The Ninth Step

This is, of course, the continuation of Jim and Tricia's story, which I just broke up because of the length. If you do not read part one, part two probably won't make any sense. This is also being submitted before any comments were posted about part one, so nothing was changed to appease anyone. While I do read the comments, and take any constructive criticism seriously, I do not tailor my plots for popularity points – or unpopularity points as I've been accused of deliberately 'trolling' with my plot decisions. Once again, huge thanks for rnebular for editing and giving suggestions to one really long story, which I then split into two. I do plan on bringing Sonia back as a protagonist at some point – probably not in Loving Wives, but another category. I hope you enjoy.

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After a restless night from their discussion at Sonia's Club, Jim and Tricia both took the following day off. They spent the day looking for a counselor and coming up with tentative guidelines for them to follow moving forward. While it was clear a majority of them, like never drinking without the other spouse present or never being alone in a house with a member of the opposite sex, were for Jim to get over the trust issues he was having, he didn't want to ask Tricia to do anything that he wasn't prepared to do. That came into play, when after a heated discussion about Tricia no longer going out with girl friends for a meal and having just a few drinks, she offered Jim a hall-pass to 'even things out' as long as it wasn't with Lillian or Sonia. Jim, of course, refused and eventually things calmed down to a civil discussion again.

While Tricia still agreed to severe ties with Geoff and Lillian, she felt that she should contact Geoff first so he wouldn't be blindsided by Lillian having all the details. Jim actually wanted that to happen, but he wanted to be there when she called him. Tricia agreed, but wouldn't put the call on speaker. She said she didn't trust Jim to not lose his temper and speak out.

"Hi Geoff, it's Trish," Tricia said cheerfully, though she looked anxious, "Yes, Jim came back home. Look, I told him everything – everything."

Tricia listened and took a breath before she said, "That's not a good idea; don't come over. Look Geoff, for obvious reasons I've been thinking back a lot on that night... No, not for that reason. Can you please just tell me the truth? That night, did you just talk me into going to the RV with you so we would have sex? I know you didn't take whatever you gave me after we snorted some coke, even though you said you would. It kept me up for a full day and you fell right asleep that night. Did you talk me into taking a drug just to seduce me?"

Jim watched as Tricia's face went red and looked angrier and angrier, while her eyes started to water.

"No," she said vehemently, "That definitely wasn't 'what I wanted' that night and you fucking know that. Here I thought it was as much a stupid mistake for you as it was for me, but thanks for clarifying that... And how the fuck do you not get the hint when I've told you fifty times, no? Yes, I was scared you'd tell my husband, that's the only reason I didn't kick you in the balls when you tried to kiss me the last time...

"Well, fuck you Geoff. I can't fucking believe it took me this long to see you for what you really are. You are no longer welcomed in our home and we don't want anything to do with you. Oh, and since you and Lillian still have that open marriage thing; I'm letting Jim spend one full afternoon fucking her here whenever she's next available. I might even videotape it for you to watch. I'm calling her right away. It's the least I can do for Jim after all this. Bye forever, asshole."

As soon as she hung up, the waterworks started, and Jim went and hugged her.

As she cried against his chest, Tricia said, "He said I always gave him signals and he just gave me an excuse to do what really I wanted. I never wanted him, ever. He called me a cock tease for leading him on and that I'd be calling him to hook up as soon as you divorced me for being a slut."

"Shhh, he's lying. We're done with him," Jim said, really tempted to jump in his car and drive to the school, "I better invite Lillian over."

"No, I wasn't serious. I just said that to hurt him," Tricia said her eyes wide.

Jim kissed her forehead. "Yes, I know. Remember, I don't want a hall pass. We fix this as a family. We also said it would be best to tell Lillian together, right?"

Tricia nodded and Jim picked up his phone.

About twenty minutes later, Lillian was walking up the driveway looking nervous. Her usual flawless make-up wasn't done and her hair was still wet.

Jim opened the door to let her in.

Lillian looked worried about something. "Jim, is Trish here too? Geoff just texted me that if I fucked you, he was kicking me out for good. I never told him what you said to me yesterday, only that you knew."

Jim sighed. "Come in, Lil. Tricia is waiting in the living room. We need to talk."

Lillian walked in and sat in the couch across from Tricia. Jim went and sat beside his wife and held her hand.

"So, you two are dealing with things? That's a good sign," Lillian said, still looking a little anxious.

"Lil, I just told Geoff that Jim was going to fuck you all afternoon," Tricia said quickly.

"You what!" Lillian said looking both surprised and angry.

Jim held up her hand. "Please, wait. Let her explain why. I'm sorry, but you need to know some things."

Lillian crossed her arms and nodded.

"First, you know your husband and I lied to you about Jim knowing about that New Years, and I'm really sorry about that like I said last night. But, that's not the only lie." Tricia took deep breaths to keep calm. "What Jim heard from Rory was exactly what happened, though I didn't know until last night who the other man was in the RV. While I was super drunk, your husband talked me into doing some coke with him. After, he talked me into taking this pill. Once it kicked in, Geoff convinced me that my husband was there with us and I had a threesome with him and a man I believed to be my husband. I was hallucinating, couldn't think clearly at all, and fully went along with what I thought was a sexual experience with Jim and Geoff that really felt like a dream. I didn't know until after you helped clean me up and I went downstairs that it wasn't Jim.

"Your husband just admitted to me that he took me to the RV with full intention of using drugs to seduce me. And he has made several attempts for a repeat over the years, claiming you two were in an open marriage and you had no problem with it. According to him, you are having sex with other people too, so it was no big deal."

"The fuck I am. It was one fucking time before we got married only to get back for that New Years and he fucking well knows it," snapped Lillian, "So you're okay with this, Jim? Our spouses flirting for years behind our back. I can't believe I didn't catch that – I thought I was watching him so carefully."

"He tried, but Trish said it didn't work, and I believe her. It was only out of fear of Geoff getting angry and telling me about the RV that Trish tolerated his advances. But, that's over," Jim said softly, "Trish has been very honest about a lot of things. Like I said, I believe her – and was right here when she talked to your husband, my ex-friend. I believe how she ended it was, 'since you are in an open marriage, then it's all right for Jim to fuck Lillian all afternoon' or close to that."

"Trish, I thought we were friends. Why the fuck didn't you ever ask me how open our marriage was?" snarled Lillian standing up. "Well, fine. I'm game, let's go Jim."

Jim held out his hand. "No, sorry, that's not why we asked you here. Trish told Geoff that just to mess with him. I have no intention of cheating on my wife because of something that happened almost twenty years ago. However, I have every intention of keeping an asshole that hit on my wife as recently as a month ago, as far away from my family as possible. The next time I see Geoff in person, I'm probably going to knock out a few teeth."

"And you want me to pass on the message? Sorry, I don't think I want to talk to him. Good thing I have to work before he gets home."

Tricia sighed. "No, I already told him. We wanted to tell you the truth – and that we're going to counseling to try to get through this. Because of Maeve and Patience's relationship, she's of course welcome to spend time with us anytime. However, if you remain married to Geoff, I'm sorry but we can't be friends either."

"You're telling me to dump his ass, or our friendship is over?" Lillian said shaking her head in disbelief. "A bit hypocritical, don't you think?"

"It's not an ultimatum," Jim said, "We can't have Geoff being a part of our lives at the moment – not if we're going to have a chance to get past this. We can't see how we can remain friends with you without him being around. What we're saying, it's Geoff and not you, and we would gladly keep a relationship with you if he's not around."

Lillian crossed her arms, silent for a moment, and then said, "Now, I told you about the intern hottie. That's the only time I've ever cheated. Since then, I've never once broken my wedding vows. So, you're saying that Geoff has been telling you there were others? I was keeping a close eye on him and he still fucked around on me?"

Tricia nodded.

Lillian's face went tight, and she nodded. "Jim did he ever say to you that he had other lovers?"

Jim shook his head and looked at his wife. Geoff never mentioned anything about extra-martial activities around him.

Tricia said, "He's mentioned you both had additional lovers many times over the years, but it was usually when we were alone and he would follow up with coming on to me, which I always stopped right away. Whenever it was just us girls, and you'd make some comment about the great sex you had, I always assumed that was with your lover."

"Considering you were always bragging about getting your brains screwed out by your husband, I assumed I didn't have to clarify I was doing the same," Lillian said coldly. "Sorry, Trish. This isn't your fault and definitely not yours, Jim. I have some things to think about. I'm in a little bit of shock at the moment, however, my gut tells me that we'll have no problems remaining friends. The only question is whether to hire an investigator or squeeze his balls again until he confesses."

Both Tricia and Jim gave Lillian a hug before she quietly walked out and left. Jim smiled supportively at Tricia, knowing the hardest one – at least for her, was still to come.

While waiting for Maeve to come home from school, Tricia fixed lasagna for supper, which was their favorite. While his wife cooked, Jim puttered around the yard, finding things that needed to be done, just to keep occupied and not think too much. Jim received a text from Tricia asking him to come inside and wait with her. He saw from the clock that Maeve should be home any minute.

Jim was sitting at the kitchen beside Tricia when his daughter walked in with a worried look on her face. Even with her really short dyed-red hair, Maeve was almost a spitting image of Tricia when she was younger. Jim was so glad she took after her mother and not him in the looks department, but she had his determination and strength of character – the best parts from both parents.

"What's going on?" Maeve asked as she emptied her lunch kit at the sink, "You're looking really nervous. Mom, you did forgive him, did you? Please tell me it wasn't as bad as I thought. Just lap dances or something, right?"

"Maeve, I didn't forgive your father because there's nothing to forgive," Tricia said in a shallow voice as she tried to keep calm. Jim could see her hand on her lap was shaking she was so nervous. "Please sit down, there's something that I need to tell you. This is all my fault, not your father's."

Maeve glanced at her father, and then her mother slowly sitting across from them. "Okay, what's going on?"

"I know you get tired of your father and me lecturing you about staying away from any drugs. Well, we weren't doing it to be over-protective," Tricia said, reaching under the table to hold Jim's hand, "When we were younger, around your age, both your father and I did some things that we really regret, and we're just trying to make sure you don't make the same mistakes that we did."

"I hardly drink, and pot is getting legalized almost everywhere," Maeve said defensively.

"We're talking about other drugs: coke, ecstasy, meth and stuff." Tricia took a deep breath. "I learned the hard way that, besides maybe getting yourself killed, you can lose control and do something that you will regret later. About eighteen years ago, I allowed myself to get so out of my mind with booze and drugs that I lost control at a party and ended up cheating on your father with two men at the same time."

"What the fuck?" Maeve exclaimed with her mouth open. It was the first time since she was ten years old that Jim heard her swear in front of them.

Tricia's eyes watered and she shrugged. "I was so out of it, it didn't really register what I was doing and that I wasn't with your father until later. I was so ashamed and scared of losing your father, who I love with every fiber of my being, that I hid the truth and focused on making sure I was the best wife ever, and to never be in a situation to lose control like that again. One of the men I was with confessed to your father yesterday. That's why he didn't come home last night until we both had a long talk – with a friend's help. It's probably going to be hard on all of us, but your father has agreed to try and work things out."

Maeve had both her hands on the side of her head, looking dumbfounded. "I don't know what to say."

"There's more to the story," Jim said, giving Tricia a look.

Tricia frowned and couldn't look her daughter in the eye. "The other man I was with was Patience's dad, Geoff, who deliberately used drugs to have sex with me. Pretty much through our entire marriage, he has been trying to seduce me again. I turned him down every time, not even allowing a kiss on the cheek or anything, but I put up with his advances because I was still scared your father would find out what I did. In order for our marriage to work, we cannot have anything to do with Geoff anymore. He's no longer welcomed in this house."

"What?" shrieked Maeve standing up, now crying just like her mother, "You fucked Patience's father, you slut! I can't believe this." She stormed away and seconds later, her bedroom door slammed loudly.

"That went well," Tricia said wiping the tears from her face.

Jim patted her shoulder. "She'll get over it. We needed to tell her."

Maeve remained in her room, not even coming out for supper. Jim tried a few times to talk to her, but she just told him to go away. It wasn't until 9pm that her door opened, and Maeve came out. She gave her mother a look when Tricia went to hug her. Tricia frowned and backed away.

"Dad," Maeve said coldly, "I advise divorcing your slut wife considering I've seen her firsthand flirting with Geoff numerous times, the last being a month ago while you were away. Even Patience noticed the two, but I'd say its harmless and it's just because you're all close friends. Obviously, it wasn't. Oh, and will you please tell her that she's fucking ruined

everything

. Patience's dad won't let her move in with me to attend college. He said that no daughter of his is living with a dyke who has a cock-tease-cunt for a mother."

Jim stood up and raised his voice. "Maeve, you do not get to talk to your mother like that. She's still your mother."

Maeve yelled, "She's my womb donor, not my mother after ruining my life."

Maeve tried to pull away when Jim hugged her, but soon was hugging him back, crying. "I love her dad. I mean romantic, get married, and be together forever, love her. Now, I'll lose her because of Mom."

"I know, baby. I know." Jim continued to hug his daughter, while Tricia left the room.

Maeve sobbed, "How can you be with her after she did something like that to you?"

"Because it was a long time ago, and I love her. It's been your friend's dad, my ex-friend, who has been after your mom, not the other way around. I believe your mother when she says that she allowed the flirting because she was scared he would tell me everything if she rejected him too strongly. I heard it firsthand while Geoff and your mother talked."

"It doesn't matter, he won't let me see Patience again. Threatened to pull her from high school if she didn't promise to avoid me. He works at our school, he's not bluffing."

Jim released Maeve, and wiped her cheek smiling. "No matters what happens, we will get through it. But you know your mother loves you – probably even more than she loves me. I know you're mad now, but we need to be strong and work through this. Your mom's going to need your strength and support because I'm sure we'll have rough patches ahead."

"Jim, can you help me clear some stuff in the spare bedroom?" Tricia called out, "We're going to be having guests coming over tonight, who could be staying a while."

"Guests?" With everything going on, Jim didn't need either side of the family dropping by.

Tricia smiled meekly at him and then Maeve. "Lillian and Patience moved out of their house tonight, permanently, and need a place to stay. The reason Geoff told Patience those things was Lillian said that she was divorcing him as soon as Patience left for college. Of course, this was before her mom had a chance to talk to her. Lillian found out that besides pursuing me, he did have a few other women on the side. I told Lillian what Geoff said to their daughter, and she decided to not wait, left work early and is moving out right away. I also told Lillian to make sure before she leaves to tell that asshole if he ever calls my daughter a dyke again, I will come over with a knife and turn him into eunuch."

Maeve ran up to her mother and they hugged. Jim watched them smiling. Not a word was said, but he knew they would get past it. He hoped he could as well.

*

Jim knew to stay out of the kitchen as the food was prepared for Thanksgiving. He also knew this one was an important one for her as Maeve was returning home for the first time since she and Patience moved into an apartment together in Philadelphia for college. Patience, of course would be joining her. The initial plan was Lillian would also be there, however last minute she decided to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend of four months and his children. The following day, Patience and Maeve would have a meal with them, and meet for the first time. When Jim talked to the girls a week prior, both joked about gaining twenty pounds from having two big turkey suppers the same weekend.

Jim was pleasantly surprised it got to that point. The initial 'honeymoon phase' of staying together to get past Tricia's infidelity and deception ended shortly after Lillian and Patience stayed with them. The day after they'd left, Tricia woke him in the middle of the night to initiate lovemaking, and he turned her down. When she started touching his cock, he couldn't get the image of her sucking off Rory or Geoff out of his head and needed space. This led to him being distant and calling her a spit-roasted whore in a heated discussion when she accused him of being a jerk to her. They needed more help, or the marriage would be ending.

In the start, counseling seemed to be all touchy-feely bullshit to him. The 'how did that make you feel' was patronizing. She fucked two of his friends, how was he supposed to feel? If it weren't for the fact that he did truly love Tricia, and did want to try to get past everything, he wouldn't have returned after the first session. He wasn't sure whether it was brainwashing through repetition, or the counselor wasn't as clueless as he once thought, but the 'feelings-mumble-jumble' started to make sense. That is, it did for the less obvious things, like when he was feeling distant or why it was important at times for Tricia to receive intimacy from him. He was working on trusting her again, and she needed reassurance to get over her self-loathing about what she'd done.