Bad Things

When I got to the office I handed the Evan's paperwork to Jillian (the office manager) and was headed for the door when Barry saw me and asked me to join him in his office. He told Stella (his secretary) to see that we weren't disturbed and he locked his office door. I sat down in the chair across the desk from him.

"Good work on the Evans deal Ryan." I just sat there, said nothing and gave him a small smile. He gave me a nervous grin, looked like he was having a hard time figuring out what to say and then said:

"I've got a problem Ryan; a major problem and I'm at my wits end trying to come up with a solution to it. It is about picking a replacement for Chris. You have more that earned the promotion. You have worked hard for us and you deserve the promotion, but I can't give it to you. My problem is how do I go about keeping you after disappointing you in not giving you the promotion?"

I already knew I wasn't going to get the promotion and why, but Barry didn't know that and I decided to jerk his chain.

"If, as you say, I deserve it why am I not getting it?"

He looked down at his desk for several seconds and then he sighed, looked up at me and said, "Because I got stupid and let myself get into a situation where I let the little head start making the decisions that the big head should have been making."

Even though I understood what he was saying I still asked, "Would you like to clarify that for me?"

He hesitated a bit and then he said, "I know you are going to be severally pissed at me for this, and rightly so, but I'm still going to ask that what I say stays between the two of us and doesn't leave this office" and then without me saying a word he went on.

"You know how Marge flirts with men?" I nodded a yes and he said, "I thought that all it was was flirting. I mean she was married and at every company picnic, Christmas party and other company social gatherings she and her husband seemed to be totally into each other. Since I assumed that all she was doing was some innocent flirting I flirted back and sometimes the flirting got a little risqué. It happened about a month ago and you were there. It was we all stopped after work for drinks at the Alhambra Lounge. Remember?"

I nodded a yes and he continued.

"There was a live band there that night and Marge and I were dancing and she was her usual flirty self. She said something and I can't even remember what it was, but I responded that if she wasn't married I would have her out in the parking lot and on the backseat of my car in a heartbeat. She looked me right in the eye and asked what marriage had to do with it and then asked me if my backseat was big enough. Mind you I was still thinking we were kidding around and so I said that if it wasn't we could always get a hotel room.

"She smiled at me and then asked why we were wasting time dancing. She told me to give her a couple of minute's head start so we wouldn't be seen leaving together and then she'd meet me in the parking lot. I walked her back to the table and she got her purse, said goodbye to everyone and left. I finished my drink and then since it was time for me to leave anyway I got up and left. I honestly did not expect Marge to be waiting for me so I was stunned to find her there.

"She told me that she had looked at my backseat and that it just wouldn't do so we would have to get a room somewhere. I could tell from the look on her face and the tone of her voice that she was serious. There wasn't any sign of flirting. You know how sexy Marge is. I've seen the ay that you look at her tits and I've seen her tease the hell out of you by leaning forward when putting papers on your desk so you could look down her top. I've even seen you lick yours lips when looking down into her cleavage.

"For reasons I'm not going to get into Alice (his wife) and I have not had a sexual relationship in almost two years. I haven't been laid in those two years and there was sexy Marge offering herself to me so when she said we would need to get a room I told her to lead the way and I'd be right behind her. She drove to the Coral Gables Motel, I got us a room and we went at it. She was damned near insatiable. We made it twice and she got me hard for a third time and then she said I could have her ass if I gave her the promotion. I'd never done anal, not even when Alice and I were having sex, and I'd always wanted to try it. I don't know if you can understand it or not, but like I mentioned by then my little head was doing all my thinking. I told her she had it and then I had her ass. When I was rung out and couldn't get it up any more we left the motel.

"As I drove home I started feeling guilty. Not for cheating on Alice because she had cut me off years ago, but I felt guilty for stabbing Marge's husband in the back. Next day at work she could see I was having second thoughts about what we had done and she reminded me of the fact that I had promised her the promotion if she let me have her ass and told me she was going to hold me to it. Then she told me that I could have all of what she had to offer any time I wanted it as long as I kept my promise. I told her how guilty I felt stabbing her husband in the back and she laughed and told me I wasn't stabbing her husband in the back; I was helping her get even with him. He had been cheating on her and she had a private investigator's report to prove it. She even let me read it.

"So there I was. No sex life with Alice or as much as I could handle from a sexpot like Marge. And it wasn't like Marge couldn't do the job because I know she can and if you're honest about it you know she is qualified."

I was honest with myself. Marge could do the job and I could see part of Barry's problem. I could see how a sex bomb like Marge could cause a man who was used to a sex life and who had gone without sex for a couple of years to take her up on her offer.

"So my problem is how do I keep you when I promote Marge?"

I thought about it. Hearing the circumstances did alter my stance on the two of them being cheaters. I mean they were still cheaters as far as their respective spouses were concerned, but I could see why they ended up doing what they were doing and given that I could see that I would be able to work with them without it being a problem for me. I decided to cut Barry some slack.

"How about this" I said. "Give me a raise and pay me what you would have if I'd have gotten the promotion. I don't want the perks that go with the job; no company car or company credit card for the gas and maintenance of it, just the pay raise. That is what Marge suggested right?

He got a stunned look on his face and I smiled and said, "But I'll pass on Marge's offer to sweeten the pot."

I laughed at the expression on his face and then told him how I had found out about him and Marge. I didn't tell him about the video I had; that was going to remain my secret.

"And yes I would really really like to get up close and personal with her girls, but as much as I'd like to I'll have to take a pass. At least as long as I'm still married."

Barry finally managed to get over the shock that I was aware of what was going on and told me that he would cut the paperwork right away and the raise would be on my next paycheck. Then he got what I can only call a wicked grin on his face, told me to give him a minute and left the office. Three minutes later he was back and he had Marge with him. He locked the office door. Marge smiled at me, took off her blouse, unsnapped her bra and let it fall to the floor. I stared at her magnificent tits and I know I licked my lips as my cock went instantly hard. She walked over to me, grabbed my head and rubbed her tits all over my face.

"Consider that a signing bonus and I meant what I said about sweetening the pot if you ever decide you want to give it a try" she said as she picked up her blouse and bra and put them back on. "I'd better get out of here before things get too hot to handle" and she unlocked the door and left. I stood, shook Barry's hand and then I headed home to get ready for the confrontation with my wife.

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She wasn't at the house when I got there, but then I didn't expect her to be. She didn't get off work until five and usually wouldn't get home until five-thirty or so. The question in my mind was would she come home or not. She thought I was out of town and would be gone at least three days and she wouldn't expect me to be home until the next day or possibly the day after. Would she be doing something with Houser since as far as she knew I was still in Dallas? And if she did would she do it here at the house? If she did she would be in for a shock. I'd parked my rental around the corner so she wouldn't know I was home.

The question was answered at five forty-five when she walked in with Houser right behind her. What surprised me was that when she saw me there was no shock on her face; no look that screamed out "Oh shit! I am so fucked!" Instead of being upset at my seeing her with the man that I assumed was her lover she said:

"Good. You're home and we can get things straightened out."

Mark stepped forward and offered me his hand to shake as he said "Hey Ryan; long time no see."

I ignored his hand and said "Straighten what out pray tell?"

"That what you are thinking is way out of bounds."

"And just what is it that you are thinking that I am thinking?"

"You are thinking that I am cheating on you with Mark. I can't believe that you would think that of me."

"And just why wouldn't I? I miss my flight and get home just in time to see you climb into a car with him and kiss him and then follow you to a restaurant where I watch you walk into it holding hands. Why wouldn't I think that something was going on? And then when I called you and asked you were you were you lied to me and told me you were in the basement doing laundry. So tell me Brooke; just why wouldn't I think what I'm thinking?"

"You saw all that and you spent the last three days with that in your head? All I can say is that if you suffered any it is your own damned fault. If you had gotten out of your truck and followed us in you would have seen us join Sally, Joan, Harry, Walt and Mark's wife Carol. That's all it was Ryan. A get together of old friends to be introduced to Mark's wife. To give her an introduction to some of Mark's old friends to give her someone to know in a town she has never been to in her life.

"You said you saw me kiss Mark so tell me, was it a kiss of passion or just a peck on the cheek like you've seen me give to our friends ever since you and I have been together? And so what if I held his hand walking into the restaurant. It meant nothing. I was nervous going in to meet his wife. What was she going to think of me? The woman her husband used to be sweet on? All his holding my hand was his trying to assure me that things were going to be fine."

"I do have to give you some credit. Being able to come up with a story like that on a moment's notice? I'm not supposed to be here until tomorrow and you come strutting in here with your boyfriend, see me and instantly come up with a story like that? I'm impressed."

"Oh grow the fuck up Ryan. Stop jumping to conclusions like a fifteen year old. I called Barry to see when you would be back and he told me that you already were so I called Mark and asked him to come over and give me a hand in setting you straight."

"I can hardly wait for you to explain the lie. If it was all as innocent as you would like me to believe why couldn't you have just told me what was going on? Why the need to lie?"

Brooke sighed, looked down at the floor and said "I had a brain fart. All I can do is plead temporary insanity. You knew about my relationship with Mark before we got together. I panicked. You in Dallas and me here with Mark? If you knew I was with him I just knew what you would think." Then she gave a little snort and said "I wasn't wrong about that was I. I didn't even think about Sally and the others; all I could think about was what you would think if you knew I was with Mark so I lied. Then you dropped the bomb on me and then hung up before I could explain and tell you to come on down and join us."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Why not? It's the truth."

I looked at Houser and he just shrugged and said 'That's the way it was Ryan."

Just then the doorbell rang. I said that I would get it and I walked out of the room leaving Mark and Brooke alone. They could use the time to polish their story a bit. I opened the door to find a live walking wet dream standing there. Blond, blue eyed, very well built and with the face of an angel.

"Hi" she said. "Am I at the right address? Is this Brooke's house?"

"It is."

"I'm Carol. I'm sorry I'm late, but I'm not really familiar with this town and I made a couple of wrong turns."

I stepped out of the ay and let her walk in. "We are in the living room" I said and then led the way. She walked into the room and right up to Houser and laid a kiss on him that should have had steam coming out of his ears.

"Sorry I'm late sugar, but I got lost."

"You're here now and that's all that counts. Carol this is Brooke's husband Ryan. Ryan; meet my wife Carol."

She shook my hand and said "Glad to meet you. Sorry you couldn't make it the other night."

I looked at the two of them beaming at each other the way Brooke and I did when we first got married and then I glanced over at Brooke and the look on her face flat told me "You are in deep shit now Ryan. You are going to pay for all the bad thoughts you have had about me these last three days and the things you've said tonight."

I guess bad things don't come in threes. They come in fours.