4 comments/ 49941 views/ 5 favorites Breaking with Traditions By: Canadagander Copyright © 2005. All characters, events, and text in this story are purely fictional, and are created by and the sole property of the author. All rights reserved. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Writer's Note: It's time for Canadagander to make a public disclosure, to come out of the writer's den, so to speak. 'Gander is not a real person. We are a group of four adults, two men and two women, all with a passion for writing - short stories, Christmas letters, technical reports, mystery novels, you name it. We are probably as diverse a group as you can imagine. Our eldest, and also best writer, is a silver-haired petite gal in her sixties, with black half-glasses perched on her nose. She was an attendee at Woodstock, a Peace Corps volunteer, and writes stories gory enough to frighten Edgar Allen Poe. The other female is our Barbara Cartland wannabe, in her forties, who could be the prototype for Garrison Keillor's soccer mom/Republican babe. The youngest in the group is a male tech writer with all the fancy stuff - wireless laptop, etc., but who can outline great plots. And finally, there is a fifties-something male, who likes humor and surprise endings. He's the one who insists that a good story must make a point. We're letting him tell you about how we invented Canadagander. Since the summer of 2002, the four of us meet every week at our library, where we critique each other's work, and then decide on some sort of writing challenge for the next get-together - sort of like Weight Watchers for the word processor. It wasn't long after we began doing this that our Cartland wannabe wanted to write a sex scene for her romance novel, and wanted help and advice on the erotic parts. None of us admitted to having read much of this genre, so we decided to do some on-line research right there in the library. It must have been amusing to our librarian to see four adults behaving like horny teens, crowding around our techie's laptop, searching the Internet for info on erotic literature, all the while trying to appear cool and intellectual. The Google search on 'reviews of websites for erotic literature' yielded over a hundred thousands hits, so we used the Google directory of writer's resources, listed in alphabetical order, and randomly selected the letter 'L'. The lucky winner was Literotica. We logged in and had to suppress chuckles at the 'Oh, my God!' reaction from our romance writer, when she saw the graphic sponsor ads. Our saucy little old lady remarked, "That's the way it looks, honey, if you do it in the daytime, or with the lights on." We perused the index of genres, and each of us agreed to read at least two stories from each of five categories. The following week we met again to discuss our opinions on what we had read. This time, our little old lady declared, "I haven't seen that much horseshit in one place since my boyfriend and I went behind the paddocks at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day. It doesn't take much writing talent to describe in detailed minutiae how some hot babe, with huge boobs and wet panties gets it from some inexhaustible guy with a 10-inch cock." "Well, then, let's each of us try to write a better story," our humorist replied. "I personally found a few authors whose stuff was pretty good. I would find it interesting to write a humorous erotic story." We opined that the joy of sex comes from the mind, not the friction and moving parts, and the challenge was on. Our tech writer suggested the rule that our stories must be erotic while having no nudity, and the protagonists must not touch another person. Tougher than you think, but our humorist came up with "In Diane's Mind." We have found that having a non-author read a piece aloud is the best way to critique that piece. Let me tell you, erotic stories get even hotter if one person reads it aloud to a group. Both ladies behaved a lot like Diane, and we thought it was witty as well as sexy. The consensus was to submit the story to Literotica, and see what reaction we got from the readers. We made some minor changes that day, and devised a pseudonym and writer's profile. Our techie writer, showing off his Internet prowess, created an anonymous ISP account, and joined Literotica. Canadagander was born, and his Author's Profile was basically our mission statement, namely that we were ordinary, straight people who could write an erotic story with a point. 'In Diane's Mind' was submitted, and much to our surprise, by our next meeting, 'Diane' made the charts, and Canadagander received a number of Feedbacks. Cool! Getting published and receiving compliments is sweet nectar to all writer bees. The group decided to write another, then another, and another, eleven all told. If you've read them all (for which we say thank you), you may have noticed the range of plots and categories, and the degree of sexual explicitness within all eleven of Canadagander's published stories. Now you know the reason why. We became very proud of our sex-on-the-mind author, thrilling at each new submittal that achieved a 'Hot' symbol. But Canadagander almost killed our group. Our fun was like a narcotic - we couldn't let it go. And all too quickly, competition for the ratings created hard feelings among our foursome of 'gander submitters. The final blow came when we were horrified to see 'It's a Family Tradition' included in the Incest category, one which we all had declared out of the bounds of our taste. It actually was created concurrently with 'Over Hill and Dale,' in which mature adults coached an inexperienced eighteen year old. In an attempt to correct the incest blunder, we submitted the sequel 'It's Another Tradition.' That was when we changed the author's profile to declare Canadagander dead. But, much to our surprise, Feedback to Canadagander continues to arrive, urging sequels to our stories. Temptations arose, but we erotica junkies supported each other during our withdrawal period, and the group returned to its original purpose. Then, last month, the group decided our challenge would be to select a published story and write a different ending from the original author's, but still be consistent with all the facts of the story. The idea was to practice writing one of those mystery story plots where the suave inspector or the rugged PI explains all the confusing facts and sub-plots in the final chapter, and the villain is revealed. One member (you can guess which one after reading this piece) returned with a plot line that explained the 'why dunnit' of the two 'Tradition' stories with a surprising twist. This explanation of the purpose of the Powell family traditions surprised even the originator of Sam Tonnelli and Callie Taylor, and we hope that you are, too. The group decided that her offspring deserved publishing, and so we brought Canadagander back to life for one more submittal to Literotica. If you haven't already read the first two Traditions stories, we recommend it. Otherwise, you will miss some decent writing that merited two 'hot' votes as well as elicited the most Feedback requests for another sequel. But for those of you who are OK with coming in on the third episode of a series, we have included brief synopses of the first two parts, like they do in TV series. That way you will at least get acquainted with Sam and the Powell women, to better appreciate the ending to the story. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Part One Synopsis It's a Family Tradition Sam Tonnelli and Callie Powell Taylor are thirty-somethings who met in college in Cambridge, Massachusetts and eventually married. In early 2001, they re-located to Augusta, Georgia, hometown of Callie and her tightly knit family. In the summer of 2003, Callie astonishes Sam by announcing that they have been selected to initiate Sue Ann, their eighteen-year-old niece into adult sexual activity. She explains to Sam that this initiation rite has been a tradition in the Powell family for generations, and eventually Sam agrees to join this unusual threesome. Sam, Callie, and Sue Ann have a weeklong romp at the Powell family cabin retreat, and Sam learns about the value of this bizarre sexual tradition, and some things about himself. The three return to routine life, pledging to respect the Powell tradition of discrete non-disclosure to anyone else. Part Two Synopsis It's Another Family Tradition Seven routine months go by in the Tonnelli/Taylor household until February 2004, when Sam receives in the mail an invitation to participate in the so-called Powell Family Scramble, observed each Leap Year. Callie informs Sam that the Scramble consists of two Powell women and one male spouse, pre-selected by a committee of last-generation Powell women, to enjoy a sex-filled threesome at various designated trysting spots around Georgia. After the previous initiation tradition, Sam is an eager participant, and he, Sissy Brandon (mother of Sue Ann), and Mary Pat Carter, a newly acquainted cousin of Callie's have a hot weekend on Jekyll Island. Callie confides to Sam that she will be scrambling at a place in Savannah as well. After returning home from his tryst, Sam observes Callie being driven to her house by someone in a yellow Lexus SUV. He also sees Callie affectionately returning a goodbye kiss from the unknown driver of the car, and Sam can only speculate who and what Callie, the driver, and someone else did at their trysting location. Part Three Breaking With Tradition (June, 2004, four months after the Family Scramble) There are any number of old adages and clichéd generalities that can apply to a wide range of situations. In reflecting back upon what transpired after I returned from Jekyll Island and that terrific weekend with Sissy and Mary Pat, the saying that comes to my mind is 'Be careful of what you wish for: you may get it.' I think that every male at one time or another fantasizes about having an affair and getting it on with more than one woman at a time, and that fantasy was fulfilled for me, Sam Tonnelli, not once, but twice. And the delightful thing about those extra-marital affairs was that they were set up by my wife, with her encouragement to go for it. Almost a year ago, in July of 2003, Callie had astonished me with a bizarre Powell women sex tradition. It had to do with an adult couple (that was Cat and I) initiating an eighteen-year-old niece (that was Sue Ann Branson, daughter of Sissy, Cat's oldest sister) into the pleasures and techniques of adult sex. The fantastic time I had that week convinced me that I was one lucky guy to have married into a family with such liberated sexual traditions. Then, seven months later, in February of 2004, Callie sanctioned my going on that swinging Leap Year tradition of the Powell family women, called the Family Scramble weekend. According to Cat, her grandmother and great-aunts had introduced the scramble. It was their strategy for safely and discretely satisfying the female equivalent of the 'seven-year-itch,' only they had compressed it to the 'Leap Year Itch.' Needless to say, the memories of such terrific and sexy times were often on my mind when I daydreamed during dull routines at the office or courthouse, or when I contemplated future plans for myself and Cat as a couple. My birthday happens to fall in late June, and two weeks before the big day, Cat began pumping me for birthday gift ideas. That question opened the door for me to get all that I wished for. One evening while relaxing after dinner, Cat asked, "Sweetie, if you could wish for anything you wanted for your birthday, what would make celebrating that day extra special for you?" I replied, "Cat, the birthday present that would make me really, really happy would be a reprise of the Scramble Weekend, but this time with you and Sissy. It would be the best of the Powell ladies' traditions, where you and I have sex with another woman, and the other woman about whom I most fantasize is Sissy. What do you think?" Callie frowned, mulling it over in her mind. "I'm not so certain that's a good idea, Sam. The Powell scramble tradition is supposed to happen only once every four years." "I realize that, Cat," I said. "But would it make a difference if we did it as part birthday party and part celebration of my making general partner in my law firm?" That news really got Callie excited, as it was something she and I were hoping would come my way soon. "Oh, sweetie, is that really true? Have Merton and Carlisle already asked you? You told me they probably wouldn't make an announcement until October, when the firm's next fiscal year begins." "They decided that I shouldn't have to wait that long, Cat, and the business certainly can afford a bonus for me, after all the billings that I've brought in. So why don't we just break with the Scrambles tradition? Or, we can pretend that it's a new tradition that we're introducing. It's something that would really make my birthday something special. How about this as a compromise? Instead of going away for a whole weekend, how about having Sissy sleep with us for just one night? I'll reserve a suite at the downtown Marriott." My promotion to general partner had the effect on Cat that I anticipated. I watched sports on TV while she called Sissy that night to see if Sissy would go along with a threesome. I knew it was a done deal by then: you'd have to know Sissy to understand that almost anything having to do with naughty or unusual sex would get her juices going. A half hour later, Callie came back to the living room to announce that Sissy had agreed to acting out my fantasy. "But just remember, Sam," she warned. "Only this one time, and don't ever even think about asking for a repeat, understand?" I kissed Cat affectionately, and replied, "Just this once, I promise, Cat. After this one time, all my fantasies about being with you and Sissy at the same time will be gone, and I'll be satisfied with reminiscing about it every now and then." I grinned at her. "And I promise that I will do my utmost to make it as memorable a night for you as it will be for me." Callie informed me that she and Sissy had decided that the big night would be the Tuesday evening before the annual Taylor family get-together at the summer home of her parents on Kiawah Island. Tuesday was poker night for Travis, Sissy's husband, so it wasn't unusual for Sissy to make plans of her own for that evening. That gave me a whole week for me to get everything arranged for my fantasy night of a threesome. Cat, Sissy and I began my fantasy evening with dinner at a very romantic restaurant in downtown Augusta, near the river. The wine, good food, and a balmy summer evening quickly got the three of us in a sexy mood. The drive from the restaurant to go to the hotel was filled with baudy jokes, and descriptions of what the women had in store for me. I suggested that we should make the evening seem even more adventurous by having me pretend to pick up Callie and Sissy in the cocktail lounge at the hotel. So you can imagine how giggly and hot we were in the elevator ride up to the seventh floor. I had a beautiful woman on either side of me, and I alternated giving wet, open-mouthed kisses to each of them. I had checked into the hotel that afternoon, on the way home from the courthouse, so that I could prepare the suite with special treats for my two women. I escorted them into the sitting room of the suite, and invited them to sit on the sofa. They were delighted when I produced a bottle of champagne from the wet bar that stood against one wall. I gave them each an empty glass before I untwisted the wire on the bottle, and worked out the cork. We all laughed uproariously when suddenly the cork popped, and I was doused with a spray of champagne all over my shirt and pants. I held my thumb over the top of the champagne bottle, and shook it up some more before releasing more spray, but this time directed at Callie, then Sissy. They shrieked with surprise, and objected that their dresses were soaked with champagne. I grinned and said, "Hey, ladies, if my clothes are wet, yours might as well be, too. Besides, we won't really be needing them tonight anyway, and I have some little gifts for each of you on the table over there. Why don't you take your boxes, and slip into something more comfortable? While you're doing that, I'll call room service and have the valet steam and press our clothes." Sissy gave a squeak of glee, and kissed me on the lips. "Sam, you are so sweet! And so very imaginative, too, I might add. Come on, Cat, let's get out of these wet dresses, and then we'll see what Sam bought for us. I'll bet it's something really sexy." I stripped down to my boxers and called room service. By the time Cat and Sissy returned from the bedroom, the valet had taken our clothes for service and I had dimmed the lights and poured champagne. They looked fantastic in the lingerie that I had bought at Victoria's Secret the day before. Cat was wearing a lavender push-up bra with matching lace thong panties, plus a garter belt with thigh-length dark stockings and four-inch spike heeled strap sandals. I could see her nipples as dark shadows under the bra, and her pussy hair was visible around the edges of the tiny triangle of her panties. When she saw my appreciative and admiring stare, she gave her earthy laugh and saucily turned around and bent over. I had a delicious view of her naked buttocks, the narrow band of the thong, and the curves of her gorgeous legs. I had gotten Sissy a very sheer baby doll length nightie, with transparent bikini panties that tied with ribbons on each hip. Her magnificent breasts were quite visible through the gauzy fabric, and the panties hid nothing as well. Her legs were nude, and I had completed her outfit with satin backless high heeled slides, the kind we used to call 'fuck-me slippers.' I was thrilled at the spectacle of a pair of sexy-dressed women with me in a hotel room, and I knew that the mood was just perfect for what I wanted to do that night. I gave Cat a light kiss on her lips, and offered a glass of champagne to her. I stared directly into her eyes as I spoke to her. "Cat, I have always loved you," I whispered. "But tonight, I feel something extra special. I hope that everything you've always hoped for will come true for you tonight." When I handed a glass to Sissy, that horny sexed-up woman grinned and said, "Why are we standing here in the sitting room, when we could be hotting it up on the bed in the next room, Sam? Come on, let's go fuck." When we were in the bedroom, Sissy grinned at me and untied the ribbons on the front of her nightie top and her panties. She really does have a terrific body - large, firm breasts, long legs, and a very tight ass. Callie is slightly smaller, but just as pretty. She took off her bra and panties and left her garter belt and stockings on. That looked even sexier than if she had stripped naked. My fantasy soon began to be realized, thanks to the sexy and imaginative Taylor sisters. Every man at some time in his life should have the opportunity to experience a threesome with two women. For the next hour and a half, I was treated to breasts, nipples pussies, clits, and lips galore. My cock was licked and sucked by two mouths at the same time, and I could finger fuck one clit-filled pussy while burying my cock in another. It was heaven, but after coming for the third time, I was a drained puppy, and had to call time. I said, "I've got to take a break. My balls need a re-charge. Please don't stop on my account, you two. It's every man's fantasy to see two women getting it on together. I'll get some more champagne, and then I'll watch your show." Breaking with Traditions Callie was the more experienced female-female lover, and she began to kiss Sissy on the mouth, breasts, neck, legs, and eventually Sissy's pussy. Sissy quickly became aroused and laid on her back, spreading her thighs and bending her knees. Cat knelt between Sissy's legs, and bent over to lick and suck Sissy's clit. Callie's back was to me, and I had a lovely view of her ass and pussy lips. She kneaded Sissy's breasts, sometimes lightly pinching Sissy's nipples. All the while she made Sissy moan with delight by tormenting her clit with kisses, sucking, and finger fucking. It really is a turn-on for a man to watch a skillful woman make love to another woman. If he really pays attention to what she's doing, and what makes the other woman get excited, I'm certain that he will be a much better lover himself. I was sorely tempted to join in on Sissy's and Callie's fun, but that was not part of my plan for the rest of the evening. They didn't even notice that I left the bedroom to put on the polo shirt and chinos that I had hidden in the dresser drawer that afternoon. I returned to the bedroom and a small digital camera to capture scenes of the two sisters fucking each other. It wasn't until my third shot that Callie noticed what I was doing. She was lying on top of Sissy, pressing her pussy hard against Sissy's. Cat stopped and gave me a quizzical look. "Cat, that was some spectacle," I said. "Now I have a memory of how attractive and sexy women you Powell/Taylor sisters can be. I wonder how they compare to the pictures of Sissy and Mary Pat and me. I've never seen those, but I have learned about them." Callie rolled off of Sissy's body, and sat up with her back resting against the headboard of the bed. Sissy, by now also curious, reclined on her elbow, offering me a full frontal view of her naked body. Callie said, "Sam, why are you dressed, and where did those clothes come from?" I said, "I put these clothes in the room this afternoon, Cat. And the reason that I'm wearing them is that I don't want any more sex tonight. Instead, I have some questions I'd like to ask you both. Let's go into the sitting room, where we can be more comfortable." Callie and Sissy looked at each other, uncertain what to do. Eventually, they took my invitation to leave the bedroom. Sissy sat on the sofa, and Callie took the arm chair which sat at right angles to it. I relaxed in the second arm chair across from them. I could see the tension in their bodies, and the concerned expressions on their faces. "What do you want to know, Sam?" Callie asked. I said, "Cat, I've been curious about that time with Sissy's daughter up at the cabin. That week seemed so perfect to me, and I really felt that I was an extremely lucky man. What I want to know is, did you invent that tradition of initiating an eighteen year old girl as part of your whole plan, or was that something you did to actually help Sue Ann get a realistic grasp of her sexuality?" Callie was astonished. She looked at Sissy, whose face momentarily showed confusion and fear before returning to her smile. Then Cat looked directly into my eyes, an enigmatic smile on her lips. "What do you think, Sam?" she asked. "I'm a lawyer, Cat," I replied. "And it's the nature and training of lawyers to never assume. We dig out the facts, and that is what I've been doing for the last four months. I'll tell you what I now believe. I think that Sue Ann confided to Sissy that she had lesbian tendencies, and that terrified you both." Callie said, "Even if that were true, Sam, why should that terrify us?" "Well, Cat," I said. "I asked around, and I learned that fifteen years ago, your cousin Mary Pat was thrown out of her house when she was eighteen by her father, Arnold Taylor. Gossip has it that he caught her making it with another girl. That was the real Mary Pat, by the way, Sissy, not the woman I fucked on Jekyll. I've since learned that her real name is Charlotte Severance, and she is one of your high school friends and the wife of one of Travis' golfing buddies. Isn't that correct, Sissy?" Sissy gasped in astonishment "Oh, my God, Sam!" she exclaimed. "How long have you known about that? Callie and I never even suspected that you knew anything about our little prank." "Shut up, Sissy," barked Callie. "Let Sam continue." I said, "All right, I will, Cat. I learned that after what happened to Mary Pat, Cat, your mother and Sissy were afraid of what your Poppa Taylor would do if he found out you liked girls as well, so you were sent to school up north to get away from him. Getting back to Sue Ann, I think that Sissy told you about Sue Ann's declaration of her preference for girls, knowing that you had the same interest when you were Sue Ann's age." Callie's lips made a thin hard line, and she raised her chin in defiance. "How can you say something like that about me, Sam, when we've been fucking each other for eight years?" "When I was an underclassman at Harvard, Cat, the guys there took it as a given that any Radcliff woman they dated had at one time or another slept with another Cliffy girl. We used to classify them as either LUG's or BSE's." Sissy asked, "What are those, Sam?" "LUG was an abbreviation for 'Lesbian Until Graduation.' Those girls almost exclusively slept with girls, but looked for husbands after they had left school. And, frankly, I can see how that lifestyle would suit a serious female student. A girl can have all the sex she wanted with another girl without a risk of pregnancy. Also, girls don't belch or fart like guys; and they are usually less self-focused. And BSE stood for 'Bi-sexual Experimenter,' Sissy. They simply played on both sides of the street, so to speak. You were like that in school, weren't you, Cat?" Cat stiffened, then relaxed. "And what if I was, Sam. You always enjoyed all the sex I gave you. So what if I also did it with some of my classmates?" I replied, "I've always enjoyed our sex together, Cat. You are a very exciting and imaginative lover. And I've never had any negative feelings about your getting turned on by other females. In fact, that time when you and Sue Ann made love that night up at the cabin, it was one of the most beautiful sights that I had ever seen. So, tell me, did we really have that weekend to support and help Sue Ann, or was it something that you wanted to do for yourself?" Cat looked at me, and my heart ached with my love for her, but I had to know her answer. She said, "All right, Sam, I confess that Sissy and I made up that story about a Powell family tradition to convince Sue Ann that it was all right to have sex with a man. Sue Ann and I had some serious talks before that week, sweetie, and I was convinced that she had never had any good sexual experiences with boys her age. She needed to feel what it is like to be made love to by an experienced, skillful male, and Sissy and I chose you for that. You were wonderful to her, Sam, and I was so grateful to you for showing her all that you know about lovemaking." I looked at Sissy to ask her a question. "Sissy, during the week, Sue Ann mentioned that you had told her that you and I were going to have sex at a later date, as part of another tradition. Had you and Cat already decided to invent that scramble tradition by then?" Sissy said, "No, Sam. I knew that Sue Ann would never believe that I would approve of her having sex with one of her uncles, unless I could convince her that her own mother was participating in extra-marital family traditions as well. So I told her that in the spring, I would be fucking you, and therefore, there was nothing wrong with her going along with the initiation tradition that all us Powell women had done. And she bought it, and had a wonderful time. So where's the harm in all of that, Sam?" "None that I can see, Sissy," I said. "I sincerely hope that Sue Ann can find her sexual identity and be comfortable with whatever that happens to be. I am also relieved to know that Sue Ann played no part in the second hoax that you two pulled on me. The two events were so far apart in time that it didn't seem logical to me that they were part of the same plan. So, something came up between last summer and last winter, didn't it, Cat?" Cat slumped in her chair, now realizing that I knew a lot more about her scheme than she had thought. "When did you first know that there was no tradition, Sam? I thought that we had planned everything perfectly." "I began to suspect as early as the Monday after the Scrambles weekend," I replied. "You shouldn't have used Jody as an accomplice. You told her that you were planning a surprise sexy weekend for me, and wanted her to make me to believe that all the Powell family women were going to scramble that weekend, just as you had told me. On Friday afternoon, she had me convinced, but then on Monday morning, she spilled the beans by asking me how my weekend with you went. I realized then that she hadn't gone anywhere, and there wasn't any family tradition. Also, Ted Littlefield should have driven you back to our house in a less conspicuous car." Callie reddened, and gasped in astonishment. "What do you know about Ted and m..., that is, what about his car?" I said, "It's a yellow Lexus SUV, Cat. That same week, I had been using Hal Lovellette, the private investigator our law firm hires when we need people traced, background searches, and so forth. On an impulse, I asked Hal to give me a list of all the people in this county who own that kind of car. Did you know, Cat, that there are only two? Ted Littlefield and a married guy in his fifties. It seemed to me that Ted, your co-worker at the television station, was a more logical choice for your driver that day. That fact kind of got my attention and made me curious." Callie said, "All right, I admit it, Sam. I wanted a little fling, just like you did yourself. And I knew that Sissy had the hots for you for a long time. So Sissy and I made up that innocent little charade about the scrambles tradition, sweetie, so both she and I could have some sexual fun outside of our marriages. And don't go getting mad at me for that, Sam. After all, you fucked both my sister and another woman. I simply used the same standards that you did." "If you had told me that at the time, Cat, I would have believed you, and agreed that neither of us could call it cheating. But you didn't tell me, Cat, and that was because you continued to scramble with Ted after that weekend. I have no idea how long your affair has been going on, but by the end of February, I was tracking every trip you took in your car. Hal gave me a clever little black box to put on your car. It was originally designed as a parental control on the teenage drivers in a family." Sissy's eyes widened. "What does this black box thing do, Sam?" "It contains a Global Positioning Satellite system that determines the car's latitude and longitude position every time the car has traveled more than five minutes and stops for longer than three minutes. So the location of every place that the car goes to or comes from is stored in a computer memory, as well as the time that the car was at that location. I downloaded that data every Saturday, Cat, for the last three months. It shows that every Tuesday and Thursday mornings, when I'm scheduled in court downtown, before going directly to work, you make a detour to someone's apartment building near the freeway, and spend over an hour there. Want to know the address, Cat?" Callie got off the sofa and snuggled up in my lap. She dug her hands under my shirt and began kissing me. "Please forgive me, Sam. I know what I did was wrong, but it was just a little sex, Sam. Nothing more. No different than what you and Sissy and Charlotte did. And Sissy and I are both here tonight for you, sweetie. Let's stop talking and make love. Please, Sam." I gently pushed Callie away from me, and she returned to her chair. It gave me a pain in my gut when I saw how hurt she was by my rejection of her. I looked at Sissy and asked her, "Sissy, how much did you know about Cat and Ted, and for how long?" Sissy looked frightened. "I swear, Sam, all Callie told me was that she wanted to have a little weekend fling with a guy, and she had this idea that came from the time we helped Sue Ann, to get you away for that weekend. I kind of thought it was cute and naughty to be getting it on with my sister's husband, and so I talked Charlotte into impersonating Mary Pat and joining in on the fun. And it was fun, Sam, and let's have some fun now. C'mon, you two. No more quarreling over what was just a little fling. Let's go into the bedroom and have some more good old-fashioned fucking It's what we all like." I looked at Callie as I said, "If your scramble hoax had only been for a little fling, Sissy, I might forget it and go back to the bedroom. Unfortunately, both you and Callie like something even more than sex." Cat stretched more sensually in her chair, and she smiled at me. "And what is that, Sam?" Cat asked. "Money and power over men, Cat," I replied. "You see, that little black box that Hal gave me to put on your car wasn't the only toy he let me play with. He also showed me how to install what they call a sniffer on our home PC network. I've been reading your e-mails for the last two months." Callie stiffened, and she glared at me, her eyes on fire with rage. "You goddam son of a bitch!" she snarled. "You were spying on me all this time. All right, I admit it. Ted and I were sometimes chatting, wondering what it would be like if I divorced you and married him. But that's all it was, Sam, just talk. Why do you stay so calm, Sam? It's scarier to me than if you were in a rage." I replied, "Cat, one of my favorite law professors once said that a really good lawyer never gets mad, he just gets even. And that is what I'm doing tonight, love. Of course, I'm angry with you. You're still lying to me." Callie said, "How am I lying, Sam?" "The day after I said that I was being offered the senior partnership, you e-mailed Ted and Sissy that your day was finally coming. You told them as soon as I made partner, you were going to show me the pictures that you and Ted took of Sissy and Mary Pat, excuse me, Charlotte, and me on Jekyll." The guilty look on Callie's face said it all. I turned to look hard at Sissy. "And you, Sissy, you replied that you were going to say that I had forced Callie to help me seduce Sue Ann, as well as testify that I had had an affair with Charlotte. But those extortion plans had to wait until I had more money. I had to be promoted to senior partner, and then the shit would hit the fan, wouldn't it?" The two sisters said nothing, just sat there, not only physically naked, but also totally exposed for their greed,. My heart ached for having to lose my dear Cat this way. In spite of how she had planned to ruin my life, I still loved her. But I was determined to complete my plan. I got up from the chair, and put on my shoes and blazer, preparing to leave. "Ironically, Cat, all your plans wouldn't have worked anyway, even if I hadn't ever discovered your sorry-assed deception. Like they say, to be an effective liar, you have to have a perfect memory. You forgot one very important item in your little scheme, Cat." "What do you mean, Sam?" she asked. "Cat, don't you remember when we first decided to live together, before we were married? I insisted that you and I sign a pre-nuptial agreement. At that time, I was just a poor first-year law student, with student loans up to my ass, and you were that luscious gal from Georgia, with a very wealthy poppa. I never wanted anyone to say that I had been attracted to you for your money, so we drafted and signed that agreement. It said that as long as we were partners, either as lovers living together, or as husband and wife, both of our estates would be held separately, and neither of us could touch the other one's money. Even the state of Georgia will accept it as our current contract, Cat. I had it reviewed by a circuit court judge." I watched Cat search her memory, and then she got it. "Oh, my God!" she whispered. "No matter what, I wouldn't have gotten any money in a divorce settlement." She looked at me, her eyes imploring me to take her back. "What are you going to do now, Sam? Can you find it in your heart to forgive me and still love me? Let's make a fresh start, please, Sam." I opened the door to the hotel hallway. "A fresh start is what I do have in mind, Cat, but without you. I could never trust you again, ever. For the past couple of weeks, I've been a busy guy. First, I transferred all of our joint stock portfolio to a numbered account in the Grand Cayman Islands, where you'll never be able to find it. Then, this morning I told Merton and Carlisle that I am turning down their partnership offer, and have resigned, effective immediately. I'm going back north to be a partner with one of my old school buddies. Finally, as we speak, Hal and some others are packing up a U-Haul truck with what I want from the house. The house is in my name, and I intend to keep up the mortgage payments and taxes. You can still live there, Cat, and if you have met my stipulations until the next Leap year day, I'll sign the deed over to you, along with half of our joint stock fund. I figure that by then, the pain inside of me will have disappeared." "What are your stipulations, Sam?" she asked. "Just two, Cat: first, we will not file for divorce; the other is that you'll have to choose which is more important to you, money or sex. I've given Hal a very generous retainer, and he is going to have some operatives watching you all the time, Cat. If ever they discover that you're having an affair, I will be informed, and then I'll sell the house out from under you, and you'll never see a penny from the stocks. Keep that in mind whenever some guy or gal turns you on. Before you go have your little fling, as you say it is with you and Ted, ask yourself if that next fuck is really worth a quarter of a million dollars or more." Callie reddened with anger, and shouted, "Sam, you are horrible! You're forcing me to live like a nun! Why don't you just divorce me and let me be free?" "Because what we had, Cat, was so nearly perfect. I want you to suffer like I am right now, and understand how our lives might have ended differently, but for your deceit. I'm leaving now, so I'll say goodbye to you, Sissy, and you, too, Cat. I'll look forward to see what other traditions you two ladies of the Powell Family Heritage association can devise without me." I turned my back on Sissy and Cat, and walked through the door to the hallway. Cat jumped out of her chair, and ran to my side, grabbing my arm. "Sam, it's not in your nature to be this cruel. Can't we come to some sort of agreement? What do you want from me?" I smiled and said, "All I ever wanted from you, Cat, was to be my life's partner. This isn't about the extramarital sex that you and I had, Cat. As long as we both knew that it was only for recreation and variety, we were still bonded. But you got greedy, Cat, and tried to use me for your own selfish pleasures. So now all I want from you are the memories of the wonderful times we spent together. You're still very smart, Cat, and you have a good career. I'm certain that my cat will land on her legs. Good luck, Cat." I began to walk down the hallway. Callie finally realized that she was completely nude. She ducked behind the door, so no one in the hallway could see her. "Sam, Sissy and I have no clothes," she cried. "How are we supposed to get home?" I blew her a goodbye kiss, and said, "The valet told me that he will be returning them around midnight. As far as getting home, Cat, look on the top of the bar. I left two hundred dollars each for you and Sissy. I was told that was the going rate for the best call girls in Augusta. I certainly think that you're every bit as good as one of them." Breaking with Traditions I turned my back on Callie and walked to the elevators. The down car arrived, and just as the doors of the elevator were closing, I saw Cat's beautiful face peeking around the open door of her room. Our eyes met, and my heart tugged as I saw the tears streaming down her face. On the ride down to the lobby, I kept thinking of what might have been, if only Cat and I would have been more traditional in our lives. Now I'll never know. - - - - - - - - - - Different from what you expected? The four of us are curious what readers thought. Please send us Feedback and let us know what you think of this explanation of why Powell women would create such traditions.