This is the seventh chapter of my first original loving wife story. I am grateful for those of you who have kept up with me to this point. I never intended it to go on so long, however, as many other authors have said the story "takes on a life of its own."I hope to resolve the problems and issues that Anne encountered in a way that is satisfactory to my readers. So, if my story is not yet complete and you have any ideas for how it ends it is not too late to influence the author because I read all the comments and I will endeavor to incorporate those ideas that I find interesting, or which make the story more enjoyable. Even if I have finished the story by the time you read it, if you have an idea, I might create alternative endings, or better yet allow the readers to write their own version. Please leave any constructive comments, so that I might use them to improve my writing skills. Do not forget to vote on my performance at the end of this chapter.
As I have mentioned before, I would love to have an editor to assist me with revisions and plot development. However, no one has been forthcoming so far. So, I am relying on feedback from my readers.
In this chapter I focus on setting the stage to investigate the conspiracy against Anne O'Callaghan and I describe her first attempt to was communicate with her estranged husband as Jean Sutton. I spent a few weeks revising the chapter to try to make it clear and concise and hopefully not boring.
For those of you looking for sex, I could not think of a way to include hot sex in the chapter. Anne is a beautiful woman who certainly is propositioned enough but to be fair to those looking for hot sexual scenes I feel compelled to disclose the lack of it before they read on only to be disappointed.
Please note that the usual disclaimers apply. There are no minors depicted as having sex in any part of the story, and the story is complete fiction. None of the characters are based on anyone in real life.
Chapter 7 The Second Chance: Jean Sutton Makes Her Debut.
It was so nice to be back in New York and walking around Lincoln Center. It was one of those amazing summer days late in August in New York with the humidity low and just a clear blue sky. I could see the skyscrapers, crisp and sharp in the sunlight, and the temperature was warm and comfortable. The piazza was filled with tourists and the central fountain was surrounded by diverse racial and ethnic groups of people taking pictures.
I kept thinking about what Dr. Lambert told me, that Robert owed me an explanation for why he cheated on me, and I intended to get one from Robert and also get some measure of revenge on those two jerks that screwed up my life. My plan was to try to befriend Jake and then use his friendship to find a way to talk to Robert again as Jean Sutton. Hopefully, I would find out exactly how they had set me up and acquire evidence to prove to Robert that I was innocent of betraying him.
Lincoln Center was only a short walk from the high school where Jake taught gym. Classes had not begun yet and I knew that Jake would have free time so he would take advantage of the beautiful weather to go for a stroll. He fancied the symphony, and he told me that sometimes after lunch, he liked to take a walk to Lincoln Center, look at the hallway in the Philharmonic, to see what performances were scheduled, and then have his coffee around the fountain in the center of the plaza. I was wearing expensive clothing that I had purchased at Neiman Marcus to impress him. I wore a casual Versace colorful Baroque print mini dress with high heels and had my hair shoulder length and straighter. I knew I looked good in it, and the dress made me feel much more confident that I could attract the attention of any man.
Before I looked for him, I had taken off my wedding ring. While doing so
I had a strange feeling, a déjà vu, that I remembered doing this before. Then I feared that I may never put it back on again. Naturally, taking off my wedding band brought me more male attention than before. I was keenly aware now, how much I attracted the opposite sex and while I still felt jittery around men, the behavioral training, Dr. Lambert put me through seemed to have eased my nerves and reduce my hyper-vigilance around strange men.
I had confidence that I would be able to get Jake to take me out. My changed appearance, as some kind of supermodel, still hard to get used to, bolstered my ego and increased my confidence. I tried not to let my beauty go to my head. However, the continuous compliments and attention I received gave me the impression that I could get a man to do anything that I asked him to do. You just know your good looks will always cause people to give you the benefit of the doubt.
I tried to be disinterested and not look anyone in the eyes, but I could never go anywhere these days without being noticed. While walking around Lincoln Center, I had to fend off two young men who approached me and tried to strike up a conversation. One group of college students from NYU even asked if they could take a picture with me. They assumed I must have been a model or a performer yet, even when I told them that I was not anyone famous they all asked to take a picture with me anyway.
When I was just about to give up hope of running into Jake, I spotted him walking around the opera house. I immediately walked near him in the same general vicinity. To say he noticed me would be an understatement of the year. His eyes practically popped out of his head. As I walked past him, I smiled at him. Jake almost jumped out of my way and just grinned back at me but never said a word.
Jake is shy, really shy with woman, until he gets to know them. You would think that a tall handsome man would be bold and outgoing especially a man who in high school was a football quarterback. But Jake was boring and selfish as a lover. I think as more of his relationships crashed, he got more reluctant to talk to girls. He started developing an interest in going to see classical music and theater after he became friends with Robert. My husband wanted him to foster an interest in music, instead of just sports, so as to try to enrich his life and become more interesting to others, especially women. so, when they went together to Jake's first concert, Jake not only enjoyed it, but he loved it. He began to read about classical music and listen to it at home, and in his office at school. he would often go to the Philharmonic, the opera, the ballet, and Broadway theater on his own.
I forgot just how embarrassed Jake was around women and my new appearance made me seem beautiful and sophisticated, and out of his league. I decided that I needed to be more assertive. I stopped and turned around looking right at him.
"Excuse me sir, do you know where I can find the ticket counter for the Philharmonic?" I said in my sweetest voice.
Jake looked like I had just pointed a gun at him. God this guy was a loser when it came to picking up women.
He stammered... Miss... It is that building. Just, er walk through the glass doors of Avery Fisher Hall right there and go down the escalator."
Then the dork turned away as if to leave. I was giving him an opportunity, but he was not biting. I quickly said to him while tapping his arm," Would you mind showing me the way if you are not too busy.
After touching him, he seemed to relax a bit and it became easier to talk with him. On the way to the ticket office, I spotted a poster.
"Oh Look, Cho-Liang Lin is playing. He is my favorite violinist. He is playing Mendelssohn Violin concerto in E minor. It sounds like a good concert to see."
