This is the ninth installment of a new series called, "Fallout" that deals with the consequences of cheating. The current plan is that each entry in the series can be read as a separate story.
The following was inspired by several stories dealing with husbands targeted by scheming corporate executives. Yes, there are consequences...
Many thanks to those who offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories. For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper...
Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. (Yes, I DO moderate comments) And please remember, this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama...
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I looked at the clock as I sat at my desk. It was just a few minutes before 4:00 pm. In about an hour, I would be heading home to start the weekend. I always looked forward to weekends, but this one was special. Tomorrow -- Saturday -- marked 20 years since I married Katie, and I couldn't wait to whisk my lovely bride away for a weekend of wild sex at the lakeside resort cabin I had reserved.
I picked up the photo of Katie I kept on my desk and looked at it closely. It was a picture she gave me years ago. It was transcribed, "To the love of my life, Tom." That's me, by the way -- Thomas West -- Tom to my friends and family.
Katie and I were high school sweethearts who married shortly after graduating from high school. Katie insisted we wait until our wedding day to have sex. She said it would make our honeymoon that much better. I have to admit -- she was right.
My parents were happy for us and gave me a check for $100,000 and keys to a townhouse they used as a rental property. "Just to get started," my father told me at the time. The money, he explained, was the first payment from a $5 million trust fund he first set up for me shortly after I was born. And, he added, I would receive a similar payment every year.
He told me he started the fund not long after my birth mother died. I knew that she had died not long after my birth, but I never pressed him about it and he never talked about her. About a year after she died, he remarried, and that was the woman I knew as "Mom."
I considered joining the military after graduating, but was turned down, thanks to the fact that I had been diagnosed with diabetes as a child. It was kept under control with diet and a regimen of pills I took every day, but I didn't let that stop me from playing football or taking martial arts classes.
Katie and I went to college together. She wanted to be a teacher and I wanted to follow my Dad into the business world. Our plans were interrupted when Katie became pregnant with our only child, Jim, just six months after we married. Katie had a very difficult time giving birth to him and on the advise of our doctor, had her tubes tied after he was born. She took time off from college to take care of our son, and went back after he started kindergarten. She got her teaching certificate and went to work at a local elementary school.
In the meantime, I finished my degree and went to work for Ryder Industries as an accountant. I remember the day I told Dad about my job.
"Ryder Industries, huh?" he asked. Ryder Industries had been in business for nearly 75 years and was a very well-established company dealing with manufacturing and logistics. They had a huge client base across the country and an impressive portfolio with a lot of potential for growth.
"Yeah," I told him. "They're starting me off as an accountant. Good pay, and the benefits are terrific."
"Good. I'm proud of you, son," he said. "I hope it works out for you."
I remember being somewhat perplexed by the way he made his comment. I could tell that while he was proud of me, there was something else bugging him. I considered asking him about it, but held back. My father wasn't one to volunteer any more information than necessary, and I knew that bugging him about it wouldn't get me anywhere. So I dropped it.
The next 16 years were what you might call "normal." We worked, came home, took care of our family -- lather, rinse, repeat. My job didn't require any travel except for the occasional seminar, but we did take time out for an annual vacation, usually during the summer months when Katie didn't have to work.
I quit taking marital arts classes about five years into the marriage due to time constraints. Raising a child on top of working and taking care of a house tends to do that, I guess. I didn't talk about my job very often, but my father did suggest a few times that I consider exploring my options. I couldn't help but wonder why he would suggest that, but let it drop.
As a whole, Katie and I were happy. Sure, we had ups and downs like every married couple, but overall, things were good. Our love life was pretty stable, but dropped off a bit as we got older. About a month or so ago, though, I began to notice some changes in Katie. At first I chalked it up to the fact that school was out and she didn't have to go to work every day.
She had periods where she became withdrawn and aloof. A few times, she had gotten a bit snippy with me. I couldn't figure out what it was I had done, and tried to talk to her about it. She would just dismiss me with a wave of her hand before stomping away. A bit later, she would come back, apologizing for her behavior.
That was about the time I learned I was being considered for a vice president's position that just opened up. I was told I was one of two people vying for the slot. I learned later the other person being considered was Alex Marlow. Alex was a good man who deserved a promotion, but I thought I was a better fit for the job. I didn't say anything to anyone about the promotion, choosing to wait until I knew definitely one way or the other, so I didn't think that had anything to do with it.
Then it hit me. Things were changing around the house. Jim had just graduated from high school and had accepted an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In fact, he was on his way there now. Perhaps, I thought, it was the idea of becoming empty-nesters that was bothering her.
That's when I came up with the idea of a weekend getaway for our anniversary. I decided to make it a surprise for her, hoping that would snap her out of her funk.
My desk phone rang at 4:15, bringing me back to reality. I picked it up and was greeted by the voice of my secretary.
"Mr. West," she said. "Mr. Henderson just called and said you need to go see him, ASAP."
"Thanks, Rhonda," I said. Jacob Henderson III -- or "Jake," as he liked to be called, was the CEO of Ryder, and when he demanded your presence, you didn't keep him waiting. I figured he wanted to talk to me about the promotion.
I stood up, checked myself in the washroom mirror, adjusted my tie and headed to the elevator. On the way up, I pulled my smartphone out of my trouser pocket and set the audio record function to record for an hour, just in case. I always did that when I went into meetings for later review, just in case I might have missed something important. I put my phone back in my pocket just as the elevator stopped.
I got off on the 15
th
floor -- the floor that housed all the company's top executives -- and made my way to Henderson's suite, which took up much of one end of the floor. His PA, an attractive brunette named Brenda Harris, looked up at me when I walked in.
"Mr. Henderson is expecting you, Mr. West," she said with a slight smirk. I wondered what brought on the smirk. What's going on here, I asked myself. "Go on in." I nodded my head and opened the double door to Henderson's main office.
