Never to Be Seen Again

Luke Abrams pulled into his designated parking spot at work and waited for the Grateful Dead's song Ripple to finish playing before he turned off the car and opened the door. He looked up at the neon sign above the building's entryway and felt a sense of pride at seeing "Abram's Manufacturing" above the doorway. The security guard at the door greeted him as Luke made his way to his top floor corner office.

It had been 10 years since Luke had developed an efficiency control and monitoring instrument for HVAC systems, which had now captured 80% share of the controls market. They had developed many other control and measurement systems in the years after, but this remained the cash cow and gave him and his employees a very good living.

He had developed a profit-sharing system 5 years ago, that had helped him motivate and retain excellent employees, and with the profits driven by their various patented instruments, each employee enjoyed a 401K with 100% match to 6%; and a 15% profit-sharing year-end distribution. In the exceptional years they could also get a 10% after-tax take-home bonus. His CFO told him the value of the company now stood at 20 Million, and not a month went by that some firm or venture capitalists wanted to discuss buying the business. Luke wasn't interested as he loved the work, the business, his team of people, and he saw no reason at this young age to cash out. Life was good.

His home life had been excellent through the years. He and Becky, his wife of 14 years, had struggled at first when he started up the business but now lived very comfortably. Becky worked part time as a marketing consultant, and many times worked from home. She was a tall 5'8" with fiery red hair and an incredible body. Her friends would bemoan the fact that her breasts and ass were perfect and that she had the bonus of legs that "went on for miles".

Their sex life had been really good, although Luke had noticed a definite reduction in the last 6 months from 3-4 times weekly to just 1 time per week. Becky also seemed to be more attached to her phone, sending texts to God knows who and once when he picked it up to check on the ball scores, he noticed it was now password protected; something neither of them had done in the past. He had talked to her about the sex and about her being more subdued and quieter in their interactions, but she said he was noticing things and that she was feeling her age more and tired more and he should just know that she loved him more than he could ever imagine.

They had talked about starting a family and she was reluctant, but he had told her how important it was to him and she had acquiesced and 5 months ago had agreed that within 6 months she would go off of birth control and they would start working on having a family. She wasn't as excited about it as he was, but he thought she was warming up to the idea.

As Luke sat in his office thinking about this, his friend and V.P. of Sales, Chad Warwick, came into his office, looking sheepish. Chad had been a friend in college, and they had played soccer and hockey together in High School. He wasn't his best friend, but Luke considered him close. Now the relationship was a mixture of friendship, but also Luke was the boss and although he treated his employees as partners, what Luke ultimately decided is what they did.

Chad peeked in the door and said, "Boss, I'm feeling like shit today. Feel like I have the Flu or something, so if you don't mind, I'm going home to sleep and I'll either be back later or in tomorrow. I'm done with the proposal for the new Convention centers HVAC controls and sent it off, so my plate is clear for the next several days. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay Chad, hang in there and hope you feel better." With that, Luke did his management by walking around loop and went through the sales and marketing offices, the HR group, and then out into distribution and manufacturing, where he loved to spend time talking with and getting ideas from the factory floor staff. This was a ritual that he did every couple of days and it usually took him an hour or more. But, time to get back to the office for some strategy work.

Luke decided to do more work on a new business line he was thinking about creating and opened up his workstation to pull down the files. He noticed that he had the old version and remembered that he had worked on it over the weekend, and had saved the files to his home computer instead of signing on via VPN and uploading it to the company server. He figured he could talk Becky through calling the file up and e-mailing it to him instead of making the drive home. He tried calling the home line and it went to voicemail. He tried calling Becky's phone and it was turned off, which he found strange given it was a work day for her. Well, he though, guess I make the 20-minute drive.

Luke was enjoying the weather and some good tunes on MPR when he turned onto his block and drove up to his house. He noticed a car in the driveway that looked familiar and it didn't take him long to figure out that it was his friend Chad's Lexus. Luke parked on the street and walked up the drive and quietly opened the front door. The first floor was quiet and no lights or radio were on. Becky wasn't in the study at her desk. He went into the kitchen and then heard some moaning and voices coming from the master bedroom. In his mind and his heart, he couldn't believe what his gut already knew; that someone was fucking his wife in his bed.

He grabbed the 12" Wusthof meat carver out of the rack and slowly walked up the stairs. He stood out in the hall, blocked by the doorjamb so they couldn't see him but he could hear what they were saying. They were cuddling and talking and he heard Becky say "Chad, we can only do this a few more times. I think Luke is getting suspicious of my aloofness and my constant texting on the phone. And, I haven't been making love to him more than once a week because I feel so guilty and it feels so wrong to make love to you and then him the next day. I have loved our little fling for the last 4 months. It's been my self-indulgent treat to have dirty and illicit sex before I commit myself to going off the pill and trying to have a family. So, now I want you to fuck me like you never have as there will only be this time and then the Denver Conference and then we are done."

Luke remembered that Becky told him she was going to a marketing conference in Denver in two weeks and he quickly realized it coincided with a sales conference Chad would be attending in Denver that same weekend. Luke was crushed at what he heard. He pulled out his phone and started the video as he peeked slowly around the door jam. His wife Becky was now on top of his friend and employee Chad, riding him like she was on a bucking horse. She was yelling "come on Chad, fuck me. Give it to me. Fuck me harder. Make me cum!"

Luke was panting and saying, "You love it when I fuck you in your marriage bed don't you. You can't get enough of my cock and no one can fuck you like I do. Say it, damn it"

"Yes Chad. No one fucks me like you do. Now make me cum!"

At that point Luke walked into the room, still filming with the phone in his one had and the knife in his other. He grabbed Becky by the hair and pulled her up off of Chad and turned her around and pushed her onto the bed beside him. At first, she screamed and yelled until she saw it was Luke, and then her eyes went wide and her mouth flew open and she screamed, "NO, NO, NO. Dear God No. Luke, it isn't what you think. It means nothing." At his point, she tried to stand up and come to Luke as Chad tried to move to the end of the bed and standup but Luke held out the knife and yelled "both of you sit back on that bed and shut the fuck up or you'll find a 12" blade in your chest! Sit down now."

They both sat down and pulled the sheet up. Becky started to sob uncontrollably and Chad started to say to Luke, "Boss, really this was nothing. Just sex. Just a diversion for us. It doesn't mean anything."

Becky jumped in and said, "Luke, I love you. This was only meaningless sex with Chad. It doesn't change anything about how I feel for you. It was just a last time fling for me to sow some wild oats before you and I settle down and start a family. Please Luke, this is nothing. Send Chad away and come and cuddle with me and I'll make it up to you."

Luke looked at her as if she had lost her mind. He was incredulous about what she just said. "Becky, it didn't mean a thing? Well I guess you proved that our marriage didn't mean a thing to you. I guess you just demonstrated that you have no respect for me and that I was a fool to trust you loved me. How could you possibly say you love me when your fucking my employee for months and in my own fucking bed. You want me to cuddle with you; fuck I can barely stand to look at you and I'll never touch you again; that much is for God Damn Sure! Now just sit there and shut the fuck up you pitiful sack of shit."

Becky recoiled at the sight of his anger and his pain. He had never talked to her like that; in fact, he had practically worshipped her in their marriage and treated her with love and respect and his response cut right into her soul at what she had done to hurt him.

With that Luke made a quick call and as the other party answered he looked at Chad and said, "Janey, this is Luke. I'm sending you a video of your husband Chad, fucking my wife Becky in my bed. I don't know if you knew he was fucking around on you and your children, and I'm just so sorry to have to tell you." Luke paused for a few minutes before he hung up and then told Chad, "She says don't bother coming home. Evidently this isn't the first time you betrayed your life and your kids. Now you can add that you betrayed your friend and your boss and ruined both my and your marriages. What a worthless sack of shit you are. I'm going to give you one chance to save your job. Tell me exactly when this started and how many times you two have been fucking.

Becky look at Luke and said "No Luke. Don't make us go over that, it doesn't matter it means nothing and it stops right now. Please." The look Luke gave her of hate and pain made her recoil further back, pressed into the headboard and she had to avert her eyes. She continued to cry and weep as Chad responded to Luke.

"Luke, please, don't throw away our friendship over this and don't let it affect the good job I have been doing for the company. Becky means nothing to me and I mean nothing to her. We were only enticed by the sexual lust of an illicit affair. This is the 4

th

time we have met. The first time we were both in Denver on separate conferences, and I knew she was going to be there from a discussion we had at the company BBQ. So, I got her number and called her up the first night to go to dinner. Well, we ate, drank heavily and danced and really felt a spark for each other so that night and the next we went up to my room and fucked. Then about 1 month later, Becky called me up and told me you were going out of town for the day to visit a new construction site and she asked me to come over. We ended up fucking in your room and she seemed to get off doing it in your marriage bed. 3 weeks later we got a room at the Hilton and had a noon lunch meeting and had sex there. And now this time, when she called me and asked me to call in sick and come over and fuck her because she was so incredibly horny.

We were going to make the next conference in Denver next month the last time and spend 3 nights fucking each other silly trying to get this out of our system. We have both been feeling guilty and shitty about doing this to you and to my family. Becky knows you want to have kids and she told you she would go off the pill and work on having a family so we decided this is it and we were going to recommit ourselves to being good married spouses. I'm so sorry Luke. Looking back, I knew this was so wrong and now I have destroyed my marriage and possibly your marriage and my career, unless you can forgive us."

Becky looked at Luke and said, "Yes Luke, I was so caught up in the excitement of a clandestine affair. It wasn't anything about you Luke, I love you. I've never loved anyone but you and I want to have a family with you and grow old with you. You treated me like a queen. Sex with Chad was fun but it was nothing compared to making love to you. Please don't throw me and our marriage away over a mistake. It meant nothing."

Luke looked at her and screamed, "Nothing? It means nothing? Do you even fucking know me? How can you possibly think that letting another man be intimate with you would ever mean nothing to our marriage? How do you think I could ever get past the hurt of being cheated on? Get past the lies and ever trust you again. How could you possibly think that I would ever want to touch your cheating fucking body again? How do you think I could ever have the same spark, bond and love that I had for you after you disrespected me this badly? How can you not see the strain it had already put on our marriage? The lack of talking and communicating. The reduction of lovemaking and turning that love making into just mechanical sex for you, something to get checked off your to do list. A mistake might be one drunken night, but planning and executing meeting at out-of-town conventions and at our home is a fucking affair, not a mistake. What the fuck is wrong with you!"

Becky was beginning to understand for the first time what she had done. She had convinced herself this was meaningless sex and it wouldn't damage her relationship, maybe would even make it stronger. But as Luke talked, she did understand that she had pulled back both emotionally and physically from Luke. She didn't understand why as she loved and wanted only him. Maybe it was the guilt that she tried to keep buried, eating away at her and her relationship. She thought that she would never be found out, Luke trusted her so much. She could see that that trust would never be the same.

She thought if she was caught that Luke loved her so much, he would forgive her and she would quickly make him forget by being a loving and caring wife and having a family. She now understood how she had been lying to herself, rationalizing that everything would be better and fine so that she could justify having her last fling before a family. She had fooled herself that she deserved this and it would make her a better wife. Now she was seeing how much pain and disrespect she had heaped on the man that she loved so much and wanted to have his babies and a long and happy life with. My God, she thought, have I ruined this? How do I get us past this? All she could do is look at Luke and say, "Please Luke. Please forgive me for how I have hurt you. I didn't think enough about what I was doing. I didn't know it would be so devastating. I never meant to disrespect you. I never wanted to hurt you as much as I now realize I have."

Luke held up his phone and played back the part of the video where she was screaming "Yes Chad. No one fucks me like you do. Now make me cum!" then looked at her and said "how the fuck could you possibly think you weren't disrespecting me when making comments like this and fucking this worthless piece of shit in my own bed. You disgust me!"

Luke looked at Chad and said, "I lied Chad. There is no fucking way you are saving your fucking job. Don't bother to come in tomorrow, you are fired! Now get the fuck out of my house." Chad moved to the end of the bed and started to get up and so did Becky, but Luke yelled at her and said "Stay there in those cum coated sheets you whore and don't move!" She shrank back into the bed as she saw the pain and hurt in Luke's face turn into a look of anger and pure hatred. My God, what did I do to hurt such a good man and turn his love for me into hate?

Chad grabbed his clothes and flew down the stairs and out the door and sped away in his car. Luke looked at Becky and started to cry. She rose off the bed and tried to come to him and hug him, but he looked at her pussy in disgust and turned away and held up the knife between him and her so she wouldn't approach him. She looked down at her pussy and saw Chad's cum dripping out and running down her leg and saw herself the same way Luke did, as a gross, cheating, lying slut who betrayed everything that was sacred in her relationship. She broke down crying and ran to the bathroom, locked the door, turned on the shower and sank to the floor. She hoped that perhaps if she gave Luke space he would calm down and they could talk through this. It was her only hope. She cried and washed herself for the next 30 minutes.

When she had washed her self and dried off with a towel and put on her robe, she quietly opened the bathroom door, worried about another torrid yelling attack from Luke, and knowing she deserved every bit of it. But the room was quiet. She peaked out into the hallway and the house seemed quiet. She yelled out, "Luke, I'll make up the spare bedroom for you and stay away from you for as long as you want until you calm down enough to let me talk to you and explain my actions and beg for your forgiveness."

She heard no response. She turned back to the master and saw that Luke's dresser drawers were opened and empty and most of the clothes in his closet were gone. The two large suitcases from the closet were gone. She then turned around and saw the 12" butcher knife, buried to the hilt through her pillow and into the mattress. She realized Luke was gone and could only hope he would stay safe, not harm himself, and take her calls when he calmed down in a day or two. She walked into the spare bedroom and threw herself on the bed, curled up into the fetal position, and cried herself to sleep.

Luke went to his office and ended up spending a very restless night on the couch in his attached conference room. He notified HR and security about the termination of Chad. Later that morning Chad did show up on site, assuming that Luke had cooled off and fired him only in the heat of the moment, but Chad was surprised when security took his badge and escorted him out to his car and told him that if he were to show up on site again the police would be called.

Luke spent a couple of hours at his desk, in isolation, pondering where to go from here. He knew himself so well that even given the depth of his love for Becky, the marriage was over. He could never feel the same spark of joy for her, the trust in her, and the profound sharing of his heart and soul with her, and that meant the marriage would be a fiasco, never able to come close to what they once had. Call it pride, call it hurt, anger, jealousy; it didn't matter what you labelled it. He had been so disrespected that he knew she couldn't really have the love and connection to him that he deserved and wanted in a life partner. Moving forward with a plan for kids and family would be folly. It was over.

Luke called in his CFO and they went through 4 hours of very detailed discussion about the value of the company and what Luke had decided to do. His right-hand financial man was stunned after hearing about Chad and Luke's wife Becky. He pleaded with him to not do anything rash; to allow his anger and pain to subside for a few weeks and then decide what he wanted to do. But Luke's mind was made up.

Becky woke up that morning and the pain and hurt that she had seen in Luke's face quickly descended on her as she became fully conscious. "My God, how could I have been so stupid. Some mediocre sex with someone I barely like, much less love, may have destroyed my marriage to the only man I really have loved. What the fuck is wrong with me?"

She was determined to fix this, to get Luke back, to get them both back to the way they were before she was stupid enough to have an affair. She was sure that Luke loved her so much he would never leave her. Even though she had promised him sometime to sort himself out before she contacted him; she couldn't keep herself from calling his cell. It immediately went to voicemail, so she left him a message. "Luke, I am so very sorry. I love you so much and I know I have hurt you and I am so ashamed. But Luke, you love me and I love you and we can get past this. I will do anything you want to make this go away. I promise I will be the best wife and mother you could hope for. Please come and see me or call me. I need you. Please talk to me Luke."