15 comments/ 62992 views/ 4 favorites Double Crossed By: RonClarkeson My name is Roger this is my story and to some extent the story of my wife Francis. We have been married seven years, she is two months older than me and we have known each other since primary school, through high school and university. We are both dentists and have a good suburban practice. We lack for nothing; we paid of all our student loans and mortgage two years ago. We can work as hard or as little as we like we have a beautiful home. We both drive late model BMW's We have always been sexually active and I have to admit that Francis is rather more daring than me and over the years our sexual practices have evolved from plain missionary to toys. I was rather shocked one day three years ago when we were in the city for a dinner date, a dentist thing, when Francis pulled me into an Adult Book Store and after persuading me to buy her a large dildo then selected some triple x videos. Our sex lives rapidly expanded after that and visits to the Adult Book Store are a yearly event. Francis had been very critical of the videos and DVD's we had bought, she thought that most were poor productions showing cocks and cunt's with no plot, no meaningful sound tracks and after our third visit and subsequent viewing, she said she could do much better, although she wanted to try out all of the one on one things shown in her selection of videos. All except sex with one woman and multiple men or another woman. She had been totally silent on those activities and I did not have the guts to ask her about them. It was six months ago that I began to realize that Francis was spending quite a lot of time on our computer and despite some sneaky investigation followed by active questions I had not found out what Francis was looking at or working on. Then one night last month, she appeared at the bedroom door with a sheaf of paper. She bounced into the room fell on the bed beside me and thrust the paper bundle in my hand. "Read that and tell me what you think." I read the title. My first Porno Flick By Francis Doubleday "Go on Roger read quicker." I was still reading the title "Is this what you have been using the computer for? Writing a screen play for a pornographic movie?" "Not any pornographic movie, our pornographic movie!" I looked hard at my wife. "What do you mean 'Our' movie?" "Roger hurry up and read the script and we can then discuss it. Now read." I did as I was told. There was not just a script there were directors and camera mans instructions. The male and female were told to perform various sexual acts for the camera starting with the male stripping the female then the female stripping the male then oral sex and so on to full sex including anal then of course the money shot. There were hundreds of lines of dialogue for all the people and the plot was a married couple wanting to make a movie of themselves having wild sex and enlisting the help of a director and cameraman to make the pornographic movie. I was reviewing some of the lines when Francis returned to the bedroom dressed in a see-through nightgown and handed me my favorite drink. "Well Roger what do you think. It has just as much sex as those movies we bought and it has a plot and a script and with the interactions of the director telling us what to do and the camera man wandering around and focusing on the action it should be quite erotic." "Yes Francis I can see you have worked hard on this but do you think you could do all these things with a director telling you and me what to do next and a camera man filming the action?" "Yes Roger I could do it. I was more concerned about you being able to do it. Will you think about it because I think that it would be really great fun and we could sell it?" "Whoa there! Why sell it? We would not want to be recognized!" "Darling you have no idea just what a good make-up artist can do. A hair color and make-up done properly and even our mothers would not recognize us." "But who would you get to be director and camera man and could you trust them?" "Oh Roger I already have them lined up they can be ready the week after next. I have ordered some furnishing for the rumpus room which will be delivered Monday so we can disguise our home. Then we practice, learn our lines and practice, and practice." She was pulling her nipples taught and flashing her pussy. I got the message. Sex that night was very, very good and it seemed that I had agreed to make a pornographic movie with my wife. The furniture and rugs pictures and sculptures arrived and our rumpus room was transformed. Francis was insistent that we practice the actions in the places indicated by the script and had me learn the entire script. "You need to know all the lines so you can follow the plot and action because we will have to do this in one shoot. Yes you will be able to have a rest if you need it, but it will be better if it flows and will require less editing which you and I will do together." Francis set up our video camera and we practiced like rabbits. She showed me the results and we discussed the cameraman's instructions. A few changes were made By the end of the week, I just about had the script off pat and we rested for a night then had a full run through using the fixed camera. It took just ninety minutes before I sprayed my cum into Francis' mouth and face and she then sucked me clean. The first time she had done ass to mouth! Francis was very animated and I was invigorated. Francis came home the next day with an expensive video camera, I had to get practice shots of her using it, and she took shots of me. We checked out the results and a few extra instructions were added to the script. As the days ticked by we continued to practice, we were to make our movie the next Monday evening. Francis told me, 'no sex' on Saturday evening and I behaved myself for two whole nights. However, Francis wanted me to use the camera to take real close-ups of her body, intimate close-ups. She then did a critique of the shots and had me do them again. She then did similar close-ups of my body. 'We will use these when we edit the movie,' was her explanation. We had a light day at the dental surgery that day and were home by 4 pm. We had a light meal and Francis restricted me to one glass of wine. At about 6 pm Francis introduced me to a young woman who proceeded to change our appearance. Francis became a flaming redhead while I became a black haired man. The makeup session was rather weird. The young woman knew rather more than I liked about what we were about to do. It was 7:30 pm when she left. "Darling Roger, this is just sex, you know I love you, take no notice of the others just follow the script and enjoy yourself!" "Are you sure you want to do this we don't need the money and why parade ourselves?" "Roger I think I can earn heaps writing scripts for porno's and what better example of one we wrote and produced, besides you have loved the rehearsals!" I had to agree I had been turned on by those, so pushed my fear aside. At 8:00 pm, precisely the front door bell rang and Francis rushed to answer it. We were both already in our costumes. Francis introduced two men one tall and blond the other shorter and brown haired both had good physiques. "Fred this is Roger my husband. Joe this is Roger." Pleasantries were exchanged and Francis took charge. "Now you both know we are going to make a pornographic movie. You both have a script and we have been rehearsing so all we have to do is film it." Fred and Joe agreed... "Roger Darling the script Fred and Joe have is a little different to the one you have but, almost all the spoken parts are the same. I just did not want to make you learn the changes since you had worked so hard learning the script. Now as I said almost all the lines are the same and Fred will tell you when we depart from the one you know. Its really just a few lines here and there just do what he tells you and everything will work out just fine." Fred was carrying a stack of paper and smiled at me. Francis, it seemed was very much in charge. She set the fixed camera to record and stood in shot facing me with Fred and Joe also in shot. "O.K. Roger this is pornographic movie shoot. To a script written by the wife. The object of this is to produce a really erotic movie not one of those sad things we bought!" "Our fixed camera will be recording what goes on in this room and the camera man will take other aspects including close-ups of all the action. I think we will have lots of fun editing these two video streams into a really pornographic movie." "Francis I know all this can we get started?" I said. "Ok camera action." said Francis. She beckoned to us all and we lined up facing the fixed camera. "This is a Blue movie produced by my husband and I. It is intended to be erotic rather than pure porn so watch listen and enjoy." "Let me introduce the director," Fred took a bow. " My Husband," and to my horror Francis indicated Joe! "Now we will do everything the director tells us to do! And the Camera Man!" she indicated me! "Now he will record everything that takes place." "Ok now let's get down to the real action." Joe walked towards me and handed me the big camera. Then walked towards Francis. 'Oh My God Francis had set me up. I was to make a pornographic movie. Not as the husband, but the Camera man!' I knew the entire plot, I knew all the lines, I knew what was going to be done to Francis and it was not going to be me doing it! I knew what Francis was going to do with 'her husband', which was the handsome young stud I had just met! I took a deep breath, pushed the record button and followed the script! (To be continued...) Double-crossed "Are you sure you're okay with this, Mickey," said Rona. She was watching my eyes very carefully. "I mean if..." "I think so," I said. "But, I'm still concerned about it affecting our marriage." "Baby, that is the one thing that you do not have to worry about at all. If anything it will add sugar and spice to it, not the other way 'round," she said. ****** For the record, I'm Mickey Iverson. I work for Stanley Construction. I'm a site foreman. The work is hard some days, but the pay is very good. My wife is a tech at a local clinic. She's the lab person that messes with your blood. Good job she has too. Between the two of us we do right well economically. Rona and I have been married for nineteen years. I'm forty-five to her forty-one. No kids, she had an accident in high school and pretty much wiped out her female plumbing. But, we have a mess of nieces and nephews, and we fawn on them. Our love life up till the telling of this story had been great. Well, that's my opinion; others might beg to disagree based on the evidence now available. ****** My wife had laid it on me the week before last that she was concerned about the deterioration of our sex life. She was right of course things had gotten stale. And, bearing in mind how hot to trot we both had been early on in the marriage; well, one had to wonder. At any rate, after some time thinking it all over she approached me. We'd considered a number of alternatives to fix our flagging libidos, but had come up nil. But then, apparently out of the blue, she'd brought back up a fantasy of mine: watching her get it from another man—surreptitiously. "I don't think so, babe, too risky. Something like that could mess up our marriage bad," I said. "Mickey, I'm nervous too. Neither of us has ever been in a situation like this, and maybe it won't work out; but we should try it at least once; dontcha think," she said. I didn't like it, but we decided to sleep on it and talk again. It was true that watching another man do her had long been a fantasy of mine, kind of a common one I knew; but I had never been keen on actually living it out. For the very good reason that the very thought of it, let alone the reality of it, was frightening. At any rate, we'd discussed it, chewed on it, digested it, and finally—at her very pushy urging—decided to give it a go. There had been just two stipulations. One, if either of us felt uncomfortable with the situation that it, the fantasy, would suffer a quick and unmourned demise. And two, that it, again the fantasy, would not be allowed in any way shape or form to impact our own love making except in positive ways. Howard Tyler would be here in twenty minutes. Tonight was the night. "How are you feeling, honey," she said. "Okay. Nervous as hell, but okay," I said. She nodded, gave me a peck on the cheek, and pushed me into the closet, locking it from the outside. The lock was to keep Howie baby out not me in. I could easily get out by breaking the mirror. My cloister was our walk-in closet. We had installed a mirror in the door that was also one-way see through glass. I would be privy to everything that went on in the room but invisible to those on the other side. From inside my hideout I watched her finish dressing. Black mini dress, fluffed out dark hair, ruby lips and nails, eye work that was simply dazzling, and her smell—enslaving. Oh, and no underwear. Howard was sure to appreciate her efforts. I heard the doorbell ring and watched as Rona headed out to answer it. I settled in. I knew that she would probably entertain him a little out front before she brought him in to the bedroom for the main event. I was wrong, she entertained him for an hour; I was not happy at the delay. Finally they came in and Rona came to the mirror on the door and pretended to adjust herself. She mouthed me a kiss and smiled. As she turned back to him, he took her in his arms and kissed her softly, almost elegantly. She returned his kiss. He pulled back from her. "This time will be better, baby," he said. "We'll have more time." I started at that. What did he mean, "this time"? She planted a kiss on him smothering any further words on his part. His hands began to caress her neglecting no part of her. I watched as he slid the zipper at her back floorward; he peeled the little mini from her shoulders and smiled at her nakedness. Only her high heels remained; she left them on. "He felt her buttocks and slipped his fingers into her crack obviously feeling the softness and heat of her anus. At this particular intrusion, she looked a trifle concerned. But, his kisses that smothered any demur on her part. Dropping to her knees, she unbuckled his pants and pulled them down. More or less surprisingly, he was wearing no underwear either. His cock sprung free, hard, and eight inches long; she rescued it and began stroking it slowly. She looked up at him, smiled, and took it into her mouth. I was witness to her swallowing his cum. This bothered me, as she had never allowed me that privilege; we'd talk. Oh yeah, we were going to have plenty to talk about already and they had hardly started! Over the next two hours he took her two times and got an equal number of blow jobs for his trouble. The grand finale almost caused me to burst through the mirror of my closet prison. She took him in her butt. She had strenuously forbidden that to me both while we were going together and since our marriage a period of twenty-one years. I was seething, but I held myself under control—and it was more than a miracle that I was able to. To her credit she did send a worried look in my direction as he took her that final time. She had to know that I was not happy. Clearly this was something long planned, and that with me totally out of the loop. At that moment, I was weighing my choices: accept what she'd done, divorce her, kill them both. All three options were on the table. A half hour after her butt screwing, she was ushering him out of the house and into the night. She returned two minutes later letting me out. "I know what you're going to say, dear," she said. "We didn't plan it; it just happened." I paced back and forth trying to get my bearings. I was almost apoplectic. She took me in her arms and I was so horny that I decided to fight my battles at a later time. I needed release. Sloppy seconds or not, I was going to fuck her. She was still naked and I was too seconds later. I took her missionary style, she seemed a little listless, but I laid that off to all of the calorie burning earlier that evening. I repeatedly and ruthlessly rammed my very turgid six inches into her very soppy cunt without concern for her pleasure; I figured she'd gotten hers already. I came in a gusher, well, you can imagine. I asked her to suck me off. She smiled and took me in her mouth, but as I was about to cum, she stopped and told me to take her doggey style. I stared at her. "You swallowed him!" I said. I was still pissed about her taking him in her butt, and about his remark about this time being better than—something; and of course her swallowing his cum and never having swallowed mine. "Okay, if it means that much to you," she said. "What!" I said. "What did you say? He gets—and I get—" I rolled off the bed and picked up my clothes and started to dress. "Don't let me bother you, dear wife." "Honey, what's the matter? I'm not denying you anything, really. Stop that dressing and come here. Come on, please," she said. "Tell me, Rona, what did he mean when he said that, "This time would be a lot better," I said. She paled. I knew then, right then, for sure. This was not the first time. She'd been doing him, but for how long. "Huh? I don't know what you're talking about," she lied. "Just come here and let me make it right by you, okay?" I continued to dress, but more slowly. I kept my eyes on her. I knew she was feeling the heat, and my talking would just make it easier for her to dodge the bullet. Still all things considered, her next words stopped me in my tracks. "We've been doing it for the last couple of months," she said. "Last week, he and I talked. I told him I couldn't continue to cheat on you anymore. He suggested—well—what we did here tonight." "He knew I was in there then didn't he?" I said. She looked down. Fucking-A, talk about being humiliated. "No alimony and you keep your hands off of my retirement. You can have everything else including the house," I said. Her head snapped up. "What! You can't mean! I mean this was your fantasy. You wanted this as badly as I ever did," she said. "Do you remember our deal, Rona? No neglecting our own sex life, do you remember that, Rona?" I said. "I'm not neglecting you. I'm not," she said. "You already have. You sucked him off and you wouldn't me," I said. "I will suck you off. I wasn't turning you down. I just wanted you to take me doggey style first," she said. "Tell me, Rona, were you going to let me have your butt tonight? Or were you going to be too exhausted?" "Oh, and I almost forgot. Where in any of your plans was anything said about you fucking him for two months behind my back!" I said. "That was a mistake, and I am hoping by owning up to it that you will forgive me." She said. "And, yes, if you want my butt of course I want you to take me there. I'm not denying you anything. I am a little tired, okay, and that is the truth; but I will do anything to make you happy—anything!" "Who is Howard exactly anyway?" I said. I was fishing. "His name is Howard Tyler. He works where I do at the lab. He came to work there about four months ago. He hit on me. I turned him down. He kept after me. I finally gave in. It was a mistake. One I will more than make up to you if you will permit me," she said. "Is he married too?" I said. Her eyes shot open at that. "Mickey, you're not going to tell his wife are you? It would wreck their marriage. He was just out for a little fun—like us," she said. "They have little children, twin girls. Their lives, their family would be ruined." I stared at her. I had no words. I was pissed at him, but that was nothing compared to the anger I was feeling toward my loving wife. And yet, did I really want a divorce? I wasn't sure. I needed a clear head and at the moment I didn't have one. I needed to be thinking not reacting. I sat down on the little stool she used to do her makeup. "Mickey, I have made some mistakes here tonight. I mean quite apart from cheating on you these past two months. I know it. They were thoughtless of me. I was caught up in the moment and a little tired and not—well—not thinking. Please give me a chance, just a small chance to make it up to you. You won't be sorry," she said. "What's he gonna say if you cut him off," I said. She looked confused. "You do intend to cut him off now, don't you?" "Oh, yes of course. I'm not thinking. I am tired, Mick, I really am. I know you know that that is the truth. Of course it's over. No more of this fantasy stuff either; it's too dangerous. I promise. And, yes, again, Howard is history. Just please don't ruin their family's lives." "Is there anything else that I need to know. If there is, the time to unload it on me is now; there will be no more chances after tonight," I said. "No. There's nothing else, except for the details, which I hope you won't demand I tell you about. That's the whole enchilada," she said. "Rona, I'm giving you and Howie baby a one use only get out of jail free card. But, if you ever double me up. If I find out that there is more to this than what you tell me tonight—well. Just don't let it happen, Rona. She looked confused for a moment, but then ran to me and almost toppled me throwing her arms around me and kissing me like she had seldom ever done. She pushed back from me. Looked deep into my eyes. Dropped to her knees, and pulled my pants down. She swallowed and demanded that I take her butt. But, I couldn't right at that moment. Even though she tried her damndest to get my little soldier to come back to life, it wasn't happenin'. "In the morning," she said. I nodded. ****** Rona had apparently not only made old Howie baby a historic artifact; she quit her job at the lab to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. She was able to get another anyway at almost the same pay if with a lot less seniority. Things went along fine for the next several months and yes I did get her butt, and that regularly. I loved licking her there in preparation to entering her. She seemed to get off on it too. Times were good. Too good to last as it turned out. It was the day before our twentieth anniversary. I wanted to surprise her. We already had reservations for the next night, but a pre-anniversary luncheon seemed in order. I was singing, literally, as I pulled into the clinic's parking lot where she now worked as a lab tech. Heading inside, I went to the nurses' station and asked for her. It was the first time I'd been inside of the place. "Oh, miss Iverson is out to lunch with Mr. Tyler," said the pretty young thing manning the station. The shock I felt immediately began to give way to feelings of betrayal. The aide didn't seem to notice. "Where do they normally eat?" I said. "At Aunt Mary's Kitchen, just down the block," she said, nodding in the indicated direction. I headed out walking. I wanted to catch them with their mouths full. I shouldn't have. I didn't need the added baggage. I saw them through the window. They were sitting side by side not across from each other. He had his arm around her shoulder. He was actually feeding her a bit of food, a French fry I think. I just kept standing there staring. It was at least a full minute, maybe two before she noticed me. "No!" I saw her say. He looked up as she said it. His face went gray. I nodded, slowly. I mouthed the words, I loved you, to her, and walked off. She caught up with me just as I got to the corner. "Mickey, you've got to listen to me. You've got to," she all but screamed. She was desperate. "Yes, Rona, but not today. I have a lot on my mind. I think you can understand that. Let me be for now, okay," I said, and I crossed the street. She didn't follow. I got home half an hour later, I'd asked the site boss for the rest of the day off. He okay's it. I moved some my stuff into the guest room. She got home twenty minutes after I did. I was sitting on the bed looking at the stuff I'd hauled into the room when she came in. Clearly she'd barely had time to say goodbye to her lover. "Mickey what are you doing in here? Mickey, please." I didn't say anything. She started pacing back and forth in front of me wringing her hands. "Oh my God, Mickey, what you must think! I don't know where to begin," she said. I rose, still not saying anything, and headed downstairs. We were in the kitchen where I mixed myself a martini; well, as the 'ole country boy said, "It was five o'clock somewhere." I just looked at her and took a sip. "At least we won't have to waste money on a phony anniversary dinner," I said. "Phony! What are you talking about! It's going to be our anniversary," she said. "No. No. We almost made it, but not quite. It's too late today to do anything, and it's Friday, but I will be filing on Monday. The same rules that I set up last year apply. You okay with that?" I said, "or do I have a fight on my hands." "One request, Mick, just one, okay? I won't fight it, and it'll be just as you say, but I have one request," she said. "No sex," I said. "It ain't happenin'." "No. No. Not that. But, you aren't going to be filing till Monday, right?" she said. "Yeah, so?" I said. "You stay here with me this weekend. The whole weekend and give me a chance to undo what I've done. If I can't do it, if I can't convince you to not do what you're thinking; I will sign the papers as soon as your lawyers make them available. Deal?" she said. She was nothing if not resourceful, I thought. I knew there was no chance she could convince me that she hadn't doublecrossed me, doubled me up, but it would be interesting to see her try. Real interesting. I had no idea. "Okay, your shot begins now," I said. And, I want a meeting with the asshole who has helped to ruin two marriages. That one set her back. "Him? Howard? But—okay," she said. But, no violence—okay?" "I won't hurt him, not physically anyway," I said. She knew her position was weak. She nodded. "Okay, I'll work it out somehow," she said, "for tomorrow." ****** I sat on the edge of our bed. I was still dressed and planned on sleeping in the guestroom. However, it happened that that bed in the guestroom was covered with a mountain of laundry. Apart from throwing it all off onto the floor and claiming the bed as my territory, there was no way I could sleep there. So, here I was thinking of sleeping beside her—in my clothes. "Aren't you going to get ready for bed, honey," she said. "No sex, Rona, I told you," I said. "No, no. I won't push you," she said. "But, you know you can't sleep good like that. Just get undressed. Leave your boxers on if you want. Just get comfy. Maybe we can talk a little bit if you want. Or not." I muttered something. I couldn't even tell you what. But something. She smiled her sweetest and began disrobing herself as she watched me lose my clothes. Well, I do have a hard time sleeping except in my too-loose boxers. "You wanna talk?" she said. "Not especially, Rona. I'm just treading water till Monday. You got something to say; then, say it," I said. "Okay," she said. "I will. When you saw us today, well, it was nothing. He was just being silly. We didn't do anything. He just gave me a French fry." "You mean fed you a French fry," I said. "Looked romantic as hell to me, and you looked to be enjoying the hell out of it." "Romantic! Hardly," she said. "He just, okay, fed me a French fry. But it was nothing." "How do you figure on selling me that bundle of bullshit, Rona. He's my worst enemy and you were having lunch with him. Have you been fucking him? Before you answer, know this: I will know if you lie," I said. "And how long has he been working there?" "Mickey, he's not your enemy. He doesn't know you. He is never going to know you. Before, when he—we—did what we did, your name never came up. He just wanted the sex that's all. "To answer your question, He's been there the last few months. And, no I haven't fucked him," she said. I'd said that I'd know if she were lying, but the fact was I wasn't sure. If she was lying; then, she was getting better at it. "How long did you figure it would be before I found out he was working where you were? And, why is he working there? He's after you isn't he?" I said. "I was afraid to tell you. I—I was hoping you wouldn't find out. I need the job. He doesn't work in the same lab that I do. He's in Radiology, and I'm in blood work: totally different divisions. This is the first time I'd had lunch with him or anything," she said. Oops, I was wrong she wasn't getting better at lying; that was a lie. The nurse I'd asked as to where to find them clearly knew they lunched together regularly. "You're lying, Rona. One of your friends at the hospital told me that you lunch together often," I said. She paled. I just remained calm and detached. It shook her. "I—I—I, okay. We do lunch together sometimes. But, it means nothing," she said. "Maybe, Rona, but you lying to me means a helluva lot. Are you beginning to get it?" I was beginning to get an idea. And, I was having fun. "Honey, please. I didn't do anything with him. I never will," she said. "Right, Rona, whatever you say. But, well, how do we handle things from here on out do you suggest," I said. I was laughing inside watching her squirm. Double-crossed "Huh? I—what do you mean?" she said. "I mean just what I said, Rona. What do we do now? What do you think that we should do now? What's our next step?" I said. "Do we just forget about what I saw today and go on as if nothing happened?" "I—I'm not sure," she said. "I mean it would be good if we can get by this." "So, I just pretend he wasn't feeding you French fries. I just stop worrying about him working where you work. I just take it for granted that you weren't going to fuck him—if you haven't already. Is that about it?" I said. She was beginning to get it. "I could quit my job?" she said, oh so softly. "Hmm, okay, that might be a start," I said. "Tell you what, You call in tomorrow and tell them that you quit. I'll take the day off and go with you to get any of your stuff. Not that I don't trust you, Rona! I just don't want that evil gentleman trying to seduce you with any more French fries; he'd likely lace them with a date rape drug, judging from previous behavior. I'm sure you can understand where I'm coming from." "Okay, I can do that," she said. She was sad. She was willing to quit even though it was going to hurt her to do so, but I actually had another plan in mind. This was beginning to get interesting. I couldn't wait to have my little sit down with the asshole. We talked a little more and then we both turned over and fell asleep. ****** She called the asshole early. The conversation went on for some minutes before she came back into the kitchen, where I had set up headquarters, and took a seat across from me. "I called him; he's coming over soon, right after lunch," she said. "Good, I can't wait," I said. He must have been nearby; he arrived in just under eleven minutes. That one surprised me. I knew he had to be nervous. I mean he had to be praying that I wouldn't sink his ship with his wife and kids. She answered the door. I was sitting in a straight backed chair sipping a cup of coffee. "Hello, Howard," she said. "This is Mickey, my..." "Mister Iverson to him," I said. "We're not friends and never will be." Rona looked down. She was frightened. For his part, he was—well—nervous, like I said. "Mister Iverson, I want you to know that, your wife and I haven't done anything that you'd have to be concerned about. Really, it's the truth," he said. Rona interrupted me. "Would you like a cup of coffee, Howard?" she said. "No!" I said. "He's not a guest. He's my worst enemy. Get that, both of you." Rona was literally shaking. I was laughing my ass off inside. "You know, Mr. Tyler, I love my wife. I take very strong exception to her lying to me—and cheating with you," I said. "We did cheat before," he said, "but we have been no more than acquaintances since that time. I swear it." "Hmm, I wonder," I said. "He tellin' the truth, Rona? I mean you know how hard it is to cover up lies like that, I mean if it is a lie." "Yes! Yes, he is telling the truth Mick. Really he is," she said. "Before you came over, my wife was begging me to not tell your wife. I should you know. I mean, she, your missus, has a right to know as far as I'm concerned. "Oh, and my wife is willing to quit her job—again—to give me piece of mind about you putting the make on her. Do you know that?" I said. "Uh, no, of course you don't. That was just last night, and, well, what the hey. I can be nice twice, I guess." The obvious relief for both of them was written all over their faces. "Thank you, Mr. Iverson, that is very generous of you," he said. "Well, you're welcome. And, I am not only not going to tell your wife; I am also not going to ask my wife to quit her job," I said. Rona looked over at me, and a look of profound joy, so it seemed to me, washed over her features. "No, indeed," I said, "she won't need to. You're quitting yours, Howie baby. You're not even going to go get your personal things from your locker or whatever. You will have them sent to you. Any questions?" The look on his face was priceless. "No," he said, finally. His face was hangdog at that moment. Glancing over at Rona, her momentary joy had been replaced by a certain resigned sadness. It struck me as odd that she was so upset about him hurting like he obviously was for losing his job, but didn't see what she'd done to me as being nearly so terrible. "You love him, don't you," I said. Her head snapped around. "No! But, I feel sorry for him," she said. I let it slide. What she said did make a certain amount of sense. We talked for a few more minutes, and Howie baby had the good sense to say his goodbyes. Rona let him out. They looked at each other briefly, and it only bothered me a little. She came to me after he'd gone and sat beside me on the couch. "I'm sorry, Mickey, I really am. I know I hurt you, and I will spend the rest of my life proving my love for you." I looked her up and down. "It's morning, but I need something more than breakfast," I said. She smiled at me, but it was a wan smile. The sex was okay, but a little tense. Well, you can imagine. ****** Howie baby did quit his job. I heard it through the grapevine that he'd also had some trouble getting another one, but finally did catch on with a small clinic just over the county line. It seems that radiology techs were in short supply in that area. Things between Rona and me improved slowly as my ire began to fade into the vague mists of the unmourned past. It was almost a year later that I began to suspect that all was not well in Iversonville . "Honey, I will be late tonight," she said. "I'm pulling a double; Cecilia miscarried, and I am taking her shift." I frowned. I knew that Cecilia, a close friend of Rona's, had been due. I didn't know her well. But she and her husband had been to our house once, maybe six months before. "That's, That's a shame. Is she okay?" I said. "Yes," said Rona. "Anyway, I will try not to be too late tonight." She left and I was right behind her, both of us on our way to work. Something didn't feel right. It was her look, something. Then it hit me, a feeling. A feeling of--suspicion. What if Rona was playing me? Oh shit! She was playing me. Her look could've meant nothing else. I had an idea. It was an idea I almost wished I had not had. We got materials from Halley's, where Frank, Cecilia's husband, worked. We got materials from Halley's almost weekly for the jobs we were doing. And though I almost never drove a tractor anymore—I was a foreman now—today I would do the pick up—at Halley's. It would give me a legitimate reason to go there. I pulled into Halley's Lumber and Building Materials at around 1:00PM. "Yeah, Frank's here," said the hard hat. "He's loadin' up that trailer over there for your Kenworth," he said. I followed his gaze with mine. I saw Frank loading rebar into a twenty-foot trailer. He saw me approach. "Hey guy," said Frank. He seemed somber. "Been a while. You here to pick up the load?" "Yeah, and yeah, I said. "It has been a while, and I am here to pick up the load. How's it goin' with you, Frank," I said. "Okay, Cecilia is doing a little better," he said. He'd said it like I was supposed to know something. I didn't. "Oh?" I said. "You didn't hear? Rona didn't tell you? Cecilia miscarried three weeks ago," he said. She just started back to work two days ago. I tried to tell her to take some time off, but she said she needed to work to keep her mind off of what happened to the baby," he said. "Oh, wow," I said. "Yes, Rona did tell me." He could see I was not happy. "Mickey? Something wrong? I mean—" he stopped in mid-phrase. I looked up at him in the back of the van. "Not sure. Hey, thanks." Yeah Rona had told me, but what she hadn't told me was that Cecilia was working, not taking time off! Hell, Cecilia was probably doing a double to cover for Rona! "Uh—you about ready to hook up?" I said, coming back to the conscious world. "Yeah, it'll be about five minutes and we'll have you on the road," he said. He was a good as his word. One of his men backed the tractor up and hooked up to the trailer. "Uh—Mickey, if I can help with anything..." He was trying to be helpful, but he was clearly out of the loop. "I—I—I guess I better be going. I have to get this load back. Uh—I have some stuff to do," I said. I never even had the chance to ask him any questions; but hell, he'd already answered the biggee for me. I returned with the load and left it to the yard guys to unload it all. I was not feeling good, not good at all. ****** I wasn't worth a damn at work the rest of the day. I kinda just hung around the mobile office we were using to manage the site. Everybody was busy, so nobody noticed a malingering foreman. I headed out at five. I had a thought. I turned around and headed for Rona's place of work. If she was there maybe there would be a logical explanation for her lying to me about covering for Cecilia. I she wasn't there, maybe I could find out where she was. The parking lot was but lightly populated by the time I got to the clinic. The day shift was history. The night shift, a lighter crew In knew, was still coming on. I noticed two or three white clad personnel types crossing the parking lot heading toward the entrance. I pulled up alongside of one of them. "Hi," I said. "You know if Rona Iverson is working tonight." The woman looked at me strangely. It was clear she didn't approve of me, or maybe it was my question. "No. She just left. I saw her drive off a minute ago with some guy," she said. The woman just turned and continued toward the entrance. "Thanks," I said to her back, while smiling my phoniest. I had to think. She could be anywhere. Then I stopped. I looked around. I don't know why I hadn't thought of it until now. I drove around to the other side of the clinic. There it was, her car. She'd left with some guy, and she'd left her car in the lot. Unless—unless the woman I'd just spoken to had mistaken someone else for her, and Rona really was in the building. I had to check. I parked and went inside. The place was cold, freezing really. I don't know why they always had to keep these places so cold; it was like they were trying to preserve meat! I headed for the nursing station. "Hi," I said to a middle aged woman pouring over some paperwork. "Can I help you sir?" she said. "Yes, as a matter of fact. Could you tell me where the blood work lab is?" I said. "Yes, of course, it's right there on the right," she said, pointing to a set of double doors a few yards down the hall. It was the first time I had ever actually been to her lab. Going up to the glass doors, I saw that my marriage was effectively over. Cecilia was busy with some vials on the counter against the far wall. I waved. She waved back and headed over to me. "Hi, Mickey. How are you? You just missed Rona. She left to go home not ten minutes ago," she said without any prompting from me. "Yeah, Hi, Cecilia. I thought I could catch her and maybe take her out for dinner. Guess, I missed the bus. "Say, I am very sorry to hear about you..." I said. "Thank you, Mickey. I appreciate it. I guess God had other plans this time," she said. I nodded. "Well, okay," I said. "Maybe you and Frank can come over again soon." "Yes, well, that would be nice, Mickey," she said. We talked for another minute or so, and I left. As I got to the car, I decided that if Rona was going to play games, so was I. I drove back down the street to where the local taco tia was, and got me some grub and a large black coffee. Loaded up for the long haul, I headed back to the clinic and parked where I could see my wife's car. It was indeed going to be a long night, but in the end time well spent, or so I figured. It was after 10:30 before a three or four year-old Chevy pulled into the lot and illuminated my car. I ducked down. The car having passed me, I came up and watched. Whoever was driving pulled right up next to Rona's car. A man got out and went around to the passenger side opening the door for his passenger; it was Rona. And the man? You guessed it: Howard Tyler. It was almost funny. They were maybe fifty yards away. I started up and drove up to them. The look on Rona's face when she saw me was total disbelief—shock. "Rona, don't come home," I said, as I rolled down the window. "We're through." "Mickey, wait!" were the last words I heard her utter until the day we both showed up in court for the final decree. She'd tried to talk to me a dozen times in the intervening months. But, the lawyers controlled that, so I was spared the waste of time I knew it would be. The divorce finally out of the way, I wouldn't lay eyes on her again for many years, seven actually. ****** The Crazy Cow was my favorite watering hole. I was about halfway through my second Beam and water when I felt someone tug on my shirt sleeve. "Buy you a drink, cowboy," she said. "Rona! What the fuck!" I said. "It's been a while. I'm surprised you remember me," she said smiling. "Oh, I remember you all right, Rona. I remember you just fine. Whaddya doin' here, if I may ask?" I said. "Actually, I come here from time to time. About a week ago, when I was leaving, you were arriving. I asked around. I found out you frequent this place. So, I guess you could say I laid in wait for you," she said. I stared at her. "For godssakes why? We're done, Rona. Your last betrayal, really was your last." "Hmm, yes, maybe. But, I'm a little older now, and a little wiser. But, you haven't answered my question," she said. "What question?" "Can a girl buy you a drink?" she said. I guess I had a funny look on my face; she giggled. "Yeah, what the hell. A free drink is always a winner," I said. We got the small talk out of the way in maybe half an hour. Then the piano man came in and we danced a couple of times to slow jazz numbers that we both remembered and both liked. It was—pleasant. "So you're not married," she said. "No, once was a enough for me. I don't need the aggravation," I said. "You?" "No, I guess I'm getting picky in my old age," she said. "Really." I said. "Was our marriage that bad?" she asked. "I mean we did have some good times and some nice moments, at least I thought we did." "No, it wasn't all bad. If it had been I wouldn't have put up with the first Howie-incident," I said. "How is the old asshole anyway?" "Don't know, haven't seen him in years," she said. I looked her askance. "Really? I thought he was your knight in shining armor," I said. "So did I. But, he was more of a poor man's Don Quixote: everything about him turned out to be fake or pretty much useless. Oh, he was good in bed, all right. And his cock was bigger than yours—a lot bigger. But, in the end, he was way your inferior in the ways that counted," she said. "Took me a couple of years to figure it out, but it finally became clear to me after I caught him fucking his former wife, if you can believe it." "You're kidding!" I said. "No, they're back together. Even after the nasty divorce and all, she's taken him back. Go figure. He was forced to sign a pre-nup, however. You can guess at some of the stipulations." "Yeah, like he has to stand still for castration if he ever strays again," I said. "About right," she said. "Okay, you dumped the cheater's cheater, but you must have a beau out there," I said. "I mean a woman that looks like you?" "Nice of you to say that, Mickey. But, no, there's nobody out there for me special. I go out once in a while. Mostly here actually," she said. "I get asked to dance some. And once in a blue moon a man takes me home and I let him do me. But, nobody special." I was listening to her, and some of the old feelings returned. But, they were kinda mixed up. Feelings of desire mixed with feelings of betrayal, helluva mix. I wondered if she was as good a piece of ass as she had been. I decided to ask. "You as good a fuck as you used to be?" I said. She smiled. "Yeah, I guess so," she said. "Why? You wanna fuck me?" I nodded. "Okay, let's get out of here. Maybe we can come back later after you gotten your rocks off." She was laughing. We didn't get back that night. But I did get my rocks off. I got my rocks off several times; well, it'd been a while. On the other side of the coin, she got hers off too. It was win-win, at least for the short run. She stayed the night and over the next couple of months we met up in the bar a number of times. Went to dinner maybe three times, and then she moved in with me. We didn't discuss making anything permanent, and she made it clear that she probably wouldn't remain absolutely monogamous. She'd discovered something about herself: she liked big dicks and she liked them attached to different men. But, for the most part we were a couple. She cooked and we both cleaned. We shared expenses, but kept our finances separate. We were like roommates with benefits. It worked for me. Could I conceive of us becoming more than we currently were. Yeah, I could conceive of it, but I wasn't holding my breath. We were both in our fifties now; time was coming when we would have to think about maybe slowing down a bit. We'd reassess when that moment came. ******