The following was inspired by Just Plain Bob's 2010 story, "The Coward," in which a man is hired into a company only to learn later on that he was hired only so his wife would be used as the company whore. The unnamed man in JPB's story admits to being a coward and is told he must either acquiesce to his wife's cheating or be fired. The story ends with the man accepting his boss' edict to become a knowing cuckold because of his own cowardice.
While the original premise remains the same, the characters are different and the outcome is also quite different.
As always, many thanks to those who offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories. For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper...
Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. And please remember, this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama...
My name is Mike Bradley, and for the last couple months or so, I have been at a camp somewhere in the mountains of north Idaho trying to work through my problems. In case you're wondering why I'm here, well, let's just say it all has to do with my wife and the company I work for.
You see, I strongly suspected for some time that the woman I fell in love with and married has been cheating on me at least two days a week, and I've suspected it for quite a while. So, you might be asking yourself, why didn't I do anything about it? The answer to that is simple. I'm a coward. I always have been a coward, from the time I was a young boy. And that's why I'm here at Camp Rollins.
I was always taught to walk away from a fight, and that's what I did. Sure, I was often humiliated and looked down upon, but I can honestly say I've never gotten into a fight, no matter how angry I got. Perhaps I should've listened to my inner self instead of my elders.
I never went to college - couldn't afford it - so I settled for whatever job I could get, hoping that one day I could afford to attend college and get a degree. Along the way, I met and married Gloria. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever known and she always treated me like a king. I knew I had married up, and I did my level best to keep her happy.
Over the years, I did almost everything - I flipped burgers, pounded a register in a convenience store, swept floors, even worked as a security guard. Sometimes, I held down three part-time jobs at the same time. I may have been a skinny and wimpy coward, but I was no slacker. All of my bosses said they admired my work ethic.
Gloria, meanwhile, held a decent job as an executive secretary and worked normal hours. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see each other much because of my crazy work schedules. I kept looking for a job with a real future, though. Sadly, I got very few responses to my applications.
Then one day, out of the blue, I received a letter from a company called Acme Enterprises. I never heard of them and had never applied for a job with them, so I did a search and found that Acme was a very large company with clients and interests around the world. They had their fingers in practically everything, but always worked in the background, not drawing much attention to themselves.
The letter said the company was very interested in hiring me, so I showed up for my appointment with their HR department and was given a stack of things to do, which included a physical and a background check.
When I showed up for my interview, I was informed that Acme had adopted a Japanese-style employment system which basically meant that I was expected to stay with Acme for the rest of my life. Unless I deliberately quit or was fired, I would be employed for life. I was shocked when I saw the compensation package. The annual pay was more than I had made the last three years combined and it didn't matter what I was assigned to do.
The benefits package was also the best I had ever seen and included a very generous retirement package. The company even offered training for its employees. Of course, I accepted their offer and was overjoyed when I told Gloria the good news. She smiled and congratulated me with a night of mind-blowing sex.
I thought things were okay between Gloria and I, but I still suspected her of screwing around on me. Of course, being a coward, I never said anything. I was too afraid of upsetting the apple cart.
About eight months later, we were invited to a party at the home of Doug Carson, the CEO of Acme. Gloria looked stunning in her little black dress that showed off a lot of leg and more than a bit of cleavage. It was obvious she wore no bra and I wondered if she bothered to put panties on.
"Damn, you look good good enough to eat," I said when she came into the front room.
"I may take you up on that offer when we get back," she said with a smile.
We arrived at Doug's mansion and I handed my car keys to the valet. When we got to the door, Doug met us. He shook my hand and planted a kiss on Gloria's hand. He turned to another executive, Bill Jenkins, and handed Gloria off to him.
"Bill, would you please see to Mrs. Bradley while I have a chat with her husband?" he asked. Bill smiled and took Gloria's arm.
"Sure," Bill said. Gloria looked back at me and waved as she smiled.
"I'll be fine, dear," she said. "Go talk with your boss and we'll hook back up later." I didn't like the look of this, but what could I do?
"Please join me in my study, Mike," Doug said. "May I call you Mike?"
"Uh, yeah, sure, Mr. Carson," I said nervously. He poured a drink when we entered his private study and he handed it to me.
"Please, have a seat, Mike," he said. "So tell me, how do you like working at Acme so far? You've been with us, what, eight months now?"
"Yes, sir," I said. "I'm really enjoying it and I look forward to being here many more years." He smiled and took a sip of his drink.
"I'm glad to hear that, Mike," he said. "I've gotten nothing but good reports on your work so far and I'm sure you'll do well. I imagine you're probably wondering why you and your wife were invited here tonight. As I'm sure you know by now, everyone here is several pay grades above you."
"Yes, I was wondering about that," I said.
"Well, you see, it's like this," he began. "We're starting something new here. As you know, we have clients and offices world-wide. That often means a lot of travel for some of our top people, which can sometimes take a toll on their families and on their morale."
"I understand, Mr. Carson," I said. "But how does that affect me?"
"Good question, and I'm glad you asked," he said. "You see, your wife is going to be the first in what we call the Executive Morale Team. And tonight is her initiation into that team."
"I didn't know she worked for Acme," I said.
"The company she works for is actually a subsidiary of Acme," he said. "In fact, her boss happens to be my brother, and he's the one who recommended her for this, er, position. Don't worry, it's not uncommon for employees to be moved around or borrowed as needed. We do it all the time."
"So, what is she going to be doing?" I asked.
"Pretty much everything," Doug said. "And everyone, as needed."
"Huh?" I asked, confused. He chuckled.
"I see you're a bit confused," he said. "Your wife has been having sex with my brother at least once a week for several months now. In fact, she's become rather fond of gang-bangs, and engages in one every chance she gets. Didn't you know?"
"I suspected, but I didn't know for certain," I said, feeling like I had just been gut-punched.
