Dreams Vs Nightmares... Joy Vs Guilt

Once again, I'd like to thank blackrandl1958 for inviting me to her "legends day" event. I know I always say it but only because it's true, it's a real honor to be included.

I hope you enjoy the read, and as always, I enjoy reading your comments.

Dreams VS Nightmares... Joy VS guilt.

"You'll never guess who was just in my office."

Charlene was at work and didn't have time for twenty questions. "I don't know, Brad, and I don't have time for guessing games. Who was just in your office?"

"Ahh, you're no fun but I'll tell you anyway, your husband."

"What!" Panic shot through her body like a bolt of lightning. Immediately she assumed the worst, how could he know? My God, it was only once, how did he find out? Brad could almost feel her anxiety through the phone.

"Relax, he doesn't know anything."

"What! Then wh... why was he in your office?"

"Our ad agency hired him to take the pictures for our new sales campaign. I think it's kind of funny," he said with a chuckle.

"It's not funny, Brad. Connie's not a stupid man. The slightest slip, something you said or did, could've tipped him off."

Brad found her statement a little insulting. "I'm not a stupid man either, Char."

"Oh, I know you're not, Brad. I... I'm just worried. God, there must be hundreds of photographers in Chicago, what are the odds of them hiring him?"

"I guess the old man saw his work someplace and requested him."

"I still don't get why he was in your office. He usually works directly with ad agencies. What do you have to do with your company's advertising?"

"Nothing, really, but I am the top sales coordinator here. This new campaign is a big deal. Dennison wants to start selling overseas and he's willing to spend the money to make it happen. I sat in on several of the meetings and offered some ideas here and there. That's probably why they thought it was important that I meet the guy who'll be taking the pictures."

"Well, I don't like it, Brad, not at all. I think we should cool it anyway; I'm ashamed of myself and I don't like feeling this way. I think your one-on-one with my husband is an oman; I don't like it."

"Char, don't be silly. I doubt very much I'll ever see your husband again. This was a one-time thing, a meet and greet, that's all. Relax, it changes nothing."

"No-I'm out. If Connie ever found out he'd be destroyed and I would never purposely hurt him; even worse would be hurting Richard. He's only eight, Brad; he'd be devastated if his dad wasn't living with us, and he'd probably hate me when he got old enough to understand why."

"Jesus, Char, in the first place, your husband hasn't a clue that we even know each other. He was in my office for ten minutes. Take it easy, I didn't say or do anything to tip him off or make him suspicious in any way. I thought last week was great; I look forward to getting together again, I don't want to quit."

"Brad, If Connie ever found out, he'd divorce me for sure, I know he would. Holly would probably do the same to you. I really think we should just cool it."

"You're right, Holly would divorce me, but I'm telling you everything is fine. If I thought for one minute that there was a chance of us being discovered, I'd agree, but no one knows anything, not Holly and not Connie.

"Now--are you ready for the really good news?"

"What's that?"

"Last week, before I even knew who we hired, Dennison was talking about sending the photographer to Europe for a couple of weeks to scout locations and get a feel for that market. Holly already knows about the campaign so I'll tell her I have to work late several nights over the next few weeks and you and I can spend some quality time together."

"He's going to send Connie overseas? Where?"

"I'm not sure, what do you care anyway? This'll be a great opportunity for us."

"What do I care? Listen, stud, if I get the opportunity to spend two weeks in Europe with Connie, you're going to be left choking the chicken."

That was disheartening to hear, it also made him angry and he lashed out. "Well, don't get your hopes up, Dennison would never pay for a spouse to go along. He considers it a business trip, not a vacation. Besides, who would look after your kid... you couldn't even get that much time off from work."

Charlene had already been half-daydreaming about Europe and missed the angry inflections in her lover's diatribe. "Yeah, you're right about work. Maybe I could go for a week and come back. I'll see what Connie says."

Without realizing it, the more she talked the more Charlene pissed him off. "Fine," he said curtly, "I've got to go, let me know what you decide, bye," and he disconnected.

She looked at her phone when the line went dead but wasn't concerned; she was more concerned with how to talk her husband into taking her to Europe with him. She knew she had a week's vacation coming at work, the biggest problem, as she saw it, was Connie himself.

When he was on a job, he was all business. From what Brad told her, this campaign could be a game-changer for her husband's career. She was sure he'd want to center all his concentration on the job and not have to worry about what his wife was doing on the streets of Europe. He also had a very protective nature; she'd not only have to convince him she wouldn't get in the way, but that she'd be safe in a strange land without him constantly by her side.

She was sure he'd give her the news as soon as he got home that night. That didn't give her much time to come up with a plan. She forgot about work and started writing down some ideas.

She started by drawing a line down a sheet of paper. On the left, she listed all the objections she knew Connie would bring up. On the other side, she wrote every rebuttal she could think of for each objection. She crossed out some of the weaker ones and focused on the strongest. If that didn't work, she'd get down and her knees and beg.

Just then she heard a knock and looked up to see Diane, one of her co-workers. "Ready?"

"Ready?" She asked sounding a little perplexed.

"Hello... lunch, you--me... remember?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Di; is it lunchtime already? Let me grab my purse."

The Health Bar restaurant wasn't for everyone, but for two ladies who wanted a light, low-calorie lunch and worked only three blocks away, it was perfect; not to mention, they could sit outside and enjoy their meal.

They grabbed an outdoor table and took a seat only moments before the young waiter came over with a couple of menus. "Ladies, can I get you something to drink?"

Charlene spoke up first. "I already know what I want. I'll take the Salmon-stuffed Avocados and a glass of White Burgundy, please."

Diane was next, "And I'll have the Veggie Wrap and the same to drink."

"Yes, Ma'am," with that the young man turned and headed back into the restaurant.

Diane grinned at her friend, "He's cute."

"Di, he's young enough to be your son."

"He is NOT."

"Well, your younger brother anyway." They both giggled.

"So, what's going on? You looked like you were a million miles away when I knocked on your door."

"Don't tell anyone because I'm not even supposed to know yet, but my dear husband is going to Europe on business and I'm trying to figure out how to make him take me along."

"Withhold sex until he agrees, it works for me every time."

"No, that would just piss him off and that's the last thing I want to do."

"What do you mean, you're not even supposed to know yet?"

"A little birdie told me earlier this morning. I thought maybe Connie would call by now but he probably wants to wait until he can see my face as he breaks the news tonight. I'll have to practice my surprise look in the mirror," she giggled.

"What makes you think he won't want to take you along?"

"My husband is one of the friendliest, most personable, and humorous guys you'd ever want to meet... except when you put a camera in his hands, then he's all business. No kidding, the transformation is incredible.

"Years ago, before we were even married, he was hired by a company that produces those girly calendars for mechanic's shops. Back then he was just getting started and couldn't afford to turn down work. The money was good and his name would be listed as the photographer for national exposure. He was all excited... me, not so much.

"They were going out to a little lake in the middle of nowhere to shoot a naked model all spread out over some vintage motorcycle. I couldn't very well tell him not to take the job so I insisted I go along. I, of course, told him it wasn't a case of not trusting him, I just wanted to watch him at work.

"Anyway, when we drove out to the location there were a bunch of people already there. Connie found a chair for me so I could sit and watch. While he was getting his equipment set up, some of the other guys walked the motorcycle down by the lake and positioned it the way Connie wanted.

"I was actually having fun watching my soon-to-be-husband. He was in charge of everything. I was really proud of him. Then SHE walked out of a changing tent that was just a few feet away from me. I couldn't see much at first because she was wearing a full-length robe. She went over and was talking to Connie and it looked like he was telling her how he had everything planned out. When it came time to start shooting, she took the robe off and handed it to one of the other girls there.

"Shit, Di, I almost fainted. She was one of the most gorgeous women I'd ever seen. Her body was absolutely perfect, and of course, her pussy was shaved as smooth as a baby's butt. I'll tell you, a bolt of jealousy shot through me and it was all I could do to keep myself from running down there and stopping the whole thing."

Diane was hanging on every word, "So, what happened?"

"Absolutely nothing; if you didn't know better, by watching Connie you'd think he was taking pictures of a little old lady or something. He directed the whole thing, telling people where to move the lights and how to position the bike. He even mimicked some of the poses he wanted from the model while he moved around taking the shots.

"About halfway through, everyone stopped to take a break. Connie grabbed a couple bottles of water and brought one over for me. I asked him if he even knew he was taking pictures of a breathtaking, naked woman."

"What'd he say?"

"He said, of course, but when she steps in front of his camera, she and the bike simply become the subject of the shoot, nothing more, nothing less."

"Do you think maybe that was all for your benefit?"

"No, I've gotten to know some of the models he works with on a regular basis; they all say he's extremely professional and has never said or done anything inappropriate."

Charlene thought about what she just said. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that, even in the wake of all that temptation, Connie had never cheated on her. A pang of guilt shot through her like an electric shock.

Diane noticed her body language. "What's the matter?"

She looked up at her friend, "Huh, oh nothing; I just thought of something for a second." The two ladies continued to talk until it was time to go back to the office. Charlene still had trouble concentrating on her work.

As usual, she beat her husband home that night. His studio officially closed at five but he always had work he'd have to finish before leaving. All afternoon she'd been practicing. Since he hadn't called her with the news, she pictured him coming in all excited. He'd take her in his arms and kiss her passionately before telling her about his upcoming European trip. That would be her cue to ask the questions she had prepared and convince him to take her with.

Dinner was almost ready when she heard the front door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; be cool, she told herself, he can't suspect that you already know, just act casual. She greeted him as he entered the kitchen. "Hi, Honey."

Just as she had imagined, he took her by the arms and pulled her in for a kiss. "Mmm," he said after their lips parted, "something smells good."

"I bought a nice pot roast on the way home. There should be enough leftovers to make a couple of sandwiches for your lunch tomorrow." He thanked her verbally, followed by another kiss.

She was trying to act normal while waiting in extreme anticipation for his announcement but he still hadn't said anything. Her eagerness was building into anguish as they sat down to eat. She didn't think she'd have to prompt him but desperate circumstances caused desperate measures, "How was your day, Honey?"

"It was okay; how about yours?"

Now she was getting downright aggravated. Never once all day did she think she'd have to pry the news out of him. She had to be so careful. If he guessed she knew about the trip she had no way of explaining it. "I had lunch with my friend, Diane. I was telling her about the time you did that calendar shoot with the naked model."

"Oh, Jesus, Honey, that was years ago. What brought that up?"

"I was just bragging about my husband."

He laughed, "Honey, I've done a lot of shoots since then that are much more worthy of bragging rights."

"I know but that was the first time I was able to watch you work."

"You went with when I shot the album cover for that country singer. I remember because you were making googly eyes at him the whole time," he laughed.

"I... I wasn't making googly eyes," she chuckled, "he was the first famous person I'd ever met. I was kind of infatuated, that's all."

Connie chuckled again but didn't say anything more. Charlene couldn't understand why he hadn't said anything about the trip, and then it hit her... a scenario for which she had no contingency plan--her diabolical husband was going to wait until the last minute before spilling the beans. That way she'd never be able to get off work in time to go with. That son-of-a-bitch! She thought. Now what?

As the night progressed, she became more and more angry. Well, she thought, he can forget about getting any nookie tonight, that's for sure. They had no set routine or schedule, sometimes they made love and sometimes they had sex two or three times a week, and sometimes more. Whenever either of them was in the mood they'd let the other know and rarely did the other not reciprocate. However; if Connie wanted sex that night he'd be out of luck as far as Charlene was concerned.

The next day, Diane was waiting for her at work. "So, did you convince him to take you along?" She knew the answer from the scowl on Charlene's face.

"I never even got the chance," she grumbled. "I thought sure he'd be bursting at the seems to tell me about the trip as soon as he walked in last night but unh-ah, he never said a word."

"You're kidding... "

"No, I'm not. The son-of-a-bitch is going to wait until the very last minute, then spring it on me. He knows I'd never be able to get off of work on such short notice."

"Oh, shit... so, what are you going to do?"

"I don't think there's anything I can do. I was awake almost all last night trying to think of some way to bring it up but I'm stuck; remember, I'm not supposed to know anything about it."

"Yeah, your little birdie; you never did tell me how you found out."

"That's my secret. I did think of one possibility before I finally fell asleep last night but I can't figure out how to pull it off."

"What is it?"

"Connie has a young assistant named John. I'm sure he knows all about the trip. I thought if I knew when Connie would be out of the studio, I could call with some kind of excuse and talk to him. I'll bet with just a little prompting, I could get him to tell me about the trip. The problem is, I really have no reason to call the studio, and even if I could think of something, I'd have no idea if Connie was there or not. He's in and out all the time."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound very promising, Char."

"I know--damn it, it's not fair, he gets to spend two weeks in Europe while I sit at home. I really wanted to go."

Once again, Charlene didn't have a very productive day at work. Later that afternoon, Brad heard his burner phone ringing from his desk drawer. There was only one person who had the number so he didn't have to see the display to know who was calling. He was still a little miffed from the previous day's conversation. "Yeah," he answered.

Charlene was a little taken aback by the unusual greeting. "Oh, come on, Brad, don't pout. If you had your choice between going to Europe for a week or staying here to screw me two or three times, what would it be?"

"Yeah, okay; so, did you convince hubby to take you along?"

"No, he didn't even mention it and I can't very well let on that I know about the trip now, can I." She heard him chuckle. "It's not funny, Brad. Damn it, I'd give my eye teeth to go on that trip and Connie knows it. I'm sure he figures I'd be in the way so he's not going to say anything until it's too late to schedule vacation time."

"You want to get revenge?"

She sighed at the lack of sympathy in his voice. "And how would I do that?"

"I have a friend who's having some marital problems. He could use a little pick-me-up; interested in a three-some?"

"No, Brad, I'm not interested in any three-some. You didn't tell him about us, did you?"

"No, of course not, I wasn't going to say anything before talking to you; I've got a marriage to protect too, don't forget. I just thought it might be a way to get back at hubby, that's all."

"Well, I'm not interested; anyway, do you know when is he supposed to leave?"

"No, Connie said he had to rearrange his schedule. I think he's supposed to call Dennison next week sometime and let him know when he can go."

"Okay."

"So, does this mean we're getting together when he's gone?"

"No, Brad, I told you, I'm done. I don't know what ever possessed me to cheat on Connie but I won't do it again."

"Oh come on, cheer up, gorgeous, I'll make you forget all about Europe."

"Ah-huh, I've got to go, Brad." As she disconnected she wondered how she ever got involved with an egotistical jerk like Brad in the first place. In the back of her mind, she knew the answer, she just didn't like to admit it... it was a selfish and thoughtless impulse; Brad just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Jealously, she thought, also played a part. She was jealous of her husband's job. While she sat behind a desk all day, he was always meeting new people and traveling to neat places for shoots. Her little tryst at the time, was the only way she could think of to put a little excitement in her own life.

She'd been considering it for a few months but not really seriously until she met Brad through a friend. He was good-looking, personable, and she knew immediately he'd be a willing participant. He also knew how to keep his mouth shut. The fact that he was pretty good in bed was just icing on the cake but she soon discovered the fleeting thrill of doing something so depraved just wasn't worth it. She risked everything and for what?

Lately, he'd been getting on her nerves. They'd only been together once but Brad was pushing her for an ongoing thing. He knew she was feeling extremely guilty and was trying to convince her the way around it was to continue; he said, "The more you do it the easier it gets and the guilt goes away after a while." So far, he had not talked her into it but with hubby going away for two weeks, she knew he would try his darndest to change that.

The following week was downright torture. Charlene was royally pissed but couldn't show it. The frustration was building to a point where she thought she'd explode and yet she had to smile, play kissy-face, and act like her sweet, lovable self. Wait, she thought, just wait til he finally tells me; I going to give him a piece of my mind.

It was Thursday afternoon, almost two weeks since she first learned of the trip when her cell rang. When she saw it was Connie, she almost didn't answer it. On the third ring, she finally hit connect. She didn't sound very enthusiastic when she answered, "Yeah, Hon."

"Hi, Honey, having a bad day? You sound a little down."

She really wasn't in the mood for a lot of happy banter. "Just busy, Hon... what's up?"

"I just wanted to give you a heads up, we're going out to dinner tonight. I made reservations at Mr. Kelly's for seven-thirty."

"On a Thursday night; what's the occasion?"

"No occasion, I just thought I'd treat my loving wife to a gourmet meal that she didn't have to cook herself."

"I'll have to call Mrs. Burdett to see if she can babysit on such short notice."

"Already taken care of; in fact, she's going to pick him up from school. I already informed his teacher."

"Jesus, Honey, it sounds like you've thought of everything. Okay, what time will you be home?"

"No later than six. That should give us plenty of time."

"Okay, I'll see you later, Hon." They said their "I love yous," before disconnecting. Charlene sat there for a minute, thinking. They hardly ever went out on a weeknight. What could... then it hit her... the son-of-a-bitch was going to tell her about the trip during dinner. He figures I won't make a scene in a swanky place like Mr. Kelly's--maybe not, but wait until the drive home! I may never talk to him again after this, she told herself.

Again, she was absolutely fuming when she got home but couldn't show it. Instead, she had to act happy and thankful. Her nerves felt like someone had scraped over them with a cheese grader by the time they reached the restaurant. She wondered if she'd be able to hold it together until they got back into the car. She just MIGHT explode right there and let everyone in the place know what kind of a dirty, low-down, SOB she had as a husband.

He didn't say a thing through dinner. It wasn't until after they ordered dessert that he reached into the inside pocket of his suitcoat, pulled out an envelope, and laid it on the table in front of her.

"What's this?"

"Open it and find out."

She opened it and found an airline ticket. Her mouth opened but all she could say was "Ah, ah, ah... "

He had a big smile across his face, "I've been dying to tell you but I wanted to make it a surprise. You and I are going to Europe for two weeks. We leave on Sunday morning. We have to change planes in New York, then we're bound for London.

"I'm afraid it's a working trip for me but it won't be bad. It's basically just a scouting trip. I'm only taking a couple of cameras with me. I have to shoot possible locations for a big advertising campaign but I'm not doing any commercial shooting on this trip at all. We'll have a guide who'll take us around to some of the more scenic locations. From London we go to Paris, and from Paris to Rome. We'll spend four days in each place." Charlene was still staring at the ticket and hadn't said a thing yet. "Well?" he asked.

"I... I don't know what to say... Honey, this is incredible, but I... I don't think I can get the time off work... I..."

"Everything is all taken care of, Honey. That's why it took me so long to tell you; plus, I had to rearrange my schedule. I talked to your boss. He said he thought the trip would do you good and agreed to give you the time off, and your mother is going to take care of Rich for us.

"Between last-minute preparations, packing, and taking Richard to your mother's, Saturday's going to be busy as hell, so I even got you tomorrow off so you can do some shopping before we go." He chuckled at the surprised expression on his wife's face. "Am I a super husband or what!" he said with a laugh.

Charlene almost bumped into their waiter when she jumped from her chair, ran around the table, and threw her arms around Connie's neck before peppering him with kisses. The waiter stood politely by until she returned to her seat before setting their desserts down and refilling their coffee cups.

Later that night, after making sure their son was sound asleep, Connie and Charlene slipped between the sheets. She had completely forgotten about all the mean and demeaning things she thought about him. "Okay, Mr. Super Husband, this is YOUR night. Just lie back and enjoy."

He wasn't going to argue, Connie laced his fingers together, put his hands behind his head, and lay back on his pillow. He was grinning from ear to ear as he closed his eyes and felt his wife's magic lips nibbling on his neck.

It didn't take long before he felt himself getting hard. She nibbled on his earlobe and again his neck working her way down to his nipples. There she spent some time nipping and biting them. She was driving him insane and his cock was so hard he was in pain. The skin was stretched so tight he thought he would burst through it.

Char's left hand started to wander south. "Oh, my," she said when she brushed his hard shaft. She took her middle finger and thumb and flicked the head with a chuckle.

"Oh, God, I'm about to burst." By that time Char was looking at him through his legs. She licked his balls and then ran her tongue up and down his steel-like cock. "Oh, oh, oh, Honey I can't take it, please, just hop on and ride me like Annie Oakley."

Char moved up placing a knee on either side and slowly lowered her until she felt his pole slip inside of her. She started moving her hips in a slow, rocking motion but soon supported herself on his flat stomach while she jumped up and down.

She knew her man was about to cum. She closed her eyes and focused. Suddenly they both erupted in passion and euphoria. Connie grabber her around the waist and held her in place as he came again and again and again.

Finally, Charlene collapsed forward, onto his chest. It was several minutes before she could roll off to his side and another couple before either of them could talk. "Damn," he said between heavy breaths, "I didn't know you could ride so well."

"Hi, ho Silver," she joked back.

As soon as he was ready again, they made slow, passionate, love to one another and finally fell asleep in each other's arms.

Even though she didn't have to get up, Charlene slipped out of bed as soon as she heard the shower. She was going to make sure her "super hubby" started the day with a good breakfast.

"Eggs Benedict?"

"Only the best for my wonderful husband," she replied. She could see he was dressed for work. "You arranged the day off for me but not yourself?"

"Yeah, there's no way I can take off today. I was able to push a couple of the bigger jobs off for a couple of weeks but I had to move one up to today."

"Can't John shoot it? You're always telling me how good he's doing?"

"Not this one; he'll shoot the smaller jobs over the next couple of weeks but I'm doing a location fashion shoot today. There's no way he could handle that by himself."

"Does that mean you'll be late getting home?"

"Probably; actual shooting time will only be four or five hours but post-processing is going to take some time. After selecting the best fifteen or twenty shots, I'll have to do the basic editing before I can send them to the retoucher for the finishing touches. He'll send them directly to the client for me when he's done. If I don't finish them tonight, I'll have to go in early tomorrow for a couple hours and I really don't want to do that if I can avoid it."

After Connie left, Charlene took a shower, put on her face, and wasted no time getting to the mall where she intended to spend a leisurely day of shopping and was completely unaware that Brad was trying to get ahold of her.

It was about ten that morning when he first called but she, like him, kept her burner phone on vibrate and locked in the bottom drawer of her desk at work. He tried again just before noon, hoping to get her before she left for lunch, and again at one, hoping to get ahold of her when she came back.

He had a meeting with his staff that lasted until four. He tried calling Charlene again as soon as he got back to his office and two more times before going home. He had news he really wanted to share and was disappointed not being able to talk to her.

Just as Connie predicted, Saturday was busy from morning to night. Richard wasn't happy that Mommy and Daddy were going without him and was in a bad mood most of the day. They were finally able to placate him with promises to bring back lots of toys. When they dropped him off at Char's parents, they too wanted to hear about their itinerary but time was getting short. They picked up a pizza on the way home and were finally able to hit the sack after making sure they had everything ready to go in the morning.

Charlene was a little nervous at O'Hare; she wasn't what you'd call, a seasoned flyer but the calm demeanor of her husband was enough for her to settle down and enjoy the flight. She had never been to New York before and was excited to see the Statue of Liberty from the plane as they landed at LaGuardia.

They had forty-five minutes between flights so they took their time and visited a few of the little airport tourist shops on the way to their gate. As they approached the check-in counter...

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me... "

Charlene looked into the aggravated face of her husband, "What's the matter?"

"It looks like we're going to have a babysitter. That guy over there works for the company that's sending me on this trip," he said, nodding his head in the direction of a couple standing near the windows.

Charlene turned her head to look and gasped, "Oh, my G... " she inadvertently blurted out.

Connie wondered what she saw to cause such a reaction. "What?"

She had to think fast, "Oh, it's nothing; I... I thought I saw a movie star but it's not him. Who are you talking about?" Her legs were like rubber as she locked eyes with Brad. His reaction was almost the same as hers. Connie was a little too far away to catch it but Holly, Brad's wife, did and looked suspiciously at Charlene.

"Well," Connie said, sounding annoyed, "come on, I'll introduce you." Scared shitless, Charlene followed her husband toward, what she considered to be, impending doom. Connie didn't hide his irritation as he addressed Brad. "Well, it looks like I have a babysitter. Hi," he said, faking a smile and holding out his hand. "I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."

Grinning like a Cheshire Cat, he introduced himself while shaking hands. "Brad, Brad Orwell, this is my wife, Holly."

Connie put his hand on the small of his wife's back to present her, "This is my wife, Charlene."

Brad reached out to shake her hand, "Mrs. Young."

"Oh, call me, Char, please." She didn't want him calling her Char by mistake and thought it was the easiest way to avoid the problem.

Holly was next to reach out, "Char, you're very pretty," she said with a smile.

Charlene found it was almost impossible to smile at the comment. She'd seen a picture of her on Brad's phone but meeting her in person intensified her guilt. She forced a smile anyway, thanked her for the compliment, and returned it.

Holly had assumed her husband found their traveling companion attractive and figured that was the reason for his earlier reaction. Her "pretty" comment was a signal to let him know she was aware of the attraction, in case he had any ideas.

They still had fifteen minutes before boarding so they found some seats where they could sit together. "Connie, I assure you I wasn't sent to babysit. Last week Mr. Dennison offered me the job of heading up sales for all of Europe. It's an incredible offer but I'm not sure I want it. The pay would be great but I've never even thought of moving to a different country. I told him I'd have to talk it over with Holly but she isn't sure either. If we do move, we'd have to take her mother with us. She's not in the best of health and we don't know how much longer she has so Holly wants to spend as much time with her as possible.

"Thursday, before going home, Mr. Dennison called me into his office and asked if I'd made a decision yet. When I told him no he said he wanted Holly and I to go with you on the trip. He said it would give us a chance to see it for ourselves and help us make up our minds. He'd already made all the travel arrangements and booked us into nice rooms in the same hotels as you'll be staying in. We had to really rush to get here in time but we made it; so, I guess you're stuck with us for the next two weeks," he said with a chuckle.

"I see; okay, I thought he sent you to make sure I did my job."

"No, no, not at all; Mr. Dennison loves your work and has every confidence in you, believe me."

"That's good to hear, thanks."

Brad, still finding the situation a little funny, was confident everything would be fine; in fact, he was entertaining thoughts of the two of them somehow getting together once or twice on the trip. Charlene, on the other hand, was scared to death. One slip of the tongue could ruin her marriage. It was at that moment, she decided it wasn't worth it. If she got through the next two weeks unscathed, she would never again be so stupid... not with Brad... not with anyone.

The two couples sat far enough apart on the plane that Connie and Charlene were able to converse without worrying about being heard. Still, Connie kept his voice down. "I hope this works out. If they turn out to be a nice couple maybe you and them can see some of the sights while I do the location scouting."

"No, I want to be with you, not some strangers." She was very adamant.

"Okay, Honey, that's fine, I just have no idea where the guides will be taking me."

"Where you go, I go," she replied. "I want us to stay together. I know you have to work but I want this to be as much like a vacation as it can be."

He turned to look at her with a smile and took her hand. She strained against her seat belt to give him a peck on the lips.

As the plane taxied to the runway, Charlene sat back in her seat, her heart was pounding with fear as she watched out the window. She was both furious with Brad for his cavalier attitude and scared to death that they would be discovered.

The plane made a right-angle turn and sat for only a moment before Charlene heard the whine from the engines ramp up in tone and suddenly they were on the move. She watched as the land, water, and boats all fell away quickly; soon there was only water. It was a little scary. She reached over and touched Connie's arm. "How long does it take to get there?"

"A little over seven hours," he replied.

Seven hours, she closed her eyes and lay her head back against the seat; seven hours with nothing to do but worry about the next two weeks. Between getting ready for the trip and the anticipation of getting up so early, neither she nor Connie got a lot of rest the night before. She took a few deep breaths and tried to relax. The monotonous drone of the engines helped and she slipped into dreamland. Unfortunately, her dreams weren't pleasant.

Occasionally, she'd make grunting sounds and turned her head from side to side. Connie wondered if he should wake her but based on his own fatigue, he knew she needed the rest. Finally, she woke up with a start; her eyes wildly looked around until she realized where she was. She saw Connie beside her and calmed down.

"Are you okay? You were twitching and making all kinds of noises. Were you dreaming?"

"I... I guess so. I don't remember. Where are we, any idea?"

Connie looked at his watch, "We've been in the air for about three hours so we're a little less than halfway there."

She looked out the window again--still nothing but water. "God, this is a long trip. What time will it be in London when we land?"

Connie did a quick calculation, "Ah, about ten o'clock."

"At night?"

"I'm afraid so, Hon... it was nine o'clock Chicago time when we left New York, seven hours in the air and they're six hours ahead of us."

"Yeah, but that's only what... four o'clock in the afternoon, our time; how are we supposed to sleep?"

"Sleep? I'm trying to figure out how we can sneak into Westminster Abbey to make love." She didn't say a word... just looked at him with an expression that made him laugh. "Okay," he chuckled, "that may be a little overzealous, we could try doing it in the middle of the Tower Bridge."

"Isn't that where they tortured everyone? Does that seem apropos to you?"

Again, he laughed, "No, you're right. Okay, how about just keeping the drapes open so we can see the city as we make love in our hotel room?"

"I'll go along with that," she said with a smile. She caught the eye of one of the flight attendants and asked for a couple of magazines to kill some time. It wasn't long afterward that they served a full-course meal. By the time they were done and Charlene had finished her wine, they had about two more hours before landing. She spent it talking to her husband.

It had been a while since they'd just sat down and talked. They covered a variety of topics, everything from politics to concerns regarding their parents. It was nice to just relax with the man she loved. About the time the pilot announced they were starting their descent into Heathrow Airport, she had almost completely forgotten about Brad... until they met again at the luggage conveyor.

Brad was all smiles. "Hey, you two, long flight, huh. I was trying to figure out how Holly and I could join the mile-high club but she chickened out," he laughed. Holly looked embarrassed, Connie thought it was inappropriate since they had just met, and Charlene wanted to kick him in the balls. "So, what do you two have planned for the evening?"

"Rest," Connie immediately answered. "We didn't get a lot of sleep last night and we're both beat; besides, tomorrow's going to be a busy day. My guide is going to meet us in the lobby at seven-thirty."

Brad didn't miss the "us" in Connie's statement. "Oh, I was hoping we'd have breakfast together but that's a little early for us. How about you, Char, you want to have breakfast with us? We're figuring about nineish. You'd be able to sleep a little longer.

"We have a bunch of tours lined up too; one a day. Usually, you have to book ahead of time for stuff like that but Mr. Dennison hooked us up with a guy who can get us tickets for just about anything, I'm sure he can get more for you. We're going on a tour of Windsor Castle tomorrow, Stonehenge is next then Jack the Ripper's territory, and another one I can't think of right now. What do you say, you want to join us?"

Connie was starting to not like Brad. He thought it was rather brazen to invite his wife like that without even checking with him first. He was about to say something but Char beat him to it. "No thanks," she replied a little sharply, "I'm sticking with my husband."

Again, Connie missed it but Holly saw the look of disappointment on her husband's face and it reminded her of a very bad time in their marriage... a time years ago when she caught him cheating. He promised never to do it again but she was starting to wonder...

"Okay," Brad replied, "well the invite's open if you change your mind."

They rode the courtesy bus and checked into the hotel together before going to their rooms. Once Connie and Charlene were alone, he opened up. "I'm starting to dislike Brad. Did you see how embarrassed Holly was when he made that mile-high comment and then invited you to go with them like that; I guess he was just trying to be sociable but it would have been nice if he'd checked with me before just asking."

The last thing Charlene wanted was to have her husband fixated on Brad. "He was just trying to be friendly, Honey, don't let it bother you, please. Let's just forget about him and enjoy our trip." She walked over to the patio doors, "Oh, look, Hon, you can see the Tower Bridge from here."

Connie walked over and put his arm around his wife as they stared out over the city. "I can't believe we're actually here," she whispered. Connie unlocked the glass sliding door and they stepped out onto the balcony to enjoy the cool night air.

In another room, Holly Orwell was angrily tossing her suitcase on the king-sized bed. Brad noticed her attitude, "What's wrong with you?"

"What's going on, Brad, are you sleeping with her?"

She had seen that look on her husband's face before. It wasn't the look of guilt, it was the look of fear at being discovered. "Who?" he asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Brad Orwell, so help me God, if I find out you're sleeping with that woman there'll be no third chances. I'll kick your ass to the curb so fast you won't know what hit you."

"I don't even know who the hell you're talking about, Honey."

"You know damn well who I'm talking about... Connie's wife. You've been fawning over her the whole trip. That embarrassing crack about the mile-high club was for her benefit, wasn't it."

"A... I'm sorry, I was just trying to be funny." Brad looked into his wife's face and saw real anger. "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. As far as sleeping with her, hell, Honey, I never even met her until the airport."

Holly thought about it; it was unlikely they knew each other before that. Maybe, just maybe he could be telling the truth. That's the trouble, she thought, once you've betrayed someone's trust, it's almost impossible to ever fully get it back.

She'd like to think she was wrong but those old feelings of distrust were re-emerging; if she WAS wrong, however, she didn't want to spoil two weeks in Europe so she was leaning toward giving him the benefit of the doubt. She took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh, "Okay, they've got their agenda and we have ours, let's keep it that way."

"Of course, Honey." His sigh of relief was silent and undetectable but it was there. He'd dodged a bullet, he'd have to be more careful in the future. He hadn't completely abandoned the idea of screwing Charlene while in Europe--yet anyway; it was the first thing he thought of when seeing her at the airport in New York. He knew she was worried about her marriage but was still confident he could talk her into it just like he did in Chicago; he just had to convince her there was no way they could get caught. They'd have to be extremely careful considering the confrontation he'd just had with his wife.

Charlene and Connie held hands as they gazed out at the city. Charlene looked up. "Did you plan that?"

Connie's eyes lifted upward, "You mean the full moon? Absolutely," he replied. Just then the air was filled with the sound of chimes.

Charlene looked to the left to see where the melody was coming from but couldn't see anything. "That must be a church or something."

Connie looked at his watch, it was still on Chicago time. "It's a quarter to five at home, a quarter to twelve here; I'm pretty sure that was Big Ben. It must be around the corner."

"Big Ben, I thought that gonged on the hour?"

"It does but it also plays chimes every fifteen minutes."

"Quarter to twelve... what time do we have to get up?"

"We should probably set the alarm for five-thirty; I figure about an hour for us to shower and get dressed and another hour for breakfast."

"I know you wanted to celebrate our first night here, Hon, but if you're too tired, I completely understand."

"Honey, we will never have another first night in London, I'm not about to waste it by sleeping... not when I can commemorate it by making love to my wife."

She chuckled with anticipation, "Are we really going to leave the drapes open?"

"We sure are."

They'd made love hundreds of times before but that night there was more than just the sights and sounds of passion, there was a whole new dimension of souls intertwining within each other.

*****

For all intents and purposes, after only a couple hours of sleep, Connie should have been dragging the next morning; instead, he and Charlene woke up ready to meet the day. They decided to do their part for water conservation and showered together taking full advantage of soaping each other down and making sure certain parts of their spouse's anatomy was very clean. After getting dressed, Connie checked his camera bag to make sure he had everything he needed before heading down to the restaurant for breakfast.

Charlene was so excited she could hardly contain herself. "Any idea at all where we'll be going?"

"Not really," Connie replied, "remember, the shots are going to be used for the European market so I doubt I'll be shooting the standard tourist attractions. I'm guessing our guide will take us to areas that are more familiar with the locals.

Charlene glanced over Connie's shoulder and put her hand over her mouth to hide her smirk. "Don't look now, Honey, but there's a guy walking this way who looks just like he stepped out of that "Third Man," movie," she chuckled but became embarrassed when the man stopped at their table.

He was thin and dressed in Levis with a tan vest and matching tweed sports jacket with patches on the elbows. In his left hand, he carried an English-style flat hat. "Excuse me," he said with an obvious English accent, "are you Mr..." he glanced at a small piece of paper, "Young?"

"That's me," Connie replied.

"Oh, jolly good; I know I'm early but I came in here to grab some breakfast and saw your professional looking camera bag. My name is Reginald Jamieson, I'm your guide. I say, do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all, pull up a chair. This is my wife, Charlene." The Englishman reached over and shook her hand. "So pleasant to meet you both; please, call me Reggie."

Trying desperately not to laugh at what she considered to be the caricature of an English gentleman, "I'm pleased to meet you, Reggie."

Just then the waitress approached their table and asked what he wanted for breakfast. "Just some tea and toast, please."

"So, Reggie, before you arrived, Charlene was asking where we're going to go. What are your plans?"

"Well, I talked to Mr. Dennison several times over the phone. The only directions he gave me was he didn't want to see anything he'd see every time he picked up a travel brochure."

"Yeah, that's pretty much the same thing he told me."

"Well, I thought we'd start at Kew Gardens. There are several locally prominent landmarks on the property. There is a Japanese Pagoda tree that was planted twenty-five years before the rebel rebellion."

Connie furrowed his brow as he tried to think, "rebel rebellion?" He questioned.

"I believe you Yanks called it the Revolutionary War."

Both Connie and Charlene chuckled. "You're not still ticked off about that, are you?" Connie asked.

Reggie grinned, "Just pulling your chain as you Yanks, say," he laughed. "I'm sure you'll find a gallery of sights and locations to your liking. From there, I have several other areas around the city that I think you'll find very interesting.

"Tomorrow, I thought we'd spend the day in East Sussex. It's about a two hour drive but well worth it. The Bodiam Castle is out there. It dates back to the fourteenth century. I got a special dispensation for you to go anywhere you like; you'll get to photograph places where most people aren't even allowed. From there, I thought we'd go to Camber Sands Beach. The sand is a beautiful golden color and it backs up into towering sand dunes. If we have time, we could shoot down the coast to Brighton. The Palace Pier is incredible."

"Reggie, it sure sounds like you know what you're doing," Connie commented.

"Yeah," Charlene added, "It sounds wonderful."

"When I got the call from Mr. Dennison, I checked in with the Minister of Tourism. Between us, I think we've come up with some jolly good locations for you."

Reggie wasn't wrong. Connie and Charlene were treated like royalty everywhere they went and were having the time of their lives. Before leaving the US, Connie had purchased six new SD cards, each one capable of storing approximately three thousand photos of the highest quality, and was beginning to wonder if he had enough.

They hadn't even thought of Brad and Holly until running into them in the hotel restaurant on the third night and wound up having dinner with them. Brad was going on and on about their tours but Char and Connie were exhausted after their ten hours on a train to and from Northern England and the incredible Roman ruins that ran throughout the territory.

It was a lot of walking but Connie shot several hundred photos and knew he'd be back when it was time to start shooting for the campaign. By the time they returned to the hotel, all they wanted to do was get something to eat and hit the sack. It was the first night they hadn't made love with the drapes open since arriving.

Their last day of shooting was more of the same. By the time they were ready to leave for France, both Connie and Char were in awe of the beauty they were leaving behind. Luckily, Connie had over thirty-five hundred shots for reminders.

"So, did you get any good pictures?" It was a little past three in the morning, way too early to put up with Brad's bullshit. Both Connie and Charlene let out a small sigh as he and Holly joined them while waiting for the hotel's courtesy bus to take them to Dover. From there, they would all take the ferry across the English Channel to Calais, France. There they'd have an hour layover before catching the train to Paris, an hour Connie and Charlene intended to use for breakfast.

Connie turned his head to see Brad, "That I did," he replied with a false smile.

"How many pictures did you take?"

"Around thirty-five hundred."

"Jesus, well, I guess you must have one or two good ones out of all those."

Holly looked at him, "Brad, sometimes you can be such an unbelievable ass. He's a professional, I'm sure he got over thirty-five hundred excellent photographs."

"Well, a-yeah, of course," he looked back at Connie, "I didn't mean to insult you; I know you're a good photographer."

Connie forced another false smile but it was getting harder and harder. "Don't worry about it." Just then the courtesy bus pulled up and they all piled in.

For the last few days, Charlene had been able to relax and enjoy spending time with her husband but Brad's derogatory remarks at the hotel had started her worrying all over again. It wasn't a slip of the tongue. Brad wasn't that stupid; he knew exactly what he was saying in an attempt to diminish Connie's work... Why--who knows? The guy was simply an asshole.

The two couples were together as they boarded the boat but Connie was determined to correct that. "Brad, you and Holly go ahead; Char and I are going to stay back here so I can get some shots of the shoreline." Brad looked like he was about to argue but Holly took his arm and pulled him along.

"Good thinking, Honey; I really wasn't looking forward to spending the next two and a half hours with them. Holly's okay but Brad is intolerable."

"Yeah, I have to agree. It wasn't all BS though, I do want to get shots of the white cliffs as the sun hits them. I understand there'll be more white clifts as we approach Calais."

Connie grabbed his Nikon and started shooting anything that looked interesting. As they made their way out further into the channel, he caught some great shots as the low morning sun shined through the water and lit up the White Cliffs of Dover.

Charlene was a little nervous. She didn't even like going out in Lake Michigan in their friend's boat; the thought of crossing the English Channel and not being about to see land for a time was not her favorite part of the trip. She stayed by her husband's side to feel safe.

Mr. and Mrs. Orwell walked around the ship for a while and settled on a couple of lounge chairs on the starboard side. Holly glanced over to the woman in the next chair, there was something about her that screamed American. She leaned over, "Eh, excuse me but are you by any chance American."

The woman looked her way. "Yes, Newport Beach, California, and you?"

"Chicago," Holly answered with a smile. "I'm Holly Orwell, this is my husband, Brad." Brad looked over and nodded but the woman was older and not very good looking so he really wasn't interested. The two ladies, however, struck up a conversation; meanwhile, Brad tried his best to be discreet as he ogled the pretty women.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the opportunity he'd been hoping for. Charlene was wandering around in search of a ladies' room. "Honey," he said, trying to sound as casual as possible, "I'm going to stretch my legs and walk around a little more."

Holly, still engulfed in conversation, paid little attention. "Okay, Brad."

He quickly glanced around to make sure the coast was clear then nonchalantly started working his way toward his target. He was just a couple of feet behind her as she disappeared behind a door marked "Ladies." He walked into the men's room and found it empty, perfect, he thought. He stepped back out and kept a vigilant watch while waiting for Charlene. She didn't have to look at who grabbed her wrist as she walked out, she knew that voice, "Come on."

She yanked her arm opposite his pull and broke his grip, "What are you doing?"

"The men's room is clear. We can grab a quickie. I'm hoping to get two or three in by the time we have to go back."

"You're nuts, Brad; you're bat shit crazy if you think I'd take a chance like that."

"Char, think about it, you and me getting in a few quick fucks right under their noses. What a kick it would be."

"Brad, when this trip is finished, I hope never to see you again and I'm certainly never going to fuck you again. Ever since you told me Connie was in your office, I've been trying to work out why I slept with you in the first place."

"Because you needed something different to break the monotony," he replied confidently, "it's why anyone cheats."

"I'm sure it's more complicated than that, Dr. Freud, but in any event, I'll never do it again."

"Oh, sure you will, and when you get the urge, look me up." He didn't hide his anger as he turned his back and entered the men's room. Char rubbed the red mark left on her arm from pulling away and went off to find her husband. She could feel her anger building at Brad's brashness. Did he really think I'd fuck him in the men's room, she asked herself.

By the time she saw her husband, she had to stop, take a few deep breaths, and give herself some time to try and calm down; even so, she wasn't very successful.

"You okay, Honey, you look a little flush."

"Yeah, I'm fine; you know me and boats," she replied, laughing it off. Having taken the shots he wanted as they left, they had nothing to do until they sighted land in front of them. They wandered around the boat for a while and found a couple of chairs to sit and relax; unfortunately, that was easier said than done for Char. Her run-in with Brad had brought back the feelings of dread and fear that she felt in the airport. She was deep in thought when her husband's voice broke through...

"Hello, earth to Char."

"Uh, oh, I'm sorry, Honey; I was just thinking about what a wonderful trip this has been so far, I wonder if France will be as exciting as England?"

"I would imagine the countryside will be every bit as pretty, from what I understand, though, don't be surprised if the people aren't as friendly."

"Yeah, I've heard the rumors about the French; hopefully, we'll be pleasantly surprised," she replied, closing her eyes and settling back in her chair.

Brad was angry and decided to walk it off but the more he thought about Charlene's rejection the more angry he became. He was starting to plot his revenge... I wonder if I could talk the old man into hiring another photographer. That would teach her. What would convince him though? He really likes Connie's work so it would have to be something grievous.

Charlene's hopes came true. Maybe the people could have been a little more pleasant but the aesthetics of the countryside were stunning, and unlike the UK, they didn't have to do a lot of traveling. Most of the places their guide took them were in or very near to Paris.

Connie was going wild, composing hundreds of shots everywhere they went. The first day, Honore', their guide, took them to the oldest section of the city. It looked like eighteenth-century Paris. There were cobblestone streets and architecture like you'd see in movies of the French Revolution. There were also four beautiful gardens, each one unique in appearance. They spent the entire day there.

The second day, Honore' took them to an abandoned railway line that dated back to 1862, then to a more contemporary setting called the Promenade Plantee'. It was an elevated walkway where the trees were lush and small pools dotted the landscape.

When Honore' brought them back to the hotel that afternoon, he apologized, "Monsieur Young, I am so sorry but I have an important matter I have to take care of tomorrow morning and won't be able to pick you up until eleven o'clock, but I promise you, there will be plenty of time for your photography.

We will spend the day at Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. It is an elevated park with a beautiful view from high over the city. Its history dates back to the thirteenth century. It has a Roman-style temple on the top of a mountain, a beautiful lake with a long suspension bridge over it, and a wonderful grotto with a seventy-five-foot waterfall. I think you will be impressed."

"Oh, Honey, that sounds gorgeous."

"Yeah, it sounds like I better take a couple extra SD cards. Ok, Honore', eleven o'clock it is. We'll meet you here in the lobby."

Because they could sleep longer the next morning, Charlene was going to dedicate that night to thanking her hubby with a night of sex he wouldn't forget.

The next morning, Char awoke still cuddled in her husband's embrace. She patted his bare chest. "Come on, sleepy head, wake up."

"Mmmm," he moaned with a smile, "I'm awake, I'm just still basking in the afterglow from last night."

"Well, let's afterglow ourselves into the shower and get something to eat, I'm starving."

Connie glanced at his phone, "I have a better idea, let's order room service. So far, we've been lucky and haven't run into good old Brad since we've been here but this is just about the time they'd be in the restaurant."

"Oh, yeah, good idea, Hon." They called down to have breakfast delivered and showered when they were done. They still had an hour to kill before Honore' arrived. Connie pulled out his laptop to go over some of the shots he had taken the day before. There wasn't anything for Char to do so she had an idea. "Hon, while you're going over your work, I'm going to run over to the toy store across the street and pick something up for Richard."

"You want me to go with you?"

"No, I won't be long. I'll be back in plenty of time."

"Okay, Honey, if you have any problems, call me."

"I will." And with that, she left the room and headed for the elevators. Brad was just leaving the coffee shop when he saw her. She was alone and headed out the main entrance of the hotel. When it came to pussy, Brad was never the kind to give up easily. He tried to catch up to her but by the time he got outside she was gone and he had no idea what direction she took.

"Damn it," he muttered to himself. Other than on the boat, it was the first time they were both alone and he wasn't about to let an opportunity like that slip through his fingers if he could help it. He took out his phone and sent her a text.

I see y r alone, me too. Holly is getting a spa treatment. I don't expect her back for a couple of hours. Meet me in room two-four-two.

Charlene answered him, NO!

"Fucking bitch." That did it, that's when he made up his mind he was going to try and get Connie fired. He returned to his room, pulled down his pants, lay on the bed, and jacked off to his thoughts of revenge.

Connie was just putting his laptop away when Char walked in. "Did you find something... something that's not too big to carry on the plane?"

"I did," she replied with a smile. "Look at these, they're jigsaw puzzles but they're three-dimensional. There's a different picture on each side."

Connie took one and looked at it from all sides, "Damn, Honey, these look complicated; you think he'll be able to put these together?"

"Oh, he'll figure them out but it'll be a challenge for him, that's for sure. Did you finish going through yesterday's shots?"

"Not by a long shot, I'm still trying to figure out how many images I'm going to give the agency from each place."

"You're not giving them to the guy who owns the company? What's his name..."

"Dennison? No, he's paying for all this but I'm still working with his ad agency." He glanced at his phone, "We'd better get down there, Honore' will be here any minute."

The park turned out to be everything Honore' said it was and more. During the short plane ride to Italy, Connie was thinking about how lucky they were. "Having a good time, Hon?" He asked.

"Honey, never in my life did I ever even dare to think of doing something like this. I will never be able to thank you enough for taking me along. I... I don't deserve it."

"What do you mean you don't deserve it, of course you do."

His words sent a chill down her spine. She didn't deserve to be there and she knew it all too well. She forced a grin at her husband's comment and closed her eyes as she tried to hide from the guilt but it wasn't happening. Her shame was even more acute than it had been. Her mind was a boiling cauldron of regrets and wishes. She wondered what the future held.

Italy turned out to be just as fantastic as the UK and France. Their guide was the twenty-something daughter of a high ranking politician. She had olive skin, luxurious black hair, and eyes to match... all that on top of a body a man would kill--or die for. She met them at the airport and spoke almost flawless English. "Mr. Young, Mrs. Young, I am Lucia, your guide while you're here."

"Lucia, it's a pleasure, but please, call me Connie, and my wife is Charlene or just Char is fine."

Her smile was dazzling as she shook their hands. "I've been briefed on your assignment; from what I've been told you are looking for local landmarks and not the usual tourist sights but is there anything you wish to see personally?"

"Well, I've always wanted to see the Colosseum, what about you, Honey?"

"Oh, I'd love that too."

"Very good, I will make sure we have time to visit it. I have an itinerary that takes us to prehistoric caves in the south and a thirteenth-century castle in the north. It'll be a lot of driving, I'm afraid, but I think you'll agree it was worth it.

"My car is over here. I'll take you to your hotel and help get you checked in. I hope you're early birds, I'd like to start out for Matera early--no later than eight o'clock. It's about a four-hour drive."

"Whatever you say, Lucia, you're the boss." Char was a little jealous watching her young pear-shaped ass sway with every step to her car.

After making sure they were checked in and comfortably in their room, Lucia left them to relax after their trip. "My God, what a beautiful young lady."

"That she is, I wonder if she's done any modeling? I'm sure we'll have to hire some models now and then for some of the shoots. Don't let me forget to get her contact information before we leave."

"Oh, I doubt you'll forget," Char replied with a sarcastic tone in her voice. Connie just chuckled. After unpacking, Connie started going through his photos again while Charlene lay down on the bed to rest; again, her growing guilt made it hard to turn off her brain. Eventually, she drifted off but had a dream about Connie cheating with Lucia.

She awoke with tears in her eyes. Connie was still working on the computer so she slipped out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to freshen up in time for dinner.

Lucia knew her country well and had an excellent grasp of what Connie was looking for. She also kept her promise and took them to the Coloseum on their last day.

Connie was in seventh heaven, over the past two weeks, he had filled four SD cards and was on his last one; as a bonus, they managed to avoid Brad for the entire time they were in Italy. Of course, their luck couldn't hold out forever. The two couples met at the airport and discovered they were on the same plane back to the US.

Brad always seemed to exude an air of superiority when he addressed Connie. "So, did you two enjoy your vacation?"

Connie caught the inflection but just ignored it. "Actually, Brad, we worked the entire time, what did you do besides sightsee?"

"We made plans," he replied. "Holly and I have decided to take Dennison up on his offer. We're moving to England so you and I might be working together."

"I'll be working with the ad agency, Brad, I doubt you and will see that much of each other."

"Don't be too sure, Connie," he replied almost sticking his chest out, "Dennison will want me to oversee every aspect of the campaign." Just then they called for boarding over the PA. Both Connie and Charlene were thankful when they took their seats and Brad and Holly kept moving to several rows behind them.

Charlene was thinking about what Brad said. As soon as they were seated, she had to ask, "You're not really going to have to work with that S. O. B., are you?"

"No, if he tries to poke his nose into my business, I'll have the ad agency tell him to back off." Char was relieved. She couldn't bear the thought of her husband having to work with Brad. She knew Brad felt superior because of her, because he held the secret that he knew her body intimately. It made him feel that he had one up on the great photographer.

Brad, however, had other ideas. He still wanted to teach Charlene a lesson and he had a plan.

Once they stepped off the plane at O'Hare, Char started to relax a little. She was well aware that she'd dodged a bullet and was silently thanking the man upstairs. The first thing they did was call her parents and let them know they were back and would be by to pick up their son; of course, her parents wouldn't let them leave without telling them all about their trip so they stayed for coffee and gave them the highlights while Richard played with his knights of the round table toys they bought in London.

As Char set foot in their own home again, she completely relaxed. As much fun as she had on the trip, it was also extremely stressful and she was glad to be home. She only wished she had another day to recuperate before going back to work.

Connie, however, couldn't wait to seriously start editing his work on his large monitors instead of his seventeen-inch laptop.

Brad was also anxious to get back to the office and asked for a meeting with his boss asap. Mr. Dennison's PA told him he was eager to hear all about the trip but he would be out of the office for the rest of the week.

Charlene hardly got any work done because of everyone asking her about the trip, starting with her boss. Diane, her best friend from work, cornered her for lunch. "So, come on, what was it like over there?"

"Di, it was absolutely incredible; everywhere we went we were treated like royalty, and the scenery... it was breathtaking." She went on and gave her friend a day-by-day synopsis.

"I'll bet you're sorry you called your husband all those names when you thought he wasn't going to take you."

"Di, sorry doesn't begin to explain it. Being with Connie every day like that reminded me of something I'd forgotten for a while..."

"What's that?"

"How much I love that man. I think I got so wrapped up in my own feelings, I'd forgotten why I fell in love with him in the first place. Di, I'm not sure when it started but I've been a bad wife."

"Oh, come on, Char, if you were a bad wife he'd have never taken you along on that trip."

"No, like the man in the temple said, I chose wisely. Marrying Connie was the smartest thing I ever did. Now I have to go back to playing it smart and step up my game... big time. I need to be the wife he deserves."

"Look, Char, I don't know what brought all this on, but I think you're being way too hard on yourself."

Char just smiled and looked at her watch. "Jesus, we better get going or we'll be late getting back."

That night Connie called and apologized saying he was going to be in the studio most of the night.

"What about dinner?"

"I'll just have to grab something when I get home, Honey. If you're tired don't wait up, it might be ten or eleven o'clock by the time I get out of here." For Char, there was no better time to start being the wife she felt her husband deserved. She made a couple of phone calls then went to Connie's office and dug around in the bottom drawer of his desk.

Connie was so involved going through the thousands of thumbnails, he didn't hear anything until she spoke. "Don't shoot, Honey, it's only me." He turned just in time to see his beautiful wife walking in with a pizza in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. A more welcoming sight he couldn't imagine.

"I wasn't about to let you starve until you got home."

"How'd you get in?"

"The spare key in the bottom drawer of your desk."

"Well, you sure look and smell delicious, Honey. Where's Rich?"

"Mrs. Burdett's, I gave her money so they could both go out to a restaurant."

"This is perfect, Honey. I've been at it most of the day and I would have kept going until I couldn't see straight. This is exactly the break I needed." They sat and talked, drank a little wine, and ate pizza for almost an hour.

On the way home, Charlene had another epiphany, I can't keep it from him, she thought. It's not right, but I know him; if I tell him I fucked Brad he'll turn down that whole campaign. I can't let that happen. As she turned into their driveway, she decided she was too tired to think about it.

Soon after getting home, Mrs. Burdett stopped by to drop off Richard. Charlene thanked her and offered her a twenty but she refused it, saying the dinner was payment enough. After putting Richard to bed, Char was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She wanted to stay up and greet her husband but gave up and went to bed.

Over that week things started falling into a regular routine again. Connie had a fashion shoot that Wednesday and two product shoots on Thursday; of course, they had to go through editing and basic post-processing before they could be sent out to his retoucher for the final product. That all took time so going through the European shots had to be done after hours.

The following Monday, Brad waited anxiously for Mr. Dennison. It was nine-thirty when he was informed he was wanted in the boss's office. Dennison was all smiles when he asked Brad to sit down and tell him all about his trip abroad.

"Mr. Dennison, it was fantastic and I have a ton of ideas on marketing our products over there. I really believe that within three to five years it could be a bigger market than the US."

"Really?" It was of course just what Mr. Dennison wanted to hear. "Does that mean you're going to take the job?"

"Yes, Sir; Holly and I talked it over and we both agree we'd like to live in the UK."

"Wonderful, I was hoping you'd accept the challenge. I want to see some of your ideas; did you put anything together in a written presentation while I was gone? I'd like to see a layout of some strategic plans."

That caught Brad off guard. He'd spent most of the week planning to get Connie fired. "Ah, Sir, I've been so busy catching up on stuff, I haven't had a chance."

"Well, take some time and put something together for me."

"Yes, Sir." He turned like he was going to walk out and then turned back as if it was an afterthought. "Ah, Mr. Dennison, there's one more thing..."

"What's that?"

"Well, I know you like Connie Young's work but... well, I don't know if I can work with him."

He saw the shock on the old man's face, "What--why?"

"Well, evidently he considers himself a real ladies man. Whenever we were together he'd flirt with Holly and make some off-color comments. At first, she thought it was just innocent flirting but she said he tried to get her alone in France and again in Italy. He was trying his hardest to seduce her and some of it was right in front of his wife, too."

"I... I checked him out before hiring him; there was nothing like that in his background."

"I don't know, Sir, maybe he's just real good at hiding it but Holly and I experienced it for ourselves. We both grew to really dislike the man."

"All right, Brad, thanks for letting me know." The old man reminded him that he wanted to see some marketing ideas before dismissing him.

To say he was disappointed was an understatement. If it was true, he'd have to find someone else and the whole European trip idea was a waste of time and money. His blood pressure was starting to rise just thinking about it. He couldn't see any reason Brad would lie to him but he was going to dot all his "I"s and cross his "T"s before making a decision. He called the detective agency they used from time to time.

"Hi, Velda, it's Al Dennison, is Blake in?"

"Yes, Mr. Dennison, hold please... "

"Hey, Al, what's up?"

"Hi, Blake, do you remember that photographer I asked you to check out a few weeks ago?"

"Of course, Connie Young; did you hire him?"

"I did but I just heard something that's making me wonder if I made a mistake."

"Oh, Oh; what'd you hear?"

"When you were checking him out did you find anything that would suggest he was a... what do they call it these days... a player?"

"A player... you mean games or women?"

"Women."

"Ah, you mean a pussy hound," he said with a chuckle.

"That's one way of putting it," Dennison chuckled.

"No, not a hint of anything like that. At least on paper, he's a square shooter. Personally, I think he'd be nuts; you should see his wife, she's absolutely gorgeous."

"I don't know what to think. Blake, can you do some more digging for me? I've got a real dilemma on my hands and I need to know if Young is capable of doing anything that would embarrass the company."

"Of course, Al. It'll take a few days, I'll have to be discreet. I don't want to start any rumors that could damage his business and open myself up to a lawsuit."

"Of course, Blake; I understand. Just get back to me as soon as you can."

"Will do."

With time on her hands in the evenings, Charlene kept running different scenarios over and over in her head. As soon as she would tuck Richard into bed at night her guilt would resurface like a demon from Hell. More than once she had to dry her eyes before Connie came home. As senseless as it seemed on the surface, she could no longer live with herself without coming clean.

Tuesday evening she opened her laptop and searched for two-bedroom apartments to rent. She didn't want to take Richard out of school so it had to be in the area. She made decent money so she took out a sheet of paper and drew up a tentative budget. It would be tight but with a little child support, she could make it. She wasn't going to ask for any alimony.

On a new sheet of paper, she made some notes as to what had to be done between then and when she had to leave. Of course, she would beg to be forgiven but didn't hold much hope. She knew her husband enough to know he wouldn't tolerate infidelity. Charlene decided Friday would be D-day. That would give her the weekend to get organized. By the time she was done, the paper was soaked with her tears.

With the little bit of time she had left, Char made sure she spent every moment she could with her husband. That Thursday, the day before D-day, returning from work, she was surprised to see Connie's car in the drive. He hadn't beaten her home in years. She smiled believing he was finished with his work from Europe; maybe he was planning a celebration.

She happily walked into the house to see him sitting alone in his recliner. "Is it true that you screwed Brad Orwell?"

Instinctively, Charlene's hand shot up to her mouth as she made a horrible gasping sound. Connie knew from her reaction it was true. "I... I'm so sorry, I was going to confess tomorrow."

"Ah-huh, sure you were. I don't get it; I'm sure you've had many opportunities, why in the hell would you screw THAT SON OF A BITCH, and when? We weren't separated for more than half an hour during the whole trip. When..."

Char was feeling light-headed and had to sit down on the couch. Tears flooded her eyes. "It... it wasn't during the trip, it was before," she said between sobs.

"Before? Bullshit," he said while trying to control his temper, "how could you have fucked him before the trip? You didn't even meet him until New York."

With very shaky hands, Char took a tissue from her purse and wiped her eyes. "We... we met a few months before the trip. He is a friend of Audrey's from personnel; we sometimes have lunch together. He saw us one day in the restaurant and sat down. He seemed entirely different than he did on the trip. He was funny and personable. He had lunch with us several times over the next few weeks, then he came over one day when I was alone.

"That's when he started to flirt and I... well, I guess I was ripe for the picking. We had lunch together a couple more times and the flirting became bolder and more salacious; I guess I started to flirt back. I... I don't even remember why but he caught me one day when I was really down on myself. He said he had a surefire way to lift my spirits. There was a motel right across the street. I called into work and told them I got sick at lunch and had to go home.

"It was the only time and I've felt guilty ever since. After the trip, I couldn't live with myself any longer and was going to tell you, honest."

Connie just sat there without saying a word. His mind still hadn't accepted the reality yet. How could his beautiful loving wife do such a thing, it was incomprehensible.

"May I ask... " he was still staring into space, "Honey, Connie... "

"What?"

"May I ask how you found out? Brad didn't say anything to you did he?"

"Why would Brad say something?"

"Well, he tried to get me to screw him a couple times on the trip, when I refused he got mad. I thought, maybe... "

"No, it was Holly; she called me at work. She got her phone bill and there were European roaming charges on it. She thought it was strange since she didn't think either she or Brad had used their phone while they were over there so she checked. She said you and him were texting each other. Evidently, she caught Brad cheating once before and recognized the signs. She told me she was sure you two were having an affair.

"At first I thought she was daft but then I asked myself why would you two be texting each other. You couldn't stand him... unless that was an act."

"It was no act, Connie. He saw me when I went to the toy store in Italy. He texted me and wanted me to meet him in his hotel room. I texted him back with one word... no."

"That was it?"

"That was it, I swear."

He was still staring into space, "Why should I believe you?"

"Connie, please look at me, I know you, I know you're going to divorce me. I'm putting a deposit down on a furnished apartment tomorrow and I'm already making arrangements to move out. You can believe me because I have nothing left to lose. I've already lost it all. I have nothing to gain by lying."

"What about Rich?"

"Connie, you work twelve hours a day, sometimes six, at times even seven days a week; now you're going to be going back and forth to Europe, I'll give you as much time with him as you want but there's no way you could give him a stable environment.

"I wasn't lying when I said I was going to confess tomorrow. I planned on moving into the apartment on Saturday. It's a two bedroom so Rich will still have a room of his own and it's in the same school district."

"Sounds like you have everything planned. You're wrong about one thing though, I won't be going back and forth to Europe."

"Connie, don't do that, please. I know what this job can do for your career; don't give that up because of me--you can't."

"I can and I will, there's no way I could ever work with that son of a bitch even a little bit."

"Connie, I beg you, don't do anything rash." Just then Richard came home from Mrs. Burdett's, saw his dad, and ran over to hug him. That ended their conversation for the night.

The next morning, a few minutes after nine, Al Dennison's PA addressed him on the intercom, "Mr. Dennison, Connie Young is here to see you."

He hadn't heard back from the investigator's office yet and had no idea what was going on but he was about to find out. "Send him in," he replied.

Dennison sat back in his chair, "Connie, this is a surprise, have a seat."

"I won't be staying that long, Mr. Dennison." He laid an external hard drive down on the desk. "There are two files on here. The first one contains every shot I took in Europe; the second has about a hundred shots that I feel offer the best of what you're looking for.

"Unfortunately, I won't be the one doing the commercial work. There's no charge for anything on the hard drive, I hope that will make up for the money you spent sending me over there." He turned and started to walk out.

"Just a minute, Connie, I think you at least owe me an explanation. Does this have anything to do with you and Holly?"

That was a surprise, he turned back around, "Me and Holly? What about me and Holly?"

"Brad says you were trying to seduce her on the trip."

"What?" Dennison saw him immediately get red in the face and thought he was going to explode. "That SOB had an affair with my wife and was trying to get her to screw him on the trip!" He forced himself to calm down. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go off on you like that but you tell Brad if he sees me again he'd better start running cuz if I get the chance I'll break every bone in his miserable body."

"Hmmm, I was thinking about having him come in so you two could face each other and hash this out so I could get to the bottom of it, but I can see that'd be a bad idea.

"Connie, can you give me a little time before you quit?"

"I don't know what good it'll do. There's a dozen decent photographers out there who would jump at the chance for this job."

"I'm sure you're right but I'd still like a little time."

"Fine," he said, "you can give that ED to your ad agency. I'm pretty sure there's more than enough there to go forward with your plans."

As soon as Connie left his office, Dennison called the detective agency. The secretary put him right through. "Hi, Blake, did you come up with anything on Connie Young yet?"

"Al, I was just about to call you; I checked with The Professional Photographers of America, I checked with the Better Business Bureau, I checked with the Chamber of Commerce, I checked with the cops for any complaints, and I discreetly checked with the two model agencies he works with, nothing, nada, not a thing, not a hint of the slightest impropriety. As far as I can tell, your boy is a saint, Al."

"Thanks, Blake; send me your invoice." Dennison was not one to socialize with his employees. All he knew about Brad Orwell was that he was good at his job; as far as he was concerned though, that wasn't enough if he was untrustworthy. If he couldn't trust an employee he didn't care how good they were. He was about to spend millions on an advertising campaign in Europe, he had to be sure of every decision he made. He hated to do it but he felt it necessary. He had his PA look up the number and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Holly, it's Albert Dennison, how are you?"

"Mr. Dennison, this is a surprise. Is anything wrong?"

"Well, I'm not sure, I understand you're planning to live in the UK."

"Ah, well, that was the plan but now I'm not too sure. I discovered something yesterday that might change my mind."

"May I ask what you discovered?"

"Ah, that's personal, Mr. Dennison."

"Holly, I have millions riding on this overseas campaign, I need you to be honest with me, does it have anything to do with you and Connie Young?"

"What... no, why would you think that, not directly anyway."

"Holly, Brad came to me on Monday and said Connie spent that trip trying to seduce you. I have too much at stake to take a chance with sending someone over there who might embarrass the company in some way. Is what he said true?"

"No, in fact, just the opposite, I don't have proof yet but I think Brad is having an affair with Connie's wife. The signs are there, I just don't have a smoking gun."

Now it was Dennison's turn to sigh, "Well, Connie was just in my office; from what he said, I think his wife probably confessed. He seemed to have no doubts about their affair."

"That's possible... I called him yesterday and told him what I found. I'll bet he went home and confronted her. I have to call him. If Charlene confessed, my husband is going to get a rude awakening; I'll have his bags packed and sitting on the porch when he comes home tonight."

She thought for a moment then had a question of her own to ask. "Mr. Dennison, are you going to fire him? I quit my full-time job when we were married. I'm just working part-time now and we don't have a lot of savings. I'll have to get a full-time job but even then I don't know if I can make it without some alimony, at least for a little while."

"What kind of work do you do, Holly?"

"Marketing, same as Brad. That's how we met, we were in a couple of the same classes in college."

"Holly, it appears I will be looking for a new marketing person. Why don't you put a resume' together and come in for an interview."

"Really? Oh, wow, yeah, I'll call for an appointment."

"Can you make it about ten, on Monday morning?"

"Sure."

"Ask for Ms. Meadows in personnel, I'll let her know you're coming."

"Thank you, Mr. Dennison, I'll be there."

Next, he made an internal call, "Ms. Meadows, a spot will be opening in our marketing department; Holly Orwell will be in around ten o'clock Monday morning to interview for it; also, will you bring me Brad Orwell's personnel file, please."

Connie was just walking into his studio when the phone rang. John got to it first. "Connie, it's for you, someone named Holly."

"Thanks, John." He took the phone from his assistant, "Hello, Holly."

"Hi, Connie, I just got off the phone with Mr. Dennison. Did Charlene confess to having an affair with my husband?"

"Well, she swears it was just once but yeah, your instincts were right on, Holly."

"I knew it. You know you can just tell when someone's not being sincere with you. I knew the first time I caught him cheating that he didn't mean it when he said he'd never do it again but I gave in anyway; I guess that'll teach me.

"Thanks, Connie, now I have to go pack his bags, bye."

Later that day, Mr. Dennison called Brad into his office. "Connie Young was in earlier today and told me he was quitting. When I asked him why, his story differed completely from what you told me."

"Why, what'd he say?"

"He told me you had an affair with his wife."

That was a surprise to him, he had no idea Connie knew. "That's a lie," he stated emphatically. "You don't believe him do you?"

"Well, I didn't want to but it turns out your wife was the one who tipped him off."

"My wife?" Suddenly, all the color drained from Brad's face.

"Yup, I don't think you'll be too welcome when you go home tonight; speaking of which," he picked up an envelope and tossed it to the corner of his desk in front of Brad, "you're no longer welcome here either. That's your last paycheck."

After futilely arguing for a little, Brad gave up and slinked back to his former office to clean out his desk. This did not go as he had planned; one day he was on top of the world and the next he was at the bottom of the barrel.

Connie made sure he spent Saturday at home. He took Richard to play at the park while Charlene packed her car with everything that would fit. After the park, they both sat down with Richard and explained that they were going to be living in two places and he would be living sometimes with his Mom and sometimes with his Dad.

He was old enough to know what that meant. A few of the kids he went to school with had the same arrangement. He cried for a while but together Connie and Char were able to assure him of their love and that things would work out.

That night the hurt, grief, guilt, and anger were consumed by an overpowering loneliness, and the five souls touched by an act of selfishness and stupidity cried themselves to sleep.

Sunday morning wasn't much better. Connie made himself some coffee and sat at the kitchen table wondering what happens now. He thought about seeing a divorce lawyer but then what was the rush, his wife had already moved out. He looked at the paper Char had left him with her new address and decided he'd stop in... just to see how his son was coping is what he told himself, but inside he knew he wanted to see Char again.

He finished his coffee, grabbed a shower, and got dressed. On the way over he ran the whole situation over and over again in his mind. He couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing by letting her move out.

As he pulled into the parking lot the first thing he saw was his wife struggling to break free of Brad's hold on her wrist. Her face was contorted in pain while Brad's showed pure anger.

Connie slammed on the brakes and jumped from his car before Brad realized he was there. Connie grabbed him by the hair and pulled back then pushed him into the roof of a car. His nose squirted blood and his eyes were glazed over as Connie turned him around and pushed his back against the car. His legs were like rubber and slightly separated, a temptation Connie couldn't ignore. He pulled Brad toward him while driving his knee into his groin. There was a blood-curdling yell as his nemesis fell to the pavement.

With the threat neutralized Connie looked at his horrified wife. "Are you okay?" He noticed the side of her face was all red. "Did he hit you?"

"Yeah, I just ran to the store for a minute and he was here when I got back."

"Where's Rich?"

"He's at the neighbors. This morning he found that one of his friends from school lives right across the hall. The parents are very nice. I met the mother once at a school function. She asked if Rich could go over and play with their son so I took the opportunity to quickly run to the store for milk."

"Are you going to charge Brad with assault?"

"That won't get you in trouble, will it?"

"Not at all."

"Then yes. Come on inside, I'll call the cops from the apartment and away from prying eyes." When the cops arrived, they took pictures of the bruises on Char's face and wrist and a warrant was sworn out for Brad's arrest.

When they left, Connie walked across the hall and knocked on the neighbor's door. When they opened it Rich ran to his dad. Connie took his wife's suggestion and invited the couple, along with their son, over for coffee. For a little while, Connie and Charlene forgot about their troubles and had a good time getting acquainted.

Later that week, Mr. Dennison called Connie, told him he had fired Brad, and convinced him not to quit. Charlene was especially happy when she heard the news. When Guy Fromwil, another superstar from the marketing dept heard the European gig was open, he volunteered. As a bachelor, he had no one to answer to but himself. Dennison gladly gave him the position and asked if he'd like an assistant. He knew how much Holly wanted to live in the UK so when asked, she jumped at it.

As for Brad, well he couldn't raise bail. He was in the county jail until his trial at which time he was sentenced to eighteen months in maximum security.

It took almost a year before Dennison was ready to send Connie overseas for the actual commercial shots. He met with Holly and her new fiancee' Guy Fromwil. He was happy to see that she had herself a good man for a change.

He and Char saw each other often because of Richard. As far as he could tell, in all that time she hadn't dated anyone... neither had he.

His second trip abroad came when Rich was out of school for the summer. He asked Char if she could get a week off. He thought a week in Europe would be extremely beneficial to Rich but he'd be busy shooting and needed someone else there to be with him, who better than his mother.

The trip turned out to be the best one yet. It was another year before Connie asked Char to come back. She cried happy tears for two days and never again did she ever consider cheating.

The End.