10

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

As was the case with Book One, Book Two of Unhappily Ever After

is a long, novel-length story that recounts the trials and tribulations experienced by a veteran who returns to civilian life and pursues a career path begun before joining the Australian Defence Force. He is forced to resurrect his 'stay alive' skills when he is betrayed by his wife, whose lover puts a hit order out on him.

Book Two picks up Stoney Bourke's life after he had been ambushed and critically wounded during what he hopes will be the final assassination attempt. Despite having witnessed the demise of his would-be killer, he knows there are others out there who want to hang his scalp on their belts.

---oooBJSooo---

I apologise for the time it has taken to get the second book in this duology finished but life and near death have a way of interfering with the best of our intentions. As so much time had elapsed between Book One and Book Two by the time I got back to it, I decided to do a full rewrite.

Although many of the points raised in the readers' comments from Book One had already been addressed in Book Two, a few additional things were brought to my attention that I thought were valid. Hopefully, I have addressed those points in the rewrite.

In an attempt to please as many readers as possible, I have left a few typos and technical and procedural errors in Book Two of Unhappily Ever After to satisfy the nit-pickers.

As each book tells its own story, I'd recommend reading Book One first to familiarise yourself with the backstory and the characters. Despite Book Two containing chapters that could be posted under different category headings, I have posted all ten chapters under Loving Wives for the sake of continuity.

Like Book One, Book Two will be posted in seven parts, all of which have been submitted simultaneously, with a request to the moderator that they be published on consecutive days.

I trust you will enjoy my offering, but I will be happy to receive your comments either way. It should be noted, however, that I have blocked anonymous comments. I know that might inconvenience a few readers, but my philosophy is that 'better one commenter be inconvenienced than ten trolls be allowed to spew their vitriol'.

---oooBJSooo---

Please Note:

The right of Black Jack Steele to be identified as the author of this work - Unhappily Ever After - Book Two - is asserted under worldwide copyright laws. All rights are reserved.

---oooBJSooo---

UNHAPPILY EVER AFTER

BOOK TWO

Copyright © Black Jack Steele 2024

CHAPTER NINE

Thursday, June 23 - November 12, 2022

Boots and All

Leaving Amanda to sleep the next morning, I threw on a pair of shorts, a tee shirt and my joggers and took Digger for a walk to a nearby park to let him empty his bowels and bladder. We picked up breakfast on our way back to our apartment.

With a day to kill before we had to pick Rory up from the airport, we did a tour of the city. It had certainly changed since I had last been there. The whole of the city centre had become one big open mall filled with boutique stores, upmarket hotels and tourist traps. I realised that if I was going to find the things I needed to add to Tommy's surprise on Saturday night, I would have to find out where the locals shopped.

Deciding the easiest way to find that out would be to ask someone working in one of the tourist-targeted shops, I led Amanda into a nearby jewellery store. Leaving her to peruse the large assortment of pearls and gemstones, I went to the rear of the shop to ask the oldest member of the sales staff for help.

With the location of the city's largest shopping mall identified, I then asked the lady if she could help me with another problem.

"I'm looking to buy my friend a ring," I told her, "and I want it to be a surprise. The problem is that I have no idea of her ring size. I wonder if you could somehow find that out for me? I also wonder if you could recommend a spa or somewhere where she could get her hair and nails done at short notice."

"The ring sizing shouldn't be too much of a problem," she answered. "But if you're planning on buying the sort of ring I think you are, I'd suggest you do it at our sister store in the shopping mall at the southern end of the city. You'll find they are considerably cheaper.

"As far as the spa is concerned, I know just the place. They'll need her for about five hours. What time would you like me to book her in?"

After arranging for a ten o'clock spa appointment, she left me and went to Amanda's assistance.

When we left the store, Amanda was sporting a lovely pearl on a white gold dress ring, and I had the shop manager's business card with the spa address and Amanda's ring size written on the back. Although I could easily have afforded it, I didn't argue with her when she insisted on paying for the pearl ring out of her windfall from Bob Finch. She said she considered it to be a departure gift, received in appreciation for her long and faithful service from a grateful employer.

"It's beautiful," I said as we left the store. "It'll look lovely when I take you out to dinner on Saturday night."

"Huh?" she said in a surprised, slightly aggravated tone. "What's this about dinner?"

"Oh, hadn't I mentioned it? I've booked us a table out at the Coral Cove Resort."

"I can't go to dinner out there, Stoney!" she exclaimed. "I've got nothing to wear to a place like that."

"Nor do I," I responded. "I thought we could sort all that out tomorrow."

"You men are impossible. You don't just spring something like that on a woman at the last minute. I'd have to get my hair and nails done."

"It's all organised," I said. "You're booked in for all that at ten o'clock on Saturday morning. Now all you need to do is find something to wear.

"Oh, look!" I announced as if surprised at the coincidence. "There's a dress shop right there. I must say that one in the window would suit you to a tee." I wasn't about to tell her that the lady in the jewellery store had steered me in the right direction. We walked out of the store an hour later with two new dresses, a couple of pairs of shoes and a range of very sexy underwear, all of which had been placed in impressive carry bags.

It was getting late when, with our touring and Kate's shopping out of the way, we unloaded her purchases in our apartment before heading to the hotel across the road from our accommodation for a few drinks and dinner. It was still quite early when we turned in. We'd had a busy day and were both tired; although not so tired that we didn't make love until the wee small hours of the morning.

Unfortunately, Digger's gentle whine, telling me he needed to go for a walk, knocked any thoughts I might have had about starting the day off with a bit more loving on the head. Amanda had obviously come to the same conclusion because she had breakfast ready to be served when we returned.

With Rory scheduled to arrive late that afternoon, Friday was spent exploring the coastal strip to the north of the tropical city; returning to Cairns to meet his flight after enjoying lunch at Port Douglas. His plane was only a few minutes late, and after unloading his gear into his room, we headed over to the nearby hotel for dinner. It was fairly late when we eventually returned to our apartments, where we enjoyed a nightcap before our friend left, and we settled in for the night.

---oooBJSooo---

I was up early the next morning and took Digger and the truck down to a carwash I'd spotted while returning to town from Port Douglas the previous day. It also had a dog wash bay. By the time we returned to the apartment, both the dog and truck were sparkling clean.

Amanda had prepared breakfast for all of us while I'd been away and was awaiting my return before putting the finishing touches to it. By the time I'd fed Digger and showered, shaved and changed my clothes, the eggs and toast were ready to be loaded onto the plates, along with the sausages and bacon she'd been keeping warm.

While enjoying a cup of coffee after we'd had our fill, we mapped out our day. There was no rush to get started, as nothing could happen until Amanda had been dropped off for her spa appointment.

With that job done - leaving her with a promise that I'd be there to pick her up at three o'clock - Rory, Digger and I headed for the mall. The first order of business was to book an appointment for a haircut and beard trim for both Rory and me. They managed to fit us in for an hour later.

Once that booking had been ticked off the list, we went in search of a menswear store. As I had mentioned to Amanda the previous day, I needed a new set of threads. Rory reluctantly agreed to release a few moths from his sporran and spend a shekel or two on something more appropriate for a resort-style environment than his usual shorts, tee shirts and sandals.

When I eventually walked out of there, I had everything I needed to cover me from head to toe. A pair of RM Williams dress boots, two pairs of trousers, a couple of dress shirts, and a lightweight sports coat. I also had enough belts, socks and underwear to go with my selections.

I left everything with the store to be picked up later as the trousers and jacket had to be altered, a job that was going to take them a couple of hours to complete.

Rory had also had a bit of a splurge and, like me, he'd left his purchases in the store to be altered and picked up later. I could see he was going into shock when he tallied up the amount of money he'd spent, so I sat him down in a coffee shop and bought him a long black before we attended our hairdressing appointment.

By the time we returned to the apartments, I had managed to find everything I figured I needed for Amanda and me to make a grand entrance into the resort for dinner that night. I'd even found a guide dog harness for Digger so we could avoid any unpleasantness at the entrance. He knew something was afoot, and I'm sure he had a smile on his face when I first put the harness on him.

The most important thing I'd found was the ring I wanted to put on Amanda's finger that night. It was similar in design to the one I'd bought for Kate. But where Kate's had emeralds on the shoulders, this one had rubies. They were a better match for Amanda's brown hair and eyes.

It was only when I was dropping him off at the resort just after two o'clock that Saturday afternoon that I explained to Rory who he'd be dining with that night. I told him that so far as Tommy knew, I was bringing a friend with me - who I inferred was a male - and that any arrangements should include that friend in the mix of any activities he might have planned.

"I haven't told him who that friend is, so you will come as a complete surprise to him... the first of a few surprises I had in store for our friend Prancer this weekend. Tommy will have arranged a room for you, so just ask for a booking in his name. Once you've got yourself settled, you'll probably find him down by the pool surrounded by a bevy of attentive maidens.

After reminding him to keep his mouth shut about Amanda, Digger and I returned to town to pick her up from the spa. My heart skipped a beat when she walked out of the business part of the building and into the foyer. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.

"What do you reckon?" I said to Digger as she approached us.

"Wow!" he said, accompanied by a wag of his almost non-existent tail. He says that a lot when Amanda is around. He must have picked it up from me.

He'd started talking to me shortly after we'd left Moreton City. I'd been using him as a sounding board while sitting beside a campfire one night, and I'd asked his opinion about something when he'd responded with an "oo-ow, oo-ow". It was more of a low-pitched howl than anything else. But he used it in longer and shorter forms as our friendship grew. There were times I even thought he was talking in complete sentences.

As Amanda reached me, she gripped my face between her two freshly manicured hands and planted the most passionate kiss I'd ever received from her on my mouth.

"Thank you, My Dear Man," she whispered as she pulled me tightly against her. "If I knew it wouldn't mess up my hair, I'd ravish you right here. But, boy, are you going to get it tonight. You're not going to be able to walk tomorrow.

"...and, hopefully, neither am I."

She then bent down and kissed Digger on the nose.

"And thank you for your compliment, too, Digger," she said.

On the way back to our apartment, I suggested we both pack an overnight bag.

"Just in case we want to stay for a night or two," I told her.

She received another 'Wow!' from both Digger and me as she came out of the bedroom fully dressed for the evening ahead. She was wearing a fashionable but tasteful burgundy cocktail dress. Its bodice was free-flowing, and while it displayed a hint of cleavage, it modestly hid the form of her breasts. The flared pleated skirt fell to her knees.

Her feet were encased in a pair of black open sandal-toed high-heeled shoes that were secured by a wide, buckled ankle strap. They allowed her to display her polished pearl-coloured toenails. As with everything else she wore, the heels were of modest height.

As she spun to display her dress, it flared enough to show her bare thighs without going to extremes. I also noted the low-cut back of her dress. It wasn't as low as a couple of the dresses Kate had worn when she was out with Hamlin, but it was low enough to tell me that she couldn't possibly be wearing a bra.

The only jewellery she wore was the pearl ring she'd bought for herself a couple of days earlier. It was matched by fingernails of the same colour as her toes.

What pleased me most was that, unlike the other women I'd had in my life, she wasn't flaunting what I knew lay hidden beneath the outer layer of clothing. That put her in a different basket from the women who'd come before and helped settle any doubts I might have had about the actions I had planned for later that night.

My black, highly-polished dress boots, khaki trousers, white open-necked linen shirt and navy blazer complimented my partner's attire.

---oooBJSooo---

Amanda stared at me strangely as I fitted a patch over my left eye and donned a pair of dark sunglasses immediately after parking the truck. I figured that the persona I was adopting would have more impact if the patch was worn on the side of my face scarred by Manyweather's bullet.

Her look became even stranger when I fitted Digger with his guide dog harness before opening her door and helping her down to the pavement.

It was only when her dress rode up as she slid down from the truck's cab that I discovered she was wearing a pair of black, lacy French-cut panties. A couple of unpleasant memories flashed through my mind as I helped her straighten her dress after she had her feet planted firmly on the pavement.

'I hope I'm the only one who's going to see them tonight,'

I thought to myself as I pulled her into a tight hug. For the first time in months, my insecurities were coming to the fore. That's when I decided to wait until we were in our room at the end of the night before popping the question.

"I love you," I whispered in her ear before releasing her.

"I love you too," she responded before stepping back and holding me at arm's reach.

"Now that we've addressed the elephant that's been following us around for the past few months, are you going to share your plan with me?"

"Just follow my lead," I said. I think you'll get a kick out of it.

"How do I look?" I asked, raising my sunglasses and crossing my eyes.

"Like a demented idiot," she said. "you've been doing that a lot lately. The eye-crossing, I mean. Not so much the demented fool; although that too, sometimes."

"Thanks," I said. "That's the look I was hoping to achieve. I just pray the wind doesn't change while I'm in idiot mode. I'd hate to have to stay like that."

"So do I," Amanda said. "I'd be really disappointed to think that I passed up the opportunity of being the mistress of the captain of an ocean-going trawler so I could spend the rest of my life as the paramour of a cross-eyed halfwit."

We were still laughing as we entered the resort's foyer.

After booking in and arranging for our bags to be taken to our room, we walked into the bar, where I immediately spotted Tommy and Rory sitting at a table. They were accompanied by six beautiful women. He'd obviously done as I'd asked and had made arrangements to accommodate the third male in our party. I wondered how the pair of them would go with a foursome rather than a threesome tonight.

I paused for a moment at the door. The last time I'd seen women dressed like my friends' companions was at Mitch's wedding when all the women were wearing cocktail party outfits. I had to admit, though, that none of the ladies sitting at the table had gone quite as far as Kate had done on the night I'd lowered the boom on her.

I don't know whether it was Amanda's beauty or it was seeing that she was accompanied by a blind man with his guide dog that caused it, but the whole bar became silent as we entered. Even a blind man could see that everyone was looking our way.

Rory was the first to recognise us, and he leaned over to Tommy to alert him to the new arrivals. While I couldn't hear what he said, it was obviously enough to drag Tommy's attention away from the lovely woman he'd been talking to. It still took him a minute to recognise me.

The beard, the sunglasses, the dog, and the beautiful woman on my arm had thrown him. Everything was out of context. He was confused. He looked back to Rory for confirmation of what his eyes were seeing, but his brain denied.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in!" he shouted as soon as the penny dropped. He was quickly on his feet and was rushing forward to welcome us.

"Ruprecht!" he cried. "You finally made it." He'd obviously remembered the conversation we'd had before I'd set out on my sabbatical journey.

Amanda looked over at me with one eyebrow raised.

"I'll explain later," I said to her out of the corner of my mouth. "This is just the beginning."

Digger growled as Tommy reached forward to give me a man-hug. It pulled him up in mid-stride.

"It's okay, Mate," I said to my canine companion. "He's a friend.

"Tommy," I then said, "Please shake hands with Digger. He's been travelling with me since I left home." The man and the dog shook hands, and without prompting, Digger told Tommy how pleased he was to meet him.

"Now, Tommy," I continued, "I'd like you to meet my other travelling companion. Amanda, please meet Tommy Jones, an old and dear friend. I'm sure you'll be astounded at his feats of reckless heroism as the night progresses."

"You must be the Tommy Jones Aaron has told me so much about," Amanda said, stretching her hand out. "I think he referred to you from time to time as Prancer. I'd be interested to hear how you ended up with that name.

"As he wouldn't tell me, I can only assume it was because you are as fast on your feet as one of Santa's reindeer."

"Alas, no more, Amanda, my dear," Tommy responded. "It's a tad difficult to be fleet of foot when you only have only one. But enough of my woes. I'm looking forward to learning how the two of you met and why you decided to accompany an itinerant carpenter, tinker and scissor sharpener on his travels.

"Come and join us," he said. He still hadn't twigged to Amanda's identity, thinking she was simply someone I'd picked up along the way to keep my bed warm. I got the impression that he thought he might be able to entice her away from me at some stage during the night.