Chapter 4

Damien awoke the next morning, a Monday, surprisingly early all things considered, but he still had but only so much time before he had to get ready for work. He was about to shave before he showered, but right then, a hand ... a very feminine hand, intruded. It was Cassidy and she had other ideas.

“Honey, why bother with that? I think that you’re a brand-new man, so maybe a brand new look is better. Besides, if you don’t waste time shaving, you can have more time to shower with me. Oh, and just wait until tonight. You’re in for a treat. We ladies have plans for our man, yes, we do,” his girlfriend told him with a very seductive kiss, while getting ready for her own job.

“That does sound rather nice, thank you very much. I don’t know what exactly you have in mind, but it will definitely be on my mind for much of the day. I hope that I can get a few things done, though, despite that. By the way, how’s the new job? It’s not as exciting as the campaign, I know, but hopefully it’s really up your alley in some ways,” Damien asked her about it, mostly because now that she was sympathetic to his plight, it was easier to be to hers.

“Yeah, I guess that I haven’t exactly listened to you of late, so perhaps it’s been easy to tune me out. I don’t blame you, honestly. Look, I like it. I honestly do. You don’t have any idea what it’s like, though, to have people look at you like you have a second head. I walk to the cafe nearby and everyone else gets a discount for working in the same plaza. Me? Nope, apparently my work doesn’t warrant a discount. Well, excuse me, but I could have sworn that I help people out. That’s a pretty big deal. They should give me a motherfucking discount, but I bet that they don’t like what I do. Well, let their girlfriends need a cheap exam and see how quickly they change their tunes,” Cassidy commented on her new position at the women’s health clinic.

“Ain’t that the truth, huh? It is an irony, though, given your eagerness to breed. It’s not what people associate with your organization,” Damien teased her under the shower jets as he washed her off ... and fondled her ass.

“Hey, it’s all about family planning, and we’re planning ours, right? We’re taking responsibility for our parental duties and rights. You’re not just treating me as a brood mare, you know. And you’re just picking on me!” Cassidy realized as she stopped rambling long enough to wash him clean.

“Guilty as charged,” he winked as he finished preparing for work, “Kiss me, dear, and wish me luck. I have a feeling that this is going to be a very busy news cycle these days.”

“Best luck, not just good, babe. You’re the best, so you deserve the best,” Cassidy gave him a very steamy kiss, but the real shock was when Maryam and Tammy did the same.

“Time to get used to it. In time, I hope that you get at least six such kisses at the start of the day, if possible. She’s right. You are the best,” Maryam told her new lover, her daughter’s boyfriend.

“My sentiments exactly, dear,” Tammy said as she planted another kiss on Damien, “We’re all your ladies, so we all deserve to taste your lips and tongue, your loving kiss.”

“Well, on that note, I must go to work, girls. God, I’m really going to love this life!” Damien chuckled as he left, to the sound of laughter from the Lassiters.

Of course, both Cassidy and Maryam had to go work soon afterward, but Tammy was unemployed and hadn’t gone to college yet, so she had plenty of time to stick around, something that would have real effects over the course of the week. For now, though, the rest of them left her to her own devices as they went about their day.

For Damien, he made good time, even after stopping at a Wendy’s to grab some breakfast at the drive-thru. He could have picked any of the fast food places, but he liked the girl at the window, who always got his order right and always smiled at him, though she had a wedding band on and was thus not a likely prospect for more than light and distant flirting. She looked about twenty-two or so, a year younger than Cassidy and four years older than Tammy, but was trapped in a minimum wage job, at least for now, due to circumstances probably mostly out of her control. She was black, like so many workers in fast food (though many were white, too), but she would have blushed if she could whenever he winked at her.

“Thank you, Charlene. You always treat me right,” Damien smiled, getting only a slightly embarrassed smile and laugh from her, as her co-workers teased her for some reason.

“Oh, you are very welcome, sir,” Charlene answered as she handed him a receipt with her phone number on it.

Damien couldn’t help but notice that her marital status didn’t stop Charlene from leaving him rather personal information, but he didn’t do anything yet about it, because he still had work to do. Cruising into work, he finished his breakfast in the parking lot, headed straight to the men’s room to clean up, and went to the time clock to punch in. Luckily, as an editor, albeit more junior, Damien had a bit more leeway than Tara, who came in minutes later, wearing an elf costume, no less. She was always his favorite reporter at the paper, though, so he was quick to call her into his office to avoid their bosses catching on.

“I can add your time in retroactively with accounting later. I just wanted to call you in to cover your ass first. If they saw you just clocking in, the chief might go much harder on you than on me. Besides, they might not discipline you if they think that I already did. What’s with the elf outfit, by the way? Meeting with Santa? Or is this a cosplay thing?” Damien teased her, though his boner under the desk was affected by how sexy and cute she was in that costume.

“Thank you, but we both know why you want to cover my ass. You think it’s a sweet one. You also like my legs, ergo your obvious discomfort, which to me indicates a hard-on. Look, I’m a married woman, but I am rather flattered by the attraction, trust me. I’m never going to cheat on my husband, but if he’s ever dumb enough to cheat on me or leave me, you’re my first draft pick for a revenge fuck, and yes, I would have one so fast his head would spin. That’s not cheating. It’s revenge. I’d probably take him back in a heartbeat, but only after making it clear that I slept with another man and that he would have to accept it as the past. I wouldn’t keep up the affair, though. Just like Santa, I treat people differently if they’re naughty or nice,” Tara confessed, blushing.

“And the fact that I’m your boss wouldn’t be an issue?” Damien noted, chuckling.

“Not really. You’re not the editor-in-chief and I think that I’m a big girl. Certainly a tall one. I can handle myself with you, if you were a prick. You’re not, anyway. You’ve never made any moves on me. You’ve respected my marriage vows, which I appreciate. If you were going to abuse your power, you would have harassed me much sooner than this, even before you became an editor, as a senior reporter. Trust me. If I ever find myself free of my vows for even a short time, you’re getting some action. I would care that you have a girlfriend, except that you don’t seem worried and she treats you like shit. Or did you break up with her?” Tara wondered now.

“No, I’m not worried. No, she doesn’t treat me like shit anymore. And no, I didn’t break up with her, but I nearly did last Saturday. I was seconds away from it, in fact. Cassidy and I ... well, we’re redefining our relationship and monogamy doesn’t seem to be in the cards anymore, my dear elf. She’s realized how much she goofed up and we both kind of changed a few of the rules to suit both of us. That’s all I can say for now. Now, seriously, what’s with the elf get-up?” Damien repeated.

“Yeah, that’s for the piece that I did this morning, on the local mall Santa that caused such outrage. Apparently, he’s black. I’m thinking, so the fuck what? But, evidently, it gets worse. He’s also Dominican, so he’s black, Hispanic, AND an immigrant. You can imagine the outrage in certain quarters, especially since he’s a Roman Catholic and plenty of local preachers still think that the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon. So, yes, my piece will defend him, staunchly, and if others don’t like it, they can write letters to the editors. You know, like you,” Tara winked at him now quite saucily.

“Aren’t you Catholic?” Damien commented.

“Honey, I’m a bit of a lukewarm Catholic, but it’s true if I break up with the husband, I probably won’t take the extra step of divorce. Why should I? Best to cover my bets, just in case. It’s adultery whatever I do, so I might as well shack up with the guy, plus I would get legal rights that no girlfriend of his would ever have. Plus, if we both tire of our new partners, we can jump right back in bed with each other and no red tape. It pays off now and then to be part of a repressive religion,” Tara teased a bit more.

“So, if, hypothetically, you slept with me, I’d be an almost perfect choice, already being engaged and everything,” Damien remarked.

“Actually, you would, come to think of it. As long as Cassidy understood. But let’s be blunt here. Even if I broke up with Roger, I’d eventually go back to him. I’d be smelling of your cum, perhaps, but I suspect that he would smell of another woman’s juices, and we’d both have to deal with it. No break-up with Roger’s going to be permanent. I’m just warning you upfront, so, yes, a man with a fiancee would be perfect for a fling or tryst or love affair, whatever you call it.

“I’m madly in love with the guy, no matter how crazy that sounds or how dense he can be at times ... I think that he feels the same way, deep down. He’s my soulmate and he would forgive me many things, and, yes, I can be a handful at times,” Tara confessed, being painfully honest right then.

“Ever consider open marriage?” Damien smiled right then.

“If I thought that Roger could handle the jealousy, but I’m not sure that he could. I probably could, just because I know that I could jump your bones whenever I needed it, or am I wrong? Anyway, enough flirting. I have to fight myself not to do things to you ... bad things. Things that I just assured you that I’d never do unless the marriage broke down. But every time that I’m alone with you, I want badly to rip your clothes off and have it out with you here in your office, and that’s disturbing, because I usually have no trouble resisting the occasional impulse to fuck another man. With you ... it’s more than occasional, that impulse.

“It’s a constant urge that I have to fight off daily. I guess that I’m in denial about the extent of my attraction to you, but you understand that I couldn’t face myself if I cheated on Roger. I would have to atone and that could get rough. You’re the only man other than Roger that I have trouble resisting. Mind you, it’s stronger with him because of my love for him. Still, even now, I feel these intense urges to fuck you. It’s like an itch that I want to scratch, but dare not for fear of what might happen,” Tara admitted to him.

“Then we need to return to shop talk, don’t we? We have a lot of business to do, anyway, but I can see why we have trouble focusing on it around each other. The last thing that I would ever want to do is fuck up your marriage, so just know that as long as your marriage is intact, I’m off-limits and I will always refuse your advances. If that helps, consider it a standing position. However, the moment that you’re released from your obligations, even temporarily, I’m going to rip your clothes off and have my way with you,” Damien smiled.

“Now, about this Santa, back on track here, you’re essentially arguing that Santa is a universal concept that transcends racial and national boundaries, that he belongs to all children, regardless of their origins, ethnicity, etc. Am I close? Well, that is in keeping with the spirit of Christmas as popularly understood. Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men. Yes, I like it. It’s very much a part of the progressive attitude that I want to see more of in the Volunteer, a more brazen kind of liberalism,” Damien grinned as he tried to will his boner down.

“Exactly. You know me well. Oh, and seriously, thanks for saving my bacon. Both professionally and maritally. I’m usually a good girl and don’t normally have to struggle to keep my wedding vows. I would confess this, but then the priest might get excited. Maybe I should, anyway. See if I can make Father Duncan sweat. Be even more fun if it were right before Mass, just to see how he behaved around me.

“Luckily, Roger’s Baptist, so he wouldn’t have a clue. He never goes to Mass with me. He does like that I follow the Church’s teachings on birth control and always go bareback. By the way, if you and I ever got it on, no rubbers, mister. Adultery is bad enough without adding more sins. I’ve only broken that rule once and it just felt wrong. It was with Roger and neither of us liked it, so we stopped.

“Pity I can’t get Santa to spank me for being such a naughty girl. If I picked Roger, he would wonder what I did wrong. If I picked you, I’d be even naughtier. Part of me really wants to sound him out on that open marriage idea of yours, but the other part dreads what he would say and fears that he would think that I have actually cheated on him. I guess that I have but one choice, and that is to grab him when I get home, drag him to bed, and use him as my bitch, like that ginger band geek did in American Pie,” Tara blushed again.

“Um, Tara, shop talk, remember? Shop talk! Back to work,” Damien smiled at her to make it clear that he was only half-serious, but he really did want her to get her mind back on her job, for the sake of both her career and her marriage.

“Yes, sir!” Tara coughed as she left the office and got busy with her article.

Damien did his best to focus on work, too, editing more than bit of the work that came through, especially as it turned out that the Chief (editor-in-chief Ned McDougal) was out on a dental appointment, the other senior editors were holding some kind of event with the Hamilton County commissioners, and the other junior editors had plenty on their plates, too. It was just as well that both Tara and he were busy, because he was troubled by the degree of her lust for him. Damien had not realized how much she reciprocated his attraction to her until that day, but it was enough to make his head spin a little if he thought of it too much.

Of course, Damien also noted how much she really wanted to be a faithful wife, mostly because that would, in her mind, please her husband. It was obvious that her initial statement that she would never cheat on him was generally true ... except perhaps where Damien was concerned. It was only with Damien that there was any doubt that Tara could be faithful to Roger. Tara clearly loved her husband very much, whereas what she felt for Damien was more of a potent combination of admiration, gratitude, friendship, compatibility, and lust.

When lunchtime came, Tara joined Damien at the nearby cafe, where he grabbed a Reuben and fries, washed down with iced tea, while she opted for a grilled cheese sandwich, a pickle, and some root beer. The waitress looked at them rather curiously, which they wondered about until she finally spoke up.

“Are you Tara Harmon?” she asked her directly.

“That I am, and this is my boss, Damien Martin. We both work at the Volunteer. I’m a reporter and he’s an editor. How do you know my name?” Tara asked with curiosity, making the waitress squirm.

“Oh, that man over asked if you were her. Sorry, don’t blame me. I’m just the messenger. Please don’t get mad. Trish Maynard, by the way. Please don’t get me in trouble!” she pleaded, feeling very scared.

“Why would I get mad?” Tara asked, very confused.

“Tara Harmon?” a man now approached her, wearing a sports jacket, slacks, and a turtleneck.

“That’s me,” Tara gulped.

“You’ve been served,” the man coughed, “With apologies. I know that the holidays are an awful time to get served.”

Tara looked very faint and Trish rushed to get her some water, especially as her shaky hands now opened the envelope given to her by the process server. It was a subpoena, issued on behalf of a Wanda Harmon, in the matter of her pending divorce from a Roger Harmon ... Tara’s own husband. That could not be ... unless?

“Well, I can’t believe this ... bigamy? Really? I know that Roger is out of town a lot, supposedly on business, but damn! Fuck that motherfucker! That low-life, two-timing, bigamous son of a bitch! How dare he? I can’t believe this! He knew that I wouldn’t marry a divorced man, so he pulled this stunt on me! Fuck, fuck, a fuckity fuck! Jesus fucking Christ! What the hell kind of Christian pulls this shit? I know that I’m bad for thinking some nasty thoughts, but to pull this kind of scam, damn his rotten soul to the fires of Hell!” Tara rushed to the ladies’ room, closed the door behind her, lost her lunch, and wiped her mouth.

“On the other hand, I should just point out that men don’t do this shit for lust. They do it out of a twisted kind of love. Why else break the law, risk prosecution, divorce, annulment, etc.? Why else have to live a double life? It’s not worth it just to get into some girl’s pants, is it? He’s in love with you, not sure about Wanda, though. He might have divorced her if he could have remarried to you. Perhaps we should get to the bottom of this!” Damien suggested, cradling Tara in his arms for a moment.

“Damn you, Damien Martin! You always know how to make me feel better. However, it’s not my marriage that I want to get to the bottom of right now. It’s how I can get enough privacy to jump your bones! That son of a bitch had better believe that I’m getting some fucking payback! God damn it! The sick thing is that I still love the bastard, but now I can’t marry him and I don’t know what to do, long-term.

“Excuse me, Trish, but can you cover for me and him for a second, so I can drain this man’s balls? He’s my boss and such, and this is public, so I’d rather not get in trouble, but I want him to fuck me good, right now!” Tara urged the waitress, who nodded and did her best to work while still diverting people from the men’s room, where Tara and Damien ended up for a quickie.

Not a minute inside the men’s room, Tara Harmon was bent over, her elf outfit skirt hiked up, and her leggings down, as her boss began pounding her pussy good from behind. She still had the hat and elf ears on, too, as she felt the wonderful hip movements from both of them, his cock going in and out at frantic strokes as he fucked her hard and fast. Damien wasn’t about to let up, now that his only true ethical qualms were dashed. If Tara wanted him to ram her cunt good and give her some revenge on Roger, so much the better. He wasn’t sure if the sham marriage could survive this discovery, but right then, neither Tara nor he really gave a damn, anyway. This, he thought, would really make the priest’s ears burn during the confession.

When Tara came, she did as quietly as she could, biting her bottom lip, even as Damien spilled his seed inside her twat. Standing up rather nervously, she began making out with Damien before putting everything back into place, minus her panties which she slipped into his sports jacket. Then she threw open the bathroom door, winking at the manager who had finally caught onto Trish’s little trick. He shrugged, gave Damien a high-five, and chuckled as he got back to work.

“I guess that my job’s still safe, though I think that Howard might want some of the same treatment from me. To be frank, I’m inclined to give it to him. His wife’s a class act, anyway, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. I’m sure that she’s cheating on him, even if I can’t prove it. Time for the Man to get some tail, too,” Trish laughed as she confessed her plan to Damien and Tara, much to their amusement.