Once again, a big thank you to blackrandl1958 for her editing and the gang at Specialized Iterations for their beta reading and help improving this tale.
Gray Penner was 120 pages into his newest Clive Cussler novel when he heard his wife's car finally pull into their garage. He touched his Fitbit to see the time was 8:17 PM.
He grimaced. This was the third time this week his wife had come in late from work. Up until four months ago, she had never come home late in the seven years they were married.
Gray wasn't born yesterday, nor the day before. He didn't think anything the first few times Kelly had called to let him know she'd be late. Then he noted one evening when she got home later her lipstick was slightly smudged, something almost unheard of as Kelly was almost OCD about her appearance. He was pretty sure he noticed another man's aftershave as she leaned in to kiss him hello, so that night in bed he purposely nuzzled up to her neck as he spooned her from behind. He didn't know a lot about fragrances, but he knew there was quite a bit of difference between the White Shoulders he bought her and whatever the hell he was smelling.
Fuck.
Gray almost gasped when his auburn-haired wife walked in the door. At 30, he felt that she was every bit as beautiful as the first time he had seen her in college, and his near-gasp was his usual reaction every time he saw her after being apart for several hours or more.
Kelly smiled to herself when she saw her husband's usual reaction when she walked in. She knew his reaction was truly a sincere compliment, plus she had to admit to herself that she found it arousing that her husband found her alluring so soon after she had been attached to another man's lips.
"Hey, sweetie," she said as she strutted over to him, gave him a quick kiss on his lips and turned to head upstairs, her unseen smirk both confident and condescending. "Just need to get comfy. Be down in a minute."
Gray hadn't said a word while his wife breezed in and headed upstairs, not that she seemed to notice. He noticed, however, the now-usual scent of aftershave. Not for the first time, he furrowed his brow as she climbed the stairs, dreading the upcoming confrontation that had to happen soon if he was to keep his marriage alive.
At this point in time, Gray was pretty sure his wife hadn't totally crossed the line with the "Prince of Paco Rabanne," as he thought of her would-be seducer, but he believed she had been moving closer.
For seven years, Gray had feared that his beautiful wife would one day realize she had married beneath herself in terms of aesthetics, and seek to remedy that situation. Gray didn't see himself as an ugly man, but what he felt were average looks were no way in the same league with his spectacularly beautiful wife.
The snake walking into the Garden of Eden was named Johann Wegman. Kelly was an assistant vice president at an international telecommunications firm. Johann was a well-built 40-year-old blond vice president who transferred in from the firm's headquarters in The Netherlands about six months ago. Gray heard way more than he wanted to about the Dutch transfer for the first two weeks before Kelly went completely radio-silent about him. Gray had his suspicions.
"Hey, that new Dutch guy still in your office?" Gray asked one evening during dinner when Kelly was talking about her day.
"Yeah. Why do you ask?" she answered somewhat confused.
"For a few weeks, he was the only one you talked about. Now it's like he's disappeared completely," Gray said.
"Uhh... well he works in another department. We don't see each other much," she said, her face coloring more than a little.
"Huh," Gray mumbled, shoveling in a bite of food as he noted that his wife had just lied to his face.
The late nights started soon thereafter.
Kelly found herself attracted physically to the 6-4, 225-pound Dutchman from the first moment she was introduced to him. As much as he was a physical specimen, he projected an air of extreme confidence almost bordering on arrogance. He spoke three languages and had deep blue eyes that Kelly felt seemed to look into her soul every time he looked at her. If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she felt her pussy moisten the first time Johann smiled at her.
In truth, Kelly and Johann didn't work in different departments and actually interacted quite a bit in their jobs. The two were going to lunch by themselves within a couple of weeks of Johann coming on board.
Kelly loved her husband and never gave a thought to what was becoming a burgeoning relationship with Johann. For his part, Johann was very aware of the fact that his relationship with Kelly was growing because he was gently pushing it that way. Johann knew the woman was married, but figured she would let him know if he was pushing too far. Extra-marital affairs were not anathema in his country.
Two weeks later, the pair was working on a project that wouldn't quite be done by the end of the day. Johann suggested they could pick up the project again first thing in the morning or just put in a little extra time that evening at the office. Her smile told him everything he needed to know.
She quickly called Gray at his office to tell him she would be a couple hours late. He noted to himself that it was the first time she would be late in the many years she had worked for her company, but since he occasionally had to work late, he had no complaints and told her he would fix dinner on this night. She gushed over how considerate he was.
The two left the office at 7, even though they had finished their work by about 5:30. They were both aware of the time.
Working—or rather staying—late started to become a regular thing for the pair, who spent much of their extra time talking at first. That evolved into touching, cuddling and kissing. Kelly was completely aware that she was balanced atop the edge of a slippery slope, but she was enjoying having her husband and a... boyfriend? In fact, she was so caught up in her own feelings that she was either unaware or uncaring that her husband had noticed.
Coming out of college, Gray had gotten a good position with a good salary at a small local telecommunications firm. Kelly, having the same degree as Gray, had started out in a lesser position, but with an international firm.
The two had a plan to remain childless until they were 30. They also soon decided that Kelly would be the first to go back to school online to get her master's in business so she could advance in her company. Once she got her master's, it would be Gray's turn so he could advance in his job.
Kelly got her master's in four years and soon got a promotion that boosted her salary and position in her company above her husband's money and place in his. He was very proud of his wife and pleased that their plan for their careers was working.
Caught up in her own financial and personal success, Kelly lost track of the couple's plan. When it came time for Gray's turn at getting a master's, she argued that they should instead use that money to buy a house in which they could raise a family. Gray wasn't happy with his dreams being subjugated, but he had to admit that buying a house for their future family was a good idea. He could always go back to school in a couple of years, she reminded him.
Kelly always seem to come up with something big the couple needed to spend its money on instead of Gray's MBA. He didn't want to appear selfish, so he always acquiesced to his wife's wishes.
Kelly's ego very much enjoyed her being the major breadwinner and having the bigger job among the pair. She began to see herself as the "more equal" among two equal partners.
Kelly had butterflies in her stomach as she descended the stairs. She loved her husband, but she
needed
Johann: needed to feel him inside of her, needed to spend the night with him, needed to snuggle with him after the two of them had sex. She just couldn't cheat with him, though; she had to tell her husband first so it wouldn't be cheating. She knew he loved her every bit as much as she loved him, and he would give her this one weekend... this hall pass. He had never denied her
anything
.
"Dinner's in the microwave. You just need to zap it for about a minute," Gray said flatly when Kelly appeared downstairs.
"Thanks, babe. I'll get it in a bit. Can we talk?" she asked.
Gray raised his eyes from his book. Dirk Pitt was going to have to wait. Gray could tell Kelly had something important she wanted to say to him. Did it have something to do with what he wanted to talk to her about soon?
"I-I-I want a hall pass this weekend, Gray," Kelly said hesitantly but clearly.
Gray sat frozen in his spot on the sofa. His brain went into overdrive. He hoped he didn't look as stunned as he felt. He felt like his insides wanted to come up to the outside of his body.
"Pardon me?" he asked, knowing that he had, indeed, heard his wife correctly.
"I need to spend an entire weekend with Johann Wegman," she answered. "We have... feelings... that need to be addressed... once. Just once. I love you, Gray, not him, and I will come back to you after this weekend and spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you."
Gray felt even sicker to his stomach, knowing that just by asking, Kelly had ended their marriage. Still, he figured this tragedy had to be played out.
"What if you decide after this weekend that once isn't enough?" he queried. "What if you decide you need him more than one weekend? What if you decide you need him more than me?"
"That won't happen. I promise," she said quickly.
"Really? How can you promise that? You promised me... you vowed... that you would forsake all others for me 12 years ago, and you're going to break that promise easily."
She colored again and started looking everywhere except directly at him.
"I need this, Gray, and I know you love me enough to give this to me," she whispered.