This story, yes I said story, is meant for adults only.
I felt like shit. I had just got off the phone with my wife of eleven years, the day after tomorrow, and it had ended with her in tears. Three years ago I had almost lost my job, because Kate, Katherine, had gotten so upset that I was going to be missing our anniversary that she made me come home. Here it is three years later, and it's her that's going to be missing our anniversary, and there is not one thing I said to her that would make her come home. I'm not real sure why I'm the one feeling like shit, but I do.
The last twelve years have been the happiest of my life. When I met Kate she was twenty-four, and just getting started in her career in sales. She had come to our architecture firm to try and get us to place adds in some of the more up scale magazines, that at the time we could not afford. The little black haired beauty caught my eye, and after talking to my partner he helped me string her along long enough for me to get her to go out with me. She told me after our first date, that she had known we couldn't afford her services, and was glad we were able to make it look good enough for her boss to keep her coming back until I worked up the nerve to ask her out.
I made a joke about the waiter's toupee while she was taking a drink of water, and it shot out her nose. I was in love. We dated for over six months, and then she moved in with me for another six, until she could get off the road, and into an office. We were married about four months after that. There hasn't been a day go by that I don't think I'm one of the luckiest guys on the planet because I got her to marry me.
I grabbed the phone again, and called my boss. I had been around since day one, when Craig had started the place. Our little four man design team had made some amazing breakthroughs that had cut production times in many areas.
"Craig, I know you're in there, pick up," I said into the phone.
I heard him pick up the phone. "Dan, I'm kind of busy right now, you know that."
"Then I'll make it short, I'm leaving right now, and I won't be back until Monday," I said.
"What the fuck are you talking about, leaving? Where are you going?" he said
"I'm going to spend my anniversary with my wife. I'll see you Monday," I said.
"Have a good trip asshole, don't forget to knock before you walk in," he said laughing.
"Damn, you just get funnier every day," I said.
"You know, I hear that all the time," he said.
"Not from anyone that knows you. Hey sorry, but the last couple of months since they brought that guy in to head Kate's department, things have been pretty tense around our house. Maybe some time in a hotel bed could help things," I said.
"Well, it damn sure never hurt anything. Do me a favor, when you're just ready to do something a little kinky, think of me," Craig said chuckling.
"Deal, see ya Monday," I said.
Not hanging up, I punched in the extension for Craig's secretary. Rose had a way of getting anything, and I needed a plane ticket. After I got off the phone with her, I got in my car, and went home to pack. I was filling my suitcase, when my cell rang.
"You have forty-five minutes to get to the airport in time for security check. The ticket is waiting at the desk under your name. I was able to get you a return flight on Sunday afternoon, at one-thirty. There weren't any rooms in the hotel you said Kate was in, so I got one two blocks away. Have a safe trip, and I'll see you Monday," Rose said, and hung up before I could say a word.
I ran into the bathroom, and got my shaving kit filled. I stuffed it in the bag, closed it up, and started making a quick check of the place. After remembering to shut off the coffee maker, one of the few times, I ran for the car. After fifteen years, I've learned a few good back roads, and with only a little speeding, okay a lot of speeding, I made the flight with time to spare. After getting checked in, screened, and staged, we got on the plane. As soon as we were in our seats, I slipped the ear bugs in, and turned on my ipod. I'm not much of a flyer, but music clams me down enough to keep the white knuckling to a minimum.
Three hours later, a hand on my shoulder woke me out of a nice dream about Kate and I. Wow, I had really passed out. I haven't been doing much sleeping at night. A little of it was stress at work, but for the last couple of months things between Kate and I have been strained. We went from a very active sex life three months ago, to nothing. It had been over two months since she had even let me close to her. It started with her telling me how they had promoted a guy from another department over her, to head her department. She was really scrambling to show them that they had made a mistake in passing her over.
For the first two weeks she had come home exhausted, and talking about nothing but how to get rid of Mr. Paul Renolds. She was even threatening his life. This calmed down in the third week, and a couple of weeks later she said they had started working together more, and better until they were now being sent out as a team to bring in a large account. I had gotten a little worried that there might be something between them, but Kate always put my mind at ease, and other then us not having sex she paid me as much or more attention then ever.
As I pulled my bag out of the overhead, I was thinking of how to get Kate to come down to the restaurant without telling her I was there. I caught a cab to my hotel and after a little small talk about my situation, the cabbie told me about a nice romantic place in between the two hotels with a dark dance floor, and dark booths. I told him it sounded like just the kind of place I was looking for, and gave him a nice tip as I got out at the curb.
After I got checked in, I took quick shower, and got out of there a soon as possible. I was hoping to catch Kate before she went out to eat. It was just after five-thirty as I passed the clock in the lobby. Looking at the crowded street, I figured I could get there just as fast on foot, and started in the direction the lady at the desk had pointed me. The walk was easy, and I took the time to note the romantic club the cabbie had mentioned was just a few doors from her hotel. I walked into the hotel lobby at ten to six, and got in line to speak with one of the desk people.
I smiled at the lady that waved me forward. "Hi, my name is Dan Cardiff, I'd like to find out if my wife Katherine is in her room, and if she is I'd like to talk to her please."
"Cardiff, Katherine... yes she is staying with us, just a second, and I'll see if she's in," she said dialing the room. "I'm sorry sir, there's no answer, would you like to leave a message?"
"Not right now. I was kind of hoping to surprise her. Our anniversary is tomorrow, so I would appreciate it if you wouldn't mention we had this little talk," I said hopefully.
"No problem sir, I never saw you. I hope you have a great day tomorrow sir," she said.
"Thank you, I think I'll go check the restaurant, maybe I'll get lucky. Goodnight," I said.
I followed my nose to the far side of the lobby, and found a room full of people running, serving, sitting, and eating. The place was packed. I wasn't giving myself very good odds at finding her in there. I spotted the restroom to one side in the back, and I figured I could kill two birds, you know. I walked through looking left, and right, but I didn't see her. After taking care of my business, I stood at the hallway entrance, and looked out over the room again. There was no way I was going to see her in here. Then I don't know how, but I heard a giggle. It was one in a thousand but it sounded like her. I looked along the wall, but the booths were high, and all I could see were the faces of a few guys, and the heads of the women with them.
Well I wasn't walking up to any tables, until I was sure who was in there, so I went back across the place, and looked back to the wall. I started going down the row, booth by booth. The third one from the hallway I had been in, I saw her. She was sitting there eating and laughing with a guy I didn't recognize. She looked great. She was in a dress she always picked when she was looking forward to a night of dancing, both vertically, and horizontally. The two looked very easy with one another, and shocking me Kate reached over, and stabbed something from his plate laughing as she put it in her mouth. When the guy looked a little huffy, she reached over, and caressed his face with the backs of her fingers.
What the hell was going on here? It sure looked more intimate then dinner with a colleague. Then I had to reach for the door jam, when he leaned towards her, and she met his lips in a kiss. I walked away from the door to the center of the lobby, and dropped into one of the big wingback chairs. I picked my hand up off of the arm, and held it up, smiling as I watched it shake. Its good thing I didn't need to shoot anyone, maybe.
I'm not real sure how long I sat there. I was facing the dining room, and looked up when I heard that giggle again. I looked over to see her walking with both her hands on his arm, leaning close, and laughing while speaking into his ear. They walked within fifteen feet of me, I'm sure they were talking, but all I did was watch the way she was looking at him. I hadn't seen that look in a long time. All of a sudden I couldn't breath.
I shot up out of that chair, and started striding for the door. I'm a big guy, but people don't usually take much notice. Now, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. I probably didn't look real happy, and I had a pretty good head of steam up. Luckily the revolving door had buffers in it, or I would have shot myself into the street. I walked straight to the curb, and stood there huffing in..., I don't know what. Pain, anger, sorrow, but I think anger was winning.
"Giggle."
My body snapped around, before I knew what I was doing. I watched as they pushed their way out of the door together, and turned walking towards my hotel. I watched as she walked holding his arm, and leaning into him. I watched as they walked down the block, turned, and went into the club I had looked at. Snapping out of the trance I was in, I started for the doorway. Thinking for the first time in a while, I slowed down so they would have time to get away from the door.
Stopping, I took a few deep breathes trying to calm down. There was no way that that look could be anything but what it was, but I wanted something more, I'm not real sure what, but something. I opened the door, stepped in, and moved off to one side. There was no cover charge, so I just stood waiting for my eyes to adjust, looking into the room. I spotted them in the end booth, over by a table for two. I stuck to the outside, and made my way to the little table. The waitress was right on my ass, and was there as I sat down.
