Chapter 2

Debra was silent for several moments, and I busied myself with finishing the form with the notes I had prepared in the morning. I was glad to find that I had anticipated all of the financial questions, and was able to put values to just about everything, the value of my share of Bill's business being the only question.

Debra looked over each form as I completed them and immediately caught my omission. "No value for the part ownership?"

"I'm hoping to sell it soon, but no, it's never been valued," I replied. "Bill inherited it as a sole proprietorship, and although he incorporated it as a private corporation and sold off more than half, it's never had a formal valuation."

Debra checked it one last time. "I can have the initial form filed tomorrow. How do you want your wife served?"

Morgana suddenly piped up. "Give it to her when she arrives in San Diego with the evil lady."

I turned to look at her. "You know where they are going?"

Morgana nodded. "That's what the evil lady said. She wants to take mom to a resort there."

I noticed that Lance had gone back to his magazine and quietly cursed Jenny. Morgana seemed to have heard far more than any second grader needed to know, and I was upset to see her innocence sold for so little. I was putting my notes away and preparing to leave when Debra spoke again.

"Well, having a process server out of state is not easy, but if you want to pay, you could get someone to fly out and meet her at baggage claim with the paperwork. Although if she doesn't go, you'd end up paying a lot for nothing," she mused. "It's possible."

I shrugged as I stood up. "Just tell me what the charges are and do your best to protect my children."

Debra smiled and then stood up, pressing a button on her phone to activate the intercom. "Maria, I'm going to leave for dinner, and I won't be back to the office today. I do have a standard divorce form, and the client wants the paperwork filed tomorrow if possible. Can you contact Jack to come and pick it up so that he can work on it this evening? Once he comes by, you can call it a night."

The reply was an affirmative and as I gathered Lance and Morgana, Debra walked to her door to hand the sheets to her waiting receptionist. It had taken a moment to get Lance's attention since he was so engrossed in the magazine, and I turned to the door to see Debra holding it for me. "With kids I'm guessing Red Lobster, correct? There is one just down the street."

She nearly burst out laughing when I stopped in shock. "I'm hungry and you did offer."

I had to laugh as well, and after a quick pause outside while she identified her car and we confirmed directions we drove to the restaurant.

Dinner was much more relaxed than I expected. I insisted on paying, although Debra laughed and told me she would still charge me her hourly rate. Morgana proved to have a flood of questions about what divorce was and all that she could expect. I did notice that Debra seemed very sad when replying to these questions. I would listen and tell Morgana that we would find a way, no matter how her mother reacted.

It was just past six when we finally left the restaurant. Lance was giggling and trying to show Debra the kid's coloring sheet he had filled out as we walked out. I was about to say something when my phone started ringing.

"Hello. This is Roger."

"Roger. You weren't lying were you?" the voice of Sebastian rang out. "I've checked and you're right, I can easily get control if I buy you out. So what do you say, is fifteen million a good price?"

I stopped for a moment to think. "Are you sure?" was my first response.

Seb laughed. "Well, your share is probably worth only about twelve, but I'm willing to pay a premium since without you, I would not get this chance. Tell you what, think about it and get back to me tomorrow."

Sebastian hung up quickly and I noticed Debra looking at me. "News?"

I nodded. "One of Bill's competitors. I offered to let him buy me out and revealed that he can gain control if he approached the other part owners. He's offering me fifteen million for my share."

Debra frowned. "I can't protect that money in the divorce."

I shrugged. "It's okay. I'll get to keep half after taxes, and money doesn't mean happiness. I have more joy in seeing Morgana's smiling face, or watching Lance here chase a soccer ball than in having millions in the bank."

I could see Debra studying me after that and smiled. Morgana and Lance realized I had unlocked the car and were getting in and buckling up, so I held out my hand for Debra to shake. "Thank you for everything. I'm sure I'll hear from you soon."

Debra seemed flustered for a moment, but took my hand. "Oh, see if you can provide a picture of your wife tomorrow. The server will need it to find her at the airport."

I promised her I would and then got into the car to drive home.

Jenny was standing on the porch as I arrived home. She barely acknowledged Morgana and Lance as they tumbled by; pulling the coloring Lance did from his hands when he attempted to show it to her. Lance was clearly upset, but Morgana grabbed him and led him inside whispering in his ear.

Jenny waited until I was near the door before she hissed at me. "Out to dinner tonight? What happened to coming home and having dinner with the family? Or was the promise void as soon as it wasn't convenient?"

I held up a hand. "Jenny, I am not in the mood for any argument tonight. Morgana and Lance were very happy to enjoy a dinner out. I would have invited you, but I wasn't sure you'd be home or willing. You came in late last night, and I expected you to need to work late tonight to make up for that."

Jenny seemed ready to scream longer, as I walked past her and entered the house. To my surprise Morgana and Lance were waiting just inside, and Morgana was holding my copy of the Arabian Nights. Lance grabbed my hand and pulled me over to my chair as Jenny followed.

If her look had real heat, I should have had two holes bored into my back. As it was I turned to see a red faced woman glaring down at me and shrugged. "Jenny, I'm sorry your plans were somehow shattered by this. I'll see if I can make it up later. Right now, I think the children want some attention."

Jenny left the room with a shriek of frustration and I looked at the kids. "So, where were we?"

"The story stopped where the first sheikh was telling the genie about how the gazelle he had on a leash was really his uncle's daughter," Lance spoke up. I looked down at him cause I remembered him being asleep when I reached the ending last night and was surprised he knew. Morgana just jumped into my lap to read along.

I found myself wishing I could get a picture of this moment. I had Morgana in my lap reading along while Lance sat on the floor and leaned against my legs. Moments like this made me proud to be a father, and my only regret was that any divorce was going to make such moments ever more rare.

The storytelling lasted about forty minutes, and then both kids ran off to play on the Playstation before bed. I sat back for a moment to think when Jenny reentered the room. "You willing to talk now?" she snapped.

I sighed. 'Jenny, I don't know why we suddenly cannot be in the same room without you ordering me around or screaming at me, but unless you can remain calm any discussion will only make this worse."

"Oh, so the perfect Roger Vinson hasn't contributed?" Jenny hissed.

I groaned. "I probably have. But that's not the issue anymore. We should be trying to fix the problem, and having a screaming match won't do that," I said raising my voice.

Jenny glared at me again before turning to leave. "Sleep on the couch tonight."

I could hear the bedroom door slam, and wondered what was going so wrong in the marriage. Jenny and I had been close friends throughout our marriage, but now we could barely spend a moment in the room with each other without her hissing and snapping at me.

No amount of agonizing over this was going to resolve the issue that evening, so after carefully marking the Arabian Nights book for the future, I headed to the other room to spend time watching my children play before sleep.

Thursday was a day of endings. Bill came in early to once much gush about his incredible new deal. He then announced that he would be traveling around the various stores all weekend and that he would return in the middle of the next week. I waved and smiled as he left.

Once he was gone I called Seb and negotiated for about a half hour over his purchase. We finally settled on fourteen million upfront and one million a year for the next three years. He was absolutely ecstatic to gain my shares and insisted I meet him right after lunch to finalize the deal. I agreed and once I had dropped off a picture of Jenny at Debra's office found myself in a high-rise complex sitting at a conference table as a white-haired lawyer reviewed the ownership and stock transfer papers, asking me to sign several.

Sebastian was there and still giddy with the prospect of taking over. "Those stores are just perfectly placed, and have no real local competition. Bill is a complete fool to keep prices so low."

I glared at Sebastian. "Mr. Steele, I'm not going to insult you by pretending that I accept your attitude towards pricing. I know that you are in a position to really hurt people who don't have much money to begin with, and if I could, I'd have found another buyer."

Sebastian looked almost hurt. "You wound me. I'm just looking out for my profits. Besides, the others were all but falling over themselves to sell when I called."

Sebastian's lawyer looked surprised when I smiled. "Well, Bill is not very discrete and I guess a few of his investors know a bit too much about him," I reflected. I had certain knowledge that Bill had slept with the two female investors he had, and seduced the wives of three of the others. They had approached me more than once to stage a coup, but I knew he would make a play for Jenny if I did. I had always figured he had enough paranoia to avoid giving me a reason to sell, but after Tuesday night I no longer wanted to associate with him.

Sebastian did seem to consider what I had to say. "It's true that I probably push prices a bit high, but I do have to make a profit."

I laughed. "Just use your empire's leverage to negotiate better supply deals and you'll get a good profit. Heck, you can probably raise prices just one percent and do great. I just don't think the ten percent premium you like to add on is exactly fair to your customers."

I had finished with the paperwork, and gave the lawyer a friendly handshake. He had been quietly efficient and the process had been pleasant. He nodded and I headed out to pick up my kids.

After the previous night, I decided to take the kids directly home and try to keep the peace. Jenny arrived home shortly after six to find the three of us kicking a soccer ball around the yard. Morgana and Lance were doing most of the work, but I would occasionally steal the ball and then tease both kids with it before sending it back to them. Morgana was far more adept at it than her brother, but she happily surrendered the ball to him on occasion. It was a cheerful and merry trio that was outside when Jenny arrived.

Jenny however, brought home a dark mood and merely glared at all of us before storming into the house. Morgana picked up the soccer ball and looked at me mournfully.

"I don't know, little fay," I said as Lance sat down and started crying. 'She's just been like that all week."

"It's that evil woman," Morgana said. "She's cast a spell on mom."

Lance giggled at the idea, and I smiled. I gave Morgana a pat on the head and then entered the house to find Jenny lying on the couch. She barely acknowledged my greeting and waved. "Go make the brats dinner; you're still good at that."

I bit back a retort and headed into the pantry to see what we had that could be prepared quickly. After two days eating out I wanted the kids to eat something healthy, but it soon became apparent that Jenny had not prepared anything, so I finally accepted the reality and pulled out a frozen pizza to throw into the oven.

Dinner was a silent and tense affair. Jenny sat at the table with us, but kept claiming she had a headache and refused to acknowledge the conversation. Lance was uncertain what the problem was, but quickly picked up on the tension and kept his eyes on his plate. Morgana had rolled her eyes at her mother's complaints and then attacked the food, obviously hoping to leave the table as quickly as possible. I sat and looked at Jenny, thinking that this might be our final night together, and wondering once again what I had done so wrong.

The rest of the evening remained tense. Jenny retired to bed early and both kids were subdued and quiet. They did insist that I read day three, and Morgana took the time to ask me how many days of stories there were. "Well, some call it the Thousand and One Nights, but there are a few missing," I replied. "Supposedly Scherezade took a few days away to give birth secretly, you see."

Morgana laughed at this, and then settled into my lap to listen. Once again I found myself in a family-painting moment and regretting that Jenny had removed herself from this quiet scene of happiness.

Jenny's headache seemed to have left her once I got the children to bed. My head had barely touched the pillow when her arms wrapped around me and I could feel hands reaching under my jockey shorts to grab at my cock. I went rigid and then rolled onto my stomach, pushing my cock into the mattress and keep her hands away.

"Awww, but my headache is gone and I want to play," Jenny whispered.

"Not tonight. I'm not in the mood," I grumbled as I tried to get comfortable.

"I can get you in the mood," Jenny vamped and pushed a bare breast up against my arm. "You are my number one man, and I want to make you happy."

"Then you shouldn't have a number two," I muttered into my pillow as I turned my head away from Jenny. She tried for several minutes to get my attention, rubbing her naked body against my arm and leg, but I fought my libido down and eventually my lack of response got through to her as she turned away with a sigh.

Jenny may have made another attempt during the night, but after three nights of little sleep, only a bomb blast was going to wake me. She had left the bed when the alarm finally woke me in the morning and was cooking breakfast when I had completed my morning shower and stumbled to the dining room.

For someone about to head out for a weekend of sun and sex, Jenny seemed extremely subdued. There was a moment I thought she might speak to me, but Lance stumbled from bed and as I turned to help him get breakfast, the moment passed quietly. It was not until I was getting the kids out to the car for the ride to school that Jenny finally spoke.

"I'll be back Sunday. The itinerary is on the refrigerator," she said.

"Whatever," I said as I picked up my briefcase.

"Roger. Please. I need this. It will help us. Please," Jenny begged.

I shrugged and walked out to the car. I had less understanding of the situation, but did notice that Jenny stood and watched as I backed the car out and drove off to the school.

Once the kids were dropped off, I went to the office, and quickly went about removing my few personal items and treasures. On Bill's desk I placed a notarized copy of the ownership transfer papers along with a tersely worded resignation. The building was empty and I carefully shut off the few lights before I left.

I returned home and started an Internet search for a house, which might meet my needs. I wanted something with four or five bedrooms as I was thinking of setting up a small marketing and advertising firm. I had already run the numbers and even after the expected taxes, I could probably survive on the interest from the sale of my share of Bill's stores, but I wanted to keep busy, and I knew that many smaller stores could not afford to pay a larger firm. It seemed a perfect niche for me.

I was making a list of properties that looked interesting and sending out e-mails to the connected realtors when I found something of sufficient interest. There weren't many houses that I liked, but I did find one two-story house in the south side of town that looked perfect when I viewed the layout and pictures.

After the search started to run out of houses for sale that I wanted to view, I stopped and started preparing a list of steps I thought I'd need to go through to get an independent marketing company started. I knew many of the smaller storeowners and was composing a list of ones who might benefit from my services.

My concentration was broken when my cell phone started ringing. I looked up to see that it was just past eleven, and realized that if Jenny had held to itinerary she had probably just been served with the paperwork. I picked up the phone and holding it away from my ear answered. "Hello"

"Don't you give me that hello!" Jenny bellowed. "What's this about a divorce? You aren't going to divorce me! Not on your life! Not after all the affairs you've had! Now, I'm going to have my fun here with Shirley, but when we get back, you'll be home and smile. You hear me, you unfaithful shit! There will be no divorce!"

The call ended with an abrupt click, and I stared at the phone for a moment. At least I had some idea about the problem, although when I had cheated on Jenny beyond spending time with my kids on an occasional weekend was beyond me. I rarely traveled and when I did, she had always been invited to come. I felt that meeting with representatives and salesmen with spouses in attendance removed some of the game-playing and over time had developed a firm friendship with many of the ones I met with regularly. I could not understand how Jenny interpreted that as cheating.

I was trying to grasp this picture when my cell phone rang again. The puzzle of why Jenny might believe me cheating had me so baffled that I did not look over at the phone and merely answered. 'Hello"

"Roger?" Bill's voice rang out. "Why aren't you at the office?"

"I came home. I had some important things to do," I replied.

Bill sounded a bit upset. "Well, Victor was supposed to stop by and bring a copy of the contract; he can't do that if you aren't there."

I closed my eyes and considered Victor's love of looking the husbands he had cuckolded in the eye. He was the type to enjoy petty games like that. It had cost him his wife in the past, but his habits continued undeterred. "Sorry, but I'm going to be tied up all day. You sure he can't just slip it through the mail slot? It's not like it's going to get stolen."

I could hear the disappointment in Bill's voice. "I guess. But what's so important?"

"Nothing that concerns you," I said with a muffled laugh. "I'm just clearing up some loose ends from some old projects and I'm not at a point where I can stop right now."

"I guess that can be understandable," Bill replied. "Don't neglect the new marketing plan. I'd like to have everything in place before we start receiving deliveries."