Life Goes On, Another Story

"I'm not his lawyer but most of what you're asking about is public record. All you have to do is go down to the court house and pull some of the records. I do it all the time."

"Ralph, I don't want anyone to know that I'm looking into this. The last thing I need is for someone to tell Bob I was at the courthouse looking at records. Any chance you can look up a couple of things for me?" I kind of smiled like a little brother at him.

"You're doing this for Julie, aren't you? Sure, I'll look some stuff up for you. Just tell me what you want," replied Ralph.

I explained a few things to him and he said he would get back to me the following week. Things were underway. The next day I would have to act like I just seeing Julie for the first time. Good thing we met already or I might have blown it.

At the homecoming Bob and Julie were in a booth showing literature on their business. I walked up to the booth and said, "Hi, Julie, long time no see."

She replied, "Oh, my God, Russ, I heard you were back in town. It's so nice to see you." She gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek. "I don't know if you remember my husband, Bob ... Bob Moore. He owns the chain of Bob's Hardware stores. I think he graduated from high school the year before you."

I stuck out my and acted like I had just seen him for the first time. "Nice to meet you, Bob. Julie and I are old friends. It's good to see her again."

Bob looked over at Julie. "Honey, I have to go over to the headquarters tent. Why don't you talk with your old friend a little bit. I'll be back in a few minutes. It's was nice to meet you, Russ. Maybe you can come over for dinner or something this week. You can set it up with Julie."

He walked away and Julie looked at me. "Does this mean I'll have to cut his dick off for bringing another man into my house?" she started laughing.

I laughed with her and then decided I better talk with her while we were alone. "I'm checking out a few things. He wants me to have this affair with you within a month. Do you have any idea why he would want to do it so soon? Is there a business deal going through, or is there a time stipulation on the adultery clause you signed."

"I don't know. I sign business papers all the time. He needs my signature on most everything right now. I very rarely read anything that has to do with the business. Personal papers I read but not his hardware store business papers."

I looked at Julie. She was so beautiful. She might have been a little overweight but it didn't make a difference to me. Hell, I put on a few pounds since I left the service myself. I wanted to hold her, to kiss her. Too many feelings were coming back to me. I must have been just staring and not talking.

"Russ, Russ, Russ to earth, can you hear me?" laughed Julie.

"I'm sorry, I was a bit in dreamland. I was thinking how it used to be and wish it could be again. I wanted to tell you that I have Ralph, Joyce's husband, checking out a few things for me. I'll get back to you when I find something out. Now, when are you going to invite me over?"

"I been thinking, Russ, I can't have an affair with you. God, I love you. Oh, shit, I have to quit saying that."

"Please, never stop saying it," I replied.

"Russ, as long as I'm married, I need to honor my marriage vows."

"You have to help me put on a front for Bob to believe I'm making progress with you or he'll find other means to try and get what he wants. He needs to think that you care for me and that I'm going to hit a home run," I smiled.

"I don't have to act with you, Russ, but I am afraid I may let myself go too far with you. I understand what you're saying but I'm a little nervous."

"I promise you, with God as my witness, that I will not take advantage of you. I might kiss you and touch you but I won't go any further. You'll have to trust me."

"I trust you, Russ, but I don't trust myself being alone with you. I realized that when I met you at the rock the other day. I wanted you so badly but knew we had already gone too far."

As we were talking, Bob came back. "So, Russ, when are you coming by for dinner?" asked Bob.

"Julie said Wednesday would be good. She told me to stop by around seven."

Julie looked over at me. She knew I had put her in the center of this now. She couldn't back out without Bob wondering why. I quickly said my goodbyes and headed away from their booth. I looked back and Julie was smiling like I just did something naughty. God, I loved that girl.

Ralph got back to me on Tuesday and told me some interesting information. Bob had taken out a two million dollar loan using the business as equity. He bought some property where he intended to build a couple of new hardware stores.

"So what does that have to do with anything, Ralph?" I asked.

"You know that there is an adultery clause in their will, don't you?" asked Ralph.

"Yes, kind of a one-sided deal that only affects Julie. She loses her half of the marital assets if she is caught cheating."

"That's not quite right, Russ," replied Ralph.

"What do you mean? It's what both Bob and Julie told me."

"Half the business assets only. Their personal assets would still get divided equally, but there's more," replied Ralph smiling.

"Come on, Ralph. What is it? You found out something, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," he laughed. "It was so simple to see but no one must have given it any thought. The money he took from the business and invested in the new property is in his name only. He didn't make it a business asset so it's a personal one. The money is already invested and the deal will close in sixty days. If Ralph files for divorce within sixty days and charges Julie with adultery, she loses the business, but what Ralph doesn't realize is that she would get half the personal assets, which includes this property."

"That doesn't explain why he would want to rush a divorce proceeding. I can see where Julie can get the money from the property, but why does Bob want this divorce so soon?" I asked.

"I also got a chance to review the wills of Bob's parents. They're public record now since they were deceased for over four years ago. There is an adultery clause but it was only enforceable for a five year period. So, it will run out in less than eight months. After that all property, including the business property, is split fifty-fifty in this state."

"Okay, Ralph, I'm not the brightest bulb in the pack. Tell me what you're thinking."

He explained it to me and I had to pass this important information on to Julie. On Wednesday, I went to dinner at Julie and Bob's place. They both acted rather normal considering all the intrigue in their lives.

I met their son, John. He was a good looking, strapping boy who seemed to have his senses about him. He explained to me how he was going to go to college in the fall and go into business management. There was some sort of an agreement that he had made with his grandfather that when he turned twenty-one and graduated from college that he would inherit a large sum of money to open his own store or he could purchase one from his father. He never told me exactly how much money he was talking about and of course it was none of my business. I could tell that Julie was really proud of him and with good reason.

I told him about my son and how he joined the Air Force and how proud I was of him. John said he would like to meet him some day. I told him when he came home on leave I bring him over and he could show him the town. It made us both laugh.

John ate dinner and headed out to meet some friends. Bob said he was sorry he had to leave but he had to go into the city for awhile. When he tried to kiss Julie goodbye, she turned her head and he kissed her on the cheek.

We both knew he did it on purpose to give me a chance to be alone with Julie. After he left, she looked at me and said, "I believe you. I know he is trying to catch me in the act of adultery. Does he really hate me that much? I've been a good wife and mother. I will admit that I don't love him but I tried my best. His parents were so nice and so good to me and the kids. Why couldn't he care at least half as much as them?"

She had tears in her eyes as I got up and wrapped my arms around her. I couldn't understand why any man wouldn't love a woman like this. Beautiful, soft, gentle, and an overall loving person. After she regained her composure, I told her I would help her with the dishes. She smiled at me as I started to gather up the dishes and took them into the kitchen.

"Bob has never helped me with the dishes. The kids always did, they were always helpful to me. If it wasn't for them, I'd have left Bob many, many years ago. I just stayed with him for their benefit. At least their grandfather was a good male role model for John."

As we were doing the dishes, I tried to explain some of the things that Ralph had told me. Of course Julie was a lot smarter than I was and caught on right away.

"What you're saying is that the loan form I signed was to purchase some property and the property is not part of the business. So if we got divorced then I would receive half of the property. It's hard to believe that Bob didn't see that. His lawyer really screwed up there," spoke Julie.

"Julie, Ralph explained it even further. There is a two million dollar loan against the business since it was used as collateral. If you are caught cheating on Bob, then you will be taken off the title of the business but still entitled to your half of the community property. You won't be responsible for the repayment of the loan."

"What if I just say I want a divorce for some other reason?" asked Julie.

"When Bob finds out that you will get half the community property, he won't give you the divorce. It would be in his best interest to stay married to you. He'll just make your life a living hell," I replied.

"What should I do? I don't love him, and I sure don't want to stay married to him. What should I do Russ, please help me."

"Have an affair with me or at least tell Bob you did. Once you admit to it, Ralph said that the business agreement would be nullified."

"But, I would be telling the world that I had an affair with you and I would be tagged as a slut. Oh, God, I can't win here, can I, Russ?"

"How about if you just told Bob and his attorney about the affair. I have another idea that if I get proof of Bob's adultery that both cheating situations might be kept under wraps and the business nullified in private. You can then go on with your divorce."

She turned and kissed me. I didn't stop her as I pulled her close to me. When she realized what we were doing she stopped me again.

"Oh, my God, what kind of woman am I? I say I won't cheat on my husband and then kiss you right here in my own kitchen."

"It's okay, Julie. I really need that once in awhile, especially from the woman I love."

She had tears in her eyes. "Do you really love me, Russ? After all it's been over twenty years since we've been together."

I leaned forward and kissed her again, putting my hands on her butt and pulling her into me. "Is that proof enough?" I asked her.

She smiled, "It's proof that you're still a horny bastard," she said as she kissed me one more time.

The following day after work I went to the city and to the club to talk to Sue. I just hoped she disliked Bob as much as she said. I walked in and Sue came over to me. "Welcome back, stranger. Need some more of Susie?" she asked me.

"Sue, I have a proposition for you."

"That's not new here. I get propositioned every day," she laughed.

"Seriously, I have a problem and I need your help. I want to plant a video recorder in the room and tape Bob having sex with someone."

"What? Jesus, Russ, that's illegal. I could get into big trouble doing that. How do I know that it isn't just a plant and your trying to get me arrested?"

"I have five thousand dollars in this briefcase for you, if you do this for me. I'll give it to you right now. If you get the tape made, I'll give you five thousand dollars more when I come to pick it up."

"You're serious, aren't you? Can I think about it first? I'm just not sure about this. I really don't like the prick and the way he treats women and the things he's been doing to Yen. I'm just a little nervous."

"Here's the money in good faith. Do you need me to set up a video recorder for you? I'm an electrician."

"No, believe it or not, there is already a recorder set up in each room. Some customers ask to be taped. Your friend Bob isn't one of them. He can never know who did this if I help you. Do you promise never to tell him?" asked Sue.

"I promise and I will see what I can do to help your friend Yen out also. I'll be back next week and, hopefully, you will have a tape for me and I will have the rest of your money."

I asked her to get Yen for me. I needed to talk to her and find out what is happening between her and Bob. I wondered if she was a willing participant or being coerced into what she was doing. I wasn't going to interfere with her life if she was doing it all by choice.

In the weeks that followed, Julie and I spent a lot of time together, thanks to her husband staying out of the picture. Bob called me a few times and asked me if I was going to get the job done? I told him everything was progressing nicely and I think I would be able to break through her barriers the following week.

I did let Julie know that I had talked with Bob. She asked me again if I was sure that she had to admit to adultery in order to get the divorce. I explained to her that Ralph looked over all her documents and was sure that it was the only way. In order for her to get out of the business contract, Ralph had to be the one to apply for the divorce due to adultery. If she asked for one then Bob still had the right to give her nothing until they made it through the five year period.

Julie asked me, "What if I stick it out for the five year period? What then? It's only another year. I've put up with him for this long."

"I'm afraid Bob won't wait for that to happen. I'm afraid he would try and do something to hurt you. It's part of the reason he only gave me a month to get you into bed. I will try and protect you the best that I can if you choose to wait but you have to understand that the only reason we are able to be together now is that I'm supposed to be trying to seduce you."

I have to be honest here. Julie and I kissed and hugged a lot during this period of waiting. I felt every inch of her body. We did not make love or have intercourse during this time. It was the hardest thing that I have ever done not to take her. I wanted her more than anything and I know she might have let me during some of our passion sessions. I did remember my promise to her that I would abstain from going all the way. She trusted me and I wanted to honor that trust.

Chapter 3

I went back and saw Sue. I took along the rest of the money I promised her. I had taken this cash out of my own retirement. I know most people will feel that it was a stupid thing to do but I was doing it for Julie. If I could get her out of the clutches of Bob, it would be an investment well worth the price.

Sue met me at the door. She smiled and handed me the tape. We went into a room and we played the tape. It showed Bob fucking Yen and even hitting her. He then held her down and laughed while he let another man fuck her. There was no love in the video, just a streak of hateful lust. I felt sorry for Yen and was glad I had a plan to end this torture for her.

Even Sue looked away and called Bob a number of profane names during this sexual torture. She said she would never be with him again. He had gotten much worse than when he first started coming in.

I gave her the money and told her it would probably be the last time I would see her. I thanked her for helping me and told her I would make sure Yen was taken care of.

When I got back to town I made a phone call.

"Hello, Kim. This is Russ, Is Henry there? I'd like to speak to him."

"Russ? How you doing, Russ? I miss talking to you. Henry been real nice husband. I care for him a lot. He good man like you."

"It's nice to talk with you to but I need to talk to Henry. Is he there?"

"Yes, I get him. Nice to hear your voice, Russ."

"Hello, Russ, Kim say you need talk to me. Is there problem?"

"Henry, you told me one time that if I ever knew any Vietnamese people who need help to give you a call. Does that still hold true?"

"Yes, I belong to organization to help my people. We have lawyers, doctors and many people in government to help us. You know someone who needs help?"

"Yes, a young woman named Yen Lee. She got pregnant by a U.S. citizen who is using her. She has two kids by him. I talked to her personally and she told me that this man was going to take her kids and have her sent back to Vietnam. She is really scared and now doesn't trust anyone. I thought that if you and Kim could go see her that she might trust you two."

"Russ, did she choose this life, or doing it because she is forced to?"

"I don't honestly know, Henry. I know she is really scared and needs help, someone to talk to badly. I feel bad for her and as I mentioned she has two kids only a few years old."

"Me and Kim go see her. We see if we can help her. You really good man, Russ. You care for my people and I respect you. Most people don't understand how hard it is for my people in strange country. America wonderful place but we all need family. All people from my homeland are my family. We go see her soon. Thank you, Russ, for caring."

I gave Henry directions to the gentlemen's club so he could contact Yen Lee. I just hoped that he and his people would be able to help her. He did tell me he would let me know how their meeting with Yen Lee went.

A couple of days went by and I got a call from Bob.

"What's going on? You should have gotten in her pants by now. Are you holding out on me?"

I didn't know how much more of this asshole I could take. I should just go and blow his fucking head off and make it a better world for everybody.

"I'm going over to your place tomorrow. Hopefully I'll get lucky. It's been moving right along. Another day or two and you should have your evidence. Make sure you have my money ready."

"Don't worry, I have the money. Just see to it that you have the video or some really good pictures," he laughed.

I did go and see Julie on Saturday. She told me that Bob would be out of town and John was staying over at a friend's house. Julie and I were sitting on the sofa and I had my arm around her.

"Russ, it's getting harder and harder being with you and not having you. I've gone way too far with you already. I'm fighting myself with my own body. My fantasies and lust for you are getting out of control. I'm ready to just say 'Hell with it' and make love to you. Please tell me you feel the same."

"There is nothing I want more than to make love to you. I have been thinking of you almost every waking hour. I can't wait for this farce of a marriage to end so we can be together. I know I've only been back in your life a very short time, but it's been long enough for me to know I love you and want to be with you always."

She had tears in her eyes as I kissed her. She had a skirt on and I laid my hand gently on her thigh and slowly moved it up her leg. I reached her panty covered mound and gently rubbed it. I could feel the hotness coming through her panties. I slid my hand through the leg opening of her panties and slid a finger into her moist opening. We had never gone this far before. As I was fingering her, she looked at me with tears coming down her cheeks and then she spread her legs even further apart.

I kissed her and fingered fucked her while she kept pressing hard against my fingers. She kept pumping against my hand and kissing me with total abandonment. I felt her climax with my finger deep within her. I was kissing her tear stained face at the time. We both knew that we had crossed that invisible line. The line we promised not to cross. I pulled my fingers out of her very wet pussy and let her panties fall back into place. I looked at her knowing that we went too far.