The Good Husband

Sunday, 3:37AM

"Did you fuck her?"

Saturday, 7:21PM

"Thank you all for coming tonight to share in our celebration," Jen said into the microphone. "I hope there are no hard feelings because we decided to keep the actual wedding ceremony a small affair. Derrick and I wish each and every one of you could have been there that night but as there are over two hundred people here it just wasn't physically possible. So, enjoy the evening!"

Applause filled the room as Jen and Derrick kissed. Music began playing and waiters filtered through the crowd with trays of appetizers and glasses of champagne.

"Tess! There you are!" Heather threw her arms around Tess. "It's so good to see you! It's been way too long."

Tess gave her a peck on the cheek. "It has," she agreed. "It's getting harder and harder to get back."

"How long are you in Merveille?"

"We go home on Monday. My mom wants to spend more time with her grandchildren so we took an extra day. It's been such a busy week with the wedding and all so it will be nice to be able to relax tomorrow and not do anything." A waiter offered a tray of hors d'oeuvres and Tess selected one. "We missed you at the bachelorette party."

"Yeah, well, I had 'Dan' business to take care of down in Lansing. Fucker filed a custody motion there so I had to drive down the night before in order to be at court Thursday morning." Heather snagged a glass off a passing tray and downed it. "Is the prick here tonight?" she asked, scowling at the crowd.

"I saw him earlier. And, yes, he brought a date."

A dark look crossed Heather's face as Tess sampled the hors d'oeuvre in uncomfortable silence. Mercifully, Jen walked up, brightening the mood instantly.

"Jen! You look so beautiful!" Heather hugged Jen tightly to her. "How was the wedding?"

"It was lovely," Jen beamed. "The weather was perfect."

"I'm sorry I couldn't make the bachelorette party."

Jen patted her arm. "It's all right. I'm glad you're here tonight."

Heather took another glass of champagne. "How was the food at the wedding?"

"Exceptional. Andy did such an amazing job."

"Andy?" Heather turned to Tess. "Andy made dinner?"

Tess beamed. "He made these elegant appetizers of asparagus and prosciutto, and a delicious mini crab cake, followed by a wonderful Coq Au Vin. An incredible Creme Brulee topped it off. Poor guy spent all night Wednesday and all day Thursday slaving over the food."

"Where it is that gorgeous man of yours?" Heather asked. "I would like to swap recipes with him."

"The girls were getting a bit bored so he took them out to the pond to look at the ducks."

Heather shook her head. "You have such a good husband. He's great with the kids, he cooks, what else does he do?"

"Laundry!" Tess added with a laugh.

Saturday, 10:08PM

"Do you have a minute? There's something I need to tell you."

Andy looked up to see Miriam standing at the table. She bit her lip nervously before adding, "It's important."

"What's wrong?" Andy asked as he steered her toward a vacant corner.

"Well, it's that-," she began then stopped, searching for the right words. "You see," she started again but her voice failed her. Why was this so hard? The knowing had gnawed at her the last three days and Miriam knew the right thing to do was to tell Andy. But she also knew that telling him would hurt him deeply, possibly ending his marriage.

She took a deep breath before trying once more. "I'm sorry; this is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I wasn't going to say anything but it's been eating me up inside. We've been friends, you and I, for quite a while now and I've known Tess even longer so I don't want to hurt anyone but it's not fair to you, you're such a good guy and I can't believe she did this and it sucks being in this position and-"

"Miriam," he said quietly, putting his hand on her arm to stop her babbling, "you're starting to worry me. What is it?"

Tears formed in her eyes, blurring her vision. "The other night, at the bachelorette party..."

Wednesday, 11:22PM

"What is it?"

Tess glanced up from yet another text message. "Nothing," she shouted at Miriam over the thudding music and screams of delighted women. She stood. "I need to go outside and make a call. I'll be back in a bit"

Miriam stood, too. "It's a rough neighborhood. Want me to come with?"

"It's all right, stay and enjoy the show. Here, buy Jen another lap dance." Tess stuffed a wad of bills in Miriam's hand before walking out.

Tess had seemed distracted all evening, her distraction growing with each new text to the point she actually ignored the well-oiled hard-body dancing right in front of their table. Not wanting to be nosy but unable to help herself, Miriam waited a minute before going outside. A quick scan of the parking lot didn't reveal Tess but the noise of a car door slamming shut caught Miriam's attention. She turned to see Tess in a minivan at a distant edge of the lot near the woods where the darkness overpowered the parking lot lights. As the van's interior light slowly dimmed, Miriam could see the two figures inside locked in a lover's embrace.

Miriam was stunned. Tess and Andy didn't own a minivan so who was Tess with? A part of her wanted to storm across the lot, rip open the door and confront Tess, but a greater part of her was deeply saddened and sorely disappointed with her friend. How could she do that to Andy? To their kids? What more could Tess possibly want? Miriam took a step in that direction but her resolve faltered; perhaps it wasn't her place. Shaking her head, she settled on spending every bit of Tess's money.

Wednesday, 11:39PM

"That must have been quite a phone call."

"What do you mean?" Tess said innocently, having just rejoined the group.

Miriam's eyes narrowed in suspicion as she studied Tess's disheveled clothing and hair. "You're blouse is miss-buttoned," she answered flatly before turning away. Miriam hadn't spoken to Tess since.

Saturday, 10:12PM

"Thanks for telling me, I know it must have been hard for you."

Miriam gave Andy a trembling smile and carefully dabbed her eyes so she wouldn't ruin her mascara. She sniffed once again. "What are you going to do?" she asked timidly.

He shrugged. "I'm not going to make a scene; this is Jen's and Derrick's night. I'll talk to Tess later." At that he picked up his drink and disappeared into the throngs of party goers.

Saturday, 10:31PM

"Is it different, after you've been married for a while?"

The question caught Tess off guard and she looked at Jen in the bathroom mirror. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that you and Andy have been together for something like fifteen years now. Does sex become routine or boring, you know, just another chore?"

"To be honest, it can, especially if you have kids. I mean, kids can feed on your energy until you're too exhausted to do anything." Tess teased her hair as she spoke. "You just need something different from time to time to keep fresh."

"Yes, but, having sex with same person year after year after year?"

Tess laughed. "Are you having buyer's remorse? You've only been married two days!"

"I know it sounds silly but sometimes when I think of it in those terms it becomes a little daunting." Jen leaned against the wall. "Seriously, after all this time, does Andy still do it for you?"

"Yeah, he does," Tess said, slowly nodding her head. "One thing he's always been good at is, you know, 'going downtown.' With his tongue he can work me into such a state I-"

"Stop it! You're killing me!" a voice cried from a stall. A toilet flushed and the stall door swung open to reveal Heather shimmying her tight, black dress into place. "It's been a long time since I've been fucked and much longer since anyone's eaten my pussy! All this talk is making my cunt ache."

Jen shook her head. "I'm sure it's not as bad as you-"

"It is! Who wants to fuck a divorced mother of two who's closer to forty than thirty?" Heather washed her hands with a vengeance, her voice dripping with venom. "I haven't had sex in almost two years, and the last time I had a good licking was in college!"

Tess and Jen stared at her, stunned by her frankness. Heather plunged on with her rant. "Dan didn't like to go down on me and when he did it was such a half-hearted attempt that itbored me. Can you believe that? Of course, I had to keep sucking his dick all those years. Don't get me wrong, I like giving a blowjob now and then and I take pride in a cock well blown but I'd like a little something in return. I don't think it's too much to ask for."

Heather dried her hands and became very still, her head bowed, her shoulders slumped in defeat. When she spoke again her voice was quiet. "You're so lucky, Tess, to have Andy. I know you don't mean to sound boastful and if I had a guy like him I'd certainly be proud, but at times it really twists my insides around to hear how good you have it. I have no right to be jealous because I made my decisions and I'm living with the results." Heather raised her eyes to Tess'. "But, I am jealous." She paused, reflecting, and when she went on her voice became stronger with every word. "If I ever get my hands on a guy like Andy the first thing I'd do is straddle his face and ride him till my pussy glowed in the dark! Then once I came back down to earth I'd fuck me silly!"

"Fuckhim silly," Jen corrected.

"No,me. It would be all about me, at first." Heather's voice became tinged with pain. "After the hell I've been through these past few years, God knows I've earned the right to be a little bit selfish." Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked out.

Her face blank with shock, Jen looked at Tess. "Did she drive tonight? If so, we should take her keys right now."

"Yeah, good thinking." Tess bit her lip. "I honestly had no idea she hurt so much. She needs help."

Jen nodded in agreement. After a long pause, she asked, "So, back to my earlier question: how do you spice up your sex life?"

"Variety," Tess said simply. She flashed Jen a mischievous smile and headed back to the party.

Wednesday, 11:28PM

"Fuck me! Oh, God, fuck me hard!"

Tess was bent over the rear seat, her blouse open and her breasts swaying heavily. Her skirt was pushed up past her hips as his hands gripped her naked flesh. He was fucking her with abandon and she worried he would leave telltale bruises. That thought was driven from her mind as his hands moved up to her shoulders, pulling her back into him to meet every violent thrust. Tess had never been fucked like this before and she felt the ember of an orgasm glow brighter deep inside.

One hand moved to the back of her neck. "Don't fuck up my hair," she scolded, "I need to look good when I go back inside."

His response was immediate and swift. He buried his hand deep in her hair and pulled her head back sharply, claiming her, his cock driving into her with even greater force. Tess screamed as her orgasm ignited and swept through her body like wildfire. She no longer cared about her hair. She no longer cared if anyone heard her. She no longer cared if anyone saw her. All she cared about was that beautiful cock making her pussy shudder and come. He let go and Tess collapsed on the seat, struggling to catch her breath. Ever so slowly he slipped out of her leaving an emptiness between her legs.

"That was incredible," she panted, turning towards him. "Baby, you can fuck me like that anytime you-"

Her words were cut short as he pulled her face abruptly down to his cock glistening in the faint glow of the parking lot lights. It bobbed with every beat of his heart, a pearl of fluid clinging to the tip. Tess stared at it, hypnotized by the rhythmic motion, until he broke the spell by nudging it against her lips. At once she clutched his taut buttocks and pulled him to her, taking him deeper than she had taken any man. With his fingers entwined in her hair, he set a brisk tempo, a tempo that increased with each stroke. The pace became so frenetic Tess didn't know if she was giving him a blowjob or if he was fucking her face. It didn't matter; her fingers dug into his flesh and she held on for the ride.

When he finally flooded her mouth she wrapped her lips tightly around the head and dutifully swallowed every drop of his cum like the good little slut she was.

Saturday, 10:57PM

"Looks like Heather and Andy are having a good time."

Tess gave a start as Miriam had sidled up to her unexpectedly. Those were the first words Miriam had said to her in days and Tess didn't care for the smug tone. Trying to diffuse the situation, Tess said airily, "I'm sure their talking recipes or something." Across the room Heather laughed and leaned drunkenly into Andy who put a hand on her waist to support her. They certainly didn't look like two people discussing cooking.

"Or something," Miriam affirmed before walking away, her voice dripping with pleasure.

Tess bit her lip and continued watching in silence.

Sunday, 1:26AM

"You ruined my life, you fucking asshole!"

The room hushed instantly and all eyes turned to Heather standing in the middle. Her face was flushed and her hands balled into fists as she glared at Dan, who sighed dramatically and with exaggerated movements set his drink on the table. He stood, looking at Heather and beginning to speak but was cut off.

"No! You don't get to talk; I can't stand anymore of your fucking lies!" Heather was crying now, her tears tracking mascara down her cheeks.

"Looks like someone has had enough," Derrick observed to Jen.

"Yeah, she has. I told the bartender to cut her off but someone must have been getting her drinks." Jen sighed. "At least we hid her car keys."

"You mean the ones she's holding in her hands?" Derrick pointed out. Jen swore under her breath.

Dan had taken a step forward but Heather wheeled around and was marching towards the door. Dan followed with an odd expression on his face. Watching from the edge of the crowd Andy surmised Dan was up to no good.

Sensing an opportunity, Andy moved quickly to an exit on the opposite side of the room while crowd buzzed with excited chatter about the drama that had just unfolded. The fall night air cooled his face as he walked briskly around the building to the parking lot. Already he could hear Heather's voice, shrill and pained, as she berated Dan. The situation was deteriorating rapidly and Andy hurried to get there before it got out of control.

Coming around a SUV, he found Heather yelling obscenities while Dan watched with a condescending smirk. Heather swung a hand at Dan's face that he easily avoided with a step back. Losing her balance, Heather spun down to the asphalt awkwardly, bumping her head in the process. She sat up and sobbed as Dan looked down shaking his head slowly in disgust.

"Look at you," Dan began. "No wonder you haven't found another guy. Sometimes I wonder why I married you. You're a mess and-" He was interrupted by Andy strolling up nonchalantly.

"Hey, Heather. There you are," Andy called out cheerily, pretending he hadn't heard a word. "I was wondering if I could bum a ride off you." He could feel the burn of Dan's glare but ignored it. "The kids were worn out so Tess took them back to her Mom's house awhile ago. Seeing as you live just up the road from her I figured I'd ask you first."

Heather looked up Andy with large, round eyes and an expression of relief spread across her face. Dan seethed quietly but Andy continued to ignore him. At the moment Andy only had eyes for Heather as he offered a hand. Heather took it and smiled gratefully as he helped her up.

"Sure," she said as she wobbled on her feet. One high heel shoe had come off when she fell so she kicked the other one off, evening out her legs. "Sure, I can give you a ride." She picked up her shoes and walked over to her car to unlock it.

Andy turned to Dan and said quietly, "Please let Jen know I drove Heather home. I don't want her to worry." Dan nodded slowly, the anger evident on his face. For a moment it appeared he had something to say but Andy stared him down in a silent challenge until Dan turned and went back the reception hall.

Andy found Heather still struggling to unlock the car so he deftly took the keys from her. "Mind if I drive? I've always wanted to try out your car." With a push of a button the doors unlocked and Heather crawled across the driver's seat to the passenger side. Andy climbed in and started the car. This was going to be easier than he thought.

Sunday, 3:37AM

"Did you fuck her?"

Andy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Hoping to avoid this conversation at this time, he had undressed quietly and crept into bed not wanting to awaken Tess. Unfortunately, she had been lying in wait. "Yeah," he answered after a moment, "I did."

"Tell me." Her voice was flat, unreadable. "I need to know everything."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Inwardly, Andy groaned. The buzzing in his head was steadily growing louder with each passing minute as his hangover approached. What he needed most was sleep but he knew Tess would continue pestering until he relented. No use delaying the inevitable. "I drove Heather home because she was too drunk to drive," he began.

Sunday, 2:11AM

"We're here."

Heather awoke to discover they were in her driveway. The moment the car started moving she had closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window, embarrassed by her behavior. She had expected Andy to be like everyone else and lecture her about her drinking. Instead he flipped on the radio and tuned in a classic rock station and drove on in silence. Within minutes she had fallen asleep. Now they were at her house and the shame rushed back in. She had never wanted Andy to see her that way.

He sighed as he turned off the car. "Maybe it's not my business," he began. Here it comes, she thought. "...but I totally agree with you. Dan is a fucking asshole." Heather smiled. "I had no idea he treated you like that. I've should have seen it sooner."

Exhaling, Heather said, "In fairness to you he only acts like that when we're alone. He's totally different when he's with other people. I never saw that side of him the first couple of years. That didn't happen until after we were married and by then I was like a fly in a spider's web." Heather looked out into the darkness. "Helpless," she muttered, "fucking helpless."

"At least you're rid of him," Andy offered. "You're a strong person for getting the divorce."

Heather shook her head vigorously, tears welling in her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was cracked and raw. "You want to know the ugly truth? He divorced me. I mean, for years I wanted to leave him but couldn't because I couldn't bear the thought of being alone. I was weak and I was scared of being on my own." Her mouth moved as if she had more to say but no words were forthcoming. Instead, she lowered her head and wiped her tears.

He turned away to give her few moments to collect herself. When her sobbing subsided he said softly, "Heather -- Look at me." He waited until she lifted her eyes. "I've known you for a long time and I know you're strong. You think you're weak only because Dan told you so. He's simply a bully, that's all, a bully who is trying to hide his own insecurities by keeping someone else down. And as for being afraid you'll always be alone, I don't believe that for a second. You're so beautiful and smart and --" Andy stopped and turned away, shaking his head.

Heather waited for Andy to go on but he didn't. "I'd like you to finish that thought," she prompted quietly.

Andy sighed and leaned his head against the steering wheel. When he finally spoke his voice was barely above a whisper. "And sexy and I would ask you out in a heartbeat, if I wasn't..." His words trailed into silence.