When in Doubt

When in Doubt

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I read every review of my stories that y'all take the time to submit. I give more attention to the ones that are not anonymous, but I appreciate all of them. This story is in response to a review of "Her Client? 02" by SunnyU2. Do I really do that? Yes, it appears that I do. I hope that this story begins to remedy that.

Why do I submit most of my stories in the Loving Wives category when the best rating I've received came from a story in another category? Well, the three stories that I submitted to other categories got a total of 17 reviews. My seven Loving Wives stories have generated almost 600 reviews! The people reading LW stories really get into the details. No matter if the review is good or bad, most are informative to the author. Those people that take the time to review a story have lived it with the characters. They've given it both thought and analysis. Can't ask for more than that!

One more thing, do y'all think that the Loving Wives category should more accurately be called Cheating Wives? Just asking.....

When I was in junior high, Suzy's family moved into our neighborhood. When I first saw her, she was wearing jeans, a Royals baseball shirt, and a Royals baseball cap. She was a lanky thing. She was flat-chested, had no noticeable butt, and absolutely no curves. In fact, I thought she was a guy! I waved and she waved back. I was hoping this new "guy" would be able to play baseball for our neighborhood team. His looks told me that he was built for speed. Furthermore, he was as tall as me. His attire proved that he was interested in baseball.

A few days later, I decided to ask him if he wanted to join our neighborhood team. I knocked on his door and a pretty lady opened it. I asked her if her son was available to play a little baseball. She grinned and asked, "Are you referring to Suzy?"

I did a little stuttering and let her know that I was talking about the guy that I saw when they were moving in. I mentioned that he was wearing a Royals baseball shirt and cap. At that point, she began laughing like a hyena. She said, "I don't think my daughter will like it that you took her for a boy!" She turned around and yelled, "Hey Suzy, there's a handsome guy here looking for you."

When she came to the door, I did a double-take. She was flat-chested and flat everywhere else, but she had a face that could launch a thousand ships. That Royals cap was replaced with some sensational flowing blonde hair. All of that aside, she really did have the face of a movie star. At that point, I did a lot of stuttering. I was finally able to string enough words together to tell her that I'd seen her in that Royals getup and thought she might be interested in playing a little baseball for our neighborhood team.

She said, "So you let girls play on your team?"

I said, "We do now!"

She said, "I saw you pitching to that heavyset guy in your backyard. I must say, I was impressed; especially with your split-fingered fastball. I was tempted to get my bat and see if I could hit it, but my bat was missing in action. It probably got lost during the move. Anyway, I love baseball and the guys that play it. Just tell me where and when and I'll be there with bells on the toes of my cleats."

I

She showed up for our next practice and we had some interesting conversations. My given name is Jeremiah, thanks to my devout parents, but she called me "Jay." I loved it.

The seed of friendship that we planted that day soon grew into something special. She was fun to be around and a good baseball player too. So, we found ourselves playing baseball together on the neighborhood team and getting to know everything about each other. All of my friends were "ass-boys" and/or "tit-boys," so I had no competition. Guess nobody but me was taken-in by her facial beauty.

She became our secret weapon when we played other neighborhood teams. They laughed at us for putting a girl at first base, but by the time the game ended, they weren't laughing anymore. She was beyond good, she was great. She didn't strike out even once, and she hit with surprising power. Her soft hands turned quite a few errant throws to first base into outs.

Sometimes the two of us just strolled down to the park together to play a little catch. I worked on my curveball and tried to master a knuckler. She was catching me with a new first-baseman trapper mitt that I bought her with money I earned by mowing lawns.

We went to places in the neighborhood together and called it dating, but it wasn't. Her parents were beyond strict and they monitored us closely. There was no real dating all through junior high, but there was companionship that grew every day.

The summer before we entered high school, I attended tryouts for the all-city baseball league. They didn't allow girls to play, but Suzy went with me to cheer me on. I made the team. She came to every game. We were inseparable. We spent every possible minute together. It took us a long time to say the words, but we had been in love from the start.

Our first year of high school found us officially dating. We went to every school function together, including most of the sporting events. I became a backup pitcher on the school baseball team, but baseball was not a big deal at our school. Part of that was because of our cold climate. The school year was over by the time we had good baseball weather. I envied the players living in Arizona and Texas.

The basketball coach was after me to join his JV team. He'd seen me playing in the church league and he thought that I had promise because of my speed and ball-handling talent. I only played in the church league to keep my devout parents happy. I didn't like basketball as much as baseball, but the student body felt just the opposite. I relented and began to practice with the JV basketball team.

Suzy and I remained inseparable. During the second half of our sophomore year, mother nature finally noticed Suzy. Her tits began to push their way out of her chest. Her ass became the focal point of her fast-developing curves. She was becoming a beauty in every way. After that, other boys began to notice her. So did the cheerleader "powers that be." She became a Dragonette, which was one step below cheerleader.

Both of us were rising in popularity, but for the rest of the school year and the following summer, we remained a dedicated but scrupulous couple.

Once, when I mentioned the changes in her body and all the attention she was getting, she said, "Jay, you loved me when I was nothing. Do you think I'll ever forget that?" I was quick to reply that she was never "nothing." Not in my eyes!

As time passed, not much changed. On our way to our senior year, we had lots of fun together. All of our friends considered us to be a couple.

The summer before our senior year, I began playing for a semi-pro team. I was their starting pitcher. I made enough money to avoid having to get a job.

During that summer, we had our 18th birthdays just one week apart. Mine first, then hers. After we were officially adults according to state law, we had a discussion about our relationship. All things were possible for us now, but Suzy insisted on certain limits. She said she didn't want to be one of those girls that found herself unable to be everything she wanted to be because she was unexpectedly a mom.

We talked about contraception in all its forms, but she only recognized one way, abstention! I didn't make any effort to change her mind. I supported her decision even if it meant many episodes of "blue balls" syndrome for me!

All-in-all, it was a pleasant summer for us. Suzy attended most of my games and we became closer than ever. As we began our senior year, we were still a dedicated couple. Having said that, we didn't anticipate the pressure that our relationship was about to encounter.

We were still a couple as we began our senior year. She was a cheerleader and I was the starting point guard on the varsity basketball team. We left every game hand in hand.

My best friend on the team was Tony Long. He was well-named. He was the "longest" guy on our team. He was also our best shooter. As you might expect, everyone called him "Shorty." His girlfriend, Lorrie, was Suzy's best friend. The four of us usually went out together for coffee or milkshakes after our games. It became a ritual.

As the starting point guard, I had to join the coaches and some other starters for the after-game meeting with the local media. Shorty had to attend too. No matter the length of the delay, we still enjoyed our "ritual" date as a foursome after the media-fest was over.

I'll always remember that first Friday night when Suzy wasn't waiting for me after the game. Lorrie was there, but not Suzy. I was puzzled and disappointed. Lorrie and Shorty asked me to come with them anyway. Lorrie said that Suzy wanted to go to the after-game party with some of her cheerleader friends, but she would surely join us later. I relented and went with them, but I felt like a fifth wheel. I kept looking for Suzy but she never did join us. I was sad and I was mad!

I didn't call Suzy and she didn't reach out to me after the game or during the weekend. We didn't talk until Monday morning at school. She caught up with me when I was walking to my first class. She explained that she decided to join the other girls at the after-game party and just got caught up in the celebrating. She was convinced that I would come to the party too. After all, everyone expected the point guard to be there. Then she reminded me that we were both in the "popular" crowd now. She was disappointed that I didn't join them.

I told her that I'd heard some bad things about those parties. I'd heard about alcohol, drugs, and low morals. She said, "No one forces anyone to do anything they don't want to do." I told her it might start that way, but there would be ever-increasing pressure to join in. She just shrugged saying, "whatever!"

She stopped waiting for me after any of our games. She "partied" instead. We slipped officially into a dating drought. I saw her "cheerleading" at all of our games, but that was the extent of our interaction.

Now for some good news about our team; we played our way into the division playoffs. Our first game was out of town. It was a late game so we would be overnighting at a hotel. Since it was our team's first-ever playoff game, our cheerleaders were invited too.

When the big day came, we were all super excited. Come game time, our cheerleaders performed at their very best. Our team didn't. We lost the game. There was no after-game celebration. By then, for the first time since she moved into our neighborhood, our friends didn't think of us as a couple.

Unbeknown to me, there had been some secret shenanigans associated with the hotel accommodations for the night. Our reservations had been surreptitiously changed. Instead of Suzy and Lorrie in a room and Shorty and me in another room, it turned out to be Shorty and Lorrie in one room and Suzy and me in the other one. It wasn't that way on paper, of course, but unless the chaperones caught us, that was the way it would be. It was primarily designed to benefit Lorrie and Shorty.

I learned about it right after the game. Shorty said that Suzy had used her position as a school office assistant to help them execute the deception. He told me where to be and when to be there. I was perplexed, confused, angry, and afraid. This violation could get us into some major trouble.

When I entered the specified room at the designated time (ten minutes later than Suzy -- for obvious reasons) she was sitting on the couch. She began talking like nothing bad had happened between us. It was like there had been no dating drought. She said, "Jay, we lost the game, but not because of you. God knows you had a great game. You scored thirty points and didn't turn the ball over or foul anyone. You got the ball to an open man too many times to count. It sure as hell wasn't your fault. I was proud of your performance"

I was puzzled. Why was she was acting this way all of a sudden? I said, "Thanks, Suzy, but I still feel like shit. Not just because of losing the game, but because of this wacky room arrangement. I know that it was hacked-together for the benefit of Shorty and Lorrie, but it sure puts you and me in a precarious position. We both know that they behave like a married couple any time they can. They saw this as an opportunity impossible to pass up, but it could end up being at our expense! If it blows up in our faces, we will suffer as much as they will, but without reaping the benefits they'll be getting."

She asked, "Who says we won't get any benefits?"

Her look was nothing short of flirtatious. I asked, "Do I even know you anymore? What happened to the Suzy I used to know? What happened to those rules she had? What happened to those limits that I, like a fool, always respected? Guess I was just a naive clown. Well, I still am! We may pay a big price if this fiasco gets exposed, but it won't be because we misbehaved. There'll be no benefits for me tonight. I'll be sleeping on this couch."

The coquettish smile left her face. A tear trickled down her cheek as she asked, "Why would you think that I no longer have the same rules and limits that we discussed after we became adults? What makes you think they've changed?"

I raised my voice as I said, "Well, just let me say that Larry, Freddy, and others too numerous to mention told me that you always left those after-game parties with Mark. What were those football players doing at a basketball party anyway? I know Mark pretty well. I knew him before he was the starting quarterback; way before he became the 'big guy' on campus. I know what he wants from a girl and I know that he usually gets it. When he started fishing for you, I thought you would see him for what he is and swim away. Instead, you began swimming toward him and away from me. You stopped dating or even talking to me when he hooked you. Knowing what he does to all of the fish that he catches and considering your inexperience at spitting out the hook, I saw the handwriting on the wall. 'A new and different set of rules,' is what it said."

She bristled as she shouted, "So you know Mark! Do you no longer know me? Just what are you implying? Why don't you just ask me what you want to know?" she yelled.

I lowered the sound level and said, "In light of your attitude, I've changed my mind. Forget any questions. Just know this: if your hymen is still intact, I will sleep on the couch. Otherwise, I make no guarantees whatsoever. I'll just treat you like the slut that you've become."

She folded her arms over her chest saying, "So how do we determine if my hymen is intact? You do realize that just riding a bicycle can rupture it, right? You can examine it if you want to, but what will it prove? Are you ready, doctor?" she asked as she began to disrobe.

"I don't need to examine anything, Suzy. You know the situation. I have never done anything that would rupture that part of your anatomy, but I doubt that Mark can say the same thing," I stated.

She grabbed my hand and looked me in the eye. "I was a virgin when I met you and I still am. Nothing has changed except for your trust in me. Where did that go?" she sobbed.

"I guess it suffered a blow when you stopped being part of our after-game-foursome and started going to your after-game parties. From what I hear you stayed late and then left with a well-known stud. In other words, when you stopped dating me and began dating Mark. Nevertheless, I choose to accept your statement and I will act accordingly. I'm still convinced, however, that you allowed Mark to make it way farther around the base-paths than I did.

"Suzy, I thought I knew you better than any other human being on this planet. I've always been certain that you would never lie to me. At my core, I remain convinced of that. Consequently, I choose to keep your hymen intact. I'll be sleeping on the couch."

She held me close and whispered, "Jay, I said I'm still a virgin. I didn't say that Mark failed to get any farther around the base paths than you did. He may have gotten a step--or two--or three farther than you did; but not significantly farther. My limits remained in force. I still haven't had sex with him or anyone else."

I grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it on the couch, fluffing it slightly.

She grabbed my hand and looked in my eye once more as she said, "Jay, did you hear what I said. I admitted that even though I didn't let Mark break my primary rules, I did let him get farther than you ever did. I can't leave it like that. I know I haven't communicated with you nearly enough about what you've meant and still mean to me. I should have told you that you're the most important person in my life, bar none. I may have forgotten that occasionally, like when I was dating Mark, but I remembered it every time I caught a glimpse of you. I avoided you to minimize my hurt and my overwhelming guilt.

"Before I continue, I have a question of my own. You don't have to answer it, but I hope you will. I know that you get hit-on by multiple females after every game you play. A little bird told me that you've been seen many times lately with other girls. I obtained some names. I know some of those girls, at least by reputation. They are known as 'easy.' Since you were true to me and lived under my rules of denial before you started dating them, that makes for a perfect storm. I started thinking bad thoughts. My question is this: Is your hymen still intact?"

"Suzy, I understand your strategy. Shift the conversation to the fool that you betrayed. Put him on the defensive. Ok, have it your way. I kissed several girls during our dating drought but that was the extent of my misbehavior. I'm still a virgin. I've ridden some bikes too, so I can't prove it. Nevertheless, it's true!"

Her eyes never left mine as she spoke through sobs. "Here's the thing, Jay, I don't want you to be number two in anything. I've never slept all night with anyone since my early childhood. I don't want you to sleep on this couch tonight. I want you to sleep with me in that bed over there. I want you to go at least a step or two farther than I allowed Mark to go. If you need to hit a home run, we're both officially adults, so I'll just lob the ball right across the plate to guarantee you get one. I don't care if I finish with my hymen intact or not. I just want this night to end with the guy that I love more than words can describe, back in love with me. I want you to love me again, Jay.

"Look, Jay, I got caught up in the popularity thing and the glamour of being courted by what you called the 'big man on campus.' It wasn't what I expected it to be. I had to fight advances and slap hands constantly. I finally admitted to myself that the quarterback wasn't anything compared to the point guard.

"I'm very sorry about that whole thoughtless episode with Mark. I know that we both assumed that we were exclusive, but in my defense, there was no pledge to that effect. I want to remedy that right now. I hereby pledge that I will be with you exclusively as long as you'll have me. Nothing else matters.

"I've learned my lesson. I know what I want and it sure as hell isn't Mark. I don't want any other guy. I want you, Jay. If I don't have you, I have nothing." She was crying and so was I. After a long, passionate kiss, I echoed her pledge.

For the first time ever, we spent the night together in the same bed. There were other "firsts" too. I don't know when, but sometime during the night, she let me pass the watermark that had been set by Mark. I do know this, her limits remained in force and her hymen remained intact.

Come morning, we left the room as we entered it--ten minutes apart. I kept looking over my shoulder for a chaperone, but none appeared. I wasn't comfortable until everyone had exited the bus and headed home.