Chapter 1

My name is Benson Norse Hedges. No shit, Benson N Hedges. Seems my folks had a wicked sense of humor. Everyone calls me Ben.

When I was eighteen I was dating Kathy Windsor, a girl I really cared about. We'd dated all through high school and talked of settling down eventually and raise a family together. We'd taken each other's virginity and could cuddle for hours. We truly loved each other. I'd proposed and we'd set a date. She wore my grandmother's engagement ring.

We were both in junior college in our home town. I was a Computer Science major and Kathy was an English major.

One Saturday afternoon, I was riding with my neighborhood friends to get frozen custard when I spotted her standing next to a young sailor. They were together at a Civil War cemetery on the edge of our town.

I asked Reggie, the guy driving, to turn the car around and stop near the entrance to the cemetery and wait for me a minute. I walked through the gate just in time to see him pull her to him and lay a salacious kiss on her that went on for what seemed forever. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him up tight to her body. The engagement ring sparkled in the afternoon sun.

I thought I recognized the guy but was unsure.

At that moment my heart broke. Here was the girl of my dreams, in the arms of another man, obviously enjoying his attentions.

That very night I called her to see if she would be truthful and tell me that she was cheating.

"How was your Sunday?" I asked.

"Great! I stayed in and got a bunch of school work and stuff done." She lied.

"You didn't go out at all?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, a couple guys in the neighbor went for custard and thought they saw you at the cemetery."

"Well it wasn't me."

"Oh, okay. They must have seen someone else. Pick you up at the same time tonight?" I responded attempting to change the subject.

There was moment's hesitation and then she said, "I'm not feeling well. I think I'll stay in tonight and just go to bed early."

"Okay. I'll come over and keep you company." I volunteered.

"No! You might catch whatever I've got. You just stay home and finish that term paper you have due on Monday." She replied quicker than I thought she should.

"Ah, okay, I guess. I really wanted see you tonight and just hold you close for a while."

"Oh baby, we can do that any time. Next week, okay?" She said in her silkiest voice.

"Okay, I'll get the paper done and be miserable." I tried to reply in an upbeat manner.

"Yes sweetheart. I love you."

"Me, too." I answered with little enthusiasm hanging up the phone.

She just told me multiple lies in that short phone conversation. I'm being played for a sucker! I thought as my mind whirled around her obvious deception.

About dinner time I called her back to try to find out what was going on. Kathy's sister answered the phone and after another slight hesitation said Kathy was really feeling ill and had gone to bed already. She would pass on my message. I told her to tell Kathy that I hoped she would feel better by tomorrow.

As I was getting ready to hang up, I heard Kathy's sister mutter softly to herself, "Why the hell does she have me doing her dirty work. I hate lying to the guy." Then the line went dead as she had put the phone back in the cradle.

Smelling a serious rat, I borrowed my dad's car and drove to the intersection where I could get a good view of anyone coming or going from Kathy's house. At exactly seven o'clock, a sporty Pontiac GTO convertible pulled up in front of Kathy's and Ronnie Carter, a guy that graduated three years ahead of me and was now finishing his Navy hitch, jumped out and with long strides bounded up the steps to her front door. He knocked, the door opened, he went in. About five minutes later he emerged with Kathy on his arm.

Let me describe myself and the other players in this little tragedy, I'm 5' 10" and weighed 155 pounds at the time this happened. Kathy is 5' 5" and weighed 110. Ronnie was 6' 2" and weighed around 185. Ronnie had been a letterman in track and football. I was the computer nerd.

I saw my love life dying as it was clear she was going to choose the stud over the dud.

I decided to try to follow them and see how serious this was. Maybe Kathy was just flirting with the guy. Maybe she wanted a quick fling of some kind before she settled down with me, old tried and true.

I was surprised when instead of going anywhere public; they immediately went to the old reservoir. This was the known local necking and sexing location. No lights and lots of trees to give a couple privacy. The local cops hardly ever bothered any of the kids here unless they were drinking or causing a public nuisance.

I parked about fifty yards from them. I waited ten minutes or so and crept toward Ronnie's car. The moon was full, so I could see outlines of Ronnie and Kathy. Suddenly their doors opened and they jumped into the back seat! The convertible top was up so I couldn't get a clear view of what was happening.

I moved closer and saw the sight that tore my heart out. Kathy removed her sweater and threw it into the front seat. She then struggled behind her back and her bra followed the sweater. Soon her skirt and panties followed.

I was almost on top of the car at this point and could hear them talking in low voices. Ronnie ordered her, "Take my dick out and suck it."

I knew she did it because her head suddenly disappeared from view.

He continued to order her to do things to him or herself. One time he told her to play with herself until he was ready to fuck her. I hear her moaning as she did what she was told.

Finally I saw his pants fly over the front seat and within moments the car began to gently rock to Ronnie's thrusts into the pussy of the love of my life.

I couldn't take any more. I knew he could easily wipe the floor with me but I had to tell both of them what garbage they were. Gathering my courage, I walked up to the side of the car and stuck my head through the back seat window. This was just as Ronnie pulled out and spewed long streams of cum all over Kathy's face.

"Well good evening sweetheart. I see you're feeling better. I'm glad old Ronnie's dick was the medicine you needed. Now please hand me my grandmother's engagement ring.

Now she looked physically ill. She began crying sobbing, "This isn't what it looks like."

I cut her off. "It's exactly what it looks like. You lied to me, you deceived me, and you've been seeing this prick for god knows how long behind my back. Now, give me the damned ring!"

All of the time I was berating Kathy, Ronnie had been leaning over her with his dirty dick lying on her stomach. He leered at me and snickered. "What's a matter sport? Not enough man for the little lady?"

Kathy yelled for him to get off her. She partially sat up with cum dripping off her face and twisted the ring from her finger. Before she could hand it to me, Ronnie grabbed it and dropped it in a pool of his cum lying on her stomach.

He sneered, "If you want it, retrieve it from a better man's spunk!"

I almost gagged but I reached down and gingerly took the ring with two fingers and let it fall in my shirt pocket. I wiped my hand on my jeans to get his semen off of me.

I looked him right in the eye, "Ronnie -- I don't want you to feel left out. It takes a real slime ball to knowingly steal another man's fiancée. Someday I'll get even, someday."

Ronnie just laughed and pulled Kathy to him and he began forcing her head back to his lap. "Clean me up girl. Clean me up so your ex-fiancée can see you're my slut now. Do me right and I'll fuck your ass later."

With that I turned and walked away.

I saw neither Ronnie nor Kathy for twenty years. Kathy did try to contact me immediately after that night. She left many phone messages (which I deleted without listening to any of them). She wrote half a dozen letters which I burned without opening. She wrote so many emails that I finally put her email address in the spam filters so I wouldn't have to keep manually deleting them.

I pretty much cut all ties with Kathy's family. They almost immediately moved out of state after that night I found Kathy with Ronnie. I don't know if they were embarrassed that their daughter was a slut or maybe Kathy had just gotten pregnant by him and they took her somewhere to have the baby. No one really knew anything and I certainly didn't care to find out.

For a few brief months, I stayed in touch with her younger sister, Pam. She was a couple of years younger than Kathy and I'd always liked her. She was an upbeat happy go lucky type of girl. After she went to college out of state and the Windsor family had moved I lost contact with her, too. It was only a few months after Pam, Kathy, and her parents seemed to disappear that I received one final letter from Kathy postmarked from Wyoming. I threw it away and tried to close the door on that part of my life.

I did hear about three years after Pam left for school, Ronnie had re-enlisted in the Navy, a Windsor sister had married him, and they were living in Scotland at a Navy base. I assumed it was Kathy that married him and mentally wished them both a short life and to rot in hell.

Twenty Years Later

After school I'd started a small software business. Over the years I'd developed commercially viable software packages for each at the time "in vogue" computer. First software was developed for the mainframes, then the smaller computers, then the desktops and servers, then the Internet, then APs for the phones and pads. I'd started as a one-man show and now had over a hundred full time employees.

I'd already sold two Internet startup companies for several millions of dollars and now lived the good life. I started a new company dealing with in-home services to senior citizens as that seemed to be the next 'golden egg' in the business world.

The one problem I had was I'm still single and lonely. After what Kathy pulled those many years ago, I've just never been able to trust another woman. I'd found one woman I really liked and we had dated until a mutual friend had clued me in that she was divorced because she had been caught cheating on her husband.

That very day, I told her it was over and I wanted no more to do with her. She tried to explain that her husband had been a true asshole and she'd lived in a loveless marriage. When her lover had come along, she just 'couldn't help herself'.

I told her that if things were that bad she should have gotten divorce before opening her legs to someone else. Cheating was at the top of my list as the most deadly sin.

As I said early, we were a hundred-strong company. I was looking for another employee to do policy and procedures writing. One Monday morning, my secretary, Renee, stuck her head in the door and said, "Boss, we got a tech writer applicant we think you should interview. She just moved back into the area after a long absence. She's got a great resume and impeccable references. We've looked at some of the samples of her work and think it's awesome. Now it's up to you. Here is the resume, confirmed references, and the samples. If you like what you see, we'll set an interview up for later today."

I scanned the offered material and was very impressed with the applicant's credentials. She had a bachelor degree in English from a good college and a MBA from very good university. Her work samples were fabulous. I yelled out to Renee, "Get this lady in here pronto before someone else grabs her!"

The applicant, one Katherine Arnotta, was scheduled for 4 P.M. I thought no more of it and went about dealing with the million small matters that a growing company faces each day.

At 4 P. M. Renee stuck her head in the door and said, "Your four o'clock is here. Here's her folder, again."

I opened the folder and glanced once more at the relevant facts about this applicant. I heard her enter and settle herself in the chair on the other side of the desk. I looked up to greet her and went into shock. There, seated across from me was my lying fiancée from so many years ago. She'd aged well, and there was no doubt it was her. She looked straight into my eyes and didn't flinch under the withering hatred I know I was still beaming at her. My hurts from all of those years ago came rushing back.

I tried to speak but only untranslatable stutter came out of my mouth. I felt my blood pressure rising to the point I thought my head would blow off.

Kathy took the lead. "Hello Ben. It's been a long time. I was going to ask if you've forgiven me, but I can see by your red face and body language that you've not. I'll not hold you up. I was hoping to land this job since I really need to keep my children housed and fed, but I can see in your eyes you still hate me. Good bye."

She slid her chair back with that annoying screech that sounds like fingernails on a blackboard and stood up to leave. She turned and walked toward the door.

I was jarred back to the present by the fact that she was about to walk out of my life again. Before she did, I wanted to know exactly why she'd done what she had done all of those years ago. I was now less mad and the hurt had faded quickly. Now I was just empty but curious.

I whispered, "Kathy ... Come sit. I've not forgotten, but it's been so many years that the pain is almost all gone. It momentarily flared up when I saw you, but trust me, I've moved beyond your treachery and infidelity. Maybe someday I can actual forgive you. But seeing you again ... It just opened a lot of old scabs, you know?"

She turned and hesitated. She seemed to struggle with her own thoughts and replied, "Ben, I had no idea you were in this company. I'd have sought other employment had I known. But the hiring ad seemed just perfect for my experience and skills."

I waved my hand toward the chair she had recently occupied. "Please sit." With a smirk I added, "And, by the way, I'm not 'in this company', I own this company."

I continued, "Kathy, I'm not going to kid you. I still hate your guts. You're a world class cheater and woman of lowest morals as far as I'm concerned. I'm still emotionally warped by what you did. I've spent my life trying to find a woman I could love and trust. I thought I'd found one only to find out she was as bad as you."

I looked at her application one more time. "I see your last name is now Arnotta. Ronnie wasn't your cup of tea after all? Or did you just start cheating on Ronnie, too? Never mind. Don't answer that. I really don't give a shit."

I tapped my fingers on the desktop. Kathy just sat there with no response to my outburst. I made a snap decision. "You're hired. We have needed someone of your talent and experience for a while now. Just stay out of my sight, okay?"

I called Renee into the office, "I've offered Ms. Arnotta the position. Start her at fifteen dollars an hour." With that I waved them out of my office.

A few minutes later Renee came back in and glared down at me. "What the heck was that all about? Starting her at fifteen dollars an hour? You know with her credentials she can easily command forty or forty-five dollars."

I sighed, "Let's just say, she has to prove herself to me first. Okay?"

Renee glared at me, "She has two children to raise. Pay her what she is worth before some else grabs her!"

I knew Renee would not relent on this. I sighed, "Okay, look, present her a schedule of planned increases. Her salary will go up five dollars an hour each quarter if her work product is acceptable. And I will be the one to decide if it is acceptable."

Renee stared at me and just shook her head, "What the hell had gotten into you Ben? This is so unlike you. You're always the fairest guy I know. Now, you're playing hard ass on a poor woman who just recently lost her husband."

"That's the way I want it Renee. Now get back to work."

Time passed quickly and I only saw Kathy briefly as she flitted through the office working on a project or once as she had to present a new chapter of the policies guide to myself and the policy committee. I have to admit, she did an excellent job on the presentation. I knew she had to be under stress just knowing I might come down on her like a ton of bricks at any moment. But her presentation was flawless and her end work product excellent.

It was a week after that presentation that her first quarterly review was due by me. Based on that review, she would be receiving her first planned raise.

I sat in my office the morning of the review and considered what I'd done when I'd hired her. She was a truly professional woman with a highly acceptable track record with my firm already. Everyone loved her. (That's what Renee reported me almost every day.)

I made a decision and knew what I was going to do.

A light tap came on my door. I looked up and saw Kathy standing there. She seemed tentative on stepping through the doorway.

I waved her in and pointed to the chair across the desk from me. I leaned back in my executive chair.

You have to understand. In my office I have a large desk with a couple of chairs facing mine. If I feel I need a power position, I stay in my executive chair behind the desk and leave the person feeling less in control in the cheap office chair on the other side of my desk. The desk is like a battlement and gives the underling sitting in the chair a feeling of not being in control of the meeting.

If I feel I have a peer relationship with a worker or a friend drops by, I'll come around the desk and take the chair next to them. This removes the desk as my defense.