When a Husband Barges In

Pete and Geoff were busy driving some fenceposts into the ground along the side boundary of the Sunshine Plaza, a local 'No tell' motel. Suddenly Pete kicked Geoff to get his attention.

"Hey Dude, is that Marks wife?"

Geoff, not taking kindly to being kicked, "What the fuck Pete?"

"Over there. The boss's wife."

"What you on about? Where?"

"Up there on the balcony... Coming out of that room! I'm sure it's Marks missus."

Geoff looked up and saw the attractive blonde woman standing sideways, she was talking to a man.

"Don't be daft..." Then as she turned Geoff got a better look, "Oh fuck, it looks like her... You know I think it is. Shit it is."

Pete added, "Fuck dude she's with another guy. What'll we tell Mark?"

Geoff exhaled, "Fuck." Then turning to his workmate, "We tell the boss fuck all... It's none of our business."

Janice, the very attractive blonde bombshell in question, was the busty statuesque thirty something wife of Mark their boss. She always made an impression whenever she visited the yard. The two men continued to watch as their boss's wife stood waiting on the guy, she looked hot in her high heels and a short brown leather mini skirt, a silk blouse and a stylish long jacket, she brushed her hair from her face. Both she and the guy were donning dark aviator glasses as if trying to hide their identities. As the man turned to her, she smiled and said something.

***

On the walkway Janice had turned to Jake her hunky handsome minder, "You know I think I'm going to miss all this."

He laughed, "Miss what...?"

"This, sneaking around, doing what we do."

He laughed some more. "Something you not telling me... You dumping me?"

Janice playfully hit his shoulder. "Get serious you idiot... I meant I'm going to miss all the cloak and dagger stuff, it's been fun. It's like I'm living a double life"

He grinned, "Well make the most of it... A few more weeks and we won't have to pretend anymore."

She smiled. "I can't wait to see Marks face when he finds out what I've been up to."

"Yeah, well for the time being you still need to be careful."

"I know... It's just that I worry he'll bump into someone from the bank and they'll say something about us. God knows how he'd react..."

Jake asked, "You worried?"

"A little... I just want to get it over with. It's not been easy, believe it or not, before you came along, I'd never lied to Mark."

Jake chuckled, "What not at all?"

"No."

"I'm not having that?"

Janice laughed, "It's true, you've led me astray."

He gently brushed a blonde lock of hair from her cheek, she liked his touch, she leaned into it, it was comforting, reassuring, nice, she remembered how nervous she'd been when they first began their clandestine meetings, nervous but excited. It had felt as if everyone was watching them, as if everyone knew their secret.

Janice smiled, "It's just that when I'm with him I'm so scared of slipping up."

He smiled. "Well hang in there, only for a few more weeks and you can tell him, and if you want, when you do, I'll be there with you."

"I'd like that..."

The man laughed. "Don't worry... You've got this nailed... Come on let's get back to the bank." He chuckled, "We should have been missed by now."

She laughed, "I can imagine the rumour mill."

***

Pete and Geoff couldn't hear what the suited man was saying to their boss's attractive wife. Even so, the two workmen looked on as the man stroked her face before placing his hand onto the lower of Janice's back to guide her along the outside walkway.

Later that afternoon as the two men were driving back to the yard Pete turned to Geoff. "You know we should tell Mark?"

Geoff barked. "We're going to tell him fuck all, unless you're looking to lose your job."

"What you on about?"

"Ever heard the phrase 'Don't shoot the messenger'... The boss won't take kindly to being told his old lady is playing away... It's best we say nothing."

"You sure?"

Geoff nodded. "I'm sure... Whatever's going on is between them."

***

Two weeks later, Pete, Geoff, Dave and Dwayne were by the yard office stacking up a pile of decorative stone chippings ready for the next day's job. Derek pulled up in the battered company pick-up. The teenager jumped out and headed straight for the four.

He was eager to share his news, "Hey guys, you won't believe what I've just seen."

"What?"

"Only the fucking boss's wife with another guy in the café down by Greendale Park, they looked pretty cosy too 'if you know what I mean'."

As soon as Derek finished, he wished he'd never started.

A brusque figure filled the doorway, "What the fuck are you saying about my wife you little shit."

Mark stepped out and with a thunderous face headed straight for the teenager.

Derek stepped back and Pete, Dave and Dwayne jumped aside, Geoff immediately jumped in-between, ever the peacemaker. Mark halted in his tracks as his long-time employee held his arms out to stop him.

Looking around his employee to the younger man, Mark growled, "You're fucking fired you lying piece of shit."

Derek shouted, "What, no... That aint fair, I'm only saying what I saw..."

Seeing the panic stricken look on the lad's face, Geoff felt the need to defend him.

"Mark, boss, relax... I'm sure there's an explanation... The lad meant no harm."

Mark turned his attention to Geoff. "What you on about 'explanation'.

Feeling he ought to say something Pete, who was stood to the side, spoke up. "We've seen Janice with another guy too."

Marks attention went straight to Pete. "What you on about?"

Pete could see Geoff shaking his head as if to say don't, but it was too late. "Me and Geoff, two weeks back, we saw Janice, she was with a guy."

"What the fuck... Where?"

Pete hesitated.

Mark shouted, "Where?"

Pete gulped. "We were doing that fencing job at the Sunshine Plaza Motel on York Street."

Mark turned to Geoff, "Is this true?"

Geoff finally spoke, "Its true Mark."

Of all of them Mark trusted Geoff. Geoff had worked for hm for over eight years, he wasn't just an employee he was a friend too, he also knew Janice. Mark snapped at his friend. "And you never said anything...? Who was it, who was she with...?"

Geoff tried to be calming. "I figured it wasn't our place to say anything... As for the guy, I haven't seen him before, some well-dressed guy in a suit."

Mark wanted answers. "Well, what were they doing?"

Geoff didn't want to say but knew Mark wouldn't let it rest. "It was about 1.30, they were coming out of a room."

Mark growled. "And?"

"Nothing... They just left."

Mark didn't know what to do. He turned and shouted. "Go home, the lot of you, go home..." With that he stormed back into the office.

Goeff turned to the others. "You heard the man... See you all in the morning... You too Derek... Oh, and no one say anything to anyone - got it."

Derek piped up. "Geoff, I didn't mean anything..."

Goeff sighed. "I know, I'll see you in the morning..." Then in a louder voice, "Now all of you - Go."

As the last of them drove out of the yard Geoff walked into the office. He saw Mark staring at the wall.

"I told Derek to come into work tomorrow."

Mark took a deep breath and nodded. "You know I've suspected somethings been wrong for three, four months now. Janice has been distant, different, but I never thought she was cheating on me."

"You don't know if she is."

Mark shot his friend daggers.

Geoff knew his friend and boss had a quick temper and sometimes shot from the hip, "Well at least be sure before you do anything."

Mark was angry. "I bet it's some fucker from that bank."

Mark stood. "I've got to know." Then as if acknowledging his employee. "Can you run things for a few days."

"Sure, I can... But what are you going to do?"

"Like you say, I got to be sure."

On the way home Mark pondered what he could do, should he just have it out with Janice, demand to know what she's been doing. Then he wondered if it would be possible to track Janice. He turned the car around and headed back into the city. Two hours later he walked out of a ''spy store' with some 'plug-in' software that he could install on Janice's phone and a magnetic transmitter for attaching to her car. This would allow him to track her movements and hopefully her whereabouts, of course it was sold to him with the legal caveat only to install the 'app' with the phone owner's permission, same with the vehicular tracking device.

That night as Janice walked in from work, she smiled and was surprised to see her husband preparing the evening meal.

"You're home early" she said and went to kiss him. He didn't mean to but Mark instinctively took a step back.

She gave him a look. "What was that?" she asked, puzzled by her husband's response.

Mark knew he'd made a mistake. "Sorry babe, my mind was elsewhere, you caught me unawares."

Janice leaned in again and gave him a kiss to the cheek.

Over dinner Mark asked his wife how her day had been. Anything exciting happened? He was fishing.

Janice laughed, "I work in a bank, exciting it isn't."

"I just wondered... I mean do you ever get away from your desk, get out of the office? Go meet clients? Anything like that?"

Janice looked at her husband with a weird look, "Honey I'm back-room, the only time I get out is if I go to lunch with one of the girls. So... How was your day?"

Mark felt he'd already been a bit Ham fisted so changed tack. "I was tempted to fire young Derek."

"Fire Derek... Why?"

"He said something to one of the other guys. It's sorted."

"Why what did he say."

"Something about seeing the guy's wife with someone else... Didn't go down well."

"I can imagine. Who was it?"

"Doesn't matter, its sorted, just going to keep them apart for the time being."

Later that night as Janice was in the shower, he took the opportunity to look through his wife's shoulder bag. He saw her phone. He frowned. 'Shit when did she get one of these'. In his hand he held the latest I-phone. He also realised it was password protected. 'Fuck'. He'd have to go to plan B - following Janice himself.

He saw her purse and opened it, in the clear side pocket he saw a passport size photograph, it was of Janice with another man in a photo booth, their heads were together, she was blowing a kiss to the camera, he had a big smile.

"What the fuck."

He heard the shower turn off and hurriedly put everything back.

Later, as they were in bed he saw his opportunity to ask about her new phone when Janice opened it up and started to play Sudoku.

He put down his book. "Hey babe, when you get the new phone?"

Janice suddenly felt a little nervous, he hadn't noticed it before. She laughed, "I've had it for months." She then lied, "Got an upgrade through the bank.'

Mark laughed, "No wonder they charge the rest of us so much."

Janice laughed, "Oh shush, don't tell me you don't get perks?"

Mark laughed, "Yeah all the fertilizer I can carry."

The next morning Mark 'left for work as normal', and while Janice was still getting ready for the office, he fitted the tracking device to her car and then parked down the street out of site until his wife left. He opened up the app on his phone, he saw the blip of his wife's car on the screen map as she turned out of the street. With the coast now clear he returned to the house, he made himself a coffee and started looking through her stuff, he didn't know what he was looking for, just something that would give her away. First, he checked her wardrobe, as if for the first time he noticed her dresses, her skirts, they seemed short, then it hit him, he hadn't really noticed before, she always liked fashionable clothes, but now he thought about it, she'd started to dress differently, she'd started dressing up. Mark realised Janice was going to work in shorter, tighter skirts - was she trying to attract someone's attention - had she caught someone attention? Nah he was being paranoid.

He checked her draws, nothing that screamed an affair, he was looking for any evidence, any clues that she was cheating on him. He didn't find anything. Then out of instinct he went into their home office and checked their joint credit card statement. Nope nothing. But then it dawned on him that Janice also had her own credit card.

He started looking for any statements and then, after rifling through several document wallets, he found what he was looking for. He glanced through them, some payments immediately stood out, for example refreshments at Chicago Ohare and then payments made to 'The Lounge' at the 'Hilton, Chicago'.

'What the fuck... What was Janice doing in Chicago?'

He checked the dates and then realised it was the same dates she had told him she was going to Phoenix for a three-day training course that she couldn't get out of. Then he saw other billed items that he couldn't explain, meals in various restaurants, coffee during the day, drinks after work when she'd told him she was working late, drinks at a comedy club, then two, no, three separate purchases from 'Victoria's Secret's.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck."

Then he saw a purchase receipt for an expensive Gentleman's watch... A watch he'd not seen.

Later, just before lunchtime he parked up outside his wife's office building, luckily there was a shopping mall across the way. He settled down for what might be a long wait. He was there for the rest of the day and saw nothing. That night he pretended everything was okay. The next day he followed her to work, saw her park up, saw her enter the building, again nothing

Then on the third day around 11.30 he saw Janice come out by the main entrance and head towards her car. She was alone but seemed to be in a rush. Before she set off, he saw her using the vanity mirror to re-apply her make-up. As she drove, he followed, she drove for about twenty minutes, he realised she was heading towards the outskirts of the city. Sure, enough she pulled into the Sunshine Plaza Motel and parked outside the diner. Mark parked up where he wouldn't be seen but he could still see her.

A few minutes later another car pulled in, he watched as the occupant, a man in a suit got out and seeing Janice waved at her through the large window. Mark saw Janice beam and wave back like she was excited. The man entered the diner and Mark watched him approach Janice's table, as he did, she stood to greet him and leaning into him she gave him a hug and an affectionate kiss to his cheek. They both sat down opposite one another, clearly happy to be together. For twenty minutes Mark watched his wife and the man talking over what looked like some ice teas. At times they looked serious then the next minute they were laughing. The veins in his neck stuck out as he saw the man reach over, Mark watched as Janice let him take her hand and hold it across the table.

Mark fisted his steering wheel, he felt like crying, yelling.

Eventually the man checked his phone as if he'd received a message and showed it to Janice. She immediately looked out of the big window and he ducked down.

***

Jake looked at his phone and holding it to her, "As I suspected, you've been followed."

Janice looked at the screen, "You sure?"

"Yep."

She raised her eyebrows, "I suppose it was only a matter of time."

Jake gave Janice a knowing look. "Weve planned for it."

Janice bit her bottom lip. She looked nervous. "You ready?"

He reached for and squeezed her hand, "You?"

Janice smiled, "As ready as I'll ever be."

Jake smiled. "Okay, let's go."

Janice slid out from the table; her companion did the same. She smiled at him.

He grinned. "Now let's put on a good show."

***

Mark watched from his vantage point, he saw his wife and the man stand up, he saw the man put some cash on the table. Then Mark saw the man slip his arm around Janice as the two of them headed towards the door. When they came out into the sunshine, they didn't go to their cars but instead headed towards one of the motel's blocks of rooms. It didn't register to Mark that they hadn't called into reception. Mark saw the man's arm drop, but as it did, she took his arm in hers and holding onto it they began to laugh. They were both quick stepping as if in a hurry.

Mark watched the two of them go up one flight of stairs, Janice went first, the man stood back admiring his wife's legs and ass from behind, Mark couldn't help but notice the sway of her hips, was she teasing? Mark saw they were talking as they walked along the open veranda, again her arm holding his, her head resting on his shoulder. The man was taller than Janice and she was having to look up at the man, she looked excited, enthralled, eager.

Marks insides were knotting up. 'I'll fucking kill her; I'll kill both of them'. Mark opened his glove compartment, saw his gun. He reached for it, then stopped. 'No, she's not worth it.'

Mark saw them enter the motel room, the man sliding his hand down her back as they entered. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck..." He counted the doors.

Mark saw the room door close. Two minutes later he thumped the steering wheel again. "I've got to stop her."

Getting out of his car he slammed the door shut and headed towards the stairs. The nearer he got the more the red mist came down. Before he knew it, he was stood outside the motel room door. The curtains were drawn. He heard his wife's unmistakable throaty laughter inside.

Without thinking he took a step back, lifted his foot and kicked the door, shattering the door lock, the door frame splintering, the door flew open. He charged into the room.

With the sun behind him he yelled, "You fucking..."

Jake saw the silhouetted figure in the doorway, arm outstretched, there was a loud shout of "Gun..." followed by three successive bang's 'Bang, bang, bang...' Then silence and a ringing of ears.

Mark felt as if he'd been walloped in the chest, he saw white, the room began to spin, it felt like the air had been sucked from his lungs, he felt himself drop, then nothing, it went black.

***

As he fell, bleeding on the carpet pandemonium suddenly broke out. Inside the room were three men and Janice. All had sprung to their feet, the three men with guns drawn.

A loud older sounding voice questioned, "Is everyone alright, anyone shot?"

Suddenly Janice screamed, "Oh God its Mark."

She rushed to the bleeding body that was her husband, three chest wounds, blood beginning to pool beneath him as he lay unmoving on his back.

Janice screamed.

The owner of the loud commanding voice then asked, "Who the fuck is..."

Janice screamed, "My husband, you shot my husband... You shot my husband."

The older man issued an order to his younger companion. "Call an ambulance, get the local police on the phone... Tell them no sirens."

Then another question. "Can someone tell me what our contacts husband is doing here."

Janice's companion, the youngest of those present spoke as if addressing a superior. "I don't know Sir; he must have followed us..."

The next question was growled. "Why the fuck did you shoot him? He's unharmed?"

"The light from the door... All I saw was a silhouette, I thought I saw a gun, thought it was a hit, that we'd been rumbled."

The third voice was talking down the phone, then when he hung up, he said the obvious. "They're on their way..." He looked at the body and Janice and the older man kneeling. "What a mess."

Janice was begging, "Do something... Help him."

The older man was knelt trying to stem the flow of blood, he was giving assurance as much for the wife as for the unconscious husband. "The ambulance is on its way."

The second man who'd been on the phone produced some hand towels that the older man then used to try and stop the bleeding.

***

When Mark came to it was bright, he was disorientated. He saw he was in a room; he was dazed, he took in his surroundings; the ceiling was white, a fluorescent light above, the walls were also white with pastel colours, it had the feel of a doctor's room. Then he realised, he was in hospital. He made to move but his right hand was handcuffed to the bed.