Author's note:
This is a major rewrite of the original story. Your input told me I had rushed you through the development of their relationships and left too many things unexplained. Hopefully this will make it all clear to you….
Any comments?
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"You're missing the show," said Eric with an evil smile.
"What do you mean?" answered David, totally nonplussed.
"He's doing it again, - I can't believe he gets away with this stuff! The money helps, of course, but still…" Eric shook his head, an incredulous look on his face.
"What the hell are you talking about?" said David, getting annoyed.
"Jim Evans," said Eric, - "He's got another foxy babe giving him a hand job right there, at the table. He is such a sleaze-bag, and doesn't he just look the part. I can't believe these women put out for him all the time."
"Jim Evans? That jerk! Where?" asked David, his interest suddenly peaked.
"Right behind you, at the table in the alcove, and she's a looker, - very classy, - much too good for someone like him. – No! Don't turn around!" He stopped David in the nick of time.
David realized he could get a glimpse of the table in the mirror on the wall behind Eric, and moved his chair slightly to get a better view. They were in 'Umbria', an up-market restaurant in Springfield, 100 miles from David's hometown, having a leisurely business dinner after attending a conference.
David could see the woman in sort of a side view, since she was half facing the man she was sitting closely beside. Her long wavy black hair hung over most of her face, and she had her hand down underneath the table as she leaned forward. Evans was leaning back, eyes closed, with a shit-eating grin on his face, clearly enjoying himself. He did look like the sleaze-bag he was, David thought; she really was much to good for someone like him. Her outfit was simple but elegant and what he could see of her figure was very impressive.
"Shit, you're right, Eric!" Dave said, suddenly seeing the unmistakable signs of the woman's arm moving up and down in the jerk's lap. "How do they get away with this in the middle of a restaurant?"
"Like I said, - Money!" said Eric. "You know he has lots and lots of it, he owns big chunks of every town in a 100 mile radius from here. I heard he just tips the waiter, the Maitre D' and the manager a few hundred each to leave him alone, and if anyone complains, the manager will sort it out. It's sick, really!"
"Shit, she is going to give him a blow job right here! I can't believe this!" David was blown away by the action at the table behind him. The woman's body language showed that she wasn't at all happy about the development, - she resisted at first, but his hand behind her neck had her bending down and almost disappearing from view. Pretty soon her head was bobbing up and down in his lap. David and Eric were taking it all in; David was too shocked to say anything, but Eric kept up a running commentary.
"She's doing a great job on him, - long slow strokes now, - he's enjoying the hell out of it. He's looking around the place now, to make sure everyone sees what a big guy he is, getting this 'lady' to blow him wherever and whenever he wants. Oh, - she's speeding up, - he's getting ready to blow any moment. Look at his face getting red, - yep there he comes, looks like a good one, - one, two, three, four, - five, - Jesus, six spurts, no - seven. Here she comes up for air, - she doesn't look happy about this, wiping her mouth and having a drink."
"I can see it too, Eric," said David, getting annoyed with his colleague. 'But you're right, she doesn't look happ.., - Holy Shit, that's Claire!!!!"
"You know her?!" asked Eric incredulously. "Does she put out for everyone, or does she go for the money?"
David was dumbstruck, but his mind was working overtime. "Claire!" he thought. "But that's impossible! No, it is her all right. But…" He suddenly realized that Eric was waiting for an answer. He shook himself mentally and realized that Eric would be the last person he wanted to tell anything to.
"No, that's not her, - he said. Looks a little like her, - for a moment I took her for someone I used to know in New York, but she would be older that that now." Eric looked at him a little funny, but decided to let it go.
They went back to their conversation, now that the show was over, but David kept looking at Claire in the mirror, trying hard not to give Eric any reason to probe some more. He realized suddenly that Eric had stopped talking and was looking at him again. "You sure that's not her?" he said, a little suspicion in his voice.
"Yes, I'm sure," said David. "I keep looking at her, but it definitely isn't her."
The couple behind him called for the bill, just as Eric excused himself to go to the bathroom. As soon as Eric was gone, David turned around and looked at Claire. She must have felt her eyes on him, because she suddenly looked straight at him and went white as a ghost. Her mouth dropped open and she started shaking. Panic stricken, she got up and left the table almost at a run. Jim Evans looked at her disappearing back, then at David. David shrugged and turned back to his table. In the mirror he could see Evans get up and leave as well, - a pile of bills on the table would take care of any unpleasantness.
David took a long swig of his wine glass. Jesus Christ! Claire, - of all people. He got mad, then sad, then mad again. He was in no mood for further conversation when Eric came back, and the evening ended soon afterwards. David headed for his hotel, his mind in a spin. The bitch! How could she treat Tim like that? She deserved to be horsewhipped!
Back at the hotel he had another drink and thought seriously about Claire, and Tim, her husband, - a close friend at college, who married Claire after a three-week romance. He had been best man at their wedding, for Christ's sake! He was getting mad again. Did Tim know about this, he wondered, - it didn't seem possible. He was sure Tim would be deeply hurt if he knew. How could she do this to his old buddy?
David wondered what had happened to their marriage. He knew it wasn't going so well, but this?! According to Tim, Claire was not a very loving wife. Whenever he met her, he was struck by her aloof and prim manner. Despite a dynamite figure, she always dressed so conservatively as to be downright depressing, and he couldn't remember ever seeing a glint of humor or love in her eyes. She would constantly give Tim a hard time, and she would be ruthless with David, if she felt he was leading Tim astray in any way.
He hadn't been seeing Tim a lot lately, they were both busy people, but Tim had confided in David at a low point about a year after their wedding that they would only have sex when Claire took the initiative, and that wasn't often, and although it was good when it happened, she just left for the bathroom as soon as it was over. And here she was, giving head to a sleazebag in a restaurant!?!
She needed a lesson, he decided. And since Tim was never going to give it to her, HE would! And he had all the ammunition he needed.
* * * *
When David came home a few days later, there were a whole bunch of messages on his answering machine, all from Claire, - sounding more and more agitated for every new message. They all said pretty much the same thing, - I want to talk to you…. don't make fool of yourself…. I want to see you right away…"
The phone didn't take long to ring again. "Hello, this is David."
"David, you are home at last. I want to talk to you right away!"
It was Claire, of course. David's hackles rose at her imperious tone, She was obviously going on the attack, - he expected nothing else, but he thought that seeing him in the restaurant just might have given her a wake-up call.
"I think you had better come over," he said and hung up. She was there in 3 minutes, she must have been calling from her car, somewhere just around the corner. She was dressed in her usual conservative outfit, her hair in a bun, with no make-up, and looking aggressive.
"David," she said, arms akimbo and glaring at him. "Before you make a big mistake, I want to warn you about saying anything to anyone about the other night! It's nothing like what you obviously thought, and Tim would never believe you anyway, so unless you want to lose a friend, just keep your big mouth shut!"
David burst out laughing, he couldn't help it .Did she actually think she could browbeat him into keeping quiet about the whole thing? Or was it just bluster, covering up her fear of exposure?
Claire's face darkened in anger and she raised her hand as if to hit him. Still laughing, David grabbed her arm and shoved her down in a chair.
"Sit down and shut up!" he said forcefully. Claire suddenly looked less angry and aggressive, but wasn't ready to fold by any means. His laughter obviously riled her.
"What do you think you're doing, David?" she hissed. "Have you started hitting women now, - too afraid to take on a guy?" David sat down opposite her and folded his arms, saying nothing, but clearly waiting for her to stop ranting. She sputtered a few more invectives, then rose from the chair again.
"I said SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" David suddenly bellowed, his cool finally evaporating. That had an effect! Claire's face showed some uncertainty this time, and she did shut up, even if her mouth was closed in a hard grimace and her body language said she was still not ready to listen.
David said nothing, just waited her out. Slowly her anger was replaced by insecurity and worry, as she looked at his implacable face. David waited until he felt she was listening and then calmly asked: "Claire, how do you feel about Tim? Do you love him, - have you ever loved him?" Those clearly weren't the words she expected, but they triggered total collapse in her, shocking him with its suddenness. She must have been frightened under her hard exterior.
"David, please don't say anything to Tim," she pleaded, - tears running down her cheeks." I made a terrible mistake, and I am sorry, - I really am!"