Diary of a CH Pt. 01

Hi all,

Well this is my second effort and I would like to think that I have learnt from my first outing and eradicated some of my many many flaws. For that, I would like to send a huge thanks to Todger65 for all his hard work correcting my spelling and punctuation errors and hopefully making the story more enjoyable. For ease of reading, I decided to split the story into three parts.

As before, I welcome and look forward to your thoughts.

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Ladies, gentlemen and honoured guests, good evening and welcome to the Grosvenor Hotel, London! The announcement came across the loud speakers, ensuring that the packed room immediately fell silent and waited expectantly for the nights festivities to commence.

The great, good and influential of the literary world had all gathered in the Great Room for the second instalment from the new sensation Marsha Tillman. An unknown author less than a year ago, now one of the hottest writers out there. Her follow up book was eagerly anticipated.

However, tonight's event held an additional magical aura. Marsha Tillman since crashing onto the world scene with her number one best seller, had proved to be quite the enigma. As the book soared to uncharted heights, the press and the public clamoured to meet this new arrival. Only she had shunned the accolades and the limelight. The clamour had grown so vehement that the press had taken it upon themselves to establish the identity of the author.

'Why is she hiding? What has Marsha got to hide? Marsha, WHERE are you?' were just some of the many headlines that dominated the press as her book achieved un-paralleled success. The paper campaign showed no signs of relenting, there were even rumours of attempted bribery. Finally, the pressure became unbearable forcing the publishers to react. Only instead of a great unveiling, they turned the tables on the press and appealed to the public to respect Marsha's wishes to remain anonymous! Let Marsha's words, speak for her, they cried! The public agreed, and the sales of the book rocketed. Publicly the press relented, or though in truth everyone realised that the hunt for just who Marsha Tillman was, was still very much on!

Then finally after months and months the publishers made a surprise announcement that sent a shockwave through the literary world.

Not only did they announce that the upcoming follow-up book was going to be released this Friday evening at midnight, but that the author would not only be in attendance but was willing to come forward and introduce themselves!

As you could imagine, the industry went into meltdown and the demand for both press credentials and admittance went into overdrive. The allure was not only fixed to the written world, but due to the immense global success of the novel, Hollywood had come calling. For the last month several production companies had been fighting for the rights to bring the story to the silver screen. The Grosvenor Hotel had been selected to host the event and for many people that night, their lives and perceptions were about to change.

Discovery:

Hi, my name is Nicholas Sheppard, Nicky to my friends. The announcement killed the conservation within our little group causing a momentary lull, but now a huge surge of excitement erupted from the masses as they all started to position themselves as close to the newly erected stage. The semi organised stampede was now in full flow, champagne, wine and tasty nibbles were quickly discarded. My own little group was no different. We were a party of Ten under the invitation of my wife's boss Michael Franklyn. He was the chairman of Aspect Media Holdings and had been in negotiations to buy the rights and turn the novel into a film. Alongside him stood his model wife Mary. He was good looking, charming and charismatic, a typical alpha male. Next to him was Tod, Simon and Angela, all key players in the upper echelon of AMH along with their wives and partners, leaving just my stunningly beautiful wife Zoe and myself. I have to admit that we all looked resplendent. A black tie and elegant dresses were the order of the day, and the rich and influential here tonight; did not disappoint. Of course, by now you'll all realise that my wife and her boss are in the midst of an illicit affair and that everyone in our little group are aware of it, possibly with the exception of his wife Mary and supposedly myself.

Yes, I think we can all agree my life is that complicated.

You see, I'm a firm believer in things happen for a reason and that when you eventually hit rock bottom then in reality, the only way in up! Easier to say, especially with a gigantic hole in your heart, but it's true. Zoe and I have been married for nearly five years. Before my discovery I would have called them glorious years and I would have happily shouted from the highest building, that I was the luckiest man in the world.

When I discovered her affair, I was destroyed. It was fortunate that she was away for a few days sampling her lover's charms; otherwise my life would be very different now if she had been near to me. Just thinking about it, even now, still send cold shivers down my spine. Destroying her would have been simple, but it also meant that I would be destroying the most important and precious person left in my life, my daughter Ellie. At that time, she was a precocious three-year-old. Protecting her and ensuring that I stayed in her life became my priority and was the real reason for my presence this evening, dressed up in a penguin suit. You see from the wreckage of my marriage, I rediscovered myself, re-found my talent and formed an everlasting bond with my daughter.

Oh, and tonight, I was going to wreak my vengeance!!

The beginning:

I was in my final year at University, studying English when she crashed into my life. I'll try my best to simplify the situation if I can. You see my last couple of years at Uni became slightly surreal. Somehow between studying and partying, myself and three fellow inmates penned a movie script. To make matters worse the idea grew traction and we brokered a deal to have it produced. This was all done under the eager tutelage of our professor Ivan Thomas. When I say tutelage, what I really mean to say is that he surfed on the back of our talent, but claimed his share because he took on the negotiations with the film industry and productions companies. He had a history in this area, this was one of the reasons we initially went to him. He quickly declared that without him we would have nothing but an unwanted script. So, with him at the helm, 'The Golden Lady' emerged from our subconscious and became a reality. Tonight, was a celebration of the fact that production had finished and very soon all our endeavours would be displayed on the big screen.

The large raucous Hollywood style crowd were celebrating the exploits of a tale of a classic adventure story, only this one included a fabled mythical treasure, love and deception and ultimately revenge. The flow of conversation was buoyed by the copious amounts of free booze and food available, complemented by the excellent music. It was a great and enjoyable party for, well nearly all! You see the four of us, despite being honoured guests were well out of our depths. Our illustrious professor and self-appointed leader had certainly made himself at home, flitting and rubbing shoulders with such an elite and illustrious crowd. The only benefit for us was, his shadow was so big and impressive that it enabled us to hideaway in the background without be noticed.

It was then that I saw her.

I can't be sure what touched my heart first. Whether it was her golden hair cascading down her elegant shoulders, or that she possessed a smile that illuminated the whole room. I effectively couldn't breathe. Or was it the tight cream dress she was wearing. Simple, sexy and stunning. It offered the opportunity for every man in the room that night to feast upon perfection. I think I was officially in love when she started to dance. No, not with me. I was still standing like a wallflower on the other side of the room. It was when she sensually moved to the music and the slit on the side of her dress revealed the slim and slender legs that went up to heaven. I could go on and describe the rest of her, but at that time it was evident to everyone in my group and the rest of the room that I was staring and bordering on embarrassing myself. With that, I was quickly brought back down to earth as her dancing partner swooped swiftly in at the end of the song and claimed her with a kiss!

Despondently I returned back to the conversation we were having and agreed with the general consensus that we exit this elaborate shindig and escape back to the sanctuary of our local watering hole, 'The Wordsman'. Taking one last loving look we departed, I doubt we were even missed.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a shrinking violet when it comes to the fairer sex. I wouldn't say I was a lady's man, but I'm tall, good looking and under certain circumstances, I could even be classed as charming. It was just that during Uni, I wasn't interested in a long-term girlfriend or anything permanent. Casual, fun and often was the mantra, well that was before 'TGL' consumed and took over our lives for the best part of a year.

Pacman was my best friend and the next day he was banging on my door at some ungodly hour. My hangover had barely subsided, when he had forcibly informed me that we were going out again tonight. My dues for being his best mate was to play the role of a third wheel. Paul came from money, so University to him was nothing more than a playground to date and enjoy women. On tonight's menu was Pamela. He had been pursuing her for a while and tonight was his chance. The problem was, she came with a friend. Therefore, my presence was required to take care of said friend giving him a clear path towards the luscious and available Pamela.

This could be love, he stated as I claimed poverty, tiredness and a severe need to study. Eventually he knew he would wear me down, so here we sat in Luciano's an expensive and exclusive Bar and Restaurant on the outskirts of town. I had never been here before, but just one look at the price list told me this place was well out of the reach of a poor downtrodden student.

You owe me BIG TIME for this I muttered as my life changed forever. Two blonde sirens appeared before us and I realised for the first time in my life, that dreams do actually come true. Her name was Zoe, she was a year out of Uni and had started working at Aspect's Media Holdings in the PR department. By the time we reached dessert we were so engrossed in each other that we both failed to see our respective friends leave. Fortunately, Paul had already paid the bill.

The evening carried on with us just lost in each other. Laughing, joking, and even finishing each other's thoughts and sentences. The best way I could describe my feelings at the end of the evening as she gave me a kiss goodnight was that I was suddenly deprived of the sun. In her presence everything gravitated to her. She was funny, alluring, intelligent and incredibly sexy. The simple effect of being near her was intoxicating. Maybe at such an early stage I should have considered Ithaca and what happened to mere mortals who flew to close to the sun; alas I was in love and I didn't care. The only thought I had was to be in her presence again.

So, went our relationship. The first time we made love was in my dorm room. We had tickets for a local show but on her way over to pick me up the weather had changed and in a sudden deluge she was drenched. I've never seen anything so sexy as she looked standing in my doorway, bedraggled with a sexy dress clinging tightly to her beautiful body. I can't explain my thought process except that I took charge and within seconds I was enjoying those wonderful breasts. I found out later just how sensual her breasts, really were. This was quickly followed by removing the last item of clothing she wore. A small red pair of silk panties. She was clearly aroused and within seconds she was screaming my name as I slipped between her thighs and let my tongue explore.

She wasn't about to be outdone and as soon as her second orgasm hit she undressed me and returned the favour, paying specific attention with her mouth. At one stage as she took me completely, I thought my heart would stop. With barely a thought of recovering, I threw her onto the bed. Before we let matters get to far, she quickly produced a condom and took great delight in putting it on before lying back on the bed with her legs splayed apart. At some point in the early hours we must have fallen to sleep. After that night we spent the next four nights together, sampling each other's body. Nothing was off the table.

Our first fight was nearly our last. We'd been hot and heavy for the best part of six months, when 'TGL' reared its head again. There were noises of a sequel and under the contract we'd signed we were required to provide assistance with the upcoming script. Due to our studying commitments, we agreed to a couple of weeks of evening workshops. In truth the script stunk and it took us just over a month to make it workable.

Focused solely on exams and TGL 2, my relationship suffered. Zoe on the surface appeared supportive and provided me with the space to accomplish my tasks. The problem arose when after three weeks apart I started to hear whispers about Zoe and her activities without me. At first, I tried to ignore the rumours but eventually I couldn't get the images out of my mind of her with someone else. So, one night instead of immersing myself in the library, I stole myself away to the local nightclub. I heard from various sources that she would be there tonight. Adopting my wallflower impression, I saw her arrive with a large group of friends. I recognised most of them from her work. They were all laughing, joking. Just blowing of steam. Halfway through the evening I saw her on her phone, the next thing I knew a received a text, telling me how much she loved and missed me. At that point I suddenly felt foolish and I decided to show myself. I was on my way down the stairs when I was beaten to the punch by a large impressive looking man who appeared out of nowhere and quickly whisked her onto the dancefloor. It was evident that they knew each other and her laugh, the locked embraced and his hand placement only confirmed my worst fears. Within minutes of the song finishing they were bidding goodnight to the group and were out of the door.

My new life:

Five days later the amended script was finished and we went out to celebrate. At first Zoe was confused that I wasn't speaking to her. This was quickly followed by anger, that was until I sent over a photo of her and lover boy locked in a passionate embrace. After that I received a tirade of responses, ranging from hurt that I could accuse her of such a thing. I had the wrong idea and that yes, she kissed him BUT nothing else happened. She blamed me a lot, it was ALL my fault for leaving her alone to the final insult; accusing me of being a pathetic voyeur. When she finally realised that I wasn't going to respond to any of her many messages, I had hoped that she would finally just leave me alone.

With her in the painful past, the group of us decided to hit the town and party. Sarah Tolliver, the brightest of the inmate four had also invited a couple of her girlfriends to party with us. We quickly became a large group. Sarah was a lovely girl, pretty, smart and a lesbian. WHAT, yes, she preferred women over men? Despite that she became one of my best friends. Knowing the funk, I was in she introduced me to Josie. As our vocal group flitted from watering hole to watering hole, Josie and I got better acquainted. We at some point ended up back at Pauls pad, where we were entertained with a fully stocked bar, a jacuzzi and several unoccupied bedrooms. We bade goodnight to the group and took our party upstairs.

Unbeknown to me, Zoe was out with her own friends and witnessed our group as we entered a trendy bar. I never saw her, but she saw me and Josie all over each other. The next day she was on a mission and this time she wouldn't take no for an answer. It took a week before I finally cracked. She claimed nothing happened apart from the kiss, she was lonely and he was just a friend. A further two weeks of her on full throttle and we were back together.

Life moved swiftly on from there. I graduated and received a welcome pay-out from my endeavours of TGL. Zoe had been promoted within the PR department and was on the fast-track for a stellar career. She even arranged five job offers for me. I knew though that in that moment that my dreams of writing a novel would have to wait. We both have needs, she calmly told me. Nick, I love you, but this relationship is a joint venture. I want a career, a good life and WHEN the time is right, a family! When we've accomplished this, you can take time out and write YOUR novel. Deep down, I knew she was right. Our relationship was a joint undertaking, therefore with a little adjustment to my dreams and manly pride, I moved seamlessly from university life to that of a hardworking man.

We eventually chose Fidelity Advertising. They were a small boutique advertising agency on the rise. Out of all my offers, they felt like the best fit for me. Although, I realised immediately that the work would be unrewarding and ultimately unfulfilling. However, I consoled myself that this was just going to be for a short time and that building a future for Zoe and I was more important. Oh yes, did I forget to mention upon graduating I proposed and she said YES!!

Life was great, and hardly a year into wedded bliss, Ellie came onto the scene. It was unplanned and caused a major ripple. Zoe's career was on the fast-track and her earning potential was far greater than mine, plus my company were more than happy for me to work part time from home. So, we agreed for the interim for me to become a house husband.

Fast forward three years of ignorant married bliss:

Ellie was fast asleep. The cold she was suffering from had meant I had to keep her home from her regular day at day care. Fidelity were unhappy as they couldn't find my copy for the upcoming ad for Polar Breath Mint's. I assured that, that I had everything on USB just for this kind of eventuality. I didn't need to be in the office, I would work from home. All I had to do was simply fire up my laptop and send them over a workable copy.

Disaster, Ellie had somehow managed to get her hands on my unattended laptop and in the way only a young child could do, she'd effectively killed it. Panic surged through me; if I couldn't send them a copy then I would have to wake her up and take her across town to the office. It was at this time that I realised that Zoe had left her Apple Mac behind. Normally I would never consider touching her holy grail, only I was in a real bind. Knowing that she would never know, I quickly switched it on. It was password protected of course, but her password was Ellie followed by her date of birth. Five minutes later I had uploaded the USB and fired of the copy of the AD. Job done!

Well it would have been if she hadn't left open her email account. I thought about NOT looking, but when Pandora's box is open, who could resist. Well within seconds one particular email caught my attention. The headline was Red bikini. At first, I thought it was a junk email, but it came from her boss and mentioned how good she looked wearing it. Yes, dumbly my thought first was I didn't know she even had a red bikini. It took me a further five minutes before I realised the full extent of why I had never seen her wearing it, and that was because she hadn't bought it for me. She was supposed to be away for the week on a work seminar in Wales. Yes, she was in Wales, only it was doubling up as a romantic break with her boss. In essence, she was off on a fuck fest and by the look of the emails it wasn't the first time. Through the pain and the tears, I estimated the affair had been going on for about a month.