Frank and Jean
written by:
Just Plain Bob

I saw the couple back in the dark corner acting like they were out for a quiet evening together, but they were anything but. They had followed us in, taken a seat where they could watch us and hadn't taken their eyes off of us since we sat down. The might as well have been wearing signs that said "Private Detectives at Work." The ‘us' they were watching? Me and my secretary Kathy.

Actually Kathy was more of a personal assistant than a secretary and she always traveled with me when I went out of town on business. My wife's boyfriend thought that Kathy was much more and he was trying to find out for sure. He was trying to get information that he could give to Jean so she could divorce me and get a big pot of money. She obviously hasn't told him why she can't do that.

Kathy and I had flown into Dallas/Fort Worth airport that morning to attend meetings with people from Millgard Industries and we expected to be there over night. I was sure that I recognized the blond in the watching couple from the baggage claim area at the airport. Jean's boyfriend was laying out some big bucks if he was having us followed when we were out of town, but what he didn't know was that he was wasting his money. If I fucked Kathy on the table in front of the PIs and they took pictures and he gave those pictures to Jean she would raise holy hell with him and would probably kick him to the curb.

Kathy and I finished our dinner and I waived the waiter over and asked for the tab. Kathy got up and headed for her room and I moved to the bar. I had a few drinks and gave my watchers something to put in their report. I asked a couple of ladies to dance and I even joined one at her table for a drink. We talked for a bit and it turned out that she was a business traveler also and was just killing time in the lounge because there wasn't anything worth watching on TV. She made it plain that she wasn't there to hook up and that was okay with me because I wasn't there for that for that either. I danced twice more with her and then headed for my room.

Once there I took a little black box out of my suitcase, switched it on and then walked around the room with it. It was a device that I'd gotten from a friend who owned a company heavily involved in security work. What it did was pick up electrical and wireless signals - a bug finder as it were. My room showed clean so I walked over to the connecting door to the next room and knocked on it three times. Thirty seconds later the door opened and there stood Kathy wearing only high heels and a smile.

I wasn't worried about the private detectives. Kathy was registered in room 212 and I was in room 516. The connected room, 518, was rented in the name of Frank Bowers and Mr. Bowers did not exist. My lingering in the hotel lounge kept the PIs on me and allowed Kathy to go up to her room, wait fifteen minutes and then go up to room 518. If anyone would have followed her they would have seen her go into her room alone and we expected that once she was in her room they wouldn't waste any more time on her since I still had a crew on me. Kathy also had one of Alan's little black boxes and she swept her room and room 518 before I came up to my room. Why were we jumping through all those hoops? Just because! I knew for certain that the private eyes were not hired by my wife and while I assumed that their employer was Jean's boyfriend I wasn't sure. It could be a little industrial spying by one of my competitors. Either way my stance was to be better safe than sorry.

Why was I so sure that it wasn't my wife behind the private detectives? I guess that is the story.

++++++++++++++++++++++

It started as so many other tales of woe started - by accident. I had finished my breakfast, had kissed Jean goodbye and headed off for work. Jean called after me and said:

"Don't forget we are having dinner with Pat and Andy tonight so try and get home early. I've arranged for mom to take the kids tonight."

As I entered the garage I hit the button to activate the garage door opener and the door opened. I got in my car and backed out of the garage and down the driveway. As I backed out onto the street I reached up and hit the button on my remote garage door opener, but the door didn't close. I hit the button a couple of more times and the door still didn't close so I pulled to the curb, got out and went back into the house. I had some nine volt batteries in the basement and from experience I knew that when the remote didn't work it was usually a dead battery.

I went through the garage to the door into the house and as I opened it I heard Jean laugh and say:

"The big doofus is gone. You have time to stop by for a quickie before you have to go to work?"

"Want me in my sexy heels?"

"I'll play with it and get it warm for you."

"We still on for dinner tonight?"

"Good. I love sitting with you, Frank and Pat knowing that we have just put another one over on them."

"Okay lover; see you in fifteen" and then I heard the ‘click' of the handset being put back in its cradle.

My initial impulse was to rush in and confront Jean over what I'd just heard, but a small voice in the back of my head said:

"Hold on hoss; best you find out all you can before you jump into her shit."

I quietly closed the door, got in my car and drove to work. I didn't need to park down the block to see who would arrive in fifteen minutes. From what I'd overheard it had to be Andy. Andy was the husband of Jean's best friend Pat.

I thought about the situation all the way to work and "the big doofus" worked out a plan of action. The first thing I needed to do was gather more information and I knew just how to get it. As soon as I got to the office I called Alan Audett at Audett Security Services. Alan and I had grown up together and he was the closest thing to a best friend that I'd ever had. My dad had fronted Alan the money to start his company when Alan had been discharged from the Army. In the Army Alan had been assigned to the ASA (Army Security Agency) and he had learned a lot that he thought he could use in civilian life. He told me his ideas and I had talked my dad into helping him.

When I got through to Alan I told him what I had just found out and what I wanted to do and he said:

"No problem. Get her out of the house and keep her gone for about two hours."

"We are having dinner with Pat and Andy tonight. We will probably go to Duke's Steak House and it will be at least three hours before we get home."

"I'll swing by and get a key. And Frank? I'm sorry man. I always thought you and Jean were great together."

"I thought that too Alan; I thought that too. My problem is going to be keeping myself from going over the table after Andy and getting my hands around his throat."

"There will be plenty of time for that later bud. Just play it cool. Earn yourself an Oscar tonight."

Yeah I thought as I hung up, a lot easier said than done. I took up a pen and a legal pad and outlined a plan of action. First was to get more information and I'd just taken care of that with my call to Alan. Next was to protect assets and that included protecting my credit. At some point I'd have to something about the credit cards that had both Jean and me on them. I'd have to get another safe deposit box in my name only and move some things like the certificates of deposit from the box that both Jean and I had access to. I wouldn't touch the checking account, but I would close the savings account and move the money.

We would end up splitting most of our personal assets evenly, but my largest asset couldn't be touched. When we married Jean had to sign an ironclad prenuptial agreement that precluded her from ever receiving part of the family company. My great grandfather had started the company and passed it to my grandfather who in turn passed it to my father. It was privately held and would eventually come to me. The intent of great grand dad, grand dad and my father was that the company would always remain in the hands of the family and that is why Jean had to sign the prenup.

Item three was one word. Revenge! I didn't list anything under that heading. I had time to think about it; but it would be draconian. I promised myself that. It would indeed be draconian.

I was putting my list away when Kathy came in and reminded me that I had a lunch meeting with John Crossfire of Crossfire Manufacturing.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"I think so. Take good notes. Crossfire could turn into a good thing for us."

As she walked out of my office I watched the way her ass moved and as always it had an effect in my lower regions. I had to admit it; I loved the ladies. I was completely faithful to Jean, but I liked to look at beautiful women so I hired a lot of them. When Kathy came in for her interview she was hired the minute she walked through the door. I didn't care if she could type or even spell. She was a walking wet dream and I wanted her in my office where I could look at her all day. Luckily Kathy was a whiz at everything and she quickly became my right hand.

After two years with me there was no doubt in my mind that Kathy could step into my shoes and take on my job if the need arose. I smiled to myself as I thought she could easily step into Jean's shoes and assume Jean's duties also. Kathy was the one girl who could have tempted me to cheat on Jean, but fortunately cool heads had prevailed. At least until now. I quickly put that thought out of my mind. Jean's being a slut didn't mean that I had to act the same way.

I managed to get through the day and left work a half hour early as Jean had asked. I was greeted with a kiss when I got home and Jean was already dressed and ready to go. I thought about the award winning performance I was going to have to put on at dinner that night and that led me to think of the performance Jean was putting on. She played the part of loving wife to perfection. I'd no idea that she thought that I was a ‘big doofus' and it certainly hadn't shown in the bedroom. Our love life had been great. I'd seen absolutely no loss of love or affection and that prompted another thought. How many times had I followed Andy into Jean? How many times had she given me sloppy seconds? How many times had she kissed me with the taste of Andy's cock still in her mouth?

Was I going to be able to have sex (not make love) with her knowing what I now knew? I was going to have to if I didn't want her to start thinking that I might know something. I needed everything to appear normal until I got the information that I wanted.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Dinner was the same as it had been the dozens of other times that the four of us had gotten together except this time the ‘big doofus' was aware of what Andy and Jean were up to. Knowing changed things a little. Now I was looking for the subtle signs that I knew would be there. As always Jean sat beside me in the booth and Pat and Andy sat on the other side with Andy opposite Jean. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a slight moment of Jean's leg and at the same time a trace of a grin flashed across Andy's face. I wondered if Jean's foot was playing footsie with Andy or if maybe it was higher up and in his crotch. It was something that I would never have noticed before overhearing that phone conversation.

After dinner we went to the Black Hole for drinks and some dancing. Andy danced with Jean and they kept it circumspect probably because Pat and I were there. I danced with Pat and as I held her I wondered if she had any inkling that Andy was cheating on her. If she did I would bet she would never even give a remote thought to the idea that it would be with her best friend. Jean and Pat had been best friends since meeting in the second grade and I wondered how Jean could stab Pat in the back. It would be interesting to see what Pat would do when she found out about Jean and Andy and she would find out. I would see to that.

We called it a night and headed home and on the way Jean slid over next to me and started rubbing my crotch and the predictable happened. Jean laughed, unzipped me, took out my cock and started playing with it as she said:

"I hope you can figure out what I want to do when we get home."

I figured it out all right, but I wondered why. Was it because she had already fucked Andy earlier in the day and got a kick out of giving me seconds? I'm sure that they wouldn't be sloppy, but I would still be the second man in. Maybe when I hadn't been looking she had turned into a nymphomaniac. Nah! I'd bet on it being a kick for her to be giving me Andy's leftovers. I got semi-confirmation of that when we pulled into the garage. Jean let go of my cock and said:

"Do you know you haven't kissed me all night?"

The bitch wanted to kiss me with the mouth that had been sucking Andy's dick. I didn't want to do it, but I had to play the game and keep her from thinking I might know something that she didn't want me to know. I screwed up my mental capabilities to fight the urge to barf and I kissed her. I didn't taste anything odd so I guessed it was just the idea of my kissing her mouth after she'd had Andy's cock in that she wanted.

She was a tiger in bed that night and while she might have thought I was making love to her I wasn't. What I was doing was fucking a slut. I fucked her as hard as I could while thinking of all the other women I had looked at and wished that I could have had sex with. My mind was filled with images of big titted Wendy Potter when I pushed my load into Jean.

Jean let me rest a bit and then she slid down and took my cock in her mouth and as she worked to get me up again I wondered if she had ever kissed Andy after having my cock in her mouth. She got me up again and moved into the doggie position which was her favorite. As I pushed into her I was looking down at her ‘brown eye' and I had a mean thought. Jean didn't care for anal (from me anyway - who knows about Andy) but she never refused me if I wanted it. Knowing that she didn't care for it I never pushed for it, but that was before me finding out that she was a back stabbing slut.

I pulled my cock out of her cheating cunt and stuck my thumb in it to get some juice on it and then I plunged my cock back into her and as I fucked the cheating bitch I worked my thumb into her ass.

"What are you doing Frank" she panted.

"Getting your sexy ass ready."

"I don't want that Frank."

"But I do Jean" and I pulled my cock out of her cunt and pushed it at her asshole.

"No Frank. No!"

"Yes Jean, yes" and I pushed into her butt. It wasn't easy since I hadn't spent much time at all getting it ready, but I was in and that was all that mattered, at least to me. Jean gave a sharp little cry and tried to pull away, but I held her fast as I started plunging away. Not being a total asshole I reached under and started manipulating her clit. After a bit she started moaning and fucking back at me. Several minutes later I sent my load deep into her poop chute and then pulled out and went into the bathroom and washed my cock. When I came back she was under the covers which I guess was her way of saying that we were done for the night.

As I moved under the covers Jean asked, "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"What I told you I didn't want."

"You don't want to know."

"Yes I do."

"You won't like it."

"I didn't like what you did so it won't matter if I like it or not."

"Lately I've gotten the feeling that there is something different between us. Almost like something else is taking my place in your life. I just thought that maybe it was time for the Alpha male in me to come out and reassert itself."

"Alpha male? You are kidding me right? Besides, there isn't anything wrong or different between us. If you think there is it is just your imagination at work."

"I don't know babe; I just have a feeling that something, I'm not sure what, is different."

"So just because you have a feeling you get to brutalize my butt?"

"Hey! You got into it. Toward the end you were pushing back harder than I was pushing in."

"That doesn't change the fact that I didn't want it."

"But the Alpha male did and every once in a while he is going to get his way. And speaking of a feeling. Did you get the vibe that something isn't right between Pat and Andy?"

"No, of course not and believe me Pat would certainly tell me if there was. We have no secrets from each other."

I almost choked when she said that, but I held it in and said, "You want to go to the lake this weekend?"

"That would be nice. The kids love it there."

"Okay then, plan on it."

She was still a little too pissed at me to snuggle up, but I was just as happy that she didn't.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

When I got to the office in the morning Kathy called me and told me that Alan had called and that he would like me to call him as soon as I got in.

"We got a bonus last night" Alan said when I got him on the phone. There was a cell phone on the kitchen counter being charged and since I know you are never without yours I figured it was Jean's. I put a bug in it so now her cell, your house phones and her car are covered. I need to show you where the hidden switch to the master bedroom camera is so you can have some privacy when it is you in there."

"Have they been tested?"

"Of course they have you nasty Alpha male you."

"You caught that?"

"Oh yeah. They are wireless and are motion and sound activated. They send to a remote that in turn sends them to the machines in my shop. If anything goes on in your house it is covered."

"Thanks Alan."

"No problem bud; glad I could help."

"Unless something earth shattering comes up why don't we plan on lunch every Friday so you can bring me up to date."

"You got it. Talk at you later. Bye."

The rest of the week flew by and I did a credible job of acting as the loving husband. We fucked (making love was a thing of the past) on Thursday and on Friday I met Alan for lunch.

"Nothing earth shaking bud" he said as he slid me an envelope containing the evidence so far collected. "Even as we speak she is having lunch in your bedroom with the asswipe. From what we have gathered it looks like it has been going on for years. How many I've no idea, but it is obvious that it isn't a recent thing. Maybe something on the CDs will trigger something that will give you a clue as to how long it has been going on. On the good side they haven't been plotting your death although they have been planning on divorces for the both of them. There haven't been any specifics yet, but it sounds like they are waiting for something financial to happen."

"They won't be getting anything from me. I've got an ironclad pre-nup covering the most important things."

"Don't know bud. Maybe it will come out in the next couple of weeks. They are pretty sure that they are covering their track and that neither you nor his wife have a clue although you did give her a bad moment on your Alpha male night. When she talked to him the next day she told him about what happened and said she was worried that you might be suspicious of something. He convinced her that all it was was you being an insecure husband who felt the need to assert himself. You decided what you are going to do yet?"

"Not yet. I want a hell of a lot of information before I make a decision. I want you to keep collecting, but is there some way you can set it up so I can access the information without waiting for the Friday lunches?"

"No problem. I can give you the feed from the cameras in the house, but not the product from the phone bugs and the car bug. You want it at home or the office?"

"The office. I don't want to risk her finding anything that will clue her in to the fact that I know what she is doing."

Alan slid a small box over to me. "These are bugs that you can put in her purses. If she is like most women she has one or two favorites that she always tends to use."

I went back to the office and since I had a clear schedule I went down to the conference room and got the audio-visual cart and pushed it to my office. The cart was set up with a large screen TV and the necessary equipment to play cassette tapes, CDs and DVDs. I told Kathy I didn't want to be disturbed unless it was a catastrophic emergency and then I settled in to watch the CDs Alan had given me.

There was nothing of interest on the phone taps other than Jean's worries following my Alpha male performance. Most of it was setting up times for meetings and exchanges of "I miss you" and "I can't wait to see you again."

The visuals were uninspiring. Frankly I'd seen better porn and after watching the two of them I thought that I fucked her a hell of a lot better than he did. There was one thing that pissed me off severally. It seemed that Jean only disliked anal with me because she gave it up to Andy almost every time they got together. In fact she apologized to him for my getting something that was only supposed to be his.

The one thing I expected to see that I didn't was me being trashed. After hearing myself being referred to as "The big doofus" in the overheard conversation I expected that I would be shot through the grease by them. I learned nothing from that week's batch that told me anything about the why and when they got started.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

The weekend was sex free as Jean, the kids and I slept in the tent at the lake. Monday I was too busy to check on the camera feeds from the house and Tuesday I took a quick one day trip that didn't allow me to check in on Jean's doings. I checked the feed from time to time on Wednesday, but didn't catch anything.

It was going to be hit and miss because Andy sold real estate and could leave his office and visit Jean whenever he felt like it and I couldn't stay glued to the computer all day. Thursday I managed to catch them finishing up and getting dressed, but I'd have to wait for my Friday lunch date with Alan to find out what they talked about.

Jean wanted to make love Thursday night so I came to the conclusion that she enjoyed giving me Andy's leftovers. If I was right she fucked Andy on Tuesday because she wanted to make love Tuesday night.

When I had lunch with Alan he told me that the weeks take was pretty lackluster. They had met Tuesday as I had surmised and of course there was the day before.

"How long do you want to keep going? You have enough by now to burn her."

"I probably do, but I'm hoping for some information that will give me an idea of when and why they started and I'm curious about the financial thing they are waiting on before they go for divorces. Lets give it a couple of more weeks and if we don't have anything by then I'll end it."

Jean wanted to make love that night and I was beginning to see a pattern. She wanted to make love on the nights she had spent the day with Andy. I obliged her with a hard and fast fuck and then fell asleep.

Saturday she told me she was going to do some shopping for clothes and asked me if I would mind watching the kids. I of course didn't and we had a fun day together. Jean got home around seven with a bunch of shopping bags and packages so I guess she did do some shopping, but she wanted to make love that night and that told me that she hadn't spent all of her time in stores.

Since I'd found out about her and Andy - with the exception of my ‘Alpha night' - I'd made no moves to start the sexual dance with Jean; I just followed her lead. I wondered if sooner or later she would notice that and if she did would it make her wonder. I decided that I needed to be the one to start things every once in a while so Sunday night I made overtures and got:

"Not tonight honey. I've had a bad day and I just want to go soak in the tub."

It was a first. She had never refused me before.

That night I did something I'd been putting off because quite frankly, I wasn't sure that I really wanted to know. After Jean and the kids were asleep I got out of bed and went to the kids rooms. I gently opened their mouths and swabbed the insides of their cheeks. I dropped them off at a lab the next day so DNA tests could be run and told them I'd pay extra for expedited results.

That night Jean wanted to make love so I assumed that she had been with Andy earlier in the day. That was confirmed the next morning when Alan called me.

"We've got something. They met yesterday and I think you need to see it before Friday. I'll messenger it over to you."

At ten fifteen I had a CD in my hand and I headed for the conference room to use the audio-video set up. As usual the sex was uninspiring, but the conversation as they were dressing was enlightening.

"How much longer until we can pull the plug" Jean asked.

"It hasn't changed any since the last time you asked. Pat doesn't come into her trust fund until she reaches thirty-five and that's still two years away. Anything on your end? Frank's dad any closer to handing the company over to Frank?"

"Doesn't seem likely. The old fart is as healthy as a horse."

"Well then, since you won't be able to suck anything out of Frank we are stuck waiting for Pat to turn thirty-five."

"Why don't we just say to hell with it and do it? I'll get the kids in the divorce and I'm sure the courts will give me the house until they turn eighteen. I'll get a nice chunk of alimony and half of our assets and that's a lot."

"I'm not walking away from a chance to get half of Pat's five million. It is only two more years - nineteen months actually - and we have already waited six years so what's two more?"

"We've been lucky and I'm just afraid that our luck won't hold. I want to end things on my terms and not Frank's."

"So cross your fingers and hope that Frank's dad kicks off or retires in the next couple of months. The pre-nup keeps you from getting any part of the company, but once Frank takes control of the company his net worth goes up and your half of the assets could double."

"I still think we need to do it now."

"You worry too much love; we are going to be okay."

I clicked it off and then heard "You poor guy."

I turned and saw Kathy standing there. "I'm sorry boss, didn't mean to intrude, but the door wasn't locked and I needed to remind you of your afternoon appointment with Gilmer over at Apex Products."

"How long have you been there?"

"Almost from the beginning. You were so rapt on watching that I guess you didn't hear me come in. When I saw what you were watching I should have quietly left, but I couldn't tear myself away. How long have you known?"

"Far longer than I've wanted to. This stays between us right?"

"You know me boss. You know I've got your back. What are you going to do?"

"Not sure yet. I need a little more information before I decide."

"Anything I can do just let me know okay?"

"Thanks Kathy."

As I ejected the CD the beginnings of a plan began to form in my mind. There were problems with it, but if they could be worked out it just might work.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

The next week went by and on Thursday I stopped by the lab to see if they had the results of the DNA tests and they did. According to the tests the kids were mine. That made a difference in the plan I had been working on and the information gave me the boost I needed to get something going. I was going to attack through the back door if I could manage it. I'd sink them and they wouldn't even know it was me that did it.

The hard part was going to be sitting down with Pat and not have Andy and Jean know about it. The only way I could do that was catch Pat alone. Fortunately I had a way I could do that. Pat was a mid-level manager in a company we did business with and I called on them occasionally. When I did I usually swung by Pat's office and offered to take her to lunch. I hated to do it to her, but she needed to know what kind of an asshole she was married to and she needed to know about his plan to screw over her.

I hit Milford Manufacturing at 11:15 and talked to Marv, the purchasing agent, and then I looked in on Pat.

"Got time for lunch?"

"With you? Anytime."

We got in my car and drove off. When she saw I was heading away from where the restaurants were she asked where we were going and I told her it was a surprise. She looked at me in confusion when we pulled into my assigned parking space at work and I told her it would all be clear in just a few minutes. I led her into the conference room after telling Kathy that we were not to be disturbed for any reason. I locked the door and said:

"I hate to be the one to do this to you and you might never want to speak to me again, but this has to be done."

"Why wouldn't I ever want to speak to you again?"

"They used to kill the messenger who brought the bad news."

"Bad news?"

"The worst; the absolute worst."

I pushed a CD into the audio-visual unit and hit play. The screen lit up and Pat could see Andy fucking her best friend. She stood there stunned and then said:

"This is some kind of a joke right?"

I shook my head no. I ejected the CD and inserted another. That one had Andy and Jean in a sixty-nine and I said:

"I have three weeks worth of this trash and I probably wouldn't have let you know about it until I decided what I was going to do, but yesterday this happened and I felt you needed to know so that you could decide what you wanted to do."

I ejected the CD playing and inserted the one that Alan had messengered over to me. She watched it and then said:

"That miserable motherfucking son of a bitch. That rotten two-faced scum sucking bastard! And that bitch!! I would have died for her" and then she broke down and started sobbing. I took her in my arms and tried to comfort her even though I knew it was impossible. I'd just destroyed her world and I knew exactly how she was feeling.

"It sucks sweetie and I know it, but the question now is what do we do about it?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I had considered doing nothing and just letting things ride until the kids turn eighteen. If I divorce the cheating whore she will get the kids and I'll end up being a part time dad and your asshole husband will be living with them and be a major influence on their growing up. Once I heard their plan for you I had to rethink things. I had to let you know while you still had time to do something."

"What do you mean?"

"You have almost two years before you get your trust. I don't know what is in your mind. You might love the worthless bastard and want to fight for him for all I know. But my showing you this CD gives you ample time to divorce him before you come into your money. So like I said; you have time to do something."

"If I divorce him that brings Jean into it so you can no longer pretend you don't know what's going on. That means a divorce for you and you lose your kids."

"Maybe, but then again maybe not."

"What does that mean?"

"If you don't use the material I've already gathered Jean won't know that I know. We can put a private detective on Andy and use what he finds out. I know that Jean leaves the house on the weekends to go shopping and that she meets Andy. The next time they do it the detective will be on them and we can use his material to go after Andy. You can spit in Jean's eye and then tell her that you aren't going to tell me because you don't want to hurt me or the kids. That way I could sit on my material until I'm ready to burn her. Of course it may not work that way. She just might say "Fuck Frank; I want to be rid of him anyway."

"I just don't know. It's a crap shoot. She might run to me and confess and beg me to forgive her and tell me a bunch of lies about how she never really meant to yadda, yadda, yadda. If she did I'd probably pretend to forgive her at least until the kids were old enough to leave home. I just don't know. There is no way to predict what will happen. I don't know how long I would have sat on it if I hadn't heard Andy's plan for you."

"How did you ever get onto them in the first place?"

I told her about the overheard phone conversation and what I'd done after hearing it. She shook her head in disgust and said:

"I just wish I knew how long it has been going on."

"I have one recording that says six years."

"I just want to know how long that two faced bitch has been pretending to be my best friend while stabbing me in the back."

She looked at her watch and told me that she had to be getting back to work. On the drive back she told me that she was going to go the private detective route and that she'd be in touch and I told her if I got any further information I'd see that it got to her.

++++++++++++++++++++

Over the next three weeks everything pretty much stayed the same. On two weekends Jean asked me to watch the kids while she went shopping and on both nights she wanted to make love. There was only twice during those three weeks that we had sex when she hadn't been with Andy earlier in the day and both were because I pushed for it. Both times I was told that she really didn't feel like it and both times I said, "I guess I'll have to go into Alpha male mode again" and she gave in. I guess she figured that ‘Alpha male mode' meant that I'd take her ass and she had to keep that just for Andy.

At the end of that three week period I got a call from Pat.

"I've got all I need to go after Andy. You were right. They did get together on weekends and while my PI didn't get any bedroom footage of them at the motel he did get pictures of them holding hands, hugging and kissing and going into and coming out of motel rooms together. He did get some good footage through your living room windows though. I'm going to see an attorney this afternoon and hopefully I'll have him served in a couple of days. I'll call you and let you know when. You should get some pretty interesting audio out of it after it happens."

That conversation prompted the next move on my part. That night over dinner I told Jean that we needed to start watching our finances.

"Because of the bad economy the company is having to make some moves to insure survival. My pay has been cut by a little over a third so we are going to have to start pinching pennies and watching what we spend. We will have to cut back on some things. I talked to the bank this morning about taking out a second on the house to help us get through this. I don't know how long that pay cut will stay in place and there might even be further pay cuts before it is over."

That night for the first time since I'd found out about Andy Jean didn't want to make love even though she had spent three hours with Andy that afternoon.

Two days went by and I got a call from Pat.

"Today is D Day. I had a friend call Andy and make an appointment to discuss selling her house so he will be pinned in place at three which is when he will be served. Also at three I'll be stopping by your house to pay the whore a surprise visit. I'm going to make her an offer she'd be smart not to refuse. If she takes it you might be able to hang on for a while."

I called Alan and told him what was going down and told him that I was going to stay late at the office and I wanted him to messenger me whatever he picked up on the phone taps after three. It was Thursday and I could have waited until our Friday lunch, but I didn't want to wait. I could watch Pat's visit live, but I wanted to hear the phone conversations that would take place after Andy was served.

At three I was on my computer monitor watching Jean putter around cleaning house. The door bell rang and she went to the door, opened it and smiled when she saw Pat standing there. The smile disappeared when Pat slapped her so hard that Jean staggered backwards and almost fell down. Pat stepped into the house and screamed:

"You worthless backstabbing two-faced cunt! How could you pretend to be my best friend while fucking my husband and don't even bother trying to deny it. I've had a private detective on Andy for two weeks and I've got both of your Saturday motel visits on film along with the six times he was here. You really should close your curtains or blinds if you are going to fuck in your living room. It would have kept my detective from being able to take pictures.

"It goes without saying that you are dead to me and when I leave here I don't ever want to hear your voice or see your face again. By all rights I should hang you out to dry, but apparently I think more of your husband and kids than you do so I'm going to give you one chance to keep from ruining your husbands and your kid's lives. When you talk to that worthless piece of shit I'm married to you had better convince him not to fight the divorce. If you don't convince him and he fights I'll see to it that Frank gets a copy of everything that I have."

She stood there staring at Jean for several seconds and then she said, "I still can't believe that you did this to me" and then she turned and walked out. Jean rushed to the window and watched Pat get in her car and back out of the driveway. I could see the anguish on her face as it dawned on her that she had just lost her best friend and I couldn't help but wonder at her thinking. Surely she had t know she would have lost Pat as her best friend when she hooked up with Andy after Andy's divorce from Pat. If she was going to get upset at losing Pat's friendship why had she started playing with Andy in the first place?

I turned off the live feed and got back to work. If I'd have kept watching I'd have only heard her side of any phone conversations she might have had. I'd just wait until I could hear both sides.

I didn't have long to wait. At four-forty Alan called and said that he had something good and would be sending it right over. Twenty minutes later I was listening to Jean and her lover.

"Hello?"

"It's me. We have a problem."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Pat was here half an hour ago. She knows about us."

"I know. I was just served with divorce papers and a restraining order. I guess you need to get ready to face Frank because I'm sure that she will clue him in."

"Maybe not. After she hit me she told me that she wouldn't tell Frank if I could convince you not to fight the divorce."

"How could I fight her? She's got me cold. Pictures and everything."

"I don't know. All I know is that she told me if I talked you into not fighting she wouldn't tell Frank."

"I'm not going to fight especially when I know I can't win so it looks like you are safe. As long as Pat was telling you the truth."

"Why would she lie?"

"Woman scorned and all that. Maybe lull you into a false sense of security so it would be a big shock to you when Frank hit you with it. Anyway, this changes things."

"How?"

"We don't have to wait until she gets her trust fund now. What we need to do now is concentrate on your getting as much out of Frank as you can get."

"That might not be too easy. Right now according to Rob we are in financial trouble. The economy is so bad that the company cut Frank's wages by a third and he is talking to the bank about refinancing the house to keep things going. What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. I was counting on what I could get from Pat and what you could get from Frank to set us up. I don't have a fall back plan. I'm going to be barely able to take care of myself on what I'm making at the agency. The economy has really killed the real estate market. I guess you will have to hang in there with Frank until the economy improves or I can think of something. I'll call you later."

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

"I don't know. Now that I don't have Pat's income to supplement mine I'm going to have to work a lot harder at trying to get listings and sell houses. I won't be able to get loose during the day the way I have been. We will work something out. Just give me a little time to figure it out."

I was smiling when I turned off the CD. Time for the next step. One of the things that I learned from Alan was that in his business he met and made friends with some pretty shady characters. By shady I meant that some of the things they did were not legal and above board and some of them would do almost anything if the money was right. I called Alan and told him what I wanted and he told me that it was doable and that he would get back to me. Two hours later he called me back with a name and a phone number. Three hours later in the back room of a bar on the east side of town a deal was struck and I left the place two thousand dollars poorer. I called Pat on my cell and gave her a heads up and headed home.

When I got home, knowing that Jean hadn't seen Andy that day, I pushed for sex and got what I usually got on days when she hadn't fucked her lover.

"Not tonight Frank. I've had a really bad day."

"You know Jean; I'm getting pretty tired of hearing that from you lately whenever I want to make love. Tell you what. You keep it and let it grow shut for all I care" and I grabbed my pillow off the bed and went down to my home office to sleep on the leather couch. I'd go back to sleeping in the bedroom the next night, but sex with Jean was as good as over. She would have to beg me before I'd do her again. But I wasn't going to go without. No sir; I was not going to go without.

The next morning on the way to work I stopped and bought one of those alternative newspapers. You know the ones. The kind loaded with ads for strip clubs, adult theatres, adult bookstores and the like. I was going to make a list of escort services, check a few of them out and see if I couldn't work out something with one of them. I was making the list when the phone rang. It was my dad and he asked me to come up to his office. I went up to the fourth floor and walked into his large corner office. Myrna, his secretary, waved me on in. I was surprised to find my mother in the office with him.

"You ready to try your hand at running the company?"

"Why? What's up?"

"Your mother and I have decided to go on a three week cruise and depending on how things go it could stretch out to five or six weeks or maybe even longer. You have been left in charge when I've taken a weeks vacation, but that was more of being a caretaker than running things. This time you get to do it all. Make all the decisions. Put out all the fires. You up to it?"

"When do I start?"

"We fly out to Florida Friday night so it is in your hands when I leave the building on Friday."

"Okay. While you are both here I need to bring you up to date on a few things."

I told them all about my situation with Jean and I told them about the lie I'd told her about taking a pay cut and maybe even having to take a bigger one.

"Whenever she is around either of you I need for you to back me up on how bad the economy is hurting the company."

"But the company is doing fine."

"I know, but I'm trying to make her think that she won't come out of a divorce with much. A divorce would cost me the kids and I don't want that. I'll try to keep us together until the kids are old enough to choose which parent they want to stay with or until they are old enough to strike out on their own."

"We will help any way we can" my dad said.

"I can't believe that Jean did that" my mother said. "I've always thought well of her."

"Who do you want to run your department while you run the company?"

"I think I'll give Kathy a chance at it."

"Do you think that's wise? She hasn't had much - oh the hell with it. I did say that you would be in charge so I'm not going to interfere."

When I got back to my office Kathy followed me in. She pointed at the center of my desk and asked:

"What's this?"

She was pointing at the page of the newspaper advertising escort agencies and my list lying next to it.

"She cut you off and you are looking for a replacement?"

"That's half right. I cut her off not the other way around."

"Why are you looking for a professional to take her place?"

"I have needs and I'm not the type to prowl bars looking for one night stands."

"There is a solution to your problem a lot closer."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

She started unbuttoning her blouse as she said, "I'm sure that you will figure it out."

I did and in less than a micro second. It took me a little longer than that to get up and lock the door. By the time I got the door locked Kathy was lying on her back on my desk, panties off, legs spread wide and a ‘come hither' smile on her face. She was hot, she was wild and she wrapped herself around me and fucked my socks off. I came in her harder than I had ever come in my life. As we straightened ourselves up I asked:

"Why?"

"I've been hung up on you since the day I started working for you. I've wanted you so bad I could scream, but you were happily married and I'm no home wrecker. It was going to be a case of unrequited love until the day I saw that CD you were watching. Since then I've just been waiting for my chance; waiting for an occasion when I could make my desires known and today that paper on your desk gave me that. You might want to get a couch for your office since your desk isn't all that comfortable."

"You mean that this isn't just a one time deal?"

"I sure hope to God not."

"You see yourself as the next Mrs. Englewood?"

"No, at least not yet. I think we would be a hell of a good fit, but outside of work and our interaction here I know nothing about you or you me. Based on what just happened I'd say that we are sexually compatible, but there is more to a relationship than good sex. I am interested in seeing if there is anything else there."

"Well don't get your hopes up. It may take a while for me to get rid of the first Mrs. Englewood. Ten years in fact. My current thoughts are to stay married to the bitch until my kids are grown. I don't want to lose them in a divorce."

"Ten years? That should give us enough time to see if we are compatible. When can we do this again?"

"I don't think we want to make it a habit of doing it here at work and I'll need to get a few things in place before we can do it some place else. Also, you may be too busy for us to get together again for a while."

"Why would that be?"

"Because this Friday at four p.m. you will be in charge of this department" and I went on to explain what was going to happen.

"You really think I can handle it?"

"I wouldn't give you the chance if I thought you couldn't. If you do as well as I think you will you will get the job full time when my dad finally decides to retire and I move up."

"Damn! I never expected something like this to happen. Isn't it going to piss off some that think they should have gotten the job?"

"Probably, but so what? They might think they should have gotten the job based on seniority or whatever, but the simple fact is that no one else in the department has what it takes to do the job. If they give you any problems handle it and I'll back you."

She was silent for a couple of moments and then she said, "You have never been to my apartment. Would you like to come over and see my etchings?"

"You have etchings?"

She just smiled and I said, "How about I take a look at them tomorrow. Maybe we can leave work early so I can take more time to look at them."

"You got it boss man."

When I got home Jean had dinner ready and we didn't speak much to each other. Table conversation was mostly the kids telling us about their day at school. After dinner I helped Maryanne with her homework and then I spent some time down in the basement workshop working with Jamie on the model aircraft carrier he was building. After the kids went to bed I spent an hour in my home office going over some contracts that I'd brought home to study.

Jean was already in bed when I got there and after pulling the covers over me I rolled over and put my back to her. That had to get her attention because even on nights when we never made love I always snuggled and cuddled. I knew that she wouldn't initiate sex because Andy hadn't stopped by that day. If things went as planned it would be a long while before she ever tried to initiate sex especially if having been fucked by Andy is what it took to trigger it. For my side I never, ever intended to try to get something going.

The next day Kathy and I left work an hour early and we went to her apartment. She had lied to me. She didn't have any etchings, but she did manage to show me some things and those things kept me busy until eight at which time I had to head on home. I'd called Jean and told her I would be working late and not to bother holding dinner for me.

When I got home I played with the kids until it was their bedtime and then I watched some TV for an hour or so before going to bed. It was a repeat of the previous night - no snuggling or cuddling - and even though I hadn't watched any of the live feed from the house that day it was obvious that Andy hadn't been by since Jean made no effort to start anything.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

At ten the next morning I got a call from Pat. "Thank you Frank; it did my heart good."

"Of course I have no idea of what you are talking about, but you are welcome."

"Call me. Maybe we can have dinner some night."

"I'd like that. I'll be in touch."

Half an hour later Alan called and said simply, "It's done."

"I know. His wife just called me."

"The hospital must have called her."

"I'd like to ask, but I think I'll wait until I hear about it through normal channels. Don't want to seem like I know too much too soon."

"Bullshit! That could take weeks. Seems like he got mugged and decided to put up a fight. Bad move on his part. Two crushed knees, a fractured elbow, a broken nose and a couple of missing teeth and from what I hear whoever mugged him did a number on his crotch bad enough that he will probably lose at least one testicle."

"Oh my, what a shame."

"Yeah, right!"

When I got home that night over dinner I said. "I talked to Pat today." Jean's face lost some of its color and I went on. "I stopped by Milford to talk with the purchasing agent and while I was there I asked Pat to lunch. I also asked her if she and Andy would like to come over for a barbecue on Sunday. Why didn't you tell me that she had kicked him out?"

She was silent for a moment and then she said, "I thought that I had."

"I must have been doing something else and missed it. I can't believe it. Why would Andy cheat on a woman like Pat? She's smart, witty and sexy looking. I'd be interested in seeing what he thought might be better. Anyway, I asked her over and told her that we would cheer her up, but she said no. Odd that. She has never, at least in my memory, turned down an invitation from us. She must really be hurting if she can do that. She give you any idea of who the other woman was?"

"No. She was too upset to talk about it."

"Oh well, it will come out sooner or later."

After dinner I played Monopoly with the kids until it was their bedtime and then I read for a while before going to bed. I was in bed when Jean joined me and when she got in beside me she reached over and put her hand on my leg and started moving it upward. I rolled away and put my back to her as I mumbled "goodnight."

In the morning I told Jean that Eldridge from TPM would be in town for contract negotiations and I'd probably take him to dinner so not to look for me until late. There was no Eldridge of course and it was Kathy I took to dinner. We had dessert - lots of dessert - at her apartment later. I got home around eleven and found Jean waiting up for me.

"We haven't made love in more than a week and I'm more than ready. Come on baby; make love to me."

I'd said that Jean would have to beg to get me to fuck her and while that wasn't actually begging it was close enough and I decided to do her, but I had an ulterior motive. I was fresh from doing Kathy and I hadn't showered yet so Kathy's dried juices were still on my dick. Given all the times I had been given Andy's leftovers I thought that it was only fair that I rub Kathy's residue off inside Jean's cunt.

I really wanted Jean to suck my cock and get a taste of Kathy, but sanity prevailed. She just might have noticed the taste and wondered about it. I didn't want Jean getting suspicious. Kathy hadn't left much in me, but I had enough to get Jean off once before I rolled over and went to sleep.

In the morning over breakfast I said, "Pat got to the husband of the woman that Andy was fucking." Jean's face tightened and I went on, "The hubby must not have had much of a sense of humor. He put Andy in the hospital. Really did a number on him." I saw concern on Jean's face and I forged ahead. "I hear that he is in traction because of all the broken bones and that they had to remove his testicles. Guess he won't be going after any other married women. Did you talk to Pat yesterday? Did she tell you who the woman is?"

"She hasn't told me."

"Oh come on Jean. She tells you everything and you tell her everything. I'd be willing to be that you have even talked about your husbands cock sizes. Am I right? How do I compare to Andy?"

"That's disgusting Frank."

"Jesus Jean; what's come over you? You used to have a sense of humor."

I got up from the table and headed for work.

+++++++++++++++++++++

It was Friday and I met with Alan for lunch and he gave me a single CD.

"Not much on it. A dozen phone calls from the house and her cell to the asswipe. She wanted to know when he would be coming over and he kept putting her off. The last two days she couldn't get him at all and of course we know why. She called the real estate office a half dozen times and all they would tell her was that he wasn't in. She tried calling his cell, but of course he doesn't answer."

"She knows why now. I told her over breakfast that I'd heard that he was in the hospital and hurt pretty bad. I told her that Pat must have gotten to the husband of the woman Andy was fucking and the woman's husband went after Andy."

"I guess that's basically true." He chuckled as he said, "It was the husband behind it."

We both laughed and Alan asked, "What now?"

"That's up to Jean. I don't plan on letting her know that I know. I'll hang with the bitch until the kids turn eighteen and then kick her out. Of course she might have other ideas. She was so dissatisfied with me that she took up with Andy so she might just pull the plug and end it. If that is the way it goes I'll threaten to let everyone in the world see the audio and video we have collected unless she agrees to my terms in the divorce. I've no idea how things are going to bounce. It will be a just wait and see thing.

"All I can do is wish you luck bud. Should I pull the equipment?"

"No. Leave it in place. I'm still going to want to know what she does. Just let me know if anything interesting comes up otherwise we can wait until our Friday lunch date."

I spent the afternoon with my dad being brought up to date on some of the things I needed to know when I took the reins. At five he stood up and said:

"Its all yours Frank. See you when your mother decides that she's had enough and just to give you a bit of a heads up that might never happen."

He left and I called down to my old office and asked Kathy to come up. Myrna had gone home at five so Kathy's coming up wouldn't get any gossip started not that there should have been any anyway. After all, I was in charge and Kathy was one of my department heads. It would be perfectly reasonable for me to call those reporting to me up to my office.

Kathy came in and said, "You rang boss?"

"Yes I did. There is something lacking in this room and I thought that maybe a woman's view could tell me what's wrong. I already think I know but I want a second opinion - a woman's opinion."

She looked around and then said, "The color on the walls needs to be brighter."

"That's it? That's the best you can come up with?"

She shrugged and I said, "I'm disappointed in you Kathy. The first thought to enter your mind should have been "I've never been laid on that desk."

She smiled and started to unbutton her blouse.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jean seemed out of sorts when I got home and I figured that it was because her lover was in the hospital and in pretty bad shape. She had to be thinking "If Pat could do that to Andy what is she going to do to me? She said she wouldn't tell Frank, but she never said that she wouldn't take some kind of revenge against me."

I acted like I didn't notice. After dinner I played with the kids and we made plans to go to the amusement park the next day. Jean was in bed when I went up and when I slid in beside her neither of us made any attempt to snuggle.

The next day Jean begged off going to the amusement park with us claiming that she didn't feel well. The kids and I had a great time at the park and when we got home Jean wasn't there. She came in about an hour later with a couple of pizzas that she had picked up on her way home.

"I just didn't feel like cooking tonight. I'm not feeling all that great so I'm going up to bed."

The next five days slid by with Jean and I basically just existing in the same house. Neither one of us made any effort to talk to the other other than to say things like "What would you like for dinner" and "Don't forget to put the garbage out." On Friday when I had lunch with Alan he pushed a single CD across the table to me.

"Nothing much. She visited him in the hospital on Saturday. I don't have any visual, but the audio from her purse bug shows she was crying when she left. They mostly talked about how they hadn't realized just how bitter Andy's wife would be and they wondered where she found the guys who did the damage. The good news, at least I think you will think that it is good, is that he told her that unless she can divorce you and get a big chunk of money they weren't going to be able to follow through on their plans.

"It seems that Andy doesn't have health insurance of his own. He was covered under his wife's policy from where she works and she took him off her policy when she filed for divorce. He is on the hook for his medical bills and they are considerable and growing every day. There is some video of her sitting around the house crying, but other than that there isn't anything."

"I guess they are shit out of luck then because she isn't going to be getting any ‘big chunk of money' out of me. In fact tonight I'm going to tell her that the household budget is going to have to be cut by a third or she can give up her car. It will be her choice, but it will have to be one or the other. I've already told her that my pay has been cut by a third because of the bad economy and that more cuts may be coming."

"How long are you going to keep it going?"

"That's up to Jean. She can bail anytime she feels like it and there isn't anything I can do about it. The no-fault divorce laws in this state don't give me any leeway, but unless Jean jumps ship I intend to hang in there until the kids are old enough to go out on their own or are old enough to choose which parent they want to live with if a divorce does happen."

"Well I've said it before and I'll say it again, good luck bud."

When I got home I asked Jean if she'd talked to Pat and she said no.

"Isn't that strange? I don't remember a day when the two of you didn't talk. She must be really bummed over what Andy did to her. I'll give her a call and see if I can't get her over here so we can cheer her up."

"I don't think you should. Right now I think she needs to be left alone and don't forget I know her much better than you do."

"Okay, if you say so. We have enough problems of our own right now. We are going to have to reduce the household budget by a third until things pick up at work."

"I don't see how."

"Well I'm going to let it be your choice, but it is either reduce household expenses or give up your car. The payment, plates and insurance are about the same as a third of the household budget. You decide what you want to do."

"That's not fair. I need my car."

"Then trim the budget. The bottom line is that we have a third less coming in that we used to have and we have to deal with it."

"I don't se...."

"God damn it Jean! It has to be done. Get used to the fact we will not be living high on the hog anymore. Just fucking do it and stop arguing about it and pray that things don't get worse. There is still a chance the company could fold and then we would really be in deep shit."

I left her sitting there and went down in the basement to work on a few things. I went back upstairs an hour later and asked what was for dinner.

"I was hoping that we could go out tonight."

"Jesus Christ woman! Are you fucking brain dead? I just finished telling you that we are in financial trouble and need to trim the budget. Get the words in your head Jean. Budget, budget, budget!"

She ran out of the room crying and I smiled and got busy fixing dinner. When it was ready I called the kids in from playing and as we ate we talked about their day at school. They asked where their mother was and I told them that mommy wasn't feeling well.

"Something didn't agree with her so she is in the bedroom resting."

After dinner I played with them until their bedtime and then I headed for the bedroom. Jean was awake when I came into the room and she looked up at me and said:

"You didn't need to talk to me that way."

"Yes I did. That go out for dinner garbage showed that you are not taking it seriously when I say we have less money coming in now and we have to adjust accordingly and that brings us back to the household budget or your car. Make your choice by Sunday night and let me know or Monday I'll make the choice."

I slid under the covers, rolled over with my back to her and fell asleep with a smile on my face. There was no doubt in my mind she would chose budget over car, but I had a small hope that she wouldn't say anything to me by Sunday night and Monday I would get rid of her car.

She was quiet at breakfast so the table talk was between me and the kids. I asked them what they wanted to do that day and when they didn't say anything I said:

"How about we go to the park?"

Jean, thinking by ‘park' that I meant amusement park spoke up and said:

"I thought we had to budget?"

That gave me an opening to take another shot at her.

"The park is free Jean. You don't have to pay to use the swings, slide or the jungle gym."

I spent half a day at the park with the kids and then we went home and I did some yard work until dinner time. Dinner was a quiet affair. The kids were worn out and Jean apparently had nothing to say. After dinner I watched some TV until I felt ready for bed. Jean was already there and asleep or faking it which suited me just fine.

Sunday morning I said I needed to go into the office and go over the books to see if there wasn't some way to cut our costs and stay competitive. An hour later I was buried in Kathy and she was crying out for me to do her harder and I sure tried.

That night Jean gave me the answer that I was expecting. She would keep her car and work at trimming the budget. She was cool toward me and I guessed she wasn't over my calling her brain dead and I was okay with that. As long as she was cool toward me she wouldn't be trying to have sex and I wouldn't have to make excuses as to why I couldn't or didn't want to.

++++++++++++++++++++++

Monday morning I stopped at the bank and opened a new account in my name only. We had direct deposit at work for our paychecks and I moved the check deposit from our joint account to my new account and then made arrangements for an automatic transfer of two thirds of my check deposit to the joint account I held with Jean.

That afternoon Kathy and I attended a meeting at the Hilton with representatives from Matheson Manufacturing and after the meeting we went upstairs and spent a very pleasant hour before going back to work. Just before quitting time I got a call from Alan.

"I've got something that you need to hear right away. Can you stop by on the way home?"

"I'm on my way. See you in ten."

When I got to his shop he took me into his office and told me to have a seat.

"What I have is all from her purse device. She visited him Saturday and yesterday, but their conversations were mostly him pushing her to get money and her telling him she couldn't because of your pay cut and you putting her on a budget. She saw him again today and the conversation moved onto a different plane. You aren't going to believe this."

He pushed some buttons on his desk and from the speakers on the credenza behind him I heard:

"We have another option. How much life insurance does he have?"

"About a million. He has a five hundred thousand dollar policy that he pays into and another five hundred thousand dollar policy from work."

"Any of them double indemnity?"

"Both of them I think."

"So an accidental death would get you two million?"

"About that I'd guess."

"So we need for him to have a fatal accident."

"How do we do that?"

"We will have to give it some thought, but I'm sure with both of us thinking on it we can come up with something."

"I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"Put your mind to it; something will occur to you. Maybe nothing workable, but maybe your idea will trigger something in my mind or maybe something you think of will work with something I think of."

Alan switched it off and said, "I'll give you a copy so you can listen to the entire conversation later, but I felt that you needed to hear that part right away."

I sat there silent for a bit and then said, "This changes things. The Russians used to have something the KGB called ‘wet work' and right now I would dearly love to know someone who could do that kind of stuff."

Alan looked at me for several seconds and then he picked up a pen and wrote something on a pad of paper and slid it across the desk to me. I read it and looked up at him in amazement and he stared back at me with no expression on his face. The pad said:

"Twenty thousand each."

I reached over and picked up the pen and scratched out the each and wrote "Andy." Then I slid the pad back to him and said "Go." He smiled and said, "Consider it done."

++++++++++++++++++++++

It was hard for me to act normal around Jean that night when I got home. Dinner was mostly me and the kids talking about their day. After dinner I helped them with their homework and then we watched their favorite DVD - The Lion King - and when it was over it was their bedtime. Jean was in bed waiting for me on top of the covers and she was naked except for a pair of super sexy high heels. There was a time when the sight would have had me tearing off my clothes and ravishing her, but I just looked at her, slowly undressed, got in bed and slid under the covers. I rolled onto my side with my back to her and closed my eyes. After about five minutes she got off the bed and a couple of minutes later she got back in bed, got under the covers and we fell asleep.

I didn't sleep all that well and I got up early. I was dressed and gone before Jean woke up. I had breakfast at the IHOP and then headed into the office. Around ten I called Pat and asked her to meet me for lunch. Over taco salads I told her that I was going to tell Jean that I knew about her and Andy.

"I know you don't care about her anymore, but I thought I should let you know."

"You're right; I don't care, but what about you trying to keep your kids?"

"I think I can keep them. Jean likes her lifestyle too much to walk away from it especially since Andy isn't going to be able to do much for her. She can stay and be the mommy, but it will mean separate bedrooms and pretending to be a loyal and loving wife in public. I think she will go along with it. I have a club I can use on her if she doesn't."

"Oh? What is that?"

"All the video and audio tapes I have of her and Andy. She plays my game or the world will get to see what kind of a whore she really is. How is your divorce coming?"

"He isn't fighting it so it should be final in about three months."

I wished her well and went back to work. I called Jean and told her that I had to work late and not to hold dinner for me and after work I took Kathy out to dinner and we ended up at her place for dessert. I got home at midnight and Jean was in bed asleep. Once again I was up and out of the house before Jean woke up. When I got home that night Jean was red eyed from crying and I found out why the next morning when Alan called me.

"Just wanted to let you know that I heard that your wife's friend's husband died yesterday afternoon. The story I got was that someone, one of the nurses probably, didn't clear the air out of a needle when they changed one of his IV bottles. An air bubble reached his heart and it just stopped beating. Some people have all the bad luck. You might want to let your wife know so she can call her friend and offer support."

"I'll do that. Thanks for letting me know."

When I got home that night Jean was not in a good mood at all. I was a half an hour later getting home than usual and when I walked in she said:

"Would it have killed you to call me and let me know that you'd be late?"

The tone of her voice was just what I needed to set up what I was going to do.

"Don't get snappish with me! I've about had it with you. After the kids go to bed you and I are going to sit down and have a little talk and get a few things straight."

I walked away from her to wash up for dinner and left her standing there with a stunned look on her face.

Ten minutes after putting the kids to bed I told her to meet me in the den. She was sitting on the leather couch when I walked in and I took the chair at the desk.

"First off, I know why you and Pat aren't speaking and I know who Andy was fucking around on her with."

I saw surprise and then anger wash over her face and I was pretty sure I read it right.

"Pat didn't snitch you out. She said she wouldn't tell me if you talked Andy into not fighting the divorce, She didn't tell me; I told her" and as I said that I hit the play button on the VCR and Jean got her first look at the material I had been gathering. I let her watch a minutes worth and then I fast forwarded to the place where they talked about Pat's trust fund.

"It was when I saw this that I told Pat about you and Andy and showed her this footage. Why I have been sitting on this and doing nothing about it is none of your business. All that matters is that I have now decided to act. You have three options and only three.

The first is that you pack and leave and I'll go for a divorce with you getting nothing and me getting custody of the kids.

"The second is that you can stay here and be a mother to the kids and a housekeeper for me. You will move all your things into the guest bedroom. As far as friends and family are concerned we will continue to appear as a loving couple, but there will be no, and I repeat - no - sexual contact between us.

"The third option is that you can say "Fuck you Frank; I'm taking the kids and I'll fight to get everything out of you that I can." If you go that route I'll take this little snippet to the police" and I hit the play button again and she got to listen to herself discussing my upcoming accidental death with her lover.

"That is called ‘conspiracy to commit murder' and in this state it will get you up to twenty-five years in prison. While you are locked up I will divorce you, get custody of the kids and they will be grown up and out on their own before you ever see them again. Those are your choices and I want your answer before I leave for work in the morning. One last thing. Tomorrow you get your ass down to the hospital and tell Andy when he is released he had best catch the first plane, train or bus out of town because I'll be coming after him. If you care for him as much as it seems it may help you decide on either option one or two because option three puts him in the jail cell next to you."

"I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Tell him. He died in the hospital."

"When?"

"Sometime late yesterday afternoon."

That's too damned bad. I was looking forward to putting him back in the hospital when he got out. You know what upset me the most? Not you fucking Andy, although that did really piss me off, but what really was the pits for me was that when he proposed my death you didn't say "We can't do that" or "I won't be a party to anything like that." You just went along with it. Get out of here and move into the guest room and don't forget I want an answer by the time I leave for work in the morning."

She got up and left and I ejected the CD from the player and put it in my briefcase which I took upstairs and into the bedroom with me. I wrestled the dresser over to block the door so that I wouldn't get a visit in the middle of the night while I was sleeping and then I went to bed and slept well.

++++++++++++++++

In the morning I found Jean sitting red eyed in the kitchen. I poured myself a cup of coffee and then said:

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What's your answer?"

"You already know and don't pretend that you don't. I can't give up my kids and I don't want to go to jail."

"Okay. We will go over the details when I get home tonight. Don't hold dinner because I'll be working late. One thing to keep in mind. It should be obvious to you that I having you watched. The first time there is any indication, however slight, that you are planning on taking the kids and running I will drop the hammer on you. Understood?"

"Yes."

I had a great day at work and of course my ‘working late' was a euphemism for spending time in Kathy's apartment. I got home around nine and found Jean watching TV. I just looked at her and said "kitchen" and walked into the den and put my briefcase down on my desk. When I got to the kitchen Jean was sitting at the table. I sat down opposite her and said:

"The rules are simple. You will continue to be the mother that you have always been. You will maintain the house as you always have and you will act normal where I am concerned when the children are around. When we are out in public or with friends and family you will play the part of an attentive and loving wife. The excuse for our separate bedrooms will be that I snore so loud that you can't sleep.

"As far as you having a sex life is concerned I'll leave that up to you, but you will never bring another man into this house. Whatever you do you will make sure that it does not become public and cause me humiliation. That shouldn't be a problem for you since you have had plenty of practice. You managed to keep me and Pat in the dark for over six years. You follow these rules and nothing will change for you. You will still have your credit cards, access to the checking account and you will still have your car. The only change in fact is that you will no longer have a loving husband, but that shouldn't matter because you didn't want him anyway. Any questions?"

"Just one. How long?"

"Until the kids are eighteen or set out on their own."

"What then?"

"Who knows? That is ten years away and a lot of things can change by then. You can also choose to take option one any time you decide you want to. I will even soften it some. I give you five grand for every year you stick it out and if you make it for at least five years I'll throw in a new car for you to drive away in."

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That was seven years ago and things have worked out well. To all observers Jean is a devoted wife and mother. She has had a series of boyfriends, but she has kept them all under the radar and I doubt that any of our friends and family know about it. Except for my parents of course. I told them all about her affair with Andy and I've told them about my current relationship with her, but I've never told them the story about how I got her to agree to the relationship. Her current boyfriend is serious enough about her to put a private detective on me, but how serious she is about him is something that I don't know and I'm not about to ask.

Dad has announced that he is going to step down next year and turn the company over to me. When that happens I might make some changes. Maybe cut Jean loose and give her ample visitation. Another option, and one I'm leaning to, is that there is a house on five acres that has a guest cottage next to the four car garage. I could buy it, get a quiet divorce from Jean and let her live in the cottage so she would be close to the kids. I think Kathy might like that. She hasn't said anything, but I know she would like a more permanent relationship and for that matter so would I.

Oh well, in a year we will see.