She Wanted to Cheat

"Well, in her defense, she didn't warn both of us, just Kathy."

Kathy kissed them both and offered coffee and breakfast. They accepted both. I asked, "I'm not sure about protocol. Do we shake hands, hug or stand at a respectful distance and wave at each other?"

"We hug. A manly hug, two slaps on the back, not three." Dad said. I stepped to him and we did just that. I turned to Mom and said, "Two slaps on the back?"

"No. Me, you hug as a man hugs a woman." I took her in my arms and hugged her, gently and thoroughly. Just before I let her go I kissed her neck. She did not recoil or back off at all.

As we sat to eat Mom said, "He kissed my neck."

Kathy laughed and said, "You said to hug you as a man hugs a woman. That's how Walt hugs women. I've seen him do it and felt him do it."

"I'll remember that."

Two hours later I understood why Jenna said they gave her the third degree. They were saving the inquisition for Kathy and me.

I thought things were going well until Jenna arrived. We had moved the proceedings into the living room and Jenna bounced into the house and landed on my lap. I got a kiss that could have started a fire and she bounced off me and into the kitchen. She greeted everyone verbally and came back with a mug of coffee.

Dad said, "You're sleeping with both my daughters?"

I said, "Jenna was at home last night. We were here."

Mom asked, "You have slept and had sex with both of our daughters. Do you love both of them?"

I swallowed and answered, "I love both of them. I plead guilty to sleeping with them both as often as is possible. To be clear that also includes enjoying sex together."

Mom said, "Good! We raised them to share. I assume the three of you don't live together because Jenna's work is too far to drive every day."

Kathy smiled and said, "That's the excuse she uses. Really I think she has two guys she holds prisoner in Seal Beach and uses them as sex slaves." We all laughed while I was making mental notes about what was and wasn't out of bounds.

Dad said, "I think Walt is a little surprised that we're so liberal."

"Most parents I've known would freak if their daughters were both involved with the same man."

Mom said, "When Kathy and Jenna were younger, my sister's husband was killed. For financial reasons, we had Amy move in with us. She's two years older than I am and still good looking."

Dad finished the story. "When she'd been with us almost a year the three of us were having dinner and I asked Amy what she wanted for her birthday. She'd had a couple glasses of wine and answered that she wanted the three of us to go to bed together."

"It wasn't long after her birthday that Jenna and I walked in on them!" Kathy said. "They didn't freak out and we accepted that we had two moms and a dad."

I asked, "Where is she now?" I looked around as if I'd see her.

Mom said, "She's gone. Not dead, moved on. She lives in Maine with her new husband. He knows nothing about our liberal nature. She seems happy and when she comes to visit we revisit three-in-a-bed."

"Oh." I said.

We shared the hot tub that evening after we went out for dinner. The prayer circle stayed away. On Monday morning Jenna was up and gone by six-thirty. Kathy and I needed to be gone by seven-forty-five. We shared a ride to work, in Kathy's C30. When we left Dad and Mom were in the kitchen eating breakfast. They intended to be headed back to Tucson before we got home from work.

Kathy, Jenna and I talked about their family a lot over the next few days. After one conversation Kathy called Amy, told her about us and invited her to come visit. When Amy confirmed I was in relationship with both Kathy and Jenna she said she'd visit without her husband. Then she added a very explanatory statement, "As he ages he gets more and more concerned about being good enough to get into Heaven."

I figured I'd never meet him.

Less than a week after Kathy's parents left us I got a call from Maria in the middle of a work day. I sensed she was upset when Kathy didn't buzz my phone, she came into my office, closed my office door and as she punched the button on my phone she said, "Maria's crying."

"Walt, I don't know what to do!"

"Tell me."

"My Mom went to my apartment today. She goes over with the excuse that she's cleaning my apartment, but she goes over to snoop. Today she collected my mail and there were two big envelopes from the cruise line! One addressed to me and one addressed to you at my address!"

"Is she upset?"

"I'm glad you don't understand much Spanish! She was not nice with her words to me!"

"Is she upset that you're going, that she didn't know about me or that we aren't married?"

"All that, that I'm a whore, that I should never have moved out of their house and that Peterson is not a Hispanic name."

"I think I should meet your mother."

"She won't meet you. She hates you! By tonight my father will hate you, too! Even my Ex will hate you."

"Wow! I should avoid East L.A. from now on. Huh?" I was glad she couldn't see me smiling. This was the parental reaction I had expected from Kathy's parents.

"No more trips to King Taco or El Tepeyac either. Really!"

"Maria, What can I do to get your momma to accept me? Not to like me necessarily but to accept me."

"When I walked in one of her first questions was if you paid for the tickets or I did."

"What did you say?"

"I booked and paid for them and you were going to reimburse me."

"I know what to do! Call your Momma and ask her if she and her husband would like to go with us. Tell her I am inviting them to have their own cabin and sail with us to the Mexican Riviera. My treat."

"She won't go! She can't swim!"

"She doesn't need to swim. That's why we take a boat. Swimming is what you do when the boat hits an ice berg. There are no ice bergs near Mexico."

"She still won't go."

"Good! I don't want her to go. I want her to accept me. By inviting her I show her I'm a good guy, I have a little money and I show her respect. She still won't like me, but she won't be on your case as much."

"What if she says yes?"

"Then get their passport numbers, full correct names and address so you can book their cabin."

"I don't think they have passports."

"All the better. There's no way to get one in time for our cruise. It's the offer that's important."

"Ok. I'll call her."

"Call me back, Ok Honey?"

"Yes, Walt. I'll call you." She hesitated a few seconds and said, "Hi, Kathy."

Kathy said, "Don't we have a good husband?"

"Yes! He only beats one of us!" As she started to laugh the line went dead. Kathy hung up our end and said, "When she watched us with Sam she was so turned on. Now she loves that you are tender with her and so forceful with Sam."

"I'd spank her butt too, if she wanted me to."

"I think I'd like that. Not always, but I think I'd like the cave man once in a while."

An hour later Kathy came into my office and punched the phone again. Maria said, "I invited them. Momma said she didn't think Papa would go, so I told her she could bring her sister. She said she would call her sister and call me back. When she called back she talked about how they couldn't go because of legal paperwork. Then she mentioned that she was impressed that you were willing to spend over a thousand dollars so they could go to Mexico. She was impressed. She mentioned more than once that you must be rich to be willing to spend a thousand dollars."

"Are they going?" I asked.

"No. But, she wants us to come for dinner Friday night."

I winked at Kathy and asked, "Which us? You and me or you, me and Kathy, Jenna, Sue, Sam and Sarah?"

"You and me! My momma will never be ready for our whole family."

"Tell your Momma to go easy on the hot sauce, I'm a tender gringo. By the way, does your Momma believe I've spent the night with you?"

"I think she's afraid to ask."

"I'll bring clothes for Saturday, if you'd like me to stay with you Friday night."

"I'd like that. I'd like that very much."

We ended the call and Kathy said, "Do you know that Maria is now running around her office like a crazy woman? You're the first man to enter her apartment for sex since she divorced Hector eight years ago. She'll spend every night this week cleaning!"

Friday evening came too quickly. I got coaching from Maria about what to wear to dinner. A suit was out. Western clothes were out, except for boots. I wore chinos and a dress shirt, no tie. When Maria opened her door I could smell cleaning supplies. I went inside and kissed her a few times. I thought it would calm us both. It didn't.

Walking from my car to her Momma's front door I was aware that the entire neighborhood was watching. Three teenaged boys on bikes parked on the sidewalk ten feet from Momma's gate. They didn't say anything. They watched.

When my foot touched the top step of the porch the front door opened and a man about my age held the door and the metal safety door open for us. He said, "Welcome Senor Peterson." The rest of the family was inside and all dressed up.

I was introduced to everyone except Momma. She was scurrying around getting food on the table. The oldest daughter helped some, but the show belonged to Momma. When she was ready we were introduced and everyone sat for dinner. Some of what I ate I couldn't identify. Some of the ingredients were unidentifiable to me. For money I didn't know if I was eating beef or pork or dragon. From the spice I would have guessed dragon.

Almost all the conversation was between the parents, Maria and me. Her siblings stayed quiet most of the time. The food was incredible! I noticed a small clock on the windowsill in the kitchen. When we sat it was seven-ten. At nine Maria said we needed to go because I had to work a half-day on Saturday and it would be a long drive to work. Mr. Silva, Maria's father asked where I worked. I told him the building was near the Los Angeles Airport.

I thanked them for a fine meal and asked Maria if she knew how to make those same dishes. For the first time all evening her brother spoke, "Maria's Machaca is even better!"

Her parents walked out on the porch with us. They waved as we drove off. I asked, "Will your brother follow us home to see if I stay?"

"Probably. They are protective of me."

"What about your Ex?"

She smiled. "They aren't protective of him."

"Is he protective of you? Should I be worried that the Mexican Mafia will be paying me a visit?"

"My Ex is in Pelican Bay and no one around here cares anything about him. He was twice convicted. Once for beating me and once for killing his brother. No one cares for him around here."

"How badly did he hurt you?"

"It was nine years ago. He got drunk with friends and came home mean and angry. He wanted me to have sex with him as soon as he came home, but he brought three of his friends home with him and told them they could each "have a piece." I refused and he broke a beer bottle over my head. While I was passed out he stripped me and all four of them used me."

"You went to the cops?"

"No. A neighbor called the cops because they were playing their music too loud and when the cops came they saw me passed out and bleeding on the floor. The men were arrested and I went to the hospital. While he was out on bail he shot his brother inside the El Monte Legion Stadium and his brother died. His brother was one of the men he gave me to."

"So he broke a bottle on your head and they raped you."

"And I woke up with four broken ribs and a broken collarbone."

"I won't get drunk and I won't hurt you."

"Remember when we watched you, Sam and Kathy? I was so turned on I was crazy! Next time were all at your house, please spank me. Please be the Alpha male."

"Not tonight?"

"No. I'll feel safer, protected, if Sam and my other sisters are there... the first time."

"Then tonight I'll leave the ropes and things in my car." I smiled so she'd know I was kidding.

Her home had been cleaned within an inch of it's life (to use a phrase my Mom used to use). We didn't spend much time looking at it. She guided my exploration towards her bed and once we found it we made sure it was well used.

When she was undressed I noticed her bush was gone. I asked why.

"Kathy is bare. Jenna is bare. Sue and Sarah have tiny patches and Sam has a trim-job she says you gave her. I was the only bushy one. Sam said you didn't want to have pussy hair caught in your teeth."

"When you shaved, did you think about inviting me to eat you?"

"No. I hoped you'd think of it without me asking."

I thought of it and like a thirsty man I dove in and did my best not to spill or lose a drop. Somehow I convinced Maria to have a few orgasms. Enough that she begged me to stop.

I stopped until she was calm, then I stood her beside her bed and entered her from behind. She was amazed at how differently penetration felt with her standing with a foot up on her bed. I held her hips and we rocked back and forth as we joined. When I sensed her leg getting tired we changed positions and put her on her back, legs together and up near her chest. I didn't pound into her, but slowly pushed in as deeply as I could, held still, then retreated until I was barely touching her lips.

She said things like, "Walt, I feel every little movement." "Oh, you're in so deep." "More please!" And, four of five things in Spanish. I made believe they were compliments.

When I started using my thumb to press on her clit she yelped a few times, began breathing in gasps and suddenly said, "Now!" as her body gave in to the orgasm. I sped up and not too much farther into the future I unloaded into her.

We stayed pressed together with her folded in half until my wilting cock slipped out of her. We kissed and she said, "Please let me up. I want to clean up our spill. Otherwise my man has to sleep in his own puddle."

I rolled off her and she quickly went to the bathroom. She came back with a wash cloth, a towel and an air freshener spray. I said, "Please don't use the spray. I love the smell of we-just-joined."

"Joined? You're right joined sounds better than screwed, fucked or even made love."

"I've used screws. My dick doesn't go in that way. I've fucked and it's too mechanical. Fucking is using someone else's body to masturbate into. Joining. Coming together, becoming one, that sounds like something I can be for."

"My Ex fucked me. We never joined. Not once."

We snuggled and drifted into a comfortable sleep. No alarm woke us. No ringing phone or knock on the door woke us. But, waking wasn't romantic either. Maria snuggled closer to me and put her leg on top of my bladder and it issued a protest. An urgent demand that I find the bathroom. I sat up and when I did Maria slid off me and onto the floor. BUMP! I was up and on my way to the bathroom.

"Hey, Are you leaving me?" She asked.

"Long enough to drain the lake, then I'll be back."

I peed a long time. She asked, "How much do you hold?"

"I've never measured. Maybe a quart."

"Well, hurry. Listening has my body wanting it's turn."

She got her turn. We joined again and Maria made chiliquilles for our breakfast. I was in Heaven. After breakfast we filled out the papers from the cruise line. At noon I headed home. As I entered the freeway I called Kathy.

"Hi Honey," she said.

"Hi yourself. How are you?"

"Anxious for you to get home. Does Maria's Momma like you?"

"I think she wants to. So, what's on our agenda today?"

"You mean after?" It was our code for "after we join."

"Oh good! I was hoping you might want to."

"Any time I don't want to get me to the Emergency Room. I'm seriously ill."

We ended the call and I listened to music. When I was almost home my phone rang. Kathy said, "How soon will you be here?"

"Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty. Why?"

"Please, long longer than twenty minutes. We'll have a visitor." She took a breath and said, "Don't ask." Then she hung up. I hung up, shut off the radio and worried all the rest of the way home.

A three-year-old Acura was parked at the curb. I pulled into the garage and closed the door. As I walked into the kitchen I opened my mouth to ask who the visitor was, when I saw Colleen sitting at the island beside Kathy. Both were smiling. Colleen's was fake, but I still took the smiles as a good sign.

"Wow! Of the twenty visitors I thought about as possible, you weren't on the list." I didn't hug them or even get closer... yet.

Kathy said, "Get a diet Coke and have a seat. We have a confession to make." I got the diet Coke and began shaking over the possibilities of the confession. I went into the living room and sat in a chair opposite the couch. They sat together in the middle of the couch. Body language said they were together, whatever this was about.

Kathy said, "Relax. Whatever you imagine this is about, this isn't about that."

Colleen teared up and one tear slid down her cheek. As it slid I realized that her tear hurt. I loved her enough that I didn't want her to hurt. She said, "I cannot ever say how grateful I am for what you did to save my job. I wasn't even demoted. I haven't seen Stan nor do I want to."

"Do I care about this?" I asked, sounding even to myself, angrier than I felt.

Kathy nodded and Colleen continued. "I've been in therapy and my therapist is a lot like you. Not in looks but attitude. I've learned a lot about me and why I did what I did."

I shifted in my chair. I knew my body language was screaming, "Get to the point!"

Colleen said, "I want back into your life. I'd love to be your wife again, but I don't think that's possible. Accept me as a friend. Watch how I am, how I live and how willing I am to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful..."

"Friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave clean and

reverent." I finished the Boy Scout Law. She knew I had been an Eagle Scout and the law was important to me.

I said, "I know you're a woman and never was a Boy Scout. Are you seriously telling me you've decided and are committed to live by that Law as if it was your idea?"

"Yes!"

"You want me to move back into your home and resume being your husband?"

"Not now, but yes." She paused and held Kathy's hand. "I want back into your life. I want you to love me, as you love Kathy, Jenna, Sue, Sarah, Maria and Sam. I don't want a status I don't earn. Seniority doesn't count. There's a hole in me, an emotional missing that can only be filled by you."

"Kathy, talk to me, please."

"When I met you twelve years ago, you loved Colleen. I've heard you say it often over the years, if you love someone you won't ever stop loving them. You may not be able to be around them, but you'll always deep down want their lives to work. I watched as you accepted my love. It didn't diminish your love for Colleen. When we took her clothes to her and you knew you needed to divorce her you did it because society demanded it. It was the public shame that had you divorce her. The shame and the loss of trust."

"And..." I asked.

"And you still love her. She still loves you. She's learned a lot about living up to the standards you set. She's doing it. I've followed her steps since we left her at the hotel in Laguna. She's had plenty of opportunities to be a slut. Men hit on her often. She didn't know I was there last Wednesday when a man she works for invited her to have dinner and spend the night with him. I can quote what she said. "I'm flattered, but I have made a promise. I'll never be in bed with another man until I've been in bed again with Walter Peterson and he tells me to be in bed with someone else." She offered him your phone number. He didn't take it."

I looked at Colleen. More tears had fallen. I said, "I love you. I am married to Kathy and others. You want me to forgive you for the shame you handed me, the humiliation?"