The Write Stuff 2

Once again a big thank you to blackrandl1958 for her editing and encouragement.

Nicholas Lance found a nice chaise on the patio near the in-ground pool and settled into it slowly, making sure not to spill the frozen margarita in his right hand. He let a small moan escape his lips as he settled in.

"You look good like that, Nick," his ex-wife, Aubrie, said, as she approached with her own glass of white wine--expensive white wine, Nick knew. "You know, this could have been your life everyday..."

They both knew why Aubrie let her thought hang in the air.

She settled into the chaise next to his.

"Quite the place, Aubrie. You've had a really great run these last 10 years. I guess you were right," Nick said matter-of-factly.

She sat quietly. She had run this conversation over in her head so many times, but real life was so different from how it seemed in her head.

"We could still share this, Nick," she said softly. "I've gotten more than enough real world experience to last the rest of my life. We could get back together, grow old together, share all of this and someday die in each other's arms, as we always said we would.

"The timeout in the middle doesn't even have to count."

"But the reason for the timeout would always count, Aubrie. You gave up me and you gave up us for all of this," Nick said, spreading his arms wide. "The Aubrie I married wouldn't have made that trade, not for this or all the money in the world.

"Too much water under the bridge. Too much disrespect to me. Too much lack of trust for you. It was one of your brethren, so to speak, who coined the phrase, 'You can't go home again.' He was right."

"At least think about it, Nick. Please," she said as three of their grandchildren came running out of the house toward the matriarch and patriarch of the Lance family.

"Come on, Nanna. Let's go, Grandpa. It's time to cut my birthday cake and open presents," yelled Lucy, the middle child in the stair steps of grandchildren who ran out to them.

"Right you are, Gingerbread," Nick said to the redheaded child as he rose from the chaise. "C'mon, Nan. Birthday cake awaits!"

Aubrie rose as well, realizing that she couldn't disappoint her 5-year-old granddaughter. Her heart was heavy, though, knowing she might not get another chance to talk to her ex alone until the next grandchild had a birthday.

A wealthy woman, Aubrie had paid a private investigator a handsome sum to pry into her ex-husband's life. She knew he had dated some but never had a long-term significant other in the 10 years the two had been apart. He lived well—why shouldn't he after getting half of the fortune she had built in the divorce—but always seem to live within the means of his own salary as an accountant. She had given him the house they owned in the settlement, and from what their two children had said had made only superficial changes to it—most of those to erase her presence from the abode.

Aubrie had moved to an upscale neighborhood immediately after the divorce before having a new palatial home befit for someone of her fame built on the outskirts of the city two years ago. Since then, every family event and holiday had been held there. There were enough bedrooms for both children and their families and even a bedroom for Nick if he wanted to stay the night—and not sleep in the same room as his ex-wife. Although she had hoped that room would never be used because she hoped to lure Nick into her bed, it had still never been used because her ex had steadfastly refused to spend the night in her home, choosing to make the trip back to his own home an hour away.

******

"I'm not sure how to say this, Nick, but my last two books haven't sold up to par, and Wanda thinks I may be getting a little stale. She thinks I need to spice things up a bit... by experiencing things first-hand again. She thinks that my mindset isn't as fresh after 15 years, and I need to get out in the world again," Aubrie said.

Nick looked at her in confusion for about a minute before the light bulb went on.

"Wait a minute. Are you telling me Wanda wants you to freshen up your writing by going out and having sex with other men?" Nick practically yelled.

Aubrie literally jumped back from where she was standing when Nick cried out. He had never yelled at her before in their 25 years of marriage.

The two were standing side-by-side at the kitchen sink doing the dishes when the conversation started. It was not uncommon for the pair to discuss important things while doing the dishes.

Nick put down the dish he had been drying and glared intently at his wife. She gulped and put down the plate she was washing.

"Ummm... sort of... yeah," Aubrie whispered.

Nick looked absolutely alarmed. Who was this woman who looked like his wife, but gave answers that his wife would never consider.

"Don't you think you need to explain that... dear?" Nick said pointedly.

"Ummm... you know that my books have a lot of sex in them, and I've been using our experiences to write about since I started... well, Wanda thinks I'm not connecting with my audience because I don't have anything... new to offer. She says she can tell that I'm not excited as much as I used to be," Aubrie said.

"So she wants you to fuck other men so you can have new experiences to write about? Seriously?" Nick cried. "What kind of an editor is she?"

"She's an excellent editor. Look what she's done for me for the last 15 years, and for several other writers as well. I think I really need to consider what she's said," Aubrie replied.

Nick couldn't answer his wife. He sat down at the kitchen table and stared blankly at the wood grain.

"Nick honey... don't panic. Let's think about this carefully and I'm sure we can arrive at something," Aubrie said in as soothing a tone as she could manage.

"Something?" Nick whispered. "No. No. No. No."

******

Life was breathed into Skye Avalon when Aubrie was a stay-at-home mom before the couple's two children started school. An English major in college, Aubrie started writing stories for several fiction websites, making a little extra money for the family. She graduated to writing "bodice-ripper" books, and when her third effort netted her $10,000, a career was born. Two years later, her kitchen table scribblings had netted the family more than $400,000 and she was offered a three-book deal for $1.5 million.

Things really picked up for Aubrie when veteran book editor Wanda Saranick contacted her and the pair began a very lucrative partnership. A year later Aubrie was among the best romance novelists in the country, her earnings well over the million-dollar mark.

Nick was ecstatic with Aubrie's career and the money it generated. Nick made a nice six-figure salary, but Aubrie's yearly income had topped $5 million for the last 13 years before she dipped a bit the last two years. The couple had plenty of money in the bank, both drove nice cars and took great vacations.

Another plus to Aubrie's career came in the bedroom. They had a good sex life before Aubrie started to write, but the writing seemed to kick her libido into a much higher gear. The two would make love or fuck every day—sometimes twice a day—while Aubrie was in what Nick called "Skye mode."

As the manager of the couple's finances, Nick knew Aubrie's sales numbers and income better than his wife did. He knew her last two books hadn't generated the same sales and income, but he was realistic enough to know that not every book was going to be a New York Times bestseller. He was surprised then at his wife's reaction.

"Kathleen Woodiwiss and Judith McNaught aren't having slumps," she railed when she and Wanda were talking numbers one day. "What am I doing wrong, Wanda?"

Wanda knew Aubrie used the couple's sex life as the model for the sex in many of her books. She thought the couple was way mismatched as Aubrie was a stone MILF but her husband was more than a few notches beneath that.

"You know your books would be hotter if you could imagine yourself having sex with a hunk of manflesh instead of your husband," Wanda said, not for the first time.

"We've talked about this a few times through the years, Wanda. You know I could never cheat on Nick," Aubrie whined.

"Yeah, but I keep telling you it wouldn't be cheating if you told him about what you were going to do and were open about it. It would be even better if he would love you enough to give this to you... especially since you are far and away the breadwinner in the family," Wanda explained.

"Wow. So you're telling me to just hammer him, crush his ego, leave him bleeding in the dirt. Perhaps that explains why you've been married and divorced twice so far, Wanda. I'd like to remain married... if possible," Aubrie said.

Wanda was a trained communicator. She accurately heard the last two words of Aubrie's answer. Without saying the words, Aubrie told the other woman she was perhaps open to her suggestion.

"Maybe now is the time to broach this to hubby, while you're still on top of the pile," Wanda said. "Tell him the truth. This isn't about sex, it's about your brand. If he loves you and respects your work, he'll get it, especially if he likes all the fun things those big dollars can buy."

Aubrie's brow furrowed markedly. If she was being honest with herself, her thoughts weren't all about her brand.

******

"It's not all on Wanda, babe. I think she's right. I need to shake things up. New experiences will give my writing a freshness, a joie de vivre," Aubrie said as the two sat down at their kitchen table with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

Nick couldn't look his wife in her eyes as he was afraid of crying in front of her. She smirked as he fidgeted noticeably.

"We made vows to each other, Aubrie. We've always agreed that marital fidelity is important to both of us," Nick said.

"I agree, but this wouldn't be cheating if I told you what was happening and you let me do it," Aubrie said. "We made those vows, and upon agreement, we can change them."

"I suppose they are our vows to do with as we want, but that's just it. Wouldn't we have to agree upon changing them, sort of like congress has to vote on amendments to the Constitution. What if I don't want to change our vows? I like them just as they are," Nick said.

"Nick, we are soul-mates. Nothing could ever break us apart," Aubrie said.

"You're wrong, babe. This could break us apart," he said. "Soul mates or not, I won't have somebody sleeping with my wife. I'm not put together like that."

"What about if I'm very discreet... so discreet that you would never who, when or where? You know, the old 'what you don't know can't hurt you,'" she said.

"That's incredibly trite... and naïve of you," Nick sneered. "Since I would know you'd be cheating on me sometimes, I would assume you would be cheating on me all the time. In fact, even if you were to tell me now you wouldn't do it, I wouldn't believe you. Trust is a funny thing, babe. It's like virginity. Once it's gone, you can't ever get it back."

Aubrie shook her head as if she had just taken a punch to the face. She started to speak once, twice, three times before taking a long gulp of her wine.

Nick watched her carefully. He believed he had just given her a definitive no.

"Couldn't you just give this to me for Skye—for my career as Skye. She's put a lot of money into our pockets, given us a pretty nice life," Aubrie pleaded.

"I can't, Aubrie. I'm sorry. I love you too much to share you," Nick answered.

"Why don't you just let it go? We don't need you to ever write another book. We've got more than enough for the rest of our lives."

"I'm not ready to give it up just yet, Nick. I'm only 48. Please," she begged.

Nick loved his wife with everything in his heart and soul. His heart was breaking to think his wife of 24 years was putting her career ahead of their marriage.

"I'll think about it hard, as you should, too," Nick said slowly and clearly, "but I can't guarantee that I'll agree to this, or be able to accept it even if I do."

Nick got up from the table and went into the family room to watch a baseball game. He didn't see the smirk on his wife's face when he left the room.

Aubrie knew to give her husband space for several days. She made sure the two shared an enjoyable weekend together, spending a significant amount of time in their bed and less than subtly showing her husband how much she cared for him.

"He's close to being my bitch," Aubrie bragged to Wanda on the phone Monday morning. "I fucked him into the mattress this past weekend. I own him."

No one was more surprised than Aubrie when Nick told her two days later that he couldn't and wouldn't abide by her plan to have sex with other men.

"I don't think I'll be able to handle that, babe. Why don't we just call it a day now and leave on a good note? You can then do what you want to and I won't have to eat any more pain than just that of a divorce," Nick said.

"Don't do this, Nick. I don't want a divorce. I love you. I just need... a little freedom to get things going again with my writing. It won't be long. I promise," she said.

"But you already made me a promise... 24 years ago. Remember that? If you can't keep that promise, I'm not sure you can keep a new promise either," Nick asserted.

"I can, Nick. Give me that chance. Give

us

that chance," she said.

Nick hadn't slept much in the two weeks since the last time the two had any meaningful conversation. He had loved this woman for so long that divorce seemed completely incomprehensible, but so did allowing her to have sex with other men so her writing career could continue to flourish... assuming that was truly the reason for her outlandish request. Several weeks ago, Nick would have taken everything his wife said at face value... now, not so much.

Where Nick's old routine arriving home from work would have included a kiss with his wife, his new routine had been to put his keys and wallet down, grab a beer from the refrigerator and sit at the kitchen table until the beer was done. Aubrie would go about her business getting dinner ready, and few words, if any, would pass between them. On this day, though, Aubrie had decided to break the stalemate that had become heir married lives.

"Man up, Nicky. I can't take this silent treatment anymore," she said. "You're not going to hold our marriage hostage. I will be going out with Mimi on Friday night. We're going to a club and we're going to dance and flirt and... whatever else happens from there.

"Get over yourself, Nick. I'll get my career jumpstarted and then we can go back to the way things were. You'll see, this will be good for us."

"The only thing I can see is that this will absolutely be good for you: us, not so much," he said, rising from his chair and spilling his beer on the table. "I've thought about nothing else for the last few weeks. I LOVE YOU, Aubrie. This is killing me. It's eating me up from the inside. I think I've got an ulcer working.

"I don't want a divorce, but I'm positive I won't be able to handle you dating... no, fucking other men, for whatever reason. I can tell you I'll try, but we both know the truth... sooner or later I'm going to divorce you or kill you. You're not leaving me any good options!"

Aubrie was aghast to see tears flowing down her husband's cheeks. The only other time she had seen that was when his father had died five years ago.

"I need this, Nicky... not for me, but for Skye. I can't just walk away from this part of my life. I can't go back to being a housewife. I'm Skye Avalon, one of the top romance novelists in the country. I need to keep moving forward, and I need

this

to do so," she said.

Nick noticed Aubrie's emphasis. He also noted that she didn't—or couldn't—elucidate that emphasis. As he went to the sink to get a sponge to clean up his spilled beer, he was struck by another thought.

"So, do you already have a man picked out to be your... first?" he asked.

"No, of course not," she replied. "I keep telling you. I'm not looking to have an affair... well, at least like you're thinking. I'm just looking to have... some adventures so I can use them for future books. One of the things I need to do is go home with somebody from a night out. I need to know how that really feels, both intellectually and in the pit of my stomach. I need that excitement... Skye needs that excitement."

"Skye needs that excitement," Nick muttered. "Jesus, Aubrie, listen to yourself, talking in third person!"

"Baby, consider this research that I can use for multiple books. All of my old research has been used up after a quarter of a century. I'm just going out to get research for the next quarter-century," she said.

Nick saw the tears in her eyes and knew that his wife was sincere about what she was spouting. Sincerity, however, wouldn't make her actions any less horrible in his eyes. He grabbed a second beer from the fridge and sat back down.

"You said you would be discreet, but you've already told Mimi what your plan is, haven't you? You've already told one person. How many are going to know that your plans is to cuckold me for a while... maybe forever?"

"No baby, not forever. I'm telling you the truth. It will be just long enough to gather some research.

"I had to tell Mimi if we're going out together. I need her help because she's been divorced for several years and this is her world. I'll probably go out with her several times," Aubrie said.

"You do remember that she has been married and divorced twice, just like Wanda, so maybe listening to her just may not be the smartest thing to do," Nick said.

"God, Nick, I'm not taking marital advice from her. I'll be taking dating advice," she said.

Aubrie could see in his eyes that Nick wasn't convinced. She tried to plaster a confident, serene look on her own face.

"So explain to me what the outline of this game plan looks like, Aub. I know you well enough to know that you've got some sort of a plan. You always do an outline for your books. I know you're not just winging this," he said.

Aubrie did indeed have some sort of a game plan, but the wheels in her head started to spin faster as she had to quickly decide how much of that plan to tell her husband. She decided to be economical with her words.

"I just need to get some more experiences," she started. "Maybe feel what several different men are like since I've just been with you for so long. I'm not looking for anything long-term; this isn't about love, it's about lust. After all, that's what I mostly write... stories about lust."

"So you're going to be mixing it up, not having a long-term lover that you might fall in love with," he said, working hard to keep his voice neutral.

"Exactly," his wife answered, knowing full well that she wanted to try at least one man several times so she could get the "affair experience."

Nick nodded, his eyes blank. He knew his wife was being sparse with her plans, so he was trying to be sparse with his, as well.

"Then when you're done gathering 'your research,' you'll go back to being my faithful wife and we can grow old together," he said, trying to sound upbeat.

"So you understand then?" she said, cautiously optimistic that he really did understand.

"Sort of," he responded.

"So you will let me have this?" she queried brightly.

"No, I won't let you have it, but I will let you take it. I won't give you away. You're a grown woman and can make your own decisions. I will not condone this, but I won't stand in your way. But I can't guarantee that I won't change my mind and file for divorce at some point. Consider that you are taking my acceptance at gunpoint," Nick explained. "You've already told me you are going to do this whether I'm on board or not."

Aubrie's face reflected her sadness. She was hoping to get a more positive acceptance from Nick.