Chapter 5

I ran home and made it with one minute to spare. Larry was still furious, and he immediately demanded answers. I did everything I could to assure him that nothing was going on. I explained that Josh was just a nude model posing for me. I had to think rapidly and come up with an explanation that was mostly the truth.

It was true that Josh was modeling for me. It was true that I was going to use the painting for a Brews & Brushes class. It was true that he was naked and stroking his boner. Larry wasn’t buying it. He believed that Josh and I were being intimate. I had to get that thought out of his mind. I had to make him think it was impossible.

“Josh is gay!” I blurted out, without thinking it through.

“What?” Larry asked, stunned.

“He’s gay! Nothing is going on with us,” I told Larry, hoping to God that he believed me. “He wouldn’t do anything with me, even if I had wanted to. I told you; it was just art.”

Amazingly, it worked. Larry calmed down, and we were able to talk through everything. To my surprise, it sounded as though Larry was not that angry that I might have had sex with Josh. He was mad that I had lied to him and hidden things from him. He felt disappointed and betrayed.

I did my best to reassure him that I was still his loving wife. I wasn’t completely honest about some of the things I had done, and I didn’t volunteer too much information. I knew that in time, I would need to tell him everything, but just then, it was not the time. The biggest shock for me, though, was when Larry complained that I had neglected him, sexually.

“You know you haven’t spent much time with me at all since you started work on the new gallery,” he told me with a sad look on his face. It was true. I felt the guilt growing again. Then he added, “You know we haven’t had sex in three weeks?”

I couldn’t believe that was true. I loved sex with Larry. We were extremely active and adventurous. We did it several times a week. As I reflected on his comments, I realized that it had been a while, but surely it could not have been that long. I mean, I’d watched Amanda and Josh do it at least five or six times in the past three weeks. In fact, the session where I masturbated and the one where Josh almost fucked me had all been in the past two weeks.

I remember going home horny as hell after. “Are you kidding?” I scoffed. “I thought we had sex just the other night after I got home.”

“No,” Larry said, “you were too tired.”

Oh my god, he was right. I remember he had tried to have sex, but I couldn’t get Josh out of my mind. I masturbated as soon as I got into the house and came hard. My orgasm had drained all of my energy, and I fell asleep, alone.

I felt like a total asshole. How could I have been so hung up on things that I had pushed Larry away and mistreated him? I wanted to make it up to him, but when I offered to have sex, he rejected me, calling it a “pity fuck.” His words hurt me deeply.

Things were awkward between us over the next few days. On Sunday, we tried to have sex, but I think we were both feeling pressured to make it great and neither of us did. The entire time I was worried that Larry was still angry at me over Josh. I felt guilty. I couldn’t relax, and for the first time in our marriage, I faked an orgasm. I think Larry knew it. He came in me and rolled off, going to sleep without even a kiss or a good night. I cried myself to sleep.

I tried to initiate sex again a couple of times, but Larry rejected my advances. He had some excuse, but I think he was harboring some ill feelings still. I cried a lot over the next two weeks.

While we prepared for the Grand Opening, the amount of work I had to do was overwhelming. That helped me to get my mind off of the problems Larry and I were having. Larry kept showing up at the gallery, unexpectedly. I felt he was checking up on me, spying on me, and trying to catch me doing something wrong. I was on pins and needles.

I had promised Josh that he could put his art on display in our “local talent” room for the opening. I was shocked when he brought in the pieces to show. Most of them featured me! Amanda seemed very jealous that she was not the featured model. She made a couple of snide comments to me about it.

“I guess that’s why Josh hasn’t had much interest in fucking me lately,” she said as she admired a piece that portrayed his cock penetrating my pussy, something which had never happened. “Your husband must have got over the shock of catching you guys pretty quickly. You never told me he was so cool about things. Maybe we should all get together some time. I can do him while Josh does you.”

Before I could answer, Josh stepped into the small front room of the gallery. “I like the sound of that,” he said, grinning wickedly.

I ignored both of their comments. I was too worried about the display. “Josh, when did you make all of these?” I asked, gesturing at the sculptures of me. “I don’t think we should show these. You need to take them out and put ones in of Amanda. I mean, I run this gallery. I can’t have my naked body on display like that!”

“Oh, come on, Faith,” Josh began arguing, “You’re fucking hot, and they turned out so well. I can swap a couple of them out, but I am proud of these pieces.”

“If you guys are going to argue, I’m going to go work on the mailing list,” Amanda said and excused herself, leaving me alone in the room with Josh.

I pointed at the sculpture that clearly showed his cock penetrating me. “I never posed for that! How could you make that! Everyone is going to think you fucked me!”

“Ok, calm down,” he said. “I just wanted to see it. I call the piece Secret Desire. If you’re not comfortable with it, I can swap it out.”

“Yes, please,” I snapped, “If Larry were to see these, I don’t know what he would do.”

“Alright, alright,” he said, giving in, “I will move them today.” I heard the chime that sounded whenever the front door opened. I assumed Amanda would greet whoever it was.

“Thank you,” I said, “we need to go review the agreement for your show. Do you have time now?”

“Sure,” he said, stopping with a shocked look on his face. He was looking toward the door. I turned to see what had his attention and felt a burst of fear again. Larry was standing just inside the entrance to the local talent room. I didn’t know how long he had been standing there, but I didn’t think it was very long.

“Oh, hi Larry,” I said, shaking nervously, but trying to act nonchalant. “Let me introduce you to Josh.”

Larry took a deep breath, then shook hands with Josh. He was cordial. I could tell Larry was sizing Josh up, but he seemed to be handling the situation rather well. I explained that in addition to being a model, Josh was an artist and we were featuring his work for the opening.

Larry took an interest in Josh’s sculptures and was admiring the one closest to the door. It was the first one of me that Josh had made. It was a close-up model of my open vagina with a model of Josh’s cock protruding from inside it. Larry was staring at it closely with a puzzled look on his face.

“Is that modeled after your cock?” my husband asked as he pointed at the large black penis. I felt flush and knew that I was blushing profusely. I had to do something to distract Larry and get the conversation away from the sculptures. Josh started to explain to Larry about how he had made the statue.

“Honey,” I interrupted, “Josh and I have some paperwork to finish up in my office for his exhibition. Will you excuse us? I’ll be home around seven tonight.”

Larry told me he would be leaving soon, and I let out a sigh of relief. As I walked past him, he went to kiss me. It felt like he was trying to show Josh that I belonged to him like I was his property. I didn’t like it and turned my head slightly so that his kiss landed on my cheek.

“I’ll see you when I get home,” I said rather coldly, then walked out. Josh and I went upstairs, and I didn’t speak until we were on the stairs. “Fuck, I’m so screwed,” I said as I stopped and leaned against the wall. “If Larry sees those sculptures and realizes that it’s me, he’s going to flip out. I lied to him! I told him you were gay!”

“Oh, shit,” Josh said. “So, he has no idea that you modeled for me?”

“No!” I said in a whispery cry, “I couldn’t tell him the truth. Oh, my god, Josh! He’ll divorce me! I can’t lose Larry. I can’t lose my marriage! I’d rather die!”

“Come on, Faith,” Josh tried to calm me, “don’t say shit like that. We can deal with anything that happens.”

“No,” I corrected him, “You don’t know Larry. When he gets something in his mind, it is stuck there. You can’t get him to change his mind. If he believes I’ve cheated on him, he will leave me. I don’t know exactly what he would do. What am I going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Josh answered, shaking his head. Just then we heard a loud crash from out in the showroom.

“Oh shit!” I shouted and started running. Josh was right behind me. I could see Larry backing out of the local talent room with a shocked look on his face.

“What was that noise?” I called out as I closed the distance. Larry was walking like a zombie. He turned to face me. Our eyes met. I could see the pain in them. I could see the hurt turning into rage. Everything around me seemed to disappear. All I could see was Larry. He knew it was me in the statues. He knew I had lied. He was looking at me like I was a slut. In that instant, I felt it. I was lost. I was no longer his wife.

“Larry, wait, please!” I called out frantically, “I can explain!”

He ran out and down the street. I tried to run after him, but collided with a display, sending it toppling over, the glass case shattering. I bolted outside, but he was already at the corner. I screamed for him to stop. People in the streets were looking at me as if I were mad. Maybe I was.

I made it to our house, just as Larry drove past me. I waved my arms wildly, crying out for him to stop. He didn’t even look at me. I collapsed on the sidewalk. Amanda and Josh were there. They picked me up and helped me into the house. I called Larry’s phone, but he didn’t answer. I tried again and again. I texted him. He didn’t answer.

“I have to find him!” I shouted, “I have to stop him!”

“Calm down, Faith,” Amanda said soothingly. “He’ll come back once he cools off. Let him blow off some steam.”

“No!” I shouted, “You don’t know him! I have to stop him! I can’t lose him! I can’t!”