She was Right

That little speech must have taken a lot out of her. She sighed, getting up. "Think about it for awhile, I don't expect an answer right now. Before I go, will you hug me, just for a second?"

Charlie looked lost and miserable, so I wrapped her up, letting her cry on my shoulder for a few minutes. She finally pulled back, thanked me, and left. I sat on the couch for a long time, until Marissa came in and asked where dinner was. I pointed at the menus posted on the cork board beside the refrigerator. "Pick."

She must have called Darcy, because she came down and debated over Chinese, fried chicken, pizza, or burgers, before deciding on Creole.

"You can call your Mom, see if she wants to join us. That is, if you want to."

Darcy ran back upstairs, and ten minutes later was back, with Charlie on her heels. They debated until I reminded them if they didn't call soon it would be too late. They opted to pick it up, and took off, coming back with a movie they had rented, asking if we could watch it in the Mancave after dinner.

I ate my black and blue salad, savoring the blend of blackened steak and blue cheese crumbles, watching them chatter and taste off every plate. including mine. Darcy had gotten brave and ordered gator bites, and they weren't bad.

Sated, we trooped out to the building, and all sat on the leather couch, both kids between us like old times. They had chosen a romance, and I made fun of it until Darcy poked me in the ribs, telling me to be quiet so they could enjoy it.

Neither girl saw the ending until the next day, because they both fell asleep snuggled to us. I looked over to see Charlie crying, softly, trying not to wake Marissa.

We kissed them awake, and I sent them home with their mother, saying I wanted to stay there for a little. All, even Charlie, gave me a good night kiss, as they left.

I sat there a long time, thinking. Could I ever trust her again? What would I do if I did and the bitch came out in her again. Could my heart take another hit like that?

Sleep was a long time coming, and they found me, still on the couch in the mancave, the next morning. I went in and showered while they finished the movie.

..................................

I have to admit, Charlie really tried. She cooked my favorite meals, didn't complain when I didn't always accept her invitations. The relationship with the girls got stronger, especially when school rolled around again and she took them shopping. I always gave Marissa one of my cards, and Charlie, true to form, wore it out, even buying herself an outfit or two. I didn't complain, it was nowhere near what she used to spend.

She still had her allowance and one card, and was learning to live on the budget I had given her. She surprised us all when she came to me, asking a favor.

"I've been thinking about my life a lot, Jack. I think I'll take your advice, and either get a job or find something worthwhile to volunteer for. If I do, will you watch the girls if I need you?"

I gave her a nice hug, and praised her. She had also been going to the gym, and it was starting to show. She was getting her pre-soccer mom shape back. I always complimented her on her progress, even gave her extra money for workout gear and a few new outfits.

We were back to sleeping together, starting when we watched a pretty risque movie one night accompanied by too much wine. It was good, sex with Charlie was always good, especially when she had a little too much and her inhibitions were down. We woke up a few hours later cuddled together, glad the girls were spending the night with friends, and proceeded to pound the shit out of each other. I woke to her lips wrapped round my cock, and she refused to stop until I blasted down her throat. She used to hate this, but then again she used to not fuck other men. I'm afraid my insecurities made me comment on it. She flamed bright red.

"I still don't, Jack. This is the first time, and I did it as a thank you, for last night and the fact that we've been getting along better."

I felt like a jerk, and apologized, thanking her for her gift. She smiled, and then ran into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"Where do we go from here?"

She was genuinely surprised at my question. "As far as you want to. But from now on, if either of us get an urge, I want the other to scratch it. I haven't been with anyone but you for months. Odd, after I cheated, I became faithful. The thought of another man touching me turns my stomach."

I believed her, mostly because I had access to her movements almost constantly. If she was fooling around, she was being damn good at hiding it.

Two months went by, and we shared a bed about once a week, each sneaking to the others house after the kids were down. I'm sure they knew, they weren't babies anymore, and they both spent the night with one or the other, instead of one usually at the other house. Encouragement, I suspect.

Charlie got a volunteer position for one of the major charities, helping prepare events from fun runs to formal balls and dinners. The first two or three months it was mostly daytime activities, weekends usually. A lot of times one girl or the other would go with her, sometimes both. Sometimes I went along, which seemed to please her.

As cooler weather came, they moved to more indoor venues, events held mostly at night. I went with her to a few, admiring her new form in the nice gowns I had bought her, watching her get hit on and shooting them down, often pointing me out.

It was fun, and I did network a little, but it took too much out of me to do it on a regular basis and still run my company, so I cut down to about one out of three. Charlie acted disappointed until I asked how she would like it if I got her up early and dragged her to work, and she still had to go to her job, getting very little sleep.

She usually had breakfast with us the second day after, showing us pictures on her phone of all the beautiful people. I really didn't think much about it, opting to trust her, because I thought she had learned her lesson. The video cameras were still in place, but I had stopped checking them weeks ago.

We were slowly working our way back to each other, I had mostly gotten past what she had done, believing she was truly sorry, and knowing what would happen if she slipped again.

But pride doesn't go before a fall, complacency does. June called me one day, asking me to bring the kids over for the weekend, me included if I wanted. Charlie had a two day event, so we kissed her, wished her luck with the project, even invited her to come to their mansion and spend the night. She opted out, saying she would be too tired to drive the thirty five extra miles, told us to have a good time, kissed us all goodbye, and waved until we were out of sight.

...........................

Harry and June met us at the door. The girls squealed over each other, before hurrying away to get in to bathing suits and hit the new pool. We didn't worry because we knew Shanna would watch them until we got there.

I finally got settled in, changed, and headed for the pool. It was a very unusual experience. June commented on how much my girls had grown. "Marissa is going to be a beautiful woman, Jack, and when Darcy matures she'll be a living doll."

I looked at the girls with new eyes, noticing how the two piece, not quite bikini hugged the blossoming figure of my oldest, and how the simple one piece Darcy had on showed off her long legs and budding breasts. Shit. Now I have to buy a shotgun.

The adult women there were nothing you could ignore. June liked to be nude at home, which took Harry's parents a little time to get used to, but for the sake of the girls she had on a , for her, conservative bikini. Shanna though, wore an almost invisible bottom, only noticeable because of the contrasting white strips molding into her body. I couldn't help but stare.

She was a little cool to me, and I asked June why.

"You're pretty much an idiot when it comes to the female, Jack. You know that, right? Shanna is pissed because she sent you all kinds of signals when the troubles with Charlie started, and you never responded. I know, with your old fashioned sense of honor you wouldn't even touch another woman until you were divorced, but she doesn't understand why you didn't just cut Charlie loose."

"If I had, then I would have been as bad as Charlie. Besides, I was doing everything with the kids in mind, and I couldn't afford any hint of scandal if I went for full custody."

"How are you and Charlie getting along?"

"Much better. She doesn't sit around the house now, she exercises, is a lot more conservative over money, she even volunteers, doing work for a major charity. I still haven't moved back in, but we have the occasional sleepovers. I have high hopes for the future."

Harry sighed and June wouldn't look me in the eyes. "We need to talk, Jack, after the girls are down for the night."

Well, that ruined my mood for the rest of the evening. The girls didn't notice I had gone quiet, and rushed off after dinner to see a movie in their thirty two seat media room. Shanna was watching them, making sure they got to bed. A quick kiss and they were off.

We went in to the bar, a room set up like an old time western saloon. He got us a couple of beers, and June a glass of the wine she favored. I tasted it, expecting something exceptional for six hundred dollars a bottle, but to me, it tasted the same as a twenty dollar bottle.

We sat, sipping. I knew better than to rush them. They would get to what they wanted to say in their own good time. June finally started.

"You know we contribute heavily to several charities, right? Especially since we can write most of it off. We'd much rather give it to an organization that might actually better the world than let the government waste it. And Charlie has hit us a few times in her new position, and we always sent a nice check."

I suddenly knew I wasn't going to like where this was going.

"We sometimes go to the events held for these charities, a sort of show the flag sort of deal. Their reasoning is that if we support it publicly, it may influence others. About a month ago, we attended a black tie dinner, at a thousand a plate, all proceeds going to the charity. Charlie was there, behind the scenes, coordinating everything. She was busy and we didn't get a chance to speak. I don't think she even realized we were there."

The night was almost over, the tables cleared, the orchestra placing for those who wished to dance. We were about to leave when I saw her again. Look."

She showed me a picture of Charlie in a dress I'd never seen. It showed of her figure quite well. I wasn't really looking at the dress though, but the guy she was locking lips with.

"David Duncan," June said, answering the unasked question. "He's pretty well off, and a known pussy hound. He goes to these things hoping to score, and he likes to seduce married women. He's very good, Jack. He's even tried his lines on me once or twice, before giving up."

"I used the facilities, went back to Harry, showed him the picture and we kind of blended into the scenery, not really that hard in a crowd of five hundred, the men all dressed in a tux, the women in gowns. We got a few more pictures, all inappropriate poses, some worse than others. That's why we wanted you here. It's not our life, but you are one of our oldest friends, so we decided to tell you. What you do with the information is up to you, we just didn't want you repeating a mistake."

Most couples would have never spoken, following some obscure belief about the the bearers of bad news and not getting involved, then been all over you with sympathy and support when it went to hell. These however, were true friends, and the slight variations in their thought patterns compelled them to speak now, to give me information and time to consider choices. If there was some way to retune the rest of the world to their way of thinking, it would probably be a much better place.

I nodded, lost in thought. The first betrayal had hurt me pretty bad, but this one, after all we went through and all the promises she made, hit me hard. Without a doubt, our marriage was over. Emotions hadn't hit yet, so I thanked Harry and June, excused myself, and went to bed.

I figured I'd stay awake half the night, but when my head hit that pillow, I was out like a light. My eyes popped open at six, and I lay there, reviewing what I wanted to do.

The divorce was back on, without a doubt. I'd call the lawyer Monday, set it back in motion. I wasn't sure when I was going to tell Charlie or the girls, but I wasn't going to let much time pass. Time to move on. I'd go my way, she'd go hers. I would still live in the basement until Marissa graduated, and maybe Darcy would go with me when I moved out.

If Charlie had any sense, and judging by her actions she had precious little, she would be agreeable, for the sake of the girls if nothing else. The again, she wasn't known for being agreeable. Time would tell.

We spent the next two days watching the girls enjoy themselves, although we got into the activities as well. June had decided she wanted horses, so they built a six stall barn and filled it up.

I was a little afraid of animals that huge, but the ones they had purchased were known for their intelligence and gentle ways.

Harry discovered he was allergic to horses, so June, Shanna, the girls, and I saddled up, spending a pleasant morning ambling around. June had a picnic delivered to their gazebo by their favorite pond, a body of water that could just as easily been considered a small lake. Harry met us there with the rods, and I bowed out, fishing for a few hours before going back. The pond was well stocked, and we both believed in catch and release, so we would enjoy the fight the bass would give us, before removing the hook as gently as possible and send them back, to grow bigger for the next fight.

...................

While we fished, we talked business. I owed my company to Harry, he and June basically insisted I start it, all because of something I did for June out of kindness. June suffered from dry skin, not horribly, but enough to be uncomfortable at times. An offhand comment started me thinking.

I was a civil engineer, specializing in water systems for multistory buildings, from office, to industrial, to residential, or a mix of any and all of them. Thinking about her problem, I went into the Mancave, when it was still just a workshop, and built what we trademarked 'The Wall'. It was one wall of your shower, with padded, protruding nozzles, ever four inches from knee high to neck high. They would pulse and vibrate while dispensing first soap and water, then rinse water, and finally body lotion. It would wash, massage, and lotion you at one time, a one stop shop for cleanliness. A side effect was when a woman washed her front, leaning in to the vibrating heads hitting strategic locations, it was a VERY pleasant experience. The pressure and temperature of the water, the intensity of the vibrations, and the heat of the lotion were all controlled from a small touchpad computer on the shower door, with up to six programmable preferences, for every member of the family. We didn't mention that fact in advertising, but there were a couple of articles in women's magazines gushing about the feeling of, ah, cleanliness it gave.

Harry let me install the prototype for June, and she loved it so much she showed it to her friends, which led to a string of women coming over to take showers. Finally, Harry wanted his bathroom back, and told them to buy their own. June called me, with seven orders, to be delivered as soon as possible.

I shocked her when I told her I didn't have the time and inclination to do any more, it was just supposed to be a nice gesture to my friends.

This led to a long talk about how much it had cost me to build, and did I have it protected? Harry immediately loaned me his lawyer, to get the patents, and drew up a charter for a LLC company. We rented a small industrial building, and I hired two guys to help build the ones for June's friends. We installed each custom fit 'Wall' into the bathrooms to rave reviews.

All their friends were rich, which was a good thing, because they weren't cheap. It wasn't a case of keeping up with the Joneses, more along the lines of keeping up with the Gates and Buffets.

Harry and June loaned me half a million to get started right, and it just went from there. The first two years were pretty much covered by word of mouth and write ups in magazines. We ended up installing them for a lot of actors, sports figures, singers, and writers, even two former First Ladies. Five star hotels started adding them to the luxury suites.

One former NFL quarterback was so impressed he had me build a portable unit, and put it in the locker room for his old team. It stayed in for two months, until the coach had it taken out to stop the fights over who was next. My company built a very large unit capable of holding five at a time, and installed it in every locker room of every pro and most college football lockers, then hockey players, basketball teams, just about every major sport that required muscles got in on it.

Harry was shrewd enough to make sure the lawyer got international patents, and we sued companies in France and Portugal, ending up with their assets, and Harry wants to take it global, after the divorce. And they came up with a way to keep the company out of Charlie's influence. I was okay with that, not angry enough to screw over her, but angry enough not to reward her either.

In fact, after talking to the lawyers, I sold the company to Harry, for a nice profit, after deducting the debt. I still worked there, as manager, for a very nice salary. It was all very transparent, and when the divorce happened I intended to offer her sixty per cent of our assets in lieu of any other claims, like maintenance and child support. I had already found what the cost would be based on my new salary, and had the amount deposited every week into an escrow account for the final split, to be used when the kids needed anything. I was giving her the house, an eight hundred thousand dollar gift, AFTER the girls turned eighteen, so they had a roof over their heads, and I was agreeing to pay all utility bills until then, unless she remarried.

My attorney told me I was being way to kind, but when I told him I was thinking of the girls, and not Charlie, he shut up.

All in all, the deal left her with the house and two point six million. It would be hard for her to refuse.

...................

She refused.

I watched on the surveillance cameras as she was served, sitting at the dining room table to open the envelopes. The first was the petition for divorce, the second were 'intimate' photos of her and her new lover. I left her a little note.

"I was ready to forgive you Charlie, thinking you had learned your lesson and would never stray again. Guess I was wrong, huh? It's a very good deal I'm offering, Charlie, you'll come out smelling like a rose. Just sign the papers, and we'll both move on with our lives. There's no need to fight for custody, we'll share it jointly until they reach majority. To do that, I will continue to live in the apartment, until Marissa is eighteen. Then, Darcy can live where she wants, she'll be sixteen and can make her own decisions. Read the paperwork, take them to whatever lawyer you choose, let them look it over. Please don't be stupid over this. In the end, Charlie, it will do you no good, and cost you money you may want to hang on to. Good luck in any future relationship you have, just don't use me as a reference."

"On yeah, I sent the same pics my lawyer has, the ones I gave you, to his wife. Be careful, this is an alienation of affections state, and a good lawyer could easily take most of your new found post divorce settlement."