Jay Cameron
Rain, still pouring down outside as it had been doing all day. Frank and Janet Olson straightened the blankets about themselves and readied for sleep. Mear moments before, Frank was heaving his pelvis into the receptive body of his wife. Perspiration dripping from his face onto that of his wife and more and more gathering in the cleft between her breasts.
Frank gasped at the air around him as his head sank deep inside his pillow. He gazed at the ceiling where the fan turned yet gave little relief from the Florida humidity.
Janet stretched and adjusted her body as she entered the bathroom for relief. "Whew!" she exclaimed. "We ought to do that more often. I've missed that kind of sex from you."
"Do you mean you're getting your sex from someone else?" Frank muttered.
"No dummy, we just don't usually get that excited." Janet slipped back into bed. "I was just saying....."
Frank cut her comment short. "Let me ask you a purely hypothetical question?" Frank rolled over on his side facing his wife of eighteen years. "Now don't get mad "We went to a party last night and you danced with several of our friends."
"Yes," Janet responded with her mind wondering what he was thinking. "No wait a damned minute. You knew each and every one of those men that asked me to dance after asking you first. I didn't want to dance with any of them."
"Then why didn't you say something to me?"
"Frank, they're your friends, your co-workers. I didn't even want to go to that damn party. Remember, you're the one with the broken foot."
"Yes, but.....
"But what?"
"Yes, but I had to make an appearance. I'm their new boss. The CEO and all the Directors." Frank paused to search his memory for who were the other attendees. "All the guys from my department, and most of your girlfriends."
"I wouldn't call them girlfriends. They're just the other boss's wives." Janet didn't hide the fact she was getting annoyed, wondering where this conversation was headed as she sat straight up on the bed beside her husband.
"Okay," Frank muttered as though he didn't want Janet to hear what he was about to ask. He stretched his body to ready himself for the firestorm that was about to begin. Timidly at first, he began.
"Of all our friends," Frank paused to gather his nerve. "If you had the chance, which one of the guys you danced with last night, who would you go to bed with?"
"Are you serious?" Janet said with her voice just slightly below a scream.
"Well, I guess. We just had the best sex since our honeymoon, and I didn't do anything special. So, it had to be you."
Janet just sat there glaring at her husband. "You mean to tell me that you think I jumped your bones tonight because I was turned on by one of you golfing or working buddies?"
"Work buddies." Frank fired back. He then mentally shrank back into his shell.
Janet put her chin in her hand as though she was actually considering his question. "Nope, not a one; does that make you feel better?" She plopped down on her pillow. "Now, don't you ever ask me that question again... Do you understand?
The room instantly filled with silence. Frank had been shot down. "I wonder what that fuck-up is going to cost me?" Frank thought silently.
When Janet laid back and closed her eyes, questions and strange thoughts were whirling around in her head.
"Frank didn't move. "I'm sorry. Forget I ever opened my mouth." There was a pause.
After a few minutes, the anger and confusion in Janet took hold. "What in the hell would make you ask such a stupid question? Are we in trouble? Have you found a new gal-pal? I know damn well I haven't been fucking around." The barrage didn't stop there. Are you gay? I could live with that you shit; it would give me some relief.
By now, Frank was fully awake and afraid she might get physical, at least use some of her special powers. The couple had just completed one of the most rapturous love making sessions in all their years of marriage. He thought she would forget about this unneeded confrontation as soon as she calmed down. After all, it was just a stupid question before going to sleep.
But if Frank had any doubt about what Janet thought about his query. He had his answer the first thing the following morning.
Frank awoke to an empty cold spot next to him on the bed. When he walked into the kitchen, he could hear the humming sound of the treadmill coming from the garage. "Oh, she's just getting an early start to the day." Frank thought to himself. He went about making a pot of coffee and toasted a couple slices of bread for his breakfast.
When the whirring of the treadmill stopped, he heard the garage door open, Janet's car rumbled to life and then the car was gone and so was Janet. "She still can't be pissed about last night..... can she?" He thought.
Later that afternoon, Janet returned home, to the relief of Frank. "Where have you been all day?"
"I was down at the mall scoping out all the available talent. I mean you did ask who I would like to go to bed with; didn't you?" she said as she tossed a shopping bag onto the sofa. "While I was there, I realized I needed to go to Victoria Secret. You don't want your sexy wife looking bad for her lover?"
"Wait a goddamned minute!" Frank yelled as he jumped up to confront his wife. "It was just a silly question. I watched you dance with half the damn party, and you were hanging all over those guys."
"I was not!" I was respectful of you and the gentlemen that happened to enjoy my company of a dance. That's more than I can say for you. They thought it was only right that I get to dance since your foot was in a cast." Janet grabbed her bag from the sofa, and left the room in what anyone would call a huff. Storming out of the room might be a better way to describe her emotions at the time. (If storming is an emotion.)
They slept in the same bed that night, but neither spoke a single word.
Monday morning brought no civility to the Olson home. The company Limo came at its normal time and whisked her husband to his office some forty-two minutes away.
Janet finished her workout and sat, wet from sweat, on the bench in the garage where Frank had put his workout equipment.
Ah, the workout equipment. It all started with an innocent game of who was best. Frank drew the ire right at the beginning by insisting he could lift more weight and do much more than she could.
Well, she'll show him. The only catch to this contest of wills was the fact he was right. And he stumbles around in a cast to prove it.
Time with its annoying tick, tick, tick finally found Frank and Janet getting along much better. They even made love occasionally, if you could call it that. It was nothing as good as that night after the company dinner, but they were both able to get off. With Frank, free of his cast, Janet never brought up the stupid question that started all the ruckus.
Then one day in Mid-Summer, Janet was trying to get her workout at the gym finished before the day outside became too unbearably hot to do anything.
"Mrs. Olson," came the sound of someone trying to get her attention. When Janet turned around to see who was calling her name, she was face to face to a man a little younger than she. But someone she couldn't recall, even though the face did appear familiar.
Startled and somewhat curious, she asked. "Do I know you?" She was about to chase him away, as she normally would. Men at the gym were always hitting on her, but this time was different. Only because she could almost remember his name. She certainly remembered that dimple in the middle of a strong square jaw. The fact that he had a full head of black hair made him even more interesting. Frank was as bald as an eight-ball in the side pocket.
"I'm Charlie," he said. Charlie Wright. I work for you husband."
Janet shook her head. "Someone as good looking as you I should be able to remember."
Charlie laughed as his head went back. "I was the guy that was trying to dance with you at the company shin-dig last year."
"I didn't dance with you.... I must have been drunk."
"Oh, we danced, but it was the last dance. And I had to help with the clean-up. I was going to help you with your husband, but when I got back you where you were, you already had someone helping your husband into your Limo"
Janet stopped her workout in order to talk to this very interesting (not to mention handsome) slightly younger young man.
"Well, I'm glad we had the chance at the one dance, maybe at the next conference I can put you down for more than one."
"I hate to ask you like this, but I'm on vacation this week since I have no one and nowhere to go, I thought I could ask you to lunch." His shyness was evident as he looked away from the tired and sweat covered Mrs. Olson as he timidly asked her to lunch.
Her smile brightened as she said. "I have just one more machine to finish my workout. I'll take a shower, and we can go to lunch. But I insist we go Dutch."
"Sounds like a plan" the confident Mr. Wright said. He excused himself to go to his next exercise. And just as the clock closed in toward eleven AM the two new friends were following each other in their respective cars to a restaurant near the airport.
