It had been almost a year since the divorce, when I received the invitation.
A three-day management seminar, in Philly, was I interested in attending?
I knew that is was time for me to start living again, my life had been on hold far too long. I could not take much more of the people in the office looking at me, and knowing what they were thinking.
"Look at that poor guy, screwed by his wife, no friends or family." God, I could almost see them shaking there heads.
Screwed by my wife? What an understatement that was.
There was I, working all the hours I could, to keep her in the good life, foreign vacations, a nice home, gave her everything she wanted, except kids. She was sterile you see, but said it didn't bother her much.
No, it didn't, she just decided to go out and try to fuck the world to make up for it. I thought we were happy, well settled, our sex life was good, not wonderful, but good nevertheless. Then IT arrived. An anonymous letter, I can still recite it even now, every word.
"Hi sucker,
Did you know your wife took 3 guys on yesterday in the locker room, and don't she like it up the ass brother?"
Needless to say it was unsigned, but it had the desired effect, I was stunned, shocked, didn't believe a word, and yet!
She was at the golf club three and four times a week, always complaining she was tired from the golf. I was a member too, yet no one had said anything, maybe she was having them all. What to do? I wondered, this is not the kind of thing to discuss with a friend, and anyway, all my friends were at the golf club. I searched the local papers for a private investigator, choosing a female one; I called her and made an appointment.
It turned out to be expensive, but inside two weeks I knew it all, she brought me photographs, I could not believe it, but there it was, right in front of me. She had been screwing everyone it seems, the women as well as the men. I threw her out that night, she tried to deny it at first, and then turned on me, and with venom I did not know she had, told me I was "fucking useless in bed."
The very next morning started divorce proceedings, and, in a few short months later it was all over. I cannot pretend her words did not hurt me, they did, and I withdrew into a shell almost. Never attending social functions, just staying home all the time, I gave up golf too, sure you know why.
It was the seminar invitation that got me thinking, I need a life, I was stagnating slowly. I remembered previous seminars, from my twenties, lots of new, and interesting people to meet. I decided, right there and then, look out Philly, here I come.
The seminar was to run for three days, Monday through Wednesday, so I drove the 150 miles to Philly on the Sunday afternoon, arriving at the hotel about 6pm.
I told the desk clerk I was Christopher Warren, here for the seminar, as he was checking my details, two ladies came to the desk. I smiled, and greeted them politely, just as the desk clerk said, "OK Mr. Warren, you are in room two six one, and the seminar is in the Rutherford lounge, at 8.30 am tomorrow morning"
Upon hearing this, one of the two ladies spoke to me,
" Ah, Mr. Warren, you are here for my seminar are you? Hello, I am Davinia Brandon, the consultant, and this is my assistant, Jeri Lee Johnson." Smiling and looking directly at me as she spoke.
"Very pleased to meet you Davinia, and you too Jeri Lee" I replied.
"I, as you heard, am Christopher Warren, but my friends cal me Chris."
We exchanged pleasantries for a few moments as the desk clerk booked them in.
Davinia was around 40 I guess, quite tall, with beautiful long auburn hair. Whereas Jeri Lee was petite, her hair blond and short cropped.
To be honest, I had almost forgotten what it was like to be in the company of beautiful women, and oh man, did I like it!
The desk clerk spoke to them again, saying, "Here you are Mrs. Brandon, you are in room two six nine."
The two ladies immediately started to giggle softly, smiling at each other, Jeri Lee, grinned and said, "Two sixty-nine, how appropriate," and turned to smile at me. Feeling a little uncomfortable, I smiled, and quickly changed the subject.
"I see we are all on the second floor, would like me to help with your suitcases?"
Davinia smiled at me, and it made me shiver, the look she gave me. It had been years since a lady looked at me that way, and she said very softly, "That would be wonderful Chris, thank you."
The elevator was only a few feet from the desk, on we were soon on our floor, and, to my delight, I discovered our rooms were across the hall from each other.
All the time I was watching Davinia, the subtle sway of her body as she moved, the constant sparkle in her eyes, the soft gentle voice when she spoke to me. I had not had these feeling since my teens, and, summoning up all my courage, I invited them to join me for dinner in the restaurant.
To my great relief, Davinia said, "Oh Chris, that would be delightful, of course we will join you, wont we JJ?"
Jeri Lee turned to look at me, smiling softly, with just a hint of something in her eyes, but I was not sure what it was. We arranged to meet in the lobby at 8.
Entering my room, I sat on the bed, and pinched myself, this wasn't happening to me, it couldn't be. Yet here I was, as nervous and excited as I was on my very first date. "Get a grip of your self I thought, it is only dinner for God's sake."