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The Fourth Man

By: laptopwriter



I would like to thank mostera1 for all his help. He always makes my stories better.

"Honey, do you trust me; I mean really trust me?"

Now there's a question for you; how the hell do you answer that? If you say yes, you really trust her you know damn well you're not going to like the next thing that comes out of her mouth; but, if you say no, you don't trust her, you're probably going to regret it even more. Ken needed a few seconds to think.

"Before I answer that, you want to tell me what would prompt a question like that. Why would you think I don't trust you?"

"I didn't say that; I didn't say I don't think you trust me, I was asking a question."

"Yeah, well there's a reason for the question and I'd like to know what it is before I answer."

"Honey, it's a simply question; do you trust me, yes or no?"

"It's not a simple question and you know it. There is no way I'm going to give you an answer without knowing the purpose for the question in the first place."

Jennifer sighed; this was not going the way she had hoped. He was supposed to say 'yes, of course I do,' then she'd have him boxed in, but no, he was too smart for that and wasn't going for it even a little bit; time to fall back and try a different approach she thought. She decided honesty was the best policy.

"I need you to trust me, honey. I have to go away for the weekend and I don't want you to ask any questions."

"What? Oh hold on just a damn minute here; you're planning to go away for the weekend and I'm not supposed to ask you where you're going, or what you'll be doing?"

"Exactly; I know it's a lot to ask, honey, but in eight years of marriage, have I ever given you cause to distrust me?" she responded.

"No...at least not until now. Honey, you have to see how ridiculous this sounds. I don't care how trustworthy a person is, no husband in his right mind would go for something like that. Look at it from my side, what would you do if I asked the same question of you?"

She thought for a second then answered, "Well, just like you, I wouldn't like it. I'd wonder why you couldn't tell me what you'd be doing, but I would figure whatever it was, it must be very important to you or you wouldn't ask. I'd also know that you love me very much and would never do anything to hurt me, so yes, I would trust you."

Ken sat down on one of the kitchen chairs with a sigh. He should have known better than to ask that; he walked right into it. "How long would you be gone?" he asked.

"I have to leave Friday; I'd be gone before you got home from work, and I'd be back Sunday afternoon," she replied. 

"You're talking about THIS Friday...right? How long have you been planning this?"

"I...I didn't really plan it, it was something that just...well, an opportunity that popped up," she replied.

"An opportunity...and you can't tell me anything about this opportunity; where you're going, who you'll be with...nothing?"

Jennifer slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, dear, I just can't say."

"What if I say no, I don't trust you to simply go away for two days without telling me where you're going or what you'll be doing; would you still go?"

She stared at him for a second, "I really don't know; but whether I went or not, I would be extremely disappointed in your lack of trust in me."

"I don't know," he said softly as he pondered his dilemma. "I really don't know. I guess I just don't understand why you can't tell me where you're going. If I let you do this I'm going to be wondering about it for a long time, maybe years. I don't think that's fair, Jen, do you?"

He looked over at his lovely wife; clearly she looked anxious. "I'm sorry, honey, if I could tell you I would, but I just can't. Please trust me," she asked again. 

They stared at one another for a few more seconds then she informed him she was going upstairs to read for a while before going to bed and asked that he give it some serious thought...he did.

For the next two hours Ken ran through every scenario, every plausible situation he could think of, but he was getting nowhere. He always came back around to the most obvious explanation; she was going to be with another man. Just the thought made his blood run cold. 

"Damn it," he mumbled to himself, "I sure wish I knew what this was all about." The more he thought about Jennifer spending the weekend with another man, the more it didn't make much sense. They'd had a happy marriage; they both had been true to one another, he was positive of it. No, he thought, it must be something else; she wouldn't cheat, she knows damn well it would be the end of our marriage, she wouldn't take that chance.

Could it possibly be some kind of test, he wondered; but that would be out of character for her as well. It just didn't make sense. He was getting tired and worn out. Hell, maybe she'll wake up in the morning and tell me it was all just a joke; don't I wish, he thought, but he knew her better than that. No, whatever was going on, she was serious.

By the time Ken got to bed his wife was already asleep. He still hadn't made up his mind what he was going to do. He lay down and stared up at the ceiling still trying to come up with a reasonable justification for his wife's mysterious request. He finally drifted off to a fitful sleep with the question still looming. 

The next morning he hadn't quite awakened yet; he was still in a kind of dream world. He didn't remember hearing the alarm yet, but whatever was causing the sensation he was feeling in his groin was better than any alarm. 

He forced his eyes open, lifted his head from the pillow, and watched the top of his wife's head bobbing up and down on his morning woody. He brought both hands to his chest, closed his eyes again, and moaned in hedonistic bliss as his head dropped back down to its feathery soft resting place. 

Her tongue slurped its way from the depth of his balls to the pinnacle of his prick. With a smile, he took in a deep breath as he felt her warm, moist mouth close over his shaft and slide down to its very base, only to rise again, teasing and taunting his stiff pole along the way. 

He opened his eyes just wide enough to peak down again; this time to his wife's smiling face. She gave it one more lick before straddling his hips and impaling herself. She leaned forward, placing her hands on his chest for support while she rocked to and fro on his welcomed pussy invader. 

"Oh God," she cried, throwing her head back in rapture. She could feel him getting even bigger; she swayed back and forth faster, harder; building the climax she knew they would both experience any second. 

Ken groaned first; his body convulsing upward from the waist, one, two, three times while his wife screamed with ecstasy. He felt the inner walls of her love tunnel squeezing, milking his manly appendage of every drop of cum. 

Jennifer collapsed on top of him and lay while they both wrestled for control of their breathing. 

"It's been a while since I've been wakened by such a beautiful alarm clock," he said.

"Too long," she replied still trying to catch her breath.

"Would this have anything to do with our talk last night?" he asked.

"Well, I was kind of hoping it would buy me some brownie points," she replied with sly grin.

The expression on Ken's face turned from sheer ecstasy to annoyance. Her thoughtless confession had just turned a wonderful moment of passion into no more than a ploy to get what she wanted...a bribe. If she thinks she can buy my trust with sex she's sadly mistaken, he thought. Without another word he gently nudged her from on top of him, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and headed for the shower. 

Jen could feel his uneasiness and realized her mistake in admitting to her attempted manipulation. Her little plan was coming apart at the seams and she began to ponder his question of the previous evening; if he says no will she go anyway? She really couldn't answer that. She just prayed she wouldn't have to make that decision. 

She put on her robe and wandered down to the kitchen. By the time Ken appeared, breakfast was being served with a smile and a kiss on the cheek.

She was really laying it on thick, he thought. Actually it was all for nothing; he'd made up his mind in the shower. He just hoped he would not regret it.

"I don't imagine you've changed your mind from last night?" he asked.

"No, honey," she responded shaking her head. "This is something I have to do."

"Well I've decided to let you go and not ask questions..."

"Oh, honey, thank you..." he held up his hand to cut her off.

"But I want you to know you've hurt me, Jen. You ask me to trust you but you don't trust me enough to confide in me, instead you use sex as a tactic to try and persuade me. It appears this trust thing is very one-sided. 

"Honey, it's not that I don't trust you..."

"Oh... what is it then? If it's not a lack of trust then I can only think you're going to do something that you're not very proud of." She just lowered her eyes, she didn't have an answer. "If this is so all fired important that you're going to go ahead, even though you know you are causing me pain, then you go, but I'll tell you right now, if I ever find out you did this to be with another man that trust will be irrevocably broken along with our marriage, understand?"

She meekly nodded her head. "I don't mean to hurt you, honey...honest. I wish I didn't have to do this, but like I said, it's important to me. Please don't be hurt."

He didn't respond, in fact no more was said about it at the breakfast table at all. They kissed when it was time for him to leave for work but Jen could feel the lack of passion from his lips. She hoped he would feel better when he got home later that night. 

All day long Jen was having trouble with her inner demons. She wasn't kidding when she told Ken her weekend trip was very important to her, but it was also killing her to know she was hurting the man she loved. All morning her stomach was tied in knots. It was mid-day by the time she came to a final conclusion, this was a once in a life-time chance, she would never have this opportunity again, she didn't want to spend the rest of her years saying, 'I wonder, or what if' so she would make it up to her wonderful husband if it took the rest of her life, but she was going through with her plans. 

In spite of her many attempts to brighten the atmosphere that night, Ken was definitely on the quiet side. He hoped by displaying his feelings of dismay she would change her mind. He wondered if she would try to bribe him again by initiating sex once they were in bed; if she did he would turn her down, but she knew he would consider it another attempted bribe and didn't. He was reserved again the next morning at breakfast, again hoping his attitude would dissuade her, but that afternoon she called him at work to let him know she was leaving.

"I love you," was the last thing she said before he hung up without responding. 

"Hey, old buddy, Arnie can't make it Sunday."

Ken was lost in his thoughts. He had still maintained hope that his wife would change her mind at the last minute but it didn't look like that was going to happen.

"Huh, I'm sorry, Jack, what'd you say?" he asked his longtime friend and co-worker. 

"Arnie...he can't make it on Sunday," Jack repeated. "Are you okay? 

"Ah, yeah, I'm okay," Ken responded while forcing himself back to the land of the living. "Arnie can't make it? Shit, where are we going to find a fourth this late?" 

"Well I was going to ask you if you knew of anyone who might be available but I'm guessing the answer is no. I'll call the pro shop and let them know we're one short, I'm sure they can find a single to fill in," Jack said still looking at his friend a little suspiciously. "Are you sure you're alright, old buddy?"

"Yeah it's..." he stopped and stared at the second best golfer in their foursome. Ken never was one to unload his troubles on someone else, not even a good friend like Jack. "Yeah, I'm okay; I just have a few things on my mind, that's all."

"Okay, if you say so. If there's anything I can do just let me know."

"Will do," Ken replied nodding his head and trying to look nonchalant. 

The rest of the day was a complete waste of time as far as work was concerned. All he could think about was his wife's refusal to say where she was going or what she would be doing for the next two days. 

He fought back tears as images of his Jen having sex with another man flashed through his mind over and over. The more it happened the more he denied it. That's not what this is all about he kept telling himself; I know she won't cheat on me. 

Damn it, he thought, this is torture, it's fucking mental cruelty. How can she do this to me, why would she do this to me? Will I ever know what it was all about, he wondered? 

Not knowing was worse than knowing if she really WAS with some guy. He felt lost, helpless, and hurt, but above all he felt anger, and it was the anger that was slowly becoming his motivating force. The more he gave in to his feelings of anger the less he felt lost and helpless. He was going to make her pay; oh how he was going to make her pay. What's that old song, "You only hurt the ones you love." Yeah, well, he thought, two can play at that game. He didn't lose his love for her but he wanted to hurt her, hurt her like she did him. He wanted her to know the agony she was putting him through, and damn it, he was going to do just that.

He started making plans. As soon as he got home he would move all her things into the guest bedroom. If she thought he was giving her the silent treatment before just wait, he schemed. He was going to make her sorry she was ever born.

On the way home Ken stopped for dinner, after all, he had all weekend to work on, "operation pay back." 

"Good evening, can I get you something to drink?" asked the pretty waitress as she handed him a menu. 

"Coffee please," he responded. As Ken opened the menu, just looking at it made his stomach queasy. He was so busy working up his anger he hadn't been aware of his anxiety until then. His hand shook slightly as he reached for the glass of water on the counter. Again his mind started to wander, and always to the darkest thoughts of an adulteress affair between his wife and another man.

"How we doing?" the cheery voice asked. "Have you decided yet?"

Ken heard the waitress' voice but had no idea what she said, he was too engrossed in his thoughts. "Huh, what?" he asked looking up.

"Have you decided what you want to eat?" she repeated almost as if talking to a child.

"I'm just going to have the coffee," he told her handing the menu back. 

Ken sat sipping coffee and stewing in his glum thoughts. At one point, tears tried working their way back into his depression but he successfully fought them off for the second time that day. 

It was almost nightfall by the time Ken pulled into his driveway. Even though he knew it wouldn't be so, somewhere in the recesses of his subconscious, he held on to the slightest optimistic thought that she would be home, waiting for him with open arms and a big kiss. One glance at the gloomy residence though, and the last of his smallest hopes were destroyed. 

Once again his ire rose and took over his emotions as he walked into the lonely house. Angrily he looked around; it was as if all the anxiety he felt during the day had suddenly come to a head, he needed to lash out and the lamp sitting on the table in the front hall was his unfortunate victim. Seething with rage he flung it across the room ripping its cord from the socket and hitting the corner of his favorite painting. The blow knocked it to the floor with a crash as splinters of glass exploded from the frame and mixed with the shards of broken lamp.

Now driven by wrath, he charged up the stairs to their bedroom. Without hesitation he grabbed her clothes from the closet and marched them into the guest room. It took a number of trips with Ken carrying several hangers in each hand before all female contents of the closet had been unceremoniously sprawled over the guest bed. 

Returning to the bedroom, he didn't bother removing anything from her drawer of lingerie; he simply yanked the entire drawer from the dresser and dropped it on the floor of his wife's new quarters. He was pissed and he was going to make damn sure she knew it.

Later that night, while tossing and turning in an unsuccessful attempt at sleep, he thought of something he hadn't thought of until then; what if this was all for him? What if she couldn't tell him anything because she was coming home with some kind of major surprise for him? Damn, would he feel like an ass!

Ken rolled over and looked at the clock; it was two in the morning. It had been a very strenuous day, his whole body felt like a wet wash rag but he still couldn't get to sleep, not with all the turmoil going on in his brain. He rolled on his side and for the first time since it all began, before he even realized it, a tear wandered to the corner of his eye then slowly ran down his cheek to the cotton pillowcase below. 

The thought that his wife's mysterious trip could be for his benefit only served to confuse him more. Never could he remember being so conflicted with emotions, they were tearing him apart. 

Ken tossed the sheet from his naked body and slowly sat up on the edge of the bed wiping the salty track of agony from his face. Giving up all hope for getting any sleep, he made his way to the kitchen and a fresh pot of coffee.

"Damn her," he mumbled out loud to himself. "Damn her all to hell anyway." Ken sat, and for the umpteenth time, went over their conversation. "She said it was important to HER," he said talking to himself again. "Why would she say that if she was doing something for ME? No, I'm pretty sure whatever she's doing she's doing it for herself, not me." 

Sometime during his second cup of Columbian nectar he decided he was going ahead with his plan. He doubted it very much, but even if she did come home with some kind of surprise for him, it made no difference. She deserved to experience a little of the hell she'd put him through, he rationalized. 

Once he'd made up his mind he was ready to try for some sleep again. It was getting light outside by the time he finally conked out.

Saturday, Ken started putting his plan into action. The first thing he did was to drive down to the hardware store and buy a keyed lock for the bedroom door. From now on that door will stay locked until he decides otherwise. 

In the afternoon he went to the driving range to get in some practice with his irons. He was hoping it would take his mind off of things and help relax him but it did nothing for his anxiety... or his swing. In fact his inability to hit a single good shot out of an entire bucket of balls only added to his frustration. 

On his way back, Ken stopped at the pizza place a few blocks from his house and ordered a small pizza to go. He didn't feel like cooking and Jennifer was always watching her weight, so seldom was he able to enjoy his favorite junk food.

It was a long, lonely night. He thought his plans for reprisal would give him more satisfaction but they really didn't. A profound sadness swept over him as he wondered where all this would lead; divorce? I wonder if she knows, he contemplated, does she have any inkling how precarious our relationship is right now?

Once again he prayed he would not find out his lovely wife was with another man, for that would certainly clinch it; there was just no way their marriage could survive a betrayal like that...he would not stand for infidelity. He shook his head in doubt as he wandered into the bedroom for another stab at getting some rest.

After another restless night, Ken found it hard to get going Sunday morning. Even after a nice hot shower his feet felt as heavy as his heart. After breakfast he tossed his clubs in the trunk of his car along with an overnight bag. He hung a suit up in the back then went back inside the house and locked the bedroom door. 


The Fourth Man Ch. 02



A sense of relief came over him as he sat back down and looked at the work that had piled up on his desk during the last few days. He wanted things normal again. He was tired of guessing what she may or may not have done. He wanted his loving and loyal wife back. 

"Betty," he called to his secretary through the intercom, "would you grab a couple of coffees and come in to help me prioritize some things, please?"

"Sure, Ken," she answered.

By the end of the day Ken and Betty had everything caught up, and for the first time in almost a week, he was driving home in a good mood. 

Jennifer, of course completely unaware of her husband's change in attitude, had spent her time sinking further into depression. Her plans to make things up to her man were all but dashed upon the rocks of his anger and mistrust. How could she start making it up to him if he wouldn't even let her in bed with him?

After doing the breakfast dishes and making the beds, Jen sat trying to come up with a way to show her husband how much she loved him when the phone rang.

Her voice was still hoarse. "Hello." There was a short silence.

"Boy, you sound terrible."

"Hi, Marge," she continued, recognizing the voice of her good friend. "Yeah, I know, I've been under the weather lately."

"Uh huh, would that have anything to do with your mysterious weekend?" 

"Yeah," she tried to chuckle, "you could say that. I'm guessing Ken discussed it with Jack and he told you, huh?"

"Of course," chirped her friend. "Now what's this all about? Where the hell did you go? Did he have a big cock?"

The last question instantly set Jen off. "Damn it, Marge, how dare you ask me that, there was no cock!" she angrily replied. "I was NOT out screwing some guy!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I was just kidding. I know you wouldn't cheat on Ken. Sheesh, calm down...now, where DID you go?"

"I can't tell you, Marge, I can't tell anyone. I'm sorry but it has to stay my secret."

Again there was a short silence from the other end of the phone. "Jen, I'm your best friend, if you can't tell me who can you tell?"

"That's just it, Marge, I can't tell anyone."

"Wow, I'm beginning to understand a little about how your husband feels."

"Oh, Marge, please don't make me feel any worse than I already do; if I could tell you I would, I'd tell Ken, but I just can't. This is something I will take to my grave, I just can't tell anyone," she said starting to cry again.

"Okay, okay, honey, don't cry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"Did..." Jen sniffled a couple times before she could talk again; "did Jack say anything to you about what Ken intends to do? Is...is he planning to divorce me?"

"Oh, honey, I don't know but I don't think so. Jack says Ken's awfully pissed but he didn't say anything about divorcing you.

"Oh, Marge, what'll I do if he does? I don't think I could go on without him."

"Jen, don't even think about it. Ken loves you; I doubt very much if he's planning on divorcing you, not over something like this. You didn't really do anything wrong, did you?"

Jen ignored the question. "You haven't seen him, Marge. I never saw him so angry. He threw the hall lamp against the wall and hit that painting he loves."

"Oh shit, that doesn't sound good, hon," Marge responded a little shocked. 

"I know, I've never known him to lose his temper like that before. The lamp was shattered beyond repair but the painting was okay, just the frame was broken. I took it and had it reframed. It's been hanging up since yesterday but Ken didn't even notice it, or if he did he didn't say anything." He's even locked me out of our bedroom..."

"Yeah," interrupted her friend, "I heard. Jen, I'm sure he'll calm down, just give him some time."

"God, Marge, I hope you're right. If I knew he was going to be this mad I'd never have gone."

"Yeah, well don't ever do it again."

"Are you kidding, never! From now on the only fantasy I have is to be the best wife a man could want; no more headaches or, 'I don't feel like it tonight.' I just pray it's not too late."

"I'm not asking what you did but tell me, after all this, was it at least worth it?"

Jen hesitated but then answered her friend. "No; not even close. I should have left the fantasy just that, a fantasy. It was disappointing and certainly nothing I'd ever do again."

"Damn, Jen..."

"Yeah I know. All I could think about coming home was how I would make it up to my loving husband, and then..." she had to stop talking she was starting to cry again.

"Jen, I'm so sorry. Hang in there, honey; just do everything you can to assure Ken of how much you love him. I'm sure you guys will be okay."

"Thanks, Marge."

They talked a few more minutes, but in the end Jen still had no idea if her marriage would survive. 

That night when Ken came home, he broke his usual tradition of going right upstairs to change. He set his briefcase down in the hall and walked around the corner and into the living room. Jennifer was still in the kitchen cooking dinner and hadn't heard him come in. She became terrified when she heard him call her name.

"Jen, would you come out here for a few minutes, please. I want to talk to you."

She walked into the living room as if she was about to face a firing squad. She was still totally unaware of what her husband had in mind. Was this it, she wondered? Was this the end of her marriage?

"Jen, sit down for a minute," he said sitting down on the sofa and patting the seat next to him. "We need to talk."

Tears started welling up in her eyes again as she cautiously took her seat. 

"Okay, there's no need for the tears," Ken said looking at her. "I've decided to put this whole thing behind us."

"Oh, darling," she burst out with joy. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled them together in a hug before he could say another word. She held on for dear life, almost choking him. 

"Oh thank you, darling, thank you. I promise to make it up to you..."

"Okay, okay," he said reaching back and prying her arms apart to catch his breath. "No, I don't want that; I don't want you going around here doing everything under the sun to try and make up for things...there's no way you can do that anyway. There's no way you can erase the torture I went through, I don't care what you do. It'll never go away, I'll never forget last weekend," he solemnly told her. "But I still love you with all my heart and without proof that you did anything wrong I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"Oh, honey," she broke in again kissing his face all over. "I promise I'll never do anything like that again..."

"You're damn right you won't," he interjected. "First off, I'll never give you permission like I so stupidly did before, and if you ever decide to do something like that again without my consent...I'll tell you right now, it'll be the end for us, hear me? I don't care how important it is to you, don't even ask," he told her in a stern voice that left no doubt he meant what he said. 

Once again she buried her head into his chest and surrounded him with her arms. "Oh, Ken, I love you so much. No, honey, I'll never ask for anything like that ever again, I swear."

A small smile stretched across his face as he put his hand around her head and held her close to him. It felt good to accept her apology; it felt good to forgive her and let her back into his heart.

She was almost afraid to ask, "Can I come back into our bedroom?"

"Yeah, I'll give you a hand moving your things back after dinner," he said. "Right now I'm going upstairs to change."

Jennifer watched the man she loved walk toward the stairs. Never could she remember being more relieved than she was at that moment, it was almost as if someone had just restarted her heart after it had been stopped for days. She didn't care what he said, she was still going to do everything in her power to make up for her secretive trip. 

Later that night, as they lay in bed, Ken still wasn't sure he wanted to make love to Jen yet. He knew what she wanted. He could feel her body throbbing with desire as she put her arm around his chest and nuzzled into him. 

"I love you," she whispered. "I love you so much."

Ken turned his head and looked into her eyes. "I love you too, Jen; I'm just not sure I'm ready..."

"Oh please, please, darling, I need you to make love to me. I need to feel your passion. I need to know we're okay again, please," she revealed as she leaned in and softly pressed her lips to his. 

He felt her tongue dancing with his own. The softness of her breasts gently rubbed against his chest. He reached around and grabbed a handful of her hair and pressed harder, turning her soft, sensuous kiss into one of fervency and lust. Ken's body reacted, his penis grew hard. He gasped as his wife lightly ran her finger nails along its shaft from his balls to its crown. 

She smiled as she looked into his eyes. "I love you so much," she confessed.

Ken rolled over on top of her. He knew all the right buttons to push. He knew all the sensitive little places that sent fiery shock waves through her body. 

Within moments Jen was squirming and moaning under her man's manipulative tongue. Her finger nails dug into his back as he maneuvered his way down her torso until he could savor the sweet taste of her loving nectar.

Jen's body tensed, her first orgasm washed over her in waves, one running into the other. Her hips bucked uncontrollably to meet her husband's oral adorations. Just when she thought she could take no more Jen felt the stiff cock of the only man she ever loved entering her. She could feel his every stroke as her breathing quickened. Lost in ecstasy, Jen screamed as another climax grabbed her soul. From somewhere in the distance she heard the impassioned groans of her lover. She could feel his body tighten, he too was coming. 

It was a night of passion, of rekindling what both were afraid they had lost. Finally Ken collapsed beside his wife and closed his eyes while trying to regain a normal breathing pattern. He felt his wife breathing just as hard as he was as she cuddled into him, her naked flesh pressing against his own. 

The next day at work everyone, including Jack, noticed the change is ken's demeanor right away.

"By that shit eaten grin on you face, I'm guessing you patched things up with Jen."

"Yeah," Ken responded, "I took your advice, went home and made love to her. Thanks old buddy."

Jack smiled and slapped his friend on the back. "See, I am good for something," he joked. "You think she'll let you out of the house Saturday afternoon. I thought we'd go hit a couple baskets of balls, you need the practice."

"Oh I need the practice," he responded with a laugh, "Yeah, I'll meet you at the range at two, okay?"

"I'll be there," Jack replied.

For the rest of the week everything seemed to go Ken's way. At home Jen was more attentive than she'd ever been. He knew in spite of his words, she was trying to make up for things, but what the hell, who was he to deny her of that chance; besides he was liking it.

His good fortune also carried over to the work place. Out of nowhere a perspective client who he had been trying to land for two years, all of a sudden signed one of the biggest contracts he'd ever seen. It would be worth almost two million a year to the company and a bonus for him. By the time he pulled up for Sunday's round of golf, Ken felt almost invincible.

"Well, look who showed up; ready for another thrashing?" Tara joked with a big grin.

Already she's trying to get into my head, Ken thought. Well it won't work this week. "Young lady, I will have you begging for mercy before we're done with the front nine," he countered. 

And that's exactly what happened. By the time they approached the tenth tee, at just two over par, Ken was four strokes ahead of Tara and eight strokes in front of Jack and Smitty. At the end of eighteen holes Ken was finding it hard not to gloat a little after thoroughly trouncing everyone with one of the best rounds of golf he'd ever played. 

As they made their way to the lounge Tara announced that the beers were on her. 

"I know when I'm out-classed," she said as they found a table. "I humbly bow to the golf guru," she said with her hands pressed together in mock praying fashion and a bow of her head.

Everyone laughed. 

"Ken, that was one of the best rounds I've ever seen you play," said Jack. "After all the make-up sex I'm surprised you had the energy to hit the ball that far."

Ken cringed a little. This was exactly the reason he didn't like discussing his problems with anyone, it always became public knowledge.

"Jack, not everyone needs to know about my married life," he said with a little sharpness to his tone.

"Sorry," replied Jack sheepishly.

"So that's what it takes," interjected Tara. "Maybe that's what I should do, except since my divorce I don't have anyone to have make-up sex with." 

The guys all looked at each other.

"Tara, you have to be kidding, with your looks and personality, I can't believe you don't have them knocking your door down," said Ken. 

"Yeah, well..." she said with a slight laugh, "between putting in fifty to sixty hours at work each week and two small kids at home, I'm lucky I can get out for a round of golf on Sundays."

Smitty broke into the conversation. "Hell, the way you play I thought you spent all your time on the golf course. Where'd you learn to play like that?"

My ex is a pro, not tour quality, mind you, but he's the teaching pro at Seven Winds country club."

"Your ex is Tony Blakely?" Ken asked.

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Not well but I've taken several lessons from him."

"Thanks," replied Tara with a small smile. "You contributed to my divorce settlement."

That got a chuckle from all, then Ken changed the subject. "Has anyone heard anything about Arnie? I tried calling yesterday but didn't get any answer."

"I talked to Linda on Friday. He went in for an MRI and some blood tests last Thursday but they won't have the results until tomorrow," Jack reported.

"Damn," said Smitty rejoining the conversation. "No offense, Tara, but we four have been playing together for many years; I sure hope he can play next week.

"Yeah, me too," responded Ken. 

Tara nodded her head showing her support of their comradery. "I understand guys." She held her glass out in salute. "Here's to Arnie, may he be here playing with you guys in good health next week."

"To Arnie," everyone said while clinking their glasses together.

***

The next day Jack wandered into Ken's office looking a little pale. Ken watched as he crossed the room and flopped down in his favorite chair. He just stared at the floor for a moment. Ken knew they were expecting news about their golf buddy and from the look on his friend's face, it wasn't going to be good.

"Arnie?" Ken asked.

Jack nodded his head. "It's cancer," he said. "Arnie has a cancerous cyst at the base of his spine. They're going to operate day after tomorrow then he'll have to go through chemo and radiation. Linda's beside herself. She could hardly even talk over the phone."

"What's his prognosis; is he going to make it?" 

"I don't know," Jack replied. "Linda was so upset I didn't want to ask a lot of questions."

"Damn, what hospital is he in?"

"Ah, Statewide, I think." Jack re-ran the conversation with Arnie's wife through his head until he remembered for sure. "Yeah, Statewide; I'm going to go up there after work, want to join me?"

"Absolutely," responded Ken. "Did you call Smitty yet, he might want to meet us up there too."

"Good idea, I'll call him from my office. See you later," he said standing up and heading for the door. "Okay with you if I call Tara as well? I think it's pretty obvious that Arnie won't be playing anymore this year..."

"Yeah, that's fine," Ken replied obviously more concerned with his friend's health than who would be filling in for him." As soon as Jack left, Ken called his wife, explained the situation, and told her he'd be home late.

Seeing his buddies walk in the room put a smile on Arnie's face; the first one in days. Linda, his wife, was in the room and warmly greeted the golfing trio. For the next two hours they talked and joked, even Linda laughed a couple times. As it came time to leave, they all expressed their confidence that he would be up and around in no-time.

It was three days after the operation by the time they all got to see him again. He looked like hell and Ken wondered if he was going to make it through the night. His wife said the doctors gave him a good prognosis but it was going to be a long, tough road. Every one of the guys saw how Linda stood by her man. The love she had for him shined through the grief. He was a lucky guy. 

The following Sunday Tara was officially offered a regular spot with the foursome, or at least until Arnie was able to rejoin them. Secretly they all wondered if he would ever be able to play again. Tara, although she hated the circumstances under which the proposal was made, was thrilled to accept it. 

Over the next few weeks Tara became one of the guys and didn't miss a Sunday. They even teased her about playing in the upcoming cold weather. They were die-hards and played well into November or until the snow flew, whichever came first. 

"They call it playing with blue balls," Jack joked, "you going to have the balls to join us when the temperature is in the thirties?"

"Jack I never miss an opportunity to beat your ass on the course, you know that," she said razzing him right back. 

As time passed their friend wasn't gaining much ground. Several times the guys would all get together and go over to his house for a visit. It had been weeks since the operation, but due to the chemo and radiation treatments he was still too weak to go back to work. 

When Ken went home after his last visit, he told Jen how bad Linda looked. "All this is taking a terrible toll on his wife."

Jen really didn't know Linda very well, they had only met a few times, but Arnie was definitely a good friend of her husband's and she thought she should do something.

"Honey, do you think she would accept some help? Maybe I can talk Marge into going over there with me and see if we can give her a hand with some of the shopping or maybe laundry, house work...something, anything that would free her up a little so she could spend more time with Arnie and maybe even get some rest."

"Honey I think that's a great idea. I'm sure Linda would welcome the help," he said while wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead. 

She laid her head against his chest where she felt safe. She shuddered as her mind briefly wandered, putting herself in Linda's shoes. "I love you, you know that?" she asked. 

Ken squeezed her a little tighter. "I know you do," he confirmed. 

The next day, after making the bed, cleaning the house, and getting two steaks out to marinate, Jen called her friend.

"Hello," Marge answered.

"Hi, Marge, how are you?"

"Hey, girlfriend, I'm doing good, how about you; things finally getting back to normal?"

"Ah, to tell you the truth I'm not sure they'll ever be back to normal. He's trying but I hurt him bad. He tries to act like it doesn't bother him anymore but I can tell he's still struggling whenever he thinks about that weekend. Sometimes it feels like he's holding back; nothing major, just little things, like he'll go to say something then stops. Or, I'll see him just sitting and staring into space with a real solemn look on his face. When I ask him if something's wrong he'll say no then get up and go into another room. Sometimes he's just not as loving in the bedroom as he used to be either." 

"Well hang in there, sweetie. You're right, he's been hurt and it's going to take time for him to forgive you completely, but it'll happen; just give him some space, that's all."




The Fourth Man Ch. 02



"God, I hope so, Marge, I'm doing everything I can. I make sure the house is spotless, I cook his favorite meals, and I haven't said no to anything in the bedroom. I'm trying so hard."

"I know you are, honey. Maybe you're trying a little too hard. Are you doing it out of love or out of guilt?"

Jen wasn't prepared for that question. She couldn't even respond at first. 

After a moment of silence, Marge spoke again. "Jen?"

"Yeah, I'm here," she answered. "I just had to think for a minute. Both I guess. I...I don't know to tell you the truth. I do feel guilty, terribly guilty for hurting him like that."

"Uh huh," replied Marge. "Maybe that's the problem. Ken's not dumb. Maybe he can sense that you're doing all that out of guilt. Inwardly he probably figures why would you feel so guilty if you did nothing wrong."

"But I did do something wrong, I hurt my husband."

"Maybe you should sit down with him and tell him that's why you've been going out of your way to make things up to him, because you feel guilty over hurting him, not for what you did when you were away."

"You know you just might have something there. He told me not to go out of my way to try and make up for things; he told me but I didn't listen." 

"I would stop trying so hard," continued Marge. "If you want things to go back to normal you have to start acting normal. I'm sure Ken loves all the special attention but I'll also bet it's a constant reminder. I really think you should just relax and let things go back the way they were before your little weekend excursion."

Jen thought about what her friend said. It sounded like good advice. "You're right, Marge. That makes a lot of sense, thanks. Starting tonight I'm going to stop trying so hard to make things up to him and just be myself again." She was about to change the subject to some neighborhood gossip when she remembered the reason she called. "Oh, Marge, do you know Linda Baskin? Her husband, Arnie, plays golf with Ken and Jack."

"Actually I only met her twice," Marge responded. "I'm sure you know Arnie has cancer. Man that's got to be tough."

"Yeah, that's why I was calling. Ken's pretty shaken up over it. He says Linda could really use some help around the house; you know, cleaning, laundry, shopping, things like that. I was thinking..."

"That we could go over and help her out?" Marge interjected.

"Yeah...what do you think?"

"Absolutely, I think it's a great idea; maybe what's-her-name, Smitty's wife would want to join us also."

"Ah, yeah what is her name," Jen said pondering. "Ah, Darlene I think."

"Yeah I think you're right. Funny, Jack hardly ever mentions Smitty anymore. All I ever hear about is Tara. If I didn't know better I'd swear he was screwing her."

"Marge, that's a terrible thing to say. You should be ashamed of yourself. You know damn well Jack would never cheat on you."

"Oh I know but every damn week when he comes home it's Tara this and Tara that..."

"Every week?" Jen asked expressing a little shock. "You mean she plays with them every week?"

"Yeah, you didn't know that? She's taking Arnie's place until he's able to play again; Ken didn't tell you?"

"No...well I knew she filled in a couple times but I didn't know it was an ongoing thing." 

"Yeah, she's been playing with the guys all summer."

"Have you ever seen her? Is she pretty?" Jen's curiosity was piqued.

"Yes and yes. I saw her briefly when my car is in the shop and I had to drop Jack off at the course last month. She was standing over by the driving range talking to Ken. She has long blond hair and a body that won't quit...pretty face too. Jack said she learned to play golf from her ex-husband; I guess he's a pro. He gives lessons at one of the courses around here somewhere. Anyway, I have to get going, honey. Jack will be coming home soon and I don't even have dinner started yet. Did you want to see if Darlene wants to help us or keep it just you and me?"

Jen's mind was wandering and didn't catch the last part of her friend's question right away. "Huh...oh, ah no, I think we should see if she wants to help. The more the merrier," Jen replied. "I'll see if I can get their number from Ken tonight. I'll call her tomorrow and see what she says."

The girls said their goodbyes and hung up. Without even realizing it, Jen was about to get a taste of what her husband went through. She went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee then sat down at the table to mull over some of the things her friend had said about Tara. 

Hmmmm, so she has an ex, huh. I wonder why Ken hasn't told me about her, she asked herself. She fought against any thoughts of infidelity but she couldn't help feeling a small knot slowly forming in the pit of her stomach. 

Ken would never cheat on me...then again...if he thought I cheated on him...no, he'd never do that. She tried pushing any notions of her husband with another woman from her mind and chastised herself for even considering such a thing...even for a moment. 

She took another sip of coffee and thought back over the last couple of nights when her husband was not in the mood to have sex; how often has that happened in our eight-and-a-half years of marriage, she asked herself; and he's been awfully quiet lately. Maybe I've been wrong about those far away looks I've seen on his face. Maybe he wasn't thinking about that weekend at all; he was thinking about her...his slut girlfriend! 

"Stop! Stop it right now," she yelled to herself out loud. "What the hell are you doing? There's absolutely no reason to think he's having an affair. Stop thinking like that!"

Jen did her best to occupy her mind with other thoughts but it wasn't that easy. 

Later, as she and Ken sat eating dinner, she couldn't help but bring up the subject.

"I called Marge about going over to Linda and Arnie's and helping out; she's all for it."

"Good, I think that's great, honey. I know you and Marge don't really know them very well so I think that's extremely generous of your guys," he said with a smile. 

"Well, you've been playing golf with Arnie for several years, maybe it's time I got to know them better. We thought we'd call Darlene and see if she'd like to go too."

Ken's brow wrinkled. "Darlene? Who's Darlene?"

"Smitty's wife, isn't that her name?"

"Marlene, her name is Marlene. That's okay," he chuckled, "you were close."

"Well I knew it was some kind of, 'lene,'" she said joking back. Do you have their number, I'd like to call her tomorrow and see if she's interested in going with."

"Yeah, sure, it's in my address book on the computer. Their last name is Dennison."

"Okay," Jen replied. It's now or never, she thought. "Marge told me that woman, Tara, has been playing every week with you guys. How come you never told me about her?"

"What's there to tell? She's been filling in for Arnie. I'm pretty sure I did tell you."

"A while back you mentioned that the pro shop stuck you with a woman but you never said she played every week with you guys. Marge said she's very pretty."

Ken looked closer at this wife. He immediately recognized the look on her face. It was easy to spot; it was the same pain and uncertainty he saw in the mirror not so long ago. Instantly he wondered how he should play it. Should he string her along, teach her a lesson? Almost as quickly as he thought about it he decided against it. It would be petty. 

"Yes, honey, Tara is very pretty. She also works long hours and has two small kids. She can barely find the time to play every Sunday, so if you're wondering if she and I have anything more in common than eighteen holes of golf once a week, the answer is no."

"Oh honey, you know better than that. The thought never crossed my mind," she said not too convincingly. 

"Ah-huh, sure," responded Ken. 

It was mid-November when old man winter caught Chicago in its grip. The first good snowfall put an end to golf for the next four or five months. By the time the holidays came, Jen's mysterious weekend was a distant memory. She took her friend's advice and stopped trying so hard to be the perfect wife but never let a day go by without reminding her husband of her love. 

In February a cold snap hit the Midwest. Ken was still trying to warm up after returning from lunch when he heard his secretary's voice over the intercom. 

"Ken, Mr. Spitzer wants to see you."

"Okay, Betty, thanks."

Mr. Spitzer was the executive vice president of corporate sales and his boss, a nice guy but all business. Ken saw an uncharacteristic smile on his face as he was shown into the big man's office. "Have a seat, Ken," he said broadening his smile even more. 

Ken sat in one of the plush, leather chairs in front of the large oak desk.

"Ken, I don't know if you're aware of it but you're having a hell-of-a-year so far. You've already earned your quarterly bonus and it's only February."

"Thanks, Mr. Spitzer, I wasn't aware of that," he humbly replied.

"Well the firm would like to show its appreciation. I know you're an avid golfer and seeing there's six inches of snow on the ground around here, I've arranged a little vacation for you at the company's expense," he said sliding an envelope across his desk. 

Ken opened the envelope and looked in astonishment at its contents. "Oh wow!" he exclaimed, "a golf junket to Hilton Head." 

"Yup, all expenses paid for you and three guests. I figured one of those guests would be Jack and since it's a three day weekend thing I've arranged for both you and him to take a Friday off. Just let me know what weekend you're going."

Ken thanked his boss profusely. As soon as he returned to his own office he called Jack in to give him the good news. 

"Okay," Jack said eagerly, "we gotta call Smitty and see when he can get a Friday off." 

As Ken reached for his cell phone Jack brought his hand to his chin. "Who else?" he asked rhetorically. "There's no way Arnie can make a trip like that yet, I guess we should ask Tara; what do you think?"

"Yeah, I guess, although she works such long hours I doubt she'll be able to make it," Ken responded while still holding the phone.

"Yeah but I still think we should call her."

Ken hit Smitty's work number and told him about the junket. Much to their disappointment, Smitty said there was no way he could go. Neither Ken nor Jack could believe he would pass up the opportunity but he had no vacation time or sick days available until later in the year and he couldn't afford to take a day off without pay. 

"Besides," he told them, "we'd still have some expenses; this close after Christmas...I just can't afford it. If I went home and told Marlene I was taking time off to go play golf for three days she'd kill me. Sorry guys."

"Shit," Jack said after Ken disconnected, "now what?"

Ken started scrolling through his phone contacts. "Well I'm going to call Tara. We might as well see if she can go, and if she can't I guess it'll just be the two of us old buddy."

When she picked up the phone, Tara was surprised to hear Ken's voice. They hadn't spoken in almost three months and she really didn't expect to hear from him for another month, at least. When he told her about the trip she jumped at it. Unlike Smitty, she had a bunch of sick days piled up. She was pretty sure her ex would love to have the kids for a long weekend, but if he balked her parents would baby sit. When Ken told her Smitty couldn't make it and it would be just the three of them, she had a suggestion.

"Ken, would you mind playing with two women?" she asked.

"Ah, well it depends. Who's the other woman and can she play?"

"It's my sister, Laura. She lives in Atlanta and yes, she can play almost as well as me. I'd have to call her and make sure she could go but she's a big shot where she works; I'm pretty sure she can take the time off. The only problem is she has two kids and a husband. Let me give her a call real quick and see if she could go."

"Hold on, Tara, let me run it by Jack first," replied ken. He held his hand over the phone while he asked his friend if he had any objections.

"How come every time we need a fourth guy it turns out to be a woman?" Jack remarked. 

"I don't know, just lucky I guess," Ken quipped back.

"Yeah, well if Tara's sister looks anything like her then by all means, let's invite her." 

Ken chuckled before lifting his hand from the phone then told Tara to go ahead and call her sister. About an hour later Tara called back, it was all set. Her sister would meet them at Hilton Head.

Ken was almost walking on air when he went home that night, but when she heard the news, Jen was a little less enthusiastic.

"You're going out of town for three days with Tara?"

"Yeah," he replied innocently, "her sister's going to meet us there."

"Her sister, just when did all this happen? Who the hell is her sister? You've never even mentioned her at all."

"That's because I've never met her, she lives in Atlanta."

"Let me get this straight, you and Jack are going to be spending three days and nights alone with Tara and her sister in some resort hotel...over my dead body," she stated angrily. "You're nuts if you think I'm going to sit at home while you go gallivanting off with your girlfriend for..."

"Enough!" Ken said raising his voice and stopping his wife's rant dead in its tracks. "I don't want to hear another word about it. Tara is not my girlfriend. Where in the hell are you coming up with this crap? We're going out there to play golf, not fuck around."

Jen saw his face turning red with anger.

"You went away for a weekend and wouldn't tell me where you were going, what you'd be doing, or who you were doing it with. I had to deal with it then so you can deal with this now."

"That was different, you said I could go."

"You didn't give me much choice, did you? If you remember, when I asked if you'd still go if I said no, you weren't sure if you would or wouldn't. You said you would be terribly disappointed with my lack of trust in you. Well how the hell do you think I feel? I have never so much as looked at another woman. I have no idea where all this mistrust is coming from but it better stop...and I mean right now or we're going to have some very rough times ahead of us. With that Ken left his stunned wife to go shower and change clothes. 

Tears instantly clouded her eyes as Jen plopped down in one of the kitchen chairs. Damn, she thought, he's still mad. I wish I had never gone on that stupid weekend. I almost destroyed my marriage and now it's coming back to bite me in the ass again. I really thought he'd pretty much forgotten all about it, but obviously that's not the case. It was the first thing he threw at me. 

The rest of the evening was quiet. Jen was pissed, but not so much at Ken, she was pissed at herself. She was taken by surprise when Ken told her of the trip. In the heat of the moment she practically accused him of going off to have an affair. Dumb, dumb, dumb, she chastised herself silently. In her heart she knew Ken wouldn't cheat on her yet she just couldn't shake her anxiety. Later, as they lay in bed Jen wanted to apologize.

"I'm sorry, honey. I know you wouldn't cheat, I know that, it's...it's just that I know how pretty she is and...well, just the thought of you and her in the same hotel for all those nights; there's just so much temptation..."

"Jen, where is all this coming from? I've been on trips before and you've never worried about me having an affair...at least you never said anything."

"I know, I know, it's...I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. I just have a bad feeling. Marge says she's real pretty and..."

"Jen, there's a lot of pretty women out there, some are even prettier than you; but you're my wife. You're the only woman I love, the only woman I want...in or out of bed."

"Oh honey," she reached around his chin and gently pulled his face around to meet hers. She touched her lips to his and ever-so-tenderly held them there until slowly pulling apart. "I love you so much," she whispered.

Ken put his arm around her. She snuggled into his strong frame and silently slipped away into dreamland.

The next day Jen tried not to dwell on thoughts of her husband alone with two beautiful women and had almost pushed it from her mind until the phone rang.

"Hi honey," greeted Marge. "So did you hear about the boy's big weekend golf trip? You must be awful proud of your man, he's doing something right, I wish he'd let Jack in on his secret."

"Oh yeah," replied Jen, "I heard all about it." She thought for a second about what her friend just said. "What do you mean I should be proud of him; for what? What secret?"

"Didn't he tell you? This whole golf trip thing is like a second bonus. Ken has already surpassed his quarterly quota. Jack says he's their top salesman for corporate accounts."

"No, he didn't even mention that. All he said was he, Jack, and that Tara were going to meet her sister for a three day weekend to go play golf. After that we...we kind of got into it. I, ah...I kind of expressed some concerns and he got pissed. He brought up that stupid weekend again. I thought he was over that but evidently not." 

"What do you mean, you got into it. What concerns, what are you talking about?"

"What am I...Marge, your husband and my husband are going to spend a long weekend in a luxury hotel with two beautiful women...that doesn't concern you?"

"Well when you put it like that," Marge said with a chuckle in her voice. "No, I'm not concerned, not at all. I swear, Jen, you've been paranoid ever since you went on that crazy trip. First Ken thinks you were cheating and now you think he's cheating; what the hell is going on with you two?"

"I...I don't know, Marge. You're right, I am paranoid. I can't help it; I'm worried sick. I think Ken still has his doubts about me sleeping with another man on that trip and I'm afraid he might do something stupid out of revenge."

"Jeez, Jen, listen to yourself. Stop! Ken's not like that, he's not about to do anything stupid with anyone. You know better than that, I know you do. He didn't plan this you know, it was given to him. It was Jack's idea to call Tara, then Smitty said he couldn't go; that's when Tara asked if her sister could join them. It's not like Ken had any of this prearranged, the whole thing was put together on the spur of the moment. You should be proud of him, not accusing him."

Jen sat while silently pondering her friend's words. She knew she was being irrational but she just couldn't ignore the bad feeling in her gut.

"Listen," Marge continued, "why don't we go out to a movie Saturday night, it'll take your mind off things for awhile." 

"Thanks, Marge, that's a great idea. Call me in the afternoon and we'll figure out what to see."

As they said their goodbyes, Jen was determined to stop all her foolishness, take her friend's advice, and treat her man with the love and respect he deserved.

When Ken walked in that night Jen had a candle light dinner waiting for him. A good bottle of wine, a delicious meal, and a loving wife can do wonders for a man's disposition. 

After she cleared the table Ken tried to help her with the dishes but she would have none of it.

"You go relax," she told him, "I'll be out in a few minutes." 

Ken almost felt guilty sitting in the den searching for something to watch on TV as his wife was clanging dishes in the kitchen. 

True to her word though, she was soon done and was cuddled up alongside him. He put his arm around her and pulled her tighter into his side. Almost unperceptively Jen reached over and started to unbutton his shirt. She had the first three undone before he even realized what was going on.

"What are you doing?" he asked as if he didn't know.

"Well, I'm not going to see you all weekend," she responded in her sexiest voice. "I'm going to need a little something to hold me over."




The Fourth Man Ch. 02



"Ah, a "little something"; is that a dig," he joked.

"Ken," she said faking anger and punching him in the arm. "You know better than that."

"Well my little something is getting bigger just thinking about it."

"Oooh," she cooed, "You're not kidding," she said sliding her hand down and into his pants. "What do say we go upstairs and put your, "big something" to good use."

Ken hit the off button on the TV remote, took his wife by the hand, and led the way. 

The next morning Jen got up extra early and had toast and fresh coffee waiting as Ken prepared for his trip. 

"All packed?" she asked escorting him to the door.

"Yup, I've got everything I need. I'll be back late Sunday night. I think our plane gets into O'Hare around eight-thirty. By the time I get my bags and get out of there it'll probably be almost ten by the time I get home."

Jen forced a smile. "You have a good time," she told him while helping with the buttons on his coat. 

"I will," he said with a smile.

Everything was fine but again she just couldn't leave well-enough alone and her anxiety resurfaced. "Just don't have too good of a time. You be good, buster; remember who you're coming home to," she said almost as if she was forewarning him. 

As soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't. The smile quickly left Ken's face. She could look right into his soul through his eyes and see the anger and disappointment. His goodbye kiss didn't exactly inspire passion. He walked out the door without saying another word and she watched nervously as Ken put his luggage and clubs into the back of his car. Jen could see daylight breaking over the horizon as he took off heading for the airport.

***

"Hey, there he is," Ken heard a familiar female voice say as he approached the departure gate, "The hero of the hour."

Ken looked over and saw Tara already sitting next to Jack. She jumped up and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. "I'm so excited, I've never been to Hilton Head before; have you?"

"Never," responded Ken.

"I was there once," volunteered Jack, "but that was many years ago."

The three sat and talked until they were called to board. Since the plane was only half full they were all able to sit together. Tara got dibs on the window seat. About midway through the flight Tara remembered something she wanted to ask her two friends. 

"Hey guys, you know where I can get a good deal on a new cellphone?"

Jack and Ken looked at one another and laughed. 

Ken looked back at Tara. "You're kidding, right? You do know we both work in telecommunications, right? What's wrong with the phone you've got?"

"The damn disconnect button keeps sticking on me. The other day I tried calling a girlfriend of mine. When her phone went to voicemail I tried to hang up but the fricken thing wouldn't work. I kept hitting the stupid button but it wouldn't disconnect. The voicemail just kept going on and on. I finally just stuck the damn thing back in my purse. I have no idea how long it stayed connected. It's happened three or four more times since then too."

"Well don't worry, when we get back to Chicago we'll set you up with new phone at a fraction of what it would cost you in a store," Ken told her.

Tara smiled, "Thanks, guys. I knew I could count on you." 

The rest of the flight was filled with small talk, mostly about golf. When they landed Ken went over, got the rental car that was reserved by his employer, picked Tara and Jack up at arrivals, and was soon headed toward their hotel. 

The weather was a balmy sixty-eight degrees, a lot different than the thirty-something degrees they left back in Chicago. They checked in, one room for Jack and Ken, and another for Tara and her sister, Laura. They had about two hours before Ken and Tara had to go back to the airport to pick up the remaining member of their foursome, so they all met in the restaurant for breakfast. 

"When is our first tee-off?" Tara asked. 

"One- thirteen," Ken responded. "I hope Laura's plane isn't late," he added, "it's going to be tight as it is." 

They called when they got back to the room and was happy to hear Laura's flight was right on time. As soon as Ken saw her walking in from the loading gate he knew who she was. Laura was most undoubtedly Tara's sister. They both screamed like little girls when they saw one another. Tara held out her arms as they approached each other. As her sister got closer, Laura dropped her overnight bag at her feet in preparation for their embrace. Such a display of sisterly love had collected several chuckling on-lookers. 

After finally breaking their clinch, Tara turned to see Ken standing behind her.

"Laura, this is Ken, the guy I was telling you about. Ken, this is my sister, Laura."

"I'm not sure what she told you," he said with an easy smile and an outstretched hand, "but don't believe a word of it."

"Oh, so you're not Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nickolas all rolled into one," she said smiling back. 

"Not hardly," he chuckled.

"Well it's good to meet you anyway, Ken. This is the only luggage I have but we'll have to go to baggage claim to get my clubs."

When Laura pointed out her golf bag sliding down the carousel, Ken grabbed them, hoisted her clubs over his shoulder, and they were off for three days of frolicking on lush, green fairways. 

"I told you he was good," Tara told her sister as they all sat down to order a beer and count up the scores.

"Yeah, you weren't kidding. What'd you shoot, Ken?"

"Ah, an eighty-four," he said modestly. "You didn't do too bad yourself; you shot a ninety-three, not bad at all. Tara, you and Jack tied with a ninety one. Laura, you shoot a lot like your sister."

"That figures," interjected Tara. "We both learned from the same guy."

"I thought you learned from your ex?" Jack inquired.

"I did, we both did," responded Tara.

"Now wait a minute, I know Tony's a pretty good teacher but he's not worth flying from Atlanta to Chicago for a lesson."

The two ladies chuckled. "No, I lived in Chicago my whole life," Laura said. "Until last year we lived only a few blocks from each other. The next best thing to having a professional golfer as a husband is having him as a brother...free lessons. Until..."

She stopped in mid-sentence realizing that they were talking about her sister's ex-husband. She remembered the pain Tara had gone through during the divorce.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said reaching over and taking her sister's hand. "I didn't mean..."

"It's okay," interrupted Tara. "I've learned to live without him." She looked at Jack and Ken. "Since the divorce I pretty much forbid anyone from talking about him when I was around. You see as our relationship slowly sunk in the west, he had a new one springing up in the east. I got sick one day at work and went home early; I walked right in on them."

"Damn, what a shock. What'd you do?" Jack asked.

"I divorced him, silly."

"Well, yeah but I mean..."

Ken saw that Jack was about to put his foot in his mouth and headed him off. "Damn, that had to be rough, Tara."

She just shrugged her shoulders. "It was. I was infatuated when I first met him. He was exciting and so full of piss and vinegar. He was going to join the tour and go head to head with the greats. Unfortunately, after three tries he couldn't get past Q-school. It really took it out of him when he finally accepted the teaching position at Seven Winds. He seemed to lose interest in everything...including me."

"I'm sorry," ken sympathized again. 

"Me too," echoed Jack.

"Well, it was a long time ago."

It was obvious Tara didn't want to talk anymore about her divorce so Ken directed the conversation back to Laura. "So what made you move to Atlanta?"

"I work for Guy's and Doll's, clothing chain. I was a store manager for our down town Chicago store out there. Last year I got an offer to work as a regional manager, the only hitch was that I'd be headquartered in Atlanta."

"What about your husband?" Jack asked. "What'd he do, just pack up and quit his job?"

"My husband works as a time management consultant. He goes around to large corporations and shows them how they can improve their bottom line by streamlining things. He works from the house when he's home but he travels a lot so it doesn't make much difference to him where we live."

"Tara tells us you have kids," interjected Jack. 

"Ah yes," she answered reaching for her purse, "they are the light of my life." Laura pulled out her wallet and flipped to the section holding some glassine protected pictures. Visibly beaming with pride, she presented her children one by one in living color.

"You have a beautiful family," Jack told her while reaching for his own wallet. "Here's my brood," he joked.

Tara was next, then both ladies looked at Ken. Jack knew the story and tried to divert the conversation away from its present subject and back to golf so his buddy wouldn't have to go into some painful memories but Laura didn't catch on.

"What about you, Ken...kids?"

He thought about just shaking his head no and moving on but like Tara's divorce, it was a long time ago and it no longer hurt so badly. "No, my wife, Jennifer got pregnant just after our second anniversary but she miscarried after seven months. She went into a deep depression for about a year afterward. We both went to grief counseling and eventually learned to live with it but Jen won't try again. She's been on birth control ever since."

Both women were stunned. "Oh Ken, I'm so sorry," they said, almost in unison.

"Thanks," he replied. "You never really get over something like that, you just learn to live with it." Suddenly his voice perked up as he reached for his wallet. "I do have a picture of my wife, though." 

'Oh she's beautiful," commented Tara as she took the picture for a closer look.

"Can I see?" asked Laura.

Tara passed the picture on. Only Tara noticed the change in her sister's facial expression. Ever since they were kids, Laura's mouth would draw tight when she was under stress. It was very subtle but Tara could always spot it. 

"Yes," Laura said quickly handing the photo back to Ken, "she's very pretty."

The next morning they all met for breakfast before their morning tee-off. They had one round scheduled for seven-twenty in the morning and another for two-twelve in the afternoon. The following day was Sunday. They had one round in the late morning then they had to check out and catch their plane back to snowy Chicago...except for Laura, of course, who would be returning to her husband and kids in Atlanta.

Ever since Friday afternoon, while they were all talking about their families, Tara had notice her sister's reserved mood. She asked her about it that night but Laura insisted she was just tired from the trip then playing a round of golf so soon after getting off the plane.

Tara accepted her explanation then but it was a new day, and after a full night's sleep she was still acting strange. Tara was determined to get to the bottom of her sister's puzzling behavior but knew she wouldn't get a chance to talk to her again until later in the evening; they had a full day in front of them.

***

About the same time Ken and crew were getting ready for their second round of golf for the day, Jen's phone was ringing back in Chicago. She wiped her eyes with a tissue and tried to sound normal as she answered. "Hello."

"Hey, girlfriend," greeted a cheery Marge. "So, did you figure out what movie you want to see tonight?"

"Oh, Marge, I'm sorry, I haven't even looked." 

It was soon obvious that the attempt to disguise her anguish was in vain. "Jen, are you crying?"

"Marge, I...I can't help it. Ken and I...he hasn't even called to tell me he got there safely," she sobbed. "I...I think I'm losing him, Marge. Oh God, what have I done..."

"Losing him...Jen, what the hell... what do you mean, what have you done? What's happened?"

Continued... 



The Fourth Man Ch. 03



About the same time Ken and crew were getting ready for their second round of golf for the day, Jen's phone was ringing back in Chicago. She wiped her eyes with a tissue and tried to sound normal as she answered. "Hello."

"Hey, girlfriend," greeted a cheery Marge. "So, did you figure out what movie you want to see tonight?"

"Oh, Marge, I'm sorry, I haven't even looked." 

It was soon obvious that the attempt to disguise her anguish was in vain. "Jen, are you crying?"

"Marge, I...I can't help it. Ken and I...he hasn't even called to tell me he got there safely," she sobbed. "I...I think I'm losing him, Marge. Oh God, what have I done..."

"Losing him...Jen, what the hell... what do you mean, what have you done? What's happened?"

"Marge, I've done something awful," she cried.

"Jen, put on a pot of coffee and try to pull yourself together, I'll be over in twenty minutes and you can tell me what this is all about."

"Okay," she sniffled before hanging up.

***

Tara and Laura sat on the balcony of their hotel room. It had been an action packed day with thirty-six holes of golf and dinner with Jack and Ken afterward. Now it was time to sit back, relax with glass of wine, and catch up on some sibling gossip, but what was even more important to Tara was finding out why Laura had been acting strange every time she was around Ken. 

"Okay, sis, spill it. What's going on? I saw the way you looked at the picture of Ken's wife yesterday and you've been acting bizarre all day today, especially when Ken is around. Do you know his wife or something?"

"If I tell you, you have to promise you'll never breathe a word of what I say to another living soul...I mean it, Tara; you can't say anything to anyone...ever! Promise?"

"Yes, of course...I promise."

Laura looked down and stared into her glass of wine. Just as she started to speak the phone rang. 

"SHIT! Hold that thought." Tara put her cell to her ear. "Hello."

"Hi, Tara, it's Ken."

As soon as Tara knew who was on the other end she turned on the speaker and set the phone down on the little table between her and her sister.

"Hey, Ken, what's up?"

"Hi Ken," interjected Laura with a slight hesitation in her voice.

"Ladies," he said addressing them both. "I was going over our schedule for tomorrow and we're all going to have some free time before we have to leave, so I was wondering if you ladies would like to have one last dinner before we all go home. I've been hearing about this little bistro that's not far from here and I thought we could stop there on the way to the airport...what do you say? From what I hear the place is usually packed and I'll have to make reservations now if you want to go." 

Tara looked over at her sister. With a nod of her head Laura okay'd the future plans. 

"Yeah, Ken, that's sounds like fun," Tara responded.

"Count me in," chimed in Laura.

"Okay, I'll call and make the reservations. We'll see you guys for breakfast tomorrow morning about eight-thirty, that'll give us plenty of time before we have to be on the first tee."

"Okay, Ken, we'll see you then." 

They said goodbye and Tara reached over and disconnected the call.

"That Ken's a nice guy isn't he," commented Laura.

"Yeah, I'm really going to miss playing with those guys but at the same time I hope their friend will be able to make it next year. We were talking about him on the plane; they said he's getting stronger and they were pretty sure he'd be able to join them again this summer. But enough of that, you were about to tell me why you've been acting so weird lately."

"I slept with his wife," mumbled Laura in a voice indicative of her shame.

"Wha...what? What do mean you slept with...with whose wife?"

"With Ken's wife, Jennifer."

"Hold on, this makes no sense at all. How could you sleep with his wife...when?"

"Just before I left Chicago. Bill and the kids were already in Atlanta but I had to stay behind for a week while I finished training my replacement. The company put me up at Water Tower Place, remember?"

Tara nodded her head but still couldn't quite grasp what her sister was saying.

"Anyway, I was down stairs in one of the restaurants eating lunch one day when Jennifer came over to my table. She'd recognized me. I dated her brother in high school. I couldn't believe she remembered me. I recalled Jerry having a sister but I sure couldn't have told you what she looked like. I asked how Jerry was doing and we got talking so I asked her to have a seat. She told me how much she admired me back then. She said she thought I was the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen. Hell, imagine how flattered I was. I asked if she'd had lunch. When she said no I told her I had an expense account and lunch was on me. After she ordered we talked some more."

"Laura, that doesn't explain how you could..."

"Tara, remember how mixed up I was in high school? For a while I thought I was a lesbian, but I also liked boys, so then I thought I could go either way. I really liked Jerry. He was tall and good looking, he had an easy way about him, and a confidence you just didn't find in eighteen year old guys. We did everything together for about six months. Then someone told him I was a lesbian. He confronted me about it and when I admitted to sleeping with a couple girls at school he got pissed and dumped me saying he wasn't going to date a lesbo. It broke my heart at the time."

"You know, I think I remember that now, although I'm not sure I knew why he dumped you but I do remember how crushed you were."

"Yeah," she said with a trace of lingering emotion, "it made me drop boys altogether for a while. That didn't last long though, and after dating a couple more guys, I decided I liked them better than girls. By the time I met Bill I had no desire to ever sleep with another woman, and that's the way it's been until...well, until I ran in to Jennifer."

Laura took a sip of wine and paused for a moment, looking out into the darkness before continuing.

"She told me she was jealous of her brother the whole time we were dating. When Jerry told her why he dropped me she admitted to developing this fantasy about us being lovers. She told me she would lay in bed and dream of her and me kissing. She didn't come out and say it, but the way she was talking I know she masturbated at the thought of us together. Of course she had never actually slept with a woman and really had no desire to; it was just me, her fantasy was just about her and me."

Tara couldn't remember the last time she was so angry with her sister. "Laura, I can't tell you how disappointed I am. Not only did you take advantage of Ken's wife, but you cheated on Bill. Did you forget how devastated I was when I caught Tony...? Hell, Laura, you were the one that held my hand through it all. How could you...?"

"I know, I know, I'm not proud of it, believe me. It was...I don't know...I started to remember what it was like to make love to a woman and something inside me just snapped. I don't know what came over me but I got turned on something fierce while listening to her talk. I hadn't had a lesbian thought since high school but suddenly all I wanted to do was lick her pussy until she had this mind shattering orgasm."

Laura was getting emotional. Tears fell freely down her cheeks. "I thought, just one more time. What the hell, the situation was perfect. My family was seven hundred miles away. No one would ever know."

"Did you know she was married?"

Laura slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, I looked and saw her rings, but..." 

"Damn, Laura, I...I can't believe this..."

"I know, I know," managed Laura between sobs.

"Hold on," Tara told her. She stood, opened the glass sliding door to their room, and reached in to grab her purse from the desk. "Here," she said handing Laura a tissue.

"Thanks." Laura wiped more tears from her face. 

"So who actually initiated your little tryst, you or her?"

"I did. I think she was shocked by my proposal...at least at first. I told her I was only going to be in town until that Sunday; then I'd be gone and she'd never see or hear from me again. I told her it was her one and only chance to actually realize her fantasy. She was terrified her husband would find out but I told her that was impossible. All she had to do was come up with a good explanation, some reason for having to go away for a couple days, something he'd believe, a sick friend or something like that. If she could come up with a convincing excuse there was no way he'd ever find out. It'd be a onetime deal, no hang ups, no emotional ties, no nothing. I'd be gone and she would have lived her childhood fantasy. I could see she was actually considering it so I ask for her phone number and told her to go home and think about it. I said I'd call her the next day. I knew I had her as soon as she gave me the number."

Just then both women were taken by surprise...BITCH! At first neither knew from where the angry voice came. 

"Oh my God," screamed Tara as she abruptly remembered that her phone didn't always disconnect when she hit the button. "Ken, is that you? Ken!"

She looked into the terrified face of her sister. "Ken? You mean he heard us; he heard everything I said?"

"I think so," Tara replied.

"Oh my God. Tara what'll I do? Oh God, I'm so sorry. I...I..."

***

Unknown to anyone at Hilton Head, a little earlier in the day Jen had confessed the entire story to, Marge. She had become so emotional while explaining everything that Marge didn't want to leave her home alone. Going to the movies as they had previously planned, was definitely out of the question so Marge convinced her friend to go home with her. 

After dinner the kids migrated to the living room to watch TV which gave Marge and Jen a chance to sit in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and talk. Jen was still pouring her heart out when Marge's cell rang.

"Oh it's Jack, hold on a minute, Jen," she said, connecting the call. "Hi, honey."

Marge's face quickly contorted from a big smile to an expression of shock as her husband spoke on the other end. "What! Why? Oh my God...no?"

Seeing the stress in her friend's face Jen was going to excuse herself so as not to listen in on a private conversation but Marge motioned for her to sit back down. She wondered what was going on while Marge listened to her husband with a worried look.

"Well couldn't you calm him down? How did he...yes, I'm afraid it's true...No, I didn't know anything about it until this morning."

Suddenly it was Jen who had the worried look on her face. "What; what happened?" she blurted out.

Marge looked like she had just lost her best friend. She covered the phone for a second. "I'm afraid it's bad news, honey; hold on while I find out as much as I can." 

She put the phone back to her ear and listened to her husband on the other end.

"Oh shit...no, I didn't just swear in front of the kids, they're in the living room. She's here...ah, well she was worried that Ken was going to cheat on her this weekend...Because...no, I think it was her own guilt talking. Ever since she got back from her mysterious weekend that time, she's been a little paranoid. You guys going on this trip kind of brought it to a head. When I asked her why she was so jealous of Tara, she admitted everything. She was so upset I had her come home with me." 

Jen didn't need to hear what Jack was saying to know the unthinkable had happened...Somehow Ken knew, but that can't be right, how could he have found out?

"Well can't you stop him? Talk to him, get him to..." She looked over at Jen and slowly shook her head. "Alright, honey...Okay, if by any chance he comes back, please let me know...Okay...I love you too, honey, bye."

Marge looked at her friend sitting across the table. Jen looked terrified, like her whole world just ended. Tracks of tears were already staining her cheeks but she still held on to a sliver of hope; hope that somehow she misinterpreted the one sided conversation. After all, Ken was hundreds of miles away, how could he have possibly discovered her secret from there? Just as Jen had completed that final thought, her friend destroyed her last shred of optimism.

"I guess you figured out what that was all about, Ken knows," Marge said in a soft, pitying voice.

Jen broke down in tears. It was beyond comprehension, how could it be true? 

"How, how did he find out?" she cried.

"I don't know, honey. Jack said he came bursting into their room ranting about you cheating on him. He said he never saw Ken so mad before. He tried to calm him down and find out what was going on but he said Ken was way beyond talking to. He threw his clothes in his bag, asked Jack to take care of his clubs, and took off."

"Took off: where?"

"I'm not sure, but I would guess he's coming home, at least that's what Jack thinks."

"Home: he's coming home...tonight?"

"I would imagine, if he can. His ticket was for tomorrow so Jack didn't know if he'd be able to get a return flight tonight or not. With any luck he'll have to go back to the hotel and Jack will have a chance to talk to him before you two see each other."

Jen was now visibly trembling. "This has to be a mistake," she sobbed. "How could he possibly know?"

"Honey, I don't know but I don't think it's a mistake. Jack told me Ken said he knew what you did on that weekend last year."

"No, no," she cried shaking her head in disbelief. "What...what'll I do, Marge? I...I...should I go home?"

"Honey, I wish I knew what to tell you. You don't think he'd physically hurt you, do you?"

"No, no; he wouldn't hurt me like that, no matter how angry he was, but...I...I don't think I can face him."

"Jen, you're going to have to sooner or later; it might as well be sooner."

With tears still dripping down her face, Jen just stared into space without saying a word. She was finding it hard to breathe and her heart felt like it would burst. In her mind she was already wondering how she would survive in the cold, dark world without Ken to love and protect her.

"Jen, listen, if he does make it back tonight maybe he'll at least cool off in the plane. Maybe he'll sit and listen to you. You can tell him what you told me. Tell him how sorry you are."

The initial shock was starting to wear off. Jen was thinking more clearly. "I don't think he's going to listen to me, Marge; not yet anyway. Even if he did, what would I say? Yes, I betrayed you, yes I cheated on you but it was only with a woman, not a man? What difference does it make...none, not as far as Ken is concerned, absolutely none. The fact is I asked for his trust...no, I demanded his trust...and then I broke it. Marge, I think I've lost him, the most important person in my life and I lost him."

Tears, once again, welled up in Jen's eyes.

Marge walked over and rubbed her friend's back, trying to sooth her emotions. "Honey, you don't know that. Ken's an intelligent, reasonable man, and he loves you dearly. Don't give up hope."

Jen silently sat, looking like a forlorn, lost soul.

"I'm going to call Mrs. Murphy from next door and see if she can baby sit tonight," Marge said, reaching for the phone. 

A couple minutes later everything was all set. Mrs. Murphy, a woman in her early sixties, lived alone and was usually available to baby sit Marge's kids. She was coming over and would spend the night if necessary. 

Neither Jen nor Marge spoke a word all the back to the house. Jen stared out her window and felt like she was being driven to her execution. 

***

Ken was, indeed, able to exchange his ticket and was already on his way back to O'Hare. He sat in an aisle seat looking almost comatose as those surrounding him went about their business completely unaware of the tortured soul among them. He rested his elbow on the arm of his seat and lowered his forehead into his hand. There must have been over a hundred people sitting nearby, yet never could he remember feeling more alone. He was confused and hurt, angry and humiliated; he felt inadequate...like a loser. He closed his eyes and drifted back in time, remembering the encounter he had with his wife that past spring. 

Trust her, he said silently to himself, huh, what a joke. I didn't sleep with another man, she said. Stupid, stupid, stupid; it never occurred to me to ask if she slept with a woman. She knew damn well I'd never think of her doing anything like that. Oh, yes, she's so damn clever.

Unconsciously he took a ragged, deep breath and let it out with a small sigh. How could she betray me like that, betray us like that. Cheating is cheating, fantasy or no fantasy, man or woman; she knew damn well what she was doing and did it anyway. 

He felt a tear break free and start to trickle down his cheek. Quickly, he rubbed it away with his finger and looked around to see if anyone noticed. It was the first time since overhearing Laura and Tara, that he had felt anything but anger and rage.

Once he was aware of the pain and sadness, it quickly overtook him. He was starting to feel nauseous and he could feel his heart pounding. Suddenly he sprung from his seat and hurried to find an empty lavatory. Ken was no stranger to emotional pain. His mother died when he was just fifteen, but this was different. Not only had the woman he loved betrayed him, not only had she broken their wedding vows, but she mocked and undermined his trust, she belittled him with her shrewd little, "do you trust me," ploy. Were these the actions of someone who truly loved him or was his whole marriage nothing but a sham? 

Ken splashed some water in his face and dried himself with a paper towel. Time had stood still and he had no idea how long he'd been in there. All he knew was that his marriage was most likely over. He loved Jennifer with all his heart but love was a two way street and he didn't see how she could love him and still do what she did. 

Jennifer and Marge were sitting in the kitchen when they heard him at the front door. The look on Jen's face was one of total fear, like she had just seen the guns of a firing squad pointing directly at her.

"Let me talk to him," volunteered Marge. "He'll listen to me."

Jen slowly shook her head. "No, this is my mess, I have to face him." Her face scrunched up and tears streamed down her cheeks again. "Oh, God, Marge, what am I going to do?" 

Marge ran to her, knelt down and put her arms around her. "Please, honey, let me talk to him. Maybe..."

When Marge stopped talking, Jen looked up and saw Ken standing in the doorway. 

It was clear she knew that he had found out about her little affair. Jack, he thought, of course, I should have guessed.

Jack had stolen his thunder, but that was okay. Most of his anger had morphed into pain and he was in no mood for a confrontation just then anyway. 

No one said a word, they just looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was just a few seconds. Ken turned and left for his favorite easy chair. There he sat staring down at the floor. There was so much he was going say, so many accusations he was going to bombard her with, but now it all seemed so hopeless. What's the use, he told himself. It's over.

He caught a glimpse of his soon-to-be ex-wife out of the corner of his eye. She was standing there, just watching.

"I...I'm so sorry," she finally said, almost in a whisper. "I have no excuses; it was selfish, terribly selfish of me. Since then not a day has gone by that I haven't regretted what I did. I've regretted it because I love you, Ken, I love you so much and I knew how much you would be hurt if you ever found out. I am so very, very sorry." 

Ken scoffed. "Yeah, sure; you love me 'sooo much,' so much that even though you knew how much it would hurt me you went ahead and did it anyway. Yeah, that's real love alright. And all that talk about Tara being my girlfriend, huh, nothing but a smokescreen, very clever, Jen, very clever."




The Fourth Man Ch. 03



"No, no that's not it, I..."

Ken raised his hand. "I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear any more of your lies, your conniving. Just leave me alone. Right now I can't stand the sight of you."

Jen's heart dropped. He didn't say or do anything she hadn't really expected, but she had clung to the slightest thread of hope. She could see in his face, her hope was misplaced. 

"I'm sorry, Ken. I'm sorry for the pain I caused you. I never meant to hurt you." 

Marge was listening from the kitchen. 

"I don't want to hurt you anymore. I have a bag packed. Marge offered to let me stay with her for a couple of days."

"Go," he said raising his voice, "just go, get out of my sight."

It looked to Marge like Jen was about to collapse. She rushed to her side and grabbed her. "Come on, honey, let's give him some time." 

Ken heard them rustling around behind him as they grabbed Jen's suitcase from the hall closet and left through the front door. 

"I love you," she said in a weakened voice as she was led out by her friend. 

Ken never budged from his chair. He heard Marge start her car and pull out of the drive. He saw her headlights pass by the window. She was driving away with his life, with the future he thought he had with the woman he loved more than anything. This time there was no need to try and control himself; he lowered his head into his hands and let the tears flow.

***

The next morning Marge was surprised when she heard Jack. She looked at the clock, it was only a little after ten-thirty. "Jack, I wasn't expecting you until later tonight."

"Yeah, well Laura's little story about her and Jen and Ken walking out, kind of put a damper on things. I grabbed the first flight out this morning. He must have gotten a flight out last night because he never came back to the motel."

"Oh yeah, he got home about midnight. I was with Jen when he walked in."

"What happened?"

"Well, about what you might expect. Ken told her to get out, he didn't want to even look at her. I brought her home with me. She's still up stairs sleeping. I hope you don't mind."

"Shit, what a mess. I don't really know about her staying with us, Marge. The last thing I want to do is get in the middle of this thing. Ken's been my best friend for a long time and I don't want him thinking I'm taking Jen's side."

"Okay," she relinquished, "let's just play it by ear and see how things go. Are you hungry? I just got up myself. Jen and I were up till four this morning, talking. I was just about to make some breakfast."

The kids were already out doing their own thing which gave Jack and Marge a chance to talk over bacon and eggs.

"Okay, tell me, how the hell did Ken find out about Jen cheating on him?"

"You're not going to believe it, remember I told you Tara had a sister named Laura?"

"Yeah..."

"Yeah, well she's the one Jen cheated with."

"No...but...I thought she lived in Atlanta?"

"She does now, but she lived in Chicago up until last year. How's that for a, 'it's a small world,' story?"

He told her how Tara and her sister came to his room the night before so Laura could apologize to Ken, but was a little too late. That's when he learned about his buddy overhearing their conversation. 

"Tara came along to give her sister moral support," he said. "She needed it too, she was crying so hard I could hardly understand her sometimes. In between sobs, she told me the whole story. She took full responsibility for the whole thing and said she talked Jen into it. Before they left Laura asked me if I thought Ken would contact her husband. I didn't know what to tell her. I kind of doubt it, but I've never seen him that way. I told her she should go home and confess. It would be a lot better for him to hear it from her than from Ken."

"You think she'll do it?"

"I don't know, she has a lot to lose. The one's I feel sorry for are the kids. They have three and they're all cute as a button." Jack sadly shook his head and took a sip of coffee. "I'll tell you one thing, I don't think Jen has to worry about us playing golf with Tara anymore, she was so embarrassed she wouldn't even fly back on the same plane as me. She could have but she just kept the ticket she already had for later in the evening."

Jack saw his wife looking up at the doorway behind him. He turned around and saw his best friend's wife standing there.

"How, Jack? How did Ken find out?"

"Have a seat, Jen. Jack can explain everything while I make you something to eat," Marge told her.

Worn out from lack of sleep and all the emotional trauma, she walked almost like a zombie to the table and sat in disbelief as Jack proceeded to tell her of the circumstances regarding her husband's enlightenment. 

"I'm sorry, Jack. I really messed things up for everyone didn't I."

"I won't lie to you, Jen, this affects more than just you and Laura. Even Marge and I are being pulled into this thing. Hell I feel like a sap for sticking up for you back then. I told Ken there was no way you'd ever cheat on him. Laura could possibly lose her entire family and in all the years I've known Ken, I've never seen him so upset and hurt."

"Jack," his wife admonished while throwing him a dirty look.

"Well it's true, damn it," he replied angrily.

"Come on, honey, eat your eggs," Marge told her in a much more sympathetic voice than was her husband's, "they're getting cold." 

After eating, Jen went back to her room where she spent most of the day and night. She just wanted to be alone.

The next morning Jack was surprised to see Ken's car as he pulled into work. He really thought Ken would take a couple days off. He had no idea what to say to his friend. Should he apologize for convincing him Jen would never cheat on him? It was almost eleven by the time he got a few minutes to visit. Ken's office door had been closed all morning. He lightly knocked then opened the door a crack and saw his buddy standing at the window, staring out at the city.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure," Ken responded without looking back. "Sorry to stick you with my clubs the other day. I'll pay the extra cost."

"No problem, they're in my trunk. Don't let me forget to give them to you before we leave today."

Jack nodded but stayed silent. 

"I'm so sorry, my friend. I wish I had some words of wisdom or could somehow make things better, but..." He just let his words hang in the air.

"Yeah, I know. Unfortunately there's nothing you or anyone else can do, Jack. I appreciate the thought, though. Is she still at your place?"

"Yeah, is that a problem for you...because if it is..."

"No, no problem."

"Are you sure, because I won't let her stay if you..."

"Jack, it's okay, really." Ken walked over and sat down behind his desk. Jack sat on the opposite side in his usual chair. "Damn, Jack, I don't know which is worse, the fact that she cheated, or the way she did it. I remember that whole conversation like it happened yesterday. Anyone else would have made up some lie, but not her, no she had to make a fool out of me. 'Do you trust me?' she asked. Shit, nothing like grinding my nose in it."

Jack responded. "I really don't think that was what she was trying to do, Ken. I'm not sure just what she was thinking but I really don't think she was deliberately rubbing you nose in it. From what Laura told me..."

"Laura, when did you talk to her?"

"She and Tara came down to our room right after you left. Laura wanted to try and apologize; they only missed you by two or three minutes. They both felt like shit. Tara had tears in her eyes but Laura was downright bawling."

Ken didn't say anything, he just turned his head and looked out the window again.

Jack could see the hurt in his buddy's eyes. "Any idea what you're going to do?"

"File for divorce, I guess. What else can I do? She cheated, Jack."

"Yeah, I know she cheated but...look, don't do anything just yet. I mean there's no hurry, right? Take some time and think it through. Maybe...I don't know, maybe go see a counselor or something. Don't just throw it all away, man."

"Don't make me out the bad guy, Jack. I'm not the one who cheated," was Ken's curt retort. 

"No, no, I'm not saying that...look, you're my best friend. Whatever you decide, I'm with you. I just know you're hurting right now and probably want to strike out and hurt her back. All I'm saying is don't do something in anger that you'll regret later, that's all."

Ken continued to stare out the window as he thought about what his friend just said. After a few seconds he promised Jack he wouldn't make any rash decisions.

A week later everything was still in a state of flux. Ken knew what he had to do, he even reached for the phone to call his lawyer a couple times, but he just couldn't bring himself to punch in the number. 

Jack was just leaving the building to go on a local sales call when he ran into a familiar face.

"Laura, what are you doing here?"

"Hi, Jack, I came to see Ken," she told him sheepishly. "I can only imagine what he must think about me but I have to apologize to him. I have to tell him how sorry I am. How's he doing?"

"How's he doing?" he replied snidely. "Not good, he kicked Jen out of the house. She's staying with me and my wife for the time being."

"Oh God, no, no. It wasn't her fault, I talked her into it. I have to tell him what happened, Jack. Do you think he'll see me?"

"I doubt it; besides, Jen's a big girl. She wouldn't have been there if she didn't want to be...at least that's the way Ken's going to look at it. I think you're wasting your time, Laura. I really do."

"I have to try, Jack. This whole mess is all my fault, I've got to try."

"Well, I can guarantee if you go in there and just say you want to see him, he'll have you kicked right out of the building."

"What can I do, I came all the way out here, I can't go back without at least trying."

Jack thought. Damn, he told himself, he hated getting any more involved in this whole thing than he was already but...

"Look, I'm on my way out to a sales meeting. I should be back about two. There's a little place called, "Plato's Place," on Devon, one street over and about three blocks to your right. Wait for me there. I'll stop in after my meeting and I'll see if I can't pave the way for you to see Ken."

"Oh, Jack, thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me. I haven't been able to sleep since this whole thing blew up."

***

It was almost three o'clock by the time Jack and Laura were back at the office.

"Hi, Betty," Jack greeted Ken's secretary in the outer office. "Is he busy?"

"No more than usual," she replied with a smile while looking at the pretty woman Jack had in tow. "And who is this?"

"Betty, this is Laura, a friend of mine and Ken's. Laura...Betty."

"Hi," Laura responded with an outstretched hand.

"Laura, why don't you have a seat out here while I go in and tell Ken you're here," Jack said as he knocked on the door. 

Betty didn't know what was going on but it wasn't hard to see Jack's guest was very nervous as she sat down in one of the waiting room chairs.

Ken looked up from his paperwork as he heard the door open. "Hi, Jack, how'd you make out with Jenkins?" 

"Okay, I got the contract renewed. Funny thing though, I ran into someone on the way over there."

"Oh, who?"

"Laura, she wants to talk to you, Ken. She's waiting outside."

"Jack, what the hell; what'd you bring her here for? I'm not talking to her. You should know better than that, damn it."

"Ken, she flew all the way out here just to talk to you..."

"I don't care if she flew under her own power," he joked derisively. "She probably just wants to see if I'm going to inform her husband."

"Okay, I'll tell her it's no deal, but I don't think that's why she's here. She wants to tell you what happened. You've always said to make sure you have all the facts before signing a contract, shouldn't the same apply when breaking a contract...you know, like a marriage contract?"

"No, Jack, it was Jennifer who broke our marriage contract."

Jack turned toward the door. "Okay, Ken, but I think you're making a mistake."

"Wait a minute." Jack's words hit home. "Okay, okay, send her in."

"Yes, sir!" responded Jack with a big smile. He walked back out and told Laura he'd see her. 

"Thanks, Jack," she said heading into the lion's den. The first thing she noticed was his posture. She was a business woman, she knew a defensive posture when she saw one and she could tell Ken was loaded for bear. She was going to offer him a handshake but didn't think he'd take it anyway. 

She stood a few feet away from his desk. "Thank you for seeing me, Ken. Considering what you must think of me, I really appreciate it."

Ken just leaned back in his chair without saying a word.

She was hoping he'd offer her a chair to make things a little less formal but he didn't, so she gave a small sigh and continued standing up. "I...I know there are no words in any language to say how sorry I am for what I did to you and Jen. I don't expect you to ever forgive me but I hope you'll forgive your wife. It wasn't her fault, Ken. When I first offered to make her fantasy a reality she flat out said no, but I wasn't about to take no for an answer. I played on her vulnerability; I reminded her of how she felt when she first started to think of us together. I told her it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She was terrified that somehow you'd find out but I convinced her that would never happen. I also convinced her it wasn't really cheating. I told her cheating is when a woman screws another man.

Laura could feel her legs getting wobbly from tension and asked if she could sit down. Still, without saying a word yet, Ken pointed to one of the chairs opposite his desk. She sat down and pulled a hanky from her purse to wipe her eyes, then continued.

"Ken, I know you heard me taking to Tara. I probably made it sound like it was easy to seduce your wife but I wasn't about to tell my sister how hard I actually had to work at it. That day at Water Tower Place I talked until I was blue in the face. I thought sure I had her convinced by the time she left, but the next day when I called, she said no and I talked for another hour until she finally gave in."

Ken finally spoke. "Why the whole weekend, why not just a night?"

"I talked her into that, too. I thought, since she'd never been with a woman before, I'd have to take it slow, take my time to get her comfortable, then show her how to make love to me. One night just wouldn't be enough."

"Laura, my wife isn't some ditz that can be persuaded to do something she doesn't want to do, I don't care how good a sales woman you are."

"You're right, Ken, and if it hadn't been for her fantasy I wouldn't have been able to convince her at all, but I kept reminding her of how good she felt when she would lay in bed and masturbate while thinking of her and me together. I told her she would always wonder what it would be like. It would haunt her the rest of her days if she didn't grab this one and only opportunity, and I finally persuaded her that since I didn't have a penis she wouldn't really be cheating on you."

Laura's tears were now streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Ken. You're a great guy and you didn't deserve this, neither did Jen. None of this would have happened if she hadn't seen me that day at the restaurant, please don't punish her for one weak moment...please."

Ken sat staring at the sobbing woman and showing no sign of feeling sorry for her. "I'll think about it," he stated flatly. 

Laura nodded her head. "I guess that's all I can ask. I...I never wanted to hurt her...or you. I'm so sorry," she said standing. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive her, Ken. She's a good person and she loves you dearly. She made a mistake; we all do now and then. She didn't go out looking for an affair or succumb to some guy, she fell into my trap. Please give her another chance." 

Laura was grateful she got the opportunity to say what she wanted and turned to head for the door.

"Aren't you going to ask if I'll look up your husband and tell him what happened?" Ken called out.

She turned around to face him. "Somehow, Ken, you just don't strike me as the kind of guy to do that; if I was a man, yes. If I was a man I'm sure they'd be taking me out of here on stretcher about now, but I don't see you as trying to destroy my family to get back at me. And even if you were, it would be too late. I told my husband everything as soon as I got back."

"You did," he said a little shocked. "And what happened?"

"Well, I can't say he was pleased, that's for sure. Like you he was extremely hurt and he's having a hard time dealing with it but he's trying."

With those parting words, Laura left for home where she was resigned to do whatever it took to save her own marriage. 

Nothing really changed over the next couple of days except that Laura had given Ken even more to think about. 

At Jack's house things were still strained. Jennifer was still getting cold vibes from her husband's best friend so she stayed in her room most of the time. Just a few days after Laura had paid Ken a visit, Jack was on his way to the kitchen for breakfast when he heard a terrible noise from the down stairs washroom. He walked over and stood with his ear close to the door. It sounded like someone vomiting. He gently knocked, "Who's in there, are you alright?" he asked. 

"Leave her alone, Jack."

He turned his head to see his wife standing there. "Is that Jennifer? Is she sick?"

"Yeah, she woke up sick to her stomach. It's probably from all the stress. Come on, breakfast is on the table."

Jack didn't think too much of it until the next day when he heard her again. As he sat down at the breakfast table he asked Marge if she was still sick. "If she's not better by tomorrow," he said, "she should go to the doctor. I hope it's not contagious, the last thing we need is a house full of sick people." 

Marge agreed. It was two days later when the subject came up again. The kids had already taken off for school and Jack sat having eggs and bacon with his wife.

"Did Jen go to the doctor?" he asked.

"Ah, she has an appointment for next week."

"Next week; she's been throwing up for days now, she can't get an appointment quicker than that?"

When Marge didn't answer Jack knew immediately something was wrong.

"What? What's going on? Is it something serious?"

"She...she doesn't want me to tell you," said Marge holding her head down.

"Tell me what, Marge? You know better than that, there are no secrets in this house. Now what the hell is going on?" He was starting to get angry. 

Marge reached over and laid her hand over his in a calming gesture. "She's pregnant."

"Pregnant...pregnant? Holy...is it Ken's?"

Now it was Marge who was angry. "Of course it's Ken's, how can you even ask something like that?" she scolded. 

"Hey, she cheated on him with a woman, who's to say she didn't do the same with another guy."

"Jack, I'm surprised at you." 

"What? Don't give me that. When someone shows they're not trustworthy it opens all kinds of suspicions. You lie about one thing and suddenly everything you've ever said is called into question. I'm sorry but that's how it is, Marge."

She groaned under her breath; he made sense although she didn't want to admit it. "Jack, I can't believe you honestly think Jen would go out and screw another man." 

"I don't...not really, but actions have consequences and when people lose their faith in someone...well, it's damn hard for that person to ever regain their trust again."

"I know," Marge admitted with a sigh.

"Are you positive she's pregnant?"

Marge nodded her head. "Jack, I've have three kids, I think I can recognize morning sickness when I see it. I made her take a home pregnancy test yesterday and it was positive. The doctor's visit next week is just to confirm it but there's not a doubt in my mind. You can't tell Ken though, not yet. That's why she didn't want me to tell you."




The Fourth Man Ch. 03



"What do you mean, don't tell Ken. He's got a right to know his wife is pregnant with his kid."

"Agreed, but right now she's scared to death. You remember what happened before." 

"Of course I remember. What'd she do, stop using her birth control?"

"No, she has a diaphragm but it must have slipped. What difference does it make? It happened."

"I don't get it, why doesn't she want to tell Ken? I doubt very much that he'd divorce her now."

"That's just it. She doesn't want him to think she's trying to blackmail him into taking her back. If they do stay together, she wants to make sure it's because he still loves her and not just because he feels it's his obligation."

"Well I must say, that's admirable on her part but it doesn't make sense. Of course he's going to feel it's his obligation; you think for one minute Ken would walk away from his kid? Even if he files for divorce it wouldn't be final for six months. She's obviously going to be showing by then. She can't keep something like that a secret for long and he could stop the divorce anytime."

Marge thought about what he said. "You're right. I guess she's just not thinking logically right now."

"Well I'm not about to keep a secret like this from Ken and piss him off any more than I have already. Besides, as angry and hurt as he is, he still loves her. She's going to need him, Marge. I think all he needs is an excuse to take her back and this certainly qualifies."

***

All that day things were kind of hectic in the office, for both Jack and Ken. As it got toward the end of the day Jack asked his buddy to join him for a drink. Ken thought it was a great idea. It'd been a hard day and it would be good to unwind. He had no idea Jack had anything specific on his mind until he suggested they sit at a table instead of the bar. They gave the barmaid their order before Jack started to talk. 

"I have to ask you, my friend, have you come to any conclusions about what you're going to do yet."

Ken looked up and saw the waitress returning with their beers and indicated he would wait until she was gone before responding. The truth was he hadn't decided anything yet, although he didn't see how he could ever trust her again. Even so, he was still anguishing over divorcing her, even after she'd hurt him so badly he couldn't simply stop loving her. A sip of beer gave him a small reprieve before answering his friend's question. 

"No, I really haven't, Jack. The other day, Laura tried to take full responsibility for everything, but she didn't put a gun to Jen's head. The fact is, Jen knew exactly what she was doing when she left for her little lesbian affair that weekend. And what still bothers me, I think even more than the act itself, is the way she did it; all that crap about trusting her. You say she wasn't trying to rub my nose in it, but I don't see any other way of looking at it. Still...well, you know me, I've never been one to just give up on anything, let-a-lone my marriage; I don't know, maybe counseling."

He took another sip of brew. "Why, is she becoming a problem?"

Jack was still wrestling with the information he possessed. He wanted what was best for his buddy; he just wasn't sure what that was. He knew Ken still loved her, but was taking Jennifer back really in his best interest? Still...he had to take his own advice. She'd be showing and if Ken knew he tried to hide it from him there'd be hell to pay.

"No, no problem, not really, but...well, yes, I guess there is a problem," Jack fiddled with the beer bottle on the table in front of him.

"Well come on, Jack, out with it."

"She's pregnant."

At first Ken wasn't sure he heard correctly. After her miscarriage, his wife refused to even talk about trying again. The death of their unborn child had been devastating for both of them. He had given up hope of ever becoming a father.

"Did you say Jen was pregnant?" he asked not believing his own ears.

Jack nodded. "Yup, she's been vomiting in the mornings. Marge thought it was morning sickness and had her take a home pregnancy test; it showed positive. She has a doctor's appointment next week to make sure but Marge says there's no doubt." 

Jack watched as his friend sat, staring down at the floor and not saying a word, almost as if he was in shock.

"She didn't what us to tell you," he continued. "Marge says she's absolutely terrified, but even so, she didn't want to get you back only because you felt you had to, she wants you back because you love her."

"She knows damn well I love her. She'd have the divorce papers in her hand already if I didn't love her."

Jack had no idea what was going through his buddy's mind but it was obvious he was struggling with the new information.

"I've got to think about this," he told Jack. "In the meantime, don't say anything to Jennifer. As far as she knows, I'm still in the dark, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, I won't say a word." Jack had somehow expected his friend to say he would take her back immediately after hearing the news and was shocked at Ken's reaction. He had to ask the question, "Are you still thinking about divorcing her?"

"I don't know, Jack. I just don't know. I still keep going back to that conversation we had, all that, 'Do you trust me crap.' I need some time to think. Her being pregnant puts a new wrinkle in things." 

Ken took a big swallow from his bottle. "Are you ready?" he asked.

They both left the bar and took off for home. Marge wanted to ask what happened as soon as he walked in the door but Jen was helping her with dinner. It wasn't until later at night, after putting the kids to bed and after Jen retired for the night, that she got a chance to quiz her husband.

"So... Did you tell Ken?"

"Yeah, I told him," he replied a little hesitantly. 

"And...what did he say? Is he going to have her move back?"

"Ah, well he didn't react the way I thought he would. He did mention counseling but he also said he still had some more thinking to do. He's seriously considering divorce. I never thought it would go that far but that's the way it sounded to me. He's got it in his head that she was rubbing his nose in it when she asked him to trust her like she did. It was the supreme act of disloyalty and disrespect as far as he's concern. He just can't get past that."

For the first time since the whole mess started, both Marge and Jack had to seriously consider their friends might be getting divorced.

"My God, Jack, what'll she do if he really divorces her. It'll destroy her."

"I know, honey, but it's not our call. We'll do everything we can for her within reason, but I'm not turning against Ken. If it comes down to taking sides, you know where I stand."

"I know," she said sadly. "I...I just never thought it would come to this."

***

Three days after Jack and Ken had their talk Jen's phone rang. When she saw who it was she started to tremble with fear. It seemed she waited forever for him to call, but now she was terrified to answer. 

Her hand shook and her voice was weak. "Hello, Ken."

"Hi, Jen; how are you doing?"

His voice sounded cold which added to her anxiety. "Okay, how about you?"

"I'm doing okay. Jen, we have to talk. I still have a lot of unanswered questions. I've been thinking of the best way to go about it and I think it would be better if you and I had the help of a professional, a counselor...marriage counselor I guess."

This was the best news she'd had in weeks. She wasn't sure what unanswered question he was referring to, but any chance to beg for his forgiveness was welcome. She'd get down on her hands and knees and kiss his feet if that's what it took. She quickly took him up on his offer and said she would meet him anytime, anywhere he wanted. 

"Okay, let me check around and see if I can find a good counselor. I'll call and let you know when I do."

"Ken," she hurried up and spoke before he had a chance to hang up.

"Yes?"

"I'm so sorry for all this, I love you so much."

"Uh huh," is all he said before hanging up. 

Ken had a lot of issues, trust was probably the biggest. Would he ever be able to trust her again? He had a plan that he hoped would answer that very question. Maybe it wouldn't restore his faith in her completely, but it would help. Unless, of course she chose to deceive him again; in that case it would be the end. 

Soon after they had talked, Jen's phone rang again. She looked but didn't recognize the number. "Hello," she answered a little hesitantly.

"Hello, is this Jennifer Ryan?"

"Yes, I'm Jennifer Ryan, who is this?"

"Ms. Ryan, my name is Linda Wilson. I'm calling from Dr. Holdstrome's office. Your husband has retained us for a series of counseling sessions with you and him. Would you have a moment to set your first appointment?"

"Yes, yes," she replied with excitement; "anytime, anytime at all, the sooner the better."

Linda explained that before their first joint session, the doctor wanted to see each of them alone for an hour. They would each be given the opportunity to tell their side of the story openly and freely without any reprisal or hurt feelings from their spouse. Ken had already made his appointment for the following afternoon. Jen agreed to the only timeslot left which was that morning. 

After listening to them, the doctor could see Jen's naïveté of the situation. She believed the entire problem centered around her lesbian encounter, but after listening to Ken, he knew there were a lot more issues at hand.

Ken was a little surprised at her appearance when she walked in for their first joint session. He could tell she wanted to look good for him, but in spite of make-up, she looked thin and a little gaunt. There were dark circles under her eyes and her complexion was pale. She gave him a uncertain smile and greeted him in a frail voice. Even under the care of their best friends, it was easy to see the last few weeks had been very hard on her. 

With the preliminaries out of the way and both of them seated the doctor started the session. 

"Mr. Ryan, after talking to each of you separately, I realized that Mrs. Ryan really is not aware of the total scope of your grievances; therefore, we're going to start with you. I want you to tell her what you told me the other day."

"Alright," answered Ken. He started to speak but looked down at the floor instead of looking at her. "I can almost come to terms with what you did. Laura came to my office a few days ago and told me how hard she worked to convince you, almost pressuring you into your little lesbian rendezvous; what makes it so unforgivable is the egotistical way you felt you had to rub my nose in it, the complete and total disrespect and contempt you showed me."

"What," she almost screamed. "No, never, honey; I never..."

"Please, Mrs. Ryan," interjected the doctor, "let him finish."

"Thank you," he said lifting his eyes to the elderly man across the desk. "Don't tell me no. Do you remember what you asked the first time we talked about it, 'do you trust me?' You knew damn well you were hurting me like that. If you had tried to make something up, some plausible story about why you had to be gone for the weekend I'd say, okay, she was at least trying to spare me the hurt, but no, you gave me all that crap about trust. You played me for a sucker and I fell for it."

By now Jen was wiping her eyes with a tissue, trying to keep up with the tears. Ken had stopped talking and as hard as it was to speak through her sobs, she couldn't let him go on thinking what he was, she had to set the record straight.

"No, no, Ken, you have it all wrong, it's just the opposite."

The doctor was about to cut her off again but Ken gave him a nod to let her resume. 

"Ken, there is no excuse for what I did. It was a despicably selfish act, it was the worst thing I've ever done in my life and I did it to the most important man in my life. I knew what I was doing was terribly wrong, nonetheless I wanted it so bad I couldn't help myself, but our discussion had nothing to do with not respecting you or rubbing your nose in my deceit. I love and respect you more than any man I ever knew. When I saw Laura sitting in the restaurant that day, I couldn't believe it. I was hit with a flood of memories. I remembered how much I liked and admired her when she was dating Jerry, and I remembered the shame I felt when I fantasized about her and me together."

She wiped away more tears before continuing.

"You know what my dad is like with it comes to gay people. He calls them fags and queers. My brother isn't much better. I might be more liberal in my thinking but that doesn't mean I still don't know how some of the people I love would see me if they knew I fantasized about a lesbian act."

"Jen, that has nothing to do with..."

"Please, Ken, hear me out. Let me explain, please."

Ken sat back in the chair as if defying her to justify breaking his trust.

"I'm just trying to explain how I felt, I was ashamed and humiliated when I was younger, but I still couldn't help myself. That day, when I saw Laura at the restaurant, she said it was a onetime thing and I'd never have the chance again, she even used the word I thought of at the time...fate, it was fate that put us back together. I wanted it so bad I could taste it," realizing what she said she looked down in embarrassment. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded," she said.

"Go on," the doctor told her without cracking a smile at the unintended pun.

"Okay, well, in spite of how I knew my family would feel, how you would feel if you ever found out, I just had to do it. I'd never have the chance again, and of course no one would ever find out, including you, how could you?" 

"Mrs. Ryan," interrupted Dr. Holdstrome when he saw she was getting off track, "why did you ask for your husband's trust then break it? Can you see how he would feel you were rubbing his nose in your deception?"

"Yes...yes I see that now, but at the time...I...I didn't think about it like that, I didn't do it to rub your nose in it; not at all, just the opposite. I did it that way because I couldn't lie to you. I'll admit, at first I thought about it, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't do it for two reasons; one, I truly have way too much respect for you to try and fool you with a lie, and two, I'm a terrible liar. I couldn't take the chance of tripping up on my own lie somewhere down the line. If you knew I lied to you, you wouldn't rest until you knew the truth, I know you. If I just asked you to trust me and didn't tell you anything, there was no way I would be exposed for lying. I knew you would be suspicious and maybe a little hurt, but not nearly as much as you would be if you knew what I had done. No, I thought about it, simply telling you I had to go and I didn't want you to ask questions, was the safest way. At least that's what I thought."

Jen's throat was dry. Dr. Holdstrome got her a drink of water and she continued.

"It wasn't until I came home and saw the smashed lamp that I realized how much I'd hurt you. I wanted so much to make it up to you but you wouldn't let me."

"How, Jen?" Ken broke in. The anger in his voice startled her. "How do you take away someone's pain, especially when you were the cause of it in the first place?"

"I...I don't know," she wept. "I didn't realize what you were going through. I thought you'd be curious and a little ticked...I...I'm sorry, Ken. I'm just so sorry."

"Okay," the doctor spoke up. "Emotions are running a little high, let's take a break and try to calm down a little. Mr. Ryan, I want you to analyze what Mrs. Ryan said. Does it make sense to you? If not, why? Do you have more questions? 

Ken had listened to her every word; knowing his wife like he did, somehow it actually did made sense to him. If it was true then she wasn't trying to make a fool out of him, but he still had trust issues, those he would deal with a little later, for now he just sat back and took everything in. 

"Please believe me, honey," she said looking at him, "I was trying to minimize your hurt as much as possible and I was sure I could make it up to you as soon as I got home...of course that didn't work out like I thought it would," she said putting her head down again. 

The doctor stopped her there and turned to Ken asking him to explain the pain he felt that weekend. As he spoke about all the tortuous emotions he had gone through, Jen cried harder and kept apologizing. When it was her turn to talk again, both Ken and Dr. Holdstrome could see and hear the sincerity in her voice. There was nothing phony about her remorse; that was obvious. 

The doctor was good at his profession; he kept them on track and gave both patients ample time to express themselves. Ken waited until the session was nearly at an end before springing his trap. 

"Jen, at least I understand your motives better now but even if we got back together there is one thing that would still be missing from our lives...kids. I know how devastated you were when our baby died, I was too. But even though the doctor said there was no reason to believe it would happen again, you won't even discuss trying again. Jen, I want children. If we stayed together I want to try again."

There it was, the moment of truth. Her reaction to his last statement would determine their future. The way he figured it, she got pregnant the last time they made love, that was not quite five weeks ago. A first baby is rarely on time anyway. Would she think she could fudge the time-line at the end of her pregnancy? Will she try to deceive him and agree to get pregnant then get him into bed as quickly as possible, or will she be honest with him? She had no idea how important her next statement would be.

She was twisting the dirty tissue between her fingers. If she told him, she would always wonder if he took her back out of love or out of a feeling of duty. Well, she thought, I guess I'll never know for sure.

"Ken, I...I have something to tell you. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to use it as a way of getting us back together, but...I...I'm already pregnant. Oh, Ken, she cried, "I'm so scared. If I lose this one, I...I don't think I can take it, I can't take losing another baby."

For the last hour, Ken had been sitting with his heart in his throat. To take her back he had to be able to trust her again. Her confession was certainly a step in the right direction. 

Ken rose from his chair, walked over, and put his arms around the sobbing form of his wife. He still wasn't one hundred percent sure what he was going to do yet, but he wasn't heartless either. He tried to calm her by gently rubbing her shoulder and speaking in a soft voice. 

"Take it easy, Jen. There's no reason at all not to believe this baby will be born strong and healthy."

"That's true, Mrs. Ryan," interjected the doctor. "A lot of women have miscarriages during their first pregnancy then go on to have many more with no problem."

"I know," she said still sobbing, "but I'm scared, I'm just so scared."

The doctor got her another cup of water while Ken continued rubbing her shoulder and speaking in a calm, soothing voice. The allotted time for the session had already gone over but both Ken and Jennifer were doing so well that Dr. Holdstrome didn't want to stop them. Now, however, it was time to end it. He confirmed the date and time of their next session the following week and they left his office together. 

As much as he wanted to bring her home with him, Ken still had a couple of unresolved issues and wanted to go over the things that were said in the doctor's office. She was still trying to get control of herself as she walked toward her car when Ken told her he wasn't about to let her drive in her condition. He insisted on taking her to Jack and Marge's. He walked her inside and made sure she was okay then asked Jack to ride back with him to get her car. It had been a tiring and emotional day, Ken was wiped out by the time his head hit the pillow. 




The Fourth Man Ch. 03



Over the course of the next week, Ken thought about nothing other than everything that had transpired between him and his wife and the events that led them to where they were.

One of the concerns that had bothered him the most, was the brazen way in which she deceived him with her question about him trusting her. It was out of character for her, and for a while, he wondered if he even knew his wife at all. 

The motives she gave at the counseling session sounded more like her kind of logic. As far as he knew she had never lied to him. He could imagine her thinking, 'what if I mess up down the road and he discovered I lied to him?' Whereas by simply asking me to trust her...yeah, she would have definitely felt that was the safer way to go.

Then of course there was the act of betrayal itself. It made no difference to him whether she was with a man or woman, it was still betrayal. Laura had tried to assume full responsibility but Jen could not be exonerated. Okay, there were mitigating circumstances, he thought, her long time fantasy, Laura's salesmanship...it still didn't make a difference. He had only to make a choice...forgive, or don't forgive. He stayed up half the night mentally going through everything that had happened. He looked into his heart and sometime around three in the morning he'd made his decision.

***

It looked as if spring was finally nudging old man winter off his perch in Chicago. For the first time since December the temperature reached the mid-forties. Pools of melted snow made walking a straight line anywhere impossible. 

Ken was already seated in the counselor's office when his wife entered. She looked nervous and scared again as she sat down.

"How are you, Mrs. Ryan?" asked Dr. Holdstrome. 

"Okay, I guess. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and he confirmed my pregnancy. I...I guess I'm just still scared."

"That's understandable, Mrs. Ryan."

"Honey," Ken let the term of endearment slip out. It was the first time since coming back from Hilton Head. "Please try not to worry. This baby is going to be strong and healthy. He's going to be a straight "A" student and a football star. He's going to bring the prettiest girl in town to the senior prom and go on to excel in college and in everything he tries. He's going to marry the most wonderful woman in the world, just like his old man did, and give us lots of grandchildren. I know it."

She almost missed, 'the most wonderful woman in the world,' comment. "How do you know it's going to be a bo...did you say the most wonderful woman in the world?"

Ken sat back with a small grin. "What if I did?" 

Suddenly her face lit up. You could see the hope in her eyes. "Oh, Ken, please don't play games with me, does that mean you forgive me?"

"Jen, I can't tell you how much it hurt when I heard about what you did. I was filled with anger over your deceit. At the same time the pain of knowing you chose someone else over me was unbearable. I kept thinking, would I have done the same thing if I were in your shoes? The answer was always a resounding, no."

Ken rose from his chair and walked over to pour himself a cup of water. "But I also had to take into account eight years of happiness with you as my partner in life. Did those eight years warrant your forgiveness...yes, they do."

Before he could say another word, Jen jumped from her chair and threw herself into her husband's arms. 

"Oh, Ken, I love you so much," she cried squeezing any daylight from their bodies.

"I love you too," he replied. "But this is a one time, 'get out of jail free card,' you understand that, right?"

"Yes, yes, my darling," she said nodding her head quickly. "I promise to be the best wife and mother you could ever want."

EPILOUGE:

After giving birth to a healthy baby boy, Jennifer Ryan kept her promise. Two years later, little Kyle Ryan had a baby sister, Monique. Kyle grew up strong in mind and body and even took the prettiest girl in town to the senior prom...at least he thought she was the prettiest girl in town. Five years later he married her. 

Monique grew up to be a fine young woman. Even if she was a little head strong and gave her father fits sometimes, she was always the apple of his eye. 

Jennifer and Ken Ryan still live happily as man and wife. Now retired they both love doting on their five grandkids. 

Ken still plays golf almost every Sunday with Jack, Smitty, and Arnie. Yes, Arnie recover from his bout with cancer and was back hitting the little white ball with his buddies. They all saw Tara at the course from time to time, in fact she still filled in once in a while. 

What happened to Laura and Bill? Well that's a whole story in itself, isn't it. 

The end.



The Fourth Man



"Hey, old buddy," called an enthusiastic Jack from a golf cart headed his way. "Damn, man, you still look glum. Are you sure you're okay?" he asked pulling up behind Ken's car to transfer his clubs to the cart. 

"Ah, Jen and I are having a little spat, that's all, nothing earth shattering," replied Ken as he strapped his clubs to the back of the golf course vehicle. 

Jack looked inside the trunk before shutting the lid then saw the suit hanging up in the back. "Are you moving out?" he asked suspiciously.

"No, not really, just taking an overnight sabbatical. Come on," he insisted, not wanting to talk about it anymore. "Did they come up with a fourth man?"

"Well, yes and no." 

"What do you mean, yes and no? Either they did or they didn't."

"Well they came up with a fourth person," responded Jack.

Ken looked at him for a second while considering his friend's words..."Oh no, the fourth man is a woman?"

"Yup, her name is Tara but the pro says she shoots in the low eighties so you'd better have your "A" game ready, old buddy, I'd hate to have to tell everyone at work how you were beaten by a lady."

***

Jennifer was putting her suitcase in the car. She would have never thought it possible, but fate had sanctioned her to experience a longing that started when she was still in school; but at what cost? She was aware of her husband's lack of response when she told him she loved him over the phone but the anticipation of the weekend tempered her fearful thoughts with excitement. Now that it was over she was left with only the fear. 

She hadn't had breakfast and was planning to stop for something but decided she had to get home; she wanted to be there for him when Ken returned from the golf course. She wanted to start making things up to him immediately. Her heart started to pound with anxiety as she pressed a little harder on the gas pedal. 

By the time she pulled into the drive she had the entire evening worked out in her head. There were two Cornish hens in the freezer she could thaw quickly in warm water; she knew they also had at least one bottle of her husband's favorite white wine to go with them. While dinner was in the rotisserie she would put on her sexiest lingerie, his favorite, the black corset with garter straps to hold the black thigh high stockings. Just seeing her in that outfit always got him worked up.

After dinner she would make him a present of her behind. She'd always refused him before. No one had ever screwed her in the ass before, not even Ken; she was afraid of the pain. Tonight she would endure the pain for her husband. Tonight he would break her rear cherry. 

Yup, she thought, I will leave no doubt in his mind that he is my one and only lover. By the time I'm done with him tonight he'll be well on the way to forgiving me and never again will there be anymore secrets; I will treat him like a king, because that's what he is.

In spite of the eighty some degrees outside she caught a chill as she walked into the house. Something had changed, their home always seemed so warm and inviting, but for some reason it felt different, lonely and cold. She put her overnight case down and noticed the lamp was missing from the table. Jennifer looked around and saw Ken's favorite painting was also missing; her eyes followed the scratch on the wall down to the broken fragments of both missing pieces. 

She gasped and brought her hand quickly to her mouth. Her anxiety worsened as she realized Ken must have thrown the lamp against the wall and hit the painting. "My God, what have I done," she whispered.

Rarely did Ken lose his temper and never had she seen him enraged to the point of throwing something. She started to tremble as she began to understand the hurt with which she had infected on her loving husband. Not more than three hours prior she had been okay with her decision, now she was racked with guilt. 

Tears leaked from her eyes as Jennifer walked over and carefully knelt down to examine the expensive watercolor. The painting itself was not harmed, but it would have to be reframed. She would do that on Monday and surprise him when he came home after work. She cautiously picked up and threw out as much of the glass and broken pieces of lamp as she could then vacuumed up the rest. 

She checked the time, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon; she knew he'd be coming home soon and she hadn't even started thawing the birds out yet. Suppressing her emotions temporarily, Jen took a deep breath and headed for the kitchen, she was determined to start her penance with his favorite dinner and a romantic evening at home. 

As soon as she had the hens sitting in the warm water, Jennifer walked back out to the hall, picked up her suitcase, and climbed the stairs. She was looking forward to relaxing in a tube of her favorite bath oil, the one that drove Ken crazy with desire from its seductive scent. 

As she turned at the top of the stairs Jen was surprised to see their bedroom door closed. She noticed the lock about the same time she tried the knob, but for a second her brain couldn't conceive why the door wouldn't open. Then it hit her, oh my God, she thought, he's locked me out of our bedroom...but...

She turned and saw her clothes lying on the bed in the guest room. Jen could feel the panic building in her chest as she slowly, nervously walked into the room that had previously been reserved for the occasional over-night company. She sat heavily on the edge of the bed and stared down at the drawer full of panties and bras sitting on the floor. It's not even here, she thought. The corset she was going to wear was in another drawer and she couldn't even get in their room to get it. Her mind flashed backwards to all the events that should have prepared her; the broken lamp, his refusal to say he loved her during her last phone call, the look on his face when she answered his question about the blow-job. All the signs were there, she'd just done a rotten job of reading them.

It was if she'd been hit with an avalanche of guilt, shame, and remorse; she buried her face in her hands and burst out crying hysterically. "Oh God I hope I haven't ruined my marriage," she shrieked aloud. The distraught woman slumped over on the guest bed; her entire body was racked with fright as tears flowed spontaneously down her cheeks. 

She knew he was hurt, he told her, but she had no idea how deeply he was hurt or the height of his anger. She lay sobbing as her mind scoured through a dozen different ways to show him how sorry she was. 

Finally, her tears exhausted, Jen gradually came back to reality. She looked at the clock. She was so preoccupied with her penance, time had slipped away from her. She was shocked to see she had wasted an hour, crying. Where is he, she wondered, he should be home by now. 

She felt listless, her whole body was void of energy, but believing she was running out of time, Jennifer dried the tears from her face and dragged herself into the kitchen to start dinner. After seasoning the hens she stuck them in the rotisserie and set the dining room table, complete with candles. 

She glanced at the clock, it was after four; where was he? He was never this late getting home from golf. Then a terrible thought occurred to her, what if he locked the bedroom door to hide the fact that his clothes were gone; what if he'd left her? 

Oh God, she uttered...no, he wouldn't do that, not without telling me; no, he couldn't do that. Her entire body started to tremble. She was starting to panic for the second time since coming home. She sat on the couch in the living room and started to cry again but kept telling herself that her loving husband would never leave her; not like this, not without confronting her first. 

It took her only a few minutes to convince herself that Ken was probably sitting around drinking beer with his friends and would still be home shortly. Okay, she thought, I can't wear my corset but there's some pretty sexy lingerie in that drawer I can wear. With a new resolve and determination to make things right, Ken's pretty wife ran up the stairs and took a shower. She paid no attention at the dwindling time as she made herself pretty, first with make-up, then with the prettiest lingerie she could find. 

She threw on a robe and returned to the kitchen just in time to remove the Cornish hens and set the table. Refusing to believe he wouldn't be walking in at any second, she lit the candles and took her place alongside her husband's chair. 

A tear rolled down her smooth cheek as she sat alone and listened to the grandfather clock in the living room sound six times. Jennifer had never felt as lonely as she did at that moment. She had to accept the fact that the romantic evening she had planned was not going to happen. She had avoided calling him, she was hoping to surprise him but now she felt as if she had no choice. 

Jen took a deep breath and forced herself to pick up the phone. She was terrified of what her husband might tell her. Her hands shook as she touched the familiar numbers.

Ken was just getting ready to walk across the street to the local Denny's for dinner when his phone rang. He looked and saw it was his house phone. He sighed, he knew it was coming; in fact he was surprised it took her so long.

"Hello," Ken answered with no emotion in his voice.

"Hon...honey," he heard his wife say softly from the other end. 

"This is Ken," he responded curtly.

Jen's heart sunk even deeper at his reply but she wasn't going to react. "I...I just wondered when...I, ah...I made Cornish hens for dinner, honey; I wondered when you'll be home." 

"Good question, I don't know, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week; I'm not sure."

"Oh, honey, please come home. I'm sorry, I know I hurt you. Please let me make it up to you, please."

"Make it up to me? And just how are you going to do that, Jen? How are you going to erase the doubts and suspicions that I've been wrestling with all weekend? I've tried coming up with every possibility I can think of for why you can't tell me where you were and it always comes back to one thing...you were with another man. It's the only thing that makes sense, Jen; it's the ONLY thing!" 

"Oh, my darling please, please trust me. What I did had been a fantasy of mine since I was a young girl. It was something I had to do. I just can't tell you what it was. Please darling, please come home. I WILL make it up to you, honest. I'll do whatever it takes, honey...please."

He heard her break down and start to cry. He still had no proof she was with someone and hearing her sob was tugging at his heart strings but he was determined to give her some of her own medicine. 

"I might be home tomorrow after work," he stated emphatically. 

"Honey, won't you please come home now, please?"

"No."

"Okay," she mumbled between sobs. "May I ask where you are?"

"No. If I don't need to know where you were, you don't need to know where I am...or who I'm with."

Jen didn't think she could feel any worse but hearing Ken say those last four words almost caused her to throw-up. She fought to keep it from happening and had to swallow before she could speak again. 

"Ken, ar...are you with a woman? Oh, honey, please don't do this."

"I didn't say I was with a woman but if I can't ask questions neither can you."

"Ken, that's not fair; you agreed. You agreed not to ask questions, you said I could go. Please, please come home and let's forget all about the weekend."

"Jen, listen to me. I went through absolute hell wondering if you were in the arms of another man. I can't ever remember being so angry or so hurt in my life. It's going to take a hell-of-a-long time before I forget it. In the meantime, I don't want you trying to make up for it. I don't want you sleeping with me; I don't even want you around me anymore than necessary. That's why I locked the bedroom door. Until I say different you can sleep in the guest room."

Ken could hear Jennifer crying as he disconnected. He was still conflicted with emotions. Why did she have to pull a stunt like this, he asked himself, it was so unlike her. Could her weekend really have been about something innocent? He was going to feel like a real heel if that turned out to be the case. 

It was that thought that kept him up for the fifth night in a row.

***

"Alright I want the truth, damn it, what's the hell's going on between you and Jennifer?" Jack asked as he walked into Ken's office closing the door behind him. 

Ken looked up from the paper work he'd been unconsciously staring at for the last half-hour.

Jack walked over and sat in one of the chairs across the desk from his friend and looked him in the eye. 

"First I see an overnight bag in your trunk, a suit hanging up in your car, and then you play the worst game of golf I've ever seen you play. Not only did Tara beat you but I beat you and Smitty came with-in two strokes; something's drastically wrong, old buddy, and it's obviously not doing you any good to keep it bottled up inside so spill it."

As uncomfortable as he was, maybe Jack was right, maybe he needed to get it off his chest. "Jack, do you trust your wife?"

"Marge? Of course I do."

"What if she said she was going away for the weekend and she didn't want you to ask where she was going, what she'd be doing, or who she'd be with?"

"I'd know immediately where she was," Jack responded.

"You would; where?"

"Her brother's house, she knows I can't stand the bum," Jack said with a smile.

"Come on, Jack, this is serious, that's exactly what Jennifer hit me with the other night. She wanted my blessing to go away for the weekend but didn't want me to ask where she was going or what she'd be doing. She has a brother to but he's a great guy with a wife and kids; no, there's only one reason I can think of for all the secrecy, she was with another man."

"Oh, Ken, no way; there's no way Jen would cheat on you, come on, you know better than that."

"Do I? Okay then, tell me, what else could it be? Can you think of another reason why she'd go away like that, because I sure as hell can't?"

"Did she say anything; give you any clues whatsoever?"

"All she'd say was that it was something she had to do. It was supposed to be about some fantasy from her childhood."

"And that sounds like she was with another man to you? How many little girls do you know who have a fantasy about screwing some guy? It's probably something embarrassing and she just doesn't want to tell you, that's all."

Ken looked down in thought but spoke almost immediately. "I can't believe something from her childhood would be so important that she'd go ahead and do it knowing how much it would hurt me."

"Okay," Jack said, "if she was going to be with a guy why wouldn't she just lie and tell you she had to go visit a sick friend or something? I mean, if you're going to cheat on your spouse wouldn't it be better to avoid suspicion and make up some excuse for going away?"

Ken had to admit, Jack was making sense. He'd thought of that himself and couldn't figure out why she wouldn't just come up with a good lie. 

Jack continued, "Look, my friend, we've all known each other for many years. Your wife and mine are the best of friends. If Jen was cheating on you Marge would know it, there's not a doubt in my mind about that, just like there's no doubt that Marge could never keep it from me; and as far as I know, Jen has never even looked at another man? No, whatever she's up to, I'm sure it's not adultery."

"I don't know," said Ken still with some skepticism in his voice. "Maybe you're right, I sure hope so because if I ever find out she was fucking some other guy it would be curtains for our marriage."

"Come on, man, Jen loves you to death. I'm telling you, there's no way Jen was out fucking around, she wouldn't do that to you." 

Jack stood and started to leave; as he grabbed the doorknob he looked at Ken once more. "Go home, man. Go home and make love to your pretty wife. Forget all about the weekend. Whatever she did she's simply too embarrassed to tell you about it, that's all...oh, I meant to tell you; our fourth man said she had fun and hopes we'll call her again to play with us. What do you think?"

"Yeah, sure, she'll probably change her mind when I whip her ass the next time though. I played lousy yesterday, but there's no way she can beat my regular game," Ken said with knowing smile.

"Okay, my friend, I'm going to hold you to that; see you later." He hesitated just before walking out. "You know some women are into that."

"Into what?"

"Whipping their ass," he said with a chuckle.

As the day dragged on, Jack's words kept playing over and over in Ken's mind. He loved his wife. He wanted to believe it was just as his friend said, she was simply too embarrassed over something to tell him about it.

***

The screen door hissed as it closed behind him. Ken put his briefcase down then climbed the stairs to change out of his suit and into some comfortable clothes. He hadn't seen nor heard his wife until he came back down into the living room. She was sitting on the couch. Tracks from her tears where very prominently displayed down her cheeks. She had a wet, dirty tissue rolled up in her fingers and her hands shook despite resting in her lap. Her voice was weak and hoarse from sobbing.

"Don't..." she sniffled while still looking down. "Don't you love me anymore?" she asked in fear of his answer.

"Jen, if I didn't love you anymore your clothes would be in the front lawn instead of the other bedroom."

She finally looked at him and for the first time he could see how red and puffy her eyes were. "I'm...I'm so sorry, honey," she cried, "I'm so sorry I hurt you like I did. I...I didn't realize...I mean, I...I didn't know...oh honey, please forgive me," she begged before bringing the dirty hankie up to her nose and starting to cry again.

"Jennifer, as long as you..."

She anticipated his statement. In her anxiety she didn't even let him finish. "Oh Ken, please...I...it had nothing to do with sleeping with another man," she blurted out, "nothing, honey; please believe me, I did not screw anyone."

Her emotional declaration took him by surprise. "Then WHY? Why would you put me through hell all weekend like that? Damn it, Jen, I don't get it; why didn't you tell me that before you left? You had to know what I was thinking. Do you know the kind of pain I went through picturing you in the arms of another man? Why would you leave letting me think that if it wasn't true? Hell, Jen, how am I even supposed to believe you now...after the fact?

"Oh, honey...please, I'm telling you the truth," she cried! "Honest, Ken, you have to believe me."

Ken stood and stared at his wife while her words soaked in. She sure sounded sincere. "Jen, I just don't know..."

"Honey, please believe me. I didn't say anything before I left because I didn't want you asking a lot of questions and I thought the best way to avoid that was to simply not say anything at all. To tell you the truth it wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it would be; the fantasy was much better than the reality, but it was something I had to do, something..."

"Yeah, I know," Ken said snidely cutting her off, "something you've wanted to do since you were a little girl; you told me. That's one of the things that hurts so bad, Jen, you excluded me from something that was important to you. We've been an integral part of one another's lives for the last eight years. I've always included you in my life and it hurt to think that you didn't feel the same way. Then I wondered if this just the first step? What else would you exclude me from?"

"I know," she sobbed. "I...so sorry, honey; I didn't think about it like that. It was thoughtless of me. I...I had no idea this would hurt you so badly."




The Fourth Man



"Yeah...well, to tell you the truth I didn't know it would either. It bothered me when I said you could go but I was hoping you'd change your mind. Then when you actually left...well, the idea of you excluding me from an important part of your life was bad enough, but the thought of you meeting some lover from your past just festered like an open sore. I tried telling myself you wouldn't do that; there was just no way you would cheat on me, but as much as I tried, I just couldn't come up with any other reason for your behavior."

She lowered her eyes. "I...I guess I thought you trusted me more than you do," she said meekly. 

"Jen, trust is one thing, but what you pulled over the weekend goes way beyond trust, it's more like blind faith or something; I don't know. What was it that Reagan said, 'trust but verify,' well I have no way to verify."

Jennifer just sat sobbing even more heavily. Ken was still pissed but his wife's statement about not being with another man gave him a certain amount of relief. He also wasn't made of stone. It wasn't a stranger sitting there crying her heart out, it was the woman he loved. Ken walked over, sat beside her and put his arm around her trembling body. 

Jen immediately buried her face into his chest and put her arms around him.

"Alright, take it easy," he said while gently rubbing her shoulder. "As far as I know you haven't done anything wrong but I still need some time to come to terms with all of this."

He could feel her head nodding into his chest showing she understood but offering no more in the way of an explanation. 

"I still think it's better if we sleep in different rooms for the time being."

That brought on a big sob and she tightened her grip around his waist. "Oh please, please don't make me sleep without you again." 

"I'm sorry, Jen," he said, but that's the way it has to be, at least for a while."

They sat holding each other a little longer before Jennifer had to dish up supper. She looked like a whipped dog with her tail between her legs for the rest of the evening; it wasn't an act, it was exactly how she felt.

That night, as Ken heard his bride of eight years quietly weeping from the guest bedroom, he wondered how long he'd be able to hold out. He was already missing her lying beside him. 

***

"So...how'd it go yesterday," asked Jack as he sat in the same chair as the day before. 

"Ah, well, better than I had expected. She at least told me she wasn't out fucking anybody."

"You believe her?" 

"I don't know; I'd sure as hell like to. Why... don't you?" Ken asked his rather smug looking friend.

"Of course, I was the one who told you she wouldn't cheat in the first place, remember? So, everything's back to normal then?"

"Well I wouldn't exactly say that, I'm still pissed. I'm making her sleep in the guest room for a while to give me some time to cool off," said Ken.

"I guess I can understand that. To tell you the truth if Marge had pulled something like that she'd be sleeping there too. When I got home last night I asked her if she knew anything about Jen's mysterious weekend trip. She said she thought it might have something to do with when she was in high school; something she never got a chance to do."

"Some-THING, or Some-GUY?" Ken asked curtly. 

"No, no, some-THING," Jack replied with a cautious smile. "I guess Jen never really came out and said what it was but Marge is sure it had nothing to do with fucking some guy. She doesn't believe Jen would cheat on you anymore than I do."

"Yeah, that seems to be the general consensus," Ken replied leaning back in his chair daring a small gratifying smile. "To tell you the truth, I really don't think she would either. I guess I'm going to take your advice and just try to forget about it. In spite of all the thoughts I had over the weekend, I just don't see her cheating on me."

"Okay then," Jack said as he shifted his posture and leaned forward. "Not to change the subject but I got a call from Arnie's wife and he's not going to make it next Sunday for golf again."

"Again," responded Ken with a surprised look. "Is something wrong, it's not like him to miss two weeks in a row?" 

"I guess his back is bothering him. Linda said he wasn't able to go to work all week. He has an appointment with the doc on Thursday.

"Hell, I hope it's nothing serious."

"Yeah, me too; listen, now that you have your head out of your ass, you want another crack at Tara? I was thinking of calling her to see if she can fill in again."

"You really seem to like her, Jack. You sure you two aren't having an affair of your own?" teased Ken.

"Me!" Jack countered. "You're the one she flirted with for eighteen holes."

"Yeah...right; she was just trying to keep me distracted so she could beat me. She's in for a rude awakening this time."

Jack broke into a big grin. "Ah huh, you can't tell me you didn't notice that sexy, little waggle she does before hitting the ball."

"You mean how she wiggles that pretty, little ass," joked ken. "I'm not dead, old buddy; of course I noticed. It won't be enough to save her from the jaws of defeat though...not this time." 

"Yeah, well we'll see. I've got a feeling she hasn't even started to turn on the real charm yet."

Ken felt better after Jack left his office. He made an effort to separate himself from any jealous or insecure thoughts and tried looking at the situation from a completely impartial standpoint. 

In eight years of marriage he never even saw his wife so much as flirt with another man. Their sex life was good and she always seemed to be satisfied. Certainly anyone who knew her was adamant about her love and loyalty to him. No, if he weighed the pros and cons the circumstantial evidence was heavily in her favor. 

Okay, he said to himself, if I keep going back and forth like this I'm going to drive myself crazy. I gave her permission to go in the first place because I did trust her. It wasn't until she was actually gone when my overactive imagination kicked in and I decided she must be meeting another man. There's certainly no proof of that, and up until this weekend I've never had cause to doubt her sincerity or her fidelity. As far as I know she's never lied to me so when she says she wasn't with another man what justification do I have to call her a liar; none, absolutely nada.

Ken arose from his chair and walked to the window. The telecommunications company he worked for was located in a northwest suburb of Chicago. His office was on the fifth floor; from there he could see the Hancock Center, Willis Tower, and most of down town. Somehow the view always reminded him of what a lucky man he was. He could surmise how much misery and heartache there was down there. His parents made sure he was well educated, he had a great job that afforded him a comfortable lifestyle, he had a great wife who loved him and good friends; yeah, he was a very lucky man.

He also loved her, so without even acknowledging it, he was talking himself into forgiving her. Ken had made up his mind. He turned to walk back to his desk. It was over; oh he would always wonder what she did or didn't do and he would always remember the torment he went through, but for now at least, no more incriminations. He would let his wife back into the bedroom and try to put it all behind them. 

A sense of relief came over him as he sat back down and looked at the work that had piled up on his desk during the last few days. He wanted things normal again. He was tired of guessing what she may or may not have done. He wanted his loving and loyal wife back. 

"Betty," he called to his secretary through the intercom, "would you grab a couple of coffees and come in to help me prioritize some things, please?"

"Sure, Ken," she answered.

By the end of the day Ken and Betty had everything caught up, and for the first time in almost a week, he was driving home in a good mood. 

Continued...