Annie

This is a story of broken trust and the cost of restoring it.

"GET IT DONE!" Lord, how many times, as a lazy teenager, had I heard my father scream that at me when he caught me goofing off instead of working on the chore he had assigned? Now here I am all these years later saying the same three words to my staff.

I don't like being the asshole boss, but sometimes I just gotta let these guys know I mean business. I'm usually pretty laid back with my crew when there was no deadline staring us in the face, but today we had stacks of material that needed to be loaded onto several trucks before quitting time.

I climbed the metal stairs to my little office perched above the loading dock. I finished the accounting that would accompany the orders and set it to the driver's workbooks. I walked to my overwatch window and looked down. The guys were moving fast. I had no doubt they'd come through for me, just like always.

The last truck was loaded, and the doors closed and sealed. The guys were stowing their equipment. I hopped up on a forklift and bellow, "Damn fine work, gentlemen! Beer and pizza are on me! I'll call Tony and tell him you're coming."

That announcement was met with a loud cheer. "Oh and Collins, don't forget to punch out!"

"Ah come on, Boss! That was a year ago and you're still busting my chops?"

The guys roared with laughter because I said it almost every night. Joe Collins knew I was just kidding him as he grinned and flipped me off.

By the time I joined the guys at Tony's, they were on their second round of beers and the pizzas were just being delivered to their table. Our waitress, Sally, was flirting with a few of the single guys, as usual. I smiled at her and she gave me a wink.

I had just finished losing at eight ball when my neighbor, Sam Walters, grabbed my arm.

"Hey, John, how ya doing?"

"Hanging in there, Sam. How's retirement treating you?"

"It's expensive! Unlike you, I won't be buying a new truck anytime soon."

"New truck?"

"Yeah, that big-ass red thing that was parked in your driveway all weekend is pretty hard to miss!"

I swallowed and asked Sam, "THIS past weekend?"

"Yeah, what is it, a F-250? It's a big fucking thing!"

Sam did not see the concern on my face, "Yeah an F-250." I slapped him on the back and went back to join my crew.

Last weekend I joined my brother at our shared cabin on Big Bear Lake. We did some repairs and restocked supplies for the coming season. The wives usually took the kids to my parent's place that weekend. I excused myself and stepped outside with my phone in hand.

"Hi Jim, can I talk to Megan?" My brother handed the phone to his wife.

"Real subtle, John! I told you not to call me when he's at home," Megan said and laughed.

"Megan, did you take Jim's SUV when you took the kids to see my folks last weekend?"

"Yes, of course. No way all four of them and their luggage would fit in my wrangler. I was sorry Annie couldn't join us until late Sunday afternoon. That must have been quite the event at the dealership for them to have to bring in the office staff over the weekend."

"Yeah, I'm sure it was really something. Uh, could I speak to Jim?"

"So, Little Brother, did you call to confess you're cheating with my wife?"

"No, I called to confirm MY wife was cheating with her boss."

Dead silence for several moments. "You sure?"

"Pretty sure, my neighbor asked when I bought the shiny new red F-250 that was parked in my driveway overnight last weekend. Annie never said anything to me about working last weekend. Even if he was just giving her a ride to the dealership, there would be no reason for Blunt's truck to be there for more than a few minutes, much less overnight."

"Fuck, I'm sorry man. ... Oh wait, I get it, you called to see if Megan would cover for her."

"Sorry, but from her response, Annie obviously lied to her. I should have known Megan would not never do something like that. Then again, I never thought Annie would cheat on me."

"Damn straight! I'd throw her ass out if she pulled that crap! What are you going to do about Annie?"

"Well, you know me, I'm not going to dick around trying to get more proof. I'm going home right now to confront her with what I know."

"Keep a cool head, don't do anything stupid."

"Yeah, unless the dickhead is there when I get there."

I had texted Annie earlier and told her I was bringing home pizza so she and the boys were not surprised when I walked in carrying a pizza box.

"Yea, Tony's!" My youngest yelled.

The boys told us all about what had happened at school that day and how everyone was so excited for summer vacation to begin. "We can't wait to go to the lake, it's so much fun there! Dad, did you and Uncle Jim get everything ready for us? Did you get a new motor for the boat?"

"Yes, we got everything done while you two lazy bums were taking it easy at Grandma's house with your cousins and Aunt Megan."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annie's head snap up at my comment, but she said nothing. The boys finished off the pizza and went up to their rooms to do homework.

I grabbed a beer and wandered out onto the back deck. I sat and thought about what I wanted to say to Annie. The boys are 8 and 11. They will be heartbroken when their parents split up, but I saw no way to avoid that.

Annie had been at the Ford dealership for two years working for Donald Blunt. He is an ex-jock who blew out a knee in his first season as an offensive lineman in the NFL. His dealership was pretty successful and Annie enjoyed working there. I just never realized how MUCH she enjoyed working there.

I finished my beer and headed up to the boy's rooms. I got them settled in and told them I needed to talk to their mom about some adult stuff and asked them to stay in their rooms. I'm sure they both had their iPads out before I had their doors fully closed.

Annie was sitting on the sofa watching TV. I walked in, sat down, picked up the remote, and shut the TV off.

"How long have you been fucking Blunt?"

Annie didn't look up, and after a few seconds, tears dripped off her face.

"In our house, Annie? I assume in our goddamn bed? Why would you disrespect me like that and fuck that fat slob in my bed?"

Annie's shoulders shook as she sobbed quietly. She struggled to regain some composure before lifting her eyes to mine.

"This past weekend was the first and only time. He said he'd promote me to office manager if I spent the night with him. He said It was me or Mary, I wanted it to be me, so I said yes."

"Jesus, Annie!"

"I didn't think you'd ever find out. You were at the lake, I tricked Megan into taking the kids on Saturday morning and I drove down on Sunday afternoon after he left."

"Why, Annie? I make good money, why would you do it?"

"I did it for me, I wanted to be the Manager, to be the boss. I told myself it would only be one time and you'd never know. One night and I'd finally be the boss."

I shook my head in disbelief, "Great, so when were you going to announce your big promotion?"

"I'm not! ... I quit today. The asshole lied. He gave the job to Mary because she agreed to fuck him regularly, not just one time. He said If I offered him the same deal, he'd rather have me. I told him to fuck off and I quit."

"So you destroyed our marriage for nothing? Well, I hope he was a good fuck."

"No, he was awful, but at least he was quick, really quick, both times. Please baby, is there any way you can just pretend this didn't happen?"

"Thirteen years, Annie. You've known me for 13 years. Have I ever given you any reason to doubt how seriously I took our wedding vows?"

Tears flooded her cheeks, she sniffed several times and finally sobbed out, "No."

I sighed, "Annie, I will always love you, but I hate what you've done to us. I don't want to be a part-time dad, but I can't be married to you after what you've done. If it had been a drunken mistake where you got caught up in a moment, that's one thing. But you planned this, you made a bargain, you sold our marriage for a promise of a promotion at work. How could I ever trust you not to do it again?"

"Please, baby, please, you can't do this to the boys. What will you say when they beg you to stay? You aren't cruel enough to tell them their mother was a stupid whore, they'd never understand. No matter what you say they will blame you for leaving them. Please, John, I'm begging you, just stay for the boys, not for me. Please John, please."

Her words crushed my heart. I knew she was right, the boys are too young to understand and they WILL blame me, but eventually, they'll understand why I did it.

"I will call an attorney tomorrow, you should do the same. I hope we can keep this civil and not victimize the boys unnecessarily. Annie, you have broken my heart. Right now, I can't stand to be near you."

She turned and fled to our bedroom. I made sure the boys were in bed and then went to the guest room. I tossed and turned for several hours before sleep finally came.

The next morning I tried to be as normal as possible around the boys. Annie broke down several times and finally told the boys she had made a big mistake and was very sad about it. She told them she had done a bad thing and their father was very unhappy with her. They tried to reassure her, but her sadness upset them.

My visit with the lawyer was no picnic. We live in a 50/50 state so there was little to be negotiated, except child custody. I told him I wanted primary custody, giving my wife liberal visitation and maintenance only until Annie found a new job. I wanted to stay in the house with the boys until they finished high school. My attorney struggled not to laugh at me while he explained "the facts of life" in family court.

In the end, Annie agreed to shared custody with her being primary. She and the boys will stay in the house until they graduate and then the house will be sold. I will pay standard child support as determined by a court-approved formula. Annie will get maintenance payments for two years unless she remarries.

She released her interest in the lake house and, with my brother's approval, it became my temporary residence. It's a bit of a commute, but it's comfortable and has plenty of room when the boys are staying with me.

About 18 months after the divorce I stopped at the house to get the boys early on a Friday afternoon. It had been snowing all day and there was at least 5 inches of snow on the ground.

"John, I'm worried about you driving clear out to the lake in this snow."

Anger flashed through me as I assumed Annie was trying to keep me away from the boys, and then she added, "Why don't you stay here tonight and see how things look in the morning."

"Here?" I turned and looked out the window, it was a complete white-out. "Uh, are you sure you want me here? I don't want to intrude on any plans you may have had for the weekend."

Annie laughed, "Plans? I have no plans, I never have any plans when the boys are away, except for doing laundry and cleaning the house," she chuckled.

"Oh, I guess I thought maybe you'd have a date or something."

She laughed again, "No, no dates. ... So, you'll stay? I can make us spaghetti, and I think I have that Rao's sauce you like."

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Of course, let's go tell the boys."

The evening went well. It was nice having dinner in my old home. After, we played a couple of board games and then the boys drifted off to their rooms. I helped Annie clean up the dishes and the snack bowls that the boys had scattered about. Afterwards, she poured us each a glass of wine and we sat in the family room by the fire.

I gazed around the room. "You haven't changed much of anything, It looks pretty much the same as before." I stared at the large family portrait above the mantel shelf.

Annie followed my gaze, "The boys were six and nine. I love that photo. I often sit here and stare at it, remembering how wonderful it was before ..." Her eyes glistened, and she quickly shook her head and gulped some wine.

"It is a great photo, I still carry a small one in my wallet. ... It's remarkable how much the boys have grown in just two years."

"They're good boys. At least that's one thing I didn't totally screw up. I think they're pretty happy. Thank you for letting us stay in the house. I think it has helped them adjust to our situation."

I smiled, I could have pointed out that I didn't have much choice, but thought better of it. "Yeah, they seem to be doing okay. ... So, how are you doing, Annie?"

She stared into her wine glass for several moments. I was beginning to think maybe she didn't hear my question, but then I heard her sigh deeply. "You don't really want me to answer that, do you? I mean you're just making conversation, right?"

I reached over and patted her knee, "It's been tough for me too. I hate having to say goodbye to the boys when I drop them off. And as much as I love being at the lake, it's kind of lonely there by myself."

Annie raised her face to look at mine, "Lonely? You mean none of those hot Lake Girls have latched onto you yet?"

I laughed, "The only Hot thing that's been in that place is the wood-burning stove in the main room."

"Seriously? You haven't been dating?"

"No, I went to a wedding with a friend, but she made sure I knew she was just a friend and nothing more. ... You? Are you dating?"

"No, I had a couple of offers, but they were just looking for a quick hookup and I had no interest in that. I doubt I'll ever be serious with anyone. Guess you set the bar too high for any of them," she laughed, but there was great sadness in her eyes.

We chatted about the boys and what we wanted to do the next day and then she stretched and said she was heading to bed. When she stretched my eyes were drawn to her chest. She has a nice set and I was picturing them naked, her puffy nipples hard with excitement. I could clearly remember how they felt when I swirled my tongue around those nipples.

I shook my head and looked her in the eyes. She smiled knowingly and stood up. I stood and she leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. "Good night, John."

"Good night."

I made my way to the guest room and began to undress. I was a little surprised by the boner that pushed out against my boxers when I slid my jeans off. "What the fuck is that about? I'm thinking about my ex-wife's tits and I pop a boner? Get a grip, boy! What the hell is the matter with you?"

I got under the covers and closed my eyes. My mind wandered, well, it has been well over a year. I guess I really need to get laid. Maybe I'll check out some of those dating websites Megan was telling me about. Ugh! That sounds awful. Maybe I'll ask the sales guys about finding an escort to call? Jesus, that sounds even worse! Fuck it! Rosie Palm will have to do for now.

The morning weatherman gleefully announced we had gotten 8 inches of snow overnight and they expected 4 to 6 inches of more snow by tomorrow morning. Damn, it's a good thing I didn't try to take the boys to the lake.

We played in the snow most of the day and had a quiet "Family" dinner. The boys crashed early and Annie asked if I'd like a nightcap before bed. We sat in front of the fireplace and talked about the boys. The wine went down easily and I was feeling pretty relaxed when Annie snuggled into my side.

"John, I love being here with you like this. It makes me feel so warm inside. I miss you so much, I wish it could be like this forever."

I was quiet for a moment, "Annie, this is what I had envisioned our life would be ... before."

"Before I fucked it up by being stupid and selfish?"

I put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a small hug. "You know, I've tried hard to stop loving you, but we are tied to each other through the boys. You are a good mother and I know you love them as much as I do. We will be a part of each other's lives for at least another ten years, or longer. For the boy's sake, I hope we can always be good parental examples for them."

She looked up at me, tears gathering in her eyes, "Parental examples? I was hoping you might want us to be more. It's been nearly two years. I have no one, you have no one, I've seen the way you look at me, couldn't we give it another chance?"

I sighed, "Annie, you're an attractive woman and I'm horny as hell. Sex with you was always great for me, so yes, I have been having THOSE kinds of thoughts about you."

"But?"

"But, what about after sex, what will you expect from me? I am still hurt by what you did. I struggle to comprehend how you so easily gave away something so precious to me. I believed our love was a sacred, unbreakable bond between us and you destroyed it for a false promise of a promotion at work."

She sobbed as tears dripped down her face. "I know, Baby, I know. I hate myself for hurting you that way. It was so selfish and disrespectful! My insides ache and I feel so ashamed every time I think about what I did. If it weren't for the boys. ..."

"Annie! Don't say that! In time, we will both be able to get past what happened. At least that's what my therapist tells me." I chuckled in an effort to lighten the moment.

"Yeah, Mine too," she said and sighed. Well, maybe it's too soon to try to fix what I did, but if we both know that and we both understand it, maybe it would be safe to just try to work on our OTHER mutual problem."

"You mean?"

She leaned in and kissed me hard. "Please John, I need you so badly. No promises, no strings. I just need to feel you inside me, please baby." She kissed me again and her hand found my growing cock, as she rubbed me through my jeans.

I stood, scooped her off the couch, and carried her to her room. Our clothes seemed to fly off as we hungrily ripped at each other while we madly kissed. She pulled me down on top of her as she wrapped her legs around mine. Frantically she gripped my rod and directed it to her wet pussy'

"Please, Baby! Please! I need you in me now!"

I plunged into her and she moaned with pleasure. Her soft warmth was like heaven to me and I nearly lost it in that instant. I fought for control and pounded into her.

"Yes! Oh God, Yes! That's it, Baby, that's what I needed it! Fuck me! Fuck Me!"

I was lost. It had been so long and I needed it so badly. I savagely pounded into her without a care for her pleasure. I wanted that pussy, it felt so good, I needed it, I took it.

"Ugh, Ugh," she grunted as she met each one of my savage thrusts. Her legs were locked hard around mine and her heels urged me on. "Oh God, Oh God!"

I felt my climax building deep in my balls as I slammed into her. I thought of only my own pleasure, as I slammed into her and held my erupting cock deep in her pussy.

She moaned loudly and bucked against me as she came, her pussy clasped tightly around my manhood.

Finally, I collapsed onto her, gasping for breath. She clung to me fiercely as we both sucked wind. I lifted up onto my elbows and she kissed me hard.

"Thank you, Honey! Oh my god, I needed that! Thank you for not refusing me. Please stay here with me and let me cuddle with you for a while."

I rolled beside her and pulled her to my side, as I struggled to find my breath. "I hope I didn't hurt you. I kind of lost it there."

She clung to me, "God no! I was so horny and you gave me just what I needed. You took me and I loved every moment of it. Thank you!"

We were quiet for a few minutes and I nearly drifted off. I felt Annie lightly rubbing my chest. "John, I promised no strings attached, but that felt so good, would you consider doing this again sometime? I mean, whenever you wish, no obligations."

"You mean, sorta like Friends with Benefits, or something?"

"Well, kinda. I guess what I'm saying is I'm tired of being horny all the time and want you to be my fuck buddy. I will gladly do the same for you until you no longer want, or need me."