38 comments/ 26105 views/ 18 favorites Maria's Misconceptions By: gabapentin Like my first story, this comes from people that I've known throughout my life. This one hits a little more towards home tho, it's based on true events. I incorporated some of the people from my first story, because they all knew each other anyway. None of the names of the characters are real, nor are most of the places of business (a few that had no real significance are real). There's some sex, but not a large amount. The story is a little longer than I intended (8 pages), but, after I started writing, I found that it was going to take that many pages to tell the story. ***** It was a late Friday evening, the channels on the television flipped back and forth between the cable news outlets. Fox, CNN, it didn't matter, the world was turning to shit. "What the hell has happened to the world?" Gary spoke out loud, "Has everybody lost their fucking minds?" He turned the channel to WBNS TV10, Columbus, Ohio to check on the local weather. Even tho he hardly, if ever went outside anymore. Just to sit on the front steps occasionally, he still liked to see if it was going to rain or not. The timing was almost perfect, the weather report would be on after a few commercials. Sitting on the couch, a bottle of 'Jack' sat on the coffee table half empty in front of him. As he reached for it to pour another glass, a new commercial for JWB & Porter Carlson, Attorneys at Law, a lawyer's office based out of Columbus, Ohio came onto the screen. Their specialties were Accident and Personal Injury cases, and they also handled divorce and family law. Gary felt a certain animosity towards Porter Carlson, and over the years, when he had heard a commercial for this law firm, he had always blurted out, at the end of each ad, "Jace Ballard and Porter Carlson, getting rich by chasing ambulances and wrecking marriages." He had always called JWB the 'pretty boy' of the pair of lawyers, since he was the younger of the two and quite good looking. Ignoring the ad as he usually did, Gary's heart sank when he heard a voice that he hadn't heard in over twenty years, but a voice that he knew so well. His attention became glued to the television, as there on the screen, was the handsome and well dressed Jace Wellington Ballard (JWB), with his arm around an astonishingly beautiful dark haired woman as she spoke about the law firm. JWB finished up the segment with, "You've been listening to me and Porter for all of these years, now listen to my beautiful wife." Gary opened the bottle of Jack, and instead of pouring a glass, he put the bottle to his lips and guzzled almost all of what was left. He glanced back to the television just in time to briefly see the 'happy couple' kiss. Gary didn't bother to watch the weather, he got up to walk outside and sit on the front steps. As he opened the front door, he almost fell out onto the concrete stoop, the effects of the alcohol were taking hold of him rather quickly. Gary's mother stood in the kitchen watching her son. She felt like crying, but she was almost cried out. She didn't know how to help him, he'd been on a downward spiral for over twenty years now. Now drinking and barely eating, he had wasted away to about ninety five pounds. She retreated to her bedroom and went to bed. ******* Gary Arthur's first day of high school in the fall of 1970 was a nerve wracking experience. He stood right at six foot tall and weighed all of one hundred and fifteen pounds. Tall and lanky, his black hair didn't hang, but it went half way down to his shoulders and had an 'I just stuck my finger into a light socket' look to it. He had a pencil thin black mustache to compliment his wild hair. Even tho most of the other boys in the class had long hair like him, he still felt awkward and out of place. When the teacher started speaking, she told the class to pick a partner to work with, preferably someone of the opposite sex. Two boys or two girls together, seemed to do more goofing off, than school work. He felt someone tap on his shoulder, he turned and looked into the most beautiful brown eyes he'd ever seen, "Hi, I'm Maria, Maria Serevil. Would you like to be my partner?" It took Gary a couple of moments to come to his senses, then, still looking right into her brown eyes, "Oh. . . A. . . I'm a. . . Gar. . . Gary Arthur. . . Yeah, sure," he said nervously. That was the beginning, and it didn't take long for them to become best friends, and soon they were a couple. They were inseparable, wherever one was, the other was close by. They were voted by their classmates the cutest couple in their junior yearbook. They were a fixture around this small southern Ohio town in Gary's red 1969 Chevelle SS. With Gary and Maria's birthdays both falling late in the year, they were both nineteen by the time they graduated high school. When they were seniors, Gary was still an even six foot tall, but he had filled out and now weighed around one fifty. Maria was five foot, three and weighed in at one hundred and five. She had small, but perky 32 C breasts, and dark brown hair that fell to just above her shoulders. Of course Gary still had his wild black hair. A lot of boys at school had 'crushed' on Maria, but they kept their distance, because it was so obvious how much she was in love with Gary and they saw no point in trying to break them apart. Their families knew it was going to happen, and so did most of their friends and classmates. Within a year of graduating high school, they were wed. They were both still virgins when they married and had the joy of discovering sex for the first time with each other. Gary got a haircut, but it seemed that anything short of getting it all shaved off, he still looked like he'd been doing science experiments with electricity. He took a job working for the local street dept. The pay wasn't anything to brag about, but it did pay somewhat better than minimum wage and had some good benefits too. Maria took a job as a receptionist in a local insurance company. With both of their incomes, they lived quite comfortably. After two years, their first child was born. A boy, they named him Joshua, and Gary and Maria couldn't be happier. Within two more years, another son was born, this one they called Jacob. They decided that they needed to find a bigger home to raise their children in. They had been renting, but found a nice home in a nice neighborhood. It was an older three bedroom with a full basement and the previous owner had started to build a study in the attic. It definitely had a lot of potential. After buying the home, Maria decided to take some night classes offered at the local university for working mothers. She took a short course on business administration. After she completed the course, she decided to try and find a better paying job. Gary told her that they didn't need more, they were doing fine. Her reasoning on the matter was; this would give them more money to turn their house into their dream home. She was persistent, and finally convinced him to go along. Gary and Maria had been married six years, when she visited the local unemployment office and put in resume's to several different companies. She interviewed at three different businesses and was hired as the secretary to the CEO for Cutlar Industries. Her salary would be a 70% raise over her job at the insurance agency. She put in her notice, and within two weeks had started her new job. Steve Martin (no, not the wild and crazy guy) was her new boss. He was in his late forties, married, with two sons attending college. One was at Indiana University and the other had chosen Penn State. His wife of twenty five years had been a stay at home mom and was still content with staying at home and being a housewife. Since Maria was just a few years older than their sons, the Martins sort of 'adopted' her as the daughter they never had. Maria and Gary spent at least a couple of evenings a month at the Martin's home for dinner. One evening, Steve asked Gary if he was happy at his job at the Street Dept. He said that he could put a word in for him with the personnel manager if Gary would like to come to work for Cutlar. Steve said that he didn't know what Gary's salary was, but he was sure that Cutlar paid more. Gary told him that he would think about it, but he really enjoyed working for the City. On their way home, Gary told Maria, "I think I'll keep the job I have, I'm really comfortable there and the pay isn't that bad. Besides, we're getting along OK, not struggling to pay bills or anything. Maybe later on, in a few years I'll think about it." Maria was fine with that, she just wanted her husband to be happy. When Christmas break for the Martin's boys rolled around, they were both home to visit mom and dad for the holidays. Once they laid eyes on Maria, the competition was on. They both flirted shamelessly with her. Maria was flattered, but made it clear to them that she was very happily married. Steve caught onto what his sons were doing and quickly straightened them out. "Maria is like a daughter to your mother and I, I can see the way you two horn dogs are chasing after her. What you do at school, I have no control over. . . I know that you both know that she's married. I thought that we. . . Your mother and I, raised some decent boys and turned you into decent young men, not into home wreckers! I have no problems with who you screw while you're away, but leave the married women alone!" That took care of the Martin boys, they respected their dad immensely and heeded his advice. They both became good friends with Maria, their romantic advances stopped. They treated her more like she was their sister and even became friends with Gary too. Gary and Maria's marriage was good, they were an especially close and affectionate couple. They were happy and they had no complaints, there were only the normal small bumps in the road along the way. Their boys seemed to grow like wildfire, one now a teenager and the other not far behind. In 1990, fifteen years into Gary and Maria's marriage, and nine years into Maria's career at Cutlar Industries, the plant expanded, adding another division. Of course, along with the expansion, came new employees. The main office for the new division was right next to the office where Maria worked and a new receptionist was hired along with the new manager for the division. Maria and the new woman in the next office, became fast friends. Debbie Nolan was 35 years old, married to Mark Nolan, owner of Nolan's Super Markets with fifteen locations across three states. Mark was a busy man, sometimes working 15 hour days, so Debbie had taken this job more as a hobby, just to give something to do with all of the time she had on her hands. The first time that Maria visited Debbie and Mark's home, she was awestruck. She thought with all of the remodeling and work that her and Gary had done on their house, that they lived a good life. It paled in comparison to Debbie's. Located two miles outside of town in one of the newer upscale subdivisions, the 2000 square foot home was only seven years old and was luxury like Maria had never seen before, at least up close like this. Debbie and Mark both drove Porsche 911's. His was black and hers white. Maria drove a full-size 1984 Chevy Caprice Classic wagon, while Gary drove a 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo. This bothered Maria a little, small jealousies were floating around in the back of her mind. That bothered her too, she'd never been the type to be jealous of anything, unless that is, it was some wanton female making a play for Gary. The first time Maria met Mark, she was taken aback some too. Debbie was five foot seven, about 130 pounds, and most of that weight was upstairs in her 38 C breasts. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back half way to her scrumptious round ass. Maria was kind of a little excited to meet Mark, expecting him to be a young, well built handsome man. Well, with a wife that looked like Debbie, wouldn't most people expect that? While visiting Debbie one evening, Maria was shocked when a short, bald and round little man in a suit came in. At first, she thought maybe this munchkin was Debbie's father. He was about five foot three, mostly bald, with a little bit of grey hair on the sides and obviously much older than Debbie. "Maria, this is my husband, Mark," said Debbie, "Mark, this is Maria, she works with me down at the plant. "Hello, I'm glad to meet you, I'm happy to see that Debbie has found a friend, my work keeps me away from home for long hours sometimes," Mark replied. He walked over to Debbie and gave her a kiss on the lips and then turned to shake Maria's hand. "I'm going down to the club for a little while, would you like to come with me Deb? Maria can come too, if she would like." said Mark. "No. . . No I just wanted to kind of sit around the house tonight, you won't be gone long will you?" Debbie asked. "No, I should be in early. Bill and Frank are wanting to discuss building another store somewhere in Indiana, they think it would be a good move because the little town only has a few small markets. We're just going to have a few drinks and discuss our options. I should be back no later than about nine thirty or ten, see you then babe, nice meeting you, Maria." Mark was out of the door pretty quickly, and soon the two women heard his Porsche zoom away. "He seems like a nice man." Said Maria. Debbie, rolled her eyes and smirked a little, "Can you keep a secret?" Said Debbie. "Sure, I guess," Maria answered. "Look at me, does it look like that little fat fucker can keep me satisfied?" Maria just stared at her in shock. "I'm 35 years old and could have just about any man I wanted. Mark is 49, he's a full four inches shorter than me, and he weighs every bit of 275 pounds for Christ's sake. He has almost no hair and he's got the smallest dick I've ever seen in my life. . . Nice man, yeah he's a nice man, but nice doesn't cut it. See this house, see my car? That's why Mark is my husband." Maria just looked at her for a moment, she'd never known anyone who thought like Debbie did. She'd seen a few movies, where something like this had happened, and she assumed that they were just that. . . Movies. Then, Debbie started talking about something that Maria had never discussed with anyone other than her husband, "Sure, I keep the midget happy, I have to if I want to keep living like this. I suck his little dick and swallow the few drops of cum that he squirts out of it, I let him stick that little cigar inside of me. Ha ha ha, I can barely feel it." Maria didn't know quite what to say, she really surprised herself when she asked, "Doesn't he do anything to take. . . Er, does he do anything to please you?" "Are you kidding, he thinks that he takes care of me with that little pecker of his. I want to keep living like this, so I ain't rockin' the boat, if you know what I mean," said Debbie. "Ho. . . How do you. . . What do you do to please yourself? Do you masturbate?" Maria asked as her face turned bright red. "Sometimes, but I've got a couple of different young studs that take care of me, ha ha. And they really take care of me, if you know what I mean, ha ha." Maria was at a loss for words, she was literally shocked by what Debbie had just told her. "What about your husband, does he take care of you?" asked Debbie. "I don't have any complaints in that department, he loves me and he pleases me." Maria replied. "Is he the best fuck you've ever had? Did he have the biggest cock of all of your lovers? Is that why you married him?" Maria almost felt embarrassed by the question, here she was with her friend, this beautiful, obviously very worldly woman. Maria felt like she had just come out of the backwoods or something. "He is the ONLY man that I've ever slept with," she replied, ever so quietly. "You can't be serious, you,re kidding, right?" "No, he's the only one," Maria shyly replied. "Wowww! I don't think I've never met anyone before, that was a virgin when they married. I have to ask tho, how do you know if he's any good or not if you don't have any other experiences to compare him with?" said Debbie, "Would you like me to set you up with someone so that you can find out?" "NO," said Maria. That was the last of the conversation on that subject for the evening. Maria left for home about an hour later. She didn't sleep well that night, although she tried pushing the small jealousies in her mind away, she couldn't do it. Maybe she could get Gary to take Steve up on his offer of a job at Cutlar from several years before. She knew that if he did, it would be about one and a half times what he made now, then maybe they could move up the food chain a little bit. The thought of what Debbie had said about being with a different man briefly crossed her mind, but it was really brief. Maria brought up the subject with Gary about taking a job at Cutlar a few nights later, right after they had made love. He was not impressed, "We're fine, aren't you happy? We make plenty enough for us and the boys, we both have a car, we live in a real nice neighborhood. We're comfortable, what more could we ask for? I know a lot of people that would like to be where we are," said Gary. "I just thought maybe we could get some new cars, Debbie and Mark both drive Porsche's, I me. . ." "What's wrong with the cars we have? They run good don't they?" Gary cut in. Gary was from the school of; 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' "Yeah, but I was just thinking that it would be nice to be. . . I mean I don't have to have a Porsche or anything like that, but I would like to have a new Jeep Cherokee with four wheel drive. We DO have some brutal winters around here, you know," she replied. "I'll keep an eye out, I think we may be able to find a good used Jeep somewhere that we could afford. Besides, I like where I work. I don't really want to work for Cutlar." Maria didn't push the subject for a week or two, but after a few more visits to Debbie's, she put on a full court press. In fact, it caused the biggest rift in their entire marriage to date. Gary told her that they had been living pretty well for the last fifteen years, why change things. Then he told her that if he were to go looking for a different job, it would probably be at ZMA, where his little brother Jack worked. Jack's friend Brad worked there too, along with several other people he knew. "ZMA pays double what I make now, but I still don't see the need to give up the job I like, when we are doing just fine." They slept with their backs to each other for the first time that night. The following morning, just as Maria arrived at work, an ambulance pulled into the parking lot close to the office entrance. It took her a few moments to collect her purse and the supplies that she had bought for the coffee maker inside the office. Then, she hurried in to see what the Paramedics were there for. Did someone fall, did they get hurt inside the plant? As she came into the office, she realized that the Medics were there tending to her boss, Steve Martin, he'd had a heart attack. The janitor found him when he came in to empty the trash. No one was sure how long he had been lying there, but he usually arrived about an hour before Maria. Maria, through her tears, called his wife and told her what had happened. She asked Maria if she would call her and Steve's sons, she wanted to get to the hospital as quickly as she could. Maria called the two boys at their homes. Both boys were married now, one lived in Columbus and the other in Cincinnati. She reached their wives, both assured her that they would relay the message and would be there as soon as possible. Seeing how distraught Maria was, the manager of the new division (Debbie's boss) told her to go ahead and get to the hospital. He knew that Steve and Maria were very close. Maria's Misconceptions Ch. 02 Thank you for the positive responses to Maria's Misconceptions. As for the ending, I personally hate movies that end this way (I like happy endings or paybacks), but that was all of Gary and Maria's story that I actually had at the time. My friend was very close to his brother and after he passed on, didn't discuss him much, just some memories from when they were children. Until the first week of July, I hadn't broached the subject of Gary and Maria with him since he told me about what had happened at the LTC facility almost two years ago. To get an understanding of how we are at the point of Gary's death, please read Maria's Misconceptions. Sorry that it took so long to get this finished, I started this installment a few days after my friend and I talked, but ended up spending the next three weekends of July going out of town (picnics, swimming and fishing) with my wife, son / wife and grand kids. In the first story, as for the use of tho compared to though, I also have a habit of using thru instead of through. I haven't written anything in years for, or to anyone, so in instances of writing anything at all, I did that as a shortcut. Oddly enough, when I ran this through the spell checker, it showed that thru should be through, but never showed tho as being wrong (even though I knew it was). I have seen in numerous publications and news stories where the words then and than are used improperly, so I kind of let the tho's slide. I can assure you, that I won't from now on. I also am now aware that I used wondered instead of wandered, I DO know the difference, it was just an oversight on my part. I read back through the story three times and didn't catch it. My wife and I have two teenage grandsons staying with us, it's sometimes hard to read through anything without interruptions. After speaking with my friend last month, he elaborated on what happened after Gary died. I embellished on that with some truths, some half truths, and some fiction. I've known Maria since high school, since she was my best friend's brother's girlfriend / wife. I had many conversations with her before she got involved with the guy she left Gary for, and she seemed to be a decent woman. In the first part of this, I try to bring out some of the decency that I knew was inside of her, but did that decency prevail? The businesses and the names of the characters in this story are mostly made up. Some of them are real, but have no significance other than they are in the story to give it some authenticity. There is some sex in this story, but not a large amount. There is no sex with anyone under the age of 18. * Riverside Manor Assisted Living and Long Term Care Facility, September, 2012. The heart monitor gave out a steady 'beep beep beep' as Gary faded in and out of consciousness. Occasionally, the beeps became erratic, and would speed up and then slow down. He was well aware that his two sons, Joshua and Jacob were here with their wives. Two of Gary's grandchildren, Joshua's two sons, were here too. Tim and Jeff sat in the big chair behind their parents, all to Gary's left. His little brother, Jack was to his right. Gary's health had taken a turn for the worse, he had seemed to be responding to treatment fairly well, until the day before. It was mid afternoon and Gary was sleeping, Jack had been sitting in a chair reading and was about to doze off himself, when Gary started calling out to his ex-wife, "Maria honey, come here for just a minute. . . Maria, where are you? Come here for a minute. . ." he called out. Jack sat up and turned to look at his brother, Gary was staring intently at the closed door leading to the hallway. "What you babbling about now?" asked Jack. Gary slowly looked over at Jack with a confused look on his face. "Why won't she answer me? She's just out in the hall there, go tell her to come here, I need to talk to her, she's going to K mart to get some shoes for the boys. . . And I want her to pick me up some. . ." Gary's voice trailed off and he stared at Jack for a moment. "Maria's not here Gary," said Jack. "Huh. . .? What are you talking about?" asked Gary. "You were calling out for Maria just a minute ago, you must have been dreaming or something." "No, I think YOU are the one dreaming!" replied Gary. After some idle 'chit chat,' Jack went back to reading and it wasn't long after, he heard Gary's even breathing and knew that he was asleep again. A while later, Jack heard Gary's breathing becoming more labored and the heart monitor was all over the place, so he pushed the button on the nurse's call. After the nurse arrived, she took some vitals on Gary and the look on her face was troubling, she left the room and returned with a doctor immediately. Jack rose from the chair and told them that he was going down to the cafeteria for a bite to eat and to get out of their way. He had a feeling that what was happening was not good. While he was out, Jack called his wife and told her that he was going to stay the night, and that it would probably be a good idea to get in touch with Gary's sons and tell them to come up. When Jack returned to the room, there were still two nurses inside and he noticed that Gary had two new IV's. Gary looked to be awake, but was struggling to keep his eyes open, Jack looked at his brother and said, "How you doing now, you feeling any better?" Gary just stared straight ahead like he was in a daze. "I don't believe that he can hear you," the nurse said quietly, "Are you his only family?" "No, I've already called for his children to come up," he said. The nurse gave him a sad look, "I'm sorry," she said. Just then, the doctor came back into the room, "You are Mr Arthur's brother, correct?" he asked. "Yes." The doctor started to speak, but Jack cut in, "You don't have to give me details about a bunch of medical bull crap. . . How long. . .? How long does he have?" "Well, another day or two. . . Maybe less. . . Maybe more, but I doubt it. . . We are trying to make him as comfortable as possible. I'm very sorry Mr Arthur." Jack looked at his brother, he knew this day was coming, but he thought it would be a little ways down the road. Gary had made it perfectly clear that he did not want to be kept alive by artificial means. Jack said a prayer, asking God to please let Gary's sons get to the facility before he passed. Along in the evening, Gary looked over and spoke with Jack for a few minutes, he was very alert and spoke with Jack about going fishing once he got to feeling better. It was short lived though, Gary slipped back into slumber land a little later. Jack had fallen asleep in the chair beside Gary's bed, it had a reclining feature and was actually quite comfortable. During the night, Jack awoke to the sound of Gary speaking to someone. He listened closely as Gary spoke candidly as if they were right there. "He must be dreaming," thought Jack. Jack became amused, because as he laid there and listened to Gary, it was obvious that he was speaking words of love to someone. A while later, he heard Gary gasp, he rose from the chair quickly to press the nurse's call, but realized that Gary looked to be having an erotic dream. He was lying on his back and his hands were above his gyrating hips a few inches and moving up and down as though someone was riding him. Jack smiled and let out a little chuckle. "I love you Maria," said Gary. Jack wasn't sure weather to cry or scream. He knew how much Gary had loved Maria. He also knew what she had done to him, and what she had done with all of those men. He'd seen a few moments of one of Maria's gang bang tapes and it had infuriated him, he couldn't watch it. Up until he'd seen it with his own eyes, he thought that it had to be someone that just looked like her. In all the time that Maria had been married to Gary, Jack had the utmost respect for her. She was also good friends with Jack's wife, what had happened to her? What had caused her to do all of those things? It tore at his heart. Joshua and Jacob arrived early the next morning along with their wives, Josh brought his two young boys along too. Gary was awake and alert, speaking and laughing with his sons, grandsons, and Jack. He even had a pretty good appetite for lunch, but right after, he leaned back into his pillow and started fading in and out. Just after one, he sat up a little and looked at the closed door like he had the day before, "Maria?" He looked back at Josh and Jake, "Go tell your mother to come here, I need to talk to her, hurry, I have to get ready for work." Joshua's two young boys were too young to understand, but it was all the rest of them could do to hold it together. Gary turned back towards the door, "I've got to go Maria, I'll see you later. . . I love you!" he called out. He closed his eyes and laid back onto the pillow. . . 'BEEEEEEEE. . .' The heart monitor screamed. Gary was gone. Jack leaned down and kissed his big brother on the forehead, then reached over and turned off the heart monitor. After a few moments, he looked at the others and said, "I'm going to get the nurse, I'll give you guys a few minutes by yourselves." Jack turned around and exited the room looking down at the floor. Turning to his left, had taken a few steps when he realized someone was right in front of him. Snapping out of his thoughts, he stopped abruptly and looked up, but before he could speak, "Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry I wa. . . Jack??" Jack just stared for a few seconds, "There's no way, it's not possible," he thought, "Did Gary know that she was here. . .? How?" A chill ran up his spine when he thought about it. "Hello. . . Maria?" he said. There were a few moments of silence, then Maria introduced her husband, Jace Ballard to Jack. Then she asked, "Is your mother here in this facility. . .? What's Gary been doing, lately, is he remarried now?" "Wow. . .!" Jack thought, "Has she been that detached from everybody for that long!!?" "Been out of the loop for a while, haven't you, Maria?" he said. "Is Gary here? I would like to see him, I've got something that I would like to giv. . ." Jack put his hand up to stop her from speaking, and motioned for her to follow him. "Oh my God. . . How am I going to explain this? This is so weird!" Jack thought. He turned and walked three doors down from where they stood. Jack told her to wait in the hall for just a moment and he went inside. He looked at his brother's children, not knowing where to start, "Um. . . There's someone outside here. . . Aaaaa. . . She thinks it's your grandmother in here, she doesn't know that she passed on last year, in fact. . . I don't even think she knew that your dad was sick. . . " "It's mom, isn't it?" asked Joshua. Jack gave him a solemn look and nodded his head. "How in the hell did she find out he was here, you didn't tell her did you?" Jacob asked. "No, I ran into her in the hallway. . . She says that her and her husband were here on business," Jack replied. "I thought her husband was some CEO, or something. . . Did she dump him too? Is she married to a doctor now?" Joshua replied angrily. "All I know is. . . she's right outside the door, she said that she wanted to speak to your dad. . . She doesn't have a clue that it's not your grandmother lying here in this bed," Jack said. "Let her in!" said Jacob, "Let her see what she did to him." "Are you guys sure you're ready, I mean I don't want there to be a scene." Gary's boys looked at one another for a moment, then back to Jack, "Alright, let her in," said Joshua. Jack slipped out of the room to speak to Maria. "I talked to everybody. . . And they said it's OK. . . I need to explain some things to you though. . ." He opened the door and started telling Maria what had transpired in the last two decades, while he watched her face. She didn't seem to be listening to him, he saw her look at her boys, then around the room. He assumed she was looking for Gary, and when he got to the end of his dialogue, his last words were, "We lost Ma last year. . . And Gary about 15 minutes ago. . ." Jack could tell that those last words got her attention, her gaze went to the bed and he saw the color drain from her face. "NO NO NO," she cried out, as she stumbled into the room and collapsed onto the bed and Gary. Even after all of the animosity that both Joshua and Jacob felt towards their mother, the scene unfolding in front of them brought tears to their eyes. This was the first time in over twenty years, that they had all been in the same room together. Jace came in to comfort his wife and the tears were streaming down his cheeks too. Maria clung to Gary and sobbed, "I still loved him. . . I'm so sorry Gary. . . Oh my God NO, this can't be happening!" Jack stepped into the hallway and waved to a nurse that had come out of a room down the hall. When she approached, Jack explained to her that his brother had passed and that his ex-wife might need some attention, because she wasn't taking it too well. The nurse told him that she would be right back and walked away from him down the hall quickly. She returned shortly with a doctor and they entered the room to see Maria holding onto Gary tightly, while Jace was trying to coax her away. "Miss, miss. . . We' ll have to ask you to step back please, if you don't, we're going to have to give you a sedative. . . Do you understand?" the doctor said. Maria released her grip on Gary and stood, her knees couldn't hold her though and she started to go down. The doctor and Jace caught her before she hit the floor and they moved her around to the chair and sat her down. The doctor checked her over and said that she should be fine after a while, that he believed that she was suffering from a mild case of shock. Jack looked at Gary and Maria's sons and told them that the man with their mother was their step father, Jace Ballard. "Yeah , we know who he is, we've been watching his commercials on TV for years. . . But we sure didn't know that the woman in the last couple three were her. Never paid that much attention," said Joshua. "I told you last year, that the woman in those commercials kinda looked like her didn't I?" Jacob added, "It's been what. . .? Twenty one years since we last laid eyes on her." Jace looked at the two boys, not sure what to say to them. He knew that she hadn't seen them for quite some time, but he never realized that it had been that long. He felt a sense of guilt for his wife, "Why did she not contact them, or go and see them?" he thought to himself. He knew how loving and caring he thought she was, he just couldn't fathom why she would ever do that. Jace stuck out his hand and shook both of their's, "I'm sorry boys, I never realized that you had not seen her for that long, your mother and I never really discussed it. For some reason, I had it in my mind that you were almost adults when your mom and dad divorced," said Jace. "How long have you two been together?" asked Jacob. "We were married in 2002. . . Actually I met her back in 1997, when I handled her divorce from James Wilkens." "That's the guy she left dad for, he was her boss. I remember going to a cookout or something at his mansion. . . We all went, me and Jake, mom and dad. . . It wasn't long after that. . . Hell, I. . . I mean we only met the bastard once and the next thing we knew she was gone. . . Well, I guess it was a year or so later, but. . ." said Joshua. "How old were you guys when she left?" asked Jace. "I was thirteen and Jake was eleven," replied Joshua. "Wow, I never knew, she only mentioned that she had two sons with her first husband, not really any details, and. . . Well her divorce from Mr Wilkens was in '97, I was under the impression that she was only married to him for a very short time and for some reason, I thought that you guys were in your late teens or early twenties. . . I sure am sorry, I didn't know that you were so young," Jace explained. "So, she divorced old man Wilkens in '97 huh?" said Jacob. Maria started to stir and everyone turned their attention to her. Looking at her two boys, she said, "I'm so sorry, can you ever forgive me? I don't know why I did what I did." The doctor and the nurse were now about ready to move Gary's body out of the room and heard Maria stirring. The doctor walked over and stood between her and Gary so that she couldn't see him. Jace spoke up, "Doc, she has a doctor's appointment at 4 pm, will she be alright by then to make it?" he asked. The doctor looked at his watch, it was 1:45. "Let her rest for another hour or so, and I think she'll be fine," he said. Then, he whispered to Jace to move to the spot where he was to block Maria's view from seeing Gary moved. After Gary was wheeled out, Jace looked at Joshua and Jacob, "Would you boys like to go down to the cafeteria, where we could talk some more? Maybe your wives would be kind enough to stay with Maria while she rests some more. . . Would you ladies mind?" said Jace, "I'm sure you two would like to know a little about your mother, wouldn't you?" The wives said that it would be fine, they would try and talk with her and comfort her for a while. Jace looked at Jack and told him that he was welcome to join, that he would like to know all he could about Gary, because Maria had never really discussed him or her boys. Jace leaned down and told Maria, that he would be back in a little while, and for her to rest, "These two beautiful young ladies here are your daughters, and they need to introduce you to your two handsome grandsons standing right back here." Even though he was a ruthless lawyer, Jace was still a very compassionate man, he genuinely felt sad for Maria's boys and couldn't understand why she had not contacted them over the years. When they all arrived in the cafeteria, Jace told them to get anything they wished, it was his treat. They all grabbed a soda and sat down to talk. Jace explained how Maria had never said much, other than she had two sons with her first husband, she'd never told him how long they'd been married or when she had divorced him. She'd never even told him their father's name until this morning. "This morning? Why did she tell you his name this morning? Did she know he was here?" asked Joshua. "It's kind of hard to explain, Maria was here in this facility yesterday afternoon. . ." Jace started, but Jack cut in. "She was here yesterday afternoon?" he asked, surprised. "Yes, she was right down the hall in room 211 speaking with Mr Green about an accident case, why?" Jack's eyes grew a little misty as he explained how Gary had called out for Maria the day before, and said that she was in the hallway. The two boys and Jace stared at Jack in disbelief. "So, she probably WAS out there. . . That's just weird," Jack said. Jace then told them about Maria becoming suddenly depressed while she was at the facility yesterday, and that she had an appointment to see a psychiatrist today at 4 pm." It became very quiet for a few moments while they all tried to comprehend what they had just heard. ---------- Back in the room, Maria sat staring into space, an occasional tear running down her cheek. She thought about the dream she'd had the night before, it had seemed so real. Was this just a dream? She so wished that it was. Joshua's wife had managed to start a conversation with Maria and introduced her to her grandchildren, and Jacob's wife. She held out her arms to the two boys and hugged them, while she cried, "Oh my God, I can't believe it!! I can't believe what I've done, I just can't," Maria sobbed, "I've missed out on so much." Maria's Misconceptions The Paramedics did all that they could, but Steve didn't make it, he died en route to the hospital and they couldn't revive him. Maria was devastated, not only was he her friend, but also a strong father figure. With the urging of the manager that had sent her to the hospital that fateful day, the company gave Maria two weeks off, with pay, instead of the normal three day bereavement period. Maria withdrew from Gary in her grief, they weren't intimate the whole time she was off. Returning to work after two weeks, she found that she had a new boss. James Wilkens was 48 years old, six foot two, medium build and weighed close to 200 lbs. Divorced, he was a very distinguished and good looking gentleman. He had worked his way up through the ranks at a competitor, and was recruited by Cutlar. When he introduced himself, she felt butterflies in her stomach, she hadn't had those kinds of feelings since she first met Gary. But, she pushed those thoughts aside, she WAS a married woman. After the first week back to work, Maria had noticed that Debbie was practically throwing herself at James, she flirted openly with him, and a couple of times, Maria thought that she was going to flat out ask him if he wanted to get a room. James would always roll his eyes and shake his head after Debbie would walk away. More than once tho, Maria observed James staring at her when he thought she hadn't noticed. He was very soft spoken and never demanding of Maria, she began to think that he might have a crush on her. At 35, and after two children, she was still a very small and petite woman. She'd grown an inch or so since high school and was only ten pounds heavier at 115. Her dark brown hair now hung a few inches below her shoulders. Maria's personality just whispered innocence, while Debbie's screamed out 'BIMBO.' About a month into his tenure at Cutlar, James invited the whole office staff, their spouses, (or dates) and children to his house for a meet and greet barbecue. Included in the invitation, was a note for everyone to bring a swimsuit if they so desired, because there was a large, heated in ground pool and a hot tub. It was also stated that there would be a life guard, so that parents could have some peace of mind while their children swam. Gary wasn't very enthused about going, the high life just wasn't his thing, but their boys really wanted to go, so he said he would tag along. Things were still kind of cool between him and Maria. Of course, she was still running over to Debbie's several times a week, and she felt really awkward in the old Chevy wagon, it clearly didn't fit into the area where Debbie lived. She was starting to feel some resentment towards Gary, she wanted a new car. Maria's former boss, Steve, had lived in a beautiful home, but it was an older home inside of town, not out in one of the newer subdivisions. Steve and Gary had been a lot alike, frugal and not really wanting to live a life of luxury. On the day of the barbecue, Maria, Gary and the boys headed towards Willow Creek Estates and James Wilkens' home. They had driven past the area before, but neither of them had ever been inside and looked around at the homes. Once they arrived, Maria couldn't believe her eyes, this home made Debbie's look drab and made her and Gary's home look like the poor side of town. The home had only been completed two weeks before James moved in. The 3485 square foot home was the epitome of luxury. There were walnut stained wood floors, 8' doors and 11-12' ceilings. A great room with a fireplace and wet bar. It had a custom gourmet kitchen with a center island, state of the art appliances, and a breakfast area that led to a covered patio. As Maria walked through, she was almost overwhelmed, she could hardly believe it. "God, what I wouldn't do to live in a home like this," she turned to Gary and said. As they walked on, they found that the home also featured a separate study and formal dining room with french doors opening onto a terrace. When James spotted Maria, his face lit up like he had just encountered a long lost friend. He greeted her, Gary and the two boys. "Mr Wilkens, this is my husband, Gary and our sons, Joshua and Jacob," said Maria. "Please call me James, and I am so happy to meet the Arthur men. You have quite the woman there, she is indispensable to us and we are all very fond of her," Said James, as he shook all of their hands. He led them out to the back of the home, it was absolutely spectacular. The home sat on four acres and there was a twenty five by fifty foot heated in ground pool, the hot tub of course and a path leading down to a tennis court. The meal was catered in by Schnitzelbank Cateringof Jasper Indiana and was delicious. It was an unseasonably warm 85 degrees, unusual for May in Ohio. After everyone had eaten and socialized a bit, Mr Wilkens announced that anyone who wanted to swim was more than welcome, they could change in the bathhouse next to the pool. He said that he thought it was a beautiful day, there was a bar and a large assortment of tables and chairs by the pool. He thought he was going to take a dip for a while himself. Joshua and Jacob had worn their swimming trunks under their pants and were the first ones in the pool. Gary put on his trunks and found a lounge chair by the pool, while Maria had worn a very conservative bikini and relaxed into the lounge beside Gary. Mark was out of town, so Debbie had come by herself, and was wearing her dental floss bikini. There were about thirty people at the party and every set of male eyes followed her around the pool, wherever she went. Mr Wilkens appeared at the pool in his trunks a few moments later, Debbie latched onto his arm and wouldn't leave his side. Maria had taken notice of James, he was very well tanned and along with his six foot, two frame, was very muscular. She flushed when she realized that he was packing something somewhat large in his swimming trunks too. Much to the delight of the men at the party, there were three separate incidents, where Debbie's top somehow allowed her breasts to escape their holdings. Debbie had gone inside to use the restroom at the same time Maria had risen to get her and Gary a drink. James was standing close to the bar and asked her if she and Gary were enjoying themselves. "Looks like your two boys are sure having a good time!" he remarked. "Yeah, they sure are. . . You have an absolutely beautiful place here," she said. "Would you like a tour?" he asked. "I. . . We've already seen most of it," she responded. "Why don't you come in and I'll show you the rest," he said, as he touched her arm and led her towards the house. Once inside, he showed her the office nook near the kitchen and told her that he hadn't decided whether or not to use it as a pantry or a home office. Next to that, was a very spacious laundry room with a side guest entrance that led to the stairs up to the two suites located on the second floor, each with dedicated full baths and walk in closets. "This is so beautiful," she said. "Just wait'" he said, as he led her to the master suite. It had a spa - like bath and an expansive closet, along with a powder room. Then, he led her to the three car garage. Parked inside, were a new 1990 Mercedes 300E sedan and also a shiny new Corvette ZR-1. "I don't want to be nosy, but do you live in this big house all by yourself?" asked Maria. "Yes, for the time being. . . I hope for there to be another Mrs. Wilkens sometime in the near future," he said, looking directly into her eyes. As they headed back outside towards the pool, Debbie spotted them and approached rather quickly. She gave Maria a dirty look as if she was interfering on her territory or something and Maria was a little confused by her demeanor. Debbie latched onto James' arm again and led him away. He looked back at Maria and gave her a crooked smile and rolled his eyes, Maria had to smile at his reaction to Debbie. Maria walked over to the bar to get her and Gary's drinks, then headed back to where Gary was sitting. As she walked towards Gary she looked at him, he was still cute, tall and lanky, somewhat the same as he had been when he was a teenager. He had a farmer's tan from being outside working for the City, his chest and legs were lily white from almost no exposure to the sun. James, on the other hand, was tall, muscular and very handsome, his whole body was tanned, he almost looked like a Greek God. She thought about her home, the car she had to drive. Then, she thought about this home, this castle and the cars in the garage. In that short walk from the bar over to Gary, she had processed all of this in her mind. Then, as she was almost to him, out of the blue, she thought about Gary's six inch cock, and compared it to the large snake slithering around in James' swimming trunks. . . Nine or ten inches, maybe? Gary asked her what took so long, and she told him that she'd gotten a tour of the house. He didn't say anything, he wasn't real happy with the idea, but it was too late, it had already happened. Over the next week Maria and Gary seemed to grow further apart. They made love, but Maria caught herself thinking of James when they did. Gary could sense something was wrong, he tried to talk to her, but she didn't seem interested in talking, it was as tho she was off in her own little world. Gary had decided that, to please his wife, he would talk to the PR Manager at Cutlar about a job, or try to get a job with more pay at one of the other local factories. Gary was hired on at Cutlar and the only opening at the time was on the three pm to eleven pm shift. They told him that he could transfer to days (7am to 3pm) when an opening became available. This made Maria happy, but she still seemed preoccupied with something, she had lost interest in decorating their home and she didn't even mention a new car anymore. Maria and Debbie were kind of on the outs too. Debbie was still cordial, but she had dropped hints for Maria to stay away from James, because she was pursuing him. "I'm not interested in James," Maria told her. "I saw the way you two were looking at each other at his party, and he gave you a personal tour of his house. He didn't do that for anybody else, not even me! After all of the hints I've dropped that he could have me. . . ME!! Look at me, and he gives little miss happy house wife, somebody else's wife, the tour." "I AM his personal secretary. Me and Gary used to have dinner at Steve's, my old boss's house all the time. It's really not a big deal," said Maria. "Yeah, but did your old boss want to fuck you? I see the way he looks at you," Debbie replied. "You're married too. . . And you're almost throwing yourself at him!" "I don't want to discuss it anymore!" said Debbie. They didn't speak to each other much after that conversation, and Maria hadn't been back to Debbie's house since. Maria couldn't understand why Debbie was so mad at her, she didn't have any intentions of pursuing James. After a month Gary had taken to his new job pretty well, he already knew some of the other workers, he also made friends with the one's he didn't know pretty quickly. During the week, Maria was usually in bed asleep when he arrived home from work at about 11:20, so Gary would stop off at Oink's, a local bar with some of his coworkers a couple nights a week. Maria didn't seem to mind, she was still kind of in her own little world. Gary found a one owner, 1988 Jeep Cherokee that the local Chrysler Dealer had just taken in on trade. It was a Friday morning, just before lunch time when Gary stopped by the Dealership. The salesman was one of Gary's old high school buddies and he informed Gary, that, if he would trade Maria's old wagon in before they did the dealer reconditioning and prep of the Jeep, he would make him an outstanding deal at the wholesale price. The previous owner had taken excellent care of the Cherokee, it had low miles and looked brand new. Gary looked at his watch, 12:10, Maria should be on her lunch break, he told his friend that he wanted to drive it over to where his wife worked to let her have a look. He drove over to the plant and went inside to get Maria, the receptionist told him that Maria had stepped out for lunch with Mr Wilkens at 11:30. She didn't have any idea where they had gone. Gary hung around until after 1 o'clock, and they hadn't returned, so he took the Jeep back to the Dealership and told his friend maybe later, but not to hold the vehicle on his account. Gary went to work at 3:00, he looked to see if he could spot James' car in the office parking lot, but he wasn't really sure what he drove. Gary didn't have a very good shift at work, everything seemed to go wrong, and he couldn't concentrate. When he arrived home at 11:20, Maria feigned sleep, but she was lost in thought about her lunch with James. Gary showered and crawled into bed beside her, turning his back and going to sleep instead of slipping over and putting his arm around her the way he usually did. James had asked her if she would like to take an early lunch, she had told him that she had brought her own and she would be fine, but he insisted. He said that she would really enjoy it, that he was taking her to DESIDERIO'S, which was the most expensive restaurant in town. She told him that there was no way she could afford to go there, the average meal was well over one hundred dollars. James told her that it was his treat, to please come along so that he wouldn't have to eat alone. "Are you sure? That's a really high priced place," said Maria. "I insist, it would be my pleasure to treat you, Maria, you are an asset, and you do an awful lot of good for this company, you deserve it," said James. "Well, since you put it that way, how could I possibly refuse, I've always wanted to go there," she said. James had driven the Mercedes to the office today, he escorted Maria out to his car and opened the door for her. Inside, she'd never seen so much luxurious leather and wood in her life, nor had she ever ridden in an automobile as nice as this. About fifteen minutes later, they were at the restaurant. James told her to stay put and he whisked around the car to open the door for her again. Then, he took her arm and escorted her inside, where he already had a table waiting for them in a very private and dimly lit corner. He told Maria not to be shy, order anything on the menu that her heart desired, money was no object. Maria ordered the Filet Mignon with an Artisan salad and Lobster bites, then had a slice of chocolate mousse pie that was out of this world. It was absolutely the best meal she'd ever had in her life. After they were finished eating, as they sat in the dim light talking, James asked Maria about her life, what she was like as a child, what her hobbies were and where she wanted to be ten years down the road. He purposely kept the subject of Maria's marriage and Gary off of the table. He looked deeply into her eyes and took her hands in his, he told her that she was beautiful, absolutely stunning. She blushed and the butterflies returned. James slowly slid over next to her, while still holding her hands in his. He took the one hand away and placed his arm around her shoulders, ever so gently pulling her closer to him. Before she new what was happening, they were engaged in a passionate kiss. They sat in the booth necking for over an hour, Maria's panties were soaked, she couldn't remember ever being this turned on. James slowly slid his hand down and slipped it under her skirt, sliding one, then two fingers inside of her waiting wetness. With his other hand, he guided Maria's hand down to feel his growing erection. She rubbed for a few moments on the outside of his slacks and then, when she wrapped her fingers around his shaft through the loose material, she gasped when she realized how large he was. No other man besides Gary had ever been where James was now, nor had she ever touched another man in this manner. The rubbing and finger play stopped before either had an orgasm, this was just a teasing session. It was 1;45 pm before they arrived back at the office, Maria was so lost in thought when they returned, that she never even heard the receptionist tell her that Gary had been there. Debbie had definitely taken note of how long they'd been gone tho, and she was livid. As Maria lay there in bed, she thought about how much she loved Gary, and how she should feel ashamed about what had happened at lunch time, but she felt no remorse. Excitement, she felt excitement and she couldn't stop thinking about James. The next morning was Saturday, so Gary and Maria were both off. Gary was up at 8 am, while Maria, since she hadn't slept well, was in bed until almost 11. When she strolled into the kitchen, Gary was waiting on her, "Did the girl in the front of your office tell you that I was there yesterday at noon?" Maria looked at him, a little shocked and remembered her saying something, but she had been too far off in la la land to pick up on it. "What did you come by for?" she asked. Gary didn't mention the Jeep, he just told her that he came by to see if she wanted to go out for lunch. "But, the girl said that you went out with your boss, did you have a good time?" At first she was reluctant to tell him, but then decided to let him know that her boss had taken her somewhere that he would never be able to, "James took me to DESIDERIO'S, it was the best food that I've ever eaten." "Did he also fuck you while you were out? That's a pretty expensive place to take a woman that your not getting a piece of," Gary said, sarcastically. "Did the girl in front tell you that I stayed until after one o'clock and you hadn't come back yet. . . She said that you left at 11:30, so that's at least an hour and forty minutes or so, takes that long to eat lunch?" He said. "No no no, you don't understand. . . He said that I was an asset to the company and that I deserved this expensive lunch as a reward. . . And you can bet, that if he asks me to go again, I will." She didn't know what she was going to do if he asked her again, if he put his fingers back inside of her again , she knew that she would end up in bed with him, there was no doubt. She thought all day about what James had done with her the day before, when she got ready for bed that night, she was soaking wet and waiting on Gary. They had a very energetic romp that night, neither one knowing that this would be their last. There last time enjoying each other as a committed couple that is. Monday, James invited Maria to go to lunch again. It was a different restaurant, but another dark corner. James didn't feel her up today, but they did enjoy a bout of intense necking, and were only gone an hour this time. Gary went out for a couple of beers after work tonight, when he crawled in bed at 12;30, he snuggled up against Maria and wrapped his arms around her. James waited until Thursday to invite Maria for lunch again. Once again a different restaurant and another dark corner. Today James asked Maria to take off her panties and give them to him, she looked around carefully and reached under her skirt and took them off. Soon they were necking again, James had three fingers buried inside of Maria this time. Maria had unzipped his slacks and was stroking his cock under the table, she was so turned on, that she debated in her mind whether or not to slip under the table and take him into her mouth. James let out a gasp and ejaculated all over Maria's hand, a few seconds later, Maria groaned as she had an intense orgasm. She brought her hand out from under the table and licked his semen from her fingers as she was coming. Maria would occasionally perform oral sex on Gary, but she would never allow his cum be in her mouth. Maria's Misconceptions "I want to feel your cock thrusting inside of me!!" Maria whispered to James. They returned to the office at 1:30, Maria was pantyless. Debbie stared at Maria when they came in and smiled, while shaking her head. After work, Debbie approached Maria, "You're sleeping with him aren't you?" asked Debbie. "No, I'm not. . . At least not yet, but I think it's gonna happen. I've held his cock in my hand tho. . . God, it's so big!" "Ha ha, I knew it, I saw the way you two were looking at each other during the party," Debbie responded. Maria was a little perplexed at Debbie's change in attitude, just a little while ago, she was mad because she thought Maria was after James, and now. . . Maria told Gary that she wasn't feeling good this weekend and they didn't make love. Monday, James once again asked Maria to lunch and she accepted. They left at 11:30, and on the way out he told the receptionist that they had a meeting and may be late getting back. Maria wondered where James was going when he drove in the opposite direction of town and the restaurants. A few moments later he was pulling the Mercedes into his garage. All Maria could do was smile. James led her into the house and quickly into the master suite, where they couldn't get their clothes off fast enough. They scrambled to the bed and the kissing started again, then James worked his way down, spreading Maria's legs. He kissed down her tummy, and then licked and probed her pussy with his tongue. He licked and teased her clitoris until she was about to come, then he stopped. He did this three times, she was panting when she crawled on top of him and they went into a 69. She went after his cock like she was starving for it. She had a strong orgasm and a few seconds later James blasted a large load into her mouth, Maria swallowing it all. She played and sucked until he was hard again, then climbed on top of him and lowered herself onto his cock. James' cock was so much bigger than Gary's and it felt so much different. She rode him for a while and rolled onto her back and told him to put his cock inside and pound her. That's just what he did, he pounded her to two more orgasms, then he told her he was going to come, "Come inside of me, fill me up James. . . give it to me!!" Maria screamed. Afterwards, Maria laid with her head on his chest for a while, "I could really get used to this," she said. And so began Maria and James' affair. They arrived back at the office at 2 pm. Debbie smiled and winked at Maria. After work, she approached and said, "He fucked you today, didn't he? I can tell by the look on your face, was it everything you expected, was he better than Gary?" "Oh my God, I've never been made love to like that before, his cock was so big and it felt so good. I may need for you to cover for me in the future, I have to get with him again!" said Maria. You naughty girl, ha ha ha," said Debbie. Tuesday morning, Maria told James that they shouldn't be getting together at lunch anymore, she was afraid that people were starting to notce. "Debbie already knows, she figured it out and said that she would cover for me. I'm going to find a way for us to get together in the evenings after work, I've been thinking that I'm going to start doing yoga at Debbie's house. . . um. . . let's say. . . Tuesdays and Thursdays. .? Ha ha ha. Then I'll meet with you, sound good?" "Can I pick you up at Debbie's? That way your car will be where it's supposed to be. asked James. "I'll ask her and make sure, but I'm sure she'll go along. So, it's Tuesdays and Thursdays huh? Ha ha. . . Oh my. . . Today is Tuesday. . . Pick me up at seven?" Maria teased. Maria called Gary and told him that her and Debbie were going to start doing yoga at Debbie's home on Tuesdays and Thursdays, "You don't have any problem with that, do you honey?" she asked Gary. "I guess not, if it's something that you feel you need to do, just make sure that Josh and Jake are taken care of," Gary replied. "Good, we're starting tonight." "Are you going right after work, or are you coming home first?" Gary asked. "I'm coming home first and I'll check on the boys, I'm supposed to be at Debbie's at seven. Love you, thanks honey," then she hung up the phone. Gary felt a little uneasy about Maria hanging with Debbie again, she was the one that put all of those ideas about 'moving up' into Maria's head and caused the only rift they'd had in their entire marriage. Debbie told Maria that she could leave her car at her house, but she would need James' telephone number in case someone would happen to call looking for her. "Remember this; if someone calls looking for you I will call James' phone and let it ring twice, then I'll hang up and do it two more times. If that happens, you call me, do you hear me girl? And make sure to have a phone near the bed, or wherever else you're humping, ha ha. Oh, and tell James' about our little system." "Oh, alright, I never thought about anything like that!" said Maria. On her way home, Maria swung by the Mall, visiting a women's clothing store, and purchased some tights to wear to her 'yoga' workout and a bright red, see through negligee. Rushing home, she took a shower and douched, then put the negligee on underneath her clothes. She put the tights and some clean panties in her garment bag. She told the boys that she was starting a yoga class at her friend's house, if she wasn't home, bedtime was at ten, and to make sure and lock the house up. "Love you two, don't do anything that you shouldn't be doing, I'll see you boys a little later." A hint of guilt ran through her mind after she realized what she had just said, but it quickly passed. She left for Debbie's with her heart racing, her pussy already getting wet. Maria arrived a Debbie's a few minutes before James did, she went in to see her friend and wait. She opened up her slacks and showed Debbie her new teddy, "Looking good girl!" said Debbie. Maria was surprised, when James pulled up to get her in his Corvette. He was around the car in a flash to open the door for her, as Maria went out to greet him. Debbie looked on in amazement, she new about the Mercedes, but not the Vette. "You're doing good for yourself hon," Debbie whispered to herself, as she closed the door. James took her back to his home and ravaged her for the next three hours, they tried just about every position they could come up with. Maria had never had sex like this, didn't even know it was possible to feel like she did. When James dropped her at her car a little before eleven, Debbie was waiting on her 'Well. . . Girl? How was it, did he work you over good? Ha ha." "Oh my God, I can hardly walk, I've really missed out on a lot the last fifteen years. . . Wow!" Maria replied. Maria hurried home, arriving at 10:55 pm, she jumped in the shower to clean up. As she showered, she thought about the night she'd had. James had given her five orgasms, one orally, and four, while pounding her pussy in different positions with his large cock. He'd even licked her ass, it gave her sensations like she'd never had before. James had shot his first load all over her face, and then he left two deep inside of her pussy. After she finished showering, she checked on the boys real quick and jumped into bed, feigning sleep again as Gary arrived from home from work. When Gary came to bed, he wrapped his arms around her again, unaware of the fact, that just a few hours before, she'd had the best fucking of her life. . . From another man. As Maria laid there with Gary's arms around her, she wished it was James. Although she still cared for Gary, she new right then, their marriage was over. She was falling hard and fast for James, he was a real man, a rugged, tanned hunk of a man that could please her in every way, and he was wealthy, very wealthy. Gary was a mere boy, he had the body of a teenager and he still fucked her the same way he had since they had first been married. He gave her orgasms, but not like James had. Gary could only get her off once, and once he came, he was done for the night. James had risen for the occasion three times. He probably could have gone again, but she'd had to get home. Thursday was a repeat performance, after they were finished, James shocked Maria, he told her, "You still need to make love with Gary, have sex with him and have a good time. . ." "But, I don't really want to, he doesn't even come close to you," she cut in. "But, we can't have him becoming suspicious either, can we? He could really cause us a lot of trouble, did you forget, that he works for Cutlar too?" reasoned James. "I don. . . Just don't know, I. . ." "Just think of it as a parting gift for him, he has taken care of you for the last fifteen years, hasn't he? And he gave you two good looking boys, didn't he?" "I guess you're right, I can give him a few mercy fucks, ha ha ha," Maria said. Over the next couple of weeks, Tuesday and Thursday evenings were filled with orgasm after orgasm for Maria. On the weekends, she gave herself to Gary and did actually enjoy herself (as long as she fantasized about James), she even gave him a blowjob to completion and swallowed. Gary was pleased, but puzzled, he thought maybe Debbie and Maria had been talking and she had put the idea in her head. It had been three weeks since Gary had taken the Jeep Cherokee over to Cutlar for Maria to see, when just after Maria arrived home from work, the phone rang. When Maria answered, the man said, "Hi, this is Paul Jenkins with Alford's Chrysler Center, is this the Arthur residence?" "A. . . Yes it is, can I help you?" Maria replied, wondering what this was about. "You are Gary's wife, Mrs. Arthur I presume?" "Yes." "A few weeks ago Gary drove an 88 Jeep Cherokee over to your place of business for you to have a look at, am I correct?" said Paul. Maria wasn't sure what to say, but she wanted to know what this was about, so she played along. "Yes, I was very busy that day and I only saw it briefly, I can't remember the details, can you tell me more?" Maria asked. "Well, the vehicle is a one owner, well maintained 1988 Jeep Cherokee Limited, it has the straight six, it's the four door model. It has the Selec-Trac, on the fly, four wheel drive system. The interior is all leather, there's power steering and brakes, center console and floor shift combined with an automatic transmission, premium sound system, and sun roof. And the color is medium Bronze, of course, you've seen that. I don't know if Gary has talked to you about the price or not, but I told him he could have it at wholesale and we would take your 84 chevy wagon in as trade. I really need to know what he wants to do about this, as I have several other customers looking at it." Maria told him that she would leave a note for Gary to call him in the morning and thanked him. "Thank you Mrs. Arthur, have a nice evening, goodbye." Maria did feel a trace of guilt when she realized that Gary had been going to get her the vehicle that she wanted, but wondered why he hadn't followed through. Could he possibly know about James? She had covered her tracks pretty well, the only person that knew other than her and James, was Debbie, "She wouldn't tell Gary, she knows that I could tell Mark all about her escapades, and she would lose her gravy train," she thought. Maria didn't mention anything to Gary about Paul calling, she just pushed the incident aside. If he were to run into Paul and he would say he called, she would just tell him that she had forgotten. Gary Did get another compete blow job on Saturday night tho. It was Maria's thank you for his effort to appease her. By now James was wanting to hear all of the details of the sex that she'd had with Gary on the weekends. It was James who had suggested that Maria swallow Gary's cum. Tuesdays and Thursdays continued, Maria and James experimented with bondage, roll playing and he had purchased an assortment of toys for them to use on each other. He had also taken her anal cherry and it was a regular part of their lovemaking now. Maria's 36th birthday fell on a Tuesday in September. James took Maria out to lunch at DESIDERIO'S. Then, after he picked her up from Debbie's that evening and drove to his home, he parked outside in the drive. Maria thought that it seemed odd, but didn't question him. After all of their lovemaking tonight, James and Maria were inside of his car, ready to drive and get her car from Debbie's. James started the Mercedes, and told her to close her eyes for a moment. Opening the garage, he drove inside, telling Maria to turn her head to her right and open her eyes. There, parked next to them in the garage, was a brand new 1991 Jeep Cherokee Briarwood with every available option, the color was Canyon Blue Metallic. "Happy birthday Maria," said James as he handed her the keys to the Jeep. "It's all yours." Maria's eyes grew large and she threw her arms around him, "Oh my God, it's mine?" Maria cried, "I love you James." "But. . . Won't this make Gary suspicious? You buying me a new car?" "You can tell him that it belongs to the company and that it's to ensure that our finest secretary gets there this winter, " responded James. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! she exclaimed. She got out of his car to check out her new gift, she opened the door and sat inside, checking out the soft leather seats and sniffing the new car smell wafting throughout. She couldn't believe it, Gary hadn't followed through, but James sure had, and this was brand new, not someone else's cast off! Maria was so excited about the Jeep, that she lost track of time, she glanced at her watch and it was 11;30. "Oh, I have to get home, Gary will be there and I'm not! How am I going to get the Cherokee home? Won't it seem kind of odd for me to show up with it at this time of night?" "Start it up and follow me to Debbie's, I've got a plan, just let me do all of the talking," said James. Maria followed James to Debbie's house and when they arrived, he told her to have Debbie come outside, they would need her to make this work. When Maria and Debbie emerged from the house, James announced, "This is how we'll do this, Maria you can drive your old car home, I will drive the Cherokee, Debbie, you follow us in your car, to Maria's home, where we'll tell Gary that we had a surprise birthday party for Maria tonight at your house after your workouts. are we clear on that?" They both nodded in the affirmative. "Then, you two, act as tho the Cherokee is mine and that I told you that I needed to discuss something with Gary, and that I knew he should be getting home about now. Here is the important part; Maria when I tell Gary what I have to say, I want you to act really surprised, I mean you really have to be excited. . . Do I make myself clear?" 'Yes, but what are you going to say?" asked Maria. "Just follow my lead, you'll understand after I've spoken to him." The three headed over to Maria and Gary's home, Maria was a little nervous, scared that James was going to reveal that the two of them were an item. Once there, James told Maria to go in and retrieve Gary. She had to wait a few minutes, until he got out of the shower. He came out of the bathroom to find Maria standing there, "Just where in the hell have you been, it's damn near midnight," asked Gary. "After our workout, Debbie and some of the girls from work threw a surprise birthday party for me. Mr Wilkens showed up, and he said that he would like to talk to you, he. . ." "So, do I need to go to his office in the morning?" Gary cut in. "No, he's outside." A look of fear came over Gary, why would the CEO of the company he worked for, be at his house wanting to talk to him in the middle of the night? "What does he want?" asked Gary, "You are his secretary, don't you know? Did I do something wrong?" James had pulled the Jeep into the driveway, right behind Maria's old wagon. Gary spotted the new Cherokee immediately and looked it over good, "Must be nice," he thought. "Ah, Mr Arthur, is it alright if I call you I call you Gary?" said James as he extended his hand. Gary nodded as he took James' hand, too nervous to speak. "I see you like the Jeep, I saw you looking at it as you came out. Your wife is an asset to Cutlar Industries, in fact, out of all the years I've needed the services of a secretary, I will say, your wife is the finest secretary that I've ever had the pleasure of her services. . . Well, this was supposed to wait until tomorrow, but today is her birthday, and. . . Well you know that we have some brutal winters around here, and we need for our finest. . . To be able to make it to work in bad weather. In appreciation for her service, and on behalf of Cutlar Industries, I would like to present this 1991 Jeep Cherokee Briarwood. . . To you, Maria. . . Happy birthday!" said James, as he handed her the keys. Maria jumped up and down excitedly, and hugged James, "Oh, thank you Mr Wilkens, I thought my husband had been looking for one just like it, but I guess now he won't have to look anymore." Gary was taken aback a little by what she just said, but he was almost as excited as she was. He thanked Mr Wilkens and shook his hand. They said their goodbyes and Jame's climbed into Debbie's car and they drove away. Gary looked at Maria and said, "I think your friend is fucking around on her husband with your boss, what do you think?" "Might be, I don't know, we don't talk about stuff like that," said Maria. "Hey, we're both up, wanna play around?" asked Gary. "I don't think so, I ate a piece of cake and it upset my stomach, besides, I have to get up for work in the morning and I haven't showered yet." The Tuesdays and Thursdays went on, it was May, 1991, Maria and James' affair was just about one year old, when James asked Maria if she would like to go to Paris, France for a few days. "How am I supposed to pull this off?" she said. Just like with the Jeep, James had this figured out too. Maria had three weeks vacation coming, James took his vacation to coincide with hers. They acquired their passports without telling anyone. Maria didn't tell Gary that she'd taken her vacation, only that she had to go out of town for four days on business. "You've never had to go before, why now?" Gary asked. "It's a different world than what it used to be, we are trying to bring in new customers, it's job security for both of us." She finally convinced him that it was necessary and was in their best interests. On the night before she was to leave, Maria made love with Gary, she sucked on his cock until he was almost there, and stopped. She teased him like this two more times. She rode him nice and slow, making sure that they both felt the closeness of the bond that they had shared for the last sixteen years. Finally, she said, "Gary, I want you to put your cock inside of my ass, I want to give you something special to remember me by, and for taking care of me for the last sixteen years." Gary heard her say "something to remember her by, " what on earth was she talking about? She must have misspoken. Gary's cock slid into her rectum pretty easily, which surprised him. She rode him until they had both came, then she laid down on his chest for a while, a tear slipped from her eye while she lay there remembering the early days of their marriage, when they were so much in love. Gary told her he couldn't wait until she got back, so that they could do that again, he'd been fantasizing about it for a long time. She didn't reply. They slept with Gary's arms wrapped around her tightly. Soon it was morning, 6 am Monday morning. Her flight was supposed to leave at 9 am. She was to meet with her boss and the others, and there was the 70 minute drive to the airport in Columbus. Maria's Misconceptions Gary helped Maria put her bags into the back of her Cherokee, there were eight large suitcases. "Are you sure that you don't want to take the kitchen sink with you?" laughed Gary, "Why do women think they need so much crap, just to go on a four day trip?" he mused. Maria went in and kissed each of her boys as they slept. She had such a sad look on her face, and Gary couldn't understand why. When she was ready to leave, Gary walked her out to the Jeep. She put her arms around him and said, "Goodbye Gary, I 'll always have a special place in my heart for you." "You're only going to be gone until Friday, when you get back, maybe we can do. . . Well you know what, again," he said with a smile. She looked into his eyes, smiled, and kissed him, then touched his cheek gently with the fingers of her right hand. Maria got into the driver's seat and started the Cherokee, taking one last look at Gary as he stood there in the driveway of their home. Over the last few weeks, since James had asked her to go to Paris, she had come to some conclusions in her mind, and made some very hard choices. As she backed out of the drive, she put her hand up and gave him a small wave, giving him a little smile as a lone tear escaped from her right eye. Pulling the shift lever into drive. . . Maria stepped on the accelerator, and drove out of Gary's life forever. Gary watched as she drove away, he stood there until she was at the end of the street at the stop sign. Then he watched as she made a right hand turn, instead of turning left towards Cutlar. "Where is she going?" he thought. Maybe they were supposed to meet somewhere else, he reasoned, as he turned and went back into the house. The boys would be out of school for the summer by the time she returned on Friday. "Why couldn't they have gone next week," he thought, "Then, I wouldn't have to get up early the rest of the week to get them off to school." After the boys were fed and on the school bus, Gary went back into the bedroom to lie down for a while longer. They had been up pretty late, and Gary had to work that evening, he could use some more sleep. As he entered the bedroom, he looked at the bed, remembering the love that he and his Maria had shared the night before. It had been one of the best lovemaking sessions that they'd had in a long while, maybe the chasm that had seemed to be expanding in their relationship for the last year was starting to fill in. After Maria left home, she had driven to James' house, where she pulled the Jeep into his garage. Maria had lied to Gary, their flight wasn't scheduled to leave from Columbus until 1:40 pm. A limo was scheduled to pick them up at 11 am, this gave Maria and James time for a morning romp before the car arrived. "Did you give Gary your ass last night?" asked James. "Yes," said Maria, almost sadly. James picked up on her mood and told her not to be sad, Gary had had sixteen good years with her, but now it was time for her to move on to the next stage in her life. "This was meant to be. . . Now I want to hear all about what you and he did last night." As they lay naked in his bed, Maria was telling James all of the sordid details of her and Gary's 'goodbye' lovemaking session the night before. All the while, James licked and sucked on the folds of her pussy and probed her opening with his tongue. As she reached the end of her tale, she had a strong orgasm and James, needing release, rose and thrust his manhood into her. He pounded Maria with urgency, soon filling her with a massive load, just as she had another orgasm. She had forgotten all about the remorse she had felt over Gary earlier. Gary awoke around 10:45, he thought about the session he had had with Maria the night before, he smiled to himself thinking about what she had given up to him and how much he loved her. In the back of his mind, there were lingering doubts tho, he couldn't put his finger on it, something wasn't quite right, it hadn't been for close to a year. Then, some of the things that she had said to him last night. . . Then, this morning she acted so somber. The last words she had said to him, played over and again in his mind, "I 'll always have a special place in my heart for you." "What in the hell was she talking about?" he said out loud. At that same time, Maria and James were standing in the foyer of his home, waiting on the limo. They had taken a shower together after their morning romp and ended up making love again in the shower. Right on time, the limo appeared and the driver came to the door. Maria and James made their way to the car and had a quick make out session in the back seat, while the driver loaded their bags. Maria had only brought one bag with her, the others were all of the clothes and items that she had wanted from her and Gary's home. She had packed it all while Gary was at work, on Friday evening. Gary had gone about his day waiting for 2:30 to arrive, then he would leave for his shift at Cutlar. He fixed the evening meal and ate a little, saving the rest for the boys and put it in the refrigerator with a note for them to wait until about 5:30 or 6 before they re-heated it in the microwave. He knew, that if they ate too soon, they would be hungry later. A little past 2 pm, Gary had walked out onto the porch to retrieve the mail, when a tremendous sense of loss came over him. He couldn't explain it, it had just hit him out of the blue. He recovered about twenty minutes later and he locked the house up and walked to his Monte Carlo to head for work. After he started the car, he looked ahead of him in the drive at Maria's old Chevy wagon. They hadn't decided if they were going to sell it, or what they were going to do with it. "It would make a good old fishing car," he thought, "It still runs good!" When Gary arrived at work, he looked for Maria's Cherokee in the office parking lot, but it wasn't there. "They must have met somewhere else," he thought to himself. When he went into the building, he looked to his right and Debbie was sitting at her desk. A sense of uneasiness came over him, "Isn't she supposed to be in Phoenix, Arizona (the destination that Maria had told him) with Maria and James?" he said under his breath. When she spotted him, the look she gave, confused him even more. "What the fuck was that all about?" he thought. Maria and James' flight left the ground at 1:40 pm, there was a scheduled stop in New Orleans, then non-stop to Paris. A few minutes after two, James had remarked for Maria to look out of the window, as they were flying right over the small town that they both called home. "There, can you see it? exclaimed James, as he pointed at his home. James' home was pretty easy to spot, as large as it was and the distance that separated the other homes around it. "Oh, look, there's mi. . ." Maria started to say, then stopped. She had traced the road and streets from James' home into town, and although she couldn't actually tell which house was/had been hers, she pinpointed the general area. They'd flown directly over it. . . Right at that moment, Gary had been on the front porch, getting the mail out of the mailbox. Maria had also felt a sense of loss as they flew over her hometown, she couldn't explain it either. It didn't last long, she pushed the feeling aside. Their plane landed Tuesday at 8:20 am, in Paris, 2:20 am in Ohio. Maria and James checked into Le Royal Monceau-Rafflesat 10 am. Tho they had slept some on the plane, they still fell onto the bed, exhausted. In Ohio, it was 4 am and Gary was still awake, he was conflicted and he couldn't sleep. He had a sinking feeling inside, he couldn't explain it, like there was something that he had forgotten to do. He kept replaying Maria's words in his head over and over, what was he missing? "We're going to have to have a long talk when she gets back, I've been at Cutlar a year now and I have a weeks vacation coming, I think I'll put in for it in a week or two," he said softly to himself, "I know she has three weeks coming, we can leave the boys with mom and go away alone for a couple of days!" He felt a little better after those thoughts entered his mind and he was a little excited now to tell her about his plan when she returned. He fell asleep around five, but was back up at 6:30 am, getting breakfast ready for the boys. As soon as they were on the bus, he went back to bed, setting the alarm for 2 pm, just in case he slept that long. While he slept, he dreamed about Maria. He dreamed that he had gone to Phoenix to surprise her at the hotel, but when he arrived, he went to her room and she wasn't there. When he came back down, Debbie was in the lobby and motioned for him to follow her. He kept following her from room to room, and finally she was leading him through the plant at Cutlar and pointing up ahead. Then he awoke, it was 1:30 pm, he had an hour before he would have to leave for work. The dream had played on his doubts and fears again, leaving him in a bad mood. At 2:40 pm, as Gary drove to work, thoughts of Maria ran through his mind. He wondered what she was doing right then, and if she was having a good time. He arrived at work, and as he passed by the office, he saw Debbie staring at him again. She followed his gaze while she talked on the phone. "What the fuck is her problem, anyway!" he thought. Gary clocked in and headed back into the plant. Maria and James awoken at 3 pm (in Paris). They got out of bed and showered together, but no hanky panky now, that would come later. At around 5 pm, they went out, and by 6 pm they had arrived at L'Instant d'Or for dinner. Maria had the butter-poached lobster on squid-ink tagliolini. She felt as tho this was all a dream, she was afraid to pinch herself, for fear that she might wake up. After dinner, they headed back to their room, a while later, they sat naked on the balcony of their room and enjoyed the Paris skyline. Maria went in around 8:45 pm and phoned Debbie at the office. She told her all about the hotel, the restaurant and the beautiful view. Debbie asked her if they'd made love in Paris yet, "We haven't had a chance, by the time we checked into the hotel, this morning, we were beat and we slept all afternoon, then went to dinner. . . We've been sitting out on the balcony without any clothes, ha ha," Maria told her. Maria was on her knees with her elbows resting on the side of the bed as she spoke with Debbie. James came up behind her, and started rubbing his cock between her ass cheeks as he reached around and played with her pussy. In a few moments, she was very wet, and James pulled her onto her feet and bent her over, sliding his cock inside. Maria gasped as he started to thrust slowly. "Are you alright?" Debbie asked, a little concerned. "Ye. . .sss. . . Uh, uh. . . I'mmm. . . Ffffine, oh oh oh!!" Maria replied. "OH MY GOD!!" Debbie whispered into the phone, "He's fucking you now, isn't he? GOD, that's so hot!!" Debbie exclaimed. James picked up the pace and started pounding her very hard. "OH, OH, OH, GOD, FUCK ME JAMES, FUCK ME!! OH. . . AHHHH!!" Maria reached an orgasm while on the phone with Debbie. "Oh my God, you naughty, naughty girl. . . Oh my God, Gary just walked by!" Debbie said. "What?" said Maria. "I'm sure it's night time there or something, but it's only 2:50 pm here! And Gary just walked by, coming into work!" James had continued to thrust as the two women talked on the phone, he pulled out of Maria's pussy and pushed her onto her knees. Debbie could hear them moving around over the phone. "What on earth is going on over there, girl!" Debbie exclaimed. "Mmmm. . . Slurp, momomom, slurp, oh mmm. . ." "What's going on Maria?" "Ha ha ha, James was ready to come and I helped him," Maria giggled. "Did you just do what I think you did?" asked Debbie. "Yep!! Ha ha ha, he finished inside of my mouth. . . Ha ha. . . And I swallowed every drop. . . Ha ha." "Oh my God girl, I never would have thought. . ." "I better get off of here, me and James are just getting started, ha ha! Bye now." "Bye," said Debbie. It had been James, who insisted she call Debbie at the time she did. He had watched the time and worked it out so she would be on the phone with Debbie, and that he would be fucking her when Gary walked by. Yep, when Gary had wondered if Maria was having a good time, at that moment. . . The rest of the week was the same, Gary went through the motions, biding his time while waiting on Maria to return. This was the first time in the whole sixteen years that they'd been married, that they were apart. Friday arrived and Gary found himself in a good mood, Maria's flight was supposed to arrive at 6 pm and she should be home when he got there after work. Would she be asleep? He didn't care, wanting to just put his arms around her and hold her. After his shift, he hurried home. Her Jeep wasn't there!! His heart sank, was there a flight delay? Was something wrong? "Maybe she left her car and someone brought her home!!" he said excitedly. He ran to the door and let himself in, the house was dark and the boys were in bed asleep. He made his way to their bedroom and opened the door. . . No Maria! Dejected, he went in to take a shower, maybe she would be home by the time he was finished. While in the shower, he couldn't contain himself, the tears fell freely. Was she in an accident, was there a delay, WHAT!!? What had happened?? Gary stayed in the shower until the water ran cold, then halfway dried himself off and went into the bedroom. He stared at the bed. . . Remembering their last night together. Lying down, he stared at the ceiling. He never slept, he worried and fretted all night. Every car that went by, every sound he heard, he rose from the bed and looked outside. Finally, at 9 am, he heard a car door slam, he quickly ran to the front door. On Wednesday, before Maria's and James' trip, James had made Maria an appointment with Porter Carlson. She had taken a long lunch break so that she could speak with Mr Carlson, a prominent (and ruthless) divorce attorney based in Columbus. He also had an office here that he worked out of on Wednesdays. Mr Carlson told Maria that Ohio is a no-fault state, however, if either party contests the divorce, they must live apart for at least one year before any settlement could be reached. If the division of property and any child custody issues were settled and both parties agreed to the divorce, it could take as little as 90 days. Maria had gone ahead and filed for the divorce, informing Mr Carlson that the boys would be staying with their father and that he would sign the papers without contesting. She wanted Gary to be served at 9 am on the Saturday of the following week. She handed Mr Carlson a letter addressed to Gary and told him to make sure that it was delivered at the same time. At the same time that Gary had heard the car door slam, Maria stood upon the deck of the Eiffel Tower, taking in the breathtaking Paris Cityscape. Looking at her watch, she noted that it was 3 pm in Paris, that meant Gary was being served just about now back in Ohio. A hint of guilt showed across her face, but she looked at James and realized that HE was her future now, not the poor boy back at home. Back in Ohio, Gary opened the door to see a young woman approaching with a large envelope in her hand. Divorce had been the furthest thing from his mind, his heart sank as he thought that the woman had come to tell him that Maria had been in an accident. "Is your name Gary Arthur?" the young woman asked. "Yes," Gary responded coldly. "You have been served," she said, as she handed him the large manila envelope, then handing him another, smaller envelope. "What's this?" Gary asked, as she turned to leave. "Have a good day, sir," and she climbed into her car and drove away. Gary just stood there and watched her drive away, he knew absolutely nothing about the way divorces work. He stared at the large envelope, had no idea what was inside. Then, he looked at the smaller envelope, 'Gary' was written in Maria's handwriting on front. Gary took them both into the bedroom, sat the larger envelope aside and opened the small one first, it was a letter from Maria. He started reading; Dear Gary, As you read this letter, you have without a doubt, noticed that I am not there, I am in Paris, France with James. "What the fuck are they doing there?, Did they move the meeting?" he thought, anxiously, still not sure what it actually meant. You have probably noticed that Debbie did not come with us, no one else came along either, only me and James. There aren't any new customers, I am not on a business trip, James and I are on vacations together in France. Gary stopped reading and looked away for a moment, as tears welled up in his eyes. Gary, I do love you, but it's become more like a love someone has for their brother or sister. It's not you, it's me. I just needed more excitement in my life. It started the day that you brought the Cherokee by to show me, (yes, I knew about it, thank you, and I'm so sorry, I wish I would have been there) James' took me to lunch. I don't know how, but It just happened, he moved close to me and before I knew what was happening, he was kissing me. . . We were sitting in a dark corner of the restaurant and he put his fingers inside of me. He guided my hand to his penis, it was SO BIG!! I can't explain what went through my head right at that moment. You asked me if I was sleeping with him because he took me to that fancy restaurant. I didn't lie to you, NO I wasn't sleeping with him, at least not yet. You know that I'd never been with anyone besides you. I felt like I had missed out on something. I think we married too young, we both needed to experience more (lovers). A few days later, James took me to lunch at a different restaurant (no, I never told you about any other lunchtime 'dates' with James), we repeated the same thing, only this time I held his bare cock in my hand. He got me off right there in the restaurant!! Then, he shot his cum all over my hand, and I licked it all off and swallowed it. Gary, I'm sorry, I truly am, I know I never did that for you, but being out in public like we were had me so turned on. I take that back, I DID do it for you a couple of times in the last year. Gary's tears fell freely now, how could she have done this?!! When was she coming back to him? Did he even want her after what she'd let her boss do to her out in public? Just then, Joshua walked into the room to see his father crying. "What's wrong dad. . .? Where's mom, I thought she was supposed to be back last night." he said. "I just miss your mom is all, she won't be home for a while longer," said Gary. Jacob was up now too, so Gary went into the kitchen and fixed them something for breakfast, he would finish the letter later, the boys came first. He was so flustered, that he burnt the first couple of eggs that he tried to cook. "Damn it to hell!!" Gary said angrily. He couldn't get the thoughts of Maria and James out of his head. Was this a bad dream? Would he wake up soon? He prayed that it was, but he knew that it was real. His eyes were welling up with tears again. "Mom won't be home until later on," Joshua told Jacob. "Is that what's wrong with dad?" Jacob asked. "Yeah." After they had eaten, the boys went off to do there own thing, it was summer vacation now and their friends were waiting at the baseball diamond. Gary went back into the bedroom and picked up the letter, continuing where he left off, I told him then, that I wanted him inside of me. The following week, he asked me to lunch again. When we left, he drove me to his house and we had sex for the first time, he did things to me that I didn't know were possible. . . That is how this started. Maria's Misconceptions Gary sat down on the bed, and soon, he was sobbing, "Oh, Maria, why, why, why?" After he calmed down a bit, he continued to read, For this last year, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when you thought I was at Debbie's doing yoga workouts, well I haven't been. On those nights, I've been at James' house, in his bed, and he has taught me what sex is really all about, what he has done to, and for me is amazing. He is an amazing man. At first I thought this was just about sex, I still had sex with you didn't I? I didn't want to, after having James huge cock inside of me and all of the things he did to me, I was no longer interested in you. James insisted that I continue to sleep with you. That's just the kind of man he is. Do you know what he told me? He told me that you had given me 15 years of your life and 2 nice children, so I should continue to fuck you! What do you think of that? I would have never fucked you again if it wasn't for him!! Finally, Gary in the last year I have fallen deeply in love with James, and I am leaving the boys with you. I will not be returning, I am moving in with James. Please don't fight this. I am only taking my clothes, everything else we acquired during our marriage is yours. You can even have my old 84 wagon. By the way , the Cherokee was not a gift from Cutlar, it was a birthday gift from James. I am truly sorry, Gary. It's been fun and I appreciate the love you gave me, I really do. Goodbye Gary. P.S. I knew you would open the letter first, open the big envelope now, it's the paperwork for our divorce. Gary got up from the bed and wondered into the kitchen, he was numb, he couldn't think, was he dreaming? Was this real? When the boys came in for lunch around 12:30, They found Gary lying on the kitchen floor in the fetal position. Not knowing what to do, they called their grandmother (Gary's mom) and she rushed right over. Once she saw her son, she called an ambulance and waited. When the paramedics put him on the gurney, they took the letter from his hand and handed it to her. Once the paramedics left with Gary, his mother read the letter and found the manila envelope. She couldn't believe it, she had had the up most respect for Maria. Tho she didn't let the boys read the letter, she told them that their mother wasn't coming home anymore and she told them to pack some of their things, that they would be staying with her for a while. Gary was in the hospital for two weeks, he had suffered a mental breakdown. Cutlar held his job until he recovered. Two weeks after they had boarded the plane for Paris, Maria and James returned. Maria moved in with James, she never spoke to Gary again, her lawyer did all of the talking. At the urging of his mother, Gary didn't fight the divorce. She told him that it would be too traumatic on him to have to face her in court, and she'd already made up her mind, so it was pointless. The divorce became final after four months, Maria legally had her name changed back to Serevil, erasing Gary from her life as tho he never existed. One week later Maria and James were married, she was now Maria Christina Serevil Wilkens, a fine name for a rich man's wife. Rumors circulated through Cutlar how James had stolen Gary's wife. Plus he had to endure seeing James occasionally inside of the plant. Debbie would notice him as he came into work in the afternoons, she felt so sorry for him, felt a little guilty that maybe she'd had a hand in pushing Maria into James' arms. She could see the look on Gary's face, she never realized how much he had loved Maria. Gary stayed at Cutlar only long enough to find another job at a different local factory. He started at Intex, working the same shift for 30 cents more on the hour. After leaving the hospital, he had gone to stay at his mother's home with the boys. Life went on, Gary's mom had taken over all of his financial obligations, he had his paycheck deposited directly into their joint bank account. The home that he and Maria had shared, sat as a shrine to their marriage, all of the boys' belongings had been moved to their grandma's (now their) home. Other than his clothes and Monte Carlo, Gary had brought nothing to his new residence, everything else remained. The 84 wagon that had belonged to maria was sold. He'd not been inside the home since the day the paramedics carted him out, his brother, Jack had gone over and gathered up his things and brought them to him. Gary's mother made sure that the mortgage on the home was paid. She urged him to go out and socialize, maybe even find a new woman, but Gary wasn't interested in anyone except his Maria. Gary's life consisted of going to work, coming home and sitting in his room or the living room watching television and mowing his mother's grass, or doing the occasional maintenance on her home. The only place of business that he visited, was the local service station to purchase gas for his 77 Monte Carlo. It had been a year since the divorce had become final. It was 2:45 pm and Gary was on his way to work. The stop light for 6th street, leading to his job, was red. He pulled into the turning lane to make a left, and waited. He hated this light, the turn arrow always seemed to stay red forever. Something caught his eye to his right, he turned to look and saw something that made him feel excited for the first time in over a year and a half. Gary had always been a big Chevy fan. There was a brand new 93 Ruby Red Metallic Corvette ZR-1 convertible, it had the 40th Anniversary package with bright emblems on the hood, deck and side-gills. He was in awe, he barely noticed the beautiful woman sitting behind the wheel. When he finally did, his heart about jumped out of his chest, there sat. . . Was it? He could swear that it was Marisa Tomei, the actress. And she was staring right at him. Her mascara made her eyes appear to look right through him, her makeup and pink lip gloss made her look so inviting. Her shoulder length and permed hair had a little bit of a wind blown look that made her look so sexy! It had to be her, look at that car. . . And her!! WOW, she was even more beautiful in person than on the big screen. Why was she here. . . In this stupid little town? He looked around, thinking that there might be a film crew nearby, were they filming a movie? Or a commercial, maybe? Then, he thought about his appearance, he had let his hair grow almost back to the length it had been when he was in high school, only now, his hair was receding a little, he looked like Gallagher. He had on a stained up old tee shirt, and old ratty jeans. Why did he have to be on his way to work and have on these crappy clothes when he ran into someone famous like this? He almost felt foolish, "That's probably why she's staring at me," he thought. The light turned green and Gary hadn't noticed, the car behind him honked, so he started to go. He gave one last look at the woman in the Vette, she gave him a little smile and small wave as he pulled away. . . He turned into the Hardee's parking lot, located along 6th street and stopped. Tears filled his eyes, he put his head in his hands and started to sob. The woman that smiled and waved at him, he knew that smile so well, he hadn't recognized her with her hair done and all of the make up. . . It had been Maria!! his Maria. After a few minutes, Gary calmed himself and drove on to work. He had a very rough night, but he managed to get through. After he arrived home, and was in the shower, he couldn't hold out any longer. The tears and the sobs came, once again. Maria, in the 16 years they were together, had never worn make up, he thought that she was naturally beautiful without it. But after seeing her made up like she was, she was absolutely, positively stunning. She looked so good in that Vette, and he felt ashamed that he couldn't have provided better for her. Gary's mom had heard him crying in the shower and she wondered what had happened to upset him, he had seemed to be doing better. "What happened? Are you alright? What's wrong?" mom asked, when he left the bathroom. "Oh, nothing," he replied. "Gary, I know better, what happened?" He looked down at the floor, "I saw Maria today." "Did you talk to her? What did she say?" mom asked. "No, no, she pulled up beside me in traffic. . . She look. . . I didn't even recognize her, she had her hair all fixed up and she had make up on, an. . . She looked so. . . I thought she was an actress, mom, she was so bea-uti-ful. . . Mom I sti. . . I still love her," he said as he broke down again. Mom wrapped her arms around him, "Oh, Gary, I don't know what to do for you," she said, as the tears fell from her eyes too. When Maria and James had returned from Paris to live in James' home, their sex life became a daily ritual, sometimes three and four times a day. On Saturdays and Sundays, when James didn't have to be at Cutlar, they would sometimes spend the whole day walking around naked, having 'quickies' in different rooms of the house. Or they would be out in the pool, 'skinny dipping.' Before their marriage, James had taken Maria to Columbus to a salon for a complete makeover, he told her that she was already beautiful, but she needed to look and be treated like royalty. When she emerged from the salon, she looked stunning. Then he took her to a high end fashion boutique and purchased her a whole new wardrobe. Maria had gone to Cutlar to meet James for lunch a few days later, when she walked in, she slipped over to see Debbie. Maria and James had been so caught up in their sex life, that she hadn't seen Debbie since before her and James' trip to Paris. When she walked in, Debbie looked right at her and said, "Can I help you with something, ma'am?" "Where can a girl find a sexy rich man to marry?" said Maria. Debbie gave her a long look, then finally realized that it was her friend, "Oh my God, Maria? Is that you? God you look spectacular, I didn't even recognize you, you look so. . . WOW, you clean up good, girl. The outfit that Maria was wearing had cost James $1500 dollars. Maria held up her left hand, sporting a diamond almost the size of Nebraska. "We're getting married!" Maria exclaimed. A sad look came over Debbie. "I saw Gary coming in to work every day before he quit." "Quit??" asked Maria, James never told me he quit!" "Did you know that when Gary found out about you and James, he about had a nervous breakdown, he was in the hospital for two weeks," said Debbie. Maria looked down at the floor for a moment. "No, I wasn't told, no one told me." "Well, you and James are getting married, so you must have divorced Gary then. What did he say in court?" Debbie asked. "He just signed the papers and that's all, we didn't even go to court," Maria replied, I haven't seen him since the morning that I left the house for James' and my trip to Paris." "Oh." After Maria and James had been married for three months, James announced that he had some old friends moving into the area and that they would be stopping by the coming Sunday. James had their meal catered in just before their guests arrived. Charles Johnson and his wife, Carissa arrived at 3 pm. Charles was 50 and had made a fortune in Real Estate, he and James had known each other since college. Not as tall as James, he stood 5' 10" , his black hair had some grey streaks and he weighed 145. He wasn't an Adonis, but he was a decent looking man. His wife Carissa was 26 years old and had been his secretary (seemed to be contagious), she was very beautiful herself, standing 5' 6", she had long blonde hair that hung almost to her gorgeous ass, her breasts were a 38 D, and she weighed around 125, she was quite the package. After dinner, they retreated into the great room and built a fire in the fireplace. Jame opend a bottle of Chateau de Camensac, 1973 vintage, and after a couple of glasses, Carissa was rubbing Charles' cock through his pants. "She gets kind of amorous when she drinks wine, ha ha," said Charles. Maria watched in amazement, as Carissa proceeded to pull out Charles' cock and start sucking on it. Carissa looked over at Maria and James and asked, "Would it be alright if Charles and I make love?" James told them he didn't mind, "I think it would be quite the turn on to watch you two, don't you think so Maria?" Maria didn't say anything, but the thought DID kind of turn her on. Charles and Carissa proceeded and were on the floor in a 69, when James reached over and started unbuttoning Maria's blouse. She couldn't take her eyes off of the spectacle going on on the floor and she let James undress her, soon, she was naked. James stripped off his clothes and he guided Maria's face to his cock. She took it into her mouth and started sucking, she was starting to really get into it, the fact that someone else was in the room had her more aroused than she could remember. The two couples made love for over an hour, they had stuck with their own partners, but it had been an exciting experience. This scene played out for over three months, Charles and Carissa would come over on Sunday afternoons. Then, more couples started coming over, Sundays had four or five couples at a time making love in James and Maria's great room at the same time. After a while, James suggested to Maria that it might be fun for her to swap partners during these Sunday romps. At first, she was reluctant, she loved James and didn't want to have sex with another man. But, then she remembered how she'd been fucking James on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then Gary on Saturdays. at James' urging, she gave in, and from then on, it turned into the Sunday orgy in their great room. James would never join in, only watch Maria as she was royally fucked by many men. She watched the other women have multiple men all at once, had given it a try and Maria had now almost turned into a nymphomaniac, she couldn't get enough cock. Every week, a different woman became the 'main course' and was gang banged. Maria began to look forward to when it was her turn as the subject of all of the men's affections, she really enjoyed when she would have every hole with a cock buried inside. Maria had all but forgotten her life with Gary and her boys, she was living the high life. The luxury of the 800 thousand dollar home, the almost daily sex with this virile hunk of a man, not to mention the parties where she was ravaged by several men at a time. James had recently added a fourth stall to his garage and purchased her the new Corvette, he had special ordered it. She had pulled up to the stop light that day, not really paying a whole lot of attention to the old car in the left turning lane. She couldn't really explain it, something in the back of her mind told her to look to her left. There was Gary, he was dressed like a pauper, his hair had grown out, "He looks like that comedian that busts watermelons," she thought. He had looked her way, but seemed more interested in the car than he was her. He sure didn't look like a man that had supposedly spent two weeks in the hospital because she'd left him. She wanted to rub the car and her new life into his face, but he wouldn't even acknowledge her. Then, he did look at her, but he seemed distant, like he didn't know her. Was he over her? She heard a car honk, it was the car behind Gary, the light had turned green. She had given him a little smile and a quick wave and went on. She'd not looked back, so she never witnessed the effect the chance meeting had had on Gary that day. The Sunday orgies continued, Debbie had started coming, she would bring one of her 'boy toys' with her and was also enjoying her turn getting gang banged. Debbie continually tried to get James to have sex with her, but he would still only watch. Even when Maria was the 'main course,' he wouldn't get involved, and he had still not had sex with any of the other women. Maria had told him that he could if he so wished, as long as it was there in the room with everyone else, but she wasn't really sure how she would react if she saw him fucking another woman. Deep inside, she was glad that he only watched and occasionally masturbated. Another three years passed, Maria and Gary, tho only living a few miles apart, hadn't crossed paths since the day he saw her in the Vette. Their boys were now 18 and 16. Neither one had seen their mother since before she went to Paris. Maria and James had gone to Columbus, they had stopped to dine at theRefectory Restaurant & Bistro. James had excused himself to use the restroom. While Maria sat alone at the table, she heard a voice, that sounded familiar, she looked around and there stood one of her friends from high school. The last time she had seen Candice, was about a year after her and Gary had married. Candice had married and moved to Columbus with her husband. "Maria, is that you? Candice asked. "Yes, and you. . . Oh my Gosh, it's Candice, isn't it?!!" Maria exclaimed. "Yes!! How have you been? The two women embraced, Candice looked around and gave a quick scan of the restaurant, "Gary must have done really well for himself, look at you, you look like a movie star!! Where is he? Do you have children?" Candice asked rather quickly. Maria looked down for a moment, then, "Gary and I are no longer married." "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know. Of all the couples I've known, I thought you two would be the one's to make it, what happened?" "He just couldn't provide for me like I felt I deserved," said Maria. "But you two were so in love, how long have you two been apart?" "It's been four years now. . . " Just then, James returned to the table. Now 53, he was still a very attractive man, but his age had started to show a little and it was obvious to Candice that James was several years older than the now 40, Maria. "Candice, this is my husband, James Wilkens. James this is Candice. . . Oh, I'm not sure of your last name. . ." "Bergman, Candice Bergman," she said, as she extended her hand to James. "Candice and I went to high school together," said Maria. "I'm very pleased to meet you," said James. They said their goodbyes and Candice returned to her table. Maria noticed that Candice had seemed a little nervous after James had come from the restroom. "Wonder what that was all about?" she thought. After they had finished their meal, Maria decided to use the restroom before they made the 70 minute drive back home. As she entered the women's rest room, Candice was just leaving, they stopped and talked a while longer. Candice surprised her when she asked, "Maria, can I ask you something? Robert, that's my husband, and I have. . . Well, I'll be blunt. . . I'm sorry. . . Robert and I like to. . . Well, we have rented some of those X rated tapes to spice up our love life, and. . . Oh, I'm embarrassed to ask. . . Candice looked away for a moment, her face flushed. At first, Maria thought that Candice was going to invite her and James to get together with her and her husband for something like her and James did on Sundays, 'Yes, what is it?" Maria asked. "What is it like?" Maria gave her a puzzled look. "I wasn't sure it was you we saw, I mean it sort of looked like you. you never wore make up in school. . . When Robert and I came into the restaurant, he said that you were that girl on the tapes. . . and I just had to come and see if it was you. "Huh, what tap. . ." "Then, I saw your husband, and I knew Robert was right, we always see your husband standing and watching, som. . . " "You saw me on a tape?" said Maria, trying to comprehend what she had just been told. "Yeah, I knew it was you when I saw your husband, he's the guy that just masturbates, he never has sex with anyone."