Shampoo Bottle

Author's Notes

There is nothing new here. We have a cheating wife. But this is not a reconciliation story nor is it really a burn the bitch story; it is just a story of a guy dealing with life. In any case you've been warned.

Have you noticed it is frequently the trivial things upon which life turns? The result of these seemingly trivial events can be positive or negative. We have all heard / read tales of what can happen if you go back home to pick up the forgotten laptop. Of course skipping that second cup of coffee could result in being involved in, or avoiding, an auto accident. Walking into a work meeting at the wrong time can have career altering results. The list is endless.

I want to thank everyone who took time to comment and make suggestions about my first story. (Please keep them coming.) This story is much shorter and is all my own words and ideas. That includes any errors you may find.

And of course, any sex is between consenting adults.

I hope you enjoy this story.

=======================================

Hi, I'm Doug, Doug Waterman. I'm 33 years old. I stand 6'2" and have brown hair and brown eyes. I'm not an athlete but I do keep myself mostly trim. I am the lead IT analyst for a medium-sized electronics company.

My wife, Shirley, is 29 and in my opinion is drop dead gorgeous with blond hair and pale blue eyes. She is 5'6" and trim - we play tennis regularly. Shirley and I have been, I thought, happily married for 4 years. She works for a small insurance broker as a sales support rep for corporate accounts. This means she accompanies a salesman on sales and support calls.

We have talked about having two children and decided the time is right to get started. Shirley went off the pill two months ago and we've been using condoms while the hormones get out of her system.

Recently, Shirley has been working mostly with Jack Simon. Jack has been with the company for about 6 months. I guess Jack is about 6 feet tall with an athletic build. He is the kind of handsome many women find attractive. His dark slicked back hair and tan make me think of an actor whose name I am blanking on right now.

I wasn't happy about Shirley's having to work closely with Jack. I didn't care for him from the first time I met him at a company cookout a couple of months ago. He hardly ever took his eyes off Shirley - sort of creeped me out. I mentioned my concern to Shirley, sparking one of our few arguments. The argument ended with her calling me jealous and insecure and saying Jack was a great guy and good to work with.

==========

It was Thursday morning a small event turned my life upside down. It occurred while I was taking my morning shower.

The shampoo bottle was right side up in its place in the shower caddy. That is, the cap was on top. I always keep it with the cap down so I can get all the shampoo out of the bottle. But there the bottle stood in defiance. Not a big deal but it started a train of thought while I finished my shower.

Shirley hadn't used my shampoo - too rough on her hair - and there was plenty of hers in its bottle. She knew I kept it upside down and why. Even if she had knocked it out of the caddy, she would have put it back upside down.

OK, if I didn't do it and Shirley didn't do it that meant there had been someone else in the house. With that realization came the questions: Who was our guest? Why were they there? And why hadn't Shirley mentioned it? As I sorted through the possible answers, my stomach and chest tightened. I didn't like the answers I was giving myself. Could Shirley be cheating on me?

I hurried out of the shower as quickly as possible but as usual, Shirley had already departed for work. I shrugged my mental shoulders trying to put the mystery to bed, but it wouldn't stay down. My mind was racing, and I started looking for other changes I might have missed.

Shirley usually changes the sheets on the bed every Saturday, but I found a set of sheets in the hamper. She only changed them early if we had messed them up making love. But we hadn't made love this week. So, why would she have changed them early?

Then like a bolt of lightning it hit me - our lovemaking had dropped way off the last month or so. I was shocked to realize our sex life had dwindled from about three times a week to only once a week and she hadn't initiated it at all? Shirley was working on a new project and had been working late a couple of nights a week. I had just attributed the change to being extra tired.

None of these incidents individually justified the suspicion I was beginning to feel.

==========

My mind was occupied looking for clues I had missed. I arrived at work with no memory of how I got there. I was lucky the drive was short and didn't involve much traffic.

It wasn't until I got out of my car that I realized I had left my laptop at home.

I was already running late for a team meeting so the laptop would have to wait until lunch time.

The meeting was a blessing as it kept my mind occupied and not thinking about Shirley and what she might be up to. The morning drug on endlessly and I got absolutely nothing accomplished.

When I got home I was surprised to find Shirley's car in the garage. Briefly I hoped she too had forgotten something but in my heart, I knew better.

Entering the house as quietly as possible, I could hear someone's voice but beyond recognizing it as male, I couldn't make out what was being said.

I followed the sound to the bedroom I shared with Shirley; I could hear the slapping of body against body. I quickly took a peek around the door jamb. My suspicion she was cheating were confirmed.

I saw a naked Jack Simon thrusting into an equally naked Shirley Waterman. She had her ankles locked behind his back pulling him into her. Based on the sweat covering their bodies, they had been going at it for a while.

I did a quick mental check for possible weapons to kill him and probably her too. The best weapon I could come up with was a tennis racket then I realized if I attacked them I might have to spend time in jail and that didn't hold much appeal. What I did was pull my phone out and start recording them on video.

When Shirley had an orgasm, they stopped only long enough to change positions. I expected them to spot the phone peeking into the open doorway, but he just flipped her over, pulled her up on her knees, pushed her head down onto the bed, grabbed her hips, and entered her from behind. This is Shirley's favorite position, and it wasn't long before she was encouraging him to fuck her harder and faster. Shirley collapsed onto bed with another orgasm.

I figured they were through, but Jack said "I haven't cum yet. How about I take your ass like yesterday?"

I was so shocked I almost dropped the phone. She had never even been willing to discuss anal, but it sounded like she had done it with him yesterday.

Shirley replied "Not today, I'm still sore from yesterday. Let's get a shower and I'll finish you off with my mouth. I'll even let you cum down my throat."

"OK. This is so much better than the hotel room isn't it?"

"Umm Hmm" Shirley confirmed.

They were starting to stir so I pulled the phone back but left it recording. They went into the bathroom, and I heard the water start. When I could tell they were both in the shower, I recorded the messed-up bed. I even pulled out Jack's wallet and recorded his driver's license. On a whim I pocketed his driver's license and returned the wallet to his pants.

I left, closing the garage door behind me. I drove a couple of blocks before pulling over to review the video. Watching Jack penetrate my wife from the rear, I realized Jack was not wearing a condom. My chest tightened; a wave of nausea came over me. I opened the door and threw up into the street.

The shock was wearing off, replaced with anger, no RAGE and hopelessness. WHY? For the first time since childhood, I cried. I beat the steering wheel.

Before marrying we had discussed fidelity and had agreed we took the "forsake all others" seriously. Cheating was a no excuse, no hall pass, once and done affair. So, why would she choose to end our marriage?

I got my emotions under control and headed back to work.

==========

When I got back to the office I went straight to Ed Fleming's office.

Ed and I have been friends since grade school. While I chose IT, Ed had pursued a law degree and was the lead corporate lawyer for our company.

I explained to Ed what I had just discovered.

"I can't believe Shirley would do that." Was his response.

"Would you like to see the video proof?" I asked.

"No!" then after a pause "What are you going to do?"

"Divorce. We agreed before we got married that any cheating would be the end of our marriage. Certainly, nothing has happened to change that. I can never trust her again."

"You know I can't represent you since I don't practice family law. I can recommend Karen Rothe. Karen has the reputation of being a real pit bull if things get nasty, but she is picky about who she represents. I think she'd be an excellent choice. Would you like for me to give her a call and see if she can meet you?"

"Yes, that would be great, exactly what I was hoping for."

Ed made the call, and I had an appointment to meet Karen at 3:30 the next afternoon.

"You'll probably need some time off in the next few weeks so it would be a good idea to get John on board now."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"How about I ask John to join us. You can share as much or as little as you want."

I nodded my agreement. Ed picked up his phone and made the call.

"John, I've got Doug in my office. Would it be possible for you to join us?" There was a pause. "No, this is not a corporate issue, it is a personal matter." Another pause. "Thanks, see you in a few minutes."

Turning to me Ed asked if I wanted to get coffee.

John joined us as we returned with coffee. Ed closed the door behind us.

"Good morning Doug. Ed said we have something personal to discuss."

Once again, I unloaded the whole story. Somehow it felt good sharing the misery I felt.

When I was finished, John said "And you're going to need some time off to deal with everything, right?"

"Yep. I've got an appointment with a lawyer tomorrow afternoon, but I don't know when I'll need other time off."

"Take what you need. In fact, why don't you take the rest of the day and Friday off."

"Thanks John but I need to try and work, anything to keep my mind occupied."

"I understand. I don't know if you heard anything about it at the time but two years ago, I went through a similar situation. My wife left me for her younger lover. I was devastated for weeks. Eventually it got better. If you ever need to talk, please give me a call."

John left and I returned to my office to see what I could get done. It wasn't much.

I briefed Janet, my secretary, to let her know why she'd have to juggle my schedule and work on short notice. She expressed her sympathy and assured me she'd be glad to manage whatever came up.

It was almost quitting time when I realized I hadn't picked up my laptop when I was home, so I called it a day and headed home.

==========

The house was empty when I got there. I made a quick check. Yep, the sheets were fresh, and the shampoo bottle was again standing upright. It crossed my mind the shampoo bottle might be Jack's way of telling me he was fucking my wife.

As I changed for the evening, my phone dinged with a text message from Shirley.

Hey hon. I've gotten behind at work and am going to have to work a couple of hours late. You'll have to get your own dinner. Don't worry about me, I'll pick up something to eat here.

I replied.

No problem.

I ordered pizza, heavy on meat with anchovies. Shirley would have turned up her nose at it. As a petty gesture, I put the leftovers in the kitchen garbage.

I had no doubt she was behind at work or that she would be dining with Jack. I realized I didn't really care about that. In fact, whether they would be fucking again really didn't matter. She'd already killed my love for her, my trust in her, and our marriage.

I spent several hours gathering our financial information on our desktop computer and copying it to my work laptop. Technically this was a violation of company policy, but necessity won out.

I transferred the video from my phone to the laptop. Skipping through the transferred file to verify the copy was painful. Again, my chest tightened, and my stomach knotted around the pizza I had eaten for dinner.

I finished the transfers, stowed my laptop in the car so I wouldn't forget it in the morning, and prepared for bed.

Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I went to bed but not to sleep.

Shirley came home sometime later. It was obvious she was trying to be quiet but was being clumsy about it. When she made it to bed, it was obvious she'd been drinking. She was asleep in no time.

==========

I was awake before the alarm Friday morning and was out the door before Shirley stirred.

I stopped to pick up a breakfast sandwich and added three dozen fresh donuts to share with the office.

I had finished the sandwich when my phone rang. Shirley.

"You left your stinky pizza leftovers in the Kitchen! The whole house stinks! I think I may be sick."

I was feeling no sympathy for her, so I had to poke the bear.

"Could it be your hangover causing your stomach issue?"

"What do you mean hangover?"

"When you came in last night you could hardly walk straight and when you got in bed I could smell alcohol on you."

"OK, so Jack and I had a drink after we finished the work last night."

"I'd have guessed more than A drink. What else did you have?"

She hung up on me.

==========

Friday afternoon I was early for my appointment with Ms. Rothe, but her administrative assistant ushered me directly into a conference room. I was hardly seated when an elegant woman I'd guess to be in her mid-40s strode in, introduced herself offering a firm handshake, and asked me to sit down.

"Mr. Waterman" she started "If I remember correctly Ed Fleming said you were seeking a divorce."

I nodded confirmation.

"What are the circumstances?"

I retold my story while she listened intently. When I finished my tale, she asked "And have you ever cheated on your wedding vows?"

"No, never."

"Good. We can proceed. Do you have any children?"

"No, we were just getting ready to start trying."

"Good. That makes things much simpler."

"What do you want out of your divorce?"

"From what I've heard and read, I expect we'll split the saving and checking accounts, keep our own retirement accounts and cars, sell the house, and split the profit, and since our incomes are similar no spousal support. I'd like it all done as quickly as possible."

"That's all reasonable. What are Mrs. Waterman's thoughts on this?"

That caught me off guard. "Um... we haven't discussed it. I doubt she even thinks I know anything."

"Well, there are two thoughts along these lines. One approach is to have her served cold. This can be a wakeup call. The other approach is to talk with her, let her know what you are thinking and planning. There is no best way. And depending on what her true feelings are the end result also varies. Either she'll fight to save the marriage, or she'll thank you and move on."

Ms. Rothe continued "Talking with her might, emphasis on might, help you avoid counseling if you can convince her you are determined to not reconcile."

"I had been thinking of having her served cold at work but maybe the best idea is to talk with her first. I'll do that over the weekend."

"Do you want me to proceed with the preparation of the papers?"

"Oh, yes. Divorce is a given. How soon can they be ready?"

"Based on our discussion, I can have them ready to serve next Friday. I'll need you to let me know where you want them served by Thursday."

"Good. One other question. Can I take legal action against the company they work for since Jack is effectively her boss?"

"I'll have to look into that. If they have rules of conduct they aren't enforcing, we might have a shot. Even if they don't have such a policy they might offer a settlement to avoid publicity. An "alienation of affection" suit against Jack would probably go nowhere and I would recommend against it."

"I'll need to collect a retainer to make my representation official."

I wrote her a check.

Accepting the check she said "This should be obvious, but it never hurts to hear it. NO VIOLENCE! If your discussion with Mrs. Waterman escalates to shouting, I advise you to leave. Do not touch her. If she strikes you, do not reciprocate. If Jack is there or shows up leave immediately. Do not confront him. Go to a friend's home or a motel. Call me immediately and I will apply for a restraining order for both of them. Any questions?"

"No."

"Good. Here is my card with my cell number on the back."

==========

I sat in the car after leaving Ms. Rothe's office trying to decide how I was going to confront Shirley about her cheating. The best plan I could come up with was to have dinner, retire to the den, and charge right in.

I sent Shirley a text message.

Are you going to be working late tonight?

No, in fact I'm ready to walk out now.

OK, if you stop and pick up dinner at Pasta Plus, I'll stop and pick up a bottle of that chianti we like.

That sounds great. See you at home shortly.

I ran by the market and picked up the wine and some cannoli for dessert.

I arrived first and barely had time to push a thumb drive with the video from my phone into the USB port on the DVD player.

I'm sure dinner was delicious, but it was like ash in my mouth. If I hadn't known what was going on I would have been anticipating a night of love with my wife. As it was, I could hardly sit still. I wanted to get it over with, but I didn't want to start.

We retired to the den and Shirley reached for the remote control.

Without Shirley noticing I started the audio recorder on my phone and laid it on the coffee table facing us.

Taking the remote from her hand I started "We need to talk."

I could see guilt on her face. "What about?"

"How long have you been cheating?"

"I don't know what you're talking about I'm not cheating."

"Ok, how long have you and Jack been having sex?"

Her voice was getting loud and shrill. "Jack and I have not had sex?"

"So, you are saying Jack didn't fuck you in our bed yesterday?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying."

I turned on the TV and started playing the video I'd recorded yesterday.

Shirley collapsed into herself and began sobbing.

"It was just the one time. It was just sex, no big deal."

"Sorry, it is a VERY big deal to me! And are you forgetting Wednesday?"

"You were never supposed to find out. I never wanted to hurt you."

"And yet, here we are. I did find out and I AM hurt."

"We can get past this. It will make us a stronger couple."

"No. Just plain no! I cannot just get past this. I cannot trust you again so we will never be a couple again."

"I'll never see Jack again. I'll never cheat again. I love only you.

I retrieved a damp hand towel from the bathroom and offered it to Shirley. "Here, clean yourself up."

I pressed on "How long have you and Jack been having sex?"

"About three months."

"Not that it matters, any other guys?"

"NO, what do you think I am?"

"And anal? Why him and not me?"

"He kept after me to do it and convinced me I would enjoy it. We can do it from now on if you want."

"Now the BIG question: WHY? What made you decide to cheat?"

"I don't know, new experience, adventure, maybe. He is smart I enjoy working with him. We spent a lot of time together. I don't love him. I love you."

I picked up my phone and turned to Shirley. "Just so you aren't surprised, I am filing for a divorce. You might want to go ahead and retain a lawyer. I expect you will be served sometime next week. Tomorrow I'll be looking for an apartment but until I find one I'll be sleeping in the guest room."

I turned and walked upstairs to the guest room. For the first time I locked the door in my own house.

Sometime during the night, I heard Shirley trying the door.

==========

Saturday, Shirley was up before I awakened Saturday morning. I could smell coffee and bacon cooking as I dressed.

As I entered the kitchen, Shirley poured a cup of coffee and handed it to me.

"Sit down" she says to me "You did all the talking last night. You caught me off guard. I demand equal time this morning."

"Ok. Equal time is fair."

Shirley deposited a plate of bacon and pancakes in front of me. It smelled great. I ate; for the first time since Thursday food actually tasted good.

Shirley started. "The most important thing is I love you, only you. Jack was a mistake. He and I have been working together almost full time for the last six months. He's taught me a lot about insurance, its sale, and servicing the account after the sale. He's witty, funny, and a great salesman."

"About three months ago, you may remember, we had a tough sale in Nashville. In the end Jack reeled it in. We went to dinner to celebrate and had a bottle of wine. While we were finishing, a local band started playing in the attached club. Jack suggested a couple of dances would help us relax. We danced for a while, had a few drinks, and ended up in bed together. The next morning, I was in a guilty panic and Jack helped calm me down."

"I knew you'd take one look at me and know the truth. But you didn't. I got away with it. As the guilt faded, excitement built. Jack convinced me I could get away with it again and I did. Each time I pushed the envelope a little further. Finally, you caught me in our bed doing something I hadn't done with you."

"Does this help you understand what was going on?"

"Yes" I said "I believe I understand your motivation to continue the affair. But, unless you are claiming Jack drugged you the first time, this doesn't really help your case. You should never have gone to bed with him the first time."

I finished my coffee and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" she wailed after me.

"Apartment hunting." I responded as I closed the door.

==========

The hunt went well and I found a garage apartment not far from work. It was behind an older house and the rent included electricity, water, and the use of the garage it was over. The apartment was large for a garage apartment.

I spent the rest of the day purchasing what I would need to set up housekeeping. I arranged to have what I couldn't fit in the car delivered Monday. I unloaded my car into the apartment and headed back to the house formerly called home.

As I drove, I realized I had nothing to do on Sunday. I certainly didn't want to be sitting around with Shirley. I called Ed and asked if I could hide out at his house Sunday. He said he'd be glad to have company since his wife Sharon was visiting her mom in Ohio. I asked him not to tell Sharon since she and Shirley were also good friends, and I didn't need Shirley to know where I was.

I stopped at Waffle House for a late-night meal before returning to the house.

Shirley was up, waiting for me. "Where have you been?"

"Not that it is any of your business, but I've been apartment hunting, and I stopped for dinner at Waffle House. Now I'm going to get a shower and go to bed."

I grabbed clothes for tomorrow and got a shower. I couldn't believe it the shampoo was again right side up. Had Jack been here again? They would have had enough time, but they wouldn't have known that. Or had she figured out what tipped me off and was now rattling my chain? Not questions I really cared to have answered.

==========

Sunday I was gone before Shirley was up. I woke Ed when I arrived with coffee and Egg McMuffins. He tried grumbling about the time, but seeing I had food, his heart wasn't in it.

We spent the day watching sports and guy movies.

The only interruption was a call from his wife. Apparently Shirley had called Sharon to ask if I was there. Ed, always the good lawyer, managed to manipulate the conversation to convince Sharon I wasn't there without actually lying to her.

We grilled burgers for dinner, and I hung around until about 10:30.

Shirley was still up, watching television when I came in. I said goodnight as I passed. She ignored me. I recognized the silent treatment.

==========

Monday morning, I was up while Shirley was in the shower. I made coffee, bacon, and eggs for two. I was laying everything on the table as she descended. I greeted her pleasantly. Her silence was deafening.

I didn't understand what she hoped to gain by not talking when all she really wanted was to talk me into not leaving. Then I remembered what Ms. Rothe had said about maybe Shirley wanted out of our marriage.

I decided to break the silence "Look Shirley, I don't know what you hope to gain by giving me the silent treatment. We've already talked about your cheating. Everything is out in the open. The worst of that is over, right?"

She looked at me for the first time this morning, the sadness plain to see in her eyes.

"I'm still hurt and angry about what you've done. Our marriage is over as far as I'm concerned. That can't be a surprise. We talked about the value of fidelity even before I proposed."

Tears were welling in her eyes, and she dabbed them with her napkin. "I love you Doug" she whispered under her breath.

"I love you too. Probably always will for what we have meant to each-other. However, I've learned you're not worthy of my trust. If I accepted your betrayal, I would not be able to look at myself in the mirror. I have too much self-respect for that. Can you even understand that?"

She looked up, anger in her eyes "You're going to let your pride split us up?"

"You're missing the point. Maybe it's a guy thing but I have a set of rules I live by. I honor my commitments. And I expect the same from others. Your cheating broke the most vital commitment we made to each other."

We ate in silence.

==========

Once Shirley left for work, I began loading my car. It didn't take long to load my clothes, shoes, and bathroom supplies (including my shampoo). I made a trip to the apartment, unloaded quickly, and returned to go through the house to make sure I hadn't missed anything and moved the computer.

After loading the computer equipment, I walked through the house picking up a few trinkets and my favorite coffee cup.

I don't know what prompted me to do it - I'd never done it before - but I opened Shirley's drawers in the dresser.

Lifting a sweatshirt and pants, I found lingerie which had obviously been worn but which I had never seen before. Below the lingerie, I found a drawstring bag containing a blindfold, gag, cuffs, an 8-inch vibrating penis, and a flash drive.

On a whim, I pulled the pieces out and arranged them on the bed as if they were being worn / used by an invisible woman. I took pictures of each arrangement and left them on the bed.

I pocketed the flash drive and walked out.

==========

I had finished getting my car unloaded when my new furniture arrived. I had to push things out of the way for the delivery crew to set up my bed, recliner, and sofa.

I was starting to make the bed with my new sheets when my phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize so I answered it.

"Hello."

"Is this Doug?"

"Yes."

"This is Jack. We need to talk."

I saw red. "I don't think we have a thing to say to each other." I hung up.

The phone started ringing almost immediately and I ignored it.

A few minutes later it pinged to indicate a received text message.

The message was from the same number. Out of curiosity, I opened it.

We need to talk before you do something really stupid that gets someone hurt. Call me NOW!

That sounded like either a threat or a warning. I decided I could at least hear him out. I set my phone to record the call and clicked on his number.

"That's better." He started with no preamble.

"What do you want?"

"Look, Shirley and I had some fun. It was no big deal. You need to get over it and take her back."

"Not going to happen!"

"Now look, you could get Shirley fired if this gets out. Then you'd be on the hook for spousal support."

"Seems to me you would probably be fired too."

"And you better not be planning to tell my wife anything about this." He screamed through the phone.

"Ha, I didn't even know you were married. Thanks for that information."

From the inarticulate sounds coming from the phone, I could picture him red-faced and speechless with anger.

Finally, he managed "You know you could have an accident."

"Are you threatening me?"

He hung up.

==========

I pulled Ms. Rothe's card from my wallet and called her office. The receptionist put me right through.

I told her about the conversation I had with Jack and that I had recorded it.

"Did you let Jack know he was being recorded?

"No."

"Well, the recording might be useless but send it to me anyway. I'll get started on restraining orders for him and Shirley."

"He mentioned this could cause Shirley to get fired. Have you had a chance to check out whether the company has a policy against employees have affairs?"

"As a matter of fact, I have, and they do have such a policy. Are you interested in pursuing that angle?"

"Was he right about her getting fired making me liable for support?"

"That may depend on timing. Or we could demand she be retained as part of any settlement. Are you still planning to have her served this week?"

"Yes. I'm thinking at work."

"I'll get it scheduled. Don't forget, send me the recording."

==========

On Friday, Shirley was served at her office. The feedback I got through Ms. Rothe was that Shirley accepted the paperwork with no drama.

I had expected to hear from Shirley, but it didn't happen.

==========

Monday the following week, Ms. Rothe called. Shirley had requested counseling. I could fight it but most likely that would only delay things.

The court appointed Dr. Helen Kelly to conduct eight weekly sessions.

I was in Dr. Kelly's waiting room when Shirley arrived for our first session. After greeting each other we sat in silence like two elementary school students waiting to be called into the principal's office. The discomfort grew as the minutes ticked by.

Finally, the door to the inner sanctum opened to reveal a pleasant looking middle-aged woman. She introduced herself as Dr Kelly, asking us to call her Helen while shaking hands with each of us before ushering us into her office. There was a large desk with a padded chair behind it. In front of the desk there were three chairs arranged in a rough circle. We all sat in the circle.

Dr. Kelly told us about her education, her advanced training in marriage counseling, and her success rate. She went over why we were here and how the process was going to work. Finally, she explained she wanted us to be honest and open but not combative.

Turning to Shirley she started. "Shirley, what would you like to get out of our time together?"

"I want Doug to forgive me for the mistake I made and cancel the divorce. I never meant to hurt him. I just want things between us to go back to like they were before Doug caught me and Jack. It was just sex with Jack, nothing serious. I miss Doug."

I noticed she didn't say she loved me but didn't say anything. Helen's expression made me believe she caught that omission too.

Helen turned to me "And you Doug, what would you like the results of our meetings to be?"

"Primarily, I'm here to satisfy the court's requirement for counseling before granting me a divorce."

Shirley sobbed.

"Is that all?"

"No, I'd like to understand why Shirley cheated in the first place. She's explained why she continued having sex with Jack. But she has never satisfactorily explained what caused the initial failure. I'd like to know if it was partially or all my fault; something I did or didn't do."

"That's a tall order Doug. But that's the direction we need to start. I would like to keep the first session short and send you home with a questionnaire. Think of it as homework. I want you to complete it quickly. I want your first answers. Don't try to over think the questions. I don't want you to share your answers with anyone."

==========

By Tuesday I had finished my homework. It wasn't easy but I followed instructions and had written down my first thoughts.

Wednesday, I was surprised when I got a call from Shirley's phone. Unsure what to expect, I answered.

"You have the flash drive, don't you?"

I could hear panic in her voice.

"What are you talking about? What flash drive?"

"The one you took from my bag of goodies. When you arranged my lingerie on the bed."

"Yes, I have it."

"Have you looked at it?"

"No, I had forgotten all about it."

"Promise me you'll never look at the contents. Promise you'll destroy it without looking at it. PLEASE! Do this for me."

"Now you've piqued my curiosity. What's on the drive?"

"Please don't ask me. I don't want you to know and you don't want to know either."

"You're going to have to be more specific."

Shirley paused and when she resumed she sounded like she might be crying.

"They are pictures and videos of me having sex."

"I've seen you and Jack having sex. Remember, I recorded you having sex with Jack. What's so special about these pictures and videos?

"It's not just Jack."

That caught me off guard. My anger flared like it had that day.

"What?" I shouted. Then with my anger better under control "You said Jack was the only person you cheated with."

"You didn't expect me to admit to being a slut party girl for Jack, did you?"

"Party girl? Are you saying you've been entertaining your company's customers and prospective customers?"

I could hear sobbing now. It took Shirley a long time to continue.

"Yes, that's part of why Jack and I are such a successful team."

"What all did you do?"

"Blow jobs, full on sex, gang bangs, and double penetration."

"I thought you said you only started having anal that week and only with Jack."

"I did. Double penetration means one in my pussy and one in my mouth or two in my pussy at the same time."

"And all of this was photographed or recorded?"

Shirley's "yes" was whispered. More strongly she continued "Please promise you'll destroy the flash drive."

"I promise I will destroy the flash drive."

"And that you won't look at the contents."

"I promise I will not look at any of the content before I destroy the drive."

"Thank you Doug."

==========

Shirley was a no-show for our next counseling session.

I tried calling Shirley, but the call went straight to voice mail.

I contacted Ms. Rothe to report Shirley's absence. She called Shirley's lawyer to let him know Shirley was in violation of the court order.

Shirley's lawyer, Brad Hamilton, reported back that he was unable to contact Shirley and that she had been absent from work the last three days.

When Shirley missed a second and third session it occurred to me to try calling Jack. The number I had for him went straight to voice mail and when I tried contacting him at the agency, I was informed he no longer worked there. I reported this to Ms. Rothe.

The judge summoned us all to appear. Mr. Hamilton was at a loss to explain his client's absence.

Ms. Rothe surprised me by asking the judge to go ahead and rule on my divorce petition. She pointed out that by failing to attend the mandated counseling Shirley had abandoned her desire to work things out and preserve our marriage. She also pointed out it appeared the Shirley and Jack had fled at the same time and presumably together.

The judge must have been moved by the argument. He pronounced the divorce granted and banged his gavel.

Outside the courtroom I asked Ms. Rothe what that meant.

She replied "You are a divorcee. We'll have to turn over Shirley's part of the settlement to Mr. Hamilton to hold for her. If she doesn't claim it in a year you can petition the court to turn it back over to you."

She turned away then turned back. "Could you stop by my office next Wednesday about 10:00? I need to discuss Shirley's company's proposed settlement."

"Thanks. Yes, I'll be there."

==========

Wednesday morning, I was again seated in Ms. Rothe's office.

She was shuffling through a packet of papers. She selected one page and pushed it across the table for me to examine.

"The bottom line is they are offering you $100,000 to sign a non-disclosure agreement and to forget everything you know about them and Jack."

"That may be a bit low."

"No, you can't expect to get rich off their failure to enforce their policies."

"That I understand. However in the last conversation I had with Shirley, she admitted Jack had used her as a 'party girl' to sweeten the deal with customers. If they were aware or involved, I suspect the offer would be larger. What do you think?"

"If there was a way to prove it, beyond your word that your wife told you, yes your silence could demand a much higher amount. But without corroboration you're not going to get much more. And you could be sued for defamation."

"I have a flash drive. I found it in Shirley's things when I was packing to move out. Shirley told me it has pictures and video of her having sex with multiple men. She said Jack talked her into offering herself to improve their sales. I have no idea who might be in the pictures and videos but from her description I suspect the men are customers."

I paused to let that sink in then continued "The wrinkle is I promised to destroy the flash drive and to not look at the content before I destroyed it. Is there any way we can use the existence of the flash drive to encourage them to sweeten the offer without violating my promise, which I won't do."

"It might be possible. What about this? Without looking at the content you copy the flash drive then destroy the original. That way, you've kept your promise. Then you give me the copy."

"Yes, I suppose I can live with that."

"I'll let them know we have a flash drive your ex-wife said has pictures and videos supporting your claims of impropriety with Jack and customers. I can assure them we have no reason to look at the contents unless your lawsuit actually goes to trial."

"Do you think that will work?"

"I do. You'll accept a $750,000 offer for not disclosing their violation of policy and turn the flash drive over to them so they can clean house as appropriate."

==========

I purchased a couple of matching flash drives on the way home.

It was little trouble to clone the drive twice.

I destroyed the original by beating it to dust with a sledgehammer on my garage floor. I hadn't looked at the content, yet. My promise to Shirley was complete.

The first clone I delivered to Ms. Rothe.

The second clone I filed away.

==========

Four months later

Ms. Rothe's prediction was correct. Shirley's company raised the settlement offer to $600,000. I signed the non-disclosure agreement and turned the flash drive Ms. Rothe had been holding over to them. I was left with a handsome chunk of money after settling with Ms. Rothe.

==========

Even later

Early one Saturday morning there was a knock on my door. I opened it to find two gentlemen displaying police badges. They introduced themselves as detectives and asked if they could come in.

I showed them to the couch and offered them coffee and a sweet roll. They accepted the coffee but not the pastry. I settled into my recliner, pulling it around to face them better.

The older detective started "We've found your ex-wife."

I'm sure my face betrayed the shock I felt at that statement.

"Oh, I didn't know anyone was looking for her. I certainly am not. So where is she?"

"I should say we found her body."

Another surprise

"She's dead then? What happened?"

"Yes, she's dead. She was murdered."

It took a while with them doling out information in drops for the full story to come out. The story is she and Jack were found murdered in an abandoned house along the South Carolina coast. The badly decomposed bodies had been discovered by some kids looking for a place to have some time away from prying eyes. The estimated date of death pretty much coincided with their disappearance from here. The kicker was Shirley was pregnant when she was killed.

I asked if I was a suspect. The detectives exchanged glances then shook their heads. "No, you're clear. But do you know anything about Jack's wife?"

"No, I hardly knew he was married."

"That's not surprising. She lives in Pennsylvania - we don't think she ever visited him here. Her family is believed to be 'connected' if know what I mean. The current theory is she found out he was having an affair with your wife and her family had them killed. We'll never be able to prove it so it will stay an open case forever."

With that, the detectives excused themselves and I washed their coffee cups.

==========

I contacted Ms. Rothe to let her know Shirley was dead and she said she'd get started on the paperwork to recover the funds being held for Shirley.

==========

I have started dating. No one special yet. Tennis, bicycle riding, and hiking with female companions is an enjoyable way to spend days and sometimes intimate evenings, nights, and breakfasts.

Do I miss Shirley, certainly at times and in various ways. The pain has faded quickly, and I look forward to finding another woman to commit the rest of my life to.

I still have the clone of the flash drive and so far, I haven't opened any of the files.

Every morning, I check my trusty shampoo bottle. So far, it has stayed upside down.