Cheating Does It Spell The End Or

Firstly, I must say thank you to Randi, for the invite. It's always special to be invited to write for one of her events. The name aside, I am not, nor do I hold pretensions to be a "Legend." It is however, an enormous privilege, if you will to be invited to join in.

The amount of work that goes into organising these events is huge. I would like to say thank you for all of the effort she puts into it. For the writers who participate in the other writing events, shoul add their thanks, because without her persistence. The events wouldn't have happened.

I need to add my thanks to her for the wonderful editing and of course. All of her assistance in writing.

*****

"Sorry, could you repeat that?" I said, aghast.

Her initial confidence waned, and she repeated her statement, this time lacking the conviction of earlier. It had been replaced with a quiet unease. "I said, Bill, has invited me to go away with him for a week, to celebrate my recent run of sales."

"He invited you to go away with him?"

"Yes..." she said, her voice now barely more than a whisper. "To Cairns. He has a friend who has a timeshare apartment there."

I couldn't believe it. She was so calm. "This week away, would you have separate rooms?"

She shook her head, the hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Clint, it's supposed to be like a dirty weekend, just extended."

"You would be sleeping together... having sex?"

"Yes, that's the idea of a dirty weekend." That dirty little smirk was becoming more noticeable.

"Can you explain why Drummond invited you? He's your bloody boss, for Christ's sake."

"I don't know, lately we have sort of been flirting, and it got a little suggestive. It was all innocent, just a little sexy."

"Innocent, and yet sexy, sounds like a contradiction. So what, he just decided out of the blue to invite you off on a dirty getaway?"

She nodded. "Pretty much."

"And your reply was?"

"I said I'd have to discuss it with you first. I wasn't going without talking to you."

"Sherry, I'm struggling here. Out of nowhere, he invites you to go away with him. That's bullshit. You expect me to believe you haven't had sex as yet?"

The smirk vanished, and she looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Clint, we haven't even so much as kissed. He took me by surprise."

"I don't buy it, Sherry. On the back of some flirting he decided you'd be interested in going off with him?"

"Like I said, it's been pretty hot flirting."

"What did he say when you said no?"

"Bub, I didn't say no. I said I wasn't doing anything without talking to you first."

"And he said?"

"He said that was a good idea."

"Cheeky bastard. What the hell, he's bloody married as well. What the hell does he think Michelle was going to say?"

She shrugged. "I don't know?"

"She's your friend. She got you the bloody job in the first place. What do you think she's going to say?"

Finally, a blush of embarrassment. "Honestly, I think she will be okay with it. There's some things you don't know about Michelle. She really dislikes sex. She doesn't hate it, but she would do anything on earth to get out of it."

"She told you that?"

"Yes, many times. Like you said, we are friends. She said to me several times she wished Bill would find a lover so he'd stop pestering her. She makes him beg."

We finished loading the dishwasher, and clearing down the table in silence. Like a slow boiling pot, it had to blow. "Well? What do you think, Clint?" she said hesitantly.

"For fuck's sake, Sherry. What did you think I was going to say? My answer is... no, under no circumstances, that's what I think."

Fighting back, she decided to take us back to an earlier stage in our relationship. "We have talked about this sort of thing in the past, Clint. You had no issues with it then."

"We discussed swinging, not having some kind of open marriage. You didn't honestly think I was going to say okay, go for it, did you?"

A lengthy pause took root, and as I stared at her, she finally cracked, replying. "Sweetheart, I wasn't asking permission. I was simply telling you what was happening."

I nearly choked, as she stared back at me unflinchingly. Challenging me, daring me to say something. Words dried up in my mouth. I couldn't find a suitable response. She moved forward, her arms circling my waist. "Come on love. It's only a week."

"Piss off, Sherry. He's your boss. You work with him every day. Do you honestly expect me to believe that he would be happy for just the once? Especially after what you just said about Michelle."

"It's all I have agreed to."

"Hang on, you said nothing was determined yet. Not until we had spoken?"

"I told him, if I agreed, it would only be a one off. He is going to tell everybody else in the office it's a conference we're going to. That way there won't be any gossip."

"Oh, don't be so juvenile. The moment he says that, they'll all be on their computers looking for a bloody conference. They'll all know there isn't one."

"Clint, calm down. There's a conference for real estate sales strategies in Wellington the same week. Nobody will know we went to Cairns, instead."

"You're not going Sherry. I'm telling you right here, right now. I'll not put up with it."

She sighed, her lips kissing my neck and earlobe. "Why are you so against it?"

"What, don't be ridiculous. I'm not letting you go off with some bloke."

"Clint, when we talked about swinging, we talked about all this stuff. We specifically talked about going away with other couples."

"Yeah, that's right. At the time, we were talking to that couple, and we got pretty close to doing it. This is different."

"Why is it different?"

"Because we're not swapping?"

"So, you'd be okay with it, if you were getting some as well? Shit, Clint. You're just jealous because I'm going to be getting something you aren't."

"Fuck you," I snarled. "I said it's not happening. No fucking way."

"Really," she said snootily. "And how do you propose to stop me?"

"Oh, I can't stop you, but I can sure as hell make sure that I won't be here when you get back."

That shocked her, She dropped her arms from my waist, and stepped back. "You are joking, I hope?"

"No, deadly serious. I'm not going to be made a fool of."

"Nobody would blasted well know?"

"He'd fucking know. He'd never let it lie; he would be after you every single day. I'm not having it Sherry. When the hell is this supposed to be happening?"

"Two weeks."

"Well, I'll give you overnight. If you refuse to change your mind, then I will be filing for divorce tomorrow."

"Don't be ridiculous, Clint. For heavens sake. It's not as if this isn't something we've talked about."

"I don't care. I'm not having that fat little fucker gloating at me. No fucking way."

"He's no fatter than you."

"He's gotta be ten years older. Jeez Sherry, you could do better than him."

"I like him, he's good fun. Easy to talk to and what's more, he's a really good boss."

"He's a fucking arsehole. That's what he is. You make up your mind, Sherry. A week in Cairns, or our marriage. You choose."

"This is preposterous. I think you need a few days to calm down, my love. Think logically. At the moment you're angry, and simply venting."

"What did you expect?"

"Honestly, I expected you to be shocked, of course. I did hope that you could see it for what it was. A little bit of fun."

Confused, I shook my head trying to clear away the fog of disbelief. "You actually thought I would accept it?"

"Yes, I most certainly did. As I said. We talked about scenarios like this when we were making rules about swinging. You were quite happy back then."

"That was years ago, Sherry, Bloody ages. Things have changed now. At the time things were a bit rocky. Lately, I thought everything was going great."

"Oh heavens." She sighed, slipping back into my arms and kissing me passionately. When we separated, she looked up into my eyes. "My lovely man. Everything is fine. We have never been stronger. That's why I didn't think this would be a big deal for us."

"You think everything's great, but you want to throw it all away for a sleazy fuck with your boss?"

'Why does it have to be throwing anything away? it could just as well have been you, rather than me."

"And you're going to tell me you'd be okay with that?"

She leaned back in and kissed me. "Yes I would."

"Well, you're a better man than me, Sherry. I'm not okay, and I'm far from accepting it."

"Clint, could I suggest we take some time and talk about it when we're both calmer. Right now, you're angry, and I don't think you're thinking clearly."

"Yeah, okay. We can do that."

"Thank god." She sighed.

"Hang on a minute, Sherry. I will take time, and as you say talk about it. But, and this is not negotiable. We will talk, understanding that the outcome might be you saying no to Bill."

Again, a deep sigh, her head resting on my shoulder. The silence grew, spreading like a virus, until she spluttered. "Fine, that would only be fair, but in saying that. I have to be fair to Bill, as well. He needs as much time as possible to book the timeshare, once he has booked it. He will lose his money whether he uses it or not."

"I don't care about Bill, he didn't consider me in asking you in the first place. So, fuck him."

She slipped out of my arms, and said, "I got a chocolate cake today. What say we have some with a coffee?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

As we sat in the lounge, the atmosphere slowly warmed up. She asked about my day and work. We talked about our daughter, Erin's, upcoming trip to Dunedin for the national netball tournament. We were both pretty proud of her achievements. We had talked about taking ten days off work to go down and support her. We still had two months to decide.

"I think I've secured a sale for that block of flats I snared. If it goes through my commission is going to be nearly thirty grand," Sherry proudly said.

"Wow, good job."

"If it goes through, I might pick up sales person of the year. I've got two other houses under offer to top it off."

"What's the prize? Don't tell me, a week in Taneatua with Bill the dill?"

She sniggered. "Dick, no... It's two weeks."

"Why, Sherry, can you tell me why?"

"I told you, I like Bill. He might not be a buff young guy, but he makes me laugh, he's fun. That's all it's about, Clint. Just a little fun. Shit, I've been working my arse off, and I think I've done really well. Let's not forget, a lot of that success was because Bill took a chance and hired me, and he's been helping me."

"He wasn't taking a chance. He clearly fancied you; all he was doing was laying down the ground work."

"No, let's not fight."

"Sorry, but I can't get past this, Sherry. If you wanted a week away, why not ask me?"

"I didn't necessarily want it. Bill just came out and asked me. He was cheeky, had such a huge grin on his face. I thought he was joking. Then, after I stopped laughing, he said. I'm serious, and I thought. Why not?"

She peered at me with her big brown eyes. "So, I ask again, why not?" She fluttered her long sexy lashes. "Well?"

"Sherry, we haven't so much as talked about this for six years. Even then we never actually went through with it. If I remember correctly, it was your idea not to follow through."

"That's because the guy was a jerk. I thought she was all right, but, nah. He was sleazy."

"What I'm trying to point out is, we were already to go off for a dirty weekend, and you didn't want to go. So I cancelled. I supported your position."

She winced a little at my words, and she at least acknowledged my position. "It was all right for you Clint. That woman was stunning. Her husband though... Not in the same league, and he was a dirty bugger. He was into some kinky shit that didn't excite me."

"I don't care about any of that. All I'm saying is, you said no and I agreed. All I'm asking for is the same level of support. I'm not going to go along with your plans. I'm saying no."

"Clint, you agreed that we would at least talk about this, consider it with an open mind."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what I said."

She gave me one of her wicked sexy smiles, and said breathlessly, "Let's go to bed." She stood up, and as she did, she reached out her hand. "Come along."

In the bedroom, I brushed my teeth and got undressed. Sherry was already naked when I walked back in. She pulled back the bedclothes and slid into bed. Sleeping naked was something we both preferred. The warm feel of naked flesh was the perfect way to go to sleep.

In bed, I stayed over my side, stretching out. Sherry snuggled up beside me and reached for my dick. Still angry and a little dismayed. I pushed her hand away.

"Oh don't be silly, Clint. Are you going to cut your nose off to spite your face?"

"Beg your pardon?" I gasped.

"I mean, really. We have two weeks before I'm supposed to leave. Surely we can at least enjoy our time together. We don't have to be silly."

"I'm still angry, Sherry."

"Then let me ease that anger." Her hand curled around my dick, and she squeezed and massaged it into an erection. The anger bubbled away, but as her mouth closed over mine, and my hands kneaded her magnificent boobies my anger turned to arousal. Her pussy gripped my inquisitive fingers as they slid into her wet and slippery opening. God, she was a sexy bitch.

Our lovemaking was torrid and passionate, fuelled by my bubbling anger I fucked her harder than I ever had. The bed creaked and groaned under the extreme duress. My cum exploded in a volcanic eruption. Her orgasm arrived a little later, her mewing whimpering moans announcing her own powerful climax.

We lay side by side panting valiantly trying to regain some level of life sustaining oxygen levels.

Sherry dropped off to sleep quickly, I, on the other hand, had to lie there staring at the ceiling as I tried to come to grips with our situation. Fourteen years of marriage. Hard slog and difficult situations. At thirty-five, we were hardly over the hill. We were average people. Sherry was attractive, without being stunning. These days, like myself, she carried some extra weight she just couldn't shift. She wasn't fat, but she could use to lose a few.

Don't get me wrong, she could still turn heads when she put the effort in.

When she lost her job at the bank in town due to downsizing, she fell into a bit of depression. As hard as she tried to find another job, she just couldn't.

That's when we were in a pretty dark time in our marriage. We fought over everything. She complained bitterly about almost everything. Our sex life went from great to non existent. I met a guy at work, who told me about this swing club he belonged to. He rabbited on about how awesome it was. At that stage I thought we had nothing to lose and suggested it to Sherry.

At first, she was dead against it, but after she met Rod and Angela, at a party, she reconsidered. They were full of positive comments about it, and Angela said it saved their marriage.

We did go along to the swing club, but both decided unanimously it was awful. We did, however, decide that it might be interesting if we could meet another couple we liked and we could try swapping. We went down the usual paths: we checked out magazines with confidential sections. There were web sites, and we went on a few dates with different couples. We never went through with it because we never really met the right couple. It was either I liked the woman and Sherry didn't like the bloke, or it was the other way around.

The closest we got was Dario, and Leanna. They were a bit younger than us, but Leanna was bloody gorgeous. I couldn't believe how stunningly attractive she was. Her husband, okay, I'm no judge of what does or doesn't turn women on, but he looked okay. He worked out, had muscles on his muscles.

We went on a couple of dates with them. Leanna and I got on great. Sherry and Dario, also got along, at first anyway. Then we set up a weekend where we were actually going to do it. Unfortunately. Sherry got cold feet. Dario said some things to her in confidence that turned her off.

If nothing else, it got Sherry and me back on track. We had spent so much time searching for the ideal couple. We got our mojo back. We had laughed and joked over some of the classified personals. It reignited our flame.

We had our marriage back. It really went up a gear when one of her closer friends, Michelle, suggested her husband Bill was looking for a new real-estate salesperson.

The idea sparked Sherry. We knew Bill from social gatherings and parties. He and I weren't mates, but we got along okay. He was ten or twelve years older than me. A nice bloke, not the usual real estate sleaze.

When we sat down to talk about it. Sherry became super invigorated. She flew through the training, and earned her license in record time. She took to selling real estate like a duck to water. She loved it.

She wasn't against using her looks to her advantage. She dressed impeccably. Always had the newest trendy hairstyle. She looked the successful business woman. The fact she had spent fifteen years in banking didn't hurt either. She knew how the banks worked and what they looked for.

She racked up more sales in her first year than a lot of agents made in two years. It wasn't just her success; the money was bloody amazing. We were able to do some work on the house. We bought a new car. The big plus was in Sherry. She found herself. She was bright and bubbly again, her old personality shining like a glittering star.

Life was pretty good in our house. Our sex life was good, our communication was fun. We talked about most things; we shared the same interests. Weekends were pretty much centred on our daughter and her netball. A couple of local coaches informed us, she was more than talented. They thought she might be good enough to go all the way, so we put a lot of effort into going to all her games.

*****

The next morning, the air was awkward and uncomfortable. We had breakfast together, but neither of us really knew what to say.

At work, I found time to phone Michelle, Bill's wife. I thought she could be my best ally at this point.

I didn't really know how to approach it.

"Hey Michelle, do you have a moment to talk?"

We had never really been close. She and Sherry had formed quite a tight friendship. They met as members of the PTA and fashioned a friendship from that. It had been a bit of a sticking point between Sherry and I, that I wasn't able to build a relationship with either of them. Sherry had this vision of us all being best friends, but the gap was to wide for me. Michelle, although attractive, was fifteen years older than me, and we shared nothing in common. Bill was a nice chap, but again, we never really hit it off. He had his own network of golfing buddies, whereas I liked to play with cars and motorbikes.

"Clint, how nice to hear from you. How can I help?"

"I wanted to have a quick chat, if you have a moment?"

"Certainly, is there a problem?"

"I'm not sure, and it's a bit delicate. I'm not sure how to start."

"Clint, there's clearly something bothering you. I think lets simply get it out in the open."

"Okay, I'm sorry about this, but did you know Bill invited Sherry, to go away with him for a weeks vacation?"

Her voice took on a curious waver. I could almost see her mind whirring. "No, he didn't mention it. Are you suggesting there's something inappropriate going on?"

"Yes, there bloody is. It's not just a vacation, Michelle. They would be going as lovers, Sharing the same bed, having sex."

"Oh, I see. You are obviously not happy, Clint?" she snapped back curtly.

"No, of course I'm bloody not. Which is the reason for my call. I wanted to know how you felt about it?"

"To be truthful, that comes as a bit of a shock. I am annoyed that Bill did not have the courage to tell me. However, I am not upset about it. Sherry is a friend, and I hope she at least will talk to me about it."