Dan Carson had to admit that his curiosity was piqued. Ben Stevens had asked to meet with him at Megan's Ale House. He hadn't seen Ben in several years, although they had been pretty good friends at one time. Dan was sipping a beer when Ben entered the bar.
The two men shook hands before Ben asked the bartender for a draft beer. Dan waited patiently for Ben to return and take a seat.
"I know you must be wondering why I asked you to meet me tonight. I wish I had better news, but it is what it is," began Ben. "We've known each other for eighteen years, give or take. Years ago, we were pretty good friends, but we were never as tight as our wives are."
Dan felt a knot begin to form in his stomach. He immediately wondered what news Ben had for him and just how bad it might be.
"You can't lead with a comment like that and then change the subject," Dan stated. "Do you have bad news about Angie, Dana, or about both of them? Has there been an accident or something?"
"I guess you could call it an accident. I don't know it you remember my Army buddy, Glen Thomas, but he called me two days ago with some bad news.
"His daughter, Julie, works on a cruise ship. She's a bartender on the Sea Princess, the same ship that our wives are on. Like I said, Glen and I were in the Army together and became best friends. We always had each other's back."
"How does all of that concern me?" Dan demanded. "Does Angie have a problem, or did she get hurt?"
"I'm getting to it. This is hard as hell for me, but I think you need to know. Our wives appear to be on some sort of sex junket," Ben revealed as he wiped a lone tear off his cheek.
"What in hell are you talking about? Our wives wouldn't cheat on us, especially with their other friends on the same cruise. They'd never be able to keep it secret."
"They don't have to, Dan. All five of them are getting their brains fucked out on that fucking ship," Ben replied. "They each have their own room and have a male 'friend' shacking up with them."
"How can you be so damned sure of this?" Dan asked. "It could be Julie saw something that she misinterpreted. I don't think she even knows Angie. I bet when the facts come out, you'll feel pretty foolish about these accusations."
"Julie recognized Dana the same night they set sail. She and the other four were at the bar Julie was working. Dana never recognized, Julie, obviously," Ben added. "The five were drinking a lot and got pretty loose with their conversation. The gist of it was they were going to bed five lucky bastards that Michelle had lined up for them.
"You know how they were all in the same sorority in college," Ben continued. "It seems they made a pact way back then that they'd get together in 25 years for a week of casual sex with men who were not their husbands, or boyfriends.
"The women were drinking and talking at the bar for almost an hour when five men sauntered up and joined them. They took their drinks to a table too far away for Julie to hear their conversation," Ben said. "She was able to see them quite clearly, however, and they were making out with the guys like school girls at the prom."
"I'm sure you mean well, Ben. You drove quite a distance tonight to tell me this, but I still have some doubts. Your friend's niece doesn't know Angie. She may not have been part of that group," Dan reasoned. "I'm not going to ruin a twenty year marriage because your friend's daughter saw your wife and thought one of the women with her was Angie. It's too big a stretch. I trust Angie implicitly."
"I understand that," Ben agreed. "Hell, Julie's seen Dana quite a few times when she was younger but I still couldn't bring myself to believe what Glen told me about what she saw and heard. Julie was thirteen the last time she saw Dana. Julie's changed her hair color and grown up since then. She was certain that Dana didn't recognize her. You know how bartenders and maintenance workers become almost invisible to most of us as we go through our days.
"When I told Glen that I thought Julie was mistaken, he told me he thought that I'd feel that way, so he showed me a dozen photos that Julie had surreptitiously snapped with her phone. Sure as shit, Angie and Dana were in them, as well as the other three fucking sluts," Ben practically snarled.
"You have pictures?" asked Dan. "Even so, sitting around a bar with friends on a cruise ship doesn't prove infidelity. There could be another explanation."
"Again, I thought the same thing until Glen sent me the photos. They were bad enough to cause me a sleepless night," Ben admitted. "Since I couldn't sleep, I had lots of time to stew over this.
"I thought of Rob Hanson, Josie's husband. You know he comes from old money, and lots of it. I remembered that Dana once told me that he made Josie sign a prenuptial agreement. It occurred to me that a wealthy man with a possibly unfaithful wife might have the inclination and wherewithal to investigate the situation. I called him first thing the next morning. To say he was interested is an understatement."
"Did he agree to check into it?" Dan asked. "I wonder if he'll be able to find out anything since they're at sea. He can't get a detective on board now. It's a five day 'Whoopie Cruise to Nowhere'. There aren't any ports of call. Angie told me that the five women just wanted to enjoy some time together, like the old days. She never said anything about all of them getting laid like their college days."
"As I said, he has money and a lot of it. He knows a guy who, for a substantial fee, can manage the impossible," Ben revealed. "His fixer found out that there was a vacationing private detective onboard the ship. They agreed on the fee and the detective was on the job by noon."
"From your grim attitude, I'll bet that the private dick got the goods on Josie," Dan surmised. "Since the five are together so much, they must all have some damning evidence against them."
"That's exactly what happened. They weren't very discreet once they left port. Hanson sent me a shitload of photos and videos. Our wives are fucking stars. I mean that literally," Ben stated.
"How did he get access to their rooms?" Dan asked. "I don't think that's legal or at least not admissible in court."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Ben demanded. "Most states are no fault, including the one we live in. All I needed was to see Dana with her big cocked lover to know my marriage was over. I don't need to prove shit to anyone else.
"I'll show her a few highlights so she won't try to talk her way out of a divorce," Ben declared. "I think she'll be pretty reasonable when she realizes the havoc I can wreak on her career and family."
