Customize Your Marriage Revised 02

Author's Notes:

Yet again, I'm getting rid of Ed's POV in this version. The hope is to tell the same story that I originally wanted to, but hopefully better. Ed is not a good person, and I did not enjoy writing him. I originally thought he was needed as a POV, but obviously, I changed my mind and think he is better as a non-POV character.

Just noting again, in case you read the original version, Lawrence has been renamed to Philip.

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Pt 1 Trigger Recap

For those who did not read past the trigger warning in part 1. Lauren receives a call from a very distraught Tina. The hospital determined that Tina was roofied but not physically sexually assaulted. To Lauren, this means she broke her promise to protect Tina, and she vows never again. Yes, I condensed 3k words down to this; it feels bad.

Lauren's POV - Several Months Prior to End of Pt. 1

"Fuck Scott. Yeah, right there, keep it right there. Unnnhhh." I was on my hands and knees on our bed. Scott was behind me kissing my back, one hand playing with my ass, and alternately rubbing a bullet vibrator on my nipples and pussy. Right now, he was cupping my right breast and circling the vibrator towards my nipple.

Men being obsessed with my boobs was nothing new. I was an e-cup, and that drew attention. More than a few had tried to get in my pants purely because of my big tits. It was usually pretty obvious when someone spent 90% of their time talking to my chest; that was all they cared about. Doggystyle sex was a popular request because it made the girls look even bigger and let whoever was behind me play with them to their heart's content. I was fine with that if that someone knew how to make it good for me and not just for them. Scott certainly knew how to make it good for me even before we figured out the special things each of us liked.

He switched the vibrator to my left breast and began the process again, circling closer and closer to the nipple. He kissed up my back until he was kissing across my shoulders. Then, as he finally brought the vibrator to my nipple, he began kissing hard at the base of my neck. I was gasping and pushing back against him. Trying to rub my sex against him anywhere that would give me friction.

"I love when you moan so fucking sexy", Scott purred in my ear. His lips moved up my neck to my ear as his free hand gently clasped my neck from the front. I brought a hand up to my now unattended breast and began squeezing it. Then I turned my head so he could kiss my jawline and up to my mouth.

We began dueling with our tongues and I felt him push in tight against me, forcing his cock between my cheeks and rubbing it back and forth. I flexed my ass around him and felt him moan into my mouth. His hand with the vibrator had stopped as he focused on our kiss and the feel of me around his cock.

I grabbed his hand and began moving the vibrator down my body towards my clit. He clued in quickly and began teasing it back and forth just barely not touching my clit. I tried to move it where I wanted it directly above my clit, but he resisted and I wasn't trying too hard.

"Fuck. Fuck. Enough teasing." I pulled away from the kiss and put my face down on the pillow. I moved forward and raised my ass up higher to trap his cock between my thighs. Then settled back down, rocking gently back and forth. "Just fuck me honey."

He kept up with my rocking for a moment before I felt him push the vibrator fully into my hand, and then he grabbed my hips. I felt him lining me up so that my next rock back pushed him inside me. After nearly 45 minutes of foreplay my pussy was soaked, his cock was ready to burst, and it felt so good to finally be connected.

Long steady strokes all the way to the hilt slowly gave way to faster and harder fucking. "Yes. Yes. Oh yes. Fuck Scott." I started chanting, interspersed with moans and grunts. I moved the vibrator down to my clit. Pushing hard for a moment before easing up. The buzz from the vibrator and the feel of Scott in me were pushing me quickly to climax. My rubbing got frantic and uneven the closer I got. I could feel him pulling me back into each of his thrusts. The sound of skin slapping skin, grunts and moans, and Scott's heavy breathing each got louder.

"Oh yeah. That's it. Fuck I love you Lauren! Cum for me. Fuck I'm cumming!"

I felt Scott's warm cum inside me as he shouted at me to cum. I had already cum just before him, so it wasn't a mutual climax but damn it was good. Scott kept pushing back and forth inside me, but slower and slower. Finally, he lay on my back and just hugged me.

"I love you, Lauren", he said again.

We both rolled over and cuddled up against each other in the bed. It had become a ritual before he left town for work. Hard fast fuck after lots of foreplay, cuddling and pillow talk, then slow and sensual love. Anyone who said married life was boring didn't put enough effort into it.

We lay together, just enjoying each other's closeness for several minutes. Then I felt Scott tense up and sigh.

"What's up?" I asked while tracing patterns on his chest.

"Just thinking about this trip."

"What about it? That didn't feel like a nothing sigh."

"Do you ever wonder if I would cheat on you?"

I sat upright slowly and stared at Scott. "What the hell?"

"I drew rookie babysitting duty. Two of them. Katrina and Dan. Both new and I don't think either is going to be around after this trip unless they make some serious changes. Not to mention, they don't get along at all, so yay me for babysitting them.

"Alright. Well that sucks, but seriously, what the hell was up with the cheating question? No, I never for a second wonder if you have, will, or are cheating. The answer is you wouldn't. Now if you would like to keep your dick intact, start explaining quickly." I was holding back anger for the moment, assuming there was a reason for this. But that was going to last seconds if he didn't start talking quickly and it wouldn't stop with losing his dick.

Scott looked down at me for a moment before answering. Then he slowly said, "Katrina is telling everyone how excited she is to be able to take a break from her boyfriend. Saying anything that happens while traveling doesn't count. Dan is getting in everyone's face about making sure they don't go after his girl while he's gone. Not sure what's up with that since I don't think anyone has even met her. He got up in my face too until I reminded him I'm going to be with him.

"Ok that's messed up bullshit," I said slowly, wondering if that was all.

"I know. Honestly, if either keeps it up this whole trip, I'm going to bring them up to HR. No one wants to work with Dan after he gets up in their face with his bullshit, not to mention they don't trust him if he's pulling that crap. Katrina has all but told both Dan and me she's willing to sleep with either of us on this trip. Which fine people want to hook up, cool, but it is still a working trip, and if all she is focused on is hook-ups, that isn't going to work out."

Wow. Not what I was expecting tonight. I suppose this is where a lot of people start worrying or wanting to know every single detail. What exactly did Katrina say, how did she say it, how long has she been saying this, and of course, the all-important question is, Scott attracted to her?

This conversation was anything except sexy, but I straddled Scott and pushed my sex against his cock. I started gently moving up and down, caressing him with my lower lips. I wanted some intimacy for what I said next. Also, I was still horny. "Scott", I said as I gently put my hand on his cheek and turned him to look straight into my eyes.

"I never for a moment worry if you will cheat on me in any way. That's just not something the man I married is capable of." I started pushing down a little harder as I felt Scott starting to stiffen against me. "I hope you feel the same about me, but just in case there is any doubt. I love you and only you. I meant every word of our vows to each and nothing is ever going to change that. I gave myself fully to you, and you gave yourself fully to me."

Scott was staring at me with a small grin. "Katrina would say it's not breaking our vows."

"Fuck that bitch", I whispered as I was getting myself worked up as well. I didn't normally call people bitches, but sometimes it's deserved. My excitement was plenty to keep everything sliding and feeling oh so good. I started running my hands across my stomach and thighs, trying to put on a bit of a show for Scott. Fuck this was weird to try and be sexy while talking about this awful subject.

"Is that an order?" Scott was keeping his voice too calm for how excited and hard I could feel he was. He was playing devil's advocate just to see what I would do.

I moved my hand down and grabbed Scott's now fully hard length. I positioned him between my legs and sat down. I finally got a small, breathless gasp, and it made me grin somewhat maliciously. I appreciated breaking his self-control, even just a little. Then I started squeezing rhythmically on his cock while staying fully still. I loved feeling him inside and knowing I was doing all the work to make him crazy with lust.

I started squeezing again. Scott finally got involved, bringing his hands to my ass he began rubbing and squeezing it. Then, every so often, pulling me forward and back. Just small movements and not constant. We were both just enjoying being together, even while having this stupid conversation.

"You didn't answer my question." Scott's voice was definitely wavering more than a little in his attempt to keep his tone bland and level. Good.

I leaned down and began rubbing my breasts across his chest while still squeezing him. I brought my head close to his. "No. The only person you get to fuck for the rest of your life is me."

I gently bit his lip. "I'm always yours, Scott, and only yours. Now stop talking about another woman while you're inside your sexy wife and fuck me." I grinned as he wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me into a kiss. Fuck Katrina, fuck Dan, and fuck everyone else who cheats was my last thought before I settled into Scott's embrace.

Lauren - Current Day

Sadly, it was Ed's first day at Durand Associates, the much-anticipated first day, I supposed. People were already lining up to kiss his ass as the CEO's nephew, though I'd like to think it was fewer people after some of them met him last week at the party. Philip had told me that I would be working closely with Ed. Which was a stupid thing to tell me, as I did Philip's job.

In executive meetings, I both drafted the agenda and ran the meeting. Philip was rarely in attendance. I would take notes on everything, send it to Philip occasionally with comments, and then, when he deigned to respond, I would send out whatever his decisions were.

Philip rarely took phone calls or met with anyone directly. It all went through me. Lydia, the new COO and former director of legal, whose position Ed would be filling one-half of, had told me it wasn't like this at the start. She had been with Philip almost from the start and told me all about the mountains of work he used to do. Now he was phoning it in, literally. I liked the guy, but I didn't have to love everything about him. For instance, this stupid situation he had set up for Ed.

Prior to Lydia's promotion, she had been the only legal director. Given that Durand was basically a very specialized legal firm, that meant she was involved in everything. Huge responsibility, huge paycheck, and huge amount of power, second only to Philip. Problem was that the firm was expanding and had split into two separate firms so that we could expand our international side without running into as many pesky Department of Defense rules on our current contracts. So now the domestic side of the firm had a legal director, and the international side had a separate legal director, Ed.

Philip had introduced Ed as the new Director of Legal. Everyone at the party congratulated him on it. Some people assumed that Philip was being forgetful or trying to keep things short by not saying Director of Legal International. They were wrong. Others thought that maybe Philip was consolidating the position again or that there would be a single director above domestic and international who then reported to Lydia. Yep, they were also wrong.

Philip intentionally never said the correct title. It had been in the contract that Ed signed. I knew because I had been the intermediary between Philip and Ed as they both sent numerous revisions and counter-revisions to each other. Fucking lawyers arguing over the placement of prepositions.

Philip told me that Ed had always been brilliant, even as a child. But he made snap judgments immediately on what was worthy of his time and what wasn't. If it was deemed unimportant, he never looked back. That the contract said international and clearly spelled out his responsibilities on the newly split side of the company, but Philip did not say it verbally; was a test.

Judging from the shouting I heard coming closer, I didn't think Ed would see it that way.

"Philip", Ed roared as he slammed open the outer office doors.

"Get your fucking useless ass out here or I will walk away right now and sue you for every penny of this piece of shit company", Ed continued to shout.

Part of me wanted to keep watching the meltdown. It was entertaining to see a 40-year-old man, dressed in a well-tailored charcoal suit, with spittle flying from his mouth, in an absolute rage. Only because it was his fault for not reading his contract. It was also embarrassing, unprofessional, and was giving me a headache. I got headaches a lot lately.

"Sit down and stop shouting", I said with steel in my voice. He seemed to realize I was there for the first time. I cut him off as he started to open his mouth again.

"Philip is at lunch with Marianne", I continued in the same tone. "He will be back in 15 minutes, but until then, all your shouting is wasted. Everyone in this office heard every threat and profanity in your junior-high-worthy rant. I thought lawyers knew about discretion."

I had, unfortunately, prepared for this moment, and I threw a folder at him that contained the final contract he had signed. I had highlighted the position title, Director of Legal, International. "Something to pass the time while you wait," I said, trying to keep my tone bland. Inside I was certainly enjoying payback for him saying my husband smelled like shit.

To his credit, Ed did catch and look at the folder, then his face got cruel. "You fucking bitch", Ed spat. "You think because you fucked Philip and every other half-witted bastard here with a title that you can speak to me? Does spreading your legs mean you have any useful knowledge or skills? Your only worth is on your back letti-"

I punched him. Sure, ladies are supposed to slap, right? I knew my worth and could back it up physically in a fight. I worked out in a gym three days a week. Ran every morning. Had been taking Jiu-Jitsu classes since I was twelve. But sometimes the best answer to a problem is a solid stance and putting everything you have into the best damn haymaker you can throw.

Ed dropped to the floor right as Philip came in.

"Well, Scott is going to kill me. I didn't get that on video", was all Philip said.

Philip's POV

Edward was still screaming. I had known this was coming, of course. After all, I planned it from the start. The kid never changed. It had all been in the damn contract, but he skipped over it because his mind decided it was unimportant. That he got this far as a lawyer was astonishing to me. How the hell is any part of a contract not important?

We live, breathe, and die by contracts. Just because a section may not be interesting doesn't mean that it isn't important. At the very least, you have to read and understand it to make sure that it won't trip you up somewhere else. But Ed never changed.

"Five thousand", I said.

Ed stopped mid-rant. He had been pacing my office, shouting for the last 30 minutes. I had told Lauren to leave for the day, so with my door and the outer doors closed no one else could hear him. That was my burden.

"Five thousand dollars, you agree not to press charges against Lauren, and I don't tell Marianne the absolutely disgusting things you said to one of her favorite people." I finished my thought.

"I'm talking about taking your entire company from you and you want to talk about a secretary bitch?"

"Yes, Ed, I want to deal with everything today. I thought that stopping a battery charge was the easiest issue to resolve first. I think five thousand dollars is more than reasonable for any medical concerns as well as restitution."

Ed got a very evil grin on his face. "How about we resolve how you are going to keep your company?"

His list of demands was not short to begin with, and for every one that I offered a concession he took that as an opportunity to add more or revisit others previously resolved. I wasn't surprised that he approached negotiations with a zero-sum-game mindset. He approached life the same way.

The first demand was that he be the only legal director, the same position Lydia had held or higher. Probably two hours was spent discussing why that could not happen. Though we kept everything in the same building, technically, everyone on the international side was now an employee of a different company. Durand Associates was the parent company, with Durand Associates International and Durand Associates U. S. as two separate wholly-owned legal entities. The whole thing got complicated because internally, we still pretended everyone was one happy family.

The point of the split, though, was that it gave us a little more leeway in what we could do without violating DOD contracts. Sure, the U. S. side was larger and more established, but that was partially because international had been hamstrung for years. With the split, we expected international would be a huge growth market and Ed would be one of the chief beneficiaries of that. Stupid kid just had to not fuck-up and let his teams do their job. Then, each year, he could take credit and get praise from the board for the massive growth of his division. That should have been obvious, but I still had to spell it out as he was sure there was a trap there for him.

The salary increase, allowance for personal expenses, a car, that was easy stuff, but after he got that I had to increase the payment for him not to press charges against Lauren. I was half-way tempted to let him. Charges meant he couldn't pretend it didn't happen, and while I had only heard the tail-end of what he said, any of it would have Marianne on the war path. He listened to her, and she would likely force him to drop it and apologize.

The final sticking point came about because he wanted a written succession plan. Today. Never mind that anything I wrote wasn't binding because the board could do what it wanted. He wanted a binding agreement that spelled out how and when he would become CEO. No amount of arguing could convince him otherwise. No talk of how I had to get board approval and the board would not approve anything for someone who just joined could dissuade him. I kept to myself that if I strong-armed the board enough, I could probably get a sign-off on a highly conditional letter of intent type nonsense. He was absolutely convinced that if he didn't get this, he would walk away, sue me, and somehow destroy the company.

I finally cheated. I told the truth. Marianne wanted him here, and for that, I knew I had to offer him the CEO position. He would be CEO, assuming he didn't fuck it up, but there wasn't going to be anything in writing yet. I had promised Marianne I would retire and make Ed CEO. He knew as soon as I told him that I had given up any negotiating position I had. Thankfully, he was at least smart enough to also know that arguing was done and it would happen, eventually.

Marianne's POV

"I hear Lauren punched Eddy at work today", I said off-handedly. Outwardly, I continued eating as if I had mentioned the color of the sky. Appearances are deceiving. I was watching Philip's every move. Him almost spitting up his iced tea that he was drinking required no such careful scrutiny.

"Ahh, umm", Philip tried to stall after getting himself under control. "I can't say much. What did you hear?"

"Lauren contacted me right after our lunch", I said, again affecting nonchalance. "She said that he insulted her, and she was not sorry for punching him, but she wanted to tell me herself that it happened."

Philip had found his lawyer persona and his face was blank in that way you knew was forced. "I can't say anything about it. I know it happened, but Lauren will not face charges", he said, speaking slowly. "Ed and I spoke about it."

Lawyers think that carefully measured words are their best defense. They spend so much time considering what is said or written that they often do not consider how the unspoken words indict them. The cover-up gives away far more than their words do.

So my husband witnessed Lauren assault Eddy, felt Eddy was in the wrong, and paid him off to prevent Lauren from getting in trouble. Based on his attempt to provide little information, there was also likely an agreement not to inform me of the events. It was not hard to deduce this also led to a prolonged discussion regarding Eddy's place at Durand and his succession as CEO.

"Thank you, dear", I said, injecting a hint of warmth into my voice. I knew my boys, husband and child both. Whatever pretenses they pretended to for the benefit of others, I was very much aware of exactly who each of them was at their core.

Lauren's POV

"Durand Associates, Philip Muller's office", I said, answering the phone on my desk.

"Hey, honey, it's Scott. I've got my dad here as well before you say something dirty."

I chuckled. Scott was always trying to convince his family I had just as dirty a mind as he did. To this day, his parents and siblings all believed I was an angel who could do no such thing. It was entertaining to know they thought I was the perfect wife.

"Look, I know after all the hoops you jumped through to stay out of the bidding process I promised I wouldn't do this, but well... take it away, Dad."

Scott's dad, Robert, ran a security firm. Background checks and stuff, sure, but more in-person work. They did some onsite security, though mostly they would find and vet contractors to sub that work out to. The main thing was executive security. Guess there were a few too many executives who went out into the wide world and quickly found themselves scammed or robbed. Robert joked they were muscley babysitters for rich idiots.

Last year Durand had decided that it would be useful to have a vendor essentially on retainer rather than bidding for each project. With the growth of the international side of the business it was becoming too much hassle and too slow to arrange for each individual trip. Telling lawyers to blend in and not look like they have money was about as useful as putting your hand in a fire and hoping you didn't get burned. So we put out requests for bids, with Robert's firm as a top contender. The only problem was that Scott worked for his dad as both something of a higher up manager and actual bodyguard, and that gave the process the appearance of bias. So the whole thing had been blind proposals, multiple layers of reviews, sooo much shit just to ensure no one could say Philip favored me. Robert got the contract so it worked out, but Scott and I had agreed there had to be rules. Apparently, he was breaking one.

"Lauren, I'm sorry to do this to you. But we just got a new contract sent over from Durand, email from some Edward. Says we have to sign before we can do any more business, and I've got three separate engagements with you folks in just the next month." Robert's voice was rougher than usual and I could tell my father-in-law was pissed.

"Thing is, this would put us out of business. I'm not going to bother with specifics but this is a load of horse shit. It's a huge amount of work just to meet the new requirements, massive cash outlays for every trip, and that's not even mentioning the ridiculous damages we would owe Durand if anyone even looked at one of your employees in a way they didn't like." Robert was getting worked up now, so I decided to head it off.

"So why call me?" I asked. "You know I can't change the contract, and Scott promised never to do this." Inside, I was more mad at Edward, but I felt Scott should have known better than to call.

"We called Ed, he said sign it or they would find someone else and then hung up." Scott had jumped in for his dad, probably to try and calm things down. "I know you can't change this, but can we chat with Philip? It's that, or we have to walk."

"Email him the contract, and I'll have him call you in 45 minutes when he's free. But no paper trail that you called me. Ed gives me enough headaches as is." I hung up the phone before they could respond. Dude had been here two weeks and was already redoing vendor contracts? Fucks sake. I hoped he tried to change the facilities contract next. They were mean when negotiating and perfectly happy to literally play dirty.

Scott's POV

"... andddddd the puck is dropped. Útlaga takes it straight away; Finley never had a chance. She's driving for the net, wide open, Finley nowhere near her. She takes theeee... NOOOO! She is down from a well-placed couch cushion thrown by Finley. The crowd is loving it!" I was screaming into a screwdriver doing my best sports announcer voice.

"Útlaga is up, and what is she doing???? The puck is that way, Útlaga! Ohh, they're in it now. Útlaga tackles Finley hard below the belt."

Tina was at our house like she had been just about every night for the past three months. Lauren had asked if I wanted to go out tonight as a last date type of thing before I left in the morning for two weeks, as had become a tradition of ours. Anytime we, well I, had to leave for work we would go find something new and often stupid to do. Karaoke (which we both sucked at), slack-line volleyball (everyone at the park thought we were morons but it was a made up game who cares), rock climbing (free excuse to stare at your partner's ass), and more. The only rule was that it had to be fun for both of us. Of course no judgment if someone was bad at something but all of the good-natured shit giving.

We hadn't previously included anyone else in these nights. It was something for Lauren and me to do together as husband and wife. But more than the lovey-dating aspects, it was making sure we were still best friends. We both firmly believed that love was great, but you needed to like and enjoy being friends with your spouse. And if that meant going to a local erotic bingo night, then so be it. But this time, I didn't want to exclude Tina.

Tina was getting better. She was seeing a therapist who specialized in helping victims of sexual assault, as well as leading a support group. Then, she was also seeing a second more generalist therapist on the first's recommendation to help with confidence and life issues. Sadly, I still saw the pain in her eyes. The knowledge that all control had been taken from her once. The fear of it happening again. One fucking night and now everyday was a struggle for her to not view everyone as the next person to absolutely destroy her trust.

Still, the therapists were helping I thought. Lauren was also extremely protective of Tina. She asked the hospital counselor how she could help and did everything they told her. Then, she went online to read and learn more about common issues that victims encountered and how others could support them. I had come home from work multiple times to memos drafted by Lauren explaining her latest research and what I should do to help Tina. The biggest thing was making sure she knew there were people who loved her, were there for her, and respected her boundaries.

So here we were. I had asked for a new way to eat steak as my leaving activity. That meant that we could easily invite Tina over rather than ask her to go out, which she was still often uncomfortable with. Tina and Lauren had come up with the idea to try Beef Wellington and spent a large chunk of the afternoon making it for me. I wasn't completely sold on it as a replacement for an old fashioned medium rare T-Bone, but damn it was good.

Doing dishes had led to Tina spraying me with water in retaliation for disagreeing with her on the best rock bands. Then somehow we ended up... here? Pillows, blankets, and couch cushions are scattered around the kitchen and front room. A tennis ball serving as a hockey puck. Two very old Hershey's chocolate kiss-filled candy canes as hockey sticks. Tina and Lauren duking it out, restricted to hands and knees to move, in a best of three match-up while I narrated in a terrible impression of a hockey announcer, who had obviously never watched hockey.

Having never set any actual rules, besides the goals were a 5-gallon bucket and a random cardboard box from Amazon, Tina had tried to prevent Lauren from winning by throwing a couch cushion at her back. The cushion knocked Lauren on her side and made her shot go wide. Before Tina was able to retrieve the ball Lauren had tackled her into a blanket that marked out of bounds. I could tell Lauren was going easy on Tina. My wife had height, weight, and martial arts training against Tina's cuteness.

"And there's a flag on the play. Fucking finally. Unsportsmanlike conduct", I shouted into my screwdriver.

"Scott, that's football", Tina gasped out. I had made the call when I saw that my wife was no longer content to fake wrestle and instead was starting to tickle Tina. None of us were fully sober. I couldn't be blamed for getting my sports mixed up, especially when I didn't actually know anything about hockey.

"The ref is on the field to break up the fight. What is he doing??? Oh my god, he's going for a body slam!" I ditched the screwdriver- safety first, after all and began a slow-motion jump like I was going to body slam them both.

Both Lauren and Tina were laughing and screaming at me to stop. Lauren grabbed a pillow as a shield and that gave me permission to actually jump on them, gently. Also almost entirely on Lauren rather than Tina.

Tina's POV

I was laughing so hard that I started snorting. I hated it when I did that. My mom had lectured me countless times about how unladylike it was. How boys didn't want to date a pig. Geez, mom, not like it's something I do intentionally. Most times now I could stop it if I tried. Lauren and Scott were the only two people I didn't try and stop it around.

I had been drunk, well tipsy, one night out at a bar with them. It was a trivia night and two other couples had paired with us on a team. They had just finished reading a question, and my intoxicated brain thought something was hilarious so I was laughing. A very long, loud snort came out before I could stop it. Perfectly ill-timed that there was no other sound and everyone heard it. I immediately felt my face burning and I just knew that everyone was watching. I tried to hide my face in my hair and hands, waiting for the inevitable insults and "we were just teasing" comments. Scott didn't even blink before standing up and doing a Tarzan yell while beating his chest. It made no sense, but I knew he did it so no one was looking at me. The bartender must have thought we were totally drunk as he asked us to leave after that.

We spent the walk home each doing our own Tarzan impressions. When we got to their house they asked if I wanted to do a trivia night just with them. We agreed to each come up with five trivia questions for the others. When it was your turn to ask a question, the other two would compete to see who buzzed in first by grabbing an old stuffed dinosaur they had lying around and then giving the correct answer. Lauren asked her questions first. Her "trivia" was answering true/false questions about embarrassing things she had done and things she disliked about herself. Then Scott did the same. We got through three of his five questions before it dissolved into a laughing mess. They never mentioned the snorting, and I stopped trying to control it around them.

Lauren and I had been wrestling, and then Scott jumped on us. I remembered that night three months ago when Scott tried to touch me and I recoiled. It was one of the things that really stood out, and I had examined it countless times. I knew Scott would never hurt me. Anytime I was out with "SnL", my name for them in my head, which I would take to my grave, he was always ready to protect me. I didn't even think it was a conscious thought, he just did it. Not in a smothering sexist way either; it felt real.

Now, lying squished under Lauren, with Scott doing his awful announcer voice, it felt safe. Lauren was cussing Scott out for how heavy he was. Any seriousness was dispelled by her non-stop laughter and the fact that I had seen her practice Jiu Jitsu. She was a badass! Scott had some advantages in reach and weight, but it was still a fairly even match between them. Lauren's Jiu Jitsu versus Scott's military and wrestling skills. If she was really pissed Scott would have been thrown into the wall long ago.

I felt a tear run down my cheek. Within moments, it was a flood, and suddenly I was ugly crying.

"Tina", the laughter was gone from Lauren's voice.

"Get off you fucking oaf", Lauren half-shouted at Scott. I didn't see what she did, but Scott was suddenly rolled off us and Lauren was unburying me from the pile of cushions and pillows.

"I... I'm fine. I don't, I don't know why I'm crying", I was bawling for a reason I still couldn't figure out. I felt Lauren's arms wrap around me from behind, and she pulled me into a sitting hug.

I had more hugs, more soothing head rubs, and calming herbal teas in the last three months than in the thirty years before. It was nice, and I hated every minute of it. I was a thirty-year-old woman with a PhD for God's sake. I shouldn't need to be held like a newborn babe all the time to stop my tears. Yet here I was ruining "SnL's" last night together. I tried to get words out to tell them I was fine. I was happy. We all were happy. One big pile of happy on the floor. Neither of them believed me; it might have had something to do with me still sobbing.

Lauren kept hugging me and rubbing my arms. Scott was on my other side, he had actually pulled the couch to us for a backrest rather than moving us to it. I wasn't sure how long we stayed like that just listening to me sob.

"I guess I got so happy that it made me sad", I finally said, trying to lighten the mood. Lauren, though younger than me, gave me her motherly disapproval look. I quickly looked away. I didn't want her to see I had actually figured out why I was crying.

I wanted what they had. I wanted my "Scott" or a "Lauren" for myself. Someone I always felt safe with and who would do anything for me. But I hadn't found that person before and now I wasn't sure I ever could. I'd always known there was room in my heart just waiting for another person to fill it. That one night three months ago broke the fantasy and showed me I would have a gaping void forever. I just hadn't realized it until now.

Lauren's POV

"Why don't you go over with Tina to her condo tonight", Scott said softly. Tina had finally calmed down, and we were cleaning up our impromptu hockey mess. Scott had followed me to the hallway closet, away from Tina.

I was floored, and he must have seen it on my face.

"My flight leaves in like three hours at this point. I'm just going to do a luggage check, grab a power nap, and then head for the airport." Scott reached up and started stroking my cheek. "Tina needs you, and at this point, the usual send-off isn't happening."

I was still staring at him, shocked. First, he asked for a night in which I knew had been so that for the first time ever we could include someone else in our pre-separation ritual. Which I wasn't mad about at all. I loved having Tina around, and she needed us. But this? I'm not a sex fiend, but I wanted to share our bed with my husband one last time before he left. It was important to me that we both had that time to show our love in the way we vowed would only be for each other. I knew the normal extended lovemaking, cuddling, more loving, pillow talk wasn't happening, but nothing at all?

I looked over at the clock. Yeah, it was just past 12:00am. Scott's flight left a little before 3:00am. He was packed but liked to do one last check, then even with travel time to the airport there was time for a quickie at least. But that would mean sending Tina home. I imagined in my head for a second not sending her home. Yeah Tina sit tight downstairs while Scott and I go fuck quickly, then I'll go back to your condo smelling like sex. But don't worry Scott and I definitely care about you, you aren't interfering with anything, and you certainly aren't third-wheeling it tonight.

Definitely not an option to be that rude to my best friend. Not to mention eww. Exhibitionist I was not. Talking and joking about sex is one thing, but telling someone to wait while you go do it? I would never be able to get out of my own head enough to enjoy it.

Ok, well, in a way, it was sweet. Scott wanted to put someone else's needs above our own because he felt secure in our relationship. The fact that he was also right sucked.

"That's a good idea, love", I said, pulling Scott in for a kiss by his beard. It was soft, loving, and long. Comfortable, intimate, passion not lust. After we broke away, I paused for just a moment to savor it. Then I pulled his beard sharply down, "When you get home, mister, you are making this up to me. No getting out of your husbandly duties."

-------------------

Scott had been gone for nine days. Nine stupid, long, pointless days without his hick grin or immature dick jokes. Nine days without hugging him and feeling him running his hands down my back, making me snuggle in closer. He was in Brazil for work. Two weeks, thirteen days, but two weeks sounded shorter somehow, of escorting Lydia and Bill, the CFO, around. It wasn't like he was guarding the president of a country, but he took his job seriously, and texts or calls were limited to non-work hours.

So here I was back at Marianne's club, with a headache that made me want to die, trying to smile politely while Philip schmoozed potential clients. Officially, I was there to help make sure the event ran smoothly and that all the guests were cared for. Unofficially, I was also a pretty face. Because anyone who says the business world isn't sexist is a white male with zero introspection or critical thinking abilities.

In reality, Marianne took care of everything. She knew everything Philip needed, made sure the appropriate staff were there, and played the part of the loving wife perfectly. I doubted any of the potential clients even realized that regardless of Philip's opinion of them, all that really mattered was Marianne. If she told Philip it was a mistake to take on a client, that was it.

"How are you doing, dear?" Marianne's voice was calm and soothing over the background hum of lawyers talking shop. I heard her pull a chair out from the table I was sitting at. Lawyers were mostly fine, and Philip was fine. But put a bunch of the first plus the second together with alcohol for an extended period, and I needed to limit my exposure. Especially with this fucking headache!

While business was conducted below I had slipped away to the upper deck. Fantastic view of the lake, warm sunlight, and I could take my corporate-approved smile off for a bit. I looked over at her as she sat down, not realizing that I had been holding my head in my hands. Fucking headache. Even migraine meds weren't helping at this point.

She was in a tulip cocktail dress. High-low skirt, matching jacket, with sleeves almost to her elbows. I envied how she managed to always be the picture of elegance. Right now, though, she had taken a pose which I called her royalty interrogation. Hands demurely in her lap, ankles tightly crossed, perfect 90-degree posture everywhere, and eyes that kindly dared you to just try and lie to her.

"I'm fine, Mari. Just been a long week". That wasn't even a lie. It was Thursday afternoon, and I was contemplating if I could take tomorrow off, as god knew I needed it after the shit-show of this week.

"Lauren", she reproved gently. "I heard about the issues with the Golrick contract. Ed promised he would take care of it." I was tempted to snort in derision at Ed taking care of anything outside of himself, but I respected Marianne too much for that.

"It's not the contract and you didn't need to get involved, but thank you."

"You're welcome. I know it's not the contract, but I had to start eliminating possibilities. I know you miss Scott..." She paused for a moment. Damn I'm in trouble. Normally, her interrogations were much subtler. This was Marianne with a sledgehammer.

"... but I don't think he is the cause of you obviously being in pain. Please, dear. Whatever it is, I would like to help."

"Lauren," shouted Philip, his voice muffled by distance and the deck between us. "Mr. Price was asking about our Tokyo operations. Do you have the numbers for last quarter?" Hmm, alcohol was going down faster than I expected if he was already shouting at me.

"Duty calls", I said quietly to Marianne. The smile I received in return was genuine and sympathetic. Her eyes told me this was a momentary break in the interrogation, not the end.

I stood up and mentally started trying to gather up enough composure to remember the high-level numbers. They surely wouldn't be asking for detailed break-downs today. I felt a little light-headed standing up, and the headache decided to drive a red-hot iron through my brain. Corporate smile, I thought as I made my way toward the stairs and the waiting lawyers. I grabbed the railing and started descending the first step when I suddenly felt blinding pain. My vision went black, and I felt myself collapsing bonelessly. As nice as it was to somehow realize I was fainting, it still didn't mean I could do a damn thing about it.

"Lauren!"

Huh, guess you can panic Marianne.

Tina's POV

I stared at my phone. "Please answer my next phone call as it pertains to Lauren Útlaga." I was smart enough to know about scam texts and calls. I even knew that many of them were getting more sophisticated and using AI to imitate other people's voices. But if this was a scam, I hoped the person died miserably in a hole because this was so wrong to use my best friend against me.

My phone was ringing within a minute of receiving the text.

"Hello", I said cautiously.

"Hello, is this Ms. Tina Finley?" The voice on the other end was a woman's. It sounded older than me and was very warm in a formal way. If this was a scam, I would at least give them credit for thoroughness.

"Yes. Who is this, and what are you contacting me about?" I think I kept the nervousness out of my voice. Why would an unknown number call me about Lauren?

"My name is Marianne. Lauren Útlaga works for my husband as his executive assistant." Ok, I knew the name Marianne from talking with Lauren. So far this sounded legit, but again, scams were supposed to be.

The voice continued. "Ms. Finley, approximately 30 minutes ago, Lauren collapsed while attending a business event for her work. Unfortunately, she was beginning to descend a staircase when she collapsed and suffered injuries as part of her fall."

"Wait, what! Is Lauren ok? Where is she?" I screamed into the phone.

The voice continued calmly ignoring my questions. "Lauren is currently being transported to the hospital for further treatment and evaluation. As her husband is currently out of the country, my prior discussions with Lauren lead me to believe that you are the person both Lauren and Scott would wish to be with her now."

"I'm on my way", I said in a rush.

"Please call this number back on your arrival. If there are any impediments to you arriving immediately please also contact me."

Robert Útlaga POV

I picked up the phone on my secretary's desk. Apparently someone on the phone was threatening to destroy my company if I didn't talk with them right now. I had apologized to the clients I was meeting with and excused myself for a few minutes so that I could figure out what stupid prank someone was pulling.

"Alright, who the hell are you? Why are you threatening my company? And why shouldn't I just report this to the police?" I barked into the phone.

"Mr. Robert Útlaga, my name is Marianne. I apologize for both the threats and bribery of your assistant, but I needed to speak with you immediately."

I glanced at my niece Emily, who was my secretary, knowing she could hear the conversation. She blushed at the word bribery. "Ok, so you have barely answered the first question. Get on with it."

"Mr. Útlaga, I require Scott Útlaga, who I understand works for your company, to return home immediately. His wife, Lauren, collapsed earlier today during a business function for Durand Associates and is currently en route to the hospital."

I tried to ask questions but the voice didn't bother stopping.

"Mr. Útlaga, please pay careful attention to what I am going to say as all of these requirements are non-negotiable, and the failure of any will result in the termination of the relationship between Durand and your firm.

"First, please contact Scott Útlaga. Yes, I am aware of the time difference, and inform him he is returning home immediately. Direct him to whatever airport is nearest.

Second, you will have a charter flight ready and waiting at said airport for Scott. I believe your company is well versed in this matter but if not, please inform me now. I will need only the name of the closest airport to Scott and I will ensure there is a plane waiting for him. My involvement will not constitute a failure of this requirement.

Third, I will contact your assistant tomorrow at 10:00am to arrange a time to discuss the ongoing services currently being provided to Durand Associates' COO and CFO. Until such time as we speak tomorrow, you may officially consider your firm free from all liability regarding their safety. I am not aware of the requirements that Scott is fulfilling currently, and, as he will be absent starting immediately, we will not penalize your firm until other arrangements are made.

Fourth, you will provide all costs incurred in fulfilling these conditions to Durand Associates, and they will be paid in full upon receipt. This is to ensure that not only do you take the most expeditious actions to return Scott Útlaga home but that no corners are cut to save money."

I was honestly still processing and hadn't realized she stopped speaking. "Fucking... sorry ummm yeah I'll call my son."

"Please contact me at this number regardless of the time if there are any issues. I would also appreciate flight information for Scott so I may monitor his progress."

Scott's POV

I had just gotten back to my hotel room when my company phone started ringing. I had planned to shower and then have a chat with Lauren, so I thought for a moment about not answering. Work calls after 9:00pm were never a good thing in my experience. Duty calls, though. I pulled it out and saw that my dad was calling from his cell phone. Which was unusual, to say the least.

Company calls went through company phones. Personal calls went to personal phones. That was a rule we drilled into everyone. First for liability reasons, but it also helped create the separation of work and home that everyone needed. This felt like shit was about to hit the fan.

"Hey dad", I said, answering the phone. "What's up?" I wasn't sure if I should call him dad or boss since it was my company phone but he was calling from his cell. This had better not be some stupid prank again from the office girls.

"Scott, look, I just got a call from some hard-ass called Marianne. Think she must have something to do with Durand because, uhhh, well, she said Lauren fainted at work and is at the hospital." The last part came out in a rush like he didn't want the words to linger in his mouth.

"Mariannae called? Lauren fainted? Is she ok? Why are you calling? Why the fuck would Marianne call you?" I was shouting questions non-stop, and it took a minute for me to register my dad repeatedly saying my name over and over louder each time.

"Scott, hey listen, kid. That's all I know. But apparently, this Marianne person wants you back there now. Told us we were flying you out tonight on the first plane we can scrounge, or they are dropping our business. So pack your shit. Emily and everyone else here is working to get a flight for you. We'll call this number when we have that and you do exactly what they tell you, ok?"

I knew my dad well enough to know that he was trying to be gruff and hard for me. He loved all of his daughters-in-law like they were his own kids, albeit ones he felt no responsibility to discipline. If Lauren really was hurt... my mind seized up for a minute. If Lauren really was hurt, Dad would be hurting too.

"Ok", I said, taking a deep breath. Deep breaths, identify what you know and what you need to know, and focus on what actions you can take. "I'll be ready in 10 minutes and waiting for instructions at this number." My voice sounded automated, clipped, and every syllable felt unnaturally precise.

"Scott... I'm going to head to the hospital now. See what the fuck is going on. Try and find this Marianne asshole. As soon as I know something you'll hear from me on your cell. But you fucking answer this phone first ring and no shit or backtalk is given for whatever the person tells you to do. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

I heard a beep indicating he had hung up. Emotions that couldn't be expressed with words like bastard and jackass weren't my family's strong suit. Even my mom rarely used the four-letter word. Lauren had shown me that you can be a badass without having to hide from certain words.

Fuck. Lauren. She... I felt my throat tighten up, and I could tell if I let myself, I would stand here frozen while indecision and fear did their awful work. I took a couple of deep breaths. Ten minutes, I had said. I took a look around the room. Seven, I decided. Seven minutes to pack and get to the lobby. Then I could take the next action. I started packing, focusing only on that and listening for the ring of the company phone.

Tina's POV

I didn't like hospitals. I didn't realize it until I was in the waiting room, but it suddenly hit me the last time I was here. It was that night. I didn't remember much of the night, but the next morning was still fresh. Talking with the counselor, talking with Lauren. Mutely doing what others told me I should do, all while raging inside that they didn't realize nothing mattered. I didn't realize I had stopped in the middle of the room halfway to the reception desk until I heard my name.

"Ms. Tina Finley?"

It was the same voice from the phone earlier. It felt like a lifetime ago that I heard that voice, but I knew I had made it to the hospital from work in less than 30 minutes. I looked towards where I thought the voice had come. Grandma?

No, she didn't look like my grandma. My grandma had been dead since before I was in junior high. Instead, she looked like a grandma from a Hallmark movie where the grandparents were rich, kind, well meaning, earthy people. Though earthy seemed to be much overshadowed by poise in her case. She was tall and thin. Silvery hair wrapped tightly in a braided bun high on her head. Her high, very defined cheekbones were framed by an angular face. A red ruffle collar blouse paired with flowing grey slacks and flats.

She was striding purposefully towards me. "Excuse me, are you Ms. Tina Finley?"

"Yes, I'm Tina", I said, trying to keep my throat from clamping up. "Are you... did you call me about... about Lauren?" Ok, I didn't succeed for the second part.

"Yes, dear." Her voice was low and calming. "Lauren arrived fifteen minutes ago. The doctors are seeing to her now." She looped her arm around my back and began guiding me towards a chair. "I apologize for scaring you on the phone. I had several calls that needed to be made quickly and I am sorry for hurting you."

"Is Lauren ok?" That was my only concern. This woman seemed nice, and I immediately wanted to trust her. But if she started asking me for money, then I would murder her for using Lauren to try and scam me.

"I am told that Lauren sustained several injuries due to her fall down the stairs after she collapsed." She hadn't stopped looking straight at my eyes since we had sat down. I wanted to look away because long eye contact was normally uncomfortable, but at the same time, how can hallmark grandma be uncomfortable.

"I am not medically trained, and the paramedics would provide little information. She hit her head several times, and the stairs were outside, so not padded in any way. I imagine they are also concerned about internal injuries, as well as why she collapsed in the first place."

I was crying again because, kind voice or not, the way she said everything so bluntly made it sound like Lauren was dying. I looked away and tried to rub the tears away with my sleeve.

"Tina", I saw a handkerchief enter my view. Of course, Hallmark used handkerchiefs; I half expected to see embroidered initials. "Tina", she said again gently. "I know it's hard when those we care about are hurting and we do not have the ability to help."

I took the handkerchief and looked over at her. I could see her eyes were also glistening and her smile had the barest tremble to it. But behind that, I could also see steel. I got the sense she simply would not accept anything but Lauren's full recovery and would stand against the world until it bent to her.

"I'm sorry it's" I gestured to the room in general. "I was here recently, and now I'm back. Then Lauren..." I paused to plan my words. "Lauren was there for me then, and now I'm here, but I'm stuck in this room. I don't know what's happening, I can't get ahold of Scott, and you are sitting there like everything is going to be fine. I want to scream or tear my hair out or go to the desk and beg for information. But instead I'm just just sitting here."

"If it helps, you can scream at me", Marianne said in a voice that sounded completely serious. She also slowly reached out to clasp my hand, allowing me plenty of time to pull away. I didn't. "For what it's worth, I contacted Scott's employer and they have secured a flight for him which departs in two hours. I also have connections at this hospital, and I have made clear to them that we"- she heavily emphasized we- "will be notified immediately of any news regarding Lauren. It's not much, but that was all I could do."

"Thank you," I mumbled, feeling ashamed I hadn't managed to do anything.

"You are welcome. I am happy to help. So please let me help you now."

I looked at her curiously.

"Sometimes talking out loud helps; sometimes hearing someone talk helps. Others prefer to read or I suppose now we all have smartphone game apps. Tina, how about you tell me about yourself?"

"SnL" know that I'm not good at talking. Especially not about myself, but I started talking with some gentle coaxing from Marianne. Then I kept talking as she kept asking me questions. They never felt intrusive or like she was humoring me. I got the sense that each question came from a place of genuine interest to learn more about me. Watching her and gauging her reactions, I also got the sense that whoever exactly Marianne was, she was much smarter than most people. This was a hallmark grandma who could use the lure of a freshly baked cookie to assist while she verbally dissected your life and who you were at your core. All the while, you were happily eating and chatting, naively thinking she was making small talk and not realizing she was delving into your deepest secrets.

Lauren's POV

My head was throbbing in time with my alarm. I started trying to swat at where my phone should be, but my arm wouldn't move that far. It moved just a few inches then jerked to a halt and I felt a tug at my elbow. Scott was dead; whatever this was, he was dead. Pranks with alarms weren't pranks, they were cruel torture, and the one who planned it deserved to rot in the depths of hell.

I opened my eyes to see what the hell was going on, only to be met by blackness. Wait what the fuck? That's... beep... beep. Not an alarm. The smell of too-clean antiseptic flooded my nostrils. Hospital! Tina!

Shit, no that was months ago. I felt like my brain was being driven by an idiot in a manual transmission. Lurch ahead, abrupt stop, and everyone else is screaming advice or telling them how easy it is. Why was I in the hospital? Why couldn't I see? Why the fuck do hospitals have infernal beeping noises when they are supposed to be healing people for fucks sake?

My lack of eyesight was starting to freak me out. I would have sworn my eyes were open. I tried to jerk both my hands up to my face only to screech in pain as something felt like it tore in both arms.

"Lauren, Lauren, hey stop", I heard Tina's voice as I felt hands grab my arms. "You're ok. It's Tina. I'm here, Lauren. Just tell me what you need."

"My", I stopped. Was that my voice? Geez, I sounded like I smoked 2 packs a day for decades. I tried again. "Can't see", I croaked out.

"It's ok, Lauren, your eyes are fine. You hit your head really hard. They had to put a lot of stitches in. Bandages are just blocking your eyes for right now, but they'll come off soon", Tina's voice sounded like she was trying to be reassuring. "Marianne is here too, and Scott's flying home. We're all here for you."

Manual transmission guy was really doing a number in my head. I wanted to keep asking Tina questions. I also wanted to find whoever designed that beeping machine and rip them limb from limb. I felt my brain opting for option number three, and without much of a fight, I felt everything turn off again.

"Lauren?" That was Marianne's voice. Well, at least she wasn't screaming this time.

-------------------

I woke up again in the middle of the night. Well, everything was black, and there was no background noise, so I guessed it was the middle of the night. I remembered bandages on my eyes last time, and yep, I still felt something pressing on my eyelids. Guess it didn't really matter what time it was, darkness was the new always for me.

"Hello", I croaked. Something about smoking tickled the back of my mind, which was odd as I had never smoked.

"Hey, Lauren", Tina's voice responded with a smile evident in her voice. I heard her move and felt a hand gently start stroking my hair. I wondered briefly about hospital policy on visitors and how Tina was here if it actually was the middle of the night. Then I decided I didn't care because it was so good to hear a voice I knew. "How are you feeling?"

"Hurt. Did someone drive over me with a bulldozer?"

"You would have broken the bulldozer if they had."

It wasn't that funny, but I started chuckling. Which turned into a fit of coughing, and that's when I noticed my neck didn't move along with still being blind.

"Tina, what happened? How am I?"

"I should get a nurse", Tina responded after a pause. "The doctor wanted to talk with you when you woke up."

"Tina!" I tried to make my voice sharp but I think I failed miserably and probably sounded like a bastardization of the muppets Kermit, Rizzo, and Dr. Teeth.

"You fell down a lot of stairs. They think it's likely you have a concussion, lots of scrapes and bruises, fractured some ribs, and the collar was just a precaution until they got the scans back. She said once you woke up they would take it off, but didn't want to unnecessarily wake you up." Tina's voice had trailed off at the end. It felt like she hadn't finished her thought but was trying to come up with anything else she could possibly say rather than finishing.

"Did they say why I fainted?"

I heard Tina shift, but she didn't say anything.

"Tina?"

"Can I get the doctor now?" Tina's voice was barely a whisper. Pleading.

"Tina."

"I'm not a doctor, Lauren. They wanted to talk with you. Please let me get the doctor."

"Tina, please just tell me what they said. I'm freaking out right now and I'd rather hear whatever it is from my best friend than someone I haven't met and can't even see."

"Marianne will kill me." Tina's voice was now a whispery croak, though not as deep as mine.

Marianne's name threw me for a second, but just for a minute. I waited. I didn't want to be mean to Tina, but I really needed to know whatever had been said right now. Bandages covering my eyes or not, I was trying to stare directly at where Tina's voice was coming from.

"You... Lauren, there's a tumor. They said it's likely why you keep getting those migraines you tried to hide. The tumor is in your brain."

-------------------

End Notes

I hope you enjoyed part 2 of customize your marriage revised. Most of the stuff that was Ed's POV in the original was simply cut without addition. The events covered may come up in a future installment, but they were not necessary for this part. Whether you liked it, loved it, or hated it please leave a rating. Any feedback is welcome in comments or dm.