Leave Well Enough Alone

By Sunday I had arranged for Sybil to watch the kids, with the help of a sitter; I had talked to Gloria's boss at work and arranged for her to get the next Wednesday through Sunday off; I had arranged my schedule so that I could take off work; and I had purchased four nights and five days at a resort about two hundred miles away.

Although it was hard, I kept it a secret from Gloria until I whisked her off Wednesday morning. She protested, but Sybil helped her pack and convinced her that she needed a break -- we hadn't had a family vacation in two years, and none with just us two in four years.

Gloria and I fucked twice every night on our vacation, got a couple's massage, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. While the sex wasn't as exciting or physically intense as with Gina, it was completely satisfying because I was in love with Gloria.

When we got back Sunday afternoon, and picked up our kids from my exhausted sister-in-law and her hubby, Gloria was virtually radiating happiness. The kids were thrilled to see both of us, and gave us many hugs and kisses. After we put them to bed for the night Gloria led me into the family room and sat me down on the couch. With tears in her eyes she unloaded what was on her mind.

"Brian -- I want to tell you how happy I am. Six months ago I was in a bad place, just like our relationship. Since then you've done everything in your power to improve our lives. I...I...I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am, and how much I love you."

Then she broke down and cried. I held her tight until she stopped sobbing, repeating "I love you Gloria."

When Gloria stopped crying, she got a devilish look on her face, quickly stripped, pulled down my pants, and while I sat on the couch, facing away from me, she sat on my lap and buried my cock in her pussy. I massaged her tits as she bounced up and down while she simultaneously massaged my balls. Since the kids were born Gloria was never interested in having sex anywhere but our room, but she was really, really into it that night in our family room. Our simultaneous orgasms were monumental. It was at least a half hour after our climaxes before we had the energy to disengage and giddily stumble up to our bedroom.

****************

For roughly three years since I had met Gina we continued our liaisons, averaging once a week. There were only a few times that I had any angst, and those times were when Gina had some sort of bruise on her body. I didn't dare inquire further when I asked her about them and she responded with a laugh and "I'm clumsy and fell," or something of the sort. I knew it was bullshit but I sure didn't want to rock the boat with Gina -- my get-togethers with her were extremely important to me.

Gina never told me anything about herself, but because I had really gotten good at using the Internet -- much better than anyone that I worked with -- I was certain that I had found out that she was a top notch real estate agent. Every place where we had a liaison that I could find on the Internet was a condo that was unoccupied and for sale. However aside from pegging her as a real estate agent I didn't find out more about her. I was reluctant to pull out all of the stops and violate her confidence in me.

There were many times when I got a little off track with my family or job when Gina would set me right. She continued to be the only person in my life who was completely candid with me and knew how to get me to change my behavior or get my head out of my ass without offending me. She kept me so directed that I not only paid back the loan that she had given me within just a few months, but by the end of 1996 Gloria and I had saved a considerable amount of money, and I had a bright future since I was now one of the highest producers at work rather than at the bottom.

Then I did something stupid. I don't know whether in my subconscious mind I wanted to break up with Gina because my relationship with Gloria (especially our sexual connection) and my kids was at an all-time high and I started to wonder what would happen if Gloria ever found out about Gina. Or maybe I had fallen in love with Gina too, and wanted even more out of our relationship, and I was feeling inadequate because she wouldn't tell me anything about herself even though she knew everything about me.

Anyway -- the stupid thing that I did was to follow Gina after one of our sessions.

Without exception, Gina left the condo that we were fucking in after I did. I assumed that it was because she had to change the sheets and otherwise clean up so that there was no evidence that we were there. After an exceptionally -- even for us -- great fuck session one Wednesday, I waited for her to exit the building. I saw her get into a Mercedes in a nearby parking lot -- she was certainly classy enough to be driving a Mercedes -- and drive right past me. I had an innocuous old gray Chevy, and I was sure that she didn't see me follow her.

I only had to trail Gina for about three miles before she turned into the underground parking lot of a high rise. I pulled up next to the entrance to the high rise to try to gather as much information as I could when there was a tap on the driver's side window. There was a big, tough-looking guy, who was obviously intentionally exposing the handgun in his belt, peering in at me. I rolled down the window.

"You better have a good reason for following Mrs. Antonelli," he snarled.

"Uh -- this is really embarrassing," I mumbled, trying to come up with something.

"Well?" he snarled again.

As I subtlety removed my wedding ring and dropped it to the floor of the car I stuttered, "Uh...well...I saw this beautiful woman on the street a ways back. I'm single and really in the market for a relationship, and I thought that I'd try and find out if she is married. Now that you say that she is married, that does it for me. I'll look elsewhere."

"Be sure that you do; be real sure," the big guy snapped. "Mr. Guido Antonelli don't like her being disturbed in any way. Got it?"

"Yeah, I sure do -- you won't ever see me again," I stammered, then pulled away as quickly as I could.

Although shaken, when I got back to my office I immediately searched female Antonelli real estate agents. There she was -- Gabrielle Antonelli, lead real estate agent at the largest local agency in the city. The photo next to her name left no doubt that it was her. I then searched "Guido Antonelli." Not surprisingly considering the interaction that I had just had with the goon in front of Gina/Gabrielle's building, Guido Antonelli was a suspected mobster who had been arrested several times for racketeering, but never convicted.

I was still digesting the information that I had located when "You've got mail" popped up on my monitor. "I can't believe that you ruined our beautiful relationship. I'm crushed. Don't try to contact me again -- I think that you can see why I told you that it was dangerous for you to try and find out about me."

I tried to send a reply that said "I'm so sorry; I've fallen in love with you and had to know who you were. You've been the most helpful person in my entire life. Can't we continue somehow?"

My reply bounced back. She had already canceled her email address. I didn't dare try the one on her agency's webpage.

I was in a funk for a week. Gloria asked me about it the second day in, but I told her that I just wasn't feeling well. I finally focused on what Gina had said to me when I was in a minor funk about a year earlier. "Get your head out of your ass, Brett. Didn't you learn not to cry over spilt milk? Bitch-slap yourself and get back into the game."

I took her advice and slapped myself twice. That day I popped out of my funk, but I never stopped fondly remembering my time with Gina.

****************

By 2013, twenty years after I met Gina/Gabrielle, life was good; real good. Gloria and I had just celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary with a two week trip to France and we were still very much in love, with a great sex life. Our kids had both finished graduate school with MBAs -- Gloria and I had never even graduated college -- and were working in the city. Both kids were also engaged.

I now owned the agency that I had almost been fired from before I met Gina, and had more money than I ever dreamed that I would. Gloria was the volunteer head of one local charity, and I was the volunteer vice president of the Police Boys and Girls Club.

I opened up the local newspaper on a Wednesday morning. The headline read "Reputed Mobster Guido Antonelli Killed; Wife Arrested." The caption under the photo beneath the headline was "Gabrielle Antonelli is led away in handcuffs after being arrested as responsible for her husband's death." Although she was now seventeen years older than the last time that I saw her -- and fifty eight years old -- from the photo she still looked good.

I was flabbergasted. I had to sit down. Fortunately Gloria wasn't at home since she and our daughter Rose had gotten an early start, looking at potential reception venues for Rose's upcoming nuptials. I poured myself a drink at 9:00 a.m. for the first time that I could remember -- ironically a Drambuie.

After the shock wore off, I quickly resolved that I had to help Gabrielle any way that I could.

When I got to the office I immediately called my most senior contact with the police, Captain Tom Samuels, who I had worked with for four years with the Boys and Girls Club. He was surprised by my interest in the case, but promised to get back to me with any information that he could get.

It was Monday morning before Tom got back to me. Gabrielle was in the local jail charged with voluntary manslaughter, not murder. Bail had been set at $500,000, which supposedly Gabrielle couldn't afford. She had an attorney representing her, and I got her name -- Jennifer Grant; a well-known local criminal defense attorney. I called Jennifer and made an appointment to meet her the next day.

Jennifer was a little surprised by my interest in the case. I simply told her that I was an old friend of Gabrielle's, although I had not seen her in seventeen years. "I want to help with bail, although I am surprised that Gabrielle doesn't have the money for it," I told Jennifer.

"Because of the nature of the case we can't find a bail bondsman on acceptable terms, and Guido had control of all of their money despite the fact that Gabrielle had a successful career as a real estate agent, and she doesn't now have access to it," Jennifer replied. "Plus the life insurance on Guido won't pay unless she is found not guilty because of self-defense."

"How much do you need?" I asked.

"To make bail and have enough to start the defense, $400,000."

"I'll have it for you by Friday," I replied, "providing that I can meet with Gabrielle once she gets out on bail."

Jennifer smiled. "Get the money by Friday -- I assure you that Gabrielle will meet with you."

By Friday night Gabrielle was out of jail. Monday afternoon I met her at Jennifer's office, alone, in an interior conference room with no windows, interior or exterior. When I closed the door Gabrielle stood up and walked toward me. Except for some gray streaks in her hair and some lines in her face she didn't really look much different than she did seventeen years ago, better than in the newspaper photo. She still had that glorious body.

"Hello, Brian," she said.

"Hello, Gabrielle," I replied as I took her into my arms.

We had a passionate kiss, and then sat down, holding hands.

"I appreciate your interest, Brian, but I don't want to screw up your relationship with your wife."

"I will make sure that my help doesn't do that. You aren't skipping bail, are you?" I asked with a smile.

"Not hardly," she chuckled.

"Guido abused you even at the time of our relationship, didn't he?"

She first glanced down at the floor, and then looked me straight in the eye. "Yes. That's why my relationship with you was so important to me. It was nothing but joy. I loved every second of it. You were kind, considerate, loving -- and your cock fit my pussy perfectly. For three hours a week I could be in heaven."

"What happened after I screwed up?" I asked.

"I took the advice that I gave you and 'manned-up.' I got a gun and made sure that Guido knew that I would blow his balls off if he hit me again. It worked until about two weeks ago. He smacked me good and then came toward me with a knife in his hands. I shot him once right between the eyes."

Gabrielle put her face in her hands and sobbed quietly. I hugged her tightly. When she recovered and wiped the tears away I looked deeply into her black eyes: "I'm sorry that I screwed up our perfect relationship, I should have left well enough alone," I said with a frown. "My screw-up was one of the biggest regrets of my life; but my biggest regret was not being able to thank you for what you did for me. You were the biggest reason for my success, both with my family and business. I'll forever be grateful; and I want to pay you back."

She smiled and squeezed my hand.

"If you collect on Guido's life insurance how much will that be?"

"$2,000,000."

"Well then all you have to do is make sure that you win, and I'll front the money for your defense,. You can pay me back after the trial."

"Sounds like a plan," she laughed as she squeezed my hand again. "Would you like another liaison for old times' sake?"

"I can't," I replied with a frown. "I would like nothing better, but I'd get addicted to you and eventually would be exposed -- especially with the attention you'll be getting from the press. It would kill me if Gloria found out."

"You really have gotten smarter, haven't you?" she chuckled.

We kissed good-bye, then I met with Jennifer to assure her payment for Gabrielle's defense, and left.

That was the second to the last time that I saw Gabrielle. She did win at trial. Jennifer was extremely efficient and effective, and Gabrielle a perfect witness, so the trial lasted only three days. The jury was only out for two hours before finding her Not Guilty. I was in the courtroom for the verdict.

After the trial was over Gabrielle and I exchanged smiles from a distance, but with reporters around there was no way that we were able to hug or kiss without it being splashed all over the Internet. She collected on her insurance, returned the money that I had paid for her defense, and moved to parts unknown to get away from her husband's former business associates.

I still think about her fondly! She was the best thing ever to happen to my marriage and my success in life.