Getting Lucinda settled in one of the spare rooms Ted spent several moments talking with her, "Are you going to be alright by yourself? I can stay until you fall asleep if you want."
She had taken a shower and borrowed one of his t-shirts to sleep in. As she got into bed she started to cry, not sobbing but just tears of relief, "I wish sometimes you would just hit me or yell; something else besides understanding and kind," she sniffled, "Shit Ted, I treated you like a sex toy! I didn't have the decency to at least hide my affairs; I had people in our home! Not real nice people either; after you left that day the other women were freaked out by the number of guys who showed up so they left, leaving me by myself," sitting up she hugged her knees to her chest.
Ted felt it wasn't the time to say anything so he pulled a chair over and gently rubbed her shoulder.
Glancing over at the door she heard Chelsea headed downstairs, "Chelsea can you come in here please!" looking at him she smiled and wiped her face, "I'm glad you found someone Ted. Chelsea is real nice, just the kind of person you should have."
Coming in the room she said, "Hey is everything ok?"
Lucinda waved her over to the bed, "Yeah everything is fine, it's just, well, I, uh, shit!"
Ted squeezed her shoulder, "Go ahead Lucy get it out. You've had something to say and you should just go ahead and say it. You're not dying are you?"
Chelsea slapped his arm, "Ted! I can't believe you asked that."
Lucinda laughed, "Some things about you haven't changed a bit! No doofus I'm not dying, although at times I wanted to. I just need to tell you what happened that day and the following few weeks after. But first I want to try to explain why I turned into a nympho on you and what I think started it. Is that ok? I'll understand if you don't want to hear it." She turned to Chelsea, "I think you need to hear it too because of your relationship with Ted," she had a pleading look on her face glancing from one to the other.
Ted cleared his throat, "The truth is Chelsea and I only had our first date today, so our relationship has just started. I like to think it's just a start though," looking at Chelsea he smiled.
She glanced at him and blushed, looking at Lucinda she smiled, "Yeah I think it's just a start too. Are you sure you want to share this with me? After all we just met and you don't know me at all!"
Lucinda grinned and shook her head, "When you came over to help me and showed me kindness instead of pity? That told me everything about you I needed, and when I saw how Ted looks at you it told me he trusts you also," blowing her nose she stretched out under the covers.
"Ok now that that's settled. The weekend before all that started you had to go away for that business trip, remember?"
He nodded, "Yeah to Chicago."
Nodding she continued, "Well, I dropped your stuff at the dry cleaners and ran into an old college friend, a guy I used to date. We decided to go to lunch and catch up, that was my first mistake. After more than a few drinks he decided to get me a cab so I could get home safe, so I thought. We both hop in the cab and get out at the house. I go in and he pays the cab off. Now I had locked the door because I thought he had gone," taking a deep breath, "The next part is a little fuzzy but I remember answering the door and he pushes me to the side, comes in and says he needs to use the phone. Not knowing what's going on I say its ok and ask if he wants a drink, mistake number two."
Putting her hands over her face she says, "Damn this is hard. Ok, well one thing leads to another and before I realize it we're in bed and having sex, Ted I am so sorry," she has tears running down her cheeks, "We get finished and I fall asleep. The next morning my head is killing me, so I get in the shower, I hear him come in mumbling. Without saying a word he jumps in with me soaps me from head to foot scrubbing away. He is massaging my shoulders and my headache is going away, the bad thing is I'm sober, mistake number three."
Covering her eyes with her hand she says, "Damn it I'm cold sober and haven't told him to leave yet, good little wife huh? He's asking me when you get home and if I'm happy all the usual stuff to get me back in bed with the least amount of guilt. Obviously it worked, because we spend the next day together just like old times," peeking at Ted she says, "Ted if you beat me with a baseball bat that day, hell if you did it today, I wouldn't blame you at all."
Ted was confused a little, "Lucy I could have forgiven you an affair but not what I saw. That was an orgy nothing less."
Crying and sniffling she nodded, "Oh Ted I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," catching her breath and calming down, "Any way that was Monday. He left that night but didn't stay away for long. The next night was Tuesday and I hear car doors closing and people talking outside. Before I can open the front door he comes in with several other people, three guys and three girls. The women look like hookers and the three guys are all black and mean looking. I ask him what he thinks he is doing in my house which didn't set too well with him; one of the black guys asks if he was going to take that kind of shit from a slut bitch," sitting up straighter she sniffs loudly and swallows some of her water.
"I'm in shock so I just stand there. He grabs my arm and drags me into the bedroom slamming the door. I scream for him to let me go; then he slaps me harder than any thing has ever hit me. My tooth cuts my mouth and I start to cry dripping blood on my shirt, he comes over to help me sit on the bed acting all sweet and nice saying how I shouldn't have made him mad in front of his friends," she is wincing as she retells the story.
"I think it's all over when he gets up and tells one of the black guys to come in. The two of them flip me over on my stomach and strip off my shorts. I'm squirming and screaming, trying to kick them, I thought they were going to rape me, when I thought one of them had pinched me and that's all I remember until just a little while before you got home. The only memories I can recall are of having sex with several partners including the women. Not the kind of three-way you and I wanted. By the time you came in the first time I thought you had set it up so I started to get into it waiting for you to come back. When I saw you with the camera I got confused but the look on your face told me I had been played by my own weaknesses and my so-called old friend. Everyone stayed to use me for several hours then the girls left and my friend called in some more guys to fuck me as much as they wanted because I didn't care. The ironic thing is I really didn't care then. After they had all gone the next morning I locked the front door and took a shower until there wasn't any hot water then stayed under the water until my lips were blue. I could never get clean enough. For three days I never left the house and when I didn't hear from you I knew we were through."
The tears were streaming down her face, sitting up she straightened her back and faced him, "Ted I can't make apologies enough to you, if I hadn't fallen into the affair we would still be together. I can only ask your forgiveness and when I leave I won't bother you again."
Ted stood up and went to the window, hands on his hips he didn't say a word for several minutes, "What was this guys name anyway?" she told him, "Huh, boy that's weird. I know someone by that name. Let me make some calls tomorrow." Turning around he came over and pulled Lucinda up on her knees, holding her hands he said, "Lucy I'm glad you told me, and I'm especially pleased you included Chelsea. It means a lot to hear you get all the guilt off your chest and it also helps me understand what happened, thank you," he hugged her then kissed her cheek.
They both heard sniffling and turned around. Lucinda said, "Well honey what's wrong?"
Chelsea grabbed a tissue and blew her nose, "Man, you two are like a movie, a three hankie movie!" blowing again she came over and hugged them both. Kissing Ted she left the room.
Lucinda squeezed him one more time and told him to go be with his girl friend and that she would be fine.
Ted went back to his room, "Chelsea? Where did you go?" she wasn't there. Going downstairs he found her in the kitchen with a drink. "Hey, are you ok?" coming up behind her he rubbed her shoulders.
Drinking the rest of her Scotch in one gulp she sucked the ice cubes and put the glass down. Turning around she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked in his eyes, "You are something special buster and I am not letting you go, what you think about that?"
Laughing he hugged her back and planted a toe curling kiss on her mouth, "Is that a good answer? I don't want to let you go either; in fact I think we need to go to bed so I can show you properly just how much!"
