A Cheater Always Cheats

I have a boring life. I go to work, come home, and repeat. I was hired into a new job about an hour from home. On the first day on the job, I was shown my desk, which was a complete disaster. My new boss apologized for the mess but said they would rather me organize it.

I had walked into my new cubicle, and there were boxes of shit stacked with paperwork that needed to be sorted and processed. I needed to log them into spreadsheets. Then I could make a digital copy and shred the paper copy. I had a task on my hands before starting my job. It took me a few days to sort through all the paperwork and boxes.

A few people would come by, talk, and introduce themselves to me. I would be polite and talk with them, but I just wanted to organize everything so I wasn't a year behind in my work. I was hired to sort the data to find out what all their research has been telling them. They have been conducting research but have yet to log the information because no one believed it was their job.

I was also shown a storage room full of boxes, so I knew what was in my cubicle wasn't everything. So, every day for a week, I have been sorting boxes and logging numbers, digitizing the papers to get rid of them. Of course, the correct way is to use the industrial shredder company.

I had a good year of back data to go through, and then what is being dropped in an inbox daily. The different workgroups would finish with their results and drop them in the same box. I could have five projects in one box, if not more.

Because I was an office assistant, I had to dress semi-professional or office casual. I wore khakis and a polo shirt most days, and Fridays, I hear, are jean days. Since I didn't have a phone at my desk, I didn't need to worry about missing a call. So, I wore earbuds and listened to music to help improve my time.

The second week, most people had stopped coming by to introduce themselves to me, and I was able to get more done, and I was buzzing through more of the boxes as I finished stacks if I had everything for the month. I would scan it and put it on the server in its correct folder for the month and year.

I just happened to have my earbuds on one day during the second week, and my music had ended, and a song didn't start, so I could hear everything around me. Amy, I think that was her name, walked through with a dreamboat, and I overheard him say, "Who's the new guy?"

Amy responded, "Oh, I forgot you haven't been here since he's hired in...." They'd walked out of hearing range.

I just turned my music back on and got absorbed into my work again. Occasionally I would get up, take a pile of papers to the scanner, and scan them to a flash drive to transfer the files to the server. I saw the guy a few more times, we smiled and nodded at one another, but that was it. I didn't notice him for the rest of the week until Friday.

Friday, I was doing my usual, inputting numbers and listening to my music, when something moved above my computer screen, and I looked up. He was leaning over my cubicle wall, and when I looked up, he smiled. I removed my earbuds, he said hi, and I responded.

"Did you have lunch yet?" The guy asked, "By the way, my name's Chase." He stuck his hand to shake over my wall.

I stood and shook his hand, "Drew, and no, I haven't yet."

"Well, leave your earbuds and come with me." He grinned, and I looked at my watch; it was only a quarter to noon. "Come on. I've already talked to Larry." Larry is my supervisor.

"Okay." I laid my earbuds on my desk and picked up my phone.

We walked out to the parking lot and over to an SUV. It was a Cadillac, gigantic. I don't care to drive big things, I'm tall, almost six foot, but I don't need an SUV. I have a small car. The restaurant he took us to was just down the street. We could have walked to it as fast as we drove, but some people like their cars.

We were seated in a booth and asked if we wanted anything to drink, I told the waitress no, ordering water, and he asked for a beer. "You can drink. The company has no policy against it if you don't return wasted." He laughed.

"It's okay. I'll drink on my own time."

"But you do drink?"

"Yeah, I drink." Was this going to be 20,000 questions to find out what the new guy is all about?

"So, did you move here or what?" I looked at him oddly so that he would explain the question. I understood what he wanted, but I would make him ask more. "What made you come to work for us?"

"Needed a job." I smiled.

"Was that it?" He laughed.

"No, I lived here all my life, just a change of jobs, that's it." I shouldn't have said that, but I already did, so I opened up a can of worms. "I like to do different things from my last job."

"What did you do before?"

"CPA."

"So, you did taxes?"

"No, I dealt with numbers but not taxes."

"So why did you leave that just to input numbers into spreadsheets?"

"Less stressful." I smiled.

Chase chuckled. "Okay."

The waitress returned with his beer and my water and asked if we were ready to order, and we both said yes. He ordered a burger and fries, and I ordered fish, chips, and a coke. Of course, the questions began again.

"Were you out of work long before you started with us?"

"No."

"Do you like it here so far?"

"Yeah, the people are nice, especially Amy and Sam."

"Which Sam?"

"Samantha."

"Well, if you like either one, I know they are both single right now."

"It's okay. They're not my type." I smiled because I knew what the next question was going to be.

"What's your type?"

"Not female."

"Is that so? I know some men with whom I could set you up."

"No thanks, I think I can find them just fine myself." It sounded like he wasn't gay, so I will know to stay away from him even though he threw out the vibes. "Well, so it's not all one-sided here. What's your type?"

"Don't have a type. I'm married." Chase responded.

"Ah, so are you on this fishing expedition for the women in the office?"

"Yeah, sorry. Well, at least we got the meat out of the way early." He chuckled. "Sorry, they tend to send me because the other guys won't take the new guy out just to fish. Afraid nowadays."

"Afraid?" I knew what he would say, but I was playing dumb again.

"Homophobes, I'm the least homophobic person in the office, just to let you know. So, if you want, I'll keep your sex choice silent, and if the girls ask, tell them you're in a relationship." Chase smiled. "Anyways, with your looks, I can't believe you're not in a relationship."

I could tell he was fishing again. "Well, you know how things go." I wouldn't tell him that my last boyfriend was a piece of shit or that it was me. Things end sometimes, but sometimes things end because you end up in bed with someone else, and your boyfriend catches you.

"Yeah, but what happened?"

"Just ended, is all."

"Touchy subject?" I just nodded my head.

He was watching a TV in the far corner, and I wished the lunch would hurry to get back to the office. Our food finally came out, and he ordered a coke because he had finished his beer. "Do you like sports? You look like you could have played something, but not sure."

"Yeah, I do and did, throughout school and college, and I will occasionally meet up and still play soccer with a group."

"Soccer, so nothing like a manly sport such as football or hockey, huh?"

"No." I was ready for this lunch to end, and he kept watching the TV, which was great for me. The less contact, the better. I worked on finishing my food. I would walk back to the office if he were not finished when I was.

He noticed that I was eating more than he was and started to eat faster because he had wolfed down his food by the time I finished. As we had finished, the waitress came over with our checks, and before I could grab mine, he took it. "I can get my lunch."

"I asked you." He said with a burp. I just said thanks.

He pulled out his credit card, and when the waitress returned, he handed it to her. When she returned, I noticed he didn't even give her a twenty percent tip. As we were leaving, I said I would meet him in the car and that I had to go to the bathroom. He left, I returned to the table, dropped a five, and then left the restaurant.

"That was fast."

"I decided I would just go at the office." He just nodded and drove back. I stayed away from him after that. I thought he was an ass. I wasn't going to hang out with someone who seemed clueless.

A few weeks later, a few of my friends asked me out. I hate telling them no because they do mean well. A few of them are gay, but not all. We always end up at the gay dance club. James and Derrick, who aren't gay, have the most fun. They get to let it all hang out without going home with anyone. I keep telling them they would like it if they just tried it.

I know they love boobs too much. They always ask what do you suck? They don't have tits. I laugh at them and tell them that men have tits, well, nipples. It feels great when they are sucked, bit, or pinched. They keep telling me that their girlfriends have done it, which feels weird or hurts. Again, I laugh. They don't know what they are missing.

We ended up at Ezekiel's. The five of us were James, Derrick, Mike, Terry, and me. Terry and Mike are a couple, so they don't separate from one another that often. Terry is too jealous, so when Mike wants to dance, he pulls Terry out or one of us. We never mind, it is fun dancing with Mike, he's a hoot.

"Drew, you know it's time we get you back in the game. It's been too long." I was about to say something when Mike stopped me. He's pushy like that. "Wait." And he almost sticks his hand on my face to keep me from talking. "Barry left over nine months ago."

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, stop blaming yourself, it's done and over with, and he left."

"Again, I know."

"Honey." I could see Terry pulling at Mike. "Come with me."

"No, I'm talking to Drew."

"I can see that, and he is about to leave if you continue to talk. Let's have a good time. Like we planned." Terry responded.

"Fine." Mike pursed his lips together.

"It's okay, Terry. Mike has a point, I fucked up, and Barry left me. Lesson learned."

"Is it?" Terry asked, I knew what he meant, but he would say it anyway. "You know you fucked up with Chris, Mike, and Alex, not to mention...."

"Yeah, lesson learned." I cut him off. "I know I fucked up with all of them. You don't have to remind me. I fucked up the most with Barry because I did love him, and I won't get him back."

"Yeah, that boat sailed." I overheard Derrick say.

"Thanks for rubbing it in, man," I told Derrick.

"No problem, remember, it's my job." I just laughed, yeah, it's always been Derrick's job to point out my stupid mistakes, but this was my worst.

***

I roam. If you want to call it that, I'm labeled a cheater. I'm never happy with who I'm with when I'm with them. You know the grass is always greener on the other side. I have done it with all my boyfriends, sometimes I would get caught, but other times, they didn't have a clue.

My relationship with Barry was the longest of all my boyfriends, and I loved him. So much that I would have married him. But I got a roaming eye again. At first, I wouldn't do anything other than look at other guys. Barry got busy with his work and couldn't always come home at night to go out. I sometimes would head out to the club alone.

I would dance and start hanging out with a guy if I didn't recognize someone we knew at the club. One day it was a guy from my work, Kane. I had been looking at him, but I try not to get involved with coworkers, which can be difficult sometimes.

Well, Kane was the opposite of what I'm typically attracted to. Not someone short and a little on the feminine side, but I was drawn to him. I like a muscular-looking guy. My usual is basically me.

The first time we made out, we barely reached my car before he had his hands in my pants, stroking my cock. Thank God the police don't come through, or the structure security tends not to care what goes on in front of the cameras. Because as I sat down in my car, he was already going down on me.

Kane knew I was in a relationship and knew when we could meet up or when we couldn't. The longer I was fucking around with Kane, the less cautious I became, and that is what fucked me.

Barry was out of town on a business trip and wasn't due back for a few days, and I threw all caution to the wind and had Kane stay the weekend. Just Friday and Saturday night because Barry was due back Sunday afternoon. I'm not sure, but I think one of my neighbors had called Barry because he walked in on Saturday night.

We didn't know he was there for a minute. Honestly, during sex, I never think to look behind me. Who does? But I leaned down to kiss Kane, and he was wrapped around me, legs and arms, and I stayed down, just barely humping in and out of him when Kane gasped.

What I wasn't prepared for was the anger that came from Barry. He hit me over and over. Kane just grabbed his shit and ran. I've never heard Barry yell before. He said he knew something was happening but couldn't prove it.

Barry's emotions then turned to sadness, which killed me the most. He told me that he wanted to stop traveling so much in his job and wanted to spend more time with me. I had wished Barry would not travel as much, and he was already set to do it. He thought I was the one. I just sat down on the bed.

The ultimate killer was when he pulled a box from his pocket and set it on the dresser before leaving the bedroom. 'I was going to ask you. I will get my things later when I find a place.' And he walked out of my life. He wouldn't even allow me to make it up to him, saying, 'he should have known. A cheater always cheats.'

I left the box on the dresser. I never opened it when his things were still in the house. He didn't take it when he moved out. He asked that I be away when he collected his belongings. I stayed at work that day. Everything that was Barry was gone when I came home, but that box was still on the dresser. You could tell I had given up. The house wasn't clean. There was dust on the glass top of the dresser. Anything that was sitting there of Barry's left a spot.

It was three months after Barry left, two since he stopped taking my calls when I finally was sitting on my bed crying, and I saw the box again. I picked it up and opened it to two matching gold bands. I pulled them out, and I could see that one had an inscription. 'D, You'll always be my true love, B.'

I picked up the phone to call Barry, and it said the number had been disconnected.

***

"Okay! Enough with the seriousness, and let's dance!" Mike can only handle so much before he is done, and he pulls me out to the dance floor. I had to smile and laugh. Gotta love Mike, no matter what.

We were dancing, and God, was it getting hot out there, but when doesn't dancing bring up a sweat, especially out on a dance floor with a ton of guys around you? I had to excuse myself from Mike. "Where Are You Going?" He screamed over the music.

"I've got to get a little air and go to the bathroom," I said in his ear. The other guys had gone to a table a long time ago.

"I'll go with you." He said when he pulled me down to speak in my ear.

We walked towards the bathroom, but Mike was behind me as always and hanging on to my pants pockets. I don't know how much Terry likes this about Mike. That's probably why he keeps an eye on him so much. Terry never has to worry, and Mike would never stray. Mike loves Terry beyond belief.

We were in the line for the bathroom, and I saw Chase. He was in line ahead of us. He was kissing some guy that could have been his twin. Chase is about six feet tall, with black hair and tan. I'm sure he goes to the tanner but could go on vacation often. I turned around, "Hey, let's return in a bit. The line is long."

"Like the line is going to be shorter later?" Mike threw me a look. "What's going on?"

He laughed at me when it was my turn to purse my lips. "Fine, my coworker is just ahead of us."

"When does that stop...." Then he looked at me. "Oh shit, you like him."

I just closed my eyes, reopened them, and looked over Mike's head. "Can we please go? No, I don't. He's an arrogant ass. Anyways he told me he was married."

Mike looked around me at Chase, "Which one is he?"

God, why? I gave Mike the 'are you serious' look, but I knew he would keep bugging me if I didn't tell him which one. "If I tell you, can we go?" He nodded. "The one in the blue shirt, tall, black hair, and he is kissing the blonde just as tall but could be his twin."

"Or yours." I just pulled Mike back down the hall towards the table. I didn't turn around to look at Chase again.

"Here, take your boyfriend. He's too much for me." I'm annoyed now. "I'll be back." I lied. I walked towards the bar like I would get something and left. I texted Derrick when I got to my car and told him I would talk to them later. I sat in my car too long because Derrick opened my passenger door before I realized.

"What the fuck!" Derrick exclaimed.

"I'm tired. I need to be at work tomorrow."

"Bullshit, Drew. Mike told me to follow you, and I'm glad I did, and tomorrow is Saturday, so don't give me that shit. What the hell?"

"Derrick, please, can we just leave it?"

"What did you do? Fuck someone you shouldn't have again?"

"No, shit, I haven't taken anyone home since."

"Really?" Derrick seemed surprised. "Damn, you shitting me?" I shook my head. "You have learned your lesson."

"Yeah, I fucked up a great relationship, never could keep it in my pants. Now I do."

"So you've been cleaning your own rifle all this time?"

"Shit, man, is that all you will ask about?" I asked, and he laughed.

"So why did you leave?" Now I was regretting turning his mind from sex.

"One of my new coworkers is in there."

"So?" Derrick didn't clue in as fast as Mike, so I waited a few seconds, and the dim light slowly became brighter. "Shit, you have an office crush."

"Yeah, but I didn't know he was gay, and he said he was married, so bi, possibly. He is an arrogant ass. I do know that."

"So he's you." Derrick laughed.

"I'm not this way. Anyways I'm not going to get involved with a married man." I did that in the past and will not do that again. The wife hounded me for months after finding out and ending their marriage. I finally had enough, broke it off with him, and he returned to her.

"Well, let's go back to the club for a bit, then you can go home. After taking me home, remember you are supposed to see Chrissy." I looked at him. "Don't you even dare try giving me that look? Chrissy will be up, and she knows I'm out with you tonight."

"You and Sara let her stay up longer than a normal three-year-old should." He just laughed at me. "Okay, I'll return if you get off my case."

"Off, come on." He grabbed my keys before I could and got out of the car. I dropped my head on the steering wheel, and he walked around and opened my door. "Get your ass out of the car." He pulled me up and into a hug. "Man, you can always talk to me. I know there's more."

"Yeah, thanks." We started walking towards the stairs, the elevator was right next to them, and it opened to Chase and the guy pulling at each other's clothes. Before I could stop Derrick, he told them to get a room, and they broke apart, and Chase looked right at me. I pushed Derrick toward the stairs and headed back to the club. At least I know he's not there now.

The rest of the weekend was good. I went to work on Monday and didn't see Chase, which didn't bother me much. I knew it would be awkward to see one another after Friday. I was working awhile on Tuesday and saw something move above my monitor again. I looked up, and leaning over again was Chase. I removed my earbuds.

"Can I talk to you?" Chase asked. "Can we go to lunch?" I pointed at the half-eaten sandwich. "You work during your lunch?"