This story was inspired by the 1982 Jethro Tull song, “Beastie.”

“He Is The Hundred Names Of Terror, Creature You Love The Least.
Picture His Name Before You and Exorcise The Beast...” ~ Ian Anderson

The thing moved about unseen and unheard, considering all the possibilities that were available in the packed night club. The gender of the victim didn’t really matter, as the creature was neither male nor female and could pass for either at any given time, depending on its mood. All that really mattered was the flexibility of the target.

There, the thing said to itself as it spied a young, delightful-looking woman in a short red dress. She seemed a happy creature, dancing with various men in the noisy club. The presence of a wedding ring was even better. The creature slithered forward and watched the woman interact with various men as they flirted with her. It laughed to itself as it watched the woman rebuff the advances of several good-looking young men.

Very nice, the creature thought to itself. I can hide inside this for a while. While I’m here, maybe I can corrupt her ... It moved closer to her, and synchronized its movements with hers. Soon, it began the process of melding with her, and within moments, had completely encased itself within her body without her even knowing what had happened.

As the woman moved about, the creature familiarized itself with its new home. The woman’s name was Carrie Hampton, and she was here with some friends from her office for a “girl’s night out,” something she did once or twice a month just to blow off some steam. She had been married to a computer guy named Bill for nearly five years, and so far had remained completely faithful to him. That won’t last long, the creature thought wickedly.

“Hey, Carrie, it’s just about 9:00, and I promised George I’d be home by 10:00,” another woman said as she came up next to Carrie.

“Okay, I’m coming,” Carrie called out before saying goodbye to the two men vying for her attention. The creature sat dormant as Carrie went home with her friend and made love to her husband.

It was about mid-October, one day before our fifth anniversary. I watched my wife as she got ready for yet another “girl’s night out,” upset that she was going out on the weekend of our anniversary. I had made reservations at Luigi’s, a fairly upscale Italian restaurant, for the evening, but Carrie said she wanted to go out with the girls instead.

“But this is our fifth anniversary weekend,” I told her. “You know how hard it is to get reservations at Luigi’s?”

“So, change them to tomorrow night,” she said, dismissing me with a wave of her hand.

“I can’t just change them at the last minute,” I told her. “I had to wait nearly two weeks just to get this reservation.”

“Look, it’s just a restaurant,” she said. “I promised the girls I’d go with them, and that’s what I intend to do.”

“You’ve been going out with ‘the girls’ quite a lot lately,” I said. “This will be the third night this week. What’s going on? Why would you put them over our anniversary?”

“What’s going on is I promised them I’d go. I need my space too, you know. Things have been hectic at the office lately, and I need this. Now quit whining and zip me up, okay?”

“Zip yourself up,” I huffed before leaving the bedroom. I went downstairs, grabbed the flowers I had bought for her that day and angrily crammed them in the garbage can. Fuck this, I thought to myself.

“What did you do that for?” I heard from behind me. I turned to see Carrie standing at the foot of the stairs. “I loved those flowers. They were beautiful.”

“I bought them for our anniversary,” I said. “But you’ve made it clear ‘the girls’ are more important than us and our fifth anniversary. What the hell’s gotten into you these last few weeks?”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You’ve become a completely different person lately,” I said. “I don’t even know you. Is there someone else?” She snorted at that.

“Maybe I just need some space of my own,” she sneered. “And no, there’s no one else. Yet. Not that there haven’t been any offers. There have. After the way you’re acting, though, I may just accept one or two of them.”

“What?” I asked, shocked. Carrie knows how I feel about infidelity. We’ve discussed it often enough. She knows that as far as I’m concerned, it would be one and done. “You’d cheat on me?”

“I just might, especially after what you just did,” she said with a smirk. I could feel my temper flaring and counted to ten before I did something I knew I would regret.

“If you do, don’t bother coming home,” I said after I calmed down. That seemed to get her attention and her attitude changed significantly.

“Look, I’m sorry,” she said. “You just pissed me off when you threw my flowers away. It’s just one night. We can still go out tomorrow.”

“But the reservation...”

“Take Jeannie if you’ve got your mind set on going,” she said.

“Your sister?” I asked. Jeannie was just 11 months younger than Carrie and I knew she had a crush on me.

“Yeah. She’d love to eat at Luigi’s,” Carrie said. “I’ll call her if you want.” I started to object, but Carrie already had her phone out and called her sister.

“Hey girl,” she said. “You got anything going on tonight? No? How would you like to have dinner with Bill at Luigi’s tonight? I don’t know, let me ask.” She covered her phone and looked at me. “What time is the reservation?”

“7:00 pm,” I told her. She turned back to the phone.

“The reservation is at 7:00. Can you be ready in, say, a half hour? Great. I’ll have Bill pick you up. See ya,” she said, ending the call. She put her phone back in her purse and looked at me.

“Well, you’d better get going. Jeannie’s expecting you. And I expect you to be on your best behavior. Have fun. I’ll see you later tonight.” Just then, I heard a car horn outside. “That’s my ride. I’d better get going.” She grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

“What time will you be home?” I asked.

“I don’t know, exactly,” she said. “I’ll be home when I get home. How’s that?” And with that, she went through the door without so much as a kiss or telling me she loves me. I couldn’t believe what just happened. I called my older brother, Ron.

“Hey, bro, what’s up?” he asked.

“The bitch just left to be with her girlfriends. Can you believe that shit?”

“Did you tell her about the reservation at Luigi’s?” he asked.

“Yeah, but it didn’t mean shit to her,” I said. “She actually called her sister to take her place.”

“Jeannie? You do know she’s been salivating over you for the longest time. Won’t even look at me. You gonna tap into that?”

“Are you kidding? No way. Look, Jeannie’s a very nice girl, but I’m not going to do that to Carrie.”

“Okay. So, what are ya gonna do?”

“I put that phone locator app on Carrie’s phone like you suggested. Think you could keep an eye on her for me?” I asked. We had discussed doing this earlier when Carrie’s attitude had gotten so bad I was about to lose it. Ron used to work in the police department but lost his job after the city cut back the police budget. Now he works as a private investigator for one of the largest and best-known outfits in town.

“I think I could do that,” he said. “But it’s gonna cost you a six-pack.”

“Do this for me and I’ll buy you a case,” I said.

“Well, then, guess I’d better do a good job for ya, huh?” he asked sarcastically. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, bro. Leave this to the professional. Take Jeannie out and have a good time. I’ll be in touch.”

“Thanks, bro, I owe you big time for this,” I said.

“Damn right you do,” he said with a laugh. “Talk to ya later.” We ended the call and I got ready for what should’ve been my anniversary date with Carrie. I drove to the apartment complex where Jeannie lived and knocked on her door.

I was stunned when she answered – she wore a dress that fell just above her knees and showed just enough skin to make my mouth water. It was sexy, but not slutty. I actually had to remind myself to breathe after a few moments.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked.

“You look absolutely gorgeous,” I said. “Your carriage awaits,” I added, offering her my arm.

“Thank you, kind sir,” she said with a smile. For a moment, I wished I wasn’t married. I walked her to my car and opened the door for her. After helping her get inside, I got behind the wheel and headed out.

“So, why aren’t you taking Carrie out? Isn’t this your fifth anniversary weekend?” she asked as I drove.

“Yes, it was,” I said. “Carrie decided she’d rather spend our anniversary weekend out with the girls,” I said, making air quotes when I said “the girls.”

“What’s gotten into her lately?” Jeannie asked.

“I have no idea,” I said. “But I don’t like it. Not one bit.”

“Neither do I,” she said. “It’s almost like she’s a completely different person lately.”

“You’ve noticed that too, huh?” I asked.

“I have,” she said. “And frankly, I find it just a bit scary.”

“You and me both,” I said.

“Well, one good thing’s come out of it,” she said.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I finally got a night out alone with my favorite brother-in-law,” she said with a sly smile.

“Last time I looked, I’m your only brother-in-law,” I said.

“Yes, you are, but you’re still my favorite,” she said. “So, do you think she’s cheating on you?” she asked after a few moments.

“I think so,” I said. “I’m pretty sure she is.”

“That stupid bitch,” she hissed.

“I’ll know for sure after tonight,” I said.

“What then?”

“If she’s cheating on me, I’ll divorce her,” I said. “She knows how I feel about infidelity.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that,” she said quietly. We got to the restaurant and the two of us were escorted to the table I had reserved for Carrie and I. We enjoyed our dinner and the wine that came with it. We indulged in small talk as we ate and it while I enjoyed spending time with Jeannie, it just wasn’t what I originally had in mind, and she could sense it.

“Listen, I know you’re uncomfortable about this, so if you want, I can grab an Uber and go on home,” Jeannie said after we finished dessert.

“Nonsense,” I said. The restaurant also had an area set aside for drinking and slow dancing, and the band had already started playing. “I mean, yeah, I’m a bit uncomfortable being here with you alone, since this was supposed to be mine and Carrie’s anniversary dinner. But that doesn’t mean you get out of here without a dance. After all, you are the prettiest girl in the place.” She smiled at that.

“Thank you for the compliment,” she said quietly. “And yes, I’d love to dance with my brother-in-law.” We got up and I escorted her to the dance floor, where we held each other close through two dances. She felt so good in my arms and again, I found myself wishing that I wasn’t married. I could easily fall in love with this girl.

After the second dance, Jeannie stepped back and took my hands in hers. She looked at me and I could see a tear in her eye.

“I’m so sorry about what my sister is doing to you,” she finally said. “I had a wonderful time tonight, and I really enjoy dancing with you. But I think maybe you should take me home before I do something we both might regret later. After all, this was supposed to be Carrie’s date, and I feel...”

“Like you’ve been used?” I asked, finishing her question.

“Something like that, yes,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoyed this time with you, and under better circumstances, well, who knows where it could lead. You’re a wonderful man, and I could kill Carrie for dumping you like she did. I would never do that to you.”

“Thanks, Jeannie,” I said. “I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you that a good, faithful, loving woman couldn’t fix,” she said. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

“Alright,” I said. We stopped at the table and the waiter took my credit card. He was back a couple minutes later and we left the restaurant. We rode in silence back to Jeannie’s apartment. I walked her to her door to make sure she was safe. She unlocked her door, then turned and kissed me full on the lips.

“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” she said. “I love you.” Before I could say anything, she turned and walked into her apartment, closing her door. I stood there for a couple minutes wondering what just happened. I knew Jeannie had a crush on me, but she never told me she loved me before. I collected myself and went back to my car, then drove home.

I pulled into the garage and hoped Carrie was home by now. I looked on my phone, and saw that her phone was at a hotel on the outskirts of town. I didn’t need to be a PI to know what she was probably doing. I went inside and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and poured myself a cup of coffee.

Out of curiosity, I called Ron to find out what was going on. He answered after the first ring.

“What’s up, bro?” I asked.

“Well, I hate to say it, Bill, but Carrie is definitely cheating on you,” he said quietly. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. “She’s at a motel on the edge of town right now. There’s at least five guys with her at the moment. I’ve seen men come and go now for the last hour.”

“Damn,” I said.

“Yeah,” Ron said. “Sorry, man. I hate being the bearer of bad news. I’ve got lots of video for your divorce.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Any idea if she’s coming home tonight?”

“Hard to tell,” Ron said. “Looks to me like she’s just getting warmed up. Listen, I’ll stay here for a bit longer, and someone is coming out to cover for me. I’ll send you some video from the club. It’s not pretty, Bill. Maybe you shouldn’t look at it.”

“I need to know, Ron,” I said. “I need to see it for myself.”

“I understand. I know this may sound like a cliché, but don’t do anything stupid. I don’t wanna have to bail you out of jail,” Ron said.

“I hear ya,” I said. “Thanks, I owe you big time.”

“Damn right you do,” he said with a chuckle. We ended the call and a few moments later I heard a ping letting me know I had email. I opened my mobile client and saw Ron had sent a couple short videos.

The first video showed Carrie inside a club, surrounded by a group of men. She was letting them grope and fondle her right there at the table in full view of everyone. She surprised me by yanking off her panties and tossing them on the table. One man grabbed them and sniffed the crotch before putting them in his pocket.

She responded by putting her feet on the table, spread wide. She lifted up her short skirt and let everyone see her now-shaved pussy. I barely recognized the woman doing this. I could never see the Carrie I married flaunting herself like this in public.

The men cheered and a couple of them began fingering her as she sat. Others stood around and watched. Most of them cheered but there was one man who stood off to the side and watched as he sipped a drink.

The next video showed her outside the club, in an alleyway. She threw off her dress and got on her knees, naked. The men with her unzipped their trousers and she began sucking each of them off. After a while, one of them picked her up and took her to a car. After dumping her in the back seat, the car took off and the video ended.

There were no other videos, but I knew I really didn’t need to see any more. My marriage was over – gone. There was nothing left to do now but go for a divorce. I looked around the house and decided, to hell with it, grabbed my keys and went to a bar not far from the house.