Message received! Chapter 1 was abused like a red-headed stephchild, in the reviews. Naturally I wondered why, so I reread it and realized: you just told a story limited to how an uptight dude cuts his frustration by masturbating to porn. Absolutely nothing of interest to see there, no matter how carefully told.
And for those who have asked, yes, Bobfr's 2003 story of the same name inspired the basic skeleton of this work, but as you'll see as we head forward, there are significant departures as well. I am both appreciative of his effort and reached out to him for the ok to employ the same title.
Those of you who think you understand where the story is going, be patient. I don't know where the story is going, so I'm not sure how you would.
Chapter 2 introduces Mary and tells the first part of her story. I think you'll find this chapter much more interesting and compelling, but it has its own backstory which takes a little time. Everyone remains 18 or older in the story. Enjoy!
Monday (Mary's Story).
I called Mark right away Tuesday morning. It wasn't like him to miss our nightly road talk.
"Good morning," I called out after getting his sleepy "hello."
"Good morning," he replied. There was a tightness in his voice I didn't like, the kind that said "oh no, it's her."
"Late night!" I added cheerily.
"Yes, very late night," Mark replied. Now I was convinced. Something was buried, a piece of news he didn't want to share.
"How was the Threxxco dinner?" I asked, prompting him gently.
"We didn't have dinner with Threxxco," Mark answered.
"But..." I began.
"I know," he said waking, "I said we did, but it didn't happen last night. We have the presentation today followed by a dinner tonight."
"So... what...?" I began.
"Just a 'sec," he replied, put the phone down, and went to the bathroom. It was moments like these, as I heard his pee cascade into the toilet as if from a hose, that I would just as soon we are not quite so casual with one another.
"Okay, sorry," he said. "I really had to go. We had an early dinner, but it was just the four of us. We did a lot of spadework on the meeting today. Afterwards Lisa asked me to go on a walk with her."
My blood pressure spiked so high that I felt the blood rush to my temples. Lisa! Lisa, Lisa! It seemed like that's all I heard from Mark for the last few months. He used to talk about his work on projects with Don, or Mel, or others, but no more. Now it was all Lisa, and the worst part of it was that he wasn't even aware how fully she occupied his mind.
"All right," I said tersely. I knew I had to just let Mark have his say. Maybe I was naΓ―ve, but Mark had always seemed to be thoroughly honest with me, and I knew from my married friends just how rare a commodity that was. When he did have something to confess and I confronted him about it or chopped up his narrative with questions, he usually clammed up or became evasive. I waited him out.
"She said she wanted to go for a walk, but she wasn't comfortable on the streets of Vegas alone, and she asked if I would walk with her. So, we walked the strip for about an hour or so, maybe two or three miles."
"I see," I responded. "And you didn't want to tell me about it and get into a fight."
"Exactly. I knew it would upset you and you'd stew on it all night. But there's more you should know," he continued.
Great!
I thought.
When we got back to the hotel, I walked her to her room. She asked me to come in for a drink or something."
I was now stomping mad. I sat up abruptly in our bed, then stood up and began pacing. My heart raced in my chest and my empty hand clinched into a fist.
How dare that little bitch! "Or something? Or something! No mystery there. Come in for a drink, or a piece of ass!
"I didn't go in," Mark continued. "I left... but... before I could get away, she kissed me, Mary. I wasn't expecting it. She had indirectly hinted at some things during the walk--very oblique--but I still wasn't prepared for it. She just reached up, grabbed the back of my head, pulled me down and kissed me. I pulled her hand away and backed out as quick as I could and went back to my room.
"I see," I responded, my blood boiling but trying to remain calm.
"I can understand why you didn't want to talk about that last night... or maybe ever..." I continued, unable to contain my anger.
"Well, I have talked to you about it, and I told you what went on," Mark replied defensively.
"Right, one kiss!" I said hotly. "Pardon me if I seem not to be buying into your story Mark, but if you ended dinner at 7;30 and walked around until eight thirty or nine. You didn't text meβlie to me actually--until two hours later," I pushed.
"I'm getting to that," Mark replied curtly, "And Mary, I don't need to be examined like a criminal defendant, especially when I'm telling you what happened voluntarily."
Bingo
, he was about to clam up.
"I'm sorry. You were, and I appreciate that aspect of it. It's just very, very unsettling news as I am sure you can understand."
"Sleeping with her would have been a whole lot more unsettling don't you think?" Mark answered snottily.
"Okay, I'm all ears," I responded as placidly as I could.
"Anyway, after I left her, I was really on edge, sexually. I noticed an adult theatre just along our route into the hotel from McCarren airport. I went to it, to... let off some steam."
You don't go to those places to let off steam, you go to them to get steamed up!
I thought but said nothing.
"Anyway, they have arcade booths with hundreds of channels. I spent about two hours there, relieving the pressure. Then I came home. I knew that if I told you the whole thing last night that we'd be talking about it until three or four in the morning, and I just couldn't do that with the presentation coming up. So, I didn't tell you the truth. I'm sorry."
"Mark! I can't believe this! First Lisa and now this! I don't know what to believe. She wouldn't have even tried unless she felt comfortable that her advances would be accepted. I know Mark, I'm a woman, she isn't going to reach out to you unless you invited it. And you wouldn't have gone hunting 'release,' as you call it, unless her kiss really sent you.
"That's bullshit!" Mark replied hotly. "I did not encourage her!"
"And the porn itself," I continued. We've talked about this for years Mark, about how it's totally false, how it corrupts your mind, how it always makes you want more and more, even violent, aggressive sex, how you can never get satisfied from it. I thought we'd agreed you wouldn't do it?" I implored.
"I've been completely faithful to you for twenty-two years, in every way," Mark began, "I've never so much as looked at another women and plenty have tried to get me to do it. But you give me no credit for turning down an enormous temptation flat. Zero! I have needs Mary, they aren't a secret. I always have had them, before we ever started dating. I'm human, Mary. I'm a man."
"So the temptation is enormous now is it?" I queried hotly, "and I'm not meeting your needs, that's what you're saying," I replied emotionally.
"No Mary, you're picking and choosing my words. Look, this...it isn't all you. It's us. We've put sex in the same category as chores like getting the oil changed in the car, paying the bills, taking out the trash. Spend fifteen minutes having sex? Check! Put the mark in the box, done for another week. When did we quit caring about sex?
No, I'm not speaking my mind, and I should. I never quit caring about it. I have never quit wanting to be with you, to share the connection that comes from making love with you. But somewhere along the way it has become way less important to you. You do the rock-bottom minimum necessary to make yourself feel like you've met your wifely responsibilities, and that's it. I still love you I want you constantly, but I feel like I'm a beggar in my own home asking for it. I'm sick of it, and yes, I'm frustrated as hell," he finished.
"Well," I said exasperated, "instead of pitying yourself, you might consider counting your lucky stars you have an attractive wife who hasn't paid attention to the many men who have approached her over the years instead of kissing your associate and watching porn for two hours because she got you so torqued up."
I hung up, then threw the phone across the room and burst into tears.