(c) 2004, Delia Green. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is strictly coincidental. No part of this work may be reproduced or distributed, in print or electronically, without prior written permission of the author, who reminds everyone to practice safe sex and not try to emulate the activities of characters in stories who do not.
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[Dear Reader: This story is about a wife; but you can relax, it's probably not about your wife. I'm calling her Angie, although that's not her real name. All the other names are made up too. The woman in this story lives on the East Coast and is flying to California for the weekend. She told her husband that she's visiting a girl friend because that's what she wants him to believe, but he knows it's not true.]
PART ONE:
In my ticket envelope was a letter from Charles. I must have read it a dozen times on the flight to San Diego. Without the letter, I was just another tourist or a businesswoman on her way to an important meeting; with it I was neither. The letter painted me in a whole different light. It could have been Exhibit "A" in the case of Fidelity vs. Angie Crawford, but I had postponed that hearing indefinitely. Now the letter was nothing more than a piece of paper with handwritten words on it that made me squirm in my seat every time I read it.
Dear Angie,
I am so delighted that you have accepted my invitation to attend my party. The party is to commemorate a major milestone in my firm's history, an exciting time in and of itself. Your presence, however, will make this one of the most memorable times of my life.
I regret that I cannot greet you at the airport (scheduling conflicts).
I have reserved a room for you, in my name, at the Four Seasons. The hotel is about a one-half hour drive from the San Diego International Airport. A company car will be waiting for you at the airport.
I will contact you after you have settled in. I am looking forward to spending time with you.
Your good friend,
Charles
PS. Feel free to travel light, Angie. You'll find several changes of clothing in your room.
A well-groomed man in black, holding up a sign reading "Angie," greeted me at the airport. He escorted me to a Lincoln town car, and true to Charles' word, thirty minutes later I arrived in Carlsbad, more specifically, at a five star hotel called the Four Seasons Oceano.
I was half-expecting to find Charles waiting for me when I opened the door to my hotel room. My heart was pounding.
I had been traveling for hours and had done a lot of thinking during that time about my outrageous willingness—make that
eagerness
—to fly across the country to be the guest of a man I knew very little about, other than the fact that he was great fun--in and out of bed. Then, of course, there was the devious subterfuge I used with my husband to permit me to get away in the first place. I wish I could have just told him:
honey, I love you, but this trip—even though it is all about having sex with another man—in no way diminishes my love for you. The trip is only about sex, nothing more
. Of course, Kevin would never have been able to understand that. He's been so agonizingly faithful to me. Oh, well.
I opened the door and looked around for Charles. The room that he had reserved for me at the Four Seasons came with a beautiful little balcony that looked out over a picturesque, blue lagoon. Did I say room? It was more like a small apartment. There was a kitchen area—complete with a well-stocked liquor cabinet, a sitting "room" with a sofa and arm chair, an oversized bathroom with a separate vanity, and a raised bedroom area with a dresser, a big, beautiful, mahogany armoire, and a gigantic four-poster bed. Original oil paintings of desert scenes were everywhere. Charles, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found.
I ended my tour of the room with a visit to the sleeping area where I collapsed backwards onto the oversized bed, only to discover an envelope--addressed to me, lying right there in the center of the bed. Anxiously, I sat up, and ripped open the envelope.
Angie,
Welcome. I hope your air travel was pleasant and that my driver, Richard, made the car ride pleasant for you.
In the bathroom, you'll find a selection of aromatic herbal bath oils. Choose one you like and soak in it. It'll help you relax after your long trip out here. Also, please feel free to order room service for anything you want.
I'd love to meet you for a drink—and dinner if you're still hungry. I'll be in the Lobby Lounge as close to 7:00 as possible.
In the armoire, you'll find, among other things, a white silk dress, which, I think, would be perfect for a cocktail (or two). There are shoes in the closet that go well with that dress; and in the dresser, you'll find all sorts of lingerie options. My choice, in case you're curious, would be the lace thong and matching bra. You'll find some white thigh-high stockings in the bottom drawer with the other stockings. Of course, sweetheart, whatever you decide to wear is fine with me. You'd look great in anything.
You're going to be the hit of the party. I just know it. How excited I am that you are here!
Charles
I took a deep breath and dropped back down onto the bed. It was good to hear from him, even if only through a letter. So, he's excited too? I was happy.
I took his suggestion and took a long, leisurely bath, pampering my skin with cocoanut-aloe bath oil. Afterwards, I perused the cupboards and drawers, marveling at all the fine clothes Charles had provided. One large drawer contained nothing but lingerie. At home, I rifle through my undies drawers as casually as I would, say, the kitchen tableware drawer, simply selecting whatever seems appropriate at the time, but there in that plush hotel, a couple thousand miles from home, I was almost trembling as I picked up each delicate, intimate undergarment and examined it, knowing full well that Charles had not only personally selected each one, but had also physically placed each of them there-- for me.
The all-white outfit that Charles had suggested fit perfectly—including the thong and the little bra. Kevin would have loved the way I looked in the dress. It was conservative and yet still flattering to my figure--not tight, but close-fitting enough to show that I take good care of myself.
Refreshed, I paid a visit to the Lobby Lounge, but there was no sign of Charles. It was barely seven, and, remembering his words, "as close to seven as possible," I found a table with a nice view of the ocean. A waiter stopped by to ask if he could get me something. I told him I was waiting for someone. That's when Charles' driver appeared.
"Good evening, Ma'am, Charles is running late and he asked me to keep you company until he arrived--that is, unless you'd rather be by yourself."
"Richard, right?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"I'm Angie; not
Ma'am
," I corrected him with a smile.
He smiled back, apologetically.
"I'd love to have someone to talk to while I'm waiting. Please sit down."
Richard took a seat opposite me and passed me the drink menu. I declined, but he selected a bottle of wine and ordered two glasses. "In case you change your mind," he said.
Of course I sampled the wine when it arrived. It was