Jason Gibson was anxious to get home and spend some quality time with his wife. No matter how badly his day at work went, Beth always managed to raise his spirits. They had been married only seven months, and the honeymoon was far from over.
He was employed by Beth's father, so complaining about his job was a non-starter. Beth knew he was often frustrated, but she seemed confident her father would be more receptive to his ideas and suggestions as time went on.
As Jason pulled into his parking place in front of their rented condo unit, he again promised himself that he and Beth would be buying a house and starting a family before long. Spending a small fortune every month on rent for a place he didn't particularly like seemed the height of foolishness to his analytical mind. Beth was making a good salary with her job as an attorney at a large law firm. Her father paid him fairly well, so they would soon have a decent down payment and able to afford a reasonable mortgage.
Jason heard Beth rummaging in her closet when he entered the unit. He decided to take advantage of the proximity of the closet to the bed and began unbuttoning his shirt as he moved into the bedroom. Beth was bent over looking in her closet with only her panty clad ass and her long toned legs visible. Jason gently ran a hand over his wife's firm ass while reaching around her to cup a full breast in his other hand.
"Jason, I don't have time for that," Beth warned. "I have to be packed and ready to go in half an hour. Marci's picking me up and I don't want to make her wait."
"It's Thursday. Tomorrow's a work day," Jason pointed out. "Where are you going and why do you need to pack?"
"Marci and I have been invited to the company retreat for a long weekend. It's a great chance for us to get noticed by the partners and move up the ladder."
Marci was also a lawyer at Beth's firm, Martin and Martin. She was also young and very attractive. Jason found it interesting that the two women felt the need to spend the weekend at a company retreat to get noticed. Both of them were very sharp lawyers. Combined with their beauty, they could never go unnoticed.
"Why didn't you tell me about this? What about work tomorrow? Who's going to be at this 'retreat' and what's it supposed to be about?" Jason asked with more patience than he felt.
"We were just told about it this afternoon. All four senior partners will be there. We were asked to go when two of the junior partners suddenly couldn't make it," Beth explained with pride. "This could put me on the fast track. We'll be able to buy a house of our own that much sooner."
Jason glanced at Beth's open suitcase and frowned. "Why are you packing bikinis and lingerie? I know for a fact that isn't normal work attire. What's really going on here?"
Beth blushed as she turned to face Jason. "It's the partners, Jason. They're all successful, virile men who take advantage of their success. You knew I wasn't a virgin when we met and you were fine with it. I may have to hook up with a partner or two, but only this weekend. I'll come back home Monday to be with you for the rest of our lives. The only difference will be that we'll be able to afford a nice home a lot sooner. You understand I'm doing this for us, don't you?"
Jason kept his composure as he considered what Beth was telling him. She was willing to whore herself out for a long weekend with the hope of increasing her income. She was trying to sell him on how she was making a sacrifice for him, as if she were taking a bullet to guarantee their future happiness.
Beth knew the look on Jason's face. He was upset and trying to conceal it, but doing a rather poor job. Like a good lawyer, she presented her case.
"Jason, is it really any different than you working for my father? You hate the job. We both know that. Dad doesn't show the respect and consideration your ideas deserve. You still go to work every day because you're a good man and want to support your wife and prepare for your future children.
"I'm doing pretty much the same thing this weekend. I'll endure the advances of the partners even though they're as old as our parents. I'm doing this for us, just like you're doing when you go into work every day, even though you hate it."
"Do you hate your job, Beth? I never got that impression from you," Jason asked softly.
"No, I love my job. I didn't mean it was exactly like your situation. I'm just saying that I'll spend the weekend doing what I have to do in order to get ahead at the firm. It'll be to our benefit. We'll be able to start a family. I don't like this part of my job, but I'll do it, just like you go to work every day and put up with Dad's criticisms and complaints."
"You're telling me that me working at a job where I feel I'm not properly respected or valued is the same as you sleeping with three or four of your bosses now and then to improve your standing in the firm?"
"Not now and then, Jason. This will be the only time," Beth declared.
"If we have a big mortgage and one of the kids gets sick and the medical bills get out of hand, would you sleep with a boss or two if enough money was involved?"
"Lawyers don't usually answer hypothetical questions," Beth explained. "I can't see that situation ever coming up, but I'm certain we'd both do whatever we had to do for our children. That's why you'll make such a good father. You'll always place your family first."
Jason had an epiphany. He hadn't known Beth nearly as well as he should have when he asked her to marry him. She obviously didn't know him at all. Regardless of how the weekend played out, he knew his marriage was over. The enormity of the situation was clear to him. He was going to be divorced and jobless in the very near future. Half an hour before, he would have bet his life Beth would never betray him, yet she was doing so quite casually. The part that stung the most was how she believed he would accept her decision, as well as the reasoning behind it. She had no respect for him.
She had made her decision without discussing it with him. Beth either assumed he would be fine with it, or she simply didn't care if he was or not. How could they have gotten married while knowing so little about each other?
Seeking an excuse to remove himself from the uncomfortable reality his life had become, Jason drummed up a reason to leave. He realized there was really nothing left to say. Even if he talked Beth out of going, his marriage was broken. His reason to leave was weak, but his mind wasn't working all that well, plus it simply didn't matter anymore.
"I promised Bill that I'd drop my drill off at his place after work today. He's doing some wiring in his basement. Have a good weekend."
He saw Beth's jaw drop as she listened to him. "Now? You'll have the next three days to loan him your damn drill. I'm going to be leaving in a few minutes. I'd think you'd want to spend that time with me."
"It seems we've both been laboring under false expectations," Jason replied. "Enjoy your weekend. I told Bill I'd drop off the drill this afternoon. I, for one, always keep my promises."
Jason stalked out the door while Beth babbled on in response to his declaration. She soon realized that he was no longer interested in anything she had to say. She was concerned about his attitude, but still determined to advance at the firm.
As Jason drove, he formulated a plan. He was a mechanical engineer by profession, so his mind immediately began to assess his situation and consider possible solutions. His first action was to turn his cell phone off.
He pulled into a business that rented small enclosed trailers. He selected a trailer he could easily pull with his SUV and filled out the paperwork to rent it. By the time he completed his task, he had been gone from his condo for an hour. Beth should have left for her fuck-fest by then, so he decided to drive back to the condo.
He spent the evening deciding what he would take with him and what he would leave behind. As he carried the last of the items he was taking to the rented trailer, Jason realized he would have never needed the trailer if it weren't for the tools and other stuff Bill had let him store in a shed behind his house. After a poor night's sleep, Jason walked into his office the next morning with a decided chip on his shoulder.
"Jason, you're half an hour late! Just because you married the boss's daughter, it doesn't mean you can slack off around here," Keith Jones, Jason's immediately superior, proclaimed loudly enough for most of the office to hear.
"Fuck you, too, Keith," Jason replied with an easy grin. "I won't be holding your creative mind back any longer. Assholes like you and Henderson are ruining this company. Neither of you would know a good idea if it bit you on the ass. Now shut the hell up. I'm trying to get something done here."
Keith Jones was surprised that Jason had spoken to him so harshly, but it was Jason's disdain for his father-in-law, Jack Henderson, that really shocked him. His face turned red at Jason's words. He was about to make another threat when he realized Jason was boxing up his belongings. Jones spun around and hurried down the hall to Henderson's office.
"What's this all about?" Jack Henderson asked as he watched Jason place a few remaining items into the box on his desk. "Let me guess. You and Beth had a spat and you're getting back at her by giving me a ration of shit?
"It won't work with me, Boy. I don't give a fuck if you stay or leave. In fact, the only reason I keep you around is because my daughter needs a roof over her head," Henderson stated flatly. "What did you argue about? Did you cry about how mean I am? How I don't appreciate your fucking genius?"
"We didn't argue at all, Jack. She told me that she was going to whore her ass out this weekend. I told her to enjoy herself. No one even raised their voice. It was all quite civil," Jason responded.
"Don't you ever speak about my daughter like that," Jack snarled. "Pack your shit and get the hell out. You're fired!"
"Sorry, Jack. I've already quit. I just finished filling out the paperwork with HR. I had two weeks' vacation time coming, so I used it for my notice. Tell your daughter I said goodbye."
Beth was furious at Jason over the way he had left her. He was obviously upset, but evidently he wasn't man enough to tell her how he felt. If he didn't want her to go to the retreat, he should have mentioned it to her, not that it would have made any difference. It simply would have given her more opportunity to explain how well things would work out for them and to bring him around to her point of view. She tried calling him shortly after he left so she could give him a piece of her mind, but his phone had been turned off. He was sulking like a little boy.
Marci picked her up right on time. The first few minutes of the drive were quiet as the two women mulled over their situation. Beth finally broke the silence.
