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Bang! Bang!

By: callmesparky



No sex in this story. If you're into husbands who willingly watch their wives betray them, this is probably not your story.

*****

BANG! BANG! BANG!

It was a typical Thursday evening that was about to become anything but typical. My wife Anna and I were working together in the kitchen, as we do so often, preparing dinner. She was mincing an onion while I sliced cheese and cut ham into tiny cubes for our omelets when she said something that got my attention.

"Brad, we've been married almost 7 years and we've always been completely honest with each other haven't we?"

I stopped cutting on the ham and answered, "of course we have, we agreed that was one of the most important parts of our relationship before we said 'I Do' to each other."

She turned away from the counter and looked at me, she looked pensive. "I met someone."

Suddenly the hair on the back of my neck stood straight out like I'd just received an electric shock. "You met someone? What does that mean exactly, you met someone?" I asked even though I was deathly afraid I already knew the answer.

"A guy at work, a really nice guy, I've been having lunch with him."

"I'm guessing there's more to the story so go on. Are you saying you met this really nice guy from work that you've been having lunch with and you like him, maybe like him a lot?"

A guilty look flashed across her face and she looked away from me and nodded her head and said "yes" very softly.

Suddenly I wasn't at all hungry for omelets or anything else. In fact I was becoming nauseated, but I had to continue the conversation. I dropped the knife on the cutting board and placed both hands on the table to steady myself. "How far has it gone, you know, between you and this really nice guy?" She could tell there was a great deal of tension in my voice and she backed up against the counter.

"Just lunch every day for a few weeks and dinner last week, when you had that late business meeting."

"Have the two of you held hands, kissed, done any heavy petting?"

Her face went pale and again she nodded. "We've kissed."

The ugly bile was creeping into my throat and I was close to choking on it. "Have you had sex with him?"

She looked up at me briefly and shook her head no, "not yet."

That staggered me and I had to pull out a chair and sit down. "So, you haven't fucked yet, but you're planning on it?"

A jerky nod yes. "I think so. He wants me to go away with him for a weekend."

"And are you going?"

"Yes, I don't want to upset you, but I need to find out what he means to me. I'm sorry Brad, I know this is hurting you and I hate that, but I told him I'd go with him. I couldn't sneak off without telling you, we've always been so honest with each other about everything."

"May I ask where the two of you are going?"

"Las Vegas."

"Sharing a room I suppose?"

"He says he's reserved a suite."

"Big spender."

"He thinks a lot of me."

"I'm sure he does. When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Wow, you sure waited till the last second to tell me, huh?"

"I waited to say something because I had to be absolutely sure I was going through with it before I hurt you."

I almost chuckled at that, but it came out as more of a choked sob. "That was thoughtful of you Anna. Does he know you're married?"

"Yes, of course. I always wear my wedding rings ."

"Do me a favor and don't wear them when you're in his bed in Las Vegas."

"Brad, I talk about you all the time when I'm with him."

"Wonderful and I'm sure you've had lots of great things to tell him about me like I'm a nice guy just like him, but I'm kind of boring in bed and I'm a poor provider and I leave toenail clippings on the carpet and a lot of other little negative things that have driven you away from me."

She looked shocked. "I've never said anything bad about you Brad. He knows I love you."

"But not enough to keep you from going away with him for a sex filled weekend. You love me but apparently you're not in love with me, is that it?"

"No, oh, I don't know, I'm confused."

"So you're jumping into the arms of the really nice man who knows you're married, but doesn't give a shit, so you can get un-confused, is that right? A few days and nights in Vegas, in his arms and his bed to clear everything up about how you feel about me and him? Letting him have your body, which by the way you promised exclusively to me a few years ago. Letting him fuck you till you can't stand up. Are either one of you taking condoms or are you just going to let him cum inside you all weekend."

She actually had a few tears rolling down her cheek. "I'm on the pill Brad so there's no need for condoms."

"Has your really nice guy been tested lately for STD's?"

"He's not that way Brad. He hasn't been with a woman in over two years."

"So he says, but I'll bet you a million dollars that he has. He's a pussy hound Anna. He sees a beautiful, sexy married woman and he wants her. It's the ultimate game for guys like him. Steal the beautiful married woman and fuck her, make her pathetic husband a cuckold. If I'm right and he hasn't been tested you might find out that what happens in Vegas might not stay in Vegas. It just might follow you home in a very unpleasant way. Is this nice guy your boss?"

"No, he's my bosses' boss."

"So, you're really trading up are you? No sense in climbing the corporate ladder when you can use your wet pussy to slide up and down on a rung that's several pay scales above you."

"I don't know what I'm doing Brad, but I want to find out and the crude way you're treating me isn't helping."

"I'm not of a mind to help you go away with another man for a hot weekend of fucking in Vegas Anna. Let me ask you something. If I beg you not to go, if I get down on my knees and plead with you to stay here with me, will you do it?"

She looked down at the floor and shook her head. "I can't Brad. I told Stan I'd go with him and I can't break my word."

At least now I knew his name. "Wow, I see. You can easily break the sacred vows you made to me seven years ago, but you can't break your promise to Stan. Is that right?"

"I'm sorry Brad. I don't want to hurt you, but I have to do this for me. Please try to understand."

I knew right then I'd lost her, but out of my pain and misery I had an idea. A parting shot that wouldn't change her mind, but might make her think about what her actions would do to us. I stood up and turned to the basement door. "Wait here, I want to show you something. Then I'll get out of your way and you can get ready for your trip."

I went into the basement and rummaged around till I found the Halloween prop I was looking for. Then I opened our wall safe and removed a piece of paper, grabbed a hammer and some nails and carried it all back up to the kitchen.

Anna looked at me like I'd lost my mind when she saw I'd dragged a small wooden coffin we used as a Halloween decoration up the stairs.

"What's that for?"

"Just humor me for a minute. We've been together a long time and before we end it I want to show you something." I placed the 3 foot wood coffin on the kitchen table, scooting the ham and cheese I'd been working on off the cutting board and onto the floor. "This is a coffin. Well a cheap Halloween prop, but still it's a coffin. Here is the lid that goes on the coffin. This is a hammer and these are nails." When I showed the hammer to her she began to look nervous. "And this" I said, holding up the paper I'd taken from the wall safe, "is our marriage license."

I opened the lid of the coffin, placed our wedding license inside and placed the lid back onto the coffin.

"Brad what are you doing? Put our marriage license back where you got it."

"Why Anna, it doesn't mean anything anymore? It's where it belongs, inside the coffin, ready for burial."

She started to tear up again. "What are you talking about Brad, its proof that we're married."

"Which after you walk out that door to be with Stan tomorrow won't be true anymore."

Now she was getting frantic. "You don't know that Brad. I don't know that."

"Oh yes, but I do know that Anna. Your decision is to go away with Stan. My decision is to divorce you. Now sit and listen for a moment. Our marriage license is inside the coffin, right where it belongs." I took a nail and placed it at the corner of the coffin lid, BANG! BANG! BANG! I drove it through the lid into the coffin. The sound was so loud in that small room that it scared Anna and she jumped. 

"That is the first nail, it represents the times you went out to lunch and dinner with the really nice guy Stan." I took another nail and placed it on an adjacent corner, BANG! BANG! BANG! "That's the second nail. It represents the passionate kisses you shared with the really nice guy Stan."

Anna's eyes were big and her mouth had started to quiver as she watched me.

BANG! BANG! BANG! I drove the third nail into the next to last corner. "That nail represents you agreeing to go away with the really nice guy Stan to Vegas for the weekend." I held up the final nail and placed it against the lid at the fourth and last corner of the coffin. BANG! I hit it one time just hard enough to start it firmly into the wood. "That's the fourth nail Anna. You've heard the expression about something being the final nail in the coffin. The nail that seals it up for all eternity, that irrevocably finalizes the fate of whomever or whatever is inside. That final nail is only partially in, but our marriage is inside that coffin Anna so when you walk out that door to go to Las Vegas with that really nice guy Stan in the morning, that last nail will be pounded into the coffin and our life together will be over, irreconcilably and irrevocably."

"You don't mean that Brad! You can't throw us away over one indiscretion."

"I'm not throwing us away Anna, you are. I have loved you with every fiber of my being. You are the most beautiful, sexiest woman I've ever known and it has been my honor and joy to have had you as my wife for the last 7 years. No I'm not the one throwing us away. If I could, I'd climb inside that coffin with the proof of our marriage and be buried right along with it. Oh, and just to satisfy my curiosity and run your dagger deeper into my heart I have to ask. If I looked inside the luggage you're packing to take would I find some sexy panty and bra sets and maybe a beautiful negligee that you bought just for this occasion?"

Anna didn't answer, she just continued to cry quietly, but the look on her face told me the answer.

"That's what I thought. I'm leaving now. I don't want to be here to witness your final act of betrayal. I'll come back and collect what I need to get by for the next couple of weeks after you've left with Stan. If you have any extra time while you're in Vegas, though I suspect you'll be too busy warming Stan's bed to think of anything else, you might give some thought to what items in the house you would like to keep. I won't be here when you get back, but my lawyer will be in touch in the next week or two." I grabbed my jacket and went out the door, got in my car and drove away. I had just gone through the most horrific evening of my life and I felt dead, numb from the ears down. I had no idea where I was going and I didn't care, I just needed to get away. 

Chapter 2

I knew I couldn't keep anything in my stomach so I found a Motel 6 on the opposite side of town from the airport. I didn't want to be tempted to hang out in the departure area to see what the really nice guy Stan looked like. It didn't matter, he'd won, or at least I'd lost. My cell phone went off a few times and caller ID told me it was Anna so I ignored it. The last thing I wanted was to hear more of her justifications for turning her back on what I'd always thought was a wonderful marriage.

I slept fitfully with thoughts of Anna crying out in ecstasy while the nice guy Stan fucked her brains out. I was sure that before the weekend was over he'd know all of Anna's little secrets; she didn't like Anal, at least with me; she has a really sensitive spot behind her knees that makes her insanely hot when you kiss her there; she loves to have her feet massaged and if you lick the top and sides of her clit she will climb the walls. I was always so sure that those secrets were just for me. What a stupid ass wimp I was to believe I could keep her forever. 

I got up early, showered, put the same clothes back on and went to the nearest Denny's for coffee and toast, that's all I thought I could keep down. As hard as I tried to not think about what Anna was doing at any given moment I couldn't get away from it. I seemed to be locked in some pitiful vortex of seeing my wife, the one woman I thought would be with me forever, holding hands with Stan on the plane, kissing him in the taxi and hurrying through check in so they could get to their room and start fucking. I've heard people describe the level of pain they felt at being cheated on, but never realized how totally incapacitating it is.

I waited till 8:30 to call my office to let my assistant know I wouldn't be in. She asked if I was under the weather and I told her yes, but hopefully I'd be my old self again by Monday. As I hung up I noticed I had at least a dozen missed calls from Anna and checking further I found another dozen text messages from her. I didn't delete them, but I didn't read them either. I did notice that the last text and call had come in at 7:45 with nothing after that so I figured she'd stopped trying to reach me when she left to be with Stan, the wife stealing asshole, I refused to call him a nice guy ever again since he was as far from that as anyone could be. I would, I knew find a way to take revenge on him when the time was right.

To be on the safe side I waited till 10:30 to go back to the house and get what I needed to start my new life as a single man. When I pulled into my driveway and pushed the button to open the garage door I saw that Anna's car wasn't there and reality stepped in and slapped me around, she'd probably driven it to meet Stan so she wouldn't have to take a taxi. I chastised myself for trying to think that she might have changed her mind and stayed home. "Face it asshole, she left you. She got a better deal, a guy to take her to Las Vegas and pound her pussy for an entire weekend in a luxury suite. Now wake up and get on with your life. You may never find another woman as beautiful as her, but you'll find someone. Deep down I wasn't believing a word I was thinking.

Inside the house was eerily quiet and looking at it through the dazed eyes of a man with a broken heart it looked odd to me. It used to feel so warm and alive and now seemed cold and lifeless. I walked through the kitchen and noticed that the cheese and ham bits I'd knocked on the floor had been cleaned up and the coffin was no longer on the table. I figured it was likely in the trash can. Guess my little tutorial hadn't had much effect on Anna's decision making. I know, lust is a powerful thing and when you are coiled up in its grip it's hard to be rational.

I made my way up the stairs to the master bedroom wondering how long it would be before Stan was fucking my wife on what used to be our marriage bed. Damn it I had to stop torturing myself like that. 

When I entered the room I saw the coffin resting in the middle of the bed, the lid pried half open, a crowbar sitting beside it. Someone, likely Anna had gone to a lot of effort to pull some of those ten penny nails out of that thing. Out of curiosity I inspected further and found the marriage license I'd locked inside now lying between the two pillows at the head of the bed. "Guess she didn't even want to let me have that victory" I said out loud.

I turned to my dresser to grab my underwear and socks and there, on the table next to the window were three beautiful and I'm sure very expensive bra and panty sets cut to ribbons and scattered on top of the sexiest yellow negligee I'd ever seen, it too had been slashed to ribbons. On top of the pile was a piece of paper and written on it in black marker pen were the words, "I CANNOT SHARE WHAT I DO NOT OWN"

"What the hell?" I said out loud. I turned back to the bed and saw a similar piece of paper resting against the coffin. "I CANNOT SHARE WHAT I DO NOT OWN" the same message in the same black ink. Then the sound of screeching tires and the unmistakable sound of two cars slamming together came from in front of the house, but before I could react the front door slammed open and a woman screamed, "BRAD, where are you? OH GOD, PLEASE BE HERE! Oh Please Brad, you have to be here so I can tell you how wrong I was, how horribly stupidly wrong I was!" 

I heard her running to the stairs and heard her stumble and fall half way up. She was crying hysterically and when she looked up and saw me standing at the top of the landing she reached her arms out to me and began to crawl her way up. In all our 7 years of being married and 2 years of dating before that I had never seen her look so bad. She had no makeup on, her hair was a mess, her eyes were puffy and red and she was wearing a Cal Tech sweatshirt, grey sweatpants and a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers that I'd bought for her as a joke one Christmas.

"Anna, what are you doing, where's Stan?" I asked her.

She shook her head NO violently and said, "I cannot share what I do not own Brad, that's what I told him."

"Told who?"

"Stan, that's what I told him when he came to pick me up. "I cannot share what I do not own. I was dressed just like this. He asked why I wasn't ready to go to Las Vegas with him and I told him again, I cannot share what I do not own. He said 'what the hell does that mean?' and I told him I couldn't go anywhere with him, would never go anywhere with him, would never talk to him again because I did not own the body he wanted so badly to fuck. That body belongs only to my husband and never, ever to anyone else. I cannot share what I do not own. My husband alone owns every inch of me and I will never share any of it with anyone else." 

She continued to crawl slowly up the stairs toward me. "He called me names Brad, he said I was a bitch and a cock tease and I'd caused him to waste good money on airfare and a suite at the Aria. He said he'd let everyone at work know I was a slut and he'd get me fired. I told him he couldn't do that because I quit! He was so angry that his tires screeched for a block when he drove off."

She finally reached the landing and wrapped her arms around my ankles and hugged my legs. "I am so ashamed!" she cried out. "I hurt the only person in the world that has proven over and over again how much he loves me and would do anything for me. I broke the sacred trust of the man that is my whole life. I am so, so sorry!" and she wept.

She held onto me like that for what seemed like an eternity, but was surely only a few minutes. I was stunned, too stunned to move. The woman that was my life that I worshiped with every breath I took, my alpha and omega, my beginning and end had brutally broken my heart and now, half a day later she was hugging my legs and sobbing. 

Every fiber in my body wanted me to pick her up and tell her how much I cherish her and that we would get through this terrible time, but I was frozen in place, unable to move. All the events of the last 15 hours went crashing through my brain. I believed in my heart that she had not consummated her relationship with Stan sexually, but still, in my mind she had betrayed me. A married woman does not have intimate lunches and dinners with another man. A married woman does not share passionate kisses with another man. A married woman does not accept and plan a lover's getaway in Las Vegas with another man. True, she had come to her senses before any real damage had been done, but she had betrayed me none the less.


Bang! Bang!



I stood there looking down at the woman who until last night had been my world and it was obvious that she was in as much pain as I was. Our marriage was teetering on the brink of a very dark abyss and I wondered if we had the strength going forward to keep from toppling over the edge.

I reached down and lifted Anna to her feet and we held each other until her sobbing quieted.

"Let's go make some fresh coffee." I told her.

"Thank you Brad, oh Brad" she whispered, "I think I broke your car when I pulled into the driveway just now." 

"Yeah, I heard it. We'll talk about that too" I told her.

I helped her back down the stairs and into the kitchen. As we sipped our coffee I asked her. "What changed your mind? Last night you were so sure that you had to go with Stan. What changed?"

She peeked at me over the rim of her cup, her dark eyes still red and swollen. "You buried our marriage."

"What do you mean?"

"You put our marriage license in that awful coffin and nailed down the lid. After you left I went upstairs to pack, but all I could think about was our marriage license inside that dark, terrible place. Our marriage was over, you were burying it. It was in a place with no air, no light and it couldn't get out. And then I began to think of all the wonderful things that license had given us, all it had meant to me. We were a team, so happy when we were together and I thought of how happy you had always made me. I guess I dozed off because I dreamed that I was in that coffin, that dark place and I felt like I was suffocating. It was so real that it woke me up and I knew I had to somehow get that lid off that coffin and get our marriage back out where it could breathe, where I could breathe."

She laughed a little. "I never realized how well you hid your tools. It took me at least an hour to find the crowbar and another half hour to drag that coffin up to the bedroom and pry the lid up enough to get our license out. I felt obsessed. I had to get it out before you could hammer the last nail into the coffin."

"When did you decide not to go with Stan?"

Again she giggled, a sound that warmed my soul. "About two seconds after you walked out the door I knew I could never go away with Stan or anybody else. I felt so stupid and ashamed. How could I treat the only man I have ever loved the way I'd treated you? I tried over and over again to call you, but you wouldn't pick up. Then I started texting you, but that didn't work either. Much later, after I'd finally gotten the coffin lid pried up to where I could reach inside it I thought of how I would tell Stan I never wanted to see him again. I removed all my makeup and dug out your old Cal Tech sweatshirt and sweatpants and put them on, my eyes were already red and ugly from all the crying I'd done and I wondered how beautiful Stan would think I was when he saw the real me, the real me that you see all the time and you still love me?"

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever known Anna. Even now you look perfect to me."

"And when I realized that I knew I had to do everything in my power to get you back. To make you love me again. I hadn't packed much yet, but when I started to unpack I saw the negligee and panty and bra sets I'd bought for the trip with Stan and I broke down again. Suddenly the mere sight of them made me ill. They were the final expression of my betrayal and I had to destroy them so I took my scissors and ripped them all up. You know they cost a lot of money too, but I couldn't stand to look at them so I destroyed them just like I thought I'd destroyed you and our marriage. 

That was when I went to where I'd placed our marriage license and I picked it up and studied it. It's really simple. It says that Anna Stanford and Brad Connolly were united in holy matrimony on June 12th, 2005 and it was witnessed by my maid of honor and your best man. But while I looked at it, it all came back to me. We stood in front of all our family and friends and gave ourselves to each other. We vowed to be faithful to each other until death and I cried again realizing I could not share myself with anyone but you. I cannot share what I do not own, and that's what I told Stan when he came to pick me up."

"Thank you for telling me. You've given me a lot to think about."

"Do you think we're going to get by this and be alright?"

"I don't know Anna. I hope so, but right now I don't know. You just about killed me last night. I've never felt pain like that in my life. I felt so betrayed, so alone, so helpless. do you have any idea how it feels to know that the one person on earth you love beyond all others, the one you've always trusted without question is choosing another man over you?""

She broke into tears again. "Oh Brad I am so sorry. I was out of my mind. I'd do anything to make it better, even die if that would help."

"That would definitely not help. I want you alive and healthy and more than anything I want to be able to trust you again. That won't be as hard as it could be because, as you said, we've always been honest with each other, even last night you told me how you felt."

"How I thought I felt Brad."

"How you thought you felt. So, what now Anna?"

"I don't know about you but I didn't sleep well last night and if it's ok with you I'd like to take you to bed with me."

"I don't know. It might be too soon for that."

"We don't have to do anything Brad. I just want to feel you next to me where only you belong."

Her dark eyes were so pleading that I couldn't refuse. OK, but no messing around Anna, I'm still mad at you."

A tiny smile caught the corners of her mouth. "Anything you say darling" and she crossed her heart as she took my arm and led me up the stairs to our room. "Absolutely no messing around."

Prologue

Things were touch and go for a couple of months. As hard as I tried there were times when that night flashed back in my mind and I got moody. Anna seemed to sense when those times happened and she'd smoother me with love to the point where she became the only thought in my mind. 

She did quit her job and when her immediate boss and HR wanted to know why, she told them. Yes she was embarrassed, but she needed to get it off her chest. Not too surprisingly the head of HR told her that there had been three prior sexual harassment complaints about the really nice guy Stan and to make a long story short he found himself without a job and no references. Anna was not only allowed to keep her job, but given a rather substantial sum of money to promise not to sue the company. She only stayed on for about six months because we discovered we were about to become parents. I guess there's more than one way to BANG! BANG! BANG! to make an impression.

Oh and yeah, of course. as soon as Anna got me up the stairs and onto our bed that faithful day, we, well I think you know.

The end



Bang, Bang, Out Went the Lights



Just another story. I have friends that are deeply involved in coonhound competitions, and they gave me advice. If I got it wrong, blame me.

................................................

Ever think about words and their meaning? I do, sometimes.

Cliche is one of my favorites. In most dictionaries the standard definition is: "A phrase dulled in meaning by repetition".

In my case the cliche was a cheating spouse. I know, I know, the cliche of cliches. An occurrence so common in marriages we seem to have a whole section of the judicial system dedicated to it.

Even that has become cliche. It's no longer an infrequent event, allowing the system to become jaded, bandying around "irreconcilable differences" and "no fault" in increasing volume and boredom. So what? Big deal! It happened, now get over it Or not. Doesn't matter to the system. Deal with it. This is the age of "no fault."

Unless it happens to you. And it's always someone's fault. 

................................................

Another word I find interesting is "ratshot". Ratshot is a type of ammunition, usually in .22 caliber, but available for a variety of weapons. It's basically a miniature shotgun shell, holding a few tiny balls of lead. Not lethal, unless you're a rat.

I discovered ratshot when I was twelve. We lived about a half mile from the county landfill, a mecca for scavengers, especially rats and vultures. That particular year conditions were perfect for the rat population to explode.

I had an old twenty two single shot rifle, and dad bought me two boxes of ratshot.

"Thin'em down boy, they're startin' to get into the chicken feed."

My ten year old brother and I had a ball. Dad had to buy us two more boxes of ammo. We had pretty much annihilated the rat population around the house, so we ventured farther afield.

We were in a field beside the dump, shooting rats as fast as we could reload. They were huge suckers, easily a pound or more.

I had just reloaded and handed it to my brother. I stepped back, we we gun savvy enough to stay out of the field of fire. Just then what must have been the king rat burst out of some brush at my feet.

"Look Jimmy" I yelled "Get him."

Jimmy took my advice, but not before I was clear. He got the rat, but he also put two pellets in my ankle.

I discovered two unsettling truths about myself that day. I DID NOT like pain, and I tended to react badly to being hurt. I also discovered I had a terrible temper, because when I realized what I was doing, I had my brother on the ground screaming and crying, while I screamed and cursed.

"You dumb son of a bitch, I'm gonna shove this rifle up your ass and pop a cap, see how you like it!"

Luckily, the rifle wasn't loaded. I may have actually shot him. I let him go and threw the rifle across the field. I calmed my brother down, apologized, and we agreed never to speak of it. For one thing, we were both afraid of what our dad might do, and at the very least he would never let us near firearms again. So we told out mom I scratched my ankle on a wire fence. I guess over time the pellets melted away, but who knows, they may still be in my ankle.

My temper surfaced a few times during my high school years. Soon enough word got around to not get me started because I didn't know when to quit. Although through most of high school I was only five seven and a hundred and forty pounds, nobody really pushed me. I got my last growth spurt in my senior year, going to five ten and one seventy.

I went to college on a scholarship, getting a degree in accounting and inventory control, along with a veneer of gentility and a few good friends. I had a roommate for the last three years that was from a moderately successful family, and he taught me a lot about manners and social graces. I taught him how to not take shit from anyone, ever. I think what I taught him helped him become a really good trial lawyer. I actually met my future wife at one of the parties his family hosted, although we didn't actually get together for a few years, she went to the west coast and I stayed local.

.................................................

It was four years after graduation. We were celebrating Ron passing the bar. I hadn't seen many of the guest since my graduation, so there was a lot of whatever happened to so and so going on.

I asked one of our old classmates about Jenny.

"Man, that woman was hot! I bet she's married to some CEO by now, tanning by the country club pool, polishing her jewelry. Or maybe by now she's the CEO, and pays someone to polish her jewelry. The only thing hotter than her body was her brain."

Scotty and Ron were standing there grinning like idiots. I instantly knew I had said something wrong.

"What? The way you're looking at me she's standing right behind me." 

I looked at Ron as he tried to keep a straight face. I knew then.

"Hello Jenny" I said without turning around.

"Give me a second while I pull this foot out of my mouth."

As I turned I saw her pull her hand off her mouth as she, Ron, and Scotty collapsed into laughter.

I picked her up and twirled her around.

"Damn, you even smell as good as you used to. Back for a visit?"

Her smile stopped.

"No, I've moved home. Things on the west coast didn't work out for me as well as I expected."

I hugged her.

"Their loss. Welcome back."

We all chatted for a few minutes before one of her girlfriends dragged her away. I looked at Ron.

"What happened?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know any details. My mom said she got married, but she came back alone without any rings. I'm sure she'll tell us if she wants her to know."

................................................

I was leaving, making the rounds and saying goodbye, when Jenny came up to me.

"Since you're leaving, could you give me a ride home? I'm staying with my mom, and I know it's on our way."

I smiled. A little time alone with a beautiful girl? It would do wonders for my mood.

"Sure thing. Do you need a minute to let who you came with know?"

Her frown spoke volumes.

"I would if I could find her. Sarah left with Scotty a few minutes ago. We probably won't see her for the next two days."

My frown matched hers, but for a different reason. She noticed.

In the car she asked about it.

Sarah was the slut of the group, just like every group. And Scot was the horn dog. Married, engaged, single, under age, he never passed up a chance to nail a girl, and brag about it later. I barely tolerated him through school. My attitude towards Scotty mellowed a bit after he got married. And Sarah, well she was just Sarah. Always up for a good time. She married right after she graduated, to a pretty nice guy. He had a job that required travel, just overnight every two or three weeks. She lasted a year before she went out with the girls while he was gone. In three months she was banging everybody. He caught her, and she didn't fight the divorce.

I talked to her about six months after the breakup, actually took her out. There was no spark, we were just two old friends having dinner.

She asked about my love life, I was the last of the group that was still single. I told her that when I found the right one I would settle down and be just another boring suburban husband, worrying about the mortgage and the kids getting braces. She laughed when I asked about her love life.

"I'm a party girl, Sam. I have lots of lovers but no boyfriends. I found out the hard way I'm not real good wife material. I hurt Harry a lot, and I still regret it. The next time I get in a serious relationship is when I can be sure in my mind I'll never betray him. And I mean when I'm really sure, not just when I think I'm sure."

"That's why you and I will never share a bed. You're the most serious of us all, and if we slept together it would have to mean something to you."

"That's my curse. I've heard the stories, and I'd love to stress test your mattress, but I can't because you're my only male friend, and in an odd sort of way I've always held feelings for you. Is any of this making any sort of sense?"

It was. I understood her. She had always been my best female friend, next to Jenny. I wasn't going to let sex screw up our friendship.

Still, even if it was Scotty, she knew he was married.

Jenny smiled.

"Don't be too hard on her, Sam. She was pretty blitzed and you know how quick Scotty will take advantage. I'm sure she'll chew him out tomorrow. I'm a little worried about her."

I made a mental note to have a talk with Sarah the first chance I got. I tried to change the subject.

"What's the story, Jen? Are you back for good, or just paying a visit? You know everybody talks, and they noted you don't have your rings on."

She didn't say anything for a minute, watching the night sky pass by her window.

"It wasn't love at first sight, more like lust. We slept together on our first date, moved in together in three months, married four months later. We were good for each other, at least for a while. Then the cracks appeared. He liked to party more than me. I wanted kids, something we didn't talk about. He made it clear IF we had children, he only wanted one, and wanted to wait at least eight years, so we could get 'established'. He liked to buy stuff but he didn't like paying bills. What it all came down to was I had saddled myself with an immature boy, not a man. When I started telling him no, we drifted apart. One day he was just gone. I'm ashamed to say I was glad."

"My good job went the way of the economy. Without the job and a husband, there was no reason to stay. So I came home. End of story."

I didn't really know what to say.

"I'm sorry your life hasn't gone as you planned, but I'm glad you're back. It got to where if I wanted intelligent conversation, I had to go over to Ron's parents house. Even there all they talk about is law. The upside is I'm a pretty good lay lawyer."

She smiled. Everybody knew not to get us started. We had opinions on everything, usually exactly the opposite of the other. Our debates could last days. Rarely did one of us win.

She smiled, then gave me a serious look.

"Sammy, why didn't we ever date?"

It was a fair question given the time we had spent together.

"I guess I thought too much of you. Sex has a way of messing things up, especially at that age. Look how many of our friends hooked up, broke up, then spent a few months hating each other and trying to get us to choose sides. I didn't want to go through that bullshit and lose you."

She gave me THE look. You know the one I mean. The one that says "You're not gonna like this" while she proceeds to talk you into whatever "this" is. We men know there isn't a defense in the world you can use. You can't win, the best you can hope for is delay.

"Well, we're older, and I've been forced to get wiser. So, next Friday night pick me up at seven. Take me to a really good restaurant, wine me, dine me, take me dancing. I haven't been out like that in ages. I can't think of a better person for me than you. I know you won't take advantage. I'd like to say the same, but it's been a long time, and I may just get you drunk and have my way with you."

By then we had pulled up in front of her house. Giggling at the look on my face, she got out, came over and leaned into my window, and gave me a nice long kiss.

Stepping back, she grinned.

"That'll have to hold you until next Friday. Don't call me, let the anticipation build."

"'Night, Sammy."

I wrestled all week with my reaction. A part of me, a very miniscule part, wanted me not to show up. Another part said show up and keep a distance, as though it was a chore, or a favor. The biggest part of me said "Fool, you've been given a gift. Enjoy it."

So I did. We had a great time. Danced until three. Spent forty minutes in the car steaming the windows, letting our hands roam. Fingered her off, got a hand job. Laughed because we were acting like a couple of teenagers.

We had two more dates, and lunch with her mom. I was really starting to get comfortable with her again. The debates started up like before. I was starting to take her a lot more seriously.

We didn't date the next weekend. I had commitments that took me out of town. She seemed displeased.

"Those plans don't include another female, do they?"

I laughed. "Why, matter of fact they do. I'm going..." was all I got out before she hung up on me. Strange.

I went off and took care of the business I had to attend to, not getting back until Tuesday. I hadn't been home an hour when my phone rang.

An icy voice came on the line.

"Took an extra day to bang her? The weekend wasn't enough? I think you owe..."

I hung up on her, giving serious thought to her sanity.

I didn't talk to her for three days. Then Ron's girlfriend called me out of the blue. I was surprised, we weren't particularly close.

"What's the deal with you and Jenny?"

"Hi, Becca. How's Ron? The wedding planner getting on your nerves yet? Oh, I have no form of deal with Jenny. Tell Ron I said hi."

Poor Ron. I bet he's getting an earful. Sure enough he called forty minutes later, practically begging me to meet him for a drink.

I met him and Scotty at our favorite watering hole. Scotty knew how I felt about what he had done to his wife, and kept quiet.

Before he got a start I cut him off.

"If this is a fishing expedition for Jenny, don't bother wetting your hook. We dated three times, I have to go out of town, and she goes all fatal attraction. I don't know her mindset, but I didn't make her any promises. I wasn't even given a chance to talk to her like a reasonable person. End of discussion. Bring her up again and I leave."

I blew their game plan out of the water, they didn't know what to say. I left.

Another month went by and it was time for the rehearsal dinner. I wasn't Ron's best man, but I was a groomsman. Jenny was a late addition bridesmaid. I saw her but didn't approach.

Sarah grabbed me as soon as she saw me.

"Stay close to me tonight, please. Scotty is here, and he's already drinking. I have no interest in a repeat performance. His lovemaking skills are a LITTLE lacking if you know what I mean, and I have a pretty good basis for comparison. His biggest asset is the size of his brags. That might be why his wife left him."

"Hook up with me tonight, stud, protect the fair damsel from unwanted advances. I would be very grateful later."

She giggled as I gave her my arm. We both know nothing was going to happen.

"Too bad about Scotty" she said "The score keeps changing. Last count, Scotty joined Jenny in the ranks of previously married. The only ones left unmarried are you and Ron, and Ron is on the short list, and that just leaves you. A lot of the girls newly single have you in their sights."

She frowned, thinking.

"Say, didn't you and Jenny date when she first came back? What happened there?"

My turn to frown.

"I don't know. We dated three times and I thought we were getting along famously, and then I had to go out of town. She was like a totally different person when I got back, acting like I should apologize to her. I think she got it in her head I had found someone better, and turned into bitchzilla. I haven't talked to her in a month."

"Where did you go?"

I laughed.

"Sarah honey, don't make me put on a Bud hat and get out my Red Man. You know where I go once a month."

.................................................

My old man was a factory worker and a part time farmer. He had fifty acres he had inherited from his grandfather. Between the job and the farm, mom didn't have to work, and we had a good life. He raised three kids, and if we didn't always get what we wanted, we always got what we needed. He taught us early if we wanted something, go out and earn it rather than waiting for someone to give it to you. A lesson I valued more the older I got.

We were all grown, Jimmy was seventeen, when my mom got killed when a train derailed at a crossing. Mom wasn't even the first in line, the coal car rolled over four vehicles waiting to cross the tracks.

It nearly killed my dad. They had married when she was sixteen and her parents had to sign for her. He often bragged that his best accomplishment was not spending a night apart. Not once. Thirty three years spent in the same bed with the woman he loved. He almost died from grief.

He moped around for almost a year. Jimmy graduated and had joined the Navy. He read that people alone often led fuller lives if they had something to take care of, and he bought a bluetick hound pup from a friend of his.

Dad took to the pup right away. He got into coon hunting, big time. He took some of the insurance money and built a few kennels and started breeding coonhounds. He learned how to train and run them. He spent many weekend nights perfecting his techniques.

You could have knocked me over with a feather when he called and asked me to help him get a computer. By then I had graduated and had a decent job. I had a friend in IT build him a nice package, took it home, hooked everything up, gave him basic lessons and showed him how to use email. When I left that afternoon, he was pecking away with two fingers, having a ball.

Following his belief that if you were going to do something, do it the best you can, he signed up at the community college and took a course.

Soon he had his own website. His reputation was solidified when two of his dogs were named Grand Champions in different classes the same year.

I was shocked when I found out how valuable those dogs were, and how much money he was making. He retired from his factory job, farmed a little, and concentrated on raising his champions.

To get to Grand Champion, you start out local, go to district, then state, then region, then national. To qualify for all this you through the trials. Dad was doing fine until he tripped one night during a trial, and broke his leg in two places. It healed, but couldn't stand up to an all night hunt or the stress of competition.

That's where Jimmy and I came in. He would train the dogs and we would handle them at trials. In the spring and summer, when the preliminary trials were held, Jimmy would handle one weekend, and two weeks later I took a turn. At the national events, Jimmy and I would both attend, and take turns handling the dogs. A lot of bullshit, dog trading, and drinking took place, but we left that to the old man.

Sarah found out and thought the whole thing was hilarious, and insisted on coming. One time cured her. It was all about dogs, dogs, and anything related to dogs. There was no nightlife because it was spent in the woods with the dogs. The women there usually looked like the men, jeans and ball caps. She was almost screaming in boredom in two days. She almost screwed one of the judges[she said he looked the cleanest, just to have something to do]. When we got home, she kissed me, told me never again, and went out to do her own version of hunting. I pity the one she caught.

.................................................

"You still do that shit?"

"Yes, Sarah, but we're training one of my sisters' boys, so I should be able to stop in a year or so. Dad has three Grand Champion bitches that he breeds, and one Champion male that covers twenty five bitches a year. Dad is making more money than I am."

Sarah looked odd, probably thinking about getting 'covered' twenty five times.

"So who was the bitch, and I mean that literally, that you were out with the weekend Jenny freaked?"

"Her name is Amanda Lee the fourth. He likes to name them in honor of my mom. I wonder if she'd let him if she was still alive?"

My dad had become her drinking buddy the weekend she went with me.

"I think she would. You know he still shows pictures of her at the trials?"




Bang, Bang, Out Went the Lights



She got that glint in her eye that meant trouble.

"Say, do you have any pictures of your dad's dogs?"

I had a magazine that showed me with two of them. Both the Grand Champions in their class, naming me as handler and my dad as owner/trainer, and the dates. Dad had sent it to me that day. Most of my friends wouldn't recognize me. I had on Carhartts, a cap sporting his kennel logo, and a two day growth of beard. I told her about it. It was still in my car.

"Keys" she said, holding out her hand.

"Sarah, you're not gonna do anything embarrassing, are you?"

"Not to you, but I'm gonna make sure Jenny sees it, just so she knows."

I tried to talk her out of it, but let her do it at the end, just so I could hear what Jenny said.

She took her time waiting for just the right moment. Jenny, Sarah, and a few more of the wives and girlfriends were clustered, talking about the wedding, their own weddings, their husbands, boyfriends, etc. Girl talk.

At just the right moment, Sarah dropped the bomb.

"Jenny, are you still seeing Sammy?"

She said her face went tight for a second.

"No, that's over. I thought things were going well, when he went out of town to see another woman. My ex can attest that I'm not much on sharing."

"Wow, I didn't know you guys were serious. But you're right, I remember that weekend. It wasn't one female, it was two, and he was out all night with them twice. I even have pictures."

She whipped out the magazine. She had the page memorized, and showed the girls. Afterwards, she said she wished she'd had a camera, not just for Jenny, but the whole group. Most had never seen me out a suit or casual dress, I rarely wore jeans unless I was at home.

The magazine went around the room, and then the jokes began.

One of the bridesmaids asked if it was true I really knew how to handle bitches.

"Sure, keep them on a tight leash and whip the shit out of them occasionally, and they generally do what you tell them. Need lessons?"

She ran away, screaming in laughter.

Thew guys were even raunchier. Everyone had something to say but Jenny. She wouldn't even look me in the eye. 

As luck, or scheming women would have it, I was matched to Jenny at the wedding. I kept the conversation light and pleasant during the reception. I looked around the room. Except for maybe Sarah, Jenny was the prettiest woman in the room. Tall at five nine, she was slender where she needed to be, and curvy everywhere else. Her long red hair had blond highlights that I knew were natural, Pouty lips, almost perfect. A fine looking woman. Sarah, in contrast, was a classic blond with breasts that would have been average on anyone else, but looked huge on her tiny frame. Liquid blue eyes and a really nice butt. I had a stray thought of all of us rolling around in my bed, and grinned.

We were in the middle of a nice, slow dance, when she pulled back enough to look me in the eye.

"Say it."

"Sat what, Jen?"

"That I'm a psychotic bitch with poor communication skills and very little brains."

I stopped in the middle of the floor.

"Now why would I say a hurtful thing like that to you? To be honest, I'm afraid to say anything to you. I don't know how you'd react. Now, I kind of like feeling you snuggled up to me, can we finish the dance without talking?"

She scooted up to me so hard I thought she was trying to pass through me.

"Yes, but we're gonna talk, tomorrow. I'll call."

................................................

She didn't call, she showed up at my house the next afternoon.

"Got any wine?" she asked, as she breezed by me when I opened the door. I watched as she settled into my couch. She looked around. "Why does a bachelor need with a three bedroom house, anyway?"

I got a bottle of my favorite out and looked through my silverware for the corkscrew.

"I don't plan on being a bachelor forever. I figure I'll need those bedrooms, somewhere down the line."

She smiled as she accepted the glass.

"I forgot, you're like the Communists, always got a five year plan."

I shrugged.

"Probably the best idea they ever had."

I didn't say anymore. This was her show.

"Hear me out, please. I had a hard time getting over the divorce. I even had to take pills, one to calm me down, and one to get me going. If I mixed them, my emotions were everywhere."

"I really like you, Sam, I always have. It was great to date you when I first came back. I had always harbored feelings for you. In my mind, you were perfect for me. I had already made up my mind I was going to screw your brains out that weekend. When you said you had to go out of town, and females were involved, I lost it. It was like my ex all over again. I should have let you finish when I called you. I should have called you back and apologized. But I didn't."

"I'm truly sorry, more than you know. I still want to be your friend, and just so you know, I'm off the pills, come to find out[surprise, surprise]they weren't considered a good mix. End of groveling, waiting for forgiveness."

I looked at her.

"wow, spaced out on pills! I always thought you were the most level headed person I knew. Never can tell, I guess. Give me a hug, you stoner."

She didn't know whether to be insulted or take it as a joke, but in the end she smiled and hugged me. Then, we were off as always, arguing the merits and drawbacks of living in a society that had a pill for every condition known to man, and a few for anything else they could come up with. It felt good.

She didn't ask about getting together again, and I didn't mention it. Two weeks went by when she called me.

"Pill head here. Freeman Feelbad Jr. and Sweet Thang are at the blues club this weekend. Wanna go?"

I loved the blues, and had read great things about the duo, so of course I went.

After that we fell into a pattern. I would call her or she would call me, and we spent most of our weekends together. On the weekend I was gone, she went out and did girl stuff, I guess. 

I had lunch with Sarah and she was gushing.

"You can thank me now."

"Thank you for what?"

"Getting you and Jen back together. I got a question, though. When are you gonna break down and bang her? We had a girls night out last weekend, went and saw male strippers. She's about to explode, waiting on you. She told me she had killed two sets of batteries since you started dating again."

"Huh?"

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Bang her, you idiot. Shes so ready if you rubbed her legs I'm sure they would fly open. She wants YOU, dumbass. Get with the program unless you don't want her. If that's the case, let her down easy. What do you coon hunters say? Oh yeah, 'the bullshit stops when the tailgate drops'. Let your dogs loose, boy!"

I reflected after the lunch. We hadn't been intimate since we started seeing each other again.

The next Friday night, we went to a light meal and a movie. I brought her home instead of dropping her off at her mom's house. She had been looking for an apartment but kept telling me she liked houses better, she just couldn't afford one right now.

"What are we doing here?"

I answered her truthfully.

"I'm not sure. Good things, I hope."

Then I leaned over and kissed her, hard. We didn't get out of the car for thirty minutes. If my neighbors had looked across the street and into my garage they would have been treated to Jen sliding out of the car, wearing a black skirt and nothing else. If they would have had their windows open they would have heard her telling me to forget the damn clothes and unlock the door. If they had looked closely they would have seen me struggling to get my pants off, and lose my balance as I fell out of the car.

Maybe they would have heard her scream as I yanked her skirt off, showing off her bare bottom, the panties discovered later hanging off my rear view mirror.

I had her on the couch, with my tongue in her slit before she knew what was going on. She liked the smooth look, and she apologized the next day for being so rough, if she had known we were going to be intimate she would have shaved that day. It was a bit rough on my cheeks, but at the time I wanted her so bad I'd have stuck my tongue through barbed wire to get to that little honeypot. I worked her over with fingers and tongue until she had two orgasms, the first screaming, the second whimpering. 

I finally let her pull me up. She jammed her lips on to mine for a few seconds, reaching down to grab the titanium bar my dick had turned into, guiding it into her.

"Don't be gentle!" she hissed, "We'll make love later. Right now I need you to fuck the shit out of me!"

I slammed into her so hard her stubble felt like little needles on my skin. I knocked her off the couch and she ended up on top of me, pounding up and down as hard as she could. I grabbed a nipple and twisted, and she came on the spot. We rolled over again and ended up with her torso supported by the couch while I thrust into her from behind.

I'd like to say it went on for hours, but it was only ten minutes at the most. I collapsed on top her as she had her last orgasm. I had come so hard it felt like the first two inches of my dick had blown off. We lay there gasping for a few minutes before I pulled her up and dragged her to the bedroom.

We snuggled under the sheets vowing to do great things to each other, but ended up dozing off. She woke me two hours later, stroking my hard dick until she deemed me ready, then lay back and pulled me to her.

"Gentle this time. Love me."

So I did. For the first twenty minutes, until lust took over and we were at it again, and we actually made the bed move with our efforts.

We lay entwined while our breathing returned to normal, dozing off again.

I woke the next morning, alone. She came in with a cup of coffee, wearing one of my shirts.

"Get up, sleepyhead! I made coffee. I'm going to shower now, then we'll talk."

She tossed off the shirt, and I got to take a good look at her. I could see bruises on her hips and thighs, and a dark bite on her left breast.

I stumbled to the kitchen, smiling.

She came in a few minutes later, in my old robe, with a towel over her head. She was moving slowly.

"Are you all right?"

She smiled.

"I always thought it was so much bullshit when my girlfriends said they had fucked until they walked funny. Now I know the truth. And don't you dare apologize for it. That was the best night I've ever had, period."

"I feel the same way. And truth be told, I'm a little sore myself. And it was the best time I've ever had, sexually speaking."

She actually blushed with pleasure.

"Thank you. Let's see if we can top that, but not right now. I need nourishment, what's for breakfast?"

We had a companionable breakfast that we fixed together. I went outside and gathered our discarded clothes, while Jen stood in the door and giggled. She took my car, went home and got more clothes. We went to a movie, then lay around, not doing much.

After a little fooling around on the couch, we made a collective decision that we weren't really that sore. No pain, no gain, it gets better with practice, etc.

She surprised me by giving me a really, really nice blow job early in the afternoon. I don't know what they taught women on the west coast, but it made me want to send a thank you note. She came up, wiping her mouth.

"There, I meant to do that last night but got swept away. Now you'll last longer tonight."

................................................

She moved in almost immediately. Nine months later we married. Jen found a job she liked but didn't pay very well. I had a good job, and had just moved up one place on the food chain when we got together. I already had my house, my dad had given me the money for a down payment from the insurance money. We weren't rich, but we were comfortable, especially for a young couple starting out.

Jenny took control of our house, redecorating. We had a large back yard, and together we turned it into a nice entertainment area. We lay the pavers, placed the table and benches, strung the lights, built a pergola. We painstakingly put together a weatherproof outdoor kitchen, grill with side burners, cabinets, mini fridge, and a sink. Our centerpiece was a clay oven, built by a friend of mine with local clays. Our pizza parties were a big hit.

I was happy. She was happy. Life was good.

For two years.

................................................

I took Jenny with me once to a coon hunt. She hated it. I told her why I did it, and she said she understood, but in the last year or so she started resenting it. 

The last time I went she stood in the door to the garage, trying to make me stay. The discussion got a little heated when she opened her robe, flashing me.

"You're really going to give this up to stay up all night with some stinky dogs? Maybe I need to look for someone else to keep it warm, someone who appreciates what I have to offer."

Before I knew it I had her by the sleeves of the robe and pinned up against the wall.

"Tell you what, why don't you that very thing? You should call Sarah, I'm sure she knows the best places to hook up. I'll leave the truck and take the car, that way she can help you move. Remember, this was my place first. Have a nice fucking life, Jenny."

She knew, absolutely knew, that I hated a cheater more than anything else in the world. It had been almost three years since Scotty and his wife broke up, and it wasn't even over Sarah, and I could still barely tolerate him. Knowing that, she still threw it in my face. Tactical error.

I snatched my bag out of the truck, tossed it in the car, and was gone before she could form a response.

The phone started ringing before I had gone a block. I ignored it. I ignored it all the way to the hunt.

Dad knew I was pissed when he saw me, but wisely didn't say a thing. I petted and fooled with the three dogs I was hunting, attaching the GPS monitors to the collars. Twenty first century redneck gear. It made it a lot easier to find them and your way back.

I ran all three of them the first night. The male got hung up on a barbed wire fence and had to withdraw, but I placed top of class with the other two. The young female was the best I ever ran. I told dad so. He agreed.

"I think she's gonna be a champion, for a long time to come. I think she's the best I've ever bred."

I was tired, dirty, and not in the best of moods when I came home. Sarah was still pissed but was smart enough to not push it. I showered, and crashed on the bed for a much needed nap. She let me sleep five hours before getting me up.

"Dinner is ready. You need to get up, or you won't sleep tonight and will feel like shit at work tomorrow."

Dinner was kind of quiet. We cleaned up together and went into the living room. I looked for the remote and couldn't find it.

I looked up to see her holding it.

"No television until we talk. I apologize for what I said before you left. You have to know I have no interest in anyone but you. With my new job we don't have as much time together as we used to, can you blame me for wanting to spend all the time we do have together?"

"Not at all. I miss our time too. That being said, you knew I had this family obligation when we got married. It should end this year, dad is thinking about making Jerry a full partner, that'll take the responsibility off me and Jimmy. I will still go once in a while because I've learned to enjoy it. Is this really an issue? What got you into that mindset?"

She held her hands up in a surrender gesture.

"I hate my job, for one thing. I didn't get my degree to manage a specialty shop in the mall. When you average out my hours, I'm just barely over minimum wage. I hate having to work two nights a week, and every other weekend. I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels, going nowhere fast."

I felt bad for her, but she was like the rest of the country, doing the best she could in a bad economy.

"If it stresses you that bad, quit. We can make it until you find something else. Maybe you can transition into a new field. Motherhood. We're almost thirty, the clock is ticking."

It was an old discussion. We both wanted children, we just wanted to be a little more financially stable.

Jenny was crying.

"I want our babies, I just want to be able to give them the best."

"So do I hon, but maybe love is the best thing we can give them. We never had much money growing up, but we had plenty of love. It was more than enough."

In the end we apologized to each other, but left the baby issue on hold.

I skipped the next two hunts, Jimmy took one and Jerry another, and stayed home. Jenny seemed to appreciate it. She had started going to a girls night out, with her old friends, including Sarah.

She came to pick her up that first night.

"Damn, my turn to be the driver. Don't worry Sam, I'll have her liquored up and ready to go when she gets home." Jenny blushed while Sarah rambled.

But Sarah delivered. Jenny had a pretty good buzz going and was horny as hell when she got home. I barely made it to work the next day.

.................................................

Another cliche? The neighborhood stud. You know the guy, he usually had the biggest house on the block, or the prettiest wife that he ignored at parties, the best job, or car, or bigger dick, etc.

Our was James[don't call me Jimmy]Mitchell. He hadn't been in the neighborhood for about a month. Jenny met his wife and invited them over to our once monthly barbeque. This particular night was focused on pizzas. 

You could heat the clay oven up to over six hundred degrees, stick a pizza in and have it done in five minutes. The smoke residue made them extra flavorful.

Pizza night meant it was a child inclusive party. We would premake the crusts and have them waiting on a table piled high with ingredients. The kids would have a ball, building their own pizza. I would slide them into the oven three at a time, then take them out on a big wooden paddle. It was messy, loud, and very enjoyable.

James came over and ordered his pizza, being specific as to what he wanted. I just grinned.

"I don't build them, I'm just in charge of cooking them. You're on your own as far as making them."

He frowned. I had a feeling he was used to being catered to. He had a nice wife, average looking and a little plump, and a daughter that looked like a carbon copy of her. Jenny had to explain how it worked to them. The little girl was having a ball, eying the ingredients and making decisions. She was about eleven, and the other kids were giving her all kinds of advice. Her pizza was about four inches tall when she was done. We deliberately made the crusts small for the kids, hard experience teaching us their eyes would overload their tummies every time. Even at that size they would often take home leftovers.

His wife told him she had already made his pizza, so he went back to holding court, impressing his new neighbors with his wealth and business savvy. A few actually believed his line of bull, most tolerated it with a slight smile. Some even argued with him, not worrying about his ego at all.

He tried to charm the ladies, but he didn't make much of an impression on them. I caught him trying to chat up Sarah and Jenny, and Sarah caught me watching and grinned, raising her foot a little, letting me know he was piling it deep.

Sarah almost never came to our parties unless it was pizza night. Despite her lifestyle, she loved kids and was a favorite baby sitter in our group. To the last child, everyone loved Aunt Sarah.

I asked them after the party what they thought of the new neighbor. Sarah rolled his eyes.

"That one is a legend in his own mind, especially around women. He would lead you to believe he invented sex, and was the only man alive good at it."




Bang, Bang, Out Went the Lights



Jenny was a little kinder.

"Oh, I don't know. He seemed pretty nice when he wasn't trying to flirt."

Sarah snorted.

"Jenny girl, you've been out of the game too long. If you looked up 'pussy hound' in the dictionary, his face would be there. He was working the party, hitting on every woman that spoke to him. Watch out for that one."

Nothing more was said. I still didn't like him.

.................................................

I had gotten a promotion, and was in line for another in a year or so it things went according to plan.

Jenny was still in her retail job, still hating it.

Two nights, and every other weekend was killing her and destroying our intimate time. I was working her pretty hard to quit and start the family. She was starting to seriously consider it.

.................................................

Yet another cliche? "The husband is the last to know."

That one isn't really true. Lots of people know after the husband finds out. Process servers, lawyers, judges, private investigators, sometimes cops and ambulance attendants. Some friends often know, but rarely family.

It was the Fourth of July, time for the biggest block party of the year. It had evolved over the years. Usually it started early, and I usually heated the clay oven for pizzas. The kids would run, play, swim in one of the pools, and eat an early dinner. Then a few of the older teens would gather them in for movies while the parents let their hair down. It was a pretty good system.

This was the first time I couldn't be there. There was a major hunt and trial, accounting for a large part of determining champions, to be held that weekend. Usually Jimmy or Jerry would handle it, but Jerry got a chance to go to the beach, and Jimmy already had plans to take his family for a weekend at a theme park. The reservations had already been made and prepaid. So it fell to me.

Jenny didn't like it a bit, but there was nothing I could do. We had a pretty serious argument about it.

"I don't see why you can't say no." She stood with her arms folded across her chest, glaring.

"Honey, please stop. If anybody else was available I wouldn't go. This is important to my dad, important to his bottom line. If this new bitch proves up it could mean a lot of money down the road. If your mom needed help, I'd go for her just as quick, and I'm sure you would too. I've cut way back this year, going two thirds less than the years before. I'll be back just as soon as it ends. Could we please stop fighting about this? Sarah already said she'd come over and help with the pizzas, you won't be alone."

"If you're not here I may as well be alone!" She snorted, stomping back into the house and slamming the door.

She didn't speak to me at all the morning I left. Even Sarah could tell she pissed.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's got a bug up her ass because I have to go to this trial. We've not gotten along that good lately. Her job is killing her. I wished she'd quit, we would both be happier."

She put her hand on my arm.

"I'll talk to her. It might be good for her to be without you for a day or two, so she can fully understand what she's missing. Maybe when you get back you can start working on a new niece or nephew for me."

I hugged her.

"Have I ever told you how lucky we are to have you as a friend? And while we're on the subject, when are you going to give up that gay bachlorette lifestyle and give us a nephew or niece to spoil? The clock is ticking, honey."

She got a wistful look on her face.

"I can hear it Sammy. Pickings are pretty slim, who wants to marry a woman like me? Once my past comes up, they'll disappear like fog on a sunny day."

I gripped her pretty tightly.

"You listen to me, Sarah Parker! A man, any man, would be lucky to have you. It's the future they have to look to, not the past. You've never led anyone on that I know of, or made promises you didn't keep. If they've got any sense, the joy you'll bring them will far outweigh the shadows of the past."

She cried a little on my shoulder while Jenny stood, looking pissed.

"Don't I at least get a goodbye kiss?"

It was like hugging a statue, and she never offered a kiss. For the first time I felt a bit angry. We were going to have a long talk when I got back.

................................................

I got to the trial site a little early, greeting the ones already there, laughing at the familiar ribbing. Even though I was from the same background they were, I had gone off to college and gotten a desk job. MY nickname was "Slick", cut down from "City Slicker".

The howls of outrage when I first put GPS monitors on my dog collars were amazing, but after I started coming in an hour or two ahead of everybody else with all my dogs, they stopped laughing. Losing a dog was a real possibility. Sometimes they were never found, or at the very least could take hours to locate. They decided change was good.

Now it's common for all participants to spend time making sure no one else is on their wave length. We had to take turns with one guy setting his. He would forget to set the coordinates for home base, so he always knew where he was at, just no idea how to get back to where he started.

I was surprised to see Jerry, my nephew.

"I thought you were going to the beach?"

He ruffled the ears of Amanda Lee Seven.

"I am. My friend's mother had something to do, so we're waiting until Monday to ride down. I should have called, but I just found out an hour ago. You can go home, if you want. I got this."

"Thanks, Jerry, I probably will. I think I'll hang around 'til dad shows up. Maybe I'll help with the presentations."

I actually ended up judging, along with my dad, the beginner groups, on presentation. There was no conflict of interest because there were no entries from our kennel. I shot the breeze with dad and left. I would be home just after dark, and could enjoy the adult celebrations.

"This should make Jenny happy" I thought on the way home. "We can spend the rest of the weekend together, maybe start on that baby."

It was just before nine when I pulled in the drive. I didn't bother to unload the truck, just ducked in for a quick change. The adult party was being held at the Mitchell house, it was the biggest in the neighborhood. I'm sure James had his wife slaving for weeks to make it perfect.

I lived six houses down on another street, and by cutting across a few backyards it was easier for me to walk than try to drive.

The houses were built on a hill, each was slightly lower than the other, which led to interesting views if you didn't keep your curtains closed.

I rounded the back of the house next door, and grinned. Someone had decided to get a little party loving, The blinds were open and the window was eye level. It was the Jones house. I could see people milling around at the Mitchells', these guys were pretty brave, anyone could walk by. Being a man I gave them a few looks as I passed.

I was almost by the house when I stopped. The man was James Mitchell, and I was pretty sure the slender woman wasn't his plump little wife. I frowned, we had lost two families the year before when one wife caught her husband with a neighbor. Two divorces, two houses on the market.

I stopped and looked closer, hoping to identify the woman. He rolled over and pulled her on top of him.

It was Jenny!

My vision clouded, and I lost contact with reality. Shaking my head to clear it, I looked again. It was definitely her, and she looked like she was having a hell of a time.

I thought about charging in. I thought about making a scene. I thought about walking away until I calmed down.

While I was trying to achieve rational thought, the temper I had tried to control for years started rising. I had to force myself to turn away, and walk back to my house. I stopped twice on the way, trying to push my anger back.

I got into the truck and thought for a second.

"FUCK THIS!" I screamed inside the truck. Popping the dash, I grabbed the pistol and ran back towards the house, staying in the shadows.

I had my 'coon hunt' pistol. It was a High Standard .22, a nine shot revolver. I had the magnum cylinder in. I used it to kill snakes. I had run into a rabid raccoon once, it probably saved several dogs. The first four rounds were 'ratshot', the rest were standard .22 magnum lead bullets.

I couldn't believe they were still at it. Did no one miss them? He was now doing Jenny doggie style, her on the bed while he stood on the floor. I knocked the lower sash out with the barrel, shooting into the bedroom three times, aiming at their hips, before raising my aim and shooting the light out.

I heard screaming and saw people looking my way, so I ran in the opposite direction from my house, circling back to my truck. I threw the pistol in the dash and pulled out slowly, heading back to the hunt. I didn't pass any cops or emergency vehicles on the way out of town.

Ninety minutes later I was back at the hunt, inside the tent.

I was shaking. 

Shit! I had shot somebody! I was going to jail! Shit, shit, shit!

My rage and adrenalin had run out, leaving me confused and sad. I hope I didn't hurt her too badly. Ratshot were tiny little pellets, I doubt they could kill anybody, but they could put an eye out, and I bet they hurt like a bitch.

Fuck Mitchell, I hope I got him in the balls.

It was a long night, and I didn't sleep. I checked around, nobody knew I left. As far as they knew I had gone to get food. I stopped at the local supermarket and bought every container of fried chicken they had. I'm sure somebody would remember me being there. Jerry was in the woods and dad was off with his drinking buddies.

I had the perfect alibi, assuming no one back in the neighborhood saw me.

Before I left, I loaned Jerry the .22. It wasn't registered and couldn't be traced to me. I told Jerry not to brag he had it because being unregistered could get him in trouble.

................................................

To say I was apprehensive when I pulled into my driveway would be the understatement of the century. Jennie's car was in the drive but the house was empty. There was a note on the kitchen counter in big block letters.

"CALL ME JUST AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME! IT'S IMPORTANT!" SARAH.

I took a deep breath and dialed the phone. She answered on the first ring. I didn't get a chance to speak.

"Sammy! You need to come over here right now! Something terrible happened!"

I went into concerned husband mode.

"What's wrong? Where's Jenny? Is she with you?"

"Shut up and get your ass over here, now."

I was at her apartment in fifteen minutes, determined to play this little drama out. I was tired, worried, more than a little afraid I was going to jail.

She practically dragged me inside, breaking into tears when she opened the door. I held her in my arms.

"Oh shit!" I thought, "I must have killed one of them."

She settled down and patted the couch.

"I need to tell you something. Something you're not gonna like. First, I need to tell you, Jenny is all right. A little sore, but fine."

"Where is she? What happened? Is she in the hospital? I need answers, Sarah."

She looked at me and clasped my hands tightly.

"This is gonna hurt. I need you to listen me, okay? Try not to interrupt. Let me get it out."

She paused, collecting her thoughts.

"We were doing pizzas for the kids. Mitchell came by, supposedly to check on his daughter. He tried to chat me up, but I shut him down pretty quick. He turned his attention to Jen, giving her compliments and spouting bullshit. She was still pissed at you and was eating it up. I got so aggravated I 'accidentally' touched a hot pizza pan to his arm. He screamed like a little girl, and we put ice on it to keep it from blistering. I may have made a mistake, because Jenny hovered over him and he ate it up."

"He left to go back to his house, to make sure everything was ready for the adults later. We got the kids fed, and the teens who were designated to sit the smaller ones showed up. They took them down the street to the Williams house, you know, the one with the really big basement? They had kids movies ready to go on that monstrosity they call a television."

I was getting tired of listening. I interrupted her.

"Getting a little long winded here, Sarah, cut to the chase. I'm gonna ask you one more time to tell me what's going on, or I'm gonna call neighbors, cops, and hospitals. Spill it."

She wouldn't look me in the eye.

"All right. We cleaned up after the pizza and wandered down the street, talking. Jenny found the bar and make a stiff drink. Her charming host gave her a big hug, and made sure he kept her glass full. You know how it is with those parties. Everybody is moving around, having a good time. I lost her. I assumed like everyone else she was somewhere in the house or on the patio."

She was practically hissing in anger now.

"That bastard Mitchell had run out of bourbon, and rather than go to the liquor store Mandy Jones gave him her house keys, saying she had two bottles on her bar. He promised to replace them and got Jenny to go with him. Said he was uncomfortable going into the house alone. She went."

She drew in a deep breath.

"This is where it gets hard. Somehow he got her into one of the guest rooms and they started fooling around."

I fixed her with a cold stare.

"Define fooling around."

She hung her head.

"They were fucking! Damn, I didn't want to tell you this."

Even though I already knew it, having someone tell me made it even more painful. I jumped up.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard!"

Sarah was beside me, holding my arm.

"I'm afraid it gets worse. Somebody shot them! Don't worry, Jenny didn't get hurt badly, but she's still in the hospital."

I was pacing around the room. My agitation wasn't feigned.

"Fucking somebody else? Shot? What the hell is she in to? Did Mrs. Mitchell shoot them?"

"No, no, she was at the party. We all heard the shots, but thought it was firecrackers. We didn't notice anything until we heard the screams."

Mandy found them. They were in her guest room. There was a lot of blood. She called 911. They were transported to the hospital and the cops questioned everybody."

She looked down, crying quietly.

"It's a mess, Sammy. The cops want to talk to you, as soon as they can."

I sat down again. The tears rolling down my cheeks weren't faked. She got up and called the police, and a patrolman was at the door in ten minutes. He noted the tears, asked just a few questions verifying who I was, and took me to the station.

Detective Johnson seemed like a nice guy. He didn't pressure me, he didn't accuse me of anything, he just wanted to know where I was when it all happened.

I told him. Gave him names and numbers of people who could verify I was there. Told him what time I got home, about the note from Sarah.

I slumped down in the interrogation room.

"Are you all right? Need anything?" He was at least gracious enough to ask.

"Yeah. I need about twelve hours of sleep. I need to see if my wife is all right. And I need answers. Nobody has really told me what happened. I've cooperated with you, how about filling in the gaps?"

To his credit, he looked uncomfortable.

"There's no easy way to say it. Your wife and Mr. Mitchell were shot through a bedroom window while they were engaged in a sexual act. It appears to be a shotgun blast, but we can't say that for sure. The pellets hit them in the groin and butt, nothing life threatening. One of Mr. Mitchells' testicles got the brunt of the pellets, he may end up losing it."

"They were in a neighbor's house. For what it's worth, I think this was a spontaneous thing. Their blood alcohol levels were both over the legal limit for driving."

I asked the million dollar question.

"Do you have any idea who did it?"

He shook his head.

"Not a clue. We thought it might be you, but since you were sixty miles away, in front of witnesses, you're pretty much in the clear. We brought in blood hounds, but everybody in the neighborhood spent all day wandering around, the dogs just ended up going in circles. We brought in a dog that specializes in gunshot residue, but so many firecrackers and other fireworks had been used she just ran around confused."

"our focus right now is Mr. Mitchell. Seems the man had a habit of seducing wives of neighbors. That's how he happened to move into your neighborhood, he had to leave his last one due to a divorce he was named in by a neighbor. He definitely has people who wish him ill. That's all we have right now, but you can be sure we'll talk again. I'm sorry, Mr. Lee."

I left the station and went to the hospital. Jenny drove me. She tried to talk me out of going in.

"Don't do it Sammy. It'll make it hard on you later. I'm sure she didn't mean it. She was drunk, she was mad at you, and she fell into the spell of a predator."

I'm sure my eyes must have been cold when I turned to her.

"Tell me, Sarah, that makes it all right how? I've been drunk since we married, pretty pissed at her a few times, and have been hit on before. I didn't even think about screwing someone else, except in fantasies."

She didn't have an answer for me. I went in alone.

I found the right floor and walked down the hallway. I happened to pass the asshole's room first, and I turned and went in. He was dozing, and I stood watching him.

My stare must have awakened him. He went pale and reached for the call button. I grabbed his hand and leaned over him.

"Free advice. When you get out of here, move. I don't mean in a week, or a month, or when the house sells. I mean move right now. If I see you in the neighborhood after today, I'll do my very best to kick you in the balls. I hear you might have only one in the near future. Be a shame if that one got damaged too. Do you understand me?"

He was lying on his side, his damaged hip up. I slapped it, hard. He went pale and looked like he might pass out.

I stood up.

"I hope you get everything you deserve, asshole. Remember our little chat."

That taken care of, I went off in search of my loving wife.

...............................................

I stared at her. She stared back at me. The room, cluttered with her friends and family, emptied like a bomb threat had been called in.

Finally I spoke.

"Well?"

She dropped her head.

"I'm sorry. I was drunk. It just happened. It doesn't mean anything, I barely remember it."

She sounded sincere, but something was missing. I couldn't place a finger on it.

She had her feet up in stirrups with a blanket pulled over her. I reached for it. She looked up in alarm.

"Please, Don't! It will just make it harder on us down the road. Please, Sammy."

I ignored her. I pulled the blanket completely off. She started crying.

Well, there she was, in all her glory. The first thing I noticed was she was completely shaved. She had stopped doing that about a year ago. They did it to make sure they got all the pellets out. It was surprising, there were only about eight or ten small holes, looking a lot like pinpricks. 

She was spread like that because one of the pellets grazed her clit. I remembered well how swollen it got during sex. She was lucky. If the asshole hadn't been covering her, she would have been pretty much ruined sexually.

I covered her back up.

.................................................

The cops came back to me several times, for lack of a better suspect. They asked if I owned guns, and I unlocked my safe. My Remington 1100, my over/under, the deer rifle, my Henry twenty two, the Smith .40, the Llama .380, all got tested and returned to me.

I got interviewed four times. When they asked for another, I gave them the number for my lawyer. I never heard from them again.




Bang, Bang, Out Went the Lights



My marriage limped along for about four months like a three legged dog trying to chase a Ferrari, before we both mutually gave up.

I was consumed with anger for her adultery and guilt for my reaction. She had all kinds of emotions. I came home from a hunt to find her gone, with a note on the kitchen table.

"Sammy,

I'm sorry. I can't live like this anymore. Even if you still love me, you'll never trust me again. And I hope I'm wrong, but I have the feeling you're the one that shot us.

I called my old company in Oregon, and they have a position for me. I took it, and was on a plane two hours after you left. I took just what I needed, and my mom will come over in a week or two to get anything I left that you don't want.

I know I should have told you in person, but I'm a coward. I'm sorry again. I should have been what you wanted, but I'm not, at least not anymore.

I will always love you. I wish you a good life.

Jen"

I stood there looking at the note, and while I felt great sadness, a large part of me felt relief. Our marriage had ended when I caught them and pulled the trigger.

She had called Sarah before she left. She was there in two hours. She read the note, hugged me, and sent me to bed for a nap. 

She stayed three days before I convinced her I could handle it. I found her talking on her phone a lot when she thought I couldn't hear her. I asked her about it.

Her face lit up.

"You've had problems so I didn't say anything. I'm engaged! We've been seeing each other for about six months. He was like me, and we both decided it was time to grow up. We're going to Vegas next month, he's always had a fantasy of getting married by Elvis."

I hugged her.

"That's great Sarah. What the hell are you doing here? Go home to your man. Tell him I said how lucky he was. And remind him if he's mean to you, I have an extensive gun collection."

She giggled.

"I will! Half the neighborhood thinks you shot Jenny and asshole anyway. Might just keep him in line."

The old group had a party to wish her well and meet her guy. It was held at my house. I didn't like him, but that didn't mean anything.

I got another promotion, but I had to move to take it. I didn't mind, there wasn't really anything holding me here.

My new job was actually a little closer to my dad's place, just on the other side. I still went once a month to the trials, just to have something to do.

My dad passed away the next year. Jimmy and Jerry took over the kennels, they liked it more than I did. Jerry moved into the house.

The farm was split three ways, and I ended up with the piece I wanted. Sixteen acres, mostly wooded, part of it going up the side of a mountain. I cut a road to a small bench, and built a small log cabin. By small I meant about seven hundred square feet. It was mostly a kitchen, living room, small bath ground floor, and a small bedroom up top. It was all the space I needed. I did almost all the work with help from my family, paying for the electricians and roofers.

I dated, but never got into anything serious, too afraid of my temper. I went to a visit my old friends occasionally, and loaned out the cabin a few times. I heard Jenny got married, and had two kids. As far as I know she never came back except to close up her mother's house when she passed.

Sarah stayed married for two years before it imploded. Apparently he wasn't as willing to abandon his lifestyle as he thought. She was devastated. She disappeared out of her lives for another year.

................................................

One day I heard a knock on my door.

It was Sarah. She looked older, tired and sad. She was holding a bluetick puppy in her hands.

"Hi, Sammy. Can we come in? I think she's house trained."

I was at the cabin. I had been giving serious thought to moving there full time. I liked the solitude, and it had all I needed.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Jimmy told me. When did you change your number?"

I had been plagued for about a six months by a druggie that got my number mixed with someone else. I stopped answering the phone and she started texting me, offering me a good deal on different kinds of drugs. I finally got so fed up I showed the text to a deputy sheriff. He took my phone for three hours, copying everything.

He texted her back to set up a buy, bought from her, and back trailed her to the big supplier. He was the one who told me to change my number, just in case somebody tried to trace it for revenge.

I told her the story of my adventure into the drug trade. She laughed, saying stuff like that could only happen to me. I had reproduced my outdoor kitchen down to my clay oven, so we made a pizza and drank a little wine.

I asked her about the dog.

"I stopped at the kennel to try and find you. One of your cronies was there trying to give this little darling away. He said if he couldn't find a home for it he would give her to the pound. I couldn't stand the thought she may not get adopted, so I took her."

We found out pretty quick she wasn't house trained.

It got late. I had a fold out couch that I made up for her, and said goodnight. I woke about three to find her in bed with me, snuggled to my back. I stirred and she hugged me tighter, so I relaxed and went back to sleep.

Nothing was said the next morning. She was up before me, rattling around in my small kitchen, fixing breakfast. I stumbled down and she gave me coffee and a kiss on the cheek.

We walked the woods, and I showed her my solar panels that powered the cabin. It was fairly cheap to power a house that small, and I had a gas generator system for backup. The puppy trotted in front of us until she got tired, and then Sarah carried her back to the cabin.

We went out for burgers, and ate popcorn later as we watched some sappy romance she picked. I saw her sniffling once in a while.

Something was on her mind. I was patient. She would tell me when she was ready.

When it was bedtime she looked at me.

"Can I come on up with you, or should I wait until you fall asleep?"

"I'll exchange bed space for an explanation."

She looked lost and alone.

"If you let me snuggle tonight I'll tell you all about it in the morning."

"Deal, but tonight I get the left side."

I knew by her actions she didn't want sex, just comfort. This time she was spooned to me, and I had my arms wrapped around her. I woke once, she was trying to be quiet while she cried. I was about to say something when she patted my hands and shushed me. It was a long time before she went back to sleep.

I had to work the next day, so I slipped out of bed when the alarm went off, trying not to wake her. I let her puppy out of her cage to answer the call of nature, then quietly slipped it onto the bed. It licked her hands, then settled back into sleep.

I found her out in the yard when I got home, playing with the puppy. She gave me a happy hug, told me dinner would be ready in half an hour.

We ate a really nice meal. I thanked her for it, and she actually blushed. The roof of the cabin extended out across the front, giving me a nice porch that I kept a couple of rockers on. We took our tea outside to enjoy the sunset. We sat in companionable silence, both of us rocking slightly. She spoke so quietly I almost missed her saying it.

"Sammy, can I live here for awhile?"

I kept rocking, thinking about it.

"As long as you want, honey. I can go back to my apartment and you can..."

She shook her head violently.

"No! I meant can I live with you for awhile. Wherever you are, here or your apartment. I just don't want to be alone right now."

I needed to know.

"All right, you can stay as long as you want. You know you have to tell me why, right?"

She nodded, thinking.

"Sammy, you ever reach a point in your life when you realize all your plans are just so much dust? That's where I am now. I was happy in college and the first few years afterwards. I enjoyed my party life, and didn't care what people thought of me. I never lied or deliberately hurt anyone. I saw all our friends marry, and knew I wasn't ready yet. Another few years went by and then all our married friends starting splitting up. It was sad, and reaffirmed my decision."

"Then I got an STD. Not one of the serious, life altering kinds, but it still scared me. I looked at Ron and his wife, and you and Jen, and wanted what you guys had. I don't know if you remember it, but I told you once right before you guys split up I was thinking about changing my life."

"And I did. By then you and Jen were getting ready to divorce and I resolved to be really sure. I thought everyone should be in love as intensely as you two, and when it fell apart it gave me pause."

"But I found a guy. I think the reason I fell for him was because in some ways he reminded me of you. He was wonderful during our courtship and the first year we were married. I told him about my past, and he told me about his. He and his first wife were swingers. It caused his marriage to fail, and he swore he was through with that lifestyle."

"But deep down, he missed it. The second year, he introduced me to some of his old friends. They seemed nice enough. We went to a few parties and I started seeing a pattern. At one party I got hit on until I made him take me home. It was the worst fight we ever had. I told him I was NOT interested, and I better be enough for him if he wanted to stay married. He swore he wouldn't associate with them anymore, except for guy outings, ball games and the like. I believed him for about four months, until he was dumb enough to tell me he was going to a baseball game and would be really late getting home. The drawback to that was it was November, and nobody plays baseball in November. I followed him to the house of one of his swinger friends. I sat in the car for half an hour, then went in. They were starting to get into it, a lot of kissing and groping going on. Some were on the way to getting naked. I asked where my husband was, and headed to that bedroom, shedding clothes. I was naked by the time I opened the door, and had four or five guys following me. He looked up from the bed he was sharing with two women, saw me naked, and smiled."

"Hi, hon. Want to join us?"

"I smiled, walked over to the bed, stroked his dick a couple of times, and then tried my best to pull it off. He was screaming, and it took two guys to pull me off him. He was on the floor, rolling around in pain. I grabbed his head so I could look him in the eye."

"No, you bastard, I'm not joining you. I just wanted you to get one last look at what you threw away."

"They hustled me out of the house before I could cause anymore trouble. He never came home. It only took four and a half months for the divorce to go through."

"Then my company was bought out by a competitor and was shut down. So here I am, 32, no man, no job, no hope. I just needed a change of scenery. I couldn't afford my apartment anymore. I put my stuff in storage, packed my bags, and here I am. I was on my way home to mom, and thought since I was this close I'd stop and see you."

"I like this place, and more importantly, I like you. No, that's not right, I love you. Not in the forever, happily ever after way, but in the I can say anything to you and you won't judge me kind of way. You've always given me friendship and respect, something not a lot of people, especially guys, have done for me. Most guys just want to screw me, and most girls feel like they need to watch me like a hawk to make sure that doesn't happen. So, can I hang out here for awhile?"

What was I supposed to do, turn her away?

So she stayed. Two weeks later we had sex. No, that isn't right, we made love.

She reached for me first. It was tentative, shy, and fumbling. Hard to believe with a girl of her experience. I woke to find her hand on my dick, stroking it slowly.

I put my hand gently over hers.

"Are you sure about this?"

I felt her tears as she kissed me.

"Not in the least. But I want you, at least once. No promises, no commitment, all right? Let's just do what two young healthy people know how to do, just because we can. I know you won't hurt me. Please?"

So we made love, slowly, leisurely. There was no competition for dominance, no urge to impress each other.

Not that she didn't turn me on, but I felt instinctively she didn't need an alpha male right now.

Aside from that, it was intense. The woman knew what she was doing, and it had been awhile for me. We coupled with enthusiasm, each striving to give the other pleasure without worrying about our own. I don't know how long we were at it, but it seemed to last all night. She finally collapsed on top of me.

"It's true" she whispered happily as she collapsed on top of me.

I was so worn out that I didn't ask what she meant.

................................................

She named the puppy Tickles.

"Why did you name her that?" I asked one day as she held her.

"Well, I didn't know what to name her. Everybody tends to name them Blue, but I couldn't do it. Since the last part of bluetick of tick is tick, I named her Tickles. Isn't that a cute name, baby?"

She was rubbing her belly and cooing to her at the end.

"You're going to make a great mother."

It slipped out of my mouth before I thought.

She froze up. Sadness came over her face.

"I hope I will, if I ever get the chance."

We were thirty two by then, and her window was closing fast. There was no future for us together. She knew it, I knew it, it was what it was. 

She was a great lover, better than any I had ever been with. Our lovemaking was intense. But while we felt for each other, neither of us were making plans.

She stayed with me for eight months. I got her a job with my company. It didn't pay nearly what she was used to making, but it gave her something to do. She quickly made friends, and started having an occasional girls night out.

She came home one night from a night out and practically raped me. She did the same thing the next morning. When we were done she sat up in bed and a tear trickled down her cheek.

"What's wrong, babe?"

"I'm going to start sleeping on the couch for awhile Sammy. This was our last time together. I've met someone, a guy from the bar we girls go to. He'd been there a few times but never made advances. Carole knew him and dragged him over so we'd have someone to dance with."

"I kissed him last night at the end of a dance. It was electric! It made me realize it was time to move on. My past aside, I can't still sleep with you and think about pursuing someone else. Please say you understand."

I looked at her magnificent body, in appreciation and sadness, before I pulled her to me.

"It's time. We both knew it would happen eventually. I hope this guy is good for you. Just be careful."

................................................

Two more cliches I don't care for.

"They lived happily ever after."

"Time heals all wounds."

Three years had gone by, and I still missed Jenny. She had remarried, had two kids. I hope they make it.

Sarah married the guy from the bar. He seemed like a nice man. She told him about her past when they started getting serious. It melted her heart when he confessed he had only been with two women before her, and he looked forward to what she could teach him. She told me she planned on giving him lessons for the rest of their lives. She had their first son at thirty five, the second at thirty seven.

I lived every day with regret. I should have forgiven her. If I hadn't shot her we would probably be still be together. 

The memory of that made it hard to start a relationship with some one. I was afraid of my temper. It had only surfaced once since then, when I caught a man at the trials beating one of his dogs savagely. I had him down on the ground and was kicking him before they pulled me off.

"Now you know what it feels like, asshole!"

The man never beat a dog at one of the events again, but I could look in his cruel little eyes and knew he did it in private. I always thought that was one of the reasons he never won an event.

I dated, had sex once in a while, but could never get close.

.................................................

My favorite cliche of all time.

"Love conquers all"

I joined the local gym. I worked out, but went mostly for the yoga and the tai chi. It helped me focus and keep myself centered. I actually spent most of a year in therapy. It helped. I learned to control my temper and not be so judgmental. I won't say it was easy. I still occasionally have to step back.

They say love comes to you when you least expect it. I know, another cliche.

She was new to yoga, and ended up in the wrong class. She was in the intermediate class, instead of the beginner. She was having trouble keeping up, got tangled, and ended up falling all over me.

It embarrassed her no end. I helped her up, and she fled the class. The next day she was standing in the lobby, looking uncertain. She saw me and blushed. I smiled at her.

"It gets easier, you know. Don't give up."

It broke the ice. We chatted before class, and she was waiting for me at the end.

She fumbled around before she came out with it.

"Would you like to go for coffee?"

The statement was delivered while she went through various shades of red.

It took three dates to get her to stop blushing, two more before I got a kiss. It was worth the wait.

She saw my face when we exchanged names. Jenny Cooper.

"What?"

"My ex was named Jenny."

"Oh."

By the seventh date I realized this may be the one.

She had a little boy, three years old. Her husband had gotten a better offer and left her. She had no idea where he was.

The child was her life, and our dates revolved around her ability to get babysitters. After the third time she had to cancel I showed up at her door.

"Get dressed. Get your son dressed. We're going out to dinner. If we continue I'm going to have to meet him eventually."

Emotions chased each other across her face until she smiled.

"Come in, I won't be long. How should I dress?"

"We're just going for a casual dinner. Jeans will be fine."

So I sat in her living room, listening intently while her son tried to explain something about the game he was playing on his toy computer. We were fast friends by the time she came out.

Jeans, sneakers, simple sleeveless top. No makeup, hair pulled back into a ponytail. She looked great. Five foot four, just over a hundred pounds, small breasts, great ass. Red hair that shone in the sun like burnished copper. She was twenty seven.

She picked the restaurant. A small mom and pop diner, and everybody knew her name. Jason pushed fries around his plate while we talked. We ended up at the movies, watching a Pixar movie that Jason didn't understand but enjoyed immensely. I had a great time.

He was out like a light when I took them home. She invited me in while she put him to bed. We sat on the couch talking for about ten minutes as our lips got closer and closer, until they finally connected. It wasn't electric. It was more like falling into something wonderful, that surrounded you with warmth and love. Something you knew you didn't want to stop.

We didn't make love that night. We did get familiar with each others' body.

Three dates later she surprised me by wanting to see my cabin. She was charmed with it. We sat on the porch for a few minutes, before she got up to use the bathroom. She came back out and told he to close my eyes and hold out my hand.

I did, and felt something warm and soft in my hands.

"You can open your eyes now."

It was her panties, pale blue boyshorts.

I looked up in confusion.

"Wanna see if the bra matches?"

She giggled as she ran up the steps to the bedroom.




Bang, Bang, Out Went the Lights



After considerable kissing, I slid the sundress over her head. The bra didn't match but I didn't care. 

Her body was tremendous. Small breasts topped by the smallest nipples I had ever seen on a woman. What they lacked in size they more than made up in sensitivity. She confessed later that after she got pregnant she changed, and would sometimes had a small climax when Josh nursed.

Her whole body was sensitive. She was practically vibrating by the time she pulled me up. 

"What are you doing?" she finally managed to gasp.

I tried to look serious.

"I intend to kiss every square inch of your body. Now, If you don't mind, I'm kind of busy."

She wouldn't let go of my face.

"Oh no, you can do that later. There are parts of my body that need attention right now!"

I kissed her again, quickly heading south. Her pubic hair was trimmed into a little vee, glistening in the lamplight. I soon found she was sensitive there too, having two climaxes in less than five minutes.

She was strong for such a small woman, pulling me up and twisting around until she was on top, grinding away. We moved together for a few minutes before I reached up and pinched her nipples. Her scream as she came was so loud I was glad we were in the middle of the woods. Apparently multiorgasmic, she continued to scream until they turned to whimpers. I flipped her over and started pounding, lost in my lust. She wrapped her legs round me, thrusting up with the same urgency. We exploded at the same time.

I rolled over, keeping us connected, stroking her hair.

Okay, now's the time you guys can get out your man club and beat me with it.

I lay there and cried. Not sobbing or anything, but with tears leaking non the less. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced. Words could never do it justice.

She reached up and felt my tears. She raised her head off my chest with wonder in her eyes, then settled back down, nuzzling my chest.

................................................

A few weeks later we were lying in my bed, Snuggled together. She had just checked on Jason, he was sleeping on the fold out couch downstairs, Tickles lying on the bottom of the bed.

Sarah had to leave Tickles behind. Her new man was allergic to animal hair. She cried like she was losing a baby. She took to Jason right away, whining if I didn't let her in to play with him. Soon she was sleeping with him. Jenny was concerned.

"Don't be" I said "She's adopted him. She'll make sure he's safe."

Jenny had that secret smile that women have.

"Sarah was right, you know."

"Right about what, babe?"

"She said you were the best lover she ever had. Big enough, but not too big, and you knew how to use it. She said that really wouldn't have mattered. It was the fact that you totally threw yourself into pleasing who you were with without worrying about your needs. She said a woman could feel it, and she's right."

I thought about that for awhile, and decided it wasn't a bad thing.

Two months later I had a little pizza party. My brother Jimmy, my nephew Jerry, their families. Sarah and her husband with their child, Jenny's parents, and a couple of neighbors and their family. My sister even made a rare appearance.

Kids were chasing fireflies while the parents sat aroundn chairs, enjoying the evening. Jenny was sitting as close as she could, watching Tickles chase Jason and the rest of the kids as they played.

"Do you like it here, Jen?"

"I not sure what you mean." she said, frowning slightly.

I tried to keep my face straight.

"It's a simple question, but let me elaborate. Could you see yourself living here? We'd have to add a room or two, one for Jason and hopefully a little girl later. But I like it here. I don't want to move. So it's up to you, Jen. I've already talked to Jason, It's fine with him as long as Tickles can sleep in his room. So, could you see yourself living here, as my wife?"

I held the ring out to her. She went pale, then literally snatched the ring out of my hand.

That pretty much screwed the party up. Her scream got the girls' attention, and then I was literally thrown out of my chair.

The guys clustered around me. Congratulations were given. I broke out the peach brandy I kept around for special occasions, and a toast was shared by all.

.............................................

We decided not to add to the cabin, and built a house lower down. The cabin became our retreat, and later served as a base for our son's sleepovers. When our little girl came along it got complicated, but she ended up with her nights too. Her mom would help her make it more girl friendly. It got a little tense when Jason hit puberty, and I almost had a nervous breakdown when J2[Jenny Junior]had her slumber parties, but they were good kids.

Jen had been twenty eight when we married, I was thirty seven. I worried about it for awhile, knowing I would probably be gone before she was, but stopped when I realized she was the glue that held our family together, and she would see to the family.

Before we married, I told her everything. My bad temper, what I had done to the first Jenny, everything. She thought about it for awhile before she smiled and said she was glad she didn't know me then.

"Nice guys finish first"

"We all get what we deserve"

God, don't you just love cliches?

.................................................

I feel the need to apologize here. I have two series going, Saggy Boobs and Ugly Nipples, and Yes Dear, both in the Romance section, that I haven't kept the schedule on. That's because when I posted I Started Out Roasting A Pig, I was in such a hurry that it didn't get proofed and a lot of mistakes were left in. I backed up, and have a friend doing a little proofing and editing for me.

She proofed this one, But if you find mistakes it's probably because I changed a few things after I got it back.

Freeman Feelbad and Sweet Thang, the blues duo mentioned in this story will have their own, probably in March.

As always, thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome. Vote if you want, it's how I keep score. QHML1