Charlie and Layla

Layla does the deed and thinks the promotion is hers. She is relieved and happy that it is over and that she can get back to being Charlie's loving wife. Oh, how the Gods laugh when we mortals plan!

Thanks as always to LadyCibelle.

Part Two

Charlie

That night at dinner, Charlie noticed almost immediately that Layla alternated between forced gaiety and unintended sadness. He had been waiting for some indication that something was going to happen and this was as clear as a flashing light to Charlie that Layla had decided on something significant. Without any more facts, Charlie knew that he had to wait for anything unusual to surface. He remained alert but said nothing about his suspicions. Layla for her part did not notice anything different about Charlie. Of course, Charlie's intuition was heightened by his suspicions and Layla's instincts were dulled by her obsession with what she intended on doing.

Tuesday night was a rather wild night by most standards. Layla wanted to make love and she wanted to take the lead. Charlie loved this most times, but tonight it saddened him since he felt it signaled Layla's intentions to do something she felt she needed to apologize or make up for. As a man, Charlie was almost helpless to do otherwise than enjoy the attention and her ministrations, which he did. Layla was insatiable and Charlie was pressed to keep up with her. The evening passed, both were sexually satisfied and Layla fell soundly asleep wrapped in Charlie's arms. Charlie followed, but much later and less deep; his mind in a turmoil of anxiety.

When Charlie received a call from Layla the following afternoon telling him she would be home at the regular time, but that she had to go back out that same evening for a dinner meeting with some clients, he knew that the unusual occurrence he had been expecting had come. Normally she met her clients right after work and they would go to dinner together from there. Never had she gone back later. He told her that it was fine, and yes, he could stay with Christine. Maybe they could do something special together. She said she would be home by ten so not to worry.

Charlie thought about it and decided he would take the initiative now that he had more to go on. His analytical mind planned and planned and finally came up with actions. He called his neighbor and asked their daughter Sheila if she could help him set up a surprise for his wife. Layla was leaving to go to a business dinner that evening and would she come over as soon as she saw Layla leave so that Charlie could make a few trips to make arrangements for the surprise. She agreed, which would free Charlie up to drive to his wife's place of work where she would supposedly meet the clients before taking them out to dinner. According to Layla, she would make a quick presentation at the office then they would discuss details over dinner.

When he arrived home that evening, he found Layla making a quick dinner for him and Christine before running upstairs to change for the dinner meeting. Layla seemed nervous, a fact that was not lost on Charlie as he pretended everything was as it should be. It was almost seven when Layla came down, kissed him and Christine before leaving. She hesitated once; seeming like she wanted to say something, then went out the door. Once she was in the garage, Charlie called Sheila and told her that Layla was about to leave. As Layla pulled out of the garage, Sheila was coming in the back door.

Charlie gave Layla five minutes to get started before kissing Christine goodbye and pulling out to drive to her office. He was nervous, but resolute as he pulled up just in sight of her SUV. It was at the office as she said she would be but it was not more than five minutes later that she came out, followed by a tall, distinguished looking older man who Charlie assumed was Carson Jennings. She spoke to him for a second, then got into her car, but instead of driving away, she seemed to be waiting. Seconds later, the man drove past her in a sedan and pulled out of the lot with Layla right behind him.

Charlie watched the two cars pull away and as soon as he could, he pulled out to follow them at a distance. He stayed well behind them until the sedan pulled into the lot of a small motel just off the interstate. The sedan pulled up to the office and the man got out. Layla pulled in close behind and waited. When the man exited the office and got into his car, the two of them drove toward the back of the parking lot. Charlie followed, grateful that it was dark enough that with the lights on, Layla could not make out his car or who was driving. He stopped in sight of the two as they exited their cars. Charlie stopped, raised his small digital camera and waited. He was rewarded with several shots of the two of them in intimate contact before entering one of the rooms. Charlie got a good shot of them with the door open and the room number shining from the inside light.

He waited until the door closed, remained almost fifteen minutes more to be sure, then drove home. He went inside, packed two suitcases with essentials and added a small overnighter with toiletries. Before leaving, he printed out most of the better pictures and left them on the bed for Layla. She would understand. He took his bags downstairs and gave his instructions to Sheila. Once he was sure she had everything straight, he took his bags and went out to his car. It was all he could do to make it out the door before breaking down. When he finally recovered his control, he drove away.

Layla

Layla set it up with Charlie after speaking with Carson Wednesday morning. Carson was pleased at her acquiescence to his proposal and looked forward to an enjoyable evening with the beautiful younger woman. He promised her that it would be enjoyable for her as well but she didn't give him any encouragement. She simply agreed, nodded when he told her to come to the office about seven to follow him to a motel room he had reserved. They would spend a couple of hours in bed together and that would be that. He would do as he promised and she would get her promotion.

She finished out the day somehow without breaking down and when it was time, she drove home. She fixed dinner for Charlie and Christine so that they would have a nice dinner while she was with Carson. She was nervous and afraid Charlie would notice but he seemed to be fine. She wondered again why she was doing this and she reminded herself once again that it was for the promotion, the benefits she and Charlie would receive and the fact that Charlie would never know. A thought crossed her mind that this seemed to be what they meant when they said once a cheater, always a cheater. The fact that she had gotten away with it once before gave her the courage to do it again. If she hadn't done it that one time, would she have been as willing this time? Probably not!

Once Charlie was home, she ran upstairs, found some fancy underwear that she kept for special occasions and put that on. She wore a short skirt, but not too short. The blouse was nice but not special and she put on just a little makeup. She thought about her appearance for a few seconds, then went back in the bathroom and changed out of the fancy underwear and put on her regular cotton briefs. She didn't want to give Carson the idea that she would do anything special to look extra nice for him and the fancy underwear would make her look too sexy. Once dressed she went downstairs, began to leave a couple of times before finally forcing herself out the door.

She knew that Charlie had been quiet that evening but she was afraid to say or do anything that might force her to show her nervousness to him. Charlie was so smart and so quick. No, she had done the right thing, just leaving. She drove to the office, went up to find Carson waiting and then after he assured her that he had written out his recommendation, he gave her a copy. She read it over, satisfied that it said what he promised, watched as he signed it and tucked it away safely in her purse.

They went down to the cars; she got in and waited until he pulled out, then followed. As she drove, she tried to quiet her heaving stomach. She was close to being sick to her stomach and that would ruin the whole thing. She had to go through with this! It was important to all of them: Charlie, Christine and her. Too important to let this ruin it. This was nothing: she told herself that as she drove. This was nothing! Nothing! Carson was a pig! He was! But he was a pig that held her future in his fat hands.

Carson drove about ten minutes toward the interstate where he pulled into a small motel. She followed him, parked her car and walked with him to the room. Before opening the door, he asked her again if she was sure she wanted to do this. God knew she was going to need all the help she could get, but to assure him, she pressed herself against him, reached up on tiptoes to kiss him. He put his arms around her, slipped his hands down to cup her ass and crushed her body against his. She was repulsed by his eagerness and she was happy when he finally keyed open the door and then pulled her inside away from prying eyes. She was more relaxed when the door closed, locking her shame and disgust inside.

The next hour with Carson was both better and worse than she had anticipated. He was an animal, without any consideration for her or her pleasure. He wanted simply to have her as his sex slave, to give him what he obviously couldn't get at home. He insisted on a blow job and she did as he asked. Fully clothed, she knelt before him and took his penis out of his pants. It was not difficult since he was small and narrow and very short. She was privately amused and repulsed by his size and she mentally berated him and his performance, making herself feel somewhat better. She was hoping he would allow her to finish him off orally but instead, she had no sooner gotten started when he pulled her up, told her to get undressed and lay down on the bed.

When she had complied, he moved over her in the typical sixty-nine position and began to work on her with his mouth and tongue. She tried to take his cock into her mouth but he was moving so much, it became difficult. She finally reached up and grabbed him with her hand and held it there, not even trying to take him in. She was distracted by his somewhat amateurish actions on her and wondered if he had ever done this before. Charlie entered her head for a brief moment and the pleasure he gave her before her mind clamped down, shutting any thought of him away. Not here and not while she was with this bastard!

Carson finally rolled over and got to his knees. He moved between her legs, positioned his small cock at the opening to her vagina and pushed forward. She was dry and waited for the pain of his entry but felt only a mild sensation that was not even uncomfortable. Carson dropped his weight on her, lifting only his upper body on his arms. He began to pump into her, grunting like a pig while trying to get himself off. She briefly related this to masturbation, Carson doing the masturbating and her being a picture in a magazine. The thought made her smile and she had to turn her face away, so as not to give him the pleasure of thinking it was him that made her smile.

After only a few minutes of noisy pumping, Carson grunted once very loudly and came inside her. Fortunately, she had insisted on a condom if he intended to fuck her. He had reluctantly put one on and that protected her from any diseases he might have had. She lay still while his climax passed and glanced over at the alarm clock beside the bed. It had already been over an hour and she doubted he could recover enough to do it again. As he rolled off her and went into the bathroom, she sat up, pulled the bedspread against her nakedness and waited. Sure enough, he came out a few minutes later and told her that she was free to go. He actually had the gall to ask her if she enjoyed it. She didn't answer, dressed and fled the room.

Instead of going directly home, she drove to a small diner and went in for a cup of coffee and the time to try to erase the entire time from her mind. She felt ill, but not as ill as the first time five years ago. This was bad, but it had not been as terrible as she thought. Carson was inept and the entire experience took on the feeling of a joke. A bad joke to be sure, but certainly nothing that should ever threaten her life with Charlie. He was so much better in so many ways than Carson could ever know. As she began to put the entire thing behind her, the memory of that man of top of her came back and she realized that she couldn't escape her guilt so easily. She would have to live with it just as she had all those years ago.

She drove home, still slightly sick to her stomach with what she had done but that faded as she realized it was over. It wasn't as bad as she had anticipated. Carson was a pig just as she thought, but he was a pig without much staying power. She had done it! It was done, the promotion was hers, the benefits that she and Charlie would gain would help to put this evening out of her mind forever. It had been harder than she expected to do what she had to do but it was over. It was done!

She wanted to call Charlie, tell him about the promotion but knew she couldn't. He would want to know what that had to do with her dinner with clients and then she would have to lie. She hated lying to Charlie about anything and something like this would be impossible. He would never know! He

must

never know! Never, never, never!

As she pulled into the driveway, she was almost happy again. She wanted only to talk to Charlie, her love and her husband. They couldn't make love tonight because it was too soon after Carson. Even if she showered for hours, it would be too soon to erase that memory. The only thing that would satisfy and erase the memory of Carson Jennings was the feel of Charlie inside her where only he belonged. That would happen as soon as she could make it happen, but if he wished it tonight, she could make him happy. He liked when she used her mouth on him. Actually, she enjoyed that as well. Maybe she would suggest that. Smiling, she pushed the remote for the garage door and waited.

Ten minutes later, her world had crashed and she was alone.

Charlie

Thursday morning, Charlie went to work. He was a dedicated employee and never missed a day of work. Even when he was sick and stayed home in bed, he used the phone to make cold calls or contacted his many customers, if not for an order, then just to make sure they were happy. This Thursday was no different for Charlie. Other than for the other thing.

Charlie made a few calls required by the messages the receptionist had left on his desk, then called his father, now a retired postal worker. He told his dad he wanted to see him and his mom as soon as possible. He was told to come over now. Charlie cleared his desk, checked out and drove home to see his parents.

He settled into a soft, comfortable, brown chair in his parent's very average home and told them what had happened. He explained how he had come to follow her and what he saw. They listened very carefully, asking few questions until he was finished. Once he was done, they looked at each other and then his father began talking.

"You must know Charles that one in every two marriages ends in divorce. This is very common and is the norm now. You were very fortunate that your marriage lasted as long as it did before this happened. Layla is a very beautiful and talented woman and far above those like us. Divorce is the common thing in these cases and this is the course you should follow. Custody of Christine will be given to Layla but she makes more money than you do so there should be no alimony. There will be child support which is just and as it should be."

Charlie listened to this advice with a heavy heart. Charlie was very average of course, and his father was correct. Divorce was the natural way of most marriages and Charlie was well aware of averages. Numbers and averages were his life. Or at least had been before he met Layla. After Layla, Charlie felt a part of things, more in tune with everything around him. That was because while Charlie was average, Layla was anything but average. She was beautiful, she stood out in a crowd, she drew attention from men and women alike. They would look right through Charlie and see Layla. He said as much to his mother.

"That is true," his mother said, "and is a good thing since she is married to you. But apparently Layla is returning those looks from other men. At least one man, for certain."

She looked sadly at Charlie and continued. "If Layla is returning those looks, my beautiful son, then you have nothing you can count on. You are certainly average, and that is nothing to be ashamed of, but average apparently can't hold your wife.

"This is often the case," she said, "and is also typical of a beautiful woman. Average men like you, Charlie my son, aren't fated to be married to beautiful women like Layla. She is not average and she can't live an average life; yet there is nothing at all wrong with being average. It is the same as being normal and dependable and much like everyone else. Not a bad thing at all."

Charlie reached for one shred of hope, a ray of light in the darkness of his mind. "Should I talk to her and have her explain to me what she was doing? Could there be an explanation that would justify what she did, mother? Should I listen to her before I do anything?"

"Of course, you should listen, but there is rarely a reason good enough to explain betrayal. She will try to justify her actions but you must be careful, son. Unless there is danger to you or your child, there can be no reason that would be satisfactory. Money, prestige, advancement or promises of future benefits are not sufficient and are only excuses to do what should never be done. Be very careful, my son. Be very careful."

So it was that Charlie drove back to this motel room, thinking about what his parents had to say. If he listened to them, his marriage was over. His head told him the same thing, but his heart was crying out for some reason to forgive her. He missed his daughter already and that was the one thing he couldn't shut out. He missed Layla as well and that was another thing he couldn't deny. Together, they were his life!

Later that evening, Charlie had made his decision. Right or wrong, he had little choice in his own mind. After all, he was who he was and that couldn't be changed! He picked up the motel phone and called Layla. He waited until she answered, then without preamble or explanation, said his prepared piece.

"I will be home tomorrow evening at the regular time. We will have dinner, spend the usual time with our daughter, put her to bed and then you and I will talk. Goodnight Layla." He hung up without giving her time to speak and lay back on the bed. It was done and he knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep until he was finished.

Layla

Layla had finally fallen asleep that first night, her cell phone still in her hand when she finally woke the following morning. She looked at it, remembered the night before and in her disgust at herself, threw the cell across the room, hardly flinching as it smashed against the wall. She was looking at the place where it smashed before noticing the small figure standing in the doorway.

"Mommy? What was that crash? I heard a loud noise and it scared me." Christine stood there, her blanket in one hand and her doll in the other. She had apparently just woken up and now she was looking to her mother for assurance.

Layla looked over at the clock before standing and going to her daughter. She was shocked to see that it was almost nine in the morning and past time for both her and her daughter to be dressed and gone. Well, this morning was not like any other morning!