Eileen put the papers on the table. "This is a one-year lease for the office space and this one covers the furniture rental and this one takes care of the phone and DSL for your internet. I think that about covers it unless you can think of anything else."
Bill looked at Eileen. "No, I think you've covered everything. How soon will this all be set up?"
"Friday... I know you'll be busy but don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
"Great. What would you like for dessert? I hear the blueberry sour-cream pie is fantastic."
JoAnne looked one last time into the wall mirror, ran her hand across her dark hair and walked outside to her light blue Camry. Soon, she would be traveling down Hawthorne Blvd toward the Torrance Marriott and Philip.
Her three-year affair had filled her early afternoons with lusty excitement. As she drove into the parking structure, she smiled. With her husband's office in Century City, she found the freedom to explore aspects of her personality she didn't know she had before watching that cable TV show one morning about married women and their boyfriends.
She had been amazed that someone would admit to doing that but then she met her old boyfriend at the mall. At first, she and Philip just met at the Cinnabon for a treat and talk about friends from college. That soon became lunch once or twice a week. One day, lunch at the Marriott became room service and so much more.
That first time, Philip had slipped his arm around her waist, taking her tightly against him. They danced in place to music unheard. She hardly knew at what point all movement stopped. Their bodies collided, the curve of her breasts pressing hard against his chest. The world stopped for her as their lips met in a kiss that tasted of excitement and lust. JoAnne's lips parted in a soft sigh that allowed his tongue to invade her, searching desperately for permission to continue.
She shivered from his touch, knowing there was no going back and tightened her own arms around his neck, kissing him eagerly. He swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed.
"Are you really sure about this?" he asked, already taking her clothes off.
She stopped him by pressing his hand to his mouth. "Philip, you talk too much. Make me feel."
Philip breathed a kiss against her fingertips. She could see the hunger in his eyes, but the hesitation as well. "When I asked you..."
"Then, you don't want to make love to me?" She drifted her fingers over his now bare chest.
"Oh, God, yes... but, I don't want you to have any regrets, later. What about your husband?" He couldn't bring himself to mention Bill's name.
She silenced his question by pulling him down to kiss her, again. She never dreamed he would be the one who hesitated.
Philip resisted for just a moment, then with a low groan returned her embrace with an equal hunger, the warm weight of his body pinning her to the sheets. She could feel the heat pulsing between them, the hardness of his arousal pushing her faster into her betrayal of her marriage vows. He kissed her throat, his hand entwining with hers above their heads as he felt himself gather heat.
"I'm not wearing my ring. I want to be yours... yours, alone."
Philip's mouth moved down to taste her throat. Her hands braced against his shoulders as she arched her back, stifling a soft sigh of pleasure as his lips sought the curve of her breast. She felt the heat of his mouth as his tongue caressed her nipple, sending a current of desire racing through her heart.
A kiss? It was more than just a kiss. The intimate feel of his mouth against her breast made her hot, flushed, almost unconscious... and, for one insane moment, she experienced a mad urge to leave Bill and stay with Philip, forever. That kiss sealed the strange union they had made.
The longer her affair continued, the less respect she had for Bill. If he was a real man, she thought, he would have discovered her transgressions.
Bill left Marie Callender's and drove to Bank of America. After emptying their accounts and taking a tax hit on his retirement, he took the most of the money in a cashier's check, leaving thirty thousand for a new account to cover any expenses that might arise. Then, he cancelled the house VISA card.
Finally, he drove to Chase, opened an account for the thirty and put the other check into a new safety deposit box. Even if they didn't divorce over this problem, he had lost all trust in his wife. It was just better to say 'goodbye' and try to move on.
In the car, he found himself crying for what should have been. She had been everything to him and he couldn't understand how she could be so easily swayed by a TV show and a couple of books. Finally, brushing away the tears, he turned on the radio and just sat there.
It started to rain.
"Shit!" he said as he leaned over to roll up the passenger side window. Time to get a real car, he realized. The Dodge was a beautiful car but to drive a quarter-million dollar car around no longer seemed very intelligent. He started the car, listening to the Hemi rumble. Damn her, he cursed. None of this would have happened if she didn't watch all that stupid daytime television.
Going north on Hawthorne Boulevard, he soon came to Rosecrans, turned toward the beach and eventually ended up at the Chevy dealership on Sepulveda. An hour later, after turning down several offers on the Challenger, he ordered a dark red Malibu and arranged for pick-up the following Monday. He felt he was closing one chapter of his life and opening a new one... one that didn't include his wife.
While Bill was closing the purchase of his new car, his wayward wife was once again with her lover at the Torrance hotel.
"Ah, Jesus, JoAnne, do it again." Philip squirmed on the bed, his hands covering his eyes.
JoAnne moved across the hotel bed and took Philip into her mouth. Wrapping her lips around it, she slowly took him into her mouth, scraping lightly with her teeth as her tongue did a dance.
"Oh, damn, that's good." After that, Philip was speechless as JoAnne attempted to swallow him down her throat. She could feel the swell as he tensed and then erupted into her mouth. Rapid breathing was the only sound in the room as she wiped her mouth with the back of her arm.
Bill's cheating wife rolled over onto her back and spread her legs but Philip was still softly limp. "Damn it," she said, quietly and began to slowly stroke him.
"I can't believe that your husband is SO stupid. Telling him HE was cheating is classic."
"I know. I almost feel bad about it. When I'm done with him, he'll be eating out of my hand and we can spend more time together. He's made it clear he doesn't want a divorce. Maybe, I should go to the Friday session."
"He's never asked to see the book?"
"Sure, he did but I told him a friend has it and I'll tell him it's gone; she'll 'conveniently' lose it. You know there is NO book. For a lawyer, he sure... you know, though... I think I made a mistake telling him he wasn't a good lover. I hope I didn't go too far."
"God, I hope not," Philip said. "You attack a man's ability to make love..."
That afternoon, as Eileen continued to call their former clients to explain what had happened, Bill despondently headed home. Walking in, he called for his wife but there was no answer. Going to his new bedroom, he got down on his hands and knees and looked for the pair of slippers he had kicked beneath the bed earlier in the day.
"Gotcha," he said, pulling them out. He looked at them, tired but still comfortable. Is this, he wondered, what our marriage had been? It's certainly wasn't comfortable any more.
In the kitchen, he pulled out a Coors and set the beer down on the table. Then, he looked at the can, confused. Where did this come from? He never bought beer and hardly ever drank. What's going on?
Bill stared at the can as its icy condensation starting to drip onto the table. He got up and opened the refrigerator door again and peered in. There were two more cans on the shelf. He collected all three, took them over to the sink and opening them, one by one, he poured the cold foaming liquid down the drain.
He threw the empty cans into the trash, not even bothering to recycle them. Somehow, it seemed more appropriate to just get rid of them.
