80 comments/ 17848 views/ 7 favorites My Dilemma - Redux By: CharlieB4 Hi Everybody, As the title suggests this time I'm revisiting one of my old stories. My Dilemma was posted at the end of May last year to mixed comments with many readers not happy that I left the end of the story up to their imagination. At the time I really couldn't decide how I could do it. Recently an idea for an ending occurred to me and My Dilemma Redux was created. I have included the original story, chapter one, to save any newcomers the trouble of searching for it. I made a few very minor changes to the original. One of the more demented comments posted on the original claimed the story contained gross geographical errors and had cause to doubt my claim to be from the land down under. Hence I added the names of towns that can be easily searched on Apple maps or Google to show the ignorant anon a-hole where the action takes place. My ending, chapter two, will not be to everybody's taste but my stories very rarely are. The commenters on the original referring to FTDS will be glad to know that he is on the case and from what he sent me it will take a very different path from what I've written. Despite the title this is fiction. All characters are the result of my over active imagination. Any resemblance to a person living or dead is entirely coincidental. As always this story would not make it to this stage without the help of an editor. Thanks must go to Favored who found time in her busy life and did her best to make my scribbling coherent. Enjoy, CharlieB4. * Chapter one I was in a rush as I turned off Milvale road and headed for home. My two daughters had a piano recital and I had promised I'd be there. Coming up to the driveway I looked at the mailbox. The flag was up. It was a rarity these days as I got my paper and most of my bills online. I jammed on the brakes and waited for the cloud of dust that was following me to pass before opening the door of my truck. Looking inside, I pulled out the letters: two junk mail offerings, one from a telco trumpeting a new plan, one from a power company sprouting their new fee structure, and one large nondescript A4 envelope with a hand written label addressed to me. Turning it over, there was no sender information and my interested was piqued. Just then the opening riff of AC/DC's Back in Black blared from the phone in my pocket - it was the Wife. "What the fuck are you doing, Mike? We are going to be late!" Jane scolded. "I'm on my way down the drive!" I replied, throwing the mail on the passenger seat, jumping in, and flooring it the eight hundred meters up the track to the house. Scooping up the envelopes I made my way into the house, discarding them in the overflowing in-tray on the desk in the office before going to face the music in the bedroom. I had my shirt off and was working on my pants when I walked through the door. "What have you been doing?" Jane turned away from the mirror where she had been putting in her earrings. "I had to catch a sheep that was having trouble lambing," I replied, taking off my pants and reaching for the deodorant. "Are those sheep more important than your family?" "They pay the bills. Anyway you know these things never start on time." I had my clean shirt on and was reaching for my freshly laundered jeans. "Just for once I'd like to not be the last one there!" "I'll still beat you to the car," I retorted as I pulled on my boots and stood, ready to go. It was a week before I got to sit down at the desk in the office again. It was close to time for me to submit my quarterly goods and services tax return, so I began to organize the pile of invoices into bills, income, and junk. The envelope I had added to the pile was sticking out, so I grabbed it and opened it up. What I saw made my blood run cold. It contained six old style photographs. They appeared to have been taken without the subject's knowledge, most through a window, the others around a door. They were very dodgy efforts, like they had just held the camera in front of the window and clicked away without looking to focus or frame the shots. They showed a man and a woman in various stages of sexual contact - Nosey and my wife. From the first look, I knew where and when they had been taken though I had never been to the house. While these pictures were being taken, I had been sitting in my father's old truck at the park, waiting for Jane to arrive. My sister's four-year-old sat beside me complaining about the wait and asking where Jane was. I was fuming when she was finally dropped off. I could feel that anger rising in me again, just as it had sixteen years ago. I leaned back in the chair running my fingers through my hair as the past came flooding back. We had been married four years back then; we were going through a sticky patch that many married couples have. We had just bought the farm next door, and I was working long hours to get it into a more productive state. Jane had been having problems at the real estate firm where she worked. The lady, who had hired and mentored her three years before, had sold the business. The new owner, a man, was making changes and all the staff were upset. Two of her colleagues had resigned, and my wife was feeling very isolated. My long hours only exacerbated this. I told her to quit, we were planning to start a family anyway. Jane had stopped taking the contraceptive pill four months before. We were both tired and grumpy, probably too absorbed in our own problems to empathize with each other. It got worse when the football season started again. I had "retired" the year before, but the Young Yabbies were trying to put two sides together, so the old hands were called on to help with the reserve grade. I told them I would help out with home games; it hadn't gone down well with Jane. "You work eighteen hours a day and don't have time for me, but you can take time off for football?" The first home game, we went in to town together. Reserve grade started at two o'clock and finished at ten past three, leaving me three hours of daylight, so I went home after to finish seeding a paddock while Jane stayed to watch and drink on the sideline. Her sister had arrived with a bottle of wine to watch Jane's brother play in the firsts. I had returned at around seven in the evening for the after match speeches and a steak sandwich at the clubhouse. Jane was pissed, sitting in a circle of the younger guys, playing drinking games with cards and shots. She barely acknowledged my presence, so I ignored her as well, getting something to eat and talking with my teammates. After the speeches people began leaving, heading to the local pub. I was intending to work the next day so was keen to go home. Jane wanted to go to the pub. She said her brother would give her a lift home, so I left. Her brother did bring her home, but not until midday the next day. I was pissed off and worked all Sunday, never venturing near the house. When I walked in that night Jane's brother and his wife were still there, so that meant was no confrontation. Apparently, the party had moved to the brother's house after the pub closed, and Jane had spent the night on the sofa bed after. I initially thought alone, but during dinner she complained that she had gotten cold and Nosey wouldn't cuddle her back to warm it up. I had given Jane a shocked look, Nosey was Jim Hanson's nickname. It wasn't because he had a big nose but because he was always on the "sniff". Young, old, married, engaged, everything in a skirt was fresh meat for Nosey. Seeing my distress, Jane had laughed. "Come on Mike, he is like my little brother," she said, rolling her eyes for her family's benefit. The next home game was three weeks later and it followed the same pattern. I played, went back to work, Jane stayed and got drunk. When I returned, she wasn't keen to go home, so I also went to the pub this time. I was the taxi service as I was sober enough to drive. I had decided to stay to make sure Jane came home, but I was tired so I had gone to have a sleep in the car. Waking up an hour later with a sore neck, I went back inside and told Jane it was time to go. "Alex will drop me home," she had slurred, referring to her brother. He didn't, he didn't even drop her home the next day - Nosey did. We were going to my sister's, who lived about two hours away in Parkes, to pick up some furniture she was giving us as well as an electric oven because she had recently converted to gas. I had my Dad's old truck and my sister's four-year-old, they lived in Parkes. Jane had offered to drop him back home after he had wanted to stay with his grandparents. Once again, I was pissed but didn't want to make a scene in front of the kid and Nosey. It got worse when Jane came up with her plan. "It will be pretty squashy in the truck cab for the three of us. Nosey's house is halfway there in Grenfell, so I'll go that far with him, and then we will meet at the park and go the rest of the way together." "Which park?" I had asked through gritted teeth. "The one with the war memorial," Jane replied, getting back into Nosey's car. At least he looked uncomfortable about it, too. So, that must have been when the photos were taken. I had waited at the park for forty minutes for Jane to get there. "I thought the old truck was going to take longer, so I went to Nosey's for a coffee," was her excuse. I should have blown up about it, but we had a four-year-old sitting in between us. I restricted myself to giving one word replies as Jane gushed about Nosey's new house. He had built it himself apparently, did all the internals as well. She was particularly taken with a glory box that he had at the end of his bed with intricate carvings on it. I should have guessed, I suppose, but I trusted her even if I was angry with her. I did wonder though, since we hadn't had sex since her last period. I decided to refrain from my conjugal rites and see if "the circus came to town" again in a couple of weeks. I began to get worried when it appeared to me to be late, playing out the confrontation in my head when Jane told me the good news and I said it wasn't mine. Much to my relief, the discarded pad covers appeared in the bin beside the toilet, so my fears were allayed. Jane quit her job and things calmed down for two weeks until the Saturday after her last day at work. It was another home game, and I played in the reserves but stayed and watched the firsts this time. Jane was more subdued that day, still having a glass of wine but staying in control. Afterwards, I was talking to some other farmers outside and Jane was inside the clubhouse. I didn't think I had been outside that long, but when I went inside there were shot glasses in front of her and her sister. She had her drinking face on and was sitting in a group with Nosey. I tried to ignore it, but she seemed to be a dog on heat. Following him around, putting her hand in his back pocket when he was talking to someone. I confronted her about it outside the ladies' toilet, but she said she was teasing him, trying to piss him off. It didn't seem that way to me, and no doubt to other observers. I was doing my shift behind the bar at closing time as people drifted off to the pub. When I had helped close up, I went looking for Jane but couldn't find her. Someone told me she had already gone to the pub. When I got down there I went in the side door. Nosey was sitting on a bar stool at the bar, Jane was behind him with her hands under his shirt. He was trying to have a conversation with the guy beside him, doing his best to ignore her, when Jane ripped open his shirt. Buttons flew everywhere, patrons laughed and somebody yelled. "Looks like Nosey's getting lucky again tonight!" I didn't think anybody had seen me, so I stepped back outside. 'Getting lucky...again! What the fuck did that mean?' I may have left the pub quietly, but I smoked the tires on the bitumen as I scorched away up the street. I drove around aimlessly for an hour before I went home that night. A million thoughts were racing through my mind. Filled with anger, sadness, but mostly just deflated, I climbed into bed hoping for sleep. The next day, it was almost lunchtime before Jane was dropped off. Whoever did it took off quickly before I saw who it was. I remember I expected her to be contrite and full of remorse, but she breezed in as if nothing had happened. In fact, she was happier than she had been in weeks. After seeing me, her smile faded. The confrontation I had planned in my head didn't quite work out. "What's wrong?" Jane asked. "As if you don't know!" "What?" "Looks like Nosey's getting lucky tonight!" I mimicked the voice from the night before. "What are you talking about?" She seemed genuinely mystified. "That's what Gunner said when you ripped open Nosey's shirt!" I don't know if it was Gunner, but I knew she didn't like him so it added to the effect. "It was just a joke, why would people think that?" "Maybe it was the way you were hanging off him like a bitch on heat!" I spat. She regarded me coolly, then as she walked towards me she began to smile. "You're jealous," she countered, "you're so jealous you're turning green." She stopped in front of me and brought her hand up to my face. "You're really cute when you're jealous." She tried to kiss me, but I moved back. She kept coming until I was backed up against the kitchen cupboards. Not bothering with my face anymore, she placed her hand on my crotch. "Want to do something about it?" Jane had her head cocked to one side as she gave me a sultry look. I had fallen for it, taken her to the bedroom, and fucked the anger out. Afterwards, she had asked if someone did say that about her and Nosey. When I confirmed it, I thought she had shown genuine remorse. She never went near Nosey after that, and three weeks later she whispered to me that she thought she was pregnant. I kissed her and from then on our love only grew stronger. Now, I sat looking at evidence that told me it was a sham. The first four photographs were taken from the window. In three, Nosey sat on the glory box with Jane on her knees in front on him. His jeans were around his ankles and she had her head in his groin. The last one from the window showed a positional change. Jane was bent over the glory box with her pants off - no wonder she noticed the carvings. Nosey was behind her, his hips pressed to her arse and hands gripping her hips. No need to guess what was going on there. The other two were taken from inside the house, I guess around the door. The first mostly showed Nosey's arse again, only this time it was on the bed nestled between Jane's spread legs. The last was the post coital shot, Nosey on his back after rolling off, his cock now limp. Jane hadn't changed position, but now there was a clear view of her bare thighs framing the triangle of her pubic hair. I looked inside the envelope and pulled out an anonymous note. "Mr. Cooper, We recently bought a house and there were some boxes left behind by the previous owner. I was going to take them to the tip but thought I should look through in case they left something they wanted. I found the photos and thought you wouldn't want them getting into the wrong hands. The negatives are inside as well. -A friend." It explained some, but not all, of my questions. How did he know who it was and where we lived? I guessed I would never find out. Now to the main issue, what to do? Swear? Scream? Break things? I really wanted to call her all the names I had dreamt up sixteen years ago, maybe even make some improvements. The problem with that is, before you sit in judgment on someone else, it's best to have a long hard look at yourself. If I was being truthful about myself then I would be a hypocrite. Eleven years ago our house was bedlam, three kids under five; everything stunk of baby shit and vomit. Sure, you wouldn't trade it looking back, but in the thick of it, you just wanted some time out. Good fortune had come my way by means of an invitation to attend the annual farmer's association conference in the city. Three days away, no broken sleep, no vomit unless I drank too much, oh heavenly joy! The trade-off was, the conference was as boring as bat shit; lots of old farts arguing about inane motions. Most of the delegates were over fifty, however there were about a dozen others there around my age and we soon began to hang out together. Of the dozen, there were two women, a short, roly poly, dairy farmer's daughter, Cheryl, and a tall, buxom blonde named Michelle. There were only three single guys amongst us, and they hung around Michelle like bees round a honey pot. The rest of us would laugh at their attempts to woo her. On the last night, after the conference had wrapped up, there was a big dinner. Politicians and agri-business people mixed with the delegates, in a cocktail party first, followed by a fully catered sit down dinner. There was an open bar so most of us were getting a bit hammered. I tried to stay in control as I knew in twenty four hours I would be knee deep in baby shit As the dinner broke up, the single guys were trying to get the girls to continue the party up in one of their rooms. They shot them down, so they left in search of some local night life. I was about to head to bed when Michelle sat next to me. To my amazement, she propositioned me, inviting me to her room. I was flattered but let her down gently. She had shrugged and told me if I changed my mind, go to room 806 and knock three times. Later that night, I woke up with a hard on and Michelle's face and breasts in my mind's eye. I was tempted all over again but resisted. However, when I got home, the image of her stayed with me. I found myself thinking of her as I fucked my wife. For the twelve months until the next conference, just thinking about her got me hot and bothered. I went as the local delegate again the following year. I ran into Michelle the first night at a drinks and nibbles event, but I noticed she had an engagement ring on. I thought that would put an end to any romantic, or the downright pornographic, fantasy I had been having. We seemed to be avoiding each other, then a couple of hours later she came and sat next to me on a lounge. I congratulated her on her engagement, we made other small talk, and then her hand went onto my knee. It was like a shot of electricity. I looked into her eyes as her hand crept up towards my thigh. I stopped its progress with my hand, yawning and saying I should be going. She followed me out and we got on the lift. We were alone, standing close but not touching - the tension was thick. Michelle put her hand on my arm and the dam broke; twelve months of fantasies and frustration swept any good sense aside as we kissed and began tearing at each other clothes. We made it to her room with most of our clothes on, then stumbled and fell on the bed. She had my cock out and I had removed her panties, so we got straight to it. It didn't last long. As we caught our breath, we took the rest of our clothes off before jumping back into bed for round two. For the three days of the conference, we were like a couple of teenagers sneaking behind their parent's back. We attended every session, but in the breaks and in the evening, we stole away and explored each other's limits. We did it on every piece of furniture in each other's rooms, in the disabled toilet of the convention area, on the balcony, even on the eighteenth green of the golf course beside the hotel. At the last night's dinner, we sat beside each other but engaged those around us in conversation rather than talk to each other. Under the table it was a different story. Wandering hands and feet got us both worked up, so straight after dessert we hightailed it back to her room. My Dilemma - Redux In the early hours of the next morning, I woke with Michelle's body wrapped around mine. The guilt hit me - it was heavy and oppressive. Later today I would be home with my family. The extent of my betrayal engulfed me. I slipped out of bed and grabbed my clothes, sneaking back to my room. I got up early, intent on getting out of the hotel before anybody was up. I had just checked out when Michelle came down in the lift. We talked in the hotel coffee shop and apologized to each other. We knew we had done wrong. When I got home, I left the farmer's association; I didn't want to be near temptation again. I couldn't separate the two events. I had broken my promise to Jane, just as she had to me. I could skirt around the edge by saying I hadn't lied to Jane, but I didn't tell the truth either. A couple of times the guilt got so bad I almost did, but in the end I felt the best way forward was to keep my secrets. Now, I would have to do the same again. I tucked the old photographs away inside the cover of an old farm diary. I should have cut them into tiny pieces into the bin but I couldn't, not yet. I went out to the kitchen to be with my family. Jane was preparing dinner; my son and one of my daughters were doing homework on the dining room table. The other daughter must have been practicing her piano as the sometimes melodic strains of Fur Elise floated in from the lounge room. They were the reason I kept my own counsel, I couldn't let things that had happened so long ago tear apart the strong unit we now were. Jane came up beside me, slipping her arm around my waist, she leant her head on my shoulder. It took a lot of effort not to flinch away, inside the turmoil brewed but I knew it would disappear in time. I put my arm around my wife and pulled her tight against me. She let her arm drop from my waist, moving her hand to cup my bum. "Get a room you two!" It was my youngest daughter. She must have finished her unarmed combat with the piano. The other two looked up and made retching noises as Jane first kissed my cheek then licked my ear. We all laughed and I was sure I had made the right decision. Two weeks later, I was beginning to function normally again. The whole family were in the car, as we had been to town to watch a movie together. I stopped at the mailbox and my son got out to check its contents. As he walked back, I could see a large A4 envelope similar to the one I had received before. He passed it to Jane and she asked me what it was. It had the same hand written address as the first one - my heart was racing. This time it appeared to be much bulkier. My mind was spinning with possibilities, all bad. "It's just a part for the water pump I ordered," I explained. Jane gave me a look but didn't inquire further. When we pulled up at the house, I took the envelope as we walked inside. It seemed to contain a rectangular box. I fought the urge to tear it open. Dropping it on my desk, I forced myself to walk away. I would come back later. After dinner, Jane was watching her favorite reality TV show, two children were in bed reading, and one was in the bath. I went to the office with some trepidation. Closing the door quietly, I looked at the envelope taunting me from the desk. Sitting down heavily, I reached for it and opened the flap on one end. Reaching inside, I pulled out a rectangular plastic box; it was a video. On closer examination, it was from one of the first attempts to miniaturize the portable video camera. There was a smaller, mini VHS tape that sat inside a larger plastic box so it could be played in a normal video machine. I took the little tape out and inspected it. On the label it had one word, Jane. There was no note in the envelope this time. I put the tape back in the case and turned it in my hands. Did I want to see what was on this tape? Could I even find a machine to play it? We had thrown our video player out years ago. I went to bed that night with a headache, and pretended to be asleep when Jane came in. I woke a lot through the night as possible scenarios popped into my head. I did achieve something: I worked out how I was going to see what was on the tape. My mother was a hoarder; she always kept everything if it still worked. She used to have a little combined television and video player in the kitchen, but when the television signal went from analogue to digital, it was useless. I was fairly sure she would have stacked it away in a cupboard somewhere. I know I didn't take it to the tip for her. I rang her the next morning and, sure enough, she still had it. I made an excuse about wanting to show the children some of the videos we took of them as babies. I picked it up that afternoon and got it into the office before anyone else was home. I was tempted to plug it straight in, but I didn't want to be disturbed and the kids would be home from school soon. I had to wait until the weekend, when Jane took the children to sport on Saturday morning and I was sure to be alone for a couple of hours. I set up the television and put the tape in. The start of the tape had nothing to do with Jane, at least not my Jane. There was footage from a camping trip on the river, some other stuff from the local lake featuring waterskiing. I recognized some faces from years ago, and from the comments made to the camera man, it must have been Nosey. I was thinking my worrying had been for nothing until I got near the end of the tape. A scene in a kitchen filled the screen. It was night time, and there was a guy sitting at a kitchen table with playing cards scattered over it like a game had recently finished. It wasn't Nosey filming, because the guy at the table asked whose camera it was, and the voice from out of shot said he had found it in Nosey's bag in his room. I recognized the voice, it was Jeremy. He had played full forward in the first grade team all those years ago. It must have been the house he rented in town back then with two other footballers. It got the reputation as a bit of a party house that year; players who had travelled in from the surrounding district to play often camped there the night after games. The guy whose back was to the camera turned around; with the big bushy beard there was no mistaking Andy, a shearer from the town. He spoke to the camera. "How long do you think Nosey will be?" Jeremy replied, "could be a while, I think he has his hands full!" He fell about laughing at the joke like drunk people do. From the shaking of the camera, so was Jeremy. "How about we take a look?" Andy ventured. There was some discussion, then they agreed it was a good idea. They set off down a hallway, Andy leading, until they came to a door. There was some noise in the background and when Andy eased open the door it became louder and more recognizable. Especially for me as it sounded like Jane in the throes of an orgasm. Andy poked his head around the partially opened door then motioned for Jeremy to go back. In the kitchen the discussion continued. "It's too dark," Andy said, "you won't pick anything up with the camera." "Go and turn the outside light on at the front. That should give us enough light." He left to complete his assigned task, and Jeremy went back down the hall way and quietly entered the room. The camera was going though you couldn't see anything, but you could certainly hear it. The light came on outside and it threw enough light inside to outline the action. Nosey had Jane on all fours on the bed and he was pumping in and out at a frantic pace. Jane was mostly just taking it until Nosey announced he was cumming. Then she started pushing back fiercely. When Nosey stiffened, she continued working her hips, milking his dick. After a pause, Nosey thrust savagely two more times causing Jane to moan before he eased back and slipped out. Jane slumped down onto her chest her bum still up in the air. Nosey waved to the camera as he walked towards it. He high fived Andy as he walked out of shot and Andy walked in. Andy continued towards the bed, and it was obvious he wasn't wearing any pants. He climbed on the bed, positioning himself behind Jane. He slapped her exposed arse cheeks then moved closer as he fed her his cock. Jane gasped, maybe from shock, maybe because of a difference in size, but she didn't complain. Andy settled in for a long slow fuck, pulling all the way out before sliding slowly back in. Jane began moaning again as her arousal grew. Nosey must have returned, the light increased in the room so I assumed he had turned on a lamp. "You will get a better view now," Nosey said with a laugh. "How long have you been fucking her?" Jeremy asked. "The first time was two weeks ago outside the pub, then the next day at my house. I got a hand job and finger fucked her three weeks before that. Today was the first time I've seen her since my house and she was tonguing for it." "Does her husband know?" "The way he smoked his tires up the Main Street, I'd say he suspects something, but she doesn't seem to care and I sure as hell don't!" Andy was still taking his time. I was thinking that Jane was so drunk she didn't know what was happening, but Nosey proved me wrong. He came back into view, still naked. He walked towards the bed, beckoning for Jeremy to follow with the camera. "Wait up Andy, let's get organized." Andy pulled out. Nosey got on the bed, sitting back against the bed head. "All right honey, bring that mouth up here and get me hard again," he ordered. Jane crawled up between his spread legs and went straight to work on his soft dick. Andy followed her up the bed - up close his dick looked huge. He was lining it up to re-enter my wife when Nosey motioned for him to stop. Then he placed his hand under Jane's chin and lifted it so she was looking directly at him. "Do you want that big cock back in you?" Jane nodded, but that wasn't good enough for Nosey. " "Say it! Say it honey, I want that big dock in me!" he insisted. Jane only hesitated a moment, "Yes, I want that big cock in me!" "All right then, you reach down and put it in the right place," he directed. She did as she was told, reaching between her legs, her hand gripped Andy's big shaft and she drew it towards her sex. Nosey kept hold of her face so she was looking at him as Andy thrust inside. She yelped then moaned as her eyes rolled back. Satisfied with his control, Nosey pushed her mouth back down onto his dick, and Andy began fucking her again, this time with more urgency. He was soon slamming that big cock into her so hard that she couldn't keep sucking Nosey's dick. He slid down so his now hard dick was between her breasts. He pushed them together, and the motion caused by Andy's thrusting meant he was tit fucking her without moving. A roar from Andy announced his approaching climax. He continued pumping and groaning until he slumped back, breathing heavily, and his spent cock now limp between his legs. "Come on, Andy, it's my turn," Jeremy moaned from behind the camera. "Your turn on the camera." Andy got up from behind Jane and took over the camera. He focused on Jane's head, which was back to moving up and down on Nosey's dick. A complaint from Jeremy made him widen the shot. "Fucking hell, Andy! Why do I have to go after you? It's like sticking my dick in a full washing machine back here!" Andy laughed, then Nosey suggested they switch, "I'm getting close here, Jeremy, how about we swap?" They changed ends, Nosey was soon back at it, but Jane was reluctant to go down on Jeremy's slimy dick. Nosey leaned forward as he continued stroking and pushed her head down. "Come on darling, don't be shy," he said in a mocking tone. She submitted to his request and her head dropped into Jeremy's lap. Nosey then beckoned for Andy to come closer with the camera. He was pulling his cock all the way out and sliding up between Jane's arse cheeks before backing off and re-entering her cunt. He did this several times, and I realized he was spreading the copious juices running from out of Jane's pussy up around her sphincter. She must have thought he was teasing her, because she began rocking back to try and keep him inside. He nodded to Andy, who, from the change of camera angle, must have leant his body across Jane's to stop her from rising up. Nosey's dick slipped up between her cheeks, but this time he subtly changed the angle so the head engaged with her rectum. Holding her hips tightly, he jammed forward and the tip of his cock forced its way inside. There was a yelp from Jane and she tried to move away, but Andy and Nosey were holding her firmly. They must have underestimated her strength because she bucked and screamed. "Get that fucker out of there!" Andy must have dropped the camera because the screen went black, but the complaints and swearing from Jane could still be heard. "Just relax, Baby, the worst part is over," Nosey tried to placate her. It mustn't have worked because there was another scream followed by Andy calling her a fucking bitch. The camera got knocked over again, and it appeared to have rolled of the bed. There was a clunk then nothing. The next shot was back in the kitchen where Andy must have been trying to fix it. "It's going again," he called out before he set off down the hall again. The camera was still running as he walked, giving lovely shots of the stained carpet. It was obviously some time later as Nosey was no longer in the room. Jeremy was still on the bed thrusting into an unmoving Jane. She was lying on her front, her face buried in a pillow, his legs were outside hers holding them closed as his dick slipped between her upper thighs. "She's a lot tighter this way," he gasped, then he groaned and held himself still. He pulled out and got off the bed. "Are you going to have another go?" Jeremy inquired of Andy behind the camera. "No, mate, I've had enough for tonight, three times is usually my limit. Open those legs a bit so I can film the damage." Jeremy got one ankle and Andy grabbed the other, and they pulled them apart. Jeremy got back on the bed and spread her butt cheeks to let Andy get a better shot. Jane didn't try to stop them, she appeared to be sobbing. "It's too dark to see much," Jeremy offered. "A good scout is always prepared," Andy replied, then a bright light shone on both Jane's holes. "A torch! Nice one!" The camera focused tightly, revealing a sloppy mess of cum dripping from both. "I hope you're on the pill, Janey, because there's a hell of a lot of baby batter down here!" Andy sneered, then they both laughed cruelly. The screen went black. I sat for a long time just staring at the blackness - it mirrored my soul at that point. On one level I was amused, Jane had been playing with fire and it had burnt her badly, incinerated really. This was no affair, this was cold and calculated. Nosey hooked her, then he gutted her and let his friends feast on her bones. No wonder she never went back near him. The three guys left the district years ago, last I heard Nosey was living on the coast. He was married to an older woman with three children by three different fathers. Ironic I suppose. Andy left town after his third drunk driving conviction where the judge threatened him with jail. He moved to Queensland, and I think is currently in jail after another two further convictions for driving drunk while disqualified in an unregistered and uninsured car. The last time, he ran into a school bus picking up children in the morning on his way to work. Jeremy was only around that year and moved away for work after the footy season. Of course I was angry and hurting. Who wouldn't be after watching their wife do the things she did. I was also amazed at the acting performance that Jane had put on when she had finally come home that Sunday. The smiling carefree woman that walked through the door bore little resemblance to the sobbing woman face down on the bed leaking cum. I had fallen for it, a little bit of loving and I was captivated again. On top of all of that I was worried, the very thing that had kept me from blowing up when I got the original photos. My eldest child was conceived the same month as the gang bang. Was she really mine? I looked at the photo on my desk, my two daughters and my son with their smiling mother. They all looked similar; they all looked like their mother. I spun in my chair and booted up my laptop, time to research paternity testing. I typed it into my search engine, and a full page of references came onto the screen. I was surprised how easy it was. I don't know why, but I had expected it to involve a visit to the doctor's. Instead, I could order a DIY kit online and have the results two weeks after the company received my samples. That was for a non-legal kit. To have a result withstand the rigors of legal proceedings, the samples had to be taken by an independently verified technician under the gaze of legal counsel. I didn't need that yet, so I ordered the non-legal kit. The receipt promised delivery inside of two business days. I was just in the process of shutting the laptop down when Jane poked her head around the door. "We're home," she said brightly, "we've got a cooked chicken and some fresh bread if you want lunch." Her smiling face taunted me, then sensing my annoyance, the smile disappeared. "I'll make you a sandwich and bring it to you if you like?" Concern showed on her face. "I'll be there in a minute," I replied, trying to keep a lid on the inner turmoil. Jane left and I tried to compose myself. When I got to the dining room, the kids were eating and giving blow-by-blow descriptions of their sporting endeavors. I made a salad roll and sat with them to eat. I tried not to look at Jane, and found myself staring a lot at Jenny, my eldest. Was she mine? As I searched for family resemblances, she noticed my interest. "Are you okay, Dad?" she asked. Her question caused everybody else to go quiet. "Yeah, sure, why?" I responded uncomfortably as the rest of the family took a keen interest in my answer. "You've been looking at me weird since we got home. It's freaking me out a little." "Sorry, just got a few things on my mind." I hoped that would deflect the interest. "Your Dad's been on the tax computer and you know how he gets when he does that," Jane added helpfully. "Oh right," Jenny said as my son rolled his eyes, then they continued on as before. After eating, I went outside and got on the ride-on mower and started on the lawn. All weekend, I did jobs around the house that I mostly did alone. Cleaned out the grease trap, scraped the leaves and debris out of the gutters, did the garden edges with the whipper snipper. All so I didn't have to interact with Jane. I went to bed early Saturday night complaining of a headache, and stayed up late watching a zombie movie on Sunday that I knew Jane wouldn't like. She went to bed early, so for the whole weekend I kept the "couple" time to a minimum. On Wednesday the kit arrived. I'd been thinking of an excuse to get the mouth swab from my children. Earlier in the year, I had a physical when I updated my life insurance. The doctor had mentioned that my iron level was elevated but not excessive. He explained there could be a number of factors that could account for this. If it was high next year then I should have a genetic test to see if I had hemochromatosis. It would have implications for my diet and my children would have to be tested to see if they were carriers. Jane was late home on Wednesdays because she had to pick up my son from training after school. I spoke to the girls and explained my reason for wanting the swabs. They had no complaints, they trusted me, I suppose. I didn't feel very good deceiving them. For the next two weeks I played the husband game, my heart wasn't in it, but I tried. I had asked for the results to be e-mailed to me so I could be sure to see them first. I checked my inbox regularly, waiting for the moment of truth. It came two and a half weeks after I had sent away the swabs. I came home for lunch, and Jane was shopping, so I got a chance to check them in private. My Dilemma - Redux The e-mail contained an explanation of the results sheets and two attachments; one for Rachel, my youngest, and the other for Jenny. I opened Rachel's first and was relieved to read the conclusion statement, Mike Jeffress is not excluded as the parent of Rachel Jeffress. The combined parent index is 153.43 so the probability is 94.348%. That was close enough for me. The second attachment broke my heart. Mike Jeffress is excluded as the parent of Jenny Jeffress. The figures after left no doubt. The paternity index is 0.0 the combined paternity index is 0.0 and the probability of paternity is 0.0%. I slammed my fist into the table, kicked the waste paper basket over, and screamed. I swore and ranted, and cursed the god that had done this to me. Sitting down again, I saw the TV on the floor next to the desk. I don't know why, but I set it up again and rewound the tape, and pressed play. Maybe I was looking for some spark of explanation or excuse that I could hold onto, some way I could ignore this and move forward so that the life I cherished wouldn't be destroyed. I fast forwarded the video to the start of Jane's expose; her moans of pleasure filled the room as the door opened. I guess I looked startled and guilty because Jane saw red. "So this is what you have been doing in here the last two weeks! Watching porn! For fuck's sake what's got into you!" She began walking around my side of the desk. "The last three weeks you have been a bear with a sore head! I'm sick of..........." Her outburst stopped abruptly when she saw the action on the screen. Nosey was doing her doggy style on the bed. The color drained from her face and she wobbled unsteadily on her feet. She reached across and grabbed hold of the bookcase to steady herself. "Oh god......oh god......how?" "It was sent to me anonymously." "I'm sorry ...I'm so sorry ...it was.....I was ...I was so drunk, I didn't know ...you know I wouldn't o..." Jane babbled. I didn't reply. I hit fast forward on the remote control until it got to the part where Nosey was asking her if she wanted it and when he told her to put Andy's dick back inside. "You seem in control!" I said bitterly. "It.....it was only that one time, I was having a hard time at work remember....you know you were working long hours..." Her voice trailed off as she watched me grab my farm diary. I got the photos I had received first, and put them down face up on the desk. "You forgot this time, remember? When I was waiting at the park for you for forty minutes." The tears trickled, and soon turned into full throttle sobbing, through it all the begging started. "Please...it was so long ago ...I've regretted what I did every day of the last sixteen years ...I ...I made a pledge on the way home that Sunday morning that I was going to make it up to you ...I've been the best wife I could be for sixteen years. Please, we can get past this, it's so long ago. We have so much together now, please!" Jane reached for me but I stopped her, pointing for her to sit in the chair behind the desk. I hit the enter key on the computer to wake the screen up. Jenny's test results were still on there. "Unfortunately, the past has a way of staying with us," I said sadly. "What's this?" "Just read the highlighted box at the bottom, it makes it very clear!" A low moan escaped from Jane's lips. "No...No, that can't be right, no no no!" "Why don't we watch your gangbang together and place bets on who's the daddy!" I growled in her ear. That caused a fresh round of tears. I had to get out, I had to get out! I went to the bedroom and threw a change of clothes and some fresh underwear in a bag. Grabbing my wallet and keys, I made for the front door. Jane intercepted me before I got there. "Please, Mike, don't give up on us! I love you! I always will, think of the children! It was two months out of twenty years!" I brushed past - I had to have space to think. "What about Michelle?" Jane yelled. I spun around. "Didn't you think I could smell her on your clothes when I washed them? I may have been sleep deprived and covered in baby vomit, but I'm not dumb. And then there were the two phone calls." Jane put on a fake high pitched female voice, "Hi, it's Michelle, is Mike there? Fucking bitch!" I had no reply for that; I didn't know there had been any phone calls. I resumed walking out the door. Jane called out again as I went through it. "No answer to that? Fucking hypocrite!" I got in my truck and drove west for an hour before stopping for fuel in West Wyalong. I sat in the diner attached to the service station for another hour trying to decide what to do. The station sat the Newell Highway, turn left for Melbourne, right would take me to Brisbane, or go back the way I had come, to home. Chapter Two I watched Jane's ponytail bob in front of me as she trotted on her horse. I was third in the line of five riders. Jemma, our guide led the way. She was followed by Jane then me and two American tourists on their honeymoon were the backmarkers. We were making our way back from Blue Lake in the New South Wales high country on a five day ride. I'd booked the trip in a last gasp attempt to salvage the wreck our marriage had become. I often thought back to the night eighteen months before sitting in my truck on the shoulder of the Newell highway outside the service center in West Wyalong. After thirty minutes of mental gymnastics I'd backtracked and driven home, parking up the back of the farm and sleeping in the truck. Naively, I thought we could get through it, I'd pictured Jane begging for forgiveness, vowing to do whatever it took to make things right. I'd even got a little excited as I got close to home thinking about the sexual gymnastics I could put the repentant Jane through. Maybe if I hadn't driven away that night. Maybe it might have been different. In the twelve hours I was away both our positions became set in stone. As a result the last eighteen months had degenerated into an ugly contest between two immovable objects with opposing views. We didn't speak to each other for the first three weeks, instead conveying any messages to each other through the children. Jenny, our eldest daughter, almost fifteen at the time called us on it one Friday night when the other children were in bed. "What the fuck is going on with you two?" "That's enough of that sort of language young lady." I replied hoping to avoid the question. "Well it's all you're going to fucking get till you two do some talking." "Jenny really, there is no need to be so coarse!" Jane chimed in. "Well answer me then. What is going on? You two have been stepping around each other for the past three weeks." "It's none of your concern." Jane went back to reading her magazine. "Bullshit it's not, when my little brother and sister come to me and ask if mum and dad are going to get a divorce it is my concern." Jane and I looked at each other. There was no getting around it, we had been selfishly wrapped up in our own worlds oblivious to the effect on those we loved around us. I shifted nervously in my seat as I turned back to the withering stare of my daughter. "We'll sort it out tonight," I said weakly. "Make sure you do! Or... or I'll ... I'll call grandma!" Jenny spluttered finally thinking of a threat she thought might work. Jane stood and moved to put her arm around her but she twisted away. Jenny stomped up the hallway leading to the bedrooms slamming the door behind her. The sound of the slammed door reverberated around the lounge room where Jane and I sat. I was in an armchair on one side and Jane standing behind the lounge about as far away from me as she could possibly get. We looked blankly at each other but I'm sure her mind was racing just as quickly as mine trying to find something to say. Something to break through the wall we had spent three weeks building, reinforcing and sheltering behind. We each had our own little cocoon of hate that we could nestle inside and take comfort in our righteousness. "Well... What do you suggest?" Jane spoke first but her attitude certainly hadn't softened. I wanted desperately to bite back, to throw a deliciously crafted barb back at her. I didn't, I'd come home that night three weeks ago to try and sort things out but instead we'd settled into trench warfare. It was time for a truce. "I think we need to see someone, a counsellor or something. This," I pointed to her then me emphasizing the distance, "isn't working." Jane cautiously moved back to sit on the lounge. "Where do we find one?" She asked quietly. "I don't know. The web maybe? Or we could go and see Dr. Davies." "He's just a GP." Jane shot that down. "But he might know somebody or point us in the right direction." I offered. "I don't want to go in there about this. The receptionist's he has are the biggest gossips in town." "Yeah, I guess." I grabbed my tablet from the coffee table. "I'll just have a look and see what I can find." "Okay. Can I turn on the television?" Jane waved the remote control. "Yeah." Wow, a conversation. Stilted and guarded but a conversation. It was weird but I felt really uplifted, hate is such hard work. I spent a while searching and came up with three possible names. Passing my tablet to Jane I let her look at the different options. She picked the one she liked the look of and we agreed to try and get an appointment. Television was its usual wasteland of reality shows and current affairs so Jane turned it off. "Are you sleeping in our bed tonight?" She asked in a neutral tone. I'd been sleeping on the lounge for the last three weeks. Making sure I woke early so as to be dressed before the girls got up. "Do you want me to?" "I didn't kick you out." 'I'm not a fan of frostbite,' I thought, but didn't say. "That doesn't answer my question." "Suit yourself," Jane rose from the lounge and went up the hallway. I sat for another five minutes with the internal debate raging before getting up to follow her. By the time I'd had a shower and got to the bedroom Jane was under the covers asleep, or pretending to be. I got in my side and lay on my back for a while before rolling towards Jane. I reached out to put my hand on her hip, not in a sexual way but just hi, I'm here. She flinched and moved away. I remember thinking at the time, Rome wasn't built in a day. The counsellor was very busy so it took three weeks to get an appointment. During that time we spoke to each other but not much else except for one night when we had unexpected visitors. Friends from further west stopped in on their way home from a horse gymkhana. We played the hosts and cooked dinner and had a few drinks, more than a few actually. Around midnight we tumbled into our bed and before we knew it we were making out like teenagers. We went at it with a gusto I can't recall experiencing for a long time. The next morning with sore heads we cleaned up and looked sheepishly at each other. Jenny came in and complained about the noise we made the evening before then made a caustic remark about how old people should know better. "You are such a prude, just like your father," Jane said with a laugh then she looked at me and turned ashen. I'd tried not to let the hurt show but failed. "Fuc...rrr away" Jane grunted, avoiding Jenny's shocked stare. "Build a bridge and get over it," she mumbled as she pushed past me and walked outside. It was back to our respective corners. We travelled together in silence to our first counselor visit. Dr. Hahn was a forty something woman with fiery red curly hair and a pleasant smile. She'd welcomed us into her office, spoke to both of us for ten minutes then she split us up. Jane got twenty minutes, I received ten, and the writing was on the wall. In the last five minutes we were back together and Dr. Bitch told me the past was the past and it was time to move forward. She then spent the rest of the time berating me for cheating on my wife while she was at home with a baby and two toddlers. It didn't help when I chirped up that only two of them were mine. Needless to say the trip home was very quiet. We went to two more sessions with Dr. Hahn before I exploded and called her a man-hating bitch who needed a stiff dick up her arse, and stormed out. I was leaning on the car in the car park waiting for the "fun" ride home. Jane emerged with a scowl on her face. Getting the key out of her bag she clicked the car open. I got in and braced myself for the blast. She got in, clicked on her seat belt, took a deep breath the let it out slowly. Here it comes I thought. She started giggling, and was soon wiping away tears as full blown belly laughs made her shake in the seat. "Her face... Her face..." More laughter. "Oh it was priceless, she was still hyperventilating when I left." Relieved I started laughing too. In the end the experience actually did bring us closer. We had a better couple of weeks but decided to try another counselor. We picked a man this time, Dr. Gregor. Unfortunately our luck didn't change. This time we only lasted two visits before I had him by the throat up against the wall. Alarm bells were ringing after our first visit when he seemed obsessed by the details of Jane's infidelity. As we left he asked if we still had the video tape as he felt it was important for him to see it. I'd burnt the tape the night I came home. On the second visit after once again quizzing Jane extensively about her sexual experiences he tried to cop a feel as he help her put on her coat before we left the office. She jumped and slapped him then I partially throttled him before his receptionist threatened to call the police. Still as with the first time the counseling might not have worked but it still bought us closer. Just not close enough. It was like a continual Cold War and we were both at Defcon four. Little things that would normally be dismissed or laughed off in a healthy relationship would lead to both of us jumping back in our bunkers and preparing to fire missiles. It would be followed by some major diplomacy and a thaw before something set us off again. We kept trying for the children. They meant so much to us. Yeah I know Jenny wasn't mine but I was the only father she had known and I did love her. It was her mother's mistake not hers. There was one other thing, my own selfish reason. A divorce would mark the death knell of my career as a farmer. We were tenants in common on the title deeds for both farms. We still owed the bank money on the second farm. Not a lot but the amount didn't matter that much. I couldn't afford to pay Jane out her fifty percent share. My only option would be to sell up the land and livestock. All these things bounced around in my head as I watched Jane's butt bouncing lightly in the saddle. We were up to a canter now as we were off the ridges and in a valley heading towards a cabin where we were staying the night. There was still a few hours of daylight left but there was much to do. Each rider had to square away his or her horse. Make sure their animal was washed down, rugged, fed and watered. This was followed by collecting wood, setting up bedding, cooking then cleaning up. Each night it was a very tired group of horse lovers that slumped down in chairs by the fire with a beer or a wine. In the end it hadn't been a very good idea. There was very little time for Jane and me to sort out our future, just lots of time with your own thoughts which often wasn't very productive. It was our last night. Tomorrow it was back to Jindabyne then into the car for the long drive home. Last night I'd retired to bed early hoping Jane would join me so we could talk. She'd stayed up with Jemma and I was passed out when she climbed into our swag. Tonight she was asleep leaning against my shoulder by the fire. I nudged her and suggested she head to bed. She wearily stood up and bid the others good night. She was followed by the honeymooners giggling and cuddling. I was left staring at the dying flames with Jemma. "I was going to say a penny for your thoughts, but after talking to your wife last night I'm not sure I want too." Jemma said after she had thrown a fresh log on the coals. "If you've been talking to my wife then you don't need to hear from me." I said failing to hide my bitterness. "Heh, it wasn't that bad. You came out of it pretty well really." I just grunted still struggling with my own internal demons. "She does love you." Jemma tried. "Yeah, it's obvious isn't it?" I added dryly. "Why did you come on this ride?" Jemma asked as she poured a shot of bourbon into her cup before rolling the bottle over to me. "To try and work out how we can stay together." I answered truthfully. "Seems to me that both of you are pulling the wrong rein." I studied her for a moment then took a hit from the bottle. I burned all the way down. "Eww shit, now I remember why I don't drink that stuff." I coughed and spat then pulled from my beer before sitting back in my chair. "Enlighten me." "You two are spending all your time working out how to stick together when you should be working out how to split up as friends." "Have you thought of going into marriage counseling?" I said laughing at my own brilliant sarcasm. "Come on, blind Freddie can see it. You two are fine apart but put you together and you are like a couple of mangy dogs. The hair comes up on the back of your neck and you circle each other snarling and snapping. I don't doubt you love each other but if you keep trying to stay together you'll kill it and maybe each other." I didn't say anything, I couldn't think of a reply. What Jemma said had made too much sense. "Why are you still together?" "The kids I suppose." I mumbled. "And you think that your current relationship is a good environment for them grow up in?" I didn't answer again. I just stared at the bottle in my hand and tried not to cry. Eventually I managed something. "Did you tell Jane the same things last night?" "No, it only occurred to me today on the ride. Hey look it's just my opinion and opinions are like arseholes..." "Yeah, I know. Everybody's got one and everyone thinks everyone else's stinks." Jemma stood up. "I'm turning in. Can you put that big log on the fire when you go? We might need a warm fire in the morning." She walked away and I stayed staring into the flames seeking answers but only came up with more questions. I don't know how long I sat there but the next time I went to have a drink of my beer it was warm and flat. I put the log on the fire and went to bed. Climbing into the swag I tried to not disturb Jane. I lay with my back to her watching the flames slowly work their way around the new log. Jane rolled and cuddled up to my back snaking her arm around my middle. That's when I started crying. The next morning I woke to find the rest of the group up and preparing to break camp. I got up and pulled some clothes on before going to the fire to get a cup of tea. The two Americans were fussing over the saddles while Jemma cooked up some bacon and eggs. Jane appeared from around the back of the cabin leading two horses. We ate and packed up in silence mostly. Today we were leaving the high country and going back to our lives. The holiday was over and for me I now knew so much more was over. We arrived back at Jindabyne just after lunch. After unsaddling our horses for the last time we turned them out into a small holding paddock before collecting our things and heading to the car. Once inside I retrieved my mobile phone, all electronic devices and been barred from the trip. I called my sister who had been looking after our children. We both spoke to the kids and then I talked to my sister again. I asked if she could have them for another night and she said it would be fine. Jane gave me a quizzical look as I disconnected and put the phone down.