Passion In James County IX
Indiscretions
By D.C. Roi
Chapter fourteen
Melissa dragged herself out of the shower, dried herself off and got dressed. She spent the morning doing chores inside the house. Tom had returned home from his extended trip, but he left almost immediately on another one. She had barely been able to talk with him, much less do anything to work on mending the problems in their relationship.
In the afternoon she went to the office and tried to get some paperwork done. There were letters she needed to write and bills that should be sent.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," she wondered as she pulled a mistake-filled paper out of the typewriter and threw it in the waste basket. "The was a time I was an excellent typist."
She put another blank sheet of paper in the machine, rolled it around the platen, and began typing again. As her fingers moved over the keys, her mind began to drift. Thoughts she believed were wrong filled her head, and even though she didn't want it to, her body responded.
"I wonder what it would be like to have Mitch make love to me out in the field the way he was making love with that woman?" Melissa thought, recalling the time she'd spent observing Mitch and the woman on their picnic. As she did, her groin began to grow warm and tingles of desire began to spread through her. "No!" she said out loud, shaking her head. "What's wrong with me? I'm married! I have to stop thinking things like that!"
Mitch walked up onto the back porch of the farm manager's house and knocked on the door. Melissa came to the door, dressed in a plain button-front blouse and slacks. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were red. It looked to him as if she'd been crying. "Anything wrong. Mrs. S.?" he asked.
"Uh, no, not really, Mitch," Melissa replied. "I...I'm just having a bad day, I guess." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm embarrassed you found me this way." She tried to suppress the growing elation she was feeling at having him there. He was the last person she should be alone with, given the things she'd been thinking about him.
"Anything I can do to help?" Mitch asked. He had a suspicion there were problems in the Singleton marriage, but he didn't want to stick his nose in where it didn't belong.
"I...I guess not," Melissa replied. "It...it's something I have to work out on my own." She sniffled, took a tissue out of a box on the kitchen counter, and blew her nose.
"Hey look," Mitch said, "I've got all the chores done, and I was just going to tell you I was taking off early. But, I do have some time, and I am a pretty good listener..." He hated to see her this upset. Besides, having a chance to spend time alone with her was OK with him, too.
"I...I really don't know," Melissa replied.
"Come on. What are friends for?" Mitch said. "I'll make some coffee and you can tell me your troubles." He was supposed to go to Kristin's for dinner, but he had the rest of the afternoon free and it was just after noon.
"Well...I...I guess it wouldn't hurt," Melissa said. Having someone listen to her would be a nice change. It seemed as if she and Tom hadn't exchanged a hundred words in almost a year, and when they did talk, they wound up in an argument. She sat down at the kitchen table and watched Mitch walk to the counter. When she realized she was watching his bottom, a shudder went through her and she hugged herself. She had to stop this, before she wound up doing something she'd regret.
Mitch got the coffee pot going, then he sat down at the kitchen table next to Melissa and put his hand on her shoulder. It was supposed to be a friendly gesture, so he was taken completely by surprise when powerful sensations shot up his arm when his hand came in contact with Melissa. If he wasn't careful, he'd have a hard time standing up to pour the coffee when it was ready. On the other hand, touching Melissa's shoulder felt nice, so he left his hand where it was. "What's up, Mrs. S.?" he asked.
"Tom's never home any more!" Melissa exclaimed and began sobbing.
Mitch had noticed that his employer had been gone a lot lately and had been wondering if that meant something was wrong in the Singleton marriage. "He has been pretty busy with his transport work," Tom said. "Do you think it's more than that?"
Melissa nodded and tears splashed onto her slacks. Her body shook. Mitch began rubbing her back and as he did he could feel her bra. That didn't help his situation at all. He was supposed to be comforting her. Instead he was reacting like a randy teenager feeling a woman's bra strap for the first time!
The coffee maker finished brewing, so Mitch got up to pour each of them a cup. He was very careful to keep his back to Melissa, so she couldn't see the swelling in the front of his jeans. The woman had her head down, so he was pretty sure she didn't see the bulge in his jeans. "Go on," he said, "I'm listening."
"He...he didn't used to be gone so much," Melissa sobbed, "He...it used to be he couldn't wait to get home. Now...now half the time he calls and says he has to stay out longer." She dissolved into sobs again.
Mitch carried two cups with coffee to the table, set them down, and sat down again. He adjusted his legs so he wouldn't be too uncomfortable. "I don't know, Mrs. S.," he said, "I know that, sometimes, when you're building a business, it does take a lot of work."
"I...I don't think that's it at all," Melissa said. "If...if I didn't know better, I...I'd think he was...he was..." She began sobbing again, unable to put her worst fears into words.
"You don't think..." Mitch said, realizing what she was thinking. "Mr. S. wouldn't do anything like that. He loves you."
"But...but if that's not it, why...why isn't he ever home any...any more?" Melissa whimpered. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes. "Do...do you think, maybe it could be...that I'm not attractive to him any more?"