Chapter 4

Monday 15th July 2002

I was awoken by the radio alarm which played quiet classical music. The fine warm morning cheered me up a little but I still felt drained of energy and weary. It struck me as I lay there that keeping away from Faye each night might actually drive her into Fredericks’ arms. Though it went against my feelings, I resolved henceforth to be the perfect loving husband for the whole of the coming week and thus present a real alternative to the predatory Fredericks.

I forced myself out of bed and performed my usual routines, using the bathroom early to allow Faye its use later, shaving and showering, before making tea and bringing a mug to Faye, waking her with a kiss, overcoming my dissatisfaction with her behaviour, and attempting to behave normally as if the impending disaster could and would never occur.

She came to slowly, never good in the mornings, and once I was sure she was awake I went and dressed instead of returning to bed. I could not go as far as crawling back into bed and cuddling her! I woke the children and oversaw their ablutions and dressing.

Not having reached teenage, they were instantly wide awake, bright eyed and bushy tailed, and ready for action. I wished I could feel as bright – or as ready for the day!

I ate breakfast with them and then, hearing Faye in the shower, shouted goodbye and left early, since I had a call to make on the way to work.

I went to my solicitor Jack Welling’s office and got a copy of the petition for divorce, which Jack promised would be sent to the court only when I gave the word. Jack wanted the latest news on our crisis, sighed and sympathised with me, but being a lawyer, just did as he was told and t ook his fee!

That evening I arrived home early, it being my night to be there when the children came home from school. They tumbled into the kitchen looking for food and drink, and I had biscuits and juice ready for them. They told me about their day and then went off to play.

I assembled and prepared the ingredients for a stir-fry, using the leftover lamb we had eaten the day before, and then sat down to go through my mail. There were three letters, two with women’s handwriting on the envelope and one printed. I took them to the office, read the contents and admired the promptness of their replies to my requests. Then I heard Faye arrive and so I put the correspondence in my briefcase before going downstairs.

‘Hi, Faye,’ I greeted her brightly, kissing her lips briefly, and getting a puzzled look in return. I grinned to myself.

‘I’ll get the dinner on; it’ll only take five minutes. Tea?’ I asked.

‘Yes please,’ she replied, still disconcerted, but already relaxing. She looked as if she might query my change of approach to her, but obviously thought better of that idea. It seemed that she too was wary of more disagreement.

I poured her tea and she took it with her to get changed and to greet the children who were in their rooms.

Over dinner I asked Faye about her day, and told her of mine, and we discussed the news of the day. Faye looked more and more grateful as the time passed, and seemed to shed her suspicions that I had some ulterior motive. I felt a little more optimism about my plan to be “loving”.

When we went to bed, I made it my business to go at the same time as Faye did and to be ready in bed for her. When she climbed in, I opened my arms and with a further look of surprise, bordering on amazement she came to me and we entwined ourselves round each other.

Again Faye looked as if she wanted to comment, and again she forbore. I knew why. She did not want another argument which would be where any comment she might make could easily lead. I realised that she desperately needed my love and affection and had felt starved of it over the weekend.

I began to kiss her. It was gentle and full of love, and she eagerly returned my kiss, opening her mouth to invite me in. My hands began their accustomed journey, trailing lightly over her her rapidly sensitising skin, down her back, around her sides, over the sides of her breasts, up to her neck and pausing to fondle her ears, before my fingers feather-light traversed her forehead, over her closed eyes and across her lips, which opened to take them in.

She sighed with pleasure and moved away from my body slightly as an invitation to caress her breasts and stomach. I drew one finger round and down her neck, down the valley between her breasts without touching either and she moaned in frustration. I continued my journey around the outside of her mounds then down her central valley again and again, in a circle the radius of which became smaller and smaller until I was tracing the edge of her aureolas. She whimpered and pushed herself in an attempt to get my touch on her nipple itself, but I dodged and continued to tantalise her.

‘Oh, please!’ broke from her frustrated lips.

I drew the flat of my hand over each nipple in turn and she cried out at the intensity of the sensation. Her hand snaked its way to my cock and grasped it, stroking it madly. My hand in turn was between her legs, a finger travelling from anus to the apex of her slit, feather light over the site of her clitoris, hidden beneath its fold. Again she pushed her mound against my hand, begging for me to probe deeper, to finger her most delicate and sensitive spot, while all the time she stroked my now hardened cock.

I stroked her from anus to clitoris again and again, and she began to utter sounds and a “Yes” as I made each traverse, and knowing she was nearing the edge, licked one hard rigid nipple. She came hard uttering the gasping and yelping forced from her twitching spasms.

‘O-o-h, soo good!’ she crooned, pulling me over her wide-spread thighs, an invitation to fill, penetrate and take her. Which I did, thrusting hard into her slickness up to the hilt again and again.

Her climax rose once more. crying out my name again and a gain, shouting ‘I love you’ over and over as she lost control and fell into the darkness of a deeper, prolonged and more intense pl.

I neared my own release and roared as I filled her, pulsing until I was spent and she was exhausted.

We lay in each other’s arms as we recovered, kissing from time to time, Faye smiling at me every time our eyes met. But nothing was said.

It was a Monday night and now very late, and with work the next day we settled down to sleep. I wondered at the intensity of Faye’s response and if it stemmed from frustrated desire for Fredericks’ body. I hoped it put doubts into her mind about her weekend plans. Her relief at my change of attitude was obvious.

I had intended only to cuddle Faye and go to sleep with something of our original relationship intact. It was part of a burgeoning plan for Faye and Fredericks on Friday, and the thaw in my treatment of Faye was part of that plan. I had never expected the evening to turn into such an intense, steamy session, but I was delighted about it and thought it would further my cause. I felt more optimistic. Up till now, I had been reacting to each new situation, now I would become pro-active.

Sleep put an end to my thoughts, however positive they might have been!

Tuesday morning dawned warm and sunny, even warmer than previous days, and thanks to the previous night’s activities I felt much more cheerful and well rested, even energised. Faye looked as if she did too, her face looked more peaceful in sleep.

Somehow fine sunny weather makes one more optimistic, and perhaps we were no exception. The children were happy and I noticed that Samantha looked relieved at the more normal relationship between her parents.

My day followed its usual pattern, after which I finished the work left over because I went home early the night before, so I left the office a little later than normal, since it was Faye’s turn to be at home to welcome the children from school.

When I emerged from the air-conditioned office I found that the temperature had climbed and it was very warm indeed. I shed my jacket and left the car doors open until the interior had cooled somewhat before driving home.

I felt relatively content and happy. I was going to keep up the charm offensive on Faye, and actually looked forward to getting home.

However, when I walked in through the wide open patio door, I got a shock. There was an atmosphere so oppressive I could feel it, and it had nothing to do with the weather. I entered the kitchen affecting not to notice anything amiss, and went over to kiss Faye hello. She turned to me and we hugged, but she had a worried look which I could see she was trying to hide.

My first fearful thought was that she had spent the afternoon in Leo’s bed, and she was about to confess, but in spite of a sinking heart, I said nothing and waited.

Then I noticed Sam at the table in the dining room doing some homework. There was no happy smile and greeting from her either, and I could sense hostility between mother and daughter. Yes, something was very wrong.

When Michael came into the dining room, he too was subdued, which was definitely unlike him. Michael rarely noticed even when something seriously untoward had happened. Now I knew this situation was almost beyond serious.

I turned back toward the kitchen.

‘Faye?’ I asked. ‘What’s going on?’

Faye was finishing preparing the meal and had her back to me. She spoke quietly and did not turn round

‘Leo arrived this afternoon,’ she said morosely. ‘He wanted to meet the children.’

‘He wanted to meet the children?’ I was incredulous. ‘For God’s sake why?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Well I think I do,’ I asserted grimly. ‘He’s preparing the ground for moving in here after I’ve gone; that’s what he’s doing.’

Faye kept her back to me, ‘I suppose you’re right.’

She then turned and faced me with a worried frown, ‘Aaron, I didn’t invite him; he just turned up, just after I arrived home. I think he was waiting for me.’

‘And he met the children?’

‘Yes.’

‘I don’t like him,’ came a voice behind me. Michael was standing there.

‘Neither do I!’ came the voice from the dining room. ‘He sort of tried too hard to make friends.’

‘Sam, clear the table and set it for tea, please!’ Faye shouted.

‘Okay, but I still don’t like him.’

‘We’ll talk about this later,’ I muttered to Faye meaningfully, and it came out almost as a snarl. All my contentment and relaxation had gone. I felt as if Fredericks was beginning to push me out and I did not like it one bit.

‘Yes,’ said Faye, looking even more worried if that were possible. ‘We really do need to discuss it.’

The evening meal was a sombre affair, with little conversation, apart the odd comment on the news which was playing on the television. The children looked more apprehensive than I thought they ought to, and I wondered what had been said, and more importantly, what hadn’t.

When it was time for the children to go to bed, Sam asked me to tuck her in, even though it was Faye’s turn. Faye shrugged and went to Michael’s room.

Sam was tearful. ‘You and Mum are getting divorced. It’s true Daddy isn’t it? And Mummy is going to marry that horrid man.’

‘Whatever gave you that idea?’ I asked her in amazement.

‘When I got home, it was hot so I knew the patio door’d be open, so I came round the back. Michael was laughing and mucking about at the front gate with his mates. I went in and Mum and him were in the living room. They were hugging.’

‘Well, darling, they are old friends from way back. Friends do hug and kiss you know.’

‘Daddy I’m eleven! I know about sex. They were on the couch. They weren’t kissing like friends. I’ve seen films. I know what sort of kissing it was. He said he was longing for the time he could move in with Mum. Perhaps when we knew him better he could adopt us! She didn’t say anything Daddy, but she kissed him again.

‘Then Michael came running in shouting for Mummy and they jumped apart and pretended to be sitting at the ends of the couch. Michael just ran in and stopped dead.

‘Mum said that man was her boyfriend in High School and they were separated until he came back here and saw her.

‘Then Mummy saw me and said the man wanted to meet us. She told us to say hello, so we did, and he smiled. I didn’t like his smile, Daddy. He said he knew he’d be seeing a lot more of us in the future; he said he was looking forward to it. Daddy, I know he meant he was going to marry Mummy.’

‘Sam, Mummy has to make her own mind up about this. She likes him a lot and has good memories of their time together.’

‘But Mummy and you have had a lot more good times. Years and years of good times before slimy came along. I don’t get why she needs him.’

Neither do I! I thought. My daughter is really perceptive!

What I said was ‘Darling she’s a bit uncertain at the moment. Just be patient – like me; I’ve got my own plans to help her to make a final decision. Trust me. Whatever happens... ‘

‘Yeah, yeah, Dad, you and Mum both love us and you’ll both be there for us, just not together any more. You’ve no idea how often kids at school hear that when their parents are divorcing. We don’t want that, we want you to stay together.’