Chapter 2: Confirmation

The screen door on the door leading into the kitchen slammed shut. The spell was broken, but not before I could see the mess my lovely wife made with half of her face gone from the shot from the gun in my hand.

"Honey, the potatoes are done; thanks for starting them."

Her voice broke me from my reverie and I could now function again, but the vision lingered on in my mind. It was so clear, so real, I would have sworn it was real and I was there with that gun in my hand killing Laura and then I would kill James and then myself. I could see how all that would play out. Wow, that was some image; it really had such a hold on me. I know it wasn't real because the only gun I had was a .30-06 deer rifle that had been my dad's.

I went into the kitchen and checked the potatoes. She was right they were ready to be mashed. I turned the fire off and got the pork to marinate. I busied myself in the kitchen while Laura changed into something more comfortable. She came by me and kissed me and I noticed that she had brushed her teeth very recently. I could still smell and taste the toothpaste. Boy; that sent a real signal south. My dick shriveled up like I had just been dropped into freezing cold water. My little spy game last night was now confirmed. Laura was truly cheating on me. It was not a theory now; I had a kind of proof. Nothing I could take to court, but enough to tell me that she was cheating.

Giving someone a blow job before coming home, to poor clueless hubby had to be the height of disrespect. They must be laughing their heads off at me. Ross, the stupid cuckold. I could almost see the handwriting on the wall, her lover was a high-powered attorney, and I was nothing but a blue collar laborer. I was beneath them, but they would know differently soon.

I played my part to the hilt and feigned my groin pull. The bitch was none the wiser. She even tried to help. She got me a blanket and the heating pad then finished the dinner for me. She even fed me from a tray in the living room. How could she sleep with Mr. Perfect and yet be so worried about me? That left me with more questions than answers.

I drifted off to sleep on the couch, and the next thing I remember, I heard Laura on the phone. She was talking very low, trying to keep me from hearing.

"Yes, he's hurt ... I'm not sure I can leave him like this ... I know ... I still don't like what we are doing to him ... Yes I know this is part of my job ... Okay, I'll tell him tonight ... We leave Sunday night and get back Thursday evening ... I still don't like this ... Yes, you too." I heard Laura hang up the phone carefully. Laura came into the living room from the kitchen and sat in the chair next to the couch. I heard a sigh then she ran to the bedroom and I heard her sobbing.

What the hell is going on? Why is she crying? This makes no sense to me. I'm the one who's hurt; I should be the one crying, not her. Is she having second thoughts? Could it be that simple? What was that about her job or something? I almost went in to comfort her, but I stopped myself. Do I really want to do this or not? Hell, I still love her; I have to go.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"You're hurt and I have to go most of next week to a conference up in Dallas. I have to leave Sunday and I won't be back until sometime late Thursday evening. I'm going to miss you like crazy and with you here at home all hurt and everything, I should stay with you, but I have to go. It's my job to go to these things, I hate it, but I have to go. I hope you understand."

"Honey, if it's your job, then you will have to go. Do you know where in Dallas you will be staying? I can call you every night or you can call me. We can even Skype too from your laptop. It won't be so bad. I can at least cook my own meals; it's not like I would starve with you gone. I can take care of myself. I hope that you don't think I would be helpless with you gone. Sure, I'll be lonely and missing your love every minute you're gone, but you're coming back to me in only five days. I know it's a longer trip than normal, but just think of the loving we can have when you get back."

"Oh Ross, I know you're right, but I can't help but think I am the luckiest girl in the whole world to have you for a husband. I love you, my big man."

Now, she had not called me that for a very long time. It has been at least a year since she called me her big man. Oh GOD, has this been going on for a year!?! Then I realized someone else was now her "big" man. How can I ever recover from that? That bitch is going down in flames; I don't care what it costs me ... the bitch is history now. I could almost feel my love for her draining from my body as the fire in my eyes grew.

Laura looked at me with love in her eyes and when she saw my eyes with their fire turning to ice, she shivered. It was as if she suddenly saw her whole life circling the drain. I limped out of the room before I did or said something I would sorely regret. A picture came into my mind as I turned to the door and I saw the scene I saw earlier tonight. I saw her and tall, big dick, fucking on our bed. I had to grab the doorjamb before I passed out from the sudden pain I felt in my heart.

I went into the living room, and collapsed on the couch, my chest heaving. It was dry tears I shed as I was already cried out. I fell asleep and remember nothing until Laura woke me in the morning. She looked like shit too. Her eyes were red, and she looked like I felt. I felt like someone had grabbed me by the balls and dragged my ass through a knothole backwards. I knew the game was over, she knew that I knew too. There was no hiding her sorrow and her shame. She wouldn't even look me in the eye this morning. I got up, showered, and left for work, never saying one word to her.

What would happen now was anyone's guess. I guess I really screwed up this time. Bill Peters saw me slump in this morning and took me aside. I explained everything that went on last night, and he said to go to work, that things would all work out. What else could I do, I went to work. I put Laura and our problems into the deep recesses of my mind and I did my job. I may have no emotion or patience today, but I really didn't feel as though I was all there today either.

Around 11:30, I got a page that I had a visitor in the lobby. I headed that way and I saw Bill watching me closely. Before I left the floor, he was on the phone.

When I arrived at the lobby, I approached Miss Dorothy and she nodded towards a short man in a suit. Miss Dorothy was Cletus Johnson's wife of 42 years and a perfect lady. She exemplified epitomized personified embodied the typical lady of fifty years ago. She was always impeccably dressed, with stockings (well, maybe panty hose) and her hair that always looked like she had just gotten out of the hairdressers. But don't let her looks throw you off; she could be your worst nightmare with a soft voice that could carve you down to size in a heartbeat. Then you would thank her for her concern and patience with your stupid self.

I approached this 5'4" young man who was maybe a year or two younger than myself. He was stick thin and had thick glasses. He almost was shaking when I approached him.

"I'm Ross Hanson, what can I do for you?"

"I am Glenn Forester, Mr. Hanson, and on behalf of Mr. James Hughes I have a document for you to sign. Then I can witness it or the receptionist can and I can take the document back to Mr. Hughes."

"Let me see this document I am supposed to just sign and let you leave."

He handed me a folder that contained three pages filled with legal jargon and a place for my signature on the last page along with two witness signature blanks. There were places for each of us to initial at the bottom of the first two pages.

"If you will excuse me for a moment, please be seated and I will give this a read." I turned my back on the young man as he sat and I mouthed to Miss Dorothy 'Call Rob Preston.' I then went to another chair away from the young man and sat down.

As I read over the three pages, my anger started rising again. I may not be a lawyer, but I could read between the lines of this farce. It essentially said that by signing the document I was giving Laura permission to attend this and all future conferences, meetings and any other event dictated by Mr. Hughes. She was also responsible for certain activities conducive to the law firm and its success in future. In other words, I gave my permission that he could whore her out for any damn thing he wanted her to do for him or the firm. I was still seething when Rob and another gentleman came into the lobby and approached me.

"Ross, what is this all about? Miss Dorothy called me and had me bring Gordon Kline from our legal department down here."

I handed Gordon the document and said, "I think Mr. Hughes wants me to sign over all rights and privileges of my wife Laura to him and his firm. But you read it and see if what I think I read is true."

Gordon sat and read the document and was shaking his head. Meanwhile I noticed that Mr. Forester was discretely trying to phone someone.

I walked over to Mr. Forester and whispered through gritted teeth, "If you're calling Hughes, tell him this for me. If that sanctimonious asshole wants my permission to screw my wife, then he needs to have the balls to come to me, face to face, and explain why he needs my wife more than me. You tell him that I am here from 7:30am to 4:30pm each work day. He already knows where I live and he can meet me there any time after those hours. Now git before I really get mad."

"But Mr. Hanson, what about the document I gave you? Mr. Hughes made it very clear I was to come back with the document signed or unsigned."

"I think that I will hang on to that little piece of evidence for my suit of alienation of affections against Mr. Hughes and against his firm for failure to comply with its policies and procedures manual. I might even throw in sexual harassment and sexual assault lawsuits as well. Now go home to papa and tell him he screwed up and I'm not as dumb as he thinks."

Mr. Forester left in a hurry. I could see him on his cell phone as he left the building.

Rob and Gordon are over there chuckling as I approached. "What's so funny?"

"You are, Ross, and so is this document. You were right about what it says. You read legalese pretty well. By signing this, you'd give up all rights and privileges of your wife Laura to him and his firm. She essentially became his private property and he could do what he wanted to her without your permission. Now for the funny part, that kid was just the tip of the iceberg. You thawed him out and sent that toasted puppy home with his tail between his legs. Somehow I don't think he will be working for Hughes for very long. He may not even go back to work," said Gordon.

Rob then said, "He may have even called and quit. You scared the bejesus out him. I even think he pissed his pants. Damn Ross, where did all that fire come from? Bill said that you were dragging ass this morning and now you're on fire."

"Rob, the only thing I can say on my behalf is that one too many buttons got pushed today. I need to go back to work before my boss fires me for loafing on the job. Thanks Rob, and you too Gordon. I really appreciate the help. I'm just glad I didn't raise my voice above a whisper."

I went to the reception desk and said, "Miss Dorothy, I hope that I didn't upset you with my cursing, but I just had enough of the arrogant SOB. I truly am sorry about my blow up and that you had to hear about my troubles. I never meant for them to be common knowledge."

"Ross, we take care of our own here. Your problems will go no further than the four of us in this room. Now go do your job, like you always do. You may not know it but everybody knows who you are, what you do, and just how good you do your job. Don't ever forget we help our people when they need it, so don't hesitate to ask for help."

"Yes Miss Dorothy, I'll remember that. And I thank you for your candor."

I went back to work and nothing more was said about my visitor.

Laura:

I could see last night that Ross either knew or strongly suspected that I was having an affair with James Hughes, my boss. The words he said and the way he left the bedroom proved that I had really hurt Ross.