Conversations 20

Conversations

Two conversations have life altering consequences in a Husband's Life

I guess this story fits into the 'celebrity hall pass' genre of the LW category?

There is no sex and the cheaters don't get burned at the stake, or worse.

So if you are offended by a lack of sex and vengeance, you should probably pass on this one.

Note:

I'm starting to put a list of the story's main characters at the beginning of all my submissions where it is practical. If you're older like me and find yourself forgetting who is who in a story, I have given you a quick list to refer back to. You are welcome.

Main Characters:

Jim Michaels, aged 47 married to Jill for 25 years. VP of Risk Management for ConCor Logistics. They are now empty nesters.

Jill Michaels, maiden name 'Brett', 45 CFO of Atlas Technologies. Mother of two adult children.

Dr. Toni Adams, 45 year old cardiologist, lonely, wealthy divorcee, and invited party guest.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 30 year old filthy rich playboy philanthropist and serial seducer of married women.

The Story

"You seem fixated on the beautiful woman in the striking little black dress flirting with that very handsome and polished looking young man by the fireplace."

She always looked good but tonight she looked equal parts goddess and sensuality. She should. She bought the black Dolce & Gabbana satin bustier cocktail dress just for this occasion. The same with the Manolo Blahnik Nadia jeweled satin 90mm pumps adorning her feet. They made her almost six feet tall. Her Victoria's Secret lingerie and stocking set and Tiffany glittering diamond earrings completed her look. It took her over three hours and several thousand dollars to look that perfect.

"That's my wife Jill, we've been married for over 25 years, and yes she is very beautiful. I would guess though that she is fifteen to twenty years older than him?"

She deflected my question by saying, "I thought so, I saw you two come in together. I'm surprised, you don't seem angry at her for being so flirty? You don't seem like one of those guys who get turned on by it either, are you?"

"No, but honestly, I'm not sure how I feel." I turned and looked at this.... well I'm not sure how to describe her. She wasn't beautiful, more handsome if you can say that about a woman. But she is obviously well to do, very bright and definitely exudes sex and class from every pore of her being. There were several women at the charity function who had looks similar to hers.

My immediate thought was she was a doctor or lawyer. I told her. "If I'm being honest here, it does excite me a little I guess, but you're wrong about the anger part. Right now anger is at the top of my list, but I'm also slightly jealous and frightened too I think. As you can see my emotions are all over the place. It's like all of them are taking little jabs at me simultaneously and I can't process them effectively. It's very disconcerting to say the least. It's been going on now for about 20 minutes. I'm trying to decide whether or not I should go over there and break it up?"

I turned back to stare at my wife and the gentleman who now had his arm around my wife's hip and was gently caressing the small of her back. She seemed not to notice and was obviously enthralled with what ever he was whispering in her ear. If I didn't know better and was seeing them for the first time I would easily think they had been lovers for years. Every move, each touch, seemed natural and well patterned.

"On the other hand, I want her to have a good time. She's earned it. She has had a rough go of it for awhile now. She lost both her parents and her only sibling in the last year. Work has been very difficult for her. She is the CFO for a tech company that has been trying to recover from some very bad business decisions. They have gone through several rounds of layoffs and the stress on her has been tremendous, but with her help they have started to turn the corner. In order to handle all of her stresses she has been on a rigorous diet and exercise program for over a year now."

"You seem very proud of her."

I sighed gently and turned back to this study this curious woman, "I am. It hasn't been easy for her. Tonight is sort of a coming out of the darkness party for her."

He was fondling the silver heart shaped pendant hanging from my wife's neck. It was the only item including her matching lingerie that wasn't specifically purchased for this evening. It was a locket with our pictures inside of it that I gave her on our first anniversary all those many years ago. It wasn't much, but we didn't have much then. She told me she loved it and 24 years later, even though she could afford much better, she still wore it every chance she got. I told her she didn't need to wear it tonight but she said it was worth more to her than the rest of her outfit and she wouldn't dream of not wearing it.

They were both saying something obviously about it as they appeared to study it. As he turned it over, feigning great interest in its simple design; he would let the back of his hand gently caress her breasts over her gown. She responded indifferently, as if this were the most normal thing in the world. It ratcheted up my anxiety level a great deal though.

While continuing to gaze at the two 'lovers' I asked the woman politely, "I'm sorry I didn't get your name?" When I got no immediate response I pivoted to look at her and saw that she was so mesmerized by what was occurring between the man and my wife that she apparently hadn't heard me? I took a moment to glance around the great room. It seemed no one but this woman and I had taken any notice of the couple that was the center of our attention.

I quietly inquired as to her name again as I leaned in close to her ear. As the party had progressed and alcohol continued to flow freely the noise level had gone up considerably.

She seemed startled, and broke her eye contact from them and turned to me, "I'm sorry, I guess I was engrossed with the two lov... I mean the couple. My name is Toni, Dr. Toni Adams." She grasped my hand and made a formal show of shaking it and went back to staring at them.

"Jim Michaels, Do you know the gentleman obviously trying to seduce my wife?" I queried without breaking eye contact from them.

"Are you certain it is he who is doing the seducing?" She said with a wry smile as we both watched my wife drape her arm over the front of his shoulder with her elbow and forearm resting on his chest as they clinked their crystal champagne glasses together in a toast of something. "No I've never seen him before. He is quite a handsome man though don't you think?"

We continued our conversation while never breaking eye contact on the couple who were now leaning into each other in a very relaxed and familiar manner. Anyone who should take notice of them would definitely believe they had been a couple for some time.

"Yes, I suppose he is." I was becoming very anxious and was trying desperately to maintain a calm exterior. I'm not sure how successful I was. I was trying in a practiced manner to speak calmly and in a quiet voice as was my habit in stressful situations. It was a trait that had served me well in my profession over the years. Most people under increasing stress tend to raise their voices, make threats, or babble incoherent incomplete repetitive sentences. I found it advantageous to do the opposite. It tends to embarrass and confuse those in an irrational state. Of course that was in a business environment and this was something entirely else.

We stood silently side by side watching them for a few more minutes. There was no way we could turn away. It was too provocative. If it wasn't my wife involved I would find it fairly erotic.

I had a thought and sincerely questioned Dr. Toni, "Are you married? What would you do in this situation if you were me?" I doubtless said it too quickly for the circumstance and tried to soften my question but she responded before I could repair it.

"I'm divorced, over five years now."

"You didn't answer the second part of my question."

Now it was her turn to exhale her breath, hers being much deeper than mine. She wistfully responded. "If

I'm

being honest I would say two things. First, I wish it was me with him instead of her. And secondly, I would tell you to do nothing. It would be pointless."

"Doing nothing hardly seems the right response here. Those emotions I told you about are starting to get the better of me. The two most prevalent are fear and anger. I fear I am losing my wife and I am getting increasingly angry at him. I don't think he has missed the wedding ring on my wife's finger. He can probably feel it on his shoulder right now, never mind see it!"

At that moment his hand slid lower on my wife's back, now gently resting at the top of her very shapely bottom as he began to guide her outside to the garden. Without comment Toni and I discreetly followed them, both of us stopping to pick up fresh glasses of a fairly decent sparkling wine before heading outside too.

As they passed by the brightly lit doorway into the dark outside it was self-evident why she was enamored of him. His tuxedo, probably one of several Emporio Armani's he owned hung perfectly on a well toned frame. My tux was rented from JC Penney. He was definitely sporting a Rolex, Tag Heuer would be beneath him. I involuntarily pulled my sleeve over my $59 wristwatch I bought on Amazon. I'm betting it had the exact time on it that the man's Rolex did. He was probably 6'2" or so without an ounce of fat anywhere. He had long wavy sandy colored hair like a California Surfer Dude type, but his face and jaw line were tight and rugged. He looked like he just jumped out of a GQ cover photo.

I felt a hand slip around my elbow and pull me in the opposite direction. "Let's sit here and talk a bit," whispered Toni and she pointed to a table out of the direct light.

It was probably as discreet a location we would find with approximately a hundred or so party guests milling about. I noted though that Mr. GQ had conducted my wife to a dark corner that offered much more privacy from the throng.

When we situated ourselves at the ornamental iron café table we could still maintain our view of the couple. He chose that exact moment to boldly clutch my wife to him and kiss her full on her lips. Long and hard. She responded by placing both arms around his neck as she almost collapsed into him and returned it with a passion she had never given me.

I started to jump up but felt Toni pull me back down. "Jim don't, please don't make a scene. It will only make matters worse. Think for a moment."

I was starting to lose it and was getting ready to tell her to fuck off and go end this affair when I saw a terrible sadness in her eyes that were glassy with tears. "Toni, what aren't you telling me?" It was more of a demand than a question. I was torn between choking Toni and trying to keep an eye on Jill and the shit head so they couldn't sneak out. Toni must have read my mind.

"Jim you don't have to watch them. They won't sneak out. They will come to you. Kyle will make Jill tell you what they are going to do before he will leave with her. It is part of his thing. He gets off on the humiliation of the husband. He will look you directly in the eyes as Jill tells you she is going to spend the weekend with him."

"How do you know all this? How can you....wait, you were with him weren't you? That's why you are divorced! Tell me who that fucker is and what is going on or so help me...." My full attention was now on Toni. "Talk to me you bitch!"

A frightened Dr. Adams spoke quickly. "His name is Kyle Rittenhouse. He is extremely wealthy although no one seems to know where his money comes from. Despite his frequent cuckolding of married men at these events, he is always invited because he donates large sums to the various charities involved. So the foundation's members just overlook it."

I glanced quickly around the patio. A few minutes ago no one even noticed us but now it seemed if everyone was watching. I guess the death of my marriage was tonight's entertainment. "So that's what happened with you." I felt sick to my stomach, like a solid punch had just been delivered to my solar plexus. "Just tell me please."

She was very emotional and hesitated frequently in telling her story. "It was a very similar event and I was here with my husband of 18 years. We have three kids they barely speak with me today. I don't even know where my ex-husband is. I haven't talked with him in several years." Her tears were falling easily now.

"Toni, please, I'm sorry about your family, but just tell me what happened!"

"Exactly what you are seeing going on with your wife. My husband Tom and I attended a fund raising event to upgrade our hospital's cardiology/vascular lab with state of the art EKG and other machines as well as the latest implantable cardioverter defibrillators and other equipment. I hadn't been at the function more than 15 minutes when Rittenhouse set his sights on me. It seemed like a few minutes later I was standing in front of my husband and some other invited dignitaries telling him I was leaving with Kyle. It really was a couple of hours I'm sure." She broke down again.

"I looked right at the love of my life, the father of my three young teenage children, and told him I was going to spend the weekend with Kyle. I knew my marriage was over when I saw the shocked look quickly turn to anger on his face, but I was going anyway. Tom started to get up into Kyle's face but a couple of the organizers security team had appeared out of nowhere and physically convinced him to sit back down. I turned and walked away from his pleading voice telling me to stop but I didn't." Kyle was smiling the whole time with his arm around my waist as we left."

"Jesus!"

"It gets worse Jim. You need to brace yourself for this part. It was by far the best sexual experience of my life. It was unworldly. And despite everything I lost, if Kyle asked me to go with him again I would."

"The hell with this shit, I'm going over there right now and put a stop to it!"

"Don't do it Jim, all you will do is embarrass yourself. Look around you. Everyone knows what is coming and they are all watching you. The foundation's security is already heading over to us. Besides Kyle and your wife are coming our direction right now anyway. She is going to go with him no matter what you do or say."

I looked behind me and sure enough that shit head Kyle had his arm around my wife's waist, her ass really, guiding her to me. He had a smirk on his face that no one could miss and he never changed his expression or broke eye contact with me. My wife at least had the decency to look away when she saw my disposition.

In that instant I knew two things. First my marriage was over, no matter what happened in the next five minutes, we were done. Secondly, I wasn't going to play the helpless victim and be the evening's floor show. I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction.

I turned back to Toni before they arrived to be greeted with the look of a woman who clearly was in lust with Rittenhouse. Shit if he asked her she would probably fuck him on the table right now. "Damn it!"

All of a sudden a large cocktail party that was very boisterous 30 seconds ago got deathly quiet as I started to try to engage Toni in a conversation.

From behind me came, "Jim, honey, I want you to meet someone." Her voice was cracking as she said it. I guess shitting all over a 25 year marriage is stressful.

I didn't even turn around, I ignored her completely. I asked a shocked Dr. Adams to tell me about her children. Her mouth dropped open. She tried to recover and speak, but only emitted a couple of squeaks.

Much louder this time. "Jim, I want you to meet someone." This time with surprise and embarrassment in her voice.

Still looking at Dr. Adams and waiting for her response, I continued to disregard them both, then the shithead Rittenhouse interrupted, "excuse me Mr. Michaels, you really need to listen to what your wife has to say," his voice laden with mockery.

I didn't react to him and I repeated my question to Toni, "I really want to hear about your children?" Not only was the room silent, but everyone seemed frozen in their places. Toni was regaining her wits but before she could speak, we were disrupted again.

"Jim, please turn around and look at me?" My wife implored. I couldn't decide if she was exasperated or aggravated.

I turned slowly and glanced at them both for a moment. They were becoming aware of the scene they were causing and their discomfort was rising.

"Honey this is...."

I interrupted pointedly and spoke forcefully while my eyes bore into hers. "Jill you have never looked more beautiful than tonight. You are truly a vision." Her face lit up, she began to smile and speak but I broke in. "Goodbye Jill." And I turned back to my table mate. "You were saying Toni?"

People were beginning to titter and laugh nervously at the unfolding standoff. I could sense the two lovebirds' embarrassment growing. Toni started to speak of her three children in a light manner which caused even more reaction from the gathered crowd.

Then Rittenhouse made an almost fatal mistake. He put his hand on my shoulder and tried to pull me in his direction.

Toni knew instantly what was going to happen so trying to avoid disaster, she asked in a loud voice, "Kyle, why don't you go home with me instead of her? You won't be sorry."

Kyle removed his hand from my shoulder and asked politely, "Do we know each other madam?"

At that moment I saw an expression of utter dejection on Toni's face. She had sacrificed her family and dignity to someone who didn't even remember her. I can't recall seeing someone in so much pain. What she had done was finally hitting home and life was seeping out of her rapidly like air from a punctured balloon. There was something else that flitted across her face. I became genuinely concerned for her welfare. It was time to end this circus.

I turned back to Jill and Rittenhouse. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize you were still here. You may go now," and I waved them away with my hand. I always wanted to use Val Kilmer's line from Tombstone; it only took the end of my marriage to do it.

I vaguely heard my wife say, "We'll talk when I get home Sunday night." They turned and left without further comment but it was obvious that Mr. Rittenhouse was not a happy man. His perfectly structured cheek bones were beet red with embarrassment. It wasn't much, but it was a small victory.

Looking around the patio I could see that the attendees were disappointed that there wasn't more of a show. "Sorry to disappoint, maybe next time folks." I thought to myself. The two beefy security guys gave short laughs as they turned and walked away.

Toni having somewhat recovered offered, "She thinks you will get past this."

"No she couldn't possibly. She has to know she just ended our marriage and she is going with him anyway. You were right about everything." I felt melancholy. "Thank you for trying. But I have to know, did you do that for me or you?"

"Neither, I tried to do it for your wife. I have lived for the past five years with the emotional turmoil and pain she is going to experience." Something was already dead inside of Dr. Adams and it shook me to my core.

"Dr. Adams, Toni. I know what you are thinking right now. Please don't do it. It isn't worth it."

"What are you talking about Jim?"

"Don't play games with me. Look me in my eyes and tell me you aren't thinking about harming yourself." Funny, my thoughts weren't with my wife or marriage, but I was deeply troubled that Dr. Adams was possibly going to end her misery and do so tonight. She couldn't look at me; she just dropped her head and wept.