. It was fortunate that Tracy was late in coming into the world since Shelly and Jerry knew she was pregnant before the wedding. Everyone else accepted the timing, or at least pretended to. Time passed for the three of them and they went on to become one of the wealthier families in Scottsdale. Jerry and Shelly purchased the home they now lived in when Tracy was two and had lived there ever since. They expanded a few times, put in a pool, a large patio with grill and all the trimmings, a large koi pond with water plants. All the things that made it into one of the showplaces that ended up in House Beautiful. While they made no effort to avoid Shelly getting pregnant again, they were not successful a second time. When they checked into a clinic to find out what the problem could be, they found that Shelly was unlikely to conceive naturally and, as a matter of fact, they were told that Tracy was almost a miracle. Jerry continued to make deals and made more and more money. Shelly stayed at home with her daughter and became involved with local charities and politics. When Tracy was older and spending more time away from the house, Shelly became more involved. That was when she decided to volunteer in the political field and then later on, for Walter Kincaid, a candidate for US Senate. That happened just three months earlier. Jerry's Deal Jerry Spalding was pleased with his day. He was in Denver and had spent the better part of the afternoon going over the contracts that he had agreed to with the consortium that owned the piece of property he wanted. They were sharp; he had to give them that. They caught a couple of the things he put in for that very purpose, but they didn't realize that they were supposed to catch them. As a matter of fact, there were several red herrings that they missed and he felt obligated to point them out as if they were a surprise to him as well. That established the feeling of trust that he needed to make this deal go as he planned. The best part came when they all signed the contract and the secretary who acted as a JP notarized it. That made it legal and binding and he had exactly what he wanted! The property itself was not worth the money he paid and that made the consortium happy that they had pulled one over on the outsider. Jerry let that impression stay with them as he took his copies and left. He knew something they didn't: that property lay in the direct path of an expansion that the largest car maker in the world intended to make right here in their city. He now owned the most important piece in their expansion plans and he knew how to get exactly what it was worth. Riding back to his room in the rented limo, Jerry calculated that he stood to make a bundle on the sale of that property. Once the expenses were satisfied, his investors paid back, he should easily clear a cool two million and perhaps more. And it could turn over as soon as a month from now. That would piss off some locals and please him enormously. And it would make Shelly very happy as well. He thought that something like that should snap her out of the blue mood she had been in lately. What it was, he had no idea. He had tried to mention it several times but she refused to respond, telling him it was just his imagination. They hadn't made love together for almost six weeks. Oh, they had fucked on two occasions, when he made an issue of it, but it wasn't love making. It was just plain sex. She let him do it, making an effort to hide her lack of interest. He was angry enough to just fuck her, caring only for himself. She hadn't complained and pretended to care that he was satisfied, but he knew better. The limo pulled up, let him out and he told the driver that he was finished for this trip. He tipped the driver a hundred dollars and made sure he knew his name by giving him his card. He knew he would be back and he liked to leave behind satisfied people who could be of value to him in the future. He went into the lobby of the only hotel in this small town and checked at the desk to see if there were any calls. There were none and that saddened him. But then, he hadn't expected her to return his calls. She hadn't bothered lately. Once in the room, Jerry began to make his obligatory calls. He called his partners to let them know the deal was done and accepted their praises. They were the money guys and at one time he needed them more than they needed him. Now, things were different. In order to keep doing business with him and make a lot of money as a result, they had to buy shares in his corporation; the corporation he started himself that specialized in real estate, but not the kind that dealt with homes or even businesses. Jerry bought and sold parcels of land that had potential for huge profits. He was good at it and had an uncanny knack of knowing which parcels would move and which were dogs. He had made a small fortune in just a few years and he had parleyed that into even bigger gains. Consequences - Shelly His partners were no longer involved in what he did but he still kept them in the loop and offered them chances in some of the bigger deals. He felt it good business to stay on good terms with them and to spread the risk on the big jobs. It had been good for all of them and they continued to be willing to spend big when he told them it was in their best interests. Jerry had made a lot of money over the years and he had used it to buy the house and the large yard that Shelly loved. He bought her whatever she wanted and she wanted a lot. A new car, jewelry, good clothes. Anything she wanted he gave her. He loved her with all his heart and to buy those things for her gave him pleasure. And he thought she returned that love, especially when they had Tracy. She was their pride and joy but Shelly didn't want to make the effort they would need to have a second child. That disappointed him but he gave in, as he did with anything she wanted. After the partners were taken care of, he called his home. He waited as the phone rang and was only slightly disappointed when Tracy answered instead of Shelly. "Hi Tracy, its dad. What's going on? I expected to hear from your mom, but no calls. Is anything wrong?" "Nothing's wrong dad. Just mom being the way she's been for the past few months. We were talking at dinner tonight and she just went away. I have no idea what's wrong but it bothers me a lot. I just want you to come home and make things the way they were before it all went to crap!" "Where is she now? Can she come to the phone?" "She's in her room. She went up there after dinner and she hasn't been back down. She's being weird, dad. Just come home, please." "I'm leaving tomorrow morning and I'll be home early in the afternoon. Don't tell her that I'm coming home a day early. I'll surprise her with something nice. I'll make it from both of us. How about that?" "Sounds like it might work. OK, I won't say anything. By the way, I'm home late tomorrow. We have a meet and it won't be over till about seven. I'll see you sometime after then. Love you dad." Jerry hung up, considered what his daughter said and was surprised that she had recognized the changes as well. He packed his bags and made ready to catch his flight the following morning. He wanted to get home as soon as he could. Maybe he could begin to set things right and find out what the problem was. At Home It was still early morning when he arrived at his office in downtown Scottsdale after the short flight. He checked in with his secretary and got his notes. He skimmed through them, stopping at one that caught his attention. It was from Nicky Prescott, a good friend of his. She was the widow of one of the few people he relied on early in his career. Her husband had been a guiding force for him and he truly missed him when he died in an accident three years ago. He had maintained his friendship with Nicky. He cleared his desk and then picked up the phone to call her. When she answered, he spoke easily with her for a few minutes, catching both of them up on current events and then he asked her what he could do for her. Her answer surprised him and made him uneasy. "Listen Jerry, you know I love you to death, and I really like Shelly. But I have to tell you that I'm worried. There is something going on between Shelly and this man, Reed Cunningham. He's a major contributor to Walt's campaign and he comes from a rather dark background. I've been at the headquarters and I've seen them together. There's something going on and it's not good." Jerry listened, the words causing a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew she was also a supporter of Walter Kincaid, the same man his wife worked for. These words, coming at this time when both he and his daughter had noticed something going on with Shelly was too much to be a coincidence. "What did you see Nicky? Anything that was out of line?" Hoping that she would say no, he waited. "Well, yesterday they left together without a word to anyone. They took his car and her car was still in the parking lot an hour later. And today, neither of them are in. She's never missed a Thursday before this. Walt always goes over the next week's agenda on Thursday so none of us want to miss it." "It does sound sort of bad, doesn't it? I guess I'll have to look into it." "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Jerry, but I care so much about you. You and Tracy don't deserve this. You've always been there for me and I want to return the favor. I pray it's nothing to worry about." They talked for a few more minutes before Jerry hung up. It had taken all of his control not to slam the phone down and drive home to confront his wife. But he knew that he would have to make plans first to find out the truth. Confrontation was not the best course of action, especially with a cheating wife. She would lie to cover her actions and she would do it without a problem. He needed proof if there was any to be had. The Affair Begins As Jerry flew home the following morning, his plane somewhere over the Rocky Mountains, Shelly was just rising for the new day. Shelly woke at her regular time and made sure Tracy was up and getting ready for school. She had gone to bed very early last night, her thoughts a tangled web, weaving between her husband and Reed Cunningham. She couldn't stop her mind from going over the afternoon with Reed. She knew what she did was wrong and her guilt was strong, but when she pictured his eyes, his mouth, that magnificent body with its muscles and finally his rather large cock, the guilt retreated into the background and thoughts of Jerry faded. Then she would remember her husband and the guilt resurfaced. He was the man she loved, there was no question about that. Jerry was her rock, her love and her future. He was her husband and Tracy's father and nothing was going to change that. And she did worry that what she was doing could jeopardize their marriage, but she wasn't sure why she couldn't stop thinking about Reed. What was it that dragged her thoughts back to him? Tracy was not in a talkative mood that morning as she popped two slices of bread in the toaster, poured herself a glass of chocolate milk, spread butter on the toast and sprinkled it liberally with cinnamon and sugar. She sat sullenly at the table and ate, not responding to her mother. Shelly tried several times to talk to her but finally gave up, her daughter's reticence not causing any alarms in her head. She watched her head out to catch the bus and was slightly relieved to see her go. She needed some time alone to get her thoughts straight. Jerry would be home tomorrow and then she could try to make herself the wife he expected. She knew she hadn't been that person for some time. Jerry's plane landed at the airport and taxied up to the gate as Shelly got dressed for the new day. She was standing at the sink an hour later, dressed and ready to go to the meeting at Walter Kincaid's headquarters. This was the weekly agenda meeting and she never missed one of those. She was just cleaning up the few dishes from breakfast when the doorbell rang. She went to answer it, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She opened the door to find Reed standing there, grinning. Taken by his unexpected presence, she stepped back and he took that opportunity to move inside closing the door behind him. He watched her as she stared back at him, her eyes wide and her mouth open in surprise. He said nothing but moved toward her and took her in his arms. "You look and smell wonderful. I couldn't get you out of my head all last night, and I couldn't wait any longer this morning. I have to make love to you again. This time I want to make it last and I want to take you in your husband's bed." Shelly was torn by conflicting feelings. Jerry was coming home tomorrow and she had to fight to get back to where they were: to make their marriage mean something again. She also felt the heat growing in her belly from the contact with Reed. His magnetism was overwhelming her and she knew she was falling fast. She had only one chance to say no and this was it. "Please Reed. Don't do this! Please don't!" She struggled, but even to her, her words lacked conviction and the movement was less a plea for freedom than a move to feel his body slide against hers. Reed paid no attention to her pleas and simply moved his hand down to cup her breast. He squeezed the nipple gently as he pressed his lips against hers. He almost smiled when he felt her body relax and sag against his. He knew she was his when her mouth opened to accept his questing tongue. He reached down and put one arm under her knees and the other around her back, lifting her easily. He pressed his mouth onto hers as he carried her upstairs and into the master bedroom. He dropped her down on the tangled bedcovers where she had slept alone the night before. As Jerry was talking to Nicky Prentice, Shelly and Reed were just beginning to betray Jerry once again. With little thought for what he was about to do, Reed kicked off his shoes, tore off his shirt and pants and helped Shelly do the same. She was almost as eager as he as she stripped to her panties. She was panting now, reaching for his already engorged cock with her hands. She wanted to feel that monster in her mouth right away. She could almost remember the taste of him from yesterday. Without thinking she was licking her lips as she pulled him to her. She took him inside and closed her eyes in pleasure. Reed was content to let her do this for him. After all, once he came, he could last much longer as he plunged himself inside her. He also remembered her from yesterday and the feel of her legs wrapped around his butt was intoxicating. As he plunged into her, she had tightened her legs pulling him even deeper. She was one of the best pieces of ass he had had in a long time. He was looking forward to fucking her brains out this morning. Jerry was making his plans for finding out what they were doing as Reed filled Shelly's mouth with his fluid. She seemed to be greedy for it, not like she was when doing it for Jerry. But Jerry didn't know that. How could he? For the next hour, Shelly and Reed fucked each other with pure lust and abandonment. Neither thought of anyone but the other as they wore each other out. Once they were sated, they showered together and went downstairs to talk before Reed had to leave for an appointment. Their words were not those of lovers or friends but those of two strangers. They found that when they were not in lust, they had nothing to say to each other. Reed took his leave as soon as possible, the quiet and the strain of trying to say something inconsequential impossible to bear for any longer. Jerry was just finishing his plans as Reed's Explorer moved down the long access road exiting the subdivision where Jerry and Shelly lived. He knew what he was going to do. Jerry drove home, his plans now in effect. He decided that he would do nothing to alert Shelly until he had something worth taking that action. He remembered his promise to his daughter and had picked up some flowers and takeout Chinese for dinner. That was enough to ease her mind. Something different; something a loving husband would do for his loving wife. So much for pretense. Shelly was home and sitting on the back porch, a cold drink in one hand and a magazine in her other. Jerry stood at the window watching her. He still found her beautiful, almost more so than when he had married her. She had long blonde hair worn straight, with short bangs and a sweep over one ear. Her eyes were that light shade of blue that he found devastating. She had gained some weight but it was all in the areas where it was most pleasing. Her curves were quite spectacular and he was aware of it. He thought about their life up to this point and he had no idea why it had begun to change so dramatically in such a short time. Up until about three months ago, their lives had been ordinary, often predictable but sometimes spontaneous, and always fun. Tracy was the joy of their lives and both of them participated in her activities when possible. Jerry knew he worked a lot of hours but he was always home for them on weekends and most evenings. He took Shelly with him when he traveled when possible. Then it had begun to change. Shelly became quiet, more on edge, unusually touchy about little things and their sex life had come to an abrupt halt. Other than the two times he remembered, she was cold and withdrawn. He had done nothing to bring that on and when he tried to discuss it, she closed him out. Now, it was beginning to make sense. Nicky's phone call had brought the entire thing into focus. Jerry went back into the kitchen; got himself a cold bottle of beer, put the flowers in a vase and the food in the oven on warm. It would hold till Tracy got home. He looked once more at Shelly sitting alone on the porch and decided he had to let her know he was home. He walked out the door, letting it slam behind him. She turned and looked up at him in surprise. He thought he saw a flash of disappointment in them as well but he could have been mistaken. "Hi honey. What are you doing home? I thought you were coming back tomorrow." "Sorry to disappoint you but I finished my business and decided to come home instead of spending another lonely night in a hotel room." "I'm not disappointed, silly! I was just surprised. I'm glad you're home. Are you hungry?" "Not yet. I picked up Chinese on the way and put it in the oven. I can wait till dinner." "That's very nice of you. Tracy will be happy to see you. She was feeling lonely last night. I don't know why but I noticed it. Maybe you can talk to her; cheer her up." "Maybe. We'll see." As he said that, he watched Shelly's attention turn back to the magazine and he knew that his suspicions were correct. She was thinking of someone else now, not him. The love he used to see in her eyes when he came home was missing, replaced by disinterest. That thought hit him hard just then and he almost gasped with the force of the blow to his heart. Nothing physical could hurt that much. He turned and walked back inside, before Shelly could see the tears that started to well up in his eyes. He rushed through the kitchen and into his office where he shut the door, flipped the lock and dropped down hard in his chair. He let go then and the tears came with a rush. Shelly had similar thoughts as Jerry stood there. She searched for the feelings of relief and happiness that he was home should bring, but the only thoughts that came were of her and Reed earlier that morning in bed, screwing each other. She felt the heat rise to her face and turned it away and down to the magazine in her hands before Jerry could see. She was ashamed of her thoughts but she couldn't make them stop. She was obsessed with Reed and nothing she did made her stop dwelling on him and their time together. All she could think about was the next time. And there would be a next time, of that she was certain. They made it through the evening and to the next day without either one letting the other know that there was a problem. Jerry was quiet and withdrawn and Shelly was remote and uninterested in either her husband or her daughter. Bedtime was typical, Shelly going up first, already asleep when Jerry came up. Jerry and Tracy took off the next morning and were gone most of the day. Shelly didn't notice since she had gone into work and when Reed came to her, she went with him once more to a motel and there they stayed together until it was beginning to get late. She showered, dressed and drove home to find them gone. She fixed a small supper of leftovers and waited for them to return, her thoughts on Reed as they had been for most of the last several months. When Jerry and Tracy came in later, they told her that they had gone to a ball game where Tracy's current boyfriend was playing, then the tree of them had gone for milkshakes and then to a movie. Jerry sat beside his daughter and it was fun when her boyfriend had tried to put his arm around her only to find Jerry's arm already there. Tracy took it all in stride and enjoyed being with both of them together. Shelly did feel a small tremor of guilt when she realized she didn't know who Tracy was talking about. Nothing much changed for the next two weeks. Shelly met Reed twice more while pretending to be volunteering. It was the following Tuesday when Shelly announced she was going to go in to work at the campaign headquarters for a couple of hours. She was vague when telling Jerry when she would be home. He listened when she called and was calm when she said she might be back late. He agreed to start dinner and take care of Tracy. He hung up and then placed a call of his own. He gave instructions to the person on the other end and told him to call back the following morning. Jerry and Tracy shared a dinner of pizza and Pepsi with hot cinnamon buns for dessert. Neither seemed to miss Shelly and they enjoyed each other's company. Tracy did mention once that her mother had missed a lot of dinners lately and when she did come home, she was not much fun. Jerry let her talk but said nothing negative about Shelly. It was noted in his mind however, that Shelly had let not only her marriage but her role as mother slip in her priority. Tracy was in her room probably talking on her phone to Josh, her boyfriend, and Jerry was sitting, half asleep in his chair when Shelly came home. Jerry idly noted it was after seven, much later than the hours the campaign kept. He said nothing as she hollered in to say she was home, and wasn't even surprised when she ran up the steps and then the sound of the shower came on. He lowered his head to his chest and let the few tears left come. He knew it was over and the pain returned, so damned intense, and not for the first time. Up until recently, he had maintained a faint hope that he was mistaken and that Nicky was wrong. He had hoped for his and Tracy's sake that this was nothing but a bump in their relationship and that she had continued to maintain their marriage as sacred. He had prayed that was the case but now he was positive that it was all a lie. The reports were conclusive! She was a living lie, and her promises nothing but empty words. He fought the anger and beat it back with the control he had always been proud of. He had made a fortune for them, made a home for them and given them all he could. He had given as much of himself as possible and he had been faithful and true to his promises to both of them. His promise to Shelly was unbroken and he was fiercely proud of that. The temptations and the promises of others to make him happy were rebuffed. He had all he wanted and needed at home. His wife and daughter were his life. Tracy would have the best he could offer to begin her life. Her education was paid for, all she needed to allow her to spend her time where it was needed, in place. He would make her wedding, when that happened, a joy for her and he would see to it that she and the man she chose had a good start in life. That much he could give her regardless of what happened to him and his life. He had made certain that his promises to Tracy would be kept. He was proud of that fact. Jerry slept in his office that night, rose early and went in to the office. He signed the final papers for the Denver deal and made sure they were properly filed. He would turn that property over next month and make that two million. The people who wanted the property happened to be Asian and he would make certain that both of those two million that would be his share were directly deposited in a bank in Switzerland in an account that was already well endowed from years of deals with foreign clients. Neither Shelly nor the US government knew anything about that money since it never entered or left the US. The balance would be duly noted and deposited in the corporation's coffers. No problem with the government. Consequences - Shelly As he finished the paperwork, the call he was expecting came in. As he listened, the lump in his throat grew and almost choked him with the bitterness that grew inside him. He made notes, grunted when necessary and hung up with an order to messenger over the final report with pictures. He had the proof he needed now and he had the information he wanted as well. He knew who, where and when. And it wasn't a one time thing. According to his contact, it had been at least five times. It was enough. There would be no need for any more. Once was enough to destroy the promise forever. Retribution Reed Cunningham owned his own company. Cunningham Cabinets and Counters was a small but very upscale company that would custom design kitchen or bathroom cabinets and counters and would oversee the entire construction and installation for those who could afford only the best. His company wouldn't even start a job for less than $100,000. Most of their jobs were far more expensive and only the wealthiest could afford him. He was sought after by those who wanted to impress. It was also whispered that those who wanted the best in other areas could expect him to deliver. Several wealthy matrons had nothing but praise for his 'abilities'. Jerry made note of this as well as other things. While he wanted to cause Reed Cunningham pain, he didn't want to hurt a lot of innocent people besides. So, since his employees weren't at fault, destroying the company was out but Reed was still in. His family was going to suffer but that was on him, not on Jerry. Jerry's family was also going to be hurt but neither Shelly nor Reed had worried about that, did they? The fact that Reed was married and had two girls, both under five years old, was his only weak point. The report mentioned that Reed was very devoted to his wife and his girls. In his anger, Jerry considered that weakness a vulnerability. He made complete copies of all that he had, including the pictures that showed very clearly the two of them with their bodies wrapped around each other. He looked at one where both were naked and his cock was clearly inside her and she was holding on to the headboard of a bed in a hotel room as he pounded into her. His face was screwed up in concentration and hers showed lust and pleasure. That one made him sick to his stomach when he first looked at it and he still felt a stab of pain when he copied it for Reed's wife. Well, it was what it was and Reed and Shelly made it so! The two of them could answer for it! Jerry had no more interest in either one of them. The next two days were full of things to do. Jerry closed all of his active credit cards, closed all joint accounts after withdrawing exactly half from each one. He made sure most of his assets were in the corporate accounts which were not community property and then took all of her jewelry out of the safe deposit boxes. He went to a jeweler he knew and had it all appraised and a certified note of that amount made. He sold the jewelry and left half of the cash in her account. His lawyer had made sure he knew that he would have to pay alimony but he accepted that as the cost of the divorce. Her infidelity was going to cost him in dollars, but she and Reed would also pay a heavy price! He stopped at his lawyer's office, signed off on the divorce decree and asked that she be served at twelve fifteen tomorrow at his home. Last but not least, he made arrangements for the copy he made of all his information with the pictures to be messengered to Reed Cunningham's wife, to be delivered into her hands only, at exactly eleven o'clock tomorrow morning. He spent the last night of his marriage at home with his wife and daughter, neither one aware of what was coming tomorrow. Jerry wanted to spare Tracy the pain of a divorce, but he had no way to do that. He would take her aside as soon as possible and tell her the truth. That was all he could do. Interestingly enough, Shelly was trying to be friendly that evening. She was trying to engage Tracy in conversation but Tracy seemed to be unwilling to let her in. Jerry watched with amusement as Shelly became frustrated. He was even more amused when Shelly began to ask him about his work and what he had been doing recently. Jerry almost laughed out loud when she did that. She never asked about his work! Never in all the time they had been married. He finally did laugh and she became furious with him. He tried to be serious but to no avail. He finally got up and walked onto the patio, still chuckling. He remained outside until he was in control and then went inside to find Tracy gone to her room. He sat down and prepared to spend another night downstairs when Shelly spoke. She appeared to be angry and he suspected she was going to do something that she thought would show him. Well, let her try. She had no idea of what he was going to do tomorrow and that he no longer had any interest in her plans. "I want to go in to campaign headquarters tomorrow. They need me to answer phones and take messages. Do you mind? I know it's Saturday and I hate to go in on a weekend but they really do want me." Jerry almost laughed at that. He knew who really wanted her. He decided that he wanted this over so he considered and answered. "I need you here at home at noon tomorrow. There are some papers you need to sign and they can't wait. I have to insist. From noon to half past is all you'll need. After that you can do as you please." Shelly looked like she wanted to argue but decided it would be out of character to do so. She agreed to be there and went up to bed, thinking to herself that she would call Reed and meet him later in the afternoon. She didn't care when, just so they could get together. She closed the bedroom door and dressed for bed. As she lay down, her hand moved in habit to the left where Jerry usually slept. She looked over at the empty place and felt a chill move down her spine. She suddenly realized that Jerry hadn't been sleeping beside her for the last few days. Actually he hadn't been sleeping with her for longer then that! She felt tears begin and she let the sadness overwhelm her. Why was she doing this? What was she thinking? Reed had some sort of spell over her and she couldn't think of anything but him. Her marriage was falling apart and it was all her fault. Her daughter was growing away from her and Jerry was laughing at her feeble attempts to talk to him. And they were stupid. He could see it. What else could he see? Suddenly she felt the fear that she could lose it all: lose everything she loved! And she knew deep inside that she did love Tracy and Jerry more than life itself. What the hell was she doing? Suddenly the obsession of Reed Cunningham felt like a fool's folly! No longer did the thought of him send a shiver of pleasure down her spine. Now all it brought was a tingle of disgust and fear! She rolled over onto her stomach and pressed her face into the pillow. She was sobbing now, deep wracking sobs that hurt. How had she gotten to this point in her life? How had she shut Jerry out of her life so easily? How had she given herself to another man who didn't love her? She knew that about Reed: that he didn't love her and wanted her for sex only. They didn't make love: they fucked! She thought back on the times she and Jerry had made love recently and realized she couldn't remember the last time. She thought and thought and finally remembered they hadn't made love either! She just lay there and Jerry had fucked her hard. Now that she thought back on it, he hadn't made love to her: he had fucked her just like Reed! Suddenly she heaved herself off the bed and ran for the bathroom only to lose it all before she made it. She knelt on the cold tile floor and spewed her guts out. As she collapsed on the bed, sick to her stomach and sweating, she told herself that tomorrow she had to end it all with Reed. It had to stop! And she had to dedicate her life to her family and to Jerry once more. She did love him! She couldn't imagine her life without him and that scared her. Tomorrow things would change and the rest of her life would be different. She would make it up to him! She would do anything for him! Downstairs, Jerry curled up on the couch in his office and shut his eyes. He had cried all he could and he had weathered the storm of pain and anger and all the other emotions that signaled the end of fifteen years of his life. Tomorrow was the first day of the rest of his life and he intended to make it a bang up day for the two people who were responsible for it. The Last Day Just before noon, Jerry came in from the garden where he had spent the morning. He washed his face and hands, stripped off his dirty shirt and work pants and changed into a casual shirt and slacks. He had given Tracy fifty dollars and sent her off with her friends to the mall. He went into his office and closed the door, taking the report and the pictures out of the small safe he kept there. He took one enlarged print of Shelly sucking Reed off and looked once more at it. He felt only a small twinge of anger now. Good! He placed it face down on the report. He was ready. Right at twelve, Jerry opened the door to his office and called Shelly to come in. She came almost immediately with a smile and went in to sit in the chair in front of his desk. That was where she sat when he wanted her to sign papers. He closed the door and walked around the desk. He sat down and pulled out the picture. He kept it face down while he waited for Shelly to settle. She smiled at him and held up her pen. "OK, I'm ready. What did you want me to sign?" "Nothing yet. I want to show you some things and let you comment on them. The papers you need to sign will be delivered at twelve fifteen. So, we have some time." Just then the phone rang and Jerry picked up. He listened for a second and then put the receiver down. It promptly rang again and again Jerry picked it up. He listened, smiled and then looked at Shelly. "Do you want to talk to a Reed Cunningham? Seems to be very upset and wants to talk to you." Shelly's face turned pale and she jerked her head back and forth. She seemed to be very nervous when she replied. "No, I don't want to talk to him. Tell him no! Just hang up!" "I'm sorry Mr. Cunningham. She doesn't wish to talk to you at this time. Perhaps she'll see you later. Goodbye." The phone rang again, but this time Jerry let it ring. He stared at Shelly and was pleased to see the panic building. He decided to let her off the hook, so he unplugged the phone to stop the sound. Shelly was no longer smiling. She looked at Jerry and asked, "Why the delay? You know I wanted to go in to volunteer today. Why can't we do it now so I can get there?" Shelly was asking herself why he had called her at home. It was insane for him to do that. She had to get this done and find out what was going on. She didn't know that Jerry was about to answer that question for her. Jerry pulled the picture toward him, raised it up so that he could see it while the plain back was toward Shelly. He looked again, felt nothing and smiled to himself: he could do this thing! He laid the picture down face up and turned it so Shelly could see it clearly. She looked down, and the forced smile on her face disappeared immediately. "You know! How did you know? Oh God, not now! Oh please, God, not now! Oh please!!!" Shelly's face turned even more pale, one hand came up to cover her mouth and her other hand gripped the arm of the chair she was sitting in. She seemed to be weaving back and forth and Jerry was afraid she was going to pass out. He watched with amazement as she did just that. Her eyes rolled up in her head and only the whites showed as she slumped sideways. Jerry reacted without thinking and tried to catch her before she hit the floor. He was unsuccessful but he did pick her up and set the chair back upright. Jerry went into the hall to the half bath and got a glass of water. He went back into the office to see Shelly still unconscious. This bothered Jerry mainly because he wanted her awake and conscious when the divorce papers were delivered. He felt no compassion for her now. One of the papers was a restraining order prohibiting her from remaining in the house and he wanted to make sure she read that one. That one had taken some time and care but a picture was worth a thousand words and the judge was convinced. Jerry considered and finally, shrugging his shoulders, walked over to the chair and unceremoniously dumped the glass of water over Shelly's head. She jerked, sputtered and came awake. She was shaking her head and wiping her face. She looked down at the picture and the tears started all over again. "Jerry please! Let me tell you how sorry I am. Please Jerry, let me talk to you. Let me try to explain. I've been crazy, that has to be it. Jerry, please let me explain." Jerry was satisfied that she was back and went around to sit behind the desk again. He pulled out several more pictures, all normal sized, and threw them at her as she pleaded with him. She hardly looked at them before pushing them away. "Put them away! They don't mean anything. Reed doesn't mean anything. It's over Jerry. It's done with. I'll never see him again. Never!" Jerry interrupted her then. He had no patience for listening to her lies and empty promises. Her actions spoke very clearly to him and the point was taken. "There are several things I want to tell you, Shelly. It's all written down so you don't have to remember it but here they are. First, I have closed all of our joint accounts. They are now in your name only and only half of what we had is in there. "Second, I have had the jewelry appraised. Most of it I bought for you as gifts and as a symbol of my love for you and our daughter. My love for you is now dead, and since I bought it for you, I chose to sell it. I left half of that value in your accounts. The meaning in the jewelry is dead and the pieces themselves mean nothing anymore. "Third, I have made sure that all of the money that belongs to the corporation is in corporate accounts where it can't be touched by you. "Finally, there are papers coming at twelve fifteen for you to sign. I am going to divorce you, Shelly, of that there is no question. I don't care what you say or do, I no longer want you in my life. You are a cheat and an adulteress and I want you out!" "Oh, please, Jerry, don't say that! I'm sorry! I'm truly sorry and I made a mistake! I know it and I was going to end it today. I was wrong and I know that. I saw last night what I was doing to our family and I understood how wrong I've been. It's over, Jerry, and I want to come back to you. You have to forgive me! Please, Jerry, don't do this! I realize what I did." Just then the doorbell rang and Jerry stood. He walked around the desk to take Shelly by the arm and lifted her out of the chair. She resisted so he half walked, half dragged her to the door. He held her as he opened the door to admit the courier. The young man standing there looked at Shelly and asked in a clear voice, "Are you Mrs. Shelly Spalding?" Shelly nodded, refusing to look at him. He reached out to take her hand and placed an envelope in it. "You've been served!" Without another word, he turned and walked down the sidewalk. Jerry led Shelly back into the office and had her sit down again. She was too stunned to do anything other than what Jerry directed her to do. Jerry went around the desk and sat down once more. "There are a few more things to say. I made a copy of this report and the pictures of the two of you and had them delivered to Tina Cunningham today. She has the same information about her husband that I showed you. Those phone calls were from your lover, Reed Cunningham and he wanted to talk to you, probably to ask you why I did what I did." Jerry laughed out loud as he said, "People like him never understand how the people they betray can be angry enough to strike back." Shelly looked up in shock. "You didn't! How could you do that to him? How could you be so mean? He has young daughters at home!" Jerry reacted to her words in fury! Her words were insane! How could he? How could he be so mean? Insanity! "Me? Mean? What the hell is wrong with you Shelly?! "The two of you are married to other people but that didn't stop you from fucking the hell out of each other, breaking your vows and destroying your marriages! Now you want to blame me, and let him off without harm? What the fuck did I ever do to you to make you want to do this? Did you just want to destroy me? Was that what it was all about? You and Reed wanted to destroy me, ruin my marriage and my daughter's home? Is this your sick idea of some imagined form of justice?" "Jerry, no! That was never my intention! We never wanted you or his wife to find out! Never! You and Tracy were never to find out about my betrayal. Never! And I never meant to hurt you. You were never to know and then you wouldn't be hurt. Never! Never! Nev……….." Jerry broke into her denials. "Too bad, your lover is now in deep shit just like you. I hope it was worth it to you Shelly. I tried to give you everything, and I loved you with all my heart and I never stopped. Not until you stopped it for me. I've been patient these past months, waiting for you to come back to us, but you just went further away. You chose him over us. Now you got what you wanted. You gave us away." "That's not what I did! That's not what I wanted to happen! I never thought it through! Jerry, please, don't throw me away. Please, Jerry, please!" "There is a restraining order in there, Shelly, that prohibits you from living here at the house. You have twelve hours to get your stuff together and leave. "And don't worry. I intend on telling Tracy exactly what you did and I don't know what she will choose to do about you. She's old enough to decide who she wants to live with. That will be her choice. But I will tell her. That I promise!" Shelly seemed to have collapsed into herself. She was sitting in the chair, defeated and beaten down. Jerry looked down on her and found himself lacking in compassion. He felt dead inside when he looked at her and that scared him. He told himself that he would be OK once she was gone. He hoped that was true. "Shelly, I'm leaving for a while and I expect you to be gone before I get back. Tracy is taken care of so don't worry about her, as if you cared at all. The way you've been acting, it was clear that you forgot about her just like you forgot about me and your promises to me. "My lawyer's name is in the packet you got. Get yourself a good one and let them work it out. You should be well enough off since this is a community property state but don't count on a lot. There will be alimony and I'll not fight that, but I made my plans once I found out about you. Since you were screwing me, I wanted to be sure I screwed you. That was the only screwing I was getting over the past few months. "Congratulations! You got what you deserved! You and I have nothing more to say to each other except goodbye." Jerry stood then, pulled off his wedding ring and dropped it to the floor in front of her. He had kept his part of their agreement and of that he was proud. He had never betrayed her in any way and had done all he could to provide for her and love her and make their home as safe and comfortable as possible. She had shit in it! Jerry walked out of this home and into a future that Shelly was no longer a part of. Consequences are a bitch!