Janet's sick, probably a chest cold. I fixed dinner and put the leftovers away. Loaded the dishwasher. Put out the recycling; along with the dog, then sat on the swing waiting for Max to do his duty. I was staring at the pond when I noticed someone approaching. I didn't look up, it had been an exhausting weekend and frankly work on Monday was looking good to me.
"Hi Tom. What're you doing?"
"Hello Nancy. Waiting for Max to finish. What's up?"
"I'm not happy."
"Problems in paradise, oh no." I tried to spin that with a light tone.
"Dick hasn't paid any attention to me all week."
"Why do you suppose that is?"
"I don't know."
"Do you suppose his work might have something to do with it?"
"Not work - work, maybe someone at work. He's got a new secretary I know nothing about."
"What does he say about her?"
Nancy's nightmare according to Bill; who's prone to exaggeration, has an athletic build. Light brown hair, blue or green eyes depending on which contacts she has in. Her office skills are only average and she has a southern accent. She wears clothes well and smokes. First day she was in the office he took her to lunch. She ate a hamburger and fries, with a coke. All the other lunch breaks that week he left her to fend for herself. It didn't sound to me like he was particularly infatuated with her.
"Nothing much." And that was precisely her worry. Nancy is good looking in her own right. Good proportions; mostly clear skin, but prone to freckles if in the summer sun too much. Probably comes with the flaming red hair. Nice lips; but she pouts too much, needs to smile more.
"So what do you want from me?"
"How about you invite us over for cards. We can work on him a little."
"How did this get to be ‘we'; and Janet's sick, been in and out of bed all weekend."
"Well I can't just go stand in the hallway naked to get his attention."
"Why not, it would certainly work for me."
"Janet wouldn't do that for you, and if she did it wouldn't have the desired effect anyway."
"Well it might, you want to go suggest it to her."
"I most certainly will not, she's your wife, you do it."
"I have suggested it; numerous times and you're right. She won't."
"I think you're at least as sick as she is."
"Maybe, but mine's cerebral, not bacterial."
"Thanks for nothing. I'll call you if I need you."
With that she turned around and walked back to her house. Nice heart-shaped butt on that gal. Max has been sitting at my feet for most of the conversation, pawing my leg indicating it's time to go in the house. Next three hours are spent ‘nursing' Janet, when the phone rings and it's Nancy. Sounds like she's been crying and asks for Janet. I tell her that she's in bed for the night with as much OTC cough suppressants as we could find. I'd pretty much forgotten our previous conversation, but I did remember her exit wiggle.
"I need help."
"What's the matter? Are you okay?"
"Yeah fine."
"Bill hit you or something?"
"I wish. He's out for a walk."
"Okay, so?"
"So I got naked and met him in the hallway; asked him to fuck me, and it didn't work. He just looked at me like I was from another planet. Then he went into his office and closed the door. When he finally came back out, he handed me a computer photo printout. He said if I wanted to fulfill his fantasies try this."
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand how I can help."
"Get over here and look at this picture. Tell Janet I'm sorry."
"Sorry? Sorry for what?"
"You're not staying home tonight."
"This is bullshit . . . "
"No this photo is bullshit, and it's your fault. Now get over here!" The phone went dead with Nancy's rant ringing in my ears. I checked on Janet and told her Nancy had called. That she needed help with something and asked if I could come over. Not the whole truth, but enough for the moment. Come to think of it, I didn't know the whole truth either. I could feel my jaws getting tighter as my temper was building. For the most part I stomped the hundred yards from my house to Bills'. That helped because I began to realize I was agitated only in response to her ‘tone' on the phone. I replayed this afternoons' conversation and formed the notion that she was trying to solve her marriage problems by using me and Janet. Well, me anyway.
I knocked on her front door, then rang the doorbell. Peeked in the window, no Nancy. I went around to the back and she opened the door before I reached the stoop.
"Are you nuts, don't use the front door. What if somebody saw you?"
"Hi, glad to see you too."
She ushered me into the kitchen and hopped up on a stool next to the breakfast bar. She was playing with a sheet of paper. Sliding it back and forth, staring at it. After several seconds she handed the printout to me.
Fair quality, could tell that it had been enlarged to at least two or three times the actual pixel size, and the color was a little red shifted. It made the man and woman in the picture glow a bit more than real life.
The woman; on her knees, was servicing the fellow while blindfolded. Her not him. Her hands are behind her, I can't tell if they are bound, or she just decided to drive this guy crazy with ‘no hands'.