Threelationship

While he was confused by her reaction, Wes tried to stick to his plan of laying this all out as emotionless as possible.

"I think you'll find the division of assets to be fair."

"Fuck the assets, Wesley! I want an explanation!"

Wes noticed Kathy was looking at Ann funny. He assumed she had the same thought that he did: this is what she wanted so why is she so angry? He had assumed this would go much more smoothly, that she might even appreciate that the pressure was now off her. He hadn't planned to talk about what led to his making this decision, but now it seemed he had no choice.

"Ann, I was outside the bedroom the other day."

"What? What the hell does that mean?"

"I came home for lunch on Tuesday, and I was outside the bedroom."

"I still don't understand what you're talking about."

"I was outside the bedroom, but you were inside it."

Ann just shook her head as a show that she still didn't understand where this was going, but Kathy was now putting things together. Ann probably would have made the connection if she had thought about it but she was too busy being angry about the divorce papers on the table in front of her.

"You were inside the bedroom, Ann, and you weren't alone."

Wes' eyes reflexively glanced at Kathy and their eyes locked for just a couple of seconds before Wes looked back at Ann. Ann caught the glance and then it registered what Wes had said, and she finally got it.

"Oh, oh Wes, I'm so sorry," she said, sitting back down, the sorrow evident in her voice.

"So, as I said," Wes continued. "I think you'll find the division of assets fair, though I didn't include me paying you alimony even though I make a bit more than you. I figure since you guys will have 2 incomes it's only fair."

"Wes, honey, I don't...I don't know what to say."

Wes reached out and took her hand in his.

"Ann, I've loved you since the first time I saw you wearing that modest but somehow still sexy green one-piece bathing suit you were wearing at that radio station's beach party. You've made me happier than I ever had a right to be. All I want is for you to be happy, really, and since you don't love me anymore..."

Ann loudly interjected, "No, Wes! Don't you ever think that I don't love you."

"Well, whatever. The point is that if leaving me to be with Kathy is what you need to be happy, then that's what's important."

"I...God, I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything. The attorney's card is clipped to the paperwork. All you need to do is go in there and sign the papers. They'll notarize them and file them for us. It's all paid for."

"Wes..." Ann started, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"I'm going to pack a few things for now, and I'll get the rest another time. Under the circumstances I can't continue to stay here. I'll try and let you know where I land."

Wes got up and started to leave the kitchen so he could go pack some clothes. As he passed Ann she reached out and touched his arm. He stopped and looked at her, waiting to see if she had something to say, but continued walking when nothing was forthcoming. He packed several changes of clothes into a suitcase then left the house. As he did so he glanced back at Ann and Kathy. Ann was crying into Kathy's shoulder, and Kathy was shedding some tears as well, though for what he did not know. He continued out of the house when no more talk was heard.

<><><><><>

Despite the emotional experience of Wes leaving, Kathy began moving in to the apartment right away. Wes and Ann still had several months left on their lease but Kathy's was ending soon so Kathy just took over Wes' spot. As long as the payments were made, they didn't expect any hassle from the apartment management.

The emotions of the day were forgotten, at least temporarily, when they went to bed that evening. It had been years, since they were in college, that they had actually been able to sleep together, to wake up next to each other. They made love well into the evening and again upon waking the next morning.

During the days that followed, though, Ann would continue to wrestle with the emotions she was feeling. She loved Kathy, knew that for sure, but she also loved Wes and regretted how she had hurt him.

The following Friday morning, some 8 days after the conversation at the kitchen table, Ann finally felt emotionally together to address the situation. She read through the papers and thought they were perfectly fair and reasonable, but she had been so emotional when Wes had handed her the papers that she felt they should talk once more before she went in and submitted the papers, just to make sure they had covered everything.

She pulled out her phone and pressed 1 on her speed dial. She mentally chided herself for not having moved Kathy to the number 1 spot on her phone and made a mental note to herself to make that change. She was surprised to find that Wes' number was disconnected, but as she thought about it she could see him wanting to start fresh and maybe separate himself from his old life a little bit. She dialed again, this time calling him at work.

"Alpha Logistics, how may I direct your call?"

"Wes Hartley, please."

"May I ask who's calling, please?"

"This is his w...his wife."

Well, she still was, technically.

"Oh, Mrs. Hartley, we're so glad you've called. Hold on one moment, please."

There was a pause as she was put on hold and some cheesy jazz music filled her ear. She'd never had an issue getting him on the phone before, though rarely called him through the switchboard. And the receptionist seemed, what, anxious when she asked for him. Finally, the call rang back but instead of the receptionist again it was a man's voice, but that voice wasn't Wes'.

"Mrs. Hartley, my name is Ron Peterson. I'm Wes' supervisor here. I'm sorry but Wes hasn't been here in a week, since last Thursday. I take it you were unaware of that."

"Yes, Mr. Peterson. We...well, we separated a week ago, that same day in fact, so I haven't seen him either but I was trying to reach him so we could talk some more and make sure he was okay. I guess it would make sense that he would call out for a few days, all things considered."

"Well, that's just it, Mrs. Hartley. He hasn't called in at all. We haven't heard from him and his phone is disconnected. We tried calling you as well using the number on his emergency contacts but it's not current."

Ann recalled that she had gotten a new phone number last year when her old one had somehow ended up on some call list that saw her receiving dozens of robocalls a day. She couldn't report them fast enough so bit the bullet and got a new number. Apparently, Wes hadn't updated the records.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Peterson. Our separation hit him hard. I wouldn't have expected him to stop going to work but maybe this was worse on him than I thought."

"Well, Mrs. Hartley, he's a very valuable member of our team and we'd hate to lose him. We're prepared to keep his position open, especially in light of what you've just told me, but we can't do that forever. We have a business to run and a lot of other people to consider."

"I understand, Mr. Peterson. Thank you very much. I'll keep trying to find him."

"Please keep us informed, Mrs. Hartley. Good luck."

Kathy had come into the room mid-call and became increasingly concerned as Ann spoke with Wes' boss. The look on Ann's face when she finally disconnected the call let Kathy know something was wrong.

"What?" she asked. "Tell me."

"I don't know exactly. I told you how I wanted to sit down with Wes now that I wasn't so emotional, but his phone has been disconnected and he hasn't been to work since that day."

"So he took some time off..."

"They said he hasn't even called in. He just stopped showing up. I don't know what to think."

"I'm sure he's fine, Annie. He just forgot to call and he took a few days off to get his head together. I bet he turns up next week. Have you tried sending an email?"

"You know, I haven't. That's a good idea."

Kathy had done her best to reassure Ann that Wes was okay, but she didn't really believe it. Through Ann, she'd known Wes for several years and loved him like a brother, despite what the situation they were now in might suggest. One of the things she admired about him was his dependability, and she could not imagine him just not showing up for work. She could understand his need for time off but was sure he would have called in. No, something was wrong and she needed to find out what but without worrying Ann.

<><><><><>

Wes relaxed on the bed in the cheap hotel room he now called home. He had a 12-pack of beer sitting cold in the small refrigerator and a baseball game playing on the TV, though he wasn't really paying attention. It was more for background noise, so he didn't feel so alone.

It had been nearly 3 weeks since he had left the apartment he shared with his wife, Ann. Of course, she was soon to be an ex-wife, but he was still getting used to saying it that way. In the intervening time he had done basically nothing but drink and watch TV. When he first got here he had explored the adult offerings on cable but tired of that quickly.

The knock on the door was a surprise. He was paid up so knew this wasn't a manager looking to collect money, and he had not had a visitor in the entire time he had been here. He approached the door and used the peep hole. He sighed and his head drooped as he spied Kathy's admittedly pretty face on the other side of the door. He briefly considered just not answering but, just as he had that thought, Kathy yelled through the door.

"C'mon Wes, I know you're in there. Your car is parked right out here. Open up."

Wes took a deep breath and opened the door. He had always liked Kathy and enjoyed when they had all hung out together. He had spent many an hour admiring his wife and her best friend in their bathing suits, and had also gotten the occasional brief glimpse of Kathy in her underwear. But that day 3 weeks ago was the one and only time he had ever seen her nude, and it happened to be she while she was fucking his wife. He had to admit she was pretty hot.

"How'd you find me?"

"Luck, mostly," Kathy responded as she stepped inside. "Annie tried to call you a couple weeks ago and found your phone was disconnected and you hadn't been going to work, so I quietly put the word out to our mutual friends to keep an eye out. Mel saw you coming out of a liquor store and followed you here."

"How is Melanie? I haven't seen her for a while."

"She's fine. She and Brian just got engaged."

"So everyone knows what happened?"

"No, I just said you and Ann had a fight and you had stormed out."

"A fight?"

"It's nobody's business what's going on."

"Should I be expecting Ann to show up?"

"No. She doesn't even know I had people looking for you, let alone that I found you."

"So, what do you want? You already took Ann from me. You here to gloat, rub it in a little bit?" Wes sneered, unable to hide his disgust with the whole thing.

"No, just to talk. Ann's worried about you."

"I don't see why. She was leaving me, remember?"

"That doesn't mean she stopped caring about you."

Wes didn't really have a response to that so he just shrugged and went to grab another beer from the fridge.

"Want one?" he asked Kathy, holding up his own can.

"Nah, I'm good."

We popped the top and hopped on to his bed. The room only had one chair and he motioned for Kathy to take it, which she did.

"Why'd you stop going to work?"

"I just didn't see the point. It's not like I loved the job. It was fine but it was just a means to build a better life for Ann and me. Now that there's no Ann and me there's no reason to go."

"But you're still gonna need to support yourself."

"Nah, I'm good. I went to the bank and took out my half of our savings and checking."

"Oh, come on. I know you and Annie were very good about saving but that can't be more than a few thousand dollars. That won't last you very long."

"It's more than enough to last me the rest of my life, Kathy," he said, catching her eyes briefly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Wes. That wouldn't last you the rest of your life unless..."

She leapt to her feet and stood over Wes, who remained prone on the bed.

"You get that thought right out of your head, mister, and you do it now. I know you're hurt but that's not the solution."

"That's your opinion," Wes grunted.

"C'mon Wes," Kathy said as she sat next to him on the bed, her emotions calming. "Ann would be devastated."

"We're getting divorced, Kathy. She's leaving me for you, and it's still all about her. Tell me why I should care. I'm no longer her problem, or yours."

"She still loves you, Wes..."

Wes interrupted with a snort. "Sure she does."

"She really does. We've been talking about this for some time but she was worried about hurting you. If you hadn't been there and overheard her we might still be waiting."

Wes didn't have anything to say in response to that so just sat there brooding. Kathy remained silent as well trying to think of something to say. She really wanted Ann to be happy because if the guilt at hurting Wes became too much then their relationship was probably doomed anyway. She had hoped to somehow get Wes to understand and get back on good terms with them. She tried a different tack.

"Can I ask you something?" Wes nodded. "Well, you knew about Annie and me back in college. It wasn't a secret. Does this really come as a big surprise?"

Wes thought for a moment before responding.

"Actually, it does. Yes, I knew you and Ann were lovers in college, but she told me she gave it up when we met and never mentioned an interest in doing it again. I assumed it was a phase or curiosity or whatever, and that was the end of it. So, yes, it was a big surprise. Now I have a question for you: did you guys ever actually stop?"

"Yes, we did. For years."

"When did it start up again? How long has this been going on?"

"The first time was almost a year ago..."

"A year! This has been going on for a year! Jesus!"

"No, it hasn't been going on for a year. The first time was a year ago but then nothing happened for several months after that."

"How did it happen?"

"You were out of town for work. I think it was some sort of training session. Anyway, Annie didn't want to be home alone so she asked me to come sleep over in your guest room."

"I know what trip you're talking about. The company sent us all to the corporate office for training on some new procedure and we were there for 3 days. I remember Ann mentioning she had asked you to stay over."

"Well, we had gotten ready for bed and were watching some movie on cable. Neither of us had work the next day so we were staying up late. When our movie ended there was a promo that one of those soft porn movies was coming on next, and we decided to stay up and watch it."

Wes considered that information. Ann had never particularly enjoyed hard-core porn, saying it was kind of gross. But she did enjoy the soft-core movies, which got her quite turned on and had led to some pretty intense lovemaking over the years. He had a feeling where this was going but let Kathy tell the story.

"This particular one, as it turned out, was all women, so all the scenes were girl-girl. I happened to be laying with my head in her lap as we lounged on the couch. I know I was getting turned on, and I noticed Annie...rubbing her thighs together, so I knew she was feeling it, too."

"So you decided to seduce her?"

"Actually, no. It was Annie that first touched me. I was watching the movie when I felt her hand cover and fondle my breast. We were in our pajamas and neither of us were wearing bras so there was nothing between her hand and my breast but a thin layer of cotton. I'm not gonna lie, Wes. It felt good. I had missed her touch. I've been with other girls over the years but none have made me feel like Annie."

"So you were trying to take her away from me?"

"No, Wes, no. You guys were married and I made every effort to respect that. But I love her, too, and she was coming on to me, and I wasn't going to turn her down. I turned and looked up at her and her arousal was written all over her face.

"My eyes met hers and I even asked her 'Are you sure?' and she nodded. I sat up and pulled my nightgown off and Annie did the same. She laid on her back and lifted her hips, which was always her sign that she wanted her panties taken off."

That statement was like a gut punch to Wes. She had done the same thing with him hundreds of times.

"I pulled them off her then stood and took mine off, too. I got on top of her and we started kissing and it was like riding a bike. We could always read each other and we still could. Our hands were all over each other, and must have made out for 20 minutes. I just couldn't stop kissing her."

As Kathy related the story, Wes could see it in his mind. He knew he should be angry, should be downright pissed that his wife had cheated on him, but the image in his mind of these two beautiful, naked women writhing together on the couch was getting him seriously aroused, and the tent that was forming in his shorts was starting to provide visual evidence. He snapped out of his reverie and locked in again to what she was saying.

"...finally got between her legs I could barely contain myself. She always tastes so good and of course she was using that magic tongue of hers on me."

Kathy's eyes were glassy as she relived that night. She had lost track of the fact that Wes was even there. At this point the story was mostly for her own benefit and she was getting incredibly turned on. She could feel the moisture building between her legs.

"We slept together that night for the first time in years, our naked bodies pressed against each other. We made love again the next morning and throughout the rest of the day, until it was time to clean up because you were due home."

Wes remembered that trip well, or more accurately the week of incredible sex that followed. He now realized at least some of it had likely been fueled by guilt on Ann's part. That didn't change how incredible the experience had been, at least to Wes. With all these thoughts and images in his head, Wes was as hard as a steel pipe. He wanted to adjust to hopefully make it less noticeable but was afraid that would simply draw attention to...

"You got turned on hearing that," Kathy said, in more of a statement than a question. "I can see how hard you are."

Now that he knew she had noticed, there was no need to be subtle. He started to adjust his position and his clothes to make it less obvious, but Kathy put her hand on his arm to stop him.

"Take it out."

"What?"

"You heard me. Take it out. Annie's always telling me how nice it is. I want to see it."

Truthfully, Wes would have welcomed the relief he would feel at releasing the restraints of his clothing, but wasn't into just being a peep show for Kathy. He gave her body an appraising look and then looked at her, his eyebrows raised questioningly. She got it immediately.

"Really, Wes? Are we 10? You'll show me yours if I'll show you mine?" Wes just shrugged. "Fine."

Kathy grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. There was something about what this move did to a woman's body that turned Wes on. Ann knew it and usually took her shirt of just like that.

As Kathy pulled her shirt off, Wes wasn't entirely surprised to see what she wasn't wearing a bra. She dropped her shirt to the floor and Wes finally took her in. Her breasts were not large, though larger than Ann's. They were topped by perfect little light brown areolas about the size of a quarter. They were well-shaped and rested comfortably on her chest. Wes couldn't help but let out an exclamation of appreciation.