2008 Ch. 01

[This is chapter one of at least ten chapters. Somewhere in those chapters you will find betrayal, a bit of honesty, Dom/sub relationship, oral sex, anal sex, coitus, a three-some, a four-some, yoga, the death of one of the characters, new beginnings, and a possible surprise or two. As always I encourage feedback and votes.]

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Ten minutes before we needed to walk out the door headed for work Kaye walked out of the bedroom. I had the newspaper in front of me looking at the list of movies at our nearby theater.

I saw her wearing two-inch heels, charcoal hose and a black skirt but only after I saw the mostly red paisley blouse. It was silk and a gift from her sister given last Christmas and that she had worn three times. All three times I had said something I thought conveyed my feelings about how ugly it was, how it didn't enhance Kaye's anything and how I'd prefer she didn't wear it.

Needless to say my opinion is my opinion and should be kept to myself. Not likely.

"Is your sister joining us on our date tonight?" I asked, in a friendly tone.

"You know she's in Portland." She sat and picked up a piece of toast I'd made and buttered just the way she likes it.

"Oh. So it's just me you have a date with tonight?"

She bit into the toast and looked at me like she thought she would see someone else sitting in my chair. "Of course it's just you. What's this about?"

"You've worn that blouse three times since your sister gave it to you. All three times I've mentioned that I don't like it. Now, you get dressed for a date with me and wear it anyway. I might get the idea my likes and dislikes don't matter, that's why I asked."

She dropped the toast on her plate and stood. "If it bothers you that much, I'll change!" She walked back to the bedroom unbuttoning the blouse. She came back wearing a teal blouse she knows I love. I bought it. She picked up the toast, took a swig of coffee and said, "I'll have to eat this as I drive. Are you happy now?"

"You angry that I said I didn't like the other blouse?"

"Yes! My sister gave me that blouse!"

We were walking to our cars. I said, "Then by all means wear it when she's here on a visit. Put it on and I'll take pictures of you in it all over town and you can send her the pictures, but please don't wear it when your going to be on a date with me."

She got into her Accord and as the door closed I heard her say, "Sometimes you're such an ass!" I guessed that meant I wasn't getting a kiss good-bye. I was right. I got in my truck and by the time I backed out into the street she was out of sight.

My thoughts, as I drove the fifteen minutes to work, changed from Kaye and adding one more item to the growing list of complaints I had about our relationship, to work. I parked in the company lot and made it to my desk on automatic pilot. Four hours later I was at lunch with the same five people I'd had lunch with for five years. Somehow the five of us got together for lunch three times a week. Four of us were married, none to each other, with no kids and all about the same age. The fifth I wasn't sure about. Beth never mentioned a spouse or a date. The first couple of years we worked together she brought a nice looking older guy to some events, but that stopped after a couple of years.

After we were all a few bites into our lunches I asked, "Bob, do you have a shirt your wife hates?"

"Sure. It's a loud Hawaiian. I love it!" He smiled at the memory.

"Phil?" I asked.

"Yeah. I like long sleeved t-shirts. I bought one that's bright yellow. I bought it on line and it arrived while Veronica was out of town. By the time she saw it I'd worn it twice and washed it twice, otherwise she would have returned it."

Bob asked, "You ever wear it?"

"Yup. Every time Veronica's out of town."

I turned my attention to Alison, "Ali, do you have clothes Mike doesn't like?" As I asked the question I really looked at Alison. Most of the time I was around her I didn't look at her. She is what I call clean sexy. She dresses and carries herself like an athlete, clean, well put together, walks with grace and fluidity and wears well-tailored clothes that hint at what isn't shown. She favors blouses that show a tiny bit of cleavage. Her legs and butt I knew from past observations were those of a runner, slender and well muscled.

"No. When we got back from our honeymoon we went through all our clothes and what he doesn't like went in the trash. What I didn't like of his also went in the trash."

"What happens when you go shopping and buy something new?" Beth asked.

"I keep the receipt and leave the tags on. I show it to him and it only goes in the closet if he likes it. He does the same thing."

Phil asked, "Pete, why the question? You wear something Kaye didn't like?"

"No. Kaye's sister gave her a silk blouse for last Christmas. It's so ugly it'd make a blind man puke. Since Christmas she's worn in three and a half times."

"And a half?" Alison asked.

"And a half. She and I have a dinner and movie date tonight. She came to breakfast wearing that blouse! Every other time she wore it I told her I didn't like it and didn't think it was flattering on her. When I said something this morning she exploded and called me an ass. I don't get it."

"She knew you don't like it and wore it anyway?" Alison asked.

"That's what I don't get. I would never wear a shirt I knew she didn't like, unless she was out of town."

"To quote the kid who lives next door, She's dissing you, man." Phil said. Heads nodded.

"Phil, we're about the same size. Can I borrow your bright yellow shirt?"

Beth leaned closer and said, "I think I smell a behavioral experiment in the making."

I nodded, "Right! I want to see her reaction to my wearing a shirt she doesn't like."

Phil asked, "Not everyone hates that shirt! I like it! What if you wear it and she likes it?"

"I'll still give it back to you."

"Ok. I'll bring it with me tomorrow."

During the afternoon I started looking in my memories at other ways Kaye might be dissing me. I found a few and noticed I tried to find other reasons for her behavior, other than dissing me. I remembered that sometimes she'll ask, "Where would you like to go for dinner?" We never end up at the place I recommend, unless I recommend Red Lobster, her favorite. I looked at that and said to myself, "Maybe she has a good reason for saying no to my choices. Yeah, then why ask?"

I drove home at the end of the day, stopping at the car wash so our transportation would be clean and smell good for our date. The guy at the car wash asked which air freshener I wanted. I know whenever Kaye takes her car to the wash she gets lavender. I have done it too, to please her, but I don't like my truck smelling like a whorehouse so I told the guy citrus.

I still got home ten minutes before Kaye. I went inside, shaved and brushed my teeth. I put on a fresh shirt, too. After all, I was getting ready for a date.

I heard Kaye's Accord pull into the garage so I went out the back door. She saw me, waved and got into the truck. I locked the house and got into the truck. Before my butt landed on the seat she asked, "You been hauling lemons in here?"

"No. The guy at the car wash sprayed citrus in here so it wouldn't smell too manly."

"I don't like it."

I turned the key and she immediately opened the window.

"If you'd like we can take your car or stop at the car wash for another fragrance." I said.

"I'll survive. Let's go."

I put the truck in reverse and asked, "Where would you like to go for dinner?"

"Anywhere. Let's just go all ready."

"OK. There are three eateries across from the theater. We'll decide when we get there."

"Nathaniel's is a block farther and I like their brisket."

"Is that where you want to go?"

"Yes."

Mentally I was making notes. We ate at Nathaniel's and she had chicken. We had talked about seeing "Dark Knight" on our date. She changed our mind as we approached the ticket booth, deciding she didn't want to see a "Dark" movie. Instead, she picked "27 Dresses". If there was ever a movie that fit in the category of "Chick Flick" that movie fit. A few minutes into the movie I put my hand on her thigh. She covered my hand with hers and held me there through the end of the movie. A couple of times I started to move my hand and she pressed harder to keep me from moving.

As we walked to the truck I reached for her hand. She folded her arms. I opened the door for her and she looked at me like I had slapped her. When I had closed the door and gone around to get into the driver's seat, she buckled in.

When my belt clicked I reached to start the engine. "Why do you always think I need you to open the door for me?"

"I don't. I know you can do it. I enjoy doing it for you. I'd open the door for any woman getting into my truck. I did it for my mom every time she ever rode with me."

"I'm not your Mom. I don't like it. Please don't do it again."

"I'll do it once more, when we get home, then I'll never do it again. Ok?"

"No. I don't like it. Don't do it again." She rode all the way home with her arms folded and her mouth closed.

When I shifted into PARK she unbuckled and opened the door. She jumped to the ground and walked to the back door, opened it with her key and went in. She left the back door open. I closed the garage and followed her, closing and locking things as I followed.

By the time I made it to the bedroom she was in the shower and the bathroom door was closed. I undressed and showered in the guest bathroom. I still was in bed before Kaye. She came to bed in a t-shirt and panties and I watched her long legs move across the room. Even when Kaye is pissed she walks like a dancer, so fluid and graceful it turns me on each time I get to watch.

I was on my side facing her side of the bed when she got in. Her bedside lamp was the only light on in the house. She shut it off and rolled onto her side facing away from me.

I waited fifteen or so seconds and said, "Thanks for the great date, Honey. I can't remember when I've had such a romantic date." I rolled to face away from her and she said, "If it wasn't romantic enough for you, tough! You started the day picking on me. You treated me like an invalid and tried to grope me in public. Not romantic from where I sat."

"You want to fight?" I asked.

"No! I want you to apologize!"

"I apologize for the men and women in my family teaching me that treating a woman like a lady has a man open doors for her. I apologize for telling you that you were wearing clothes that don't flatter you, in my eyes. I know how good you can look and I love seeing you at your best. I apologize for saying so. I apologize for thinking a darkened theater is dark enough and private enough for a husband to have his hand more than three inches above his wife's knee."

"That's not the apology I wanted."

"I'm not surprised." Neither of us spoke until the alarm sounded at 6:00am. As she got out of bed I said, "I apologize for not dying in the night."

She slammed the bathroom door. By the time she came out, I was dressed and gone.

'What is going on in her head?' I wondered. I didn't take the shirt from Phil. I liked it a lot. When lunch was over Beth handed me a folder and walked away. I took it back to my desk and read what was inside.

It was a story, copied from a web site. I read an account of a man and wife who were having troubles because the man she wanted was not who he was being. He had been raised to be the nice guy. He catered to her whims when what she wanted was to be controlled. When he took her to dinner he let her pick the restaurant and order. Things changed in the story when she decided she could have a macho lover and her man would put up with it. He changed from pussycat to tiger and she got scratched! He read books and web sites about Domination and submission and became assertive. By him becoming more assertive he got his wife back.

I read the story three times. I took it with me when I left work an hour early. When I got home I went to Kaye's closet and found the ugly red paisley blouse. I hung the empty hanger in the laundry room and took the blouse to my bar-b-que grill. I wet it good with lighter fluid and lit a match. I watched as it disappeared into ash and I smiled as I watched. I went back into the house and opened my computer. I typed an invitation to Kaye.

You are Invited

For a weekend of Pleasure

The weekend of

7-8-9 June.

Pack for a weekend in the sun,

With water (Perhaps swimming, boating,??)

And dinner out each night.

If you accept we leave at 5:45pm on Friday the 7th.

This weekend will not cost you so much as a dime.

However, to accept you cannot ask questions about the weekend.

If you accept the invitation, sign this paper before June 4th and

hand it to the man you want to go with.

That weekend was only a few days away. I rented a cabin from my Uncle. It was a two and a half hour drive from our home and near a lake. Kaye had been there once, in the dark.

I found an envelope in my desk and addressed it to Kaye. I propped it with the invitation inside, against the salt and pepper mills on our table and went back to my computer. I looked up some topics I had read a little about in the story. When I heard the garage door closing I changed to a site about cabins for sale near Lake Arrowhead.

I heard the back door open, then close. I heard the envelope tear. Two minutes later I heard our bedroom door close. I went back to the site I had been reading and read a bit more.

When the bedroom door opened I switched to the cabin site. Kaye opened the door and asked, "Last night you were angry and today I get an invitation? I don't understand."

"Which part of the invitation don't you understand?"

"On it's own, I understand it. Together with last night, I don't. The last thing you said to me this morning was an apology for not dying last night!"

"When you went to sleep last night weren't you so pissed at me I didn't even get a kiss? Hadn't you asked for an apology and then rejected it when I gave it? Hadn't you said I was treating you like an invalid and dissing you by groping you in public? I got the impression that if the alarm woke you this morning and you found me lifeless you'd have been relieved."

"I wouldn't have been relieved! My God, you're my husband!"

"Lately it's been harder and harder for me to know that. What have you done in the last month that would tell anyone watching that you and I are more than persons of opposite sex sharing living quarters?"

"I came home to you every night."

"Since we both live here where is the evidence you came home TO ME? Did you call during the day? Send me an email? No. Did you come in and say hello? No. You used to come home and kiss me hello. I recall hearing you come through the door in the distant past and say, "Hi Honey, I'm home." That hasn't happened when you come home in weeks, maybe months."

"Saying that is so juvenile. We're adults."

"Did you ask me how I felt about the greeting? No. Did you discuss it with me at all? No. You just stopped. The words stopped and the kisses stopped too."

Seconds passed without either of us speaking. Finally I asked, "Are we doing something together for dinner? Do you want to have dinner with me? Shall I fend for myself? What is your plan?"

"I'd like to do dinner together, but not to fight."

"Good! How long till you're ready to go? I'll buy."

"Where?"

"You pick tonight and I'll pick tomorrow night."

"Red Lobster. I'll be ready in ten minutes."

She left and in fourteen minutes she was actually ready to walk out the door. I walked directly to my door and got into my truck. She got in and buckled in as I watched. We went to Red Lobster. She told me about the stress at her job and the latest gossip about her co-workers. When the bill came I paid it and waited for her at my truck while she used the ladies room. As she approached I unlocked her door with the button on my armrest.

When we got home I made no move to help her exit the vehicle. I opened the back door and asked her if she would be offended if I left it open.

"Why would I be offended?"

"You might think I left it open as a signal that you are infirm, sick, weak, or some other interpretation I didn't intend. I want to avoid that. You were pretty strong about not wanting me to treat you the way I was taught to treat women. I need to check so I don't piss you off."

"It's Ok to leave the door open if we're both going through the same door."

"So, it would have been Ok for me to hold the door for you at Red Lobster?"

"Yes!"

"I may need to start keeping notes on the new rules."

"I doubt it. They make sense." She walked in. I closed the door after she was inside. The torn envelope was on the table. She walked past it and didn't even give it a look. I went into the living room and turned on Jeopardy. She went in to her computer and stayed there until time for "The Biggest Loser". We watched it together. I stayed pretty quiet and listened to her comments. She was for whatever the women did and voiced how unfair it was to have the women competing against the men. "Everyone knows men lose weight faster."

When it was over and they sent a man home she said, "He was too big a threat. They did the right thing." She left the living room and went into the bedroom. I got there just before she did. Not because it was a race. I was sitting closer to the hallway during the show.

As always I went into our bathroom and undressed, turned on the shower and when the water was at a good temperature I asked, "You joining me in the shower?" There was a ten second pause and she said, "No thanks. I'll wait my turn."

She hadn't joined me in the shower in two weeks. She used to join me almost every day.

When I finished and came out of the bathroom she was in a robe and quickly went into the bathroom and closed the door. 'What was she hiding?' I wondered.

I got into bed, leaving the only light on the bedside lamp on her side of the bed. She came out of the bathroom and reached for the switch on the lamp before she removed the robe. I said, "Are you hiding something from me?"

"No! Why would you ask that?" She took a half step back as she asked.

"I'll be blunt. I haven't seen you naked in weeks. You close the bathroom door every time you go in there. You don't shower with me any more. You're about to shut the light off before you get into bed and I'd guess that under the robe you have on a t-shirt and panties. Given how we were together six months ago, I'd say you're hiding something."

"Well, I'm not. I just know if I'm naked around you it turns sexual very quickly, and I'm not in the mood."

"Oh." I said. "That explains it. Ok." I rolled over and faced away from her. She shut the light off and got into bed.

In the morning she got the bathroom first. I dashed to the guest bathroom and quickly did my rituals and got out of the house headed for work before she came out of the bathroom.

The deadline for accepting the invitation was the next day. I made reservations for a rental car for the drive up to the cabin. I called ahead to a restaurant recommended by my Uncle. At lunch Beth sat next to me and when the others left she asked, "Did you like the story?"

"It opened my eyes. I liked it and I hated it."

"And?"

"And I want to have a conversation with you, but not here."

"After work you could drive to Woody's and sit on the patio. We can talk there, if you like." I nodded. She patted my arm and went back to work. I cleaned up the table and went back to work as well. By four o'clock I had finished the project I'd been working on and didn't need to start the next thing until the next day, the fourth of June.

I let the boss know I was done for the day and I left. By 4:30 I was on the patio of Woody's and I was alone. Ten minutes later Beth walked in and sat across from me. The waiter followed her to my table and she said, "Iced tea with extra lemon, please." He turned and disappeared.