The Game Show

Chapter 1

"... that's it for old business. Let's see if you morons can pull any new, original ideas for new programming out of your sorry asses. Go!"

G. R. Armbruster looked around the room, sizing up his minion one by one as they pretended to be anywhere but under his menacing gaze. He was a heartbeat away from firing every one of them when he saw a single hand go up. It belonged to the new guy. What was his name?"

"You! What was your name again?!" G. R. growled, snapping his fat, freshly manicured fingers impatiently.

"Uh, Thacker. Aaron Thacker, Sir."

"Ok Thacker, Aaron Thacker. Wow me. And it better be good!"

Armbruster had a disbelieving sneer on his surgically-enhanced face as he loomed over the petrified Aaron Thacker. He had a feeling, not completely unpleasant, that he'd be sending Thacker, Aaron Thacker, packing directly after he finished stuttering out his lame idea.

Just seeing the rest of the team giving the new guy that sorrowful stare, as if they were watching someone about to be tossed into the lion's den, made G. R. smile his usual, dastardly snarl. They all knew G. R. Armbruster didn't suffer fools well.

"Well, Sir, given the current addiction to reality shows and, I hate to say this, the warped and twisted human lust to watch other humans performing the most ridiculous, debasing acts just to win money, my thinking is that a reality show, pitting divorced couples against each other in some sort of competition where they both consider themselves to be smarter or stronger than the other, would be very well received."

"I'm thinking that seeing divorcees airing their dirty laundry on national TV will definitely appeal to the haters who are literally addicted to those debasing reality shows."

"For instance; for a more cerebral ex-couple, something like a quiz show. Or, for the more physical, an endurance competition of some sort."

"Just my humble opinion, Sir, but I think the public would eat it up."

Seeing that he hadn't yet been forcefully ejected from the meeting, Aaron Thacker trudged on.

"Statistically, roughly fifty-one percent of marriages end up in divorce. Actually, the statistics are probably much higher than that. And most of those divorcees still bear some degree of animosity toward their former spouse. That's just the way things are these days."

A collective gasp echoed amid the harsh whispers as the rest of the meeting attendees watched with bated breath. Most of them were anxiously anticipating the mighty axe of G. R. Armbruster falling; and for poor, naive, Aaron Thacker to be unceremoniously ejected from the room and the building. Each and every one of them secretly hoped for it; praying that maybe once G. R. sunk his teeth into another fresh kill, his blood lust would be appeased for a while and he'd cut the rest of them a short reprieve.

"Harrumph!" G. R. grumbled, rubbing his double chin briskly. "Hmm. I can see where that may have some appeal," he grudgingly admitted. "Work up a rough presentation, Thacker. Have it on my desk the first thing in the morning."

All heads snapped back and forth from G. R. to Thacker, waiting for the other shoe to drop. In truth, they were all shocked into a nervous silence. The idea sounded foolish to the rest of the seasoned writers in the room. But if G. R. liked it, the new guy, Aaron Thacker, was about to show the rest of them up for the slackers they were.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you."

Aaron should have been gloating, but he reined himself in. Given the hungry look on the faces of the wolf pack surrounding him, he knew they'd all do everything in their power to derail his idea before it ever saw the light of day.

But he'd been recognized, somewhat favorably, by G. R. If nothing else, it meant his job was secure for at least the next twenty-four hours.

Whatever possessed Aaron to seek out a job in television after he'd received his journalism degree still eluded him. He had all intentions of becoming a reclusive novelist. Much to his dismay, after six months of bupkis staring back at him from his mocking laptop screen, he decided he needed to find a job that paid the rent and put food on the table. Otherwise, he'd wind up writing his first novel with a pencil stub on paper scraps salvaged from dumpsters about his starving, homeless adventures.

Chapter 2

Much to the utter shock and surprise of the pack of jackals Aaron Thacker worked with, the show made its' premier as a summer fill in three months later to rave reviews. The Nielson Ratings were through the roof, and social media was all abuzz with millions of conversations about the show's debut.

Not surprisingly, the naysayers he shared a writing room with were all sucking up to Aaron for a piece of his newly acquired spotlight. Anything to hide the fact that none of them had an original idea in forever, and all their cushy jobs were hanging on by a thread. Aaron Thacker was obviously a new breed of idea men with fresh ideas and a clever mind; far more imaginative than his seasoned, burned-out peers.

One thing Aaron learned in his short tenure with G. R. Armbruster Productions was that no one's job was safe in Hollywood. He'd seen six colleagues unceremoniously led to the door, escorted unceremoniously by some menacing looking security thugs, in the short time he'd been there. He knew with certainty that his name could come up on the lethal rejection list at any time.

Chapter 3

Carl Herman, a lackluster Army veteran, one of G. R.'s minion, scoured his mind, trying to think of one of his many divorced friends and acquaintances who might fit the bill as potential show participants when the perfect candidate suddenly came to mind.

Carl got an evil grin on his face, snapped his fingers, and called his old Army buddy, Mark Cleary.

Mark Cleary, a onetime Army nurse in Carl's unit, had just finished teaching the intermediate Taekwondo class in his dojo. His new dojo. The original dojo, the one that he'd poured his heart and soul into, now belonged to his ex-wife after what had to be the most heartless, unsavory divorce case ever to see the inside of a courtroom.

Mark was just about to step into his shower when one of his old Army buddies, Carl Herman, called. He hadn't spoken to Carl since their medical unit had their reunion the year before.

After some catching up, Carl got right to the point. "... Mark, I've got something that might just interest you."

"A check for a million dollars?" Mark laughed.

"Not quite a million, but a hundred grand. Pique your curiosity?"

"Sure. But I'm not into illegal acts these days, Carl," he chuckled.

"Nothing illegal, Buddy. Have you seen that new TV show, Divorce Settlement?"

"About five minutes of it," Mark groused. "Talk about mindless drivel."

"But it's number two in prime time right now, Buddy. How, I'll never know. Just goes to show you how pathetic the American thirst for mindless reality TV has gotten."

"Amen. But what's that got to do with me, Carl?"

"Just hear me out, Mark."

"Picture this: we're over there fighting for our country, dodging bullets and RPG's and patching up those who didn't dodge quick enough."

"All the while your ex was back here fucking anything with a dick, and draining you dry. She literally ass raped you, Buddy Boy. Wouldn't you like to humiliate her? Get a little revenge, maybe?"

Just the mention of Mark's ex, Cathy, soured Mark's stomach. "I'm listening, Carl," Mark replied apprehensively.

"Here's a rough scenario, Mark. A divorced couple, obviously with a whole lot of anger and animosity toward each other, being pitted against each other in a competition to avenge the wrongs they felt were done to them; and to get a little satisfaction in the process. Not to mention some cold hard cash to help quell some of that bitterness."

"Ha! Done to them?! If memory serves, I left a loving, caring wife, my best and closest friend since we were kids, no less, who I treated like it would hurt her delicate little feet to walk on the ground when we got shipped off to that hell on earth."

"I came home to a sleazy cunt who'd not only screwed half of the city, but she cleaned me out and had her ambulance chasing lawyer slash boyfriend send a rabid dog with divorce papers to greet me at the airport. That bitch stole every cent we had, including taking my dojo, and even sold my car. And all the while I had our jaded legal system telling me she had every right to do it because she had my power of attorney while I was over there. Fuck that bitch! How her attorney wasn't disbarred for screwing a client I'll never know."

Mark was getting mad all over again. Memories of coming home from a literal hell on earth to an empty apartment with an eviction notice nailed to the door for non-payment of rent; and nothing inside but his few paltry belongings; most of which she'd picked through and either sold or pawned, were flooding his head in a kaleidoscope of hurt and anger.

"See! Wouldn't you like some payback, Buddy?" Carl was smiling and feeling victorious as, feet up on his desk, he swiveled back and forth absently in his desk chair. He had a feeling he had a contestant for a future show. Now to finish reeling Mark in.

"Look at it this way, Mark; both contestants receive twenty-five grand just for participating. And to the winner go the spoils," he chuckled. "An additional check for a hundred grand. Not to mention bragging rights, and getting some sweet revenge."

"I don't know, Carl," Mark sighed, scratching his head. "I mean; I'd like nothing better than to see that bitch roasted on a spit with an apple stuffed in her big mouth, but what possible competition could we have? She'd definitely got me in the number of illicit sexual encounters category, but that's hardly fodder for prime-time TV."

"So, you give her a public fucking for half of the world to see," Carl chuckled.

"Think about it, Mark. You're both martial arts instructors and amateur MMA enthusiasts. We could work up some sort of grudge match between you. Maybe even a cage match. You're both equally matched, right?"

"I think I'd have an edge over her there, Carl, but how would that look? I'm six-five and two hundred and twenty pounds. She's five-four and a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet."

"Not to mention that, regardless of our similar martial arts qualifications, if I beat her, I'd be hunted down by angry villagers with torches and pitchforks and run out of town on a rail for beating up on that poor little girl."

"To top it off, it would probably ruin my business. Most of my students are kids whose moms bring them to my dojo for lessons. I doubt they'd want to keep bringing those kids in to learn from a guy who beat up a woman half his size on national TV."

"Have you seen the show, Mark? The MC pretty much lays out the entire reason for the divorce before the competition starts. And he leaves no stone un-turned. The guy is brutal. Heartless. She'll look like the piece of shit she is right out of the box. The viewers will know before the match even starts how badly that bitch burned you."

"How do you think that will look to the public, Mark? A returning, combat hardened soldier; a capable, caring, decorated nurse soldier, who tended to the wounded on the front lines, coming home from the thick of it, only to find out that the wife he expected to find waiting for him with open arms had been getting her bread buttered in some other sleazebag's bed!"

Carl continued to pour it on, doing his best to win Mark over to the idea.

"She's been sleeping peacefully every night after literally ass raping her clueless husband, destroying him financially, and you can bet she's gloating over it! "

"And all the while you were over there wondering whether you'd ever see another sunrise, she was rolling around in a comfy bed with some shit-dick, sporting the afterglow from fucking her new boy-toys, instead of being at the airport with those open arms to greet you."

"She was even too head fucked to have the decency to meet you herself and tell you to your face that it was over, Mark. Instead, her fuck buddy sent some cold, detached process server in his stead to hit you with papers." Carl was really pouring it on.

"Listen, Mark," Carl mellowed. "People are finally starting to recognize the sacrifices we veterans made for them; and most of them don't take kindly to stories about a decorated combat veteran coming home to be screwed over the way you were. No one deserves that."

Carl knew he was hitting a nerve. Mark was one of the most laid-back, easy-going guys he'd ever met. Thanks to his extensive martial arts training, the man had a fuse a mile long; but when you got to the end of that fuse, there was a whole ammo dump at the end.

Mark was quiet on the other end of the line for what seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke. "Aw, Hell, Carl. Even if I did agree to do it, I doubt she would. She's been avoiding me like the plague. She even had her fuck buddy file a restraining order against me. She claimed I have PTSD and that I might go berserk and hurt her! Can you believe that shit! I never raised a hand to a woman in anger in my entire life! The one and only time I've seen her was for a few, short minutes in the court room, sneering at me like I was some sort of fungus, with her boy-toy lawyer gloating beside her, helping her twist the knife in my back."

"You leave that part up to me, Mark. The question right now is whether you'd be willing to do it? Once I have you on board, I can put the pressure on her to accept the challenge. You said yourself that her ego's bigger than her 34 C's," he chuckled.

"There is that," Mark groused. "Yeah. I guess so, Carl. Depending on the stipulations, I'd consider it. My Thai Chi relaxation exercises haven't been giving me the peace and serenity they used to since I came home to that nightmare."

"Great! Ok. Leave the rest up to me. I'll get back to you soon! Bye, Mark."

Carl sprang up from his chair, pumping his fists enthusiastically. Getting them both to agree would definitely put Carl in a good light with G. R., and make this show the best one yet. His performance of late hadn't exactly earned him any accolades. Since his semi-success with Wheel of Destiny before his unit was sent overseas, his supply of original ideas had faded considerably. He feared his extravagant, playboy lifestyle wouldn't fare well on an unemployment check.

Chapter 4

Three weeks later, Mark was saying goodbye to his women's self-defense class when he looked up and nearly had a stroke.

Standing at the door was none other than the one person in the world who Mark despised more than anyone, or anything, to ever cross his path.

He waited until he ushered the ladies out, ignoring her entirely while he said good night to the departing class, before he even acknowledged her presence.

"Well, well, well! I see the gates of Hell blew open and let the she-devil herself escape."

Cathy ignored his snide remark. "You're looking well, Mark," she smiled, daring to step a little closer. "And this dojo is beautiful. Much nicer than mine."

She stood there looking more gorgeous than ever, eyeing his impressive dojo in awe. Given that he started with absolutely nothing to his name but his reputation after she'd heartlessly destroyed him, she was extremely impressed.

"Speak your peace and get the hell out, Cathy. I'd like to lock up and go home. I've suddenly got an urge to drink heavily to get this sudden foul taste out of my mouth. Not to mention temper the nightmares I'm certain to have after seeing you darken my doorstep.

"Ok, Mark. Straight to the point. I'm assuming you got the call about the Divorce Settlement show?"

"Yeah, so what?" Mark could feel the bile rising up in his throat. All the while those feelings of love and loss fought to invade the carefully constructed force field he'd erected around his broken heart since he'd returned home to the nightmare she'd created.

"So? Are you game?"

"Ha! The whole idea of inflicting vast amounts of pain on you has been foremost on my mind from the moment I got off that plane, Cathy. However; the whole premise is folly. I have a reputation here in town; quite unlike your reputation for being the village bicycle," he growled. "I don't think my students will take kindly to seeing me in the cage with a woman half my size."

"Mark, can we pull in our claws for just a minute and have a calm, rational discussion? Please?"

"I kinda doubt that, Cathy. The time for a calm, rational conversation between us passed the minute I got home and found the scorched earth you left in your quest to sample every dick in the city."

"That's not true, Mark!" He could see the tears welling up in her gorgeous blue eyes. Those same beautiful blue eyes that used to mesmerize him and fill him with a burning, unquenchable love every time he looked into them. She knew her tears always broke his heart and, as much as he hated to admit it, seeing her cry still didn't sit well with him."

"I can't even begin to apologize, or make what I did up to you, Mark. I was a stupid, stupid idiot who was lonely and missing you. I fell for the smooth come on lines from a snake oil salesman who was preying on me incessantly. I never meant for it to happen. I swear I didn't." Her tears just flowed harder.

"Don't give me that shit, Cathy! Don't insult my intelligence! Had you come to me and told me you wanted to be with someone else, we could have gone through the divorce process like two rational adults, each of us with our fair share, and been done with it. I loved you with all my heart and soul, but I'd have never stood in your way if you told me, to my face, that you loved someone else."

"That's just it, Mark. I didn't love someone else. I never did. I never stopped loving you." Her tears turned into a full-blown meltdown.

"It was as if some evil entity forced its' way into my wheel house and took over the helm. Between the combination of worrying that every ringing doorbell was some Army chaplain there to tell me that you'd been killed, the devastating loneliness, and Bob constantly coming on to me, telling me you were probably tapping everything breathing over there, my brain just turned to oatmeal. I was in a constant state of panic and confusion and I was very, very vulnerable. I'd give my right arm to turn back time, knowing what I know now, but I can't."

"And, for the record, there was never any long line of men. That's a lie. A foul rumor started by one of our former employees who, among others, was disgusted with me for the sins I was committing. I was with Bob and only Bob."

"And given that you're darkening my doorstep after some come to Jesus moment, I'm assuming Bob gave you the bum's rush," he chuckled evilly.

"No. If you must know, I broke it off with him. A few days after our divorce was finalized, actually. Take this for what it's worth, but he couldn't hold a candle to you, Mark. In truth, I doubt any man could."

"So, what? You had to sample the forbidden fruit to come to that conclusion?"

"I can understand you being lonely, Cathy. I was gone for eighteen months. I missed you every minute of every day we were apart. And if I'd come home and found out that you had a brief affair that ended before I got home, I'd have been badly hurt and extremely pissed off, but we probably could have eventually gotten past that. I loved you that much."

"And for what it's worth, not that there were that many opportunities for me to, quote-unquote, tap everything breathing over there, but I never once broke my promise of fidelity to you. Our vows meant that much to me. Sadly, you didn't have the same respect for me, or our promises to each other."

"I'm not as strong willed as you are, Mark. I never was. And had I not had the devil constantly whispering in my ear about you over there screwing every female you came in contact with, I'd have never even dreamed that you'd cheat on me. Again, that's my cross to bear. I fell for the slick, slow conditioning that bastard was using on me with his practiced seduction and his convincing rhetoric. And because I was weak, I have to go through the rest of my life without my soulmate."

"And I suppose he's the one who convinced you to clean me out, ruin my credit and leave me homeless and broke when I was already mind-fucked over the things I'd seen and done over there? Well, you can tell him for me that your seek and destroy mission was a failure, Cathy. As you can see, thanks to some very good friends; friends far more dependable than the one person who was supposed to always be in my corner, I'm back on my feet. No thanks to you and Bob." The "Bob" came out in a menacing growl."

Cathy was in a full-blown crying jag as she dared take a step closer and reached to stroke his face. She was taking her chances. She knew he could literally end her life with one carefully placed jab, but she knew in her heart that the man she'd fallen in love with so long ago; the man she still loved beyond measure, would never hurt her; or any other woman for that matter.

He grabbed her wrist, firmly but not painfully, and kept her from touching him.

"No, no, no, Cathy. Those days are behind us. You hurt me in ways I'll never, ever allow anyone to ever hurt me again. I think you'd better leave."

"Please, Mark. Please just talk to me. I know you're furious with me. I'm sure you hate me. Loathe me. And you have every right to. But I'd really, really like to just sit and talk with you."

"About what? That stupid TV show?"

"Among other things," she sighed. "But regardless of whether we decide to do that show or not, I'd just like to talk to you and, I pray, make you realize how sorry I am. How I'd do anything; anything at all, to make you understand that none of what happened was any fault of yours whatsoever. I take the full blame, and I'll carry that blame, and the nagging, unrelenting guilt and self-loathing with me for the rest of my life."

"You have to realize that your words and apologies mean absolutely nothing to me, Cathy. After what you put me through, things I'd have never believed you were even capable of, I doubt I could ever believe you. Not even if you told me the sky is blue."

"I understand, Mark. And I know my just barging in here after all this time must have both shocked and enraged you. And I certainly don't deserve any consideration from you; but I'm going to ask anyway: please, please, please take tonight to calm down and clear your head. Then have dinner with me tomorrow night? My treat. In any public place you choose. And if you don't like the conversation, you can get up and walk out at any time."

"You've got balls, I'll give you that." He actually half-chuckled. Seeing those gorgeous dimples of his again melted her heart.

"For what purpose, Cathy? What could we possibly have left to discuss? The time for discussion was when I got off the plane. But I wasn't even given that option, was I?"

"I knowwww!" She bleated like a wounded animal, tears flowing like rain, and fell to her knees, her hands together as if she was in deep prayer.

"You owe me absolutely nothing, Mark. Not even a drop of your sweat. But I'm begging you, on my knees, Mark. Please. If for nothing else, then for what we once had; what we've had since we were kids, please have dinner with me. Let's just sit and talk civilly and try to at least reach a place in life where you can look at me without wanting to cut my throat."

"I have missed you more than you'll ever know from the second your unit deployed. I lived for every letter and every Skype call every minute you were over there. I wanted to be there to greet you at the airport more than you'll ever know. How I let myself be manipulated and programmed like I was is for my shrink to sort out, but I'll swear on a stack of bibles that the heartless, loathsome, shit for brains who put you through that hell wasn't me."

Mark felt as if the wind had suddenly been taken out of his sails. Seeing her on her knees, crying like she'd lost her very soul. started to soften, somewhat, his frozen heart. Memories of their wonderful, amazing life together started flashing through his head in a kaleidoscope of visions of her and them in happier times.

He stood firmly and stared into those incredible, tear-soaked blue eyes for what seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke.

"Ok, Cathy," he relented. "I'm going to take the high road here. Something that apparently doesn't exist in your GPS. I'll have dinner with you tomorrow night. My last class finishes at six, so Rory's at seven o'clock. But the first time you say anything I don't want to hear, I'm out of there: and there won't be another opportunity."

"That's all I ask, Mark! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" She sprang up and tried to jump into his arms. He just held out his hands and stopped her, shaking his head in the negative.

"I didn't say a word about hugging or touching in any way. You're tainted now, Cathy. Damaged goods. Something that you gave me after the prom, and promised to me and only me for eternity, you gave to someone else. I doubt I could ever get over that." That just brought on another hail of tears from her.

"I know," she groaned. "That's just something else I'll hate myself for with every breath I take. If I could only make you understand the level of vulnerability I sank to, Mark. Or how slick and determined he was to have me. How he played on my every emotion like a virtuoso plays a finely tuned instrument. He was a pro; I'll give him that. I'm sure the snake in the Garden of Eden was his ancestor. But that's my weight to bear, not yours."

"Ok. Mark," she sighed, regaining some composure as she tried to wipe away her tears with the heels of her hands. "Rory's. Tomorrow night at seven. I'll make the reservation. Thank you so much for accepting. I know what it took for you to do that. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Good night."

She turned her head as she slowly skulked toward the door, looking longingly at the gorgeous, towering, muscle-bound hulk of a man through her tearing, bloodshot eyes, praying he'd call her to come back. He didn't: and her heart died a little more

.

Chapter 5

Mark was woefully regretting agreeing to meet Cathy for dinner. Just when he made his peace with losing the love of his life, and could finally begin to move on, she comes back into his life like the harbinger of doom and totally turned his world upside down again.

Just seeing her, even more beautiful than when his unit shipped out, sent him into a tailspin. As mad as he was at her, he still loved her with a burning dedication that no amount of betrayal could extinguish.

He locked up the dojo, shut off the lights and went back to his office to shower and dress. Rory's was semi-upscale, so he brought a sport coat to work with him that morning.

As he showered, he tried thinking of every excuse he could come up with to just sit in his office and catch up on some paperwork, or go home. Anything to blow Cathy off. But he just couldn't. If for nothing else, he was going to finally put to rest the nagging desire to know what it was he could have done to cause her to do the hateful, unthinkable things she'd done to someone who she professed to love and cherish since before either of them even knew what love was.

He looked around the parking lot as he pulled into Rory's before he realized that he didn't even know what she drove these days. He found a spot currently being vacated close to the door and went inside.

"Good evening. Welcome to Rory's. Do you have a reservation, Sir?"

"I believe so. Cleary. Seven o'clock."

"Yes, Sir. And your' party is already here. Follow me, please."

Cathy looked like she'd just stepped off of the cover of a women's fashion magazine. She was wearing a bright, mid-thigh blue dress that hugged every inch of that incredible body. Her long, glistening blonde hair was freshly coiffed, and she'd applied just a slight touch of lipstick and mascara. Any more makeup would have just taken away from her incomparable natural beauty.

She stood as Mark approached with the greeter and caused his breath to catch in his throat.

"Thank you so much for coming, Mark." That dazzling, long forgotten smile as she reached out to shake his hand nearly staggered him. She'd always been a living doll with the body of the deadly athlete she was. Their years of training and exercise had them both well-muscled and fit, but Cathy had obviously been pouring it on at the gym.

He tried valiantly to control the trembling in his hand as he shook hers, but failed miserably, his eyes glued to the beautiful woman.

"Please sit. You look amazing, Mark." She was eyeing him up and down like a starving woman drooled over a free steak dinner.

"For what it's worth, Cathy, so do you."

"It's worth more than you'll ever know, Sweetie... I mean, Mark. Sorry. Habit." He just ignored it.

"We were here two nights before you deployed. Remember?" she asked, trying awkwardly to make conversation.

"Yeah," he replied gruffly, staring intently at the menu.

"And then we went home and you carried me through the doorway and up to our bedroom and we made love until the sun came up." The far off, melancholy look on her face was touching. A little too touching.

"How are your folks, Cathy?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"I don't really know, Mark. They haven't spoken to me since my fall from grace. My dad really let me have it with both barrels when he found out what I'd done to you. I was destroyed at the time but, looking back, I deserved every vile word he used to describe me. I guess you veterans all stick together."

"And they haven't lightened up since you and what's his name parted company?"

"No. I tried calling my mom a couple times for a little healing and understanding, but the damage was apparently too deep, I guess. They both always thought you were the second coming."

"I'm sure that'll pass eventually. You were always your' dad's little girl."

They placed their orders and sat just staring at each other wordlessly. Finally, Cathy broke the ice.

"Are you feeling as awkward as I am?" she giggled.

"It's your dime, Cathy. You invited me here to talk, so talk."

"Ok," she replied, seemingly unfazed. "I hear your dojo is really growing in leaps and bounds. Congratulations."

"I'm doing fine. Since I put in the gym equipment and the octagon, I've had to hire help. Charlie, one of my Army buddies, is teaching, and Shawn, one of my advanced students, is doing all around maintenance and office stuff."

"I heard. I've been keeping a close eye on the competition, you know," she laughed.

"We're hardly competition, Cathy. Actually, I made it a point not to be in competition with you. I teach Taekwondo and mixed martial arts. You're teaching Judo and Jiu Jitsu."

"Ah, but we have woman's self-defense in common." Just then their meals arrived.

"That we do. We taught quite a bit of that back when we owned your dojo together." Just admitting that it was her dojo stuck in his throat. Not that he was bragging, but he'd been the driving force behind it, only to lose it in such a despicable way. "I still have two women's classes, but I guess most of the women wanting to learn have been coming to you."

"Actually, that's the biggest part of our business these days," she smiled amiably.

"Our business? Do you have a partner?" Mark was suddenly curious.

"I had to, Mark. When word got out about the horrible things I'd done to you, the students started dropping off like flies. And the ones who were taking your classes either quit when you left, or hung in there until my total fuck up and then quit. I was on the verge of bankruptcy."

"So, is this Bob guy your partner?"

"No, thank God. He did offer, but by that time my therapist was starting to bring me to my senses, and I said no. My Aunt Bethany had enough faith in me to invest."

Mark let out a chuckle. "I always loved Bethany. That old girl could drink any man under the table and laugh while she did it." That made Cathy laugh, too.

"She still can! But don't misconstrue her kindness, Mark. She invested in me because she couldn't stand to see a family member drowning, but there was a lot of chastising and belittling involved over what I'd done to you before she finally relented and wrote me a check. Just like my folks, she thinks the sun rises and sets on those big, broad shoulders of yours. She still won't let me forget it."

"Then why, Cathy?" He nearly barked. "Can you name one time in our entire lives when I ever once lied to you?" That caused her to burst out in tears again.

"No! Never once, Mark."

"So didn't you have enough presence of mind to think that, hey; this douche bag is saying Mark's over there cheating on me. I'm going to go right to the source and ask my husband for the truth. I know he'd never lie to me."

"Yes!" She could barely speak. "I did think about it. Over and over again. And the sad part is that I knew you'd tell me the truth. I just didn't think I could have prepared myself for the truth. If you'd confirmed the shit he was telling me, and you truly were having an affair, I'd have just curled up and died."

"So instead of talking to me, you decided to let it be me who had the dubious honor to curl up and die? I'm no expert, Cathy, but that just screams of someone who schemed and plotted to destroy me."

"Never, ever, did that thought even cross my mind, Mark. Somehow the massive stroke I had, and it had to have been a stroke, convinced me that you were going to come home and tell me you didn't love me anymore, and that you wanted a divorce."

"I went into immediate self-protection mode. Compound that stroke with the constant, nagging, ever-present fear about the next ringing doorbell being someone there to tell me you'd been killed over there, and my brain was in a constant state of fight or flight."

"And, what? Did you think that some shiftless, sleazeball lawyer was going to give you a life of absolute stability and somehow never cause you any worry or angst into eternity?"

"Let's face it, Cathy. You were sitting right there in the ROTC office when I signed on the dotted line to accept that scholarship so I could to go nursing school. Lord knows we couldn't have afforded my college education any other way. And that captain even spoke to you personally to make sure you understood clearly that there was always the chance that when it came time to do my stint to pay back that scholarship, I could have been called to go to war. And you accepted it."

"Because I wanted it for you, Mark. I wanted you to get that education. You've wanted to be a nurse since you were working as an EMT with the volunteer fire department. And I so wanted that for you. But I guess I just blotted out the part about the man I loved with all my heart being called up to go right into the heart of that nightmare."

"Speaking of which, why didn't you take a job at the hospital when you got home? I was sure you would. You planned on coming back and working in the hospital while you studied for your nurse practitioner's degree. Instead, you opened another dojo."

"I saw entirely too much carnage over there, Cathy," he sighed. "And then I came home to the shit-show you orchestrated, and I guess I just lost it. I still put in a few hours at the VA hospital some weekends to keep my license current, but I find my peace in the martial arts. That's my happy place."

"It always has been." There was that million-megawatt smile of hers. "Since we started taking lessons back in grade school you were always hell bent on fighting in every competition that came along. I'm guessing it was your way of dealing with your parent's death."

"Maybe. I never really gave it much thought."

Seeing the changing expressions on his ungodly handsome face, she decided it was time to change the subject.

"This is nice, Mark. Being here with you again." She tried to reach for his hands but he pulled back.

This time it was Mark's idea to change the subject. "So. The call about the TV show is obviously the catalyst that brought you to my dojo last night..."

Before he could finish his thought, she interrupted.

"No, Mark. It was my excuse to finally come and see you. I'd been trying to work up the courage to see you since you got home. I was just so afraid that you'd give me the heave ho and hate me even more than you already do."

"I don't hate you, Cathy. Oh, I did. For a long time, actually. Hell, I was plotting you and Douche Bag's demise on a regular basis. But two things held me back."

"One was that he'd obviously won. You both hung horns on me and he won you away from me. It was a sleazy, underhanded way to do it; taking you while I wasn't here to defend myself, or even compete, but then again, I'd never stand by and allow myself to be a cuckold."

"Secondly, you were obviously in that relationship willingly. I'll compete in a martial arts contest and take a beating all day every day, but I won't compete and take a beating for something that I didn't consider worth the effort. As I said, once you crossed that bridge, you burned it behind you. Once I finally got some sense of clarity, you became a faceless foe as far as I was concerned."

"But I am worth it, Mark. I know you have absolutely no reason to believe that, but I am. Yes, I had that stroke, lapse from reality, brain bleed, whatever you want to call it, but I was not in my right mind when I did the despicable things I did to you."

"I eventually saw a shrink when I realized the mess I'd made of your life and mine, Mark. Reality struck in the middle of the night one night and I had the revelation of all revelations. It was like I woke up from a nightmare in a cold sweat and had an epiphany. And it didn't paint me in a good light."

"The psychologist said I took a... what did she call it? A psychological sabbatical. That's it. She said that I got myself so worked up over all the worry over you being killed, and the loneliness, that I just took a break from reality. That I was on the brink of a nervous breakdown from the moment you got orders to that shit show over there, and that douche bag, as you call him, picked the perfect opportunity to get into my head and take the wheel."

"How did he know you well enough for him to even get into your head, Cathy? That question has been eating at me forever."

"Fair question. We got sued while you were deployed, Mark. I never told you because I didn't want to put any more on your shoulders than you were already dealing with. One of the teens in my Judo class got a little carried away. Before I could stop him, he flipped another kid off the mat. The kid suffered a concussion and a broken arm and his parents sued us. I had to get a lawyer, and Douche Bag," she chuckled, "came highly recommended. For what it's worth, he used our standard release form that the parents signed to defend us, and the case was dropped almost before it even got started."

"But then Bob decided to sign up for the Goju Ryu class Chris was teaching. He said he wanted to learn the relaxation aspects to teach himself to calm his nerves, and for self-defense. He handled some pretty rough cases for some pretty shady characters, so the idea of being able to defend himself made sense."

"Chris's class. So how did he manage to get close enough to you to cause your supposed psychological sabbatical?"

Cathy let out a long sigh. "It was slow at first, Mark. We'd become friendly while I was dealing with him over the lawsuit. And then he started hanging around after class, coming into the office while I was doing paperwork to talk and shoot the breeze."

"He was lonely. He wasn't married, and he had no family to speak of, so I felt sorry for him and I let him hang around. He was being friendly. Not coming on to me in any way. At least I didn't think so. I mean, he knew how much I loved and missed you."

"Anyway, then he started coming in after hours, bringing food or flowers, saying they were just to cheer me up. Everyone, including him, knew I was a total wreck worrying about you. He said he wanted to be a friend. He was like a sounding board. Just a friend to talk to and vent to. And he just listened."

"I didn't even realize it was happening when he subtly started using all the things I'd told him about you and us to worm his way into my head. The shrink called it the slow seduction. Little by little, he chiseled away at my weakened mental condition and slipped in like a thief in the night."

"And, once again, I'm not making any excuses, Mark. Regardless of how he got into my head, you're right: I let it happen. But I was definitely not in my right mind."

"Unbeknownst to me, little by little he chipped away at my resolve and eventually managed to convince me that you were going to come home with some Army nurse on your arm, give me the big kiss-off, and marry her."

"I might be able to believe some of that if I ever, even once, gave you any reason whatsoever to believe that I was even remotely capable of doing that to us, Cathy. I never even looked at another woman once we became a couple. Not once. I never wanted to. You were my world. I cherished you. I poured my heart and soul out to you in every letter and every Skype call. And my reward for giving you my heart and soul was the utter disrespect and that surprise butt fucking welcome home party you and Bob threw for me!" Again the "Bob" came out as a growl.

Mark couldn't tell whether he was experiencing anger or despair. Either way, he had to get out of there. He felt as if the room was closing in on him. His chest tightened and his breathing suddenly become labored. A sudden, unwell dizziness washed over him and he realized he was having an anxiety attack.

He stood briskly, threw a hundred-dollar bill on the table beside the meal he'd barely touched, and headed for the door before he let her see the wetness growing in his sorrowful eyes.

"Mark! Please wait!" Cathy slid out from her seat and chased after him, nearly colliding with a waiter in her rush to stop him. By the time she maneuvered around the crowd of diners waiting by the door to be shown to a table, he was gone.

Chapter 6

"I thought we said all we had to say last night," Mark sighed, shaking his head in the negative. He was sitting at his desk, doing the monthly billing, when Cathy sauntered in to his office and closed the door behind her.

"Here," she said evenly, and placed a hundred-dollar bill on his desk. "We agreed that last night was my treat."

"That wasn't necessary, Cathy."

"Oh yes it was. I've broken enough promises to you. I have no intention of giving you any more fodder to add to the cannon you obviously have pointed at me."

"There's no cannon pointed at you, Cathy. If you somehow think I've added to the rumors circulating about you, you're dead wrong. With the exception of a few close friends, no one else heard a word about what happened between us from me."

"I know, Mark," she whimpered. "I know who named me the village bicycle. The sad part is that there was already enough vile truth about the hideous things I've done floating around. I didn't need anyone tossing gas on an already five alarm fire." She let out a big sigh as she fell into the chair beside his desk.

"I can't help you with that. I heard that rumor round about. You know more about the source than I do."

"It was Chris. She saw me out with him at Finnigan's one night. She came up to our table, slapped me across the face, called me everything but a human being and then quit. The next morning the cancellation phone calls started."

"And you didn't kill her?" he chuckled.

"For what? She was right. She was a mutual friend of ours who saw me out with a man other than my husband. My husband who happened to be her dear friend, and who was over there fighting for his country."

"Let's face it, Mark: she's always been both of our friend, but I always thought she liked you a whole lot more than me," she chuckled.

"Well, for the record, Chris and I have always been close, but we never..."

"Don't!" Cathy's hand went up to thwart any further rebuttal. "I know you never cheated on me, Mark. How I ever let my mind even go down that path I'll never know. But can I ask you an honest question?"

"I guess," he shrugged, suddenly semi-interested in where their conversation was headed.

"I've apologized over and over again, taken full responsibility for everything that's happened, and totally removed myself from that disgusting situation. Somewhere, deep down, don't you think I've been punished enough? Or that I'm not totally and completely contrite?"

"I've nearly lost our business, I no longer have any friends or family to speak of, and I've become a pariah here in town. I had to lower my rates to the just above the breaking even point to keep the few students I still have. How much more penance do I have to pay?" She was in tears again.

"What do you want from me, Cathy? I can't change people's minds."

"I don't care about anyone else, Mark. It's your forgiveness I need. And I don't mean you suddenly loving me again. If that were even a possibility, I'd move Heaven and Earth to bring it about."

"We've been best friends since we started grammar school for cripes sake, Mark. Not only am I mourning our fairy tale marriage, but I miss our friendship so very much. That Siamese twin relationship we've had practically all our lives. You were always that one and only super special person in the world I could always come to with my troubles or my triumphs, and you were always there to make them all better, or cheer me on."

"You're looking for a saint, Cathy, and I doubt I'll ever be a candidate for the sainthood. Had you talked to me, waited for me to get home and been honest with me before you started your campaign of seek and destroy; given me a chance to defend myself against whatever fears or worries you had, then we may have been able to one day be friends again."

"Even if you told me, to my face, that you were unhappy in our marriage and wanted out, I could have eventually forgiven you that. We'd been best friends for far too long for something like that to cause me to stay mad at you forever. If you weren't happy with me, I'd have never stood in your way. All I ever wanted was to see you happy and smiling."

"But you had to burn everything to the ground on your march to the south. You didn't leave anything but cinders and a broken heart in your wake. I've always considered myself a reasonable guy, but even Gandhi would have turned his back on you for the things you've done."

"I know! And you're right," she bellowed.

Seeing her sitting there totally destroyed further melted more of the block of ice from around his heart. Not enough to even consider taking her back, but enough to feel some degree of compassion for her.

"You're also a betting man, Mark. Always ready to take a chance. Let me suggest a wager."

"A wager?"

"Yes. Regarding this Divorce Settlement show."

"What?!" he scoffed.

"Yeah. Let's agree to do the show and put something more than just the prize money on the line."

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Cathy. Actually, I'm dead set against it."

"Just hear me out, ok?"

"Go ahead, but I doubt you're going to convince me to go on national TV and make a fool of myself. All the odds are in your favor. If I win, I'm the beast who beat up on a woman half my size. If you win, I'm the little bitch who let a little girl whip his ass in front of God and everyone."

"I've got a lot to lose too, Mark. If you win, I'll set the women's movement back a decade or two. If I win, I'll be labeled as some psycho dyke and the excuses for you losing will start to fly. They'll accuse me of being a transvestite, or that I've had far more training than you've had, and that the producers of the show brought me in as a ringer to keep their ratings up."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Cathy, but there's absolutely no possibility of you ever being taken for a man," he chuckled, unconsciously eyeing her delicious body up and down. "But why would either of us want to subject ourselves to that kind of almost guaranteed slander and ridicule? Not to mention the damage it could do to our businesses."

She was still reeling over his comment about the way she looked. Lord knows how hard she worked to get into the best shape of her life before she ever let him see her again.

"I'm willing to take that risk, Mark. I can always get a job doing something else should my dojo suffer. And you've got a four-year degree. You'd have no problem going back to nursing, or just about anything your heart desires. Another advantage you have over me."

"Don't rub my degree in my face, Cathy! You were offered scholarships, and your dad offered to foot your college bills! You didn't want any part of it!"

"For starters, I wasn't rubbing your degree in your face, Swee... Mark. I was praising you for it. You had the guts and that stick-to-it, do or die determination of yours to not only make it through those four grueling years of college while working day and night to get our dojo on its' feet, but to willingly pay Uncle Sam back for the opportunity with a check good for, up to and including, your very life. I've always been nothing but extremely proud of you for that. Never, ever, doubt that for a moment."

"I apologize. But you'll have to forgive me the occasional outburst given the circumstances."

"Outburst to your heart's content, Mark! Scream at me! Slap the ever-loving shit out of me! Take me over your knee and spank the living daylights out of me for being the total child I've been. If it will help you find it in your heart to start rebuilding our friendship, I'll take everything you can dish out and more. Don't you see that?!"

For the first time since the moment Mark saw her standing at the door of his dojo, he burst out in a belly laugh the likes of which he hadn't experienced since the night before he left her crying on the tarmac at the base, waving brokenheartedly as he boarded the plane for his trip to the bowels of hell.

"What? What's so funny? Cathy didn't know why, but she was laughing, too.

"If memory serves," he nearly howled, "spanking you wouldn't be punishment!"

A crimson blush instantly filled her angelic face. That just added to their laughter. She loved it when he spanked her during their hot, incredible, lovemaking sessions. She could almost feel that huge, fat cock of his nearly tearing her in half, and the delicious sting of his controlled slaps on her bare backside when he took her doggy style and drove her to one heart-stopping orgasm after another.

"Shut up," she laughed, embarrassed.

Mark's laughter was suddenly replaced by one of the saddest looks she'd ever seen him wear. "Was he a better lover than me, Cath?"

"Oh god no, Mark! No, no, no, no!! No one could ever, ever, be a better lover than you are... Were!" She felt as if she was on an emotional roller coaster as the deluge of tears returned. "You just don't understand, Mark! There was never any love involved in that mess. Ever. I could never love anyone but you."

"And if you must know, there was no comparison in that regard. He's a tiny, pathetic little man with a tiny, pathetic little package. The only thing big on him is his ego. If you must know, I don't believe I ever once enjoyed being with him. Please don't make me relive that."

"I'm sorry, ok. I don't know why, but for some reason, I just had to know."

"If you must know, Mark, you ruined me for any other man the night you took my virginity. God that hurt. You were trying to be so gentle, and the way you licked and kissed me down there had me so wet it sent me over the moon. But let's face facts: you're hung like a horse. It took forever for you to even be able to get all of yourself inside me. And I bled every time forever."

"But I loved you so much, and that hurt was so incredibly wonderful, that it was worth every pain." Cathy suddenly got a dreamy look on her adorable little face before she continued.

"And then one time, I think it was in your college dorm room, the pain became pleasure beyond anything I've ever felt in my life. And every time after was utterly euphoric; plain and simple."

"And to clarify any misconceptions, that alone is the only reason I never let you back there. You'd have killed me. Those big ole fingers of yours were enough to let me know there was no way I could take Big Mark in my butt." She smiled and blushed just from the wonderful, wonderful memories.

"And before you even think it; absolutely not! I never, ever, let him back there. Truth be told, I decided to suggest that you and I throw caution to the wind and try that when you came home to me as you were getting on that plane. Sadly, I killed another dream."

"Let's change the subject," he sighed. Just the thought of taking that incredibly muscled, plump, perky ass had him as hard as a brick. But that was the past.

"Ok, Mark. Should you decide to take me up on my challenge, and agree to do that stupid show with me, I wager that, if you win, I'll sell my dojo, come to work here for you, bringing my few students with me, and I'll be your sex slave for as long as you'll have me. You don't even have to kiss me or offer me any hope of ever rekindling with me."

Mark almost swallowed his tongue. The look of utter disbelief on his face must have been obvious. Seeing the look of sincerity and determination on her face as she just became firmer in her conviction, tossing down the gauntlet, nearly caused him to fall back in his chair.

"Those are some pretty steep promises, Cathy."

"I'm that determined, Mark. I want our friendship back. And I'm not going to lie and say that I won't be doing everything in my power to win your love back at the same time but, for now, those are my terms."

"And what if you win?"

"If I win, you have to agree to take me on twenty dates. Real dates, not just some quick way to fulfill your obligation. Dinner, dancing, walks by the lake like we used to do. Romantic things. And you'll have to kiss me long and hard good night after each date; unlike the consequences if I lose."

"How can we possibly make a wager like that, Cathy? I mean, let's face facts. Your credibility is pretty much zilch with me right now. I'd be taking one hell of a chance just agreeing to do that show. If for nothing else, just for the reasons I mentioned earlier. I enjoy working part time at the VA, but I don't think I have any desire to go back to nursing full time."

"We'll draw up a signed and witnessed contract, Mark. With severe consequences for each of us if we don't live up to our promises."

"And, what? Take them to Bob to have them notarized?" He couldn't help but take a shot and vent some of the waning venom still coursing through his veins whenever he had the opportunity. Although, the desire to hurt her, mentally, was becoming less and less the more time they spent together. She took it in her stride.

"No. I wouldn't even know how to contact him. Nor would I want to. The last I heard, he left the firm under questionable circumstances when word got out that we were seeing each other while he represented me. That was with almost a year ago. I'm told he moved to Albany to go out on his own."

"So, he got off unscathed while you've been the focus of a modern-day witch hunt here in town?"

"Basically. Talk about a double standard. If a man has an affair, he's somehow looked upon as some sort of a closet stud by other men. If a woman does it, she's a whore and should be forced to walk around wearing a scarlet letter tattooed on her chest."

"I'm sorry, Cath. In the beginning, I wanted you to feel every pain imaginable and then some. But this has gone on for far too long. And I suppose that, after some time, we can maybe be friends again."

"Oh, Mark!!" She sprang out of her chair and into his lap in a flash of flailing arms and legs. And this time he let her. Just feeling his arms around her, if only to keep her from falling off his lap, had her beyond elated, but she didn't want to push it too quickly. "You have no idea how much that means to me!"

"Ok. So, we've roughed out our wager. But that was all me. What stipulations do you want to put on our wager, Mark?"

"I don't know, Cath. I think the whole idea is crazy."

"Honestly; what have we got to lose, Mark? We're the only two martial arts studios here in town. Our clients may come in with their noses in the air, but they will come. How many students do you have now?"

"I don't know? Ninety something."

"Ninety something! Holy shit! I've got nineteen. Twenty-nine if you count the women's self-defense class, but that's only an eight-week class. Now come on. What stipulations are you putting on our wager?"

"Ok. I'll play along. If you lose, and I have a total change of heart and take you up on your crazy sex toy offer, you have to come to the VA with me for a complete and thorough blood and urine analysis. I'm sorry, and I don't mean to be crass, but someone else has been in there and I have no intention of going in there without seeing a clean bill of health."

"I completely understand. I have no problem with that. But it's been over a year since I walked out on him, Mark. And I swear to you that I haven't been with anyone else. I couldn't possibly have something without there being some signs."

"Oh yes you could. Some people carry one disease or another and never show any signs of it at all. Unless it's caught during a blood test, even HIV doesn't always make itself known unless the disease progresses."

"Now you're scaring me. Sure, Mark. Absolutely. For both of our health."

She could see a flush fill his face as he tried to hide the fact that he was hard. She could feel that behemoth pressing into her backside. In as much as she could have stayed in his lap forever, she didn't want to push her luck.

"Well, tomorrow's Saturday. My beginner's class comes in at nine. I have to go. Can I come back and discuss this with you more tomorrow night, Mark?"

"Why not?" he relented, tossing his hands up in capitulation. "My last class usually finishes up around seven. Any time after that."

"Would you like me to bring some barbecue or something?"

"Sounds good."

She took a chance and quickly kissed his cheek as she was climbing out of his lap. "Night, Mark.

Chapter 7

Carl nearly had a baby when Mark called him Monday morning. Carl was fairly certain he had one foot out the door and the other on a banana peel after he was singled out and berated at the last disastrous meeting with G. R. for his mediocre participation. Hopefully this would save him from a life of selling extended car warranties over the phone.

"You're shitting me, Mark! She actually agreed!"

"Yeah. Actually, she the one that convinced me."

"So; like you two are talking again?"

"Somewhat."

"Ok. Let me talk to an MMA expert and get some ground rules so I can put together a proposal. I'd ask you, but that's kind of a conflict of interest. I'm sure he or she will suggest some way to level the playing field."

"Call Jim Rothberg. Here, I'll give you his number. He's the secretary for the AMMA. Tell him I gave you his number. He's about as knowledgeable and straight up as they come."

"Great! Let me work out the logistics and I'll call you back with dates and times. We'll send you first class tickets to fly out here, and put you up in a nice hotel."

"We'll need a good heads up, Carl. We'll need to make arrangements to have our dojo's covered."

"Not a problem. We usually give the participants a six week notice before they're scheduled to appear. More often longer. There's actually a long waiting list of willing participants."

"Have you heard the TV ads for the show, Mark? Since we last spoke, the show is second only to The Voice in the ratings. And The Voice only airs for fourteen weeks. If Divorce Settlement keeps the ratings up, it'll run every Friday night for the full twenty-five weeks. Then we're hoping it'll be picked up for a second season. We've had no shortage of divorcees wanting blood. Makes me glad I never got married. Some of these crazy fuckers play for keeps."

"Sounds good, Carl. Just let me know."

"I sure will. Thanks, Mark. You're saving my ass."

"Seems to me this isn't the first time," Mark laughed. Bye, Carl."

Chapter 8

Cathy tried holding back a laugh as she watched Mark putting a whooping on some poor guy he was in the cage with.

"Mark's giving him everything he deserves." Charlie, one of Mark's Army buddies, whispered as he sidled up beside Cathy. Mark introduced the two of them a few weeks before when Cathy made one of her more and more frequent visits to Mark's dojo.

Charlie Quarters was teaching Uechi there in Mark's dojo. He's been a martial arts enthusiast for almost as long as Mark and Cathy had been, and spent a year in Okinawa learning his art from the true masters. He, too, was trying not to laugh as he explained why Mark was mopping the floor with the big dope he was fighting.

"The guy came in bragging that he was a pro MMA fighter, and that he could whip anyone in the place," Charlie laughed. "I guess Mark decided to prove his theory wrong."

"Mark was amazing the last time I sparred with him, but he's just about acquired ninja status since then." Cathy was awed, amazed by what she was seeing.

"We did a lot of working out over there, Cathy. Not much else to do on our few off hours. There's no better way to blow off steam and forget the shit show we were living than a good workout."

"I can only imagine."

Cathy was watching Mark in adoration. Each movement was perfectly calculated and thought out before he executed them. The poor guy Mark was sparring with spent more time eating the mat than he did standing. Mark almost had enough time to take a bathroom break between knockdowns. Had they been in an actual MMA bout, the guy would have been counted out seconds after he stepped into the cage.

"You've had enough, Slugger," Mark laughed, offering a hand to help the guy up. The poor bastard couldn't even get his legs under him. Someone Cathy didn't know jumped in the cage and helped Mark carry the guy out and into a chair.

"I've got him, Mark. Looks like you've got company." Wally Clemmens, one of Mark's advanced students, was nodding toward Cathy.

"Thanks, Wally. Get him some water, please, and don't let him leave until he realizes what planet he's on." That had them both laughing.

"Hi, Cath. I'm guessing they faxed you the contracts today," he said.

"They did. Have you read them?"

"I glanced over them. Have you?"

"Yes. I know they're going to spread the hate and discontent the whole town seems to have toward me nationwide, Mark, but I'll live with it. It's all part of my personal atonement plan."

"Are you sure, Cathy? We can always say thanks, but no thanks. You've apologized all over yourself for the past few weeks, and I've accepted your apology. Why subject yourself to that?"

"Yes, Sweetie, you've accepted my apology, but you haven't forgiven me. And while you're speaking to me, we're no closer than we were before this whole show idea came to light."

"And you somehow think allowing yourself to be abused and made to look like a cheating tramp on national TV is somehow going to improve that?"

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot. You know I have always tried to maintain a wholesome image, Mark. Until I made the biggest mistake of my life, I had a pretty stellar reputation. I'm hoping that seeing me subject myself to ridicule, and the boos and hisses from the crowd, while showing my true shame and contrition, that it will somehow show you how truly sorry I am. How dedicated I am to getting back as much as you'll let me into your good graces."

"It's not worth it, Cathy."

"Look me in the eye, Mark," she blurted out, grabbing his face between both of her hands. "I've horribly wronged the only man I could ever love. I'd give anything and everything I have to earn however much of that love back I can."

"Now. We need to spar. We haven't worked together since before you deployed."

"Not tonight. That kid ain't much, but he got a few good ones in," he chuckled. "I'm going to be sore tomorrow."

"He must have gotten those in before I got here," she giggled. "All I saw was you hitting him, and him hitting the mat over and over again."

"He's another of those whose mouth writes checks his ass can't cash. I need a shower. Come on in and sit in the office and read those contracts very closely while I shower."

"I know that whoever they talked to for fight rules requires that you wear sparring gloves and padded booties while I wear regular fight gloves and fight bare footed. Did you read that part?" She was talking to him through the slats in the bathroom door. The urge to open it and join him in the shower was overwhelming.

"Yeah. I think it's a good idea. I have twice the reach, arm and leg wise, than yours. Granted, you managed to somewhat overcome that obstacle over the years, but the added padding will make me feel more comfortable. A year ago, we'd have gone bare knuckle. I don't have the same urge to do you harm anymore."

"So, I'm making headway, huh?" She giggled.

"Let's just say that being mad at you took up too much of my limited gray matter that could be better utilized for other purposes."

Seeing him standing there drying his thick hair in just his gi bottoms, that ripped, square chest and six pack abs, caused a deluge to ooze from her and soak her panties. She actually felt faint. How she'd missed being held against that hard body.

"Admit it. That huge heart of yours is starting to mend."

"I wouldn't go that far. I don't know whether that'll ever happen, Cathy. Some pains cut too deep to heal."

Chapter 9

Mark and Cathy agreed to forego the separate limousines the show offered, and rode to the airport, sixty miles away, in the same one. It had been six weeks since they faxed their signed contracts back to Divorce Settlement, and they were scheduled to be featured on that Friday night's show.

It was Monday and, with the exception of some preliminaries and rehearsals, they were told they'd pretty much be free to come and go in Los Angeles as they pleased before showtime.

"Will you do some sightseeing with me, Mark?"

"I guess so. I'm not going to just hole up in my room and watch TV all week."

"Good. Do you think they'll let us work out this week?"

"Carl said we can work out, but no sparring. He said this Aaron guy, the producer, doesn't want any indication of a rehearsed show. We're supposed to hate each other, remember?"

"And do you still hate me, Mark?"

Mark let out a long sigh. "No, Cathy. I don't hate you."

"Do you at least like me again, Mark?"

"Don't push your luck, Cathy." He chuckled a little as they worked their way through TSA.

"Oh wow! I've never flown first class," Cathy enthused. "Have you?"

"Yeah. They bumped me to first class when I flew home."

"Were you in your uniform?"

"Uh huh. I had to fly military from Hassakah to Paris, and then catch a civilian flight to JFK. We no sooner landed and we were in the air again. I didn't have time to change."

"You always looked so sexy in your uniform when you did your reserve duty."

"The happiest day in my life was the day I took it off for the last time and packed it, and all the memories attached to it, away."

"And my foolishness just added to those awful memories." He could see her eyes welling up.

"Let it go, Cathy."

Mark leaned back in his seat and opened a book. Cathy wanted to say more, but let it drop. She leaned back and let her mind wander before she fell asleep. They were landing in LA before she even realized it.

Chapter 10

Carl was waiting for them at baggage claim, holding a sign over his head with their names on it.

"How was your flight, Mark?"

"Great. Carl, this is Cathy, my ex."

Carl gave Cathy a half-hearted handshake and a professional nod. He'd heard the whole story when Mark dragged into their medical unit's reunion looking like someone shot his dog.

"Well come on. There's a limo waiting for us. I'll take you to your hotel so you can get some rest after that long flight."

"We'll be sending the limo for you tomorrow morning at ten. You'll both need to bring your workout gear with you for some publicity photos after your exams. And nothing by mouth after midnight tonight. Just some loose ends to tie up and you'll be free to go and enjoy the city after lunch."

"Exams?" Cathy questioned.

"It was in your packet, Cathy. We can't allow you to step into the ring without ensuring you're physically fit. We have a doctor coming in to make certain you're not going to have a heart attack during the show. That wouldn't bode well for you or the network."

"Yes, I did read that. I just forgot. Sorry." Cathy's mind started plotting the possibilities.

"No problem. It's just a cursory thing. We got the guidelines from that guy you had me call, Mark. He sure was a font of useful information."

"Would I steer you wrong, Carl?" Mark laughed.

Carl walked them to the check in desk to make sure their reservations were in order, shook hands with Mark and Cathy and left.

"Did you read anything about an exam, Mark?"

"Sure. It's required before any sanctioned match. You know that. They're just covering all their bases; even though we already signed a release that basically exonerates them for anything from a falling klieg light squishing us, to our being evaporated by a ray gun during a Martian invasion," he laughed.

"God I've missed that sense of humor of yours!" She laughed with him as the bellhop led them up to their rooms.

Chapter 11

Mark was inspecting the courtesy wine and cheese basket the studio sent to the room when he heard a knock on the adjoining room door. He had to laugh. He gave himself three guesses who that was, and the first two didn't count. He was still chuckling when he opened it.

"You're not going to slip in and kill me in my sleep, are you?" she giggled.

She'd undressed when she got to her room and slipped into a short, sheer robe that exposed those incredible legs up to mid-thigh, and highlighted her perky breasts. Mark was trying to deny how fantastic she looked, but it wasn't working. All the while he was denying his desire to hold her in his arms again and have back the wonderful, whirlwind life they'd shared before she tore his heart out by the roots.

"Mind if I come in?" He just stood back and waved her in. He was starting to realize that her quest to win him back was unrelenting. Not that he had any intention of giving in. His pride just wouldn't allow that; regardless of her obvious contrition. But he couldn't deny that being around her again wasn't so bad. In truth, he was starting to realize he rather enjoyed having her around again.

She swept in and sat on the end of the bed, crossing those luscious legs. Her robe parted slightly, exposing those creamy, flawless inner thighs almost up to heaven. Mark had to turn his back and busy himself by pretending to read the hotel room regulations on the back of the door; all the while hoping to hide his erection.

"Mark, don't defend me when we step into the ring. No matter what that obnoxious MC says about me, or the booing and name calling from the audience, just ignore it."

"What makes you think I'd defend you?" he laughed. "I'll probably be the loudest voice in the crowd."

"I'd deserve it," she sighed.

"Cathy, you've got to get off of your own back. What's done is done. You can't change the past. Until you come to grips with reality, you're going to be nothing but miserable."

"How do I come to grips with ruining our dream-like marriage and both of our lives, Mark?"

"I'd suggest you ask your shrink about that. I'm no psychologist, Cath, but I do know that you've got to come to grips with your demons before you really sink into a deep depression. Believe me, I see far too much of that at the VA hospital. It's not pretty."

"It's different, Mark. I was just coming out of that depressive fugue I was in when we were in that courtroom. It's like I was just coming back from some other dimension and started realizing the damage I'd done, and all I'd lost because of it."

"Were you prescribed any medications when you were in that depressive fugue, Cathy?" Mark was suddenly becoming increasingly concerned.

"Yeah. Effexor something or other. That just made me sick. She told me I'd get past it, but I didn't, so she prescribed something else. I forget what it was, but it worked."

"Then, once I came to my senses, and got far away from him, I started trying to deal with my demon's head on. That's when she started weening me off of the heavy-duty stuff slowly. I had to see her twice a week so she could make sure that being off the meds didn't start giving me thoughts of self-abuse. She even started making me strip to check and make sure I wasn't cutting myself."

"Eventually, she agreed with me that I was being a big girl, and I was coping well, so when she'd weened me off of the depression medication completely, she prescribed a benzo to take if I started feeling anxious or depressed."

"And have you taken them?"

"Honestly? Not until the night I showed up at your dojo. I needed one bad that night to work up the courage just to walk in the door. I had no idea what your reaction would be. Up until that night, I was dealing with my issues one at a time, just trying to work up the courage to see you again."

"I hope it's been a few days since you've taken one. If not, it'll show up in your blood and urine tests and they're not going to let you fight."

"I haven't taken any since the night you walked out of the restaurant. You've been fairly tolerable since then," she laughed.

"Fairly tolerable? I'd say I've pretty much been a prince. Anyone else would have probably had you whacked."

"I know, Mark. And I'm so thankful that you're being so cordial. I know I don't deserve it, but I will. You'll see."

"I'm going to my room to take a long bath in that swimming pool they call a tub, and then take a nap. Do you plan on going out to dinner tonight, or are you thinking room service?"

"I haven't decided."

"Well, when you do, do you mind if I join you?"

"No, Cath, I don't mind."

Chapter 12

"Ok, folks. The nurse is waiting for you right in here. The doctor got caught in traffic, but he'll be here soon."

Carl opened the door to what looked like a janitor's closet quickly thrust into exam room duty, and waved the two in. It was slightly bigger than a janitor's closet, but not much.

At the back of the room, a folding medical curtain separated two folding exam tables covered in sheets. A nurse sat at a desk shoved in a corner and waved them over.

"We don't have regular medical facilities here in this studio, and they're balking about building a clinic until they see how well the show fares," Carl explained, obviously as shocked at the sparsely furnished room as Mark was. "Kind of reminds you of the field hospitals we set up over there, doesn't it, Mark?"

"A little too much like them," Mark sighed, reliving some of the nightmares.

"Good morning. I'm Heidi; Doctor Sullivan's nurse." A very beautiful women stood, met them at the door and shook both of their hands. Carl took that as his cue to leave. She put a sign on the door and closed it behind him.

"Ok. Let's get started. I need you to go into the bathroom there and give me a urine sample," she said, handing Mark a cup "and you sit over there by the desk so I can draw some blood. Ok?"

Mark heard Cathy let out a loud string of ouches, followed by a whine that made him smile as he zipped up and carried the sample back to the nurse. Cathy hated needles.

"Good. Now switch places," Heidi smiled. Cathy was still grousing, staring at the band aid on her arm, and took the cup into the rest room.

"She hates needles," Mark chuckled, rolling up his sleeve.

"So I noticed."

She drew three vials from Mark and sat them in the rack just as Cathy was coming out of the bathroom. Heidi packed up the samples and went to the door, called to someone at the desk outside, and handed the samples off to them.

"He's taking your samples to a local lab to be processed. The doctor should have the results by the time he finishes up with your exams."

"In the meantime, let's get the preliminaries done. Would you both kick off your shoes and step over to the scale please?"

Cathy went first. "One-hundred- and eighteen-pounds and... sixty-four inches. Good. Now you, Mister Giant," she laughed.

"Two-hundred and twenty-six pounds and seventy-seven- and one-half inches. Do children ever try to climb you?" she laughed.

"No. But I have had a few dogs try to lift their legs against me if I stand still for too long." That got a laugh from the two ladies.

"Carl tells me you were a nurse in the same medical unit he was with, Captain Mark. Thank you for your service."

"Thank you," he smiled self-consciously.

"Well, if you'll both have a seat over there, I'll get your blood pressure and temperature. I'm sure Doctor Sullivan will be here soon."

No sooner were the words out of her mouth when her phone rang. Heidi held up her finger in a polite, wait a sec gesture and answered.

"That was the doctor. He's five minutes out."

Heidi made short work of taking their blood pressure and temperature and charted her findings.

"Ok, Folks. Each of you step into a cubical and undress down to your underwear, please."

"No peaking, Mark," Cathy chuckled.

"No worries there, Cathy," he grunted, hanging his pants on the hook.

He was, however, tall enough to peek over the top of the screen. Cathy looked amazing. Better than he'd ever seen her look. And that was saying a lot.

"Wow! Neither of you are strangers to the martial arts, are you?" Heidi stood outside the cubicles and looked in at the two in their underwear; awed by their incredible builds. Just looking at Mark was making her panties damp. The man was a god as far as she could tell. So tall and so manly with a ruggedly handsome face, huge brown eyes, and a thick mop of brown hair that she wanted to spend forever running her fingers through.

Seeing Heidi staring at him, he smiled bashfully. Those incredible dimples of his made her heart skip a beat. How Cathy could have ever done the horrible things to that Adonis she'd heard about, she couldn't imagine.

"Sorry I'm late," Doctor Sullivan said cheerily as he swept into the room. "The One-Oh-One is going to be the death of me yet."

"I'm so glad I get to bypass that," Heidi chimed in.

Sullivan washed his hands and stepped into Mark's cubical first. "Are you really going to fight that little girl in there?" he questioned quietly. "Look at you and look at her."

Mark just started laughing. "Cathy?"

"Yeah?"

"Come out of there for a minute, will you please?"

"Are you sure, Mark? I don't want to appall you."

"Yes, Cath."

Cathy stepped out in a skimpy red lace bra and matching red thong. She looked like a million dollars in one compact, awesome package.

"Cath, Doctor Sullivan is worried that I might hurt you," he laughed. "Yoko Tobi Geri!"

Cathy bowed and went into the very impressive routine. The little shit actually ended her routine by throwing her practiced side kick up and over the stunned doctor's head perfectly as she completed the exercise, bowed and went back into her cubical. Mark could actually see the neatly coiffed little patch of blonde curls between her strong, muscular thighs during her high reaching kick. Memories of worshiping and enjoying that incredible body had him harder than a fence post.

"Wow! And you both know these moves?"

"We're both martial arts instructors, Doctor. And this improvised mixed martial arts bout we're doing has me wearing gear that will somewhat hobble me to even the odds. Not that Cathy isn't perfectly capable of doing me damage, but I have a little bit of an advantage over her."

"If you're betting, bet on the big guy," Cathy chuckled from her cube.

"I don't think you'll find any cardio issues during their exams, Frank," Heidi laughed.

"I think I might need to sign up for lessons myself," the doctor laughed.

And Heidi's phone rang again. As she answered, her face took on a panicked look as she spoke urgently to whoever was on the other end. She ended the call, looking shaken, and whispered something anxiously to the doctor.

"Oh no! Sure, Heidi. Go. And call me later and let me know how he makes out."

"I'm so sorry, Guys. My son fell off the swing at school and they think he may have broken his arm. I have to leave."

"Oh no! I hope he's ok, Heidi," Cathy and Mark lamented in unison.

Once Heidi left, the doctor stood outside the two cubicles and spoke. "I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule for later in the week, Folks. I have to have a chaperone in the room whenever I examine a woman."

"Mark's a registered nurse, Doctor. Will he do?" Cathy asked.

"Ok. What's the deal here? Aren't you two supposed to hate each other? Two disgruntled divorcees ready to go into the ring and tear each other's heads off?"

"Oh, he hates me, Doctor. And I deserve it. But truth be told, I love him with all my heart and I have and will forever. But I can admit that to you because you're constrained by doctor patient confidentiality, right?"

"Your secret's safe with me, Cathy," he laughed. "So; you're ok with a male chaperone?"

"I can assure you that I don't have anything he hasn't seen before, Doctor. Although, it has been quite some time. And unless you're just an actor portraying a doctor, I doubt I have anything that will be new to you."

Mark burst out laughing. The little shit was in rare form.

"I guess that'll be ok. But I'll need you to sign a waiver, Cathy." The doctor moved to the desk and started rummaging through the drawers.

"No problem. I've already signed my life away just to be here," she chuckled, signing the form.

"Well then, Lil Lady, we'll start with you."

Mark stood behind the doctor as he deftly examined Cathy's eyes, ears, nose and throat, asking general questions about her health.

He was trying to deny it, but Mark couldn't get over how amazing she looked. She'd been beautiful since they were kids. A walking, talking, Precious Moments statuette, but she'd aged like a fine wine. And in as much as he'd previously wanted to wrap his hands around her strong, silken neck and squeeze until she ceased to breathe, those murderous feelings were gone.

Cathy literally passed out across her bed after her warm bath the night before. They opted for room service, promising they'd go out to see the sights and have dinner at one of LA's famous restaurants that night after their exams. They'd been warned not to eat or drink anything but water after midnight the night before for their lab work, and they were cutting it pretty close.

They sat together on her bed after their late dinner and watched some crazy Disney movie on pay per view until almost three AM. Cathy had always been a child at heart. She never missed a Disney movie.

When the movie ended, Mark said good night and went to his room. Watching him leave nearly destroyed Cathy. She'd hoped beyond hope that he'd stay and make love to her; but she knew it was too much to hope for.

As the doctor started sliding his stethoscope over Cathy's smooth, flawless back, the dark thoughts began gnawing at Mark's mind. Visions of that slimy weasel, Bob, kissing that exquisite cashmere skin, his pudgy body atop her as he slid his pathetic little package, her words, into that amazing place where only Mark had ever been before were eating away at him like a cancer. He could feel his fists clenching, regardless of the improving thoughts he'd been having toward her lately.

Was she damaged goods? He believed her when she emphasized the fact that Bob, (he even growled the name in his thoughts,) had been the only one. And her non-stop, painfully honest apologies had been sincere.

If nothing else, Mark knew Cathy better than anyone on earth. He could always ferret out her mischievous, although rare, little white fibs. And he could see in her eyes that her description of her relationship with Bob was sincere. Bobby Boy conditioned her over time and, while she was never a Rhodes Scholar, she wasn't dumb by any stretch.

She was, however, gullible. The many pranks Mark had pulled on her over the years, many of them more than once, that she fell for time and again, just proved her child-like naivete. Cathy thought with her heart. She always had. She'd be the first one to give her school lunch to a kid who had none, or her last dollar to a homeless person on the street. That was just who she was.

But he could see that the situation she found herself in back in their small town had hardened her some. The snubs and ignored hellos from people who were once her friends were taking their toll on her.

"Can you unfasten your bra please, Cathy?" the doctor asked, bringing Mark out of his thoughts.

She locked her eyes on Mark as she unashamedly unfastened her lacy bra and let it slide down her perfectly muscled arms. Those perky, lovely breasts stood proudly on their own. Her tiny pink nipples immediately hardened when exposed to the cold room air. Her beautiful muscled torso and those incredible breasts glistened in the stark room light that seemed to form a halo around her.

As much as he tried to deny how amazing she looked, his raging hard on betrayed him.

"Hands on your head, please, Cathy."

Mark snapped out of his funk and watched as the doctor eyed Cathy's exquisite breasts. Sullivan's professional detachment, Mark knew from experience, had him only looking for signs of something out of the ordinary, but Mark stared at the perfect orbs like an art enthusiast gazes upon a masterpiece.

"Good. Now on your hips." Cathy's breasts didn't budge. Years of dedicated training had her perfectly muscled, but those muscles did nothing to take away from her glaring femininity. And through the entire exam, her glowing sapphire eyes never left Mark's.

"Good. Let's lie you back." The doctor offered his hand to help Cathy lay back, placed a pillow behind her solid shoulders and slowly began examining Cathy's ample breasts.

"Are you still in nursing, Mark?" he asked, working his fingers in concentric circles over Cathy's flawless breast flesh.

"No. I had my fill of nursing in the Army. I still work at the VA some weekends, but I own a martial arts dojo now."

"I'm sorry. I can only imagine the horrors you dealt with over there."

Mark remained silent, just watching as the doctor patiently moved his stethoscope over Cathy's smooth, flat, six pack abs, pressing and lifting the firm flesh as he prodded her organs.

Mark fought back a laugh. Cathy was incredibly ticklish, and Mark could see her fighting to keep from laughing. Every once in a while she'd flinch and let out a nasally chortle as if she was choking.

"She's ticklish, Doc," Mark laughed.

"Almost done." Doctor Sullivan was laughing, too.

When his fingers slipped under the lacy waistband of Cathy's barely there thong to palpate her ovaries, a hint of the perfectly trimmed little "V" she'd always maintained around heaven came into view. Mark's briefs were threatening to just burst open like the Hulk's shirt.

Cathy had a knowing look on her adorable face as she watched Mark's expressions. The little shit knew what seeing her stellar body was doing to him. Unlike Cathy, his last sexual encounter was with her the morning he left for the war zone almost three years before.

Watching those runway model legs being twisted and prodded as Sullivan palpated Cathy's curvy hips had Mark nearly panting. A cold sweat broke out on his brow.

"Almost done, Cathy. Can you stand and drop your panties for me, please?"

Cathy's eyes never left Mark's as she slid smoothly off the table, let the barely there thong shimmy down over her rock-solid thighs, and stood before the now sitting doctor in all her glory.

Cathy's expression was one of pride as she stood, hands on her hips, oblivious to the gloved fingers prodding her nether regions in search of a hernia.

"Can you turn and bend over the table for me, please?"

It was as if her head was on a swivel as her body turned, but her eyes remained fixed on Mark. When she bent over, those firm, bubbly ass peaches were mere inches from him. He could feel the pre-cum sticking his painful erection to his briefs.

Cathy just spread her legs as if she knew what to expect. The doctor gently palpated her moist nether lips, spread the sheath over her already hard little nubbin, then spread those amazing ass cheeks and gently palpated around her anus.

"If you'll just walk to the wall on your toes, eyes closed, then back to me on your heels, we'll finish up, Cathy."

She was beauty and grace personified as she sashayed to the wall on her toes, then back on her heels as if she was floating on a cloud.

"Very good. Go ahead and get dressed, Cathy. Once I've seen the lab results, I can sign you off and give you my seal of approval to fight. Although, I still say that the network is going too far to put such a little person in the ring with this gorilla," he laughed.

"I can hold my own, Doctor." Cathy had an assured, almost cocky expression on that elfish face as she slowly began to dress.

"Just my humble opinion, but I saw the eye contact going on between you two. You sure don't come across as two people who hate each other, or who want their pound of flesh."

"I don't hate him, Doctor Sullivan," Cathy said firmly, fastening her bra. "I love him more than life itself. But you see, I did a very, very bad thing while that wonderful man was over there helping people who truly needed him. For that, and so many other things, I'll never forgive myself, and I'm beginning to believe he'll never entirely forgive me either."

Sullivan's head snapped toward Mark, giving him a questioning look. It was very obvious that Sullivan was taken by Cathy's candor.

"It's complicated," Mark said blandly and slid up on the exam table.

When Sullivan began silently examining Mark's eyes, ears, nose and throat, Mark could hear Cathy's heartbreaking, subdued attempts to hide the fact that she was crying.

He hated to admit it, but the old, heart squeezing feelings that seeing, or even hearing her cry always gave him were returning in spades. He wanted to go to her, hold her, stroke her long, lovely blonde hair and make it all better, but the nagging reminders of the scorched earth he'd returned home to kept the urge to comfort her at bay.

Sullivan made short work of examining Mark's heart and lungs, then asked him to lay back.

When Mark turned his head to the side, Cathy stood there, now dressed, making silly faces at him, trying to make him laugh. Regardless of the mirth in her expressions, he could see the tears and the sadness in those beautiful blue eyes.

"Jesus! Trying to palpate your abs is like trying to bend a brick," Sullivan laughed.

"We started taking karate lessons together in the third grade," Cathy said from behind Sullivan's back.

"I was a little reluctant, but Mark took to it like a duck to water and made the dojo his church. He was always practicing and working out. There wasn't a bully from fifth grade on who wouldn't cross the street to walk on the other side when they saw Mark coming," she chuckled.

"Sounds like you're very proud of him, Cathy?"

"Absolutely. I've always been very, very proud of him. We were attached at the hip from grammar school on. My dad made me take the martial arts classes. I wasn't too happy about it at first, but Mark kept goading me to go with the flow and get into the workouts, so I did. Back then I did it more just to be with him, but I eventually caught the bug and began to truly love both Mark and the intricacies of the martial arts."

Sullivan looked at Mark like he had two heads. Sullivan didn't know the whole story, and Mark wasn't about to enlighten him. He'd hear the entire, sordid tale Friday night before the match. He just laid there silently, praying his rigid cock went down before Sullivan asked him to shuck his briefs.

Unfortunately, that was not to be.

"Stand beside the table, Mark." There was a stern edge to Sullivan's voice, as if he'd totally sided with Cathy and deemed Mark the enemy.

Mark stood, trying to subtly wave Cathy away, but she just gave him that cute little stubborn expression of hers, crossed her arms over her ample breasts, stuck her tongue out him and stood firm.

"Drop the briefs please," Sullivan said blandly. If Mark could have turned a brighter shade of red, he'd be purple.

He reluctantly shucked his briefs. His immovable man-meat sprang out like a fleshy switchblade.

Sullivan was expressionless as he snapped on fresh gloves and examined Mark's package, but Cathy let out an audible gasp and staggered, swaying on her feet, with an expression of utter shock on her face.

Mark stared at the ceiling, mortified, as the fingers pressed deeply into his inguinal canals. "Bear down." Mark just complied.

"Good. Now this side."

Mark felt as if he'd just melt into puddle of mortification and ooze out under the door as the doctor asked him to turn and bend over the table. His ass was pointed directly at Cathy when Sullivan spread his solid cheeks and pressed around his anus. Thankfully he was quick.

"Just close your eyes and walk to the wall on your toes and back toward me on your heels."

Mark just wanted to die. His cock was bobbing up and down as he walked like some deranged orchestra conductor's baton directing some invisible band. Thankfully, the knock on the door took Sullivan and Cathy's attention away from Mark as he ducked into his cubical to quickly dress.

"These are the lab results," Sullivan announced, perusing the forms. Mark was just tucking in his shirt as he walked out, anticipating the results.

"Mark, everything in your labs was perfect. Can you excuse us, please? I need to speak with Cathy in private."

"No. No, that's ok. Please let him stay, Doctor Sullivan. Is there something wrong?"

"Are you sure you want Mark to hear this, Cathy?"

"Certainly. This affects him, too."

"Your call." He laid the print outs on the desk and started to explain the findings as he pointed to the results.

"Ok. Everything else is fine, Cathy, but you have traces of benzodiazepine in your system. It was detected in your urine sample. And, I'm afraid, given the guidelines I've been given, I can't certify you to fight?"

"What!" Cathy sounded aghast, but there was something in her expression that Mark immediately picked up on. The shock he expected to see, similar to the shock currently plastered across his face, was absent. It was as if she expected that result. "There must be some mistake?"

"No mistake, Cathy. I mean, I'd be more than happy to repeat the test, but I'm quite certain we'd get the same result."

"I'm sure it's a drug that was prescribed for you for anxiety, Cathy, but benzos have a tendency to dull the senses and will certainly addle your response time when you're trying to deflect a blow or initiate one. You could be seriously injured. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid they're going to have to call in their backup couple. I'll have to disqualify you. I'll notify the producer."

Chapter 13

They were both silent as the limo took them back to the hotel. Mark was seething.

His supposed friend, Carl, laid into Cathy like she stole his wallet as they were leaving the building. Curses and threats of lawsuits flew from Carl's enraged lips like confetti; along with some very hurtful words cast toward Cathy.

When Cathy started to cry, Mark stepped in, shoved Carl back roughly, and made it quite clear that it would behoove Carl and his future wellbeing to back off.

Instead of going to their rooms when they arrived out front of the hotel, Mark grabbed Cathy's hand and literally dragged her to a quiet green space behind the hotel pool.

"Spill it, Cathy!" he said tersely, sitting her down on a deserted bench between a coppice of ornamental trees.

"Spill what?!" she cried.

"I've known you for too long for you to think you can hide anything from me, Cathleen. Spill it."

She looked up at him defiantly and crossed her arms over her breast. "Ok. You want the truth? I'll give you the truth. I took a pill before I went to bed last night, and another one when I woke up this morning."

"But why? Were you nervous? Scared? I'm not understanding this, Cathy?"

"Why should you care, Mark? You won by default. I have to forfeit, so you win. I'll sell my dojo, come to work for you, and you can use my body any way you wish."

"Don't you dare!" he growled. "You did this on purpose and I want to know why?!"

"Because I love you, you stupid fucking Neanderthal! I fucked up our lives, but I never stopped loving you! Wanting you! Needing you!" She was crying so hard her speech was almost incoherent.

"When I had my whatever the fuck it was, I destroyed two lives! And if it means being used by you, and giving up my dojo to make things right, and maybe win you back, I do it all gladly!"

"Why didn't you just tell me you wanted to bow out, Cathy? I never wanted to do this in the first place. This whole thing was your idea."

"Because if I bowed out, I wouldn't have lost." She was nearly hysterical. Her tiny body shook as she fought for breath and the tears puddled on her blouse. "We'd be right back where we were before we agreed to do this, and we'd have never made that wager."

"Yeah, and now we face lawsuits. Good job. We may both lose our dojos and everything else we own."

"Apparently you didn't read the fine print in that contract, Mark. It clearly stated that in the case of a disqualification for justifiable reasons, confirmed by their staff; that being Doctor Sullivan, we can't be held responsible. Why do you think they keep a backup couple in the wings?"

Mark just started laughing hysterically and fell to the bench beside her.

"I'm glad you find this so funny, Mark!" she scowled. "Does my complete submission to you somehow make you feel superior?"

"You stupid idiot!" he laughed. "Do you want the truth? I was going to take an ass whipping from you so I would have to take you on twenty dates."

"You what?!!!"

"You're not the only shifty one, Cathy. Yes. I was going to stand there and put on somewhat of a show, but I was going to go down for the count. You can't be delusional enough to think that, one, I'd let you sell the dojo, or two that I could ever use you as some sort of robotic fuck doll."

"You're not as smart as you think you are. I had a second back up plan in case the benzo didn't show up," she chuckled, wiping furiously at her tear-stained cheeks. "I did a whole lot of thinking during that long bath yesterday. Had the benzo not shown up, I was going to take the dive," she was chuckling and still wiping away her tears with the heels of her hands."

"I know how mad you are at me, Mark, but I also know you as well, if not better, than you know yourself. And I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you could never just fuck me. We used to get very inventive and rambunctious when we were being intimate, but never once did we ever just fuck. You don't have that in you, and I was counting on that in hopes of bringing you around. You always treated me like a princess and made love to me and I to you. That's that super special bond we have. Deny it if you will, but you love me. Deep down, under your wounded pride and all the hurt and pain I caused you, you still love me."

"If only you hadn't done it the way you did, Cathy," he sighed. "You claim to have had some sort of breakdown. I believe that. But you couldn't fathom, in your worst nightmares, the things I saw over there. And the only thing that kept me somewhat rational and sane was the constant thoughts of coming home to you. That that magical thing that being with you could always do for me would make everything ok. What do you think coming home to the mess I came home to did for what little was left of my sanity?"

"I think that I nearly destroyed you, Mark. And I'll bear the mental scars for that forever. But if you dig deep down in your heart, I think you'll come to realize that it wasn't this me who did those things. At least not any rational, sane adaptation of me."

"No; I can't fathom what you saw over there. No one who hasn't been there possibly could. But there was suffering here, too. Maybe not on any level close to what you experienced, but I've already conceded that you're far stronger, mentally, than I ever was."

"Every time our doorbell rang, I died a little. Seeing the drawn expressions on your face that you tried so hard to hide when we Skyped, and reading the angst and fear between the lines in your sweetheart attempt to write upbeat emails and letters killed me. I'd come home at night and turn on the news and see the carnage and nightmares that were a part of your everyday existence and it tore my heart out. And then that fuck-wit constantly, day after day, working me, preying on my every weakness, was the final straw that broke the camel's back."

Mark stood and started pacing around the bench, running his fingers haphazardly through his thick hair. Seeing him so distraught broke Cathy's heart. She stood and went to him, hugging him. He didn't push her away.

"I will do anything, Mark. Anything you can conjure up in your most twisted thoughts to get back what we've lost and make things right between us."

"Look at me. Look at me," she demanded, holding his confused face between her hands. "Nothing that I gave to you was taken away from you, Mark. My pussy is nothing but a vessel if my hearts not attached to it. And I swear to you, on everything that I am, that never once was my heart ever involved in anything with him."

"I cried into my pillow every time he touched me. I mentally detached myself from the situation and just disassociated myself. Deep down, the pain I felt for hurting you just kept eating away at my very soul, killing me a little piece a time."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Again, that's a question for my shrink. Because I can look you in the eye and swear to you, from my heart, that it wasn't as if I had some sudden epiphany that consciously caused me to say, hey, I want to fuck this controlling, egotistical bastard and, in the process, do everything in my power to destroy the only man who could ever own my heart. And as mad as you are at me, I think you know that's true."

"Mark. In all our years together, we've never had more than a minor tiff; and those were so few and far between that they're not even worth mentioning. I cherished you. I loved everything about you, Mark. I still do. I've always been so proud of you, and for everyone to know I was your girlfriend, then your wife, and always, always your best friend."

"Being in your arms was always my happy place. Making love with you was always the highlight of my life. A calculator couldn't add up all the times we made love and I still crave it, and you, on an hourly basis because it made us one with each other. And contrary to whatever thoughts you've had on the subject, none of that has changed, nor will it ever change."

"Now, if you'd like me to take off my clothes and lay naked across your knees so you can black and blue my ass here in the great outdoors, just nod and I'll do just that."

"Shut up!" He just started laughing.

"For the record, Handsome, you couldn't have hidden that monstrosity between your legs in an airplane hangar. And I know seeing me being poked and prodded brought that beast to life." She was laughing, too. "Admit it. I still turn you on. And amid the lust I saw in those beautiful brown eyes of yours, I also saw just a glimmer of the love I used to see in them."

"Now; you have two choices. You can either take me to your room and ravage me all day and all night, or take me to lunch. All this emotional stuff has made me ravenous."

"I don't know, Cathy. Maybe we can be fixed. But it's going to take time. Time and patience."

Cathy went to her knees and rested her hands on his knees. "Mark, I swear to you, here and now, on my very life, that I will do anything: anything it takes to fix us. I'll back off and give you time to think if you need it. Anything that you think will bring us back together, I'm totally and completely on board with."

"I don't want you to go back into the shadows, Cathy. We can't fix anything long distance. We've seen what distance can do."

"Don't say that, Mark. Distance was never the issue. The mental pain and anguish associated with that distance was the problem and, God willing, we'll never have to deal with anything so apocalyptic ever again."

"But even if we did, I now have the tools to deal with it and never again let the pain and depression take control of me."

"Listen, I have an appointment to see my shrink Monday. Come with me. Hear straight from the horse's mouth what she said happened to me. Not for nothing, but I think a chat with her might just help you get over some of the things you're still trying to sort out."

"I'm doing ok, Cathy."

"Are you really, Mark? Honestly? If you're doing ok, then why haven't you even dated since our divorce?"

"Oh, believe me, I've had my snitches keeping their eyes open since I regained control of my pilot house. Not that I ever wanted to hear that you were dating, but I've been fighting off all those horny bitches who were always sniffing around you for years. You could just about have your crack at any number of beautiful women; but you didn't. And I'm selfishly thankful for that, but your balls, Buddy Boy, look like you've got elephantiasis. Have you not even jerked off?"

"Never mind, you," he growled playfully.

"Let's go up to your room, Mark. Let me hold you and take care of you. You don't have to make love to me. I'm sure you still have your reservations about being inside me, but that doesn't mean I can't take care of you."

"And, for the record, Sullivan said they found the benzos in my system, but nothing about any social diseases; hint, hint," she chuckled. "We both saw the results with our own eyes and the section for STD's all read negative."

"I don't know, Cathy..."

"Ok. If you don't let me soothe that beast, I'll call the concierge and have him or her send up a couple of hookers to do it for me," she giggled. "I hear that's easily done here in LA. These upscale hotels keep hookers on speed dial."

"You're an idiot!" he laughed. "I'd rather jack off than screw a hooker."

Cathy sat beside him and took his hands in hers. "Tell me something, Mark; were there really no opportunities over there? With women, I mean?"

"Opportunities? Sure. I mean, nursing is predominantly a female profession. And quite a few of the team were women. But our medical unit was attached to a special force's unit, so we set up shop in some pretty hairy places close to the action. That way we could deal with the injuries as quickly as possible."

"It was sort of an unspoken rule, but the women nurses assigned to our team were mostly volunteers. Not that it mattered much. I befriended pretty much everyone on our team, but they all knew I had a wife I cherished back home. Hell, I kept your pictures by my bunk and, when we weren't in a communications black out area, and you and I could Skype, it wasn't exactly private. There were others about an arm's length away, Skyping with their friends and family back here."

"And was that asshole, Carl, a nurse, too?"

"No. He was a medic. He was on a chopper crew that brought the wounded into us. And he's really not a bad guy. From what he told me; his job is hanging on by a thread and he's worried about the axe falling. Hopefully, this didn't get him canned."

Chapter 14

The message light on the phone in Mark's room was flashing when they walked in. He punched in the code and was instantly greeted by Carl's ranting voice. Why he hadn't called Mark's cell he could only imagine, but Carl was still madder than a wet hen.

"... a limo will be at the front door promptly at eleven AM to take you two to the airport. Be in it! Your return flight tickets, coach seats, will be waiting at the ticket counter. Oh, and tell that bitch thanks for fucking me over!" The loud click indicated that Carl slammed his desk phone down. Mark could only laugh.

"It seems..." When he turned, Cathy stood there in the nude, looking like a little bit of heaven on earth.

"It's your call, Sweetheart. Whatever you decide will be fine with me."

She sashayed toward him seductively, that mischievous gleam in her half-closed eyes. "I'll kiss that big pretty cock until the cows come home if you so desire, or we can mutually please each other. Your choice."

Mark just stared into her big, beautiful, sapphire eyes for what seemed an eternity before he reached out and held her by the arms, still searching her eyes. "Whatever happens, Cathy, I want you to know, up front, that anything that may or may not happen here today in no way signifies my forgiveness, or any promises of any kind."

"I wouldn't expect it to. It's far too soon for that. I've got a whole lot of making up to you yet to do."

"But you will find," she smiled, sitting in his lap, "that after some time, I'm still the little girl you befriended in grade school, the woman whose virginity you took after the prom, and the woman you married and loved before you deployed. I plan on erasing your memory of everything that happened from the moment you boarded that plane for Hell, and filling it back up with nothing but wonderful, happy, loving memories of the reunion we should have had. And then I hope we can move on from there."

"Now," she smiled. She slid out of his lap and went down to her knees, whistling the Jeopardy theme.

"Get up here, you!"

He scooped the little munchkin up under her arms and slung her on to the bed playfully. She was giggling merrily. That cheery, melodious sound he thought he'd never hear again was ringing happily in his ears.

"Now it'll be me getting the business when we get back home," he sighed, kissing her button nose.

"Why, Mark?" she queried, suddenly concerned.

"Because your vacation from reality, or whatever your shrink called it, and my taking you back would definitely make me the textbook definition of a willing cuckold."

"Can you live with that, Honey?" The sadness that replaced her hearty giggle from seconds before actually touched him. "You were hardly a willing cuckold. You had no idea of what went on back here, and no means to defend yourself." The tears started rolling down her cheeks again, breaking his heart.

"I think I can deal with it. Besides: when have you ever known me to give a damn about what anyone else thinks of me?" He leaned down and kissed her tears away, then kissed those soft, full lips; then kissed her again.

"Never," she purred

.

Chapter 15

The incessant buzzing from the alarm woke both of them from an exhausted sleep. "Ugh! You'll have to carry me to the limo, Mark. And I definitely can't wear a skirt home," she groaned. "The wind would make my aching cooch whistle like an oncoming train! That beast between your legs should come with warning labels!" Cathy was groaning from beneath the covers. "I may never walk again!" That child-like, cheerful giggle of hers was back in spades. They'd made love in more positions than the Karma Sutra ever dreamed of all night long. Finally exhausted, they both passed out just before the sun began to rise.

"We'd better get cleaned up and pack. It's nine-thirty."

"Just hold me for a little while longer, Sweetheart. I've prayed so hard to be in your arms again for so long," she cooed, snuggling closer into his broad, muscular chest.

"Mark, I know last night was no promise from you of anything like this happening again, and I certainly won't hold any of it over your head, but I'm hoping beyond hope that it was, at least, a small start toward understanding and healing."

Mark let out a long sigh. "You claim to know me so well, Cathy. If that's true, do you even think for an instant that last night could have possibly happened if there wasn't some glimmer of hope on the horizon? That I could just use you? Hell, I was willing to lay down on national TV and allow myself to be considered a bitch by the entire male population for you."

"I know better, Sweetheart. But I also know the depth of pain I caused you. Anyone else would have had me tortured slowly and painfully, then dumped my corpse in the forest somewhere for the birds to peck at."

"Oh, I'm not saying there isn't going to be some pain involved in the healing process." He belted out that maniacal, deep baritone laugh that would make Snidley Whiplash green with envy, and always made Cathy laugh. "All I'm going to say in the negative is that if you ever make a fool of me again, Cathy, or do anything to ever give me even the slightest impression that you're not being faithful or honest with me, that torture you were dreading will be the very least of your worries."

"Never, ever, Mark!!" She was crying hysterically into his chest. He just held her closer, the many wonderful memories flooding back. "I'd die before I ever hurt you in any way ever again!"

"One day at a time, Cathy. You're going to have to earn my trust back."

"In the meantime, we're going to delve deeply into everything that brought your psychological sabbatical about, and completely clear the air between us. There may be some yelling and screaming involved, some of it will be hurtful, I'm sure, but in order to clean the slate, everything has to be out in the open."

She reached up and held his face in her hands, locking her teary eyes with his. "I will submit to anything you deem necessary to win your love and trust back, Mark. And I do mean anything. If it means wearing that scarlet letter in public, so be it. Yell, scream, throw things, call me names; anything you need to do to start to let me back into your heart. And I'll take it on the chin without a whimper."

"My god, Cath!" he chuckled. "I'm not going to beat you in the village square. I have no intention of making you subservient, or of you becoming my handmaiden. But your idea of talking to your shrink is a good one. And I think that it might be a good idea for us to pay your parents a visit. Together. Maybe if they see that I'm open to working on repairing the damage, they'll soften their stance and start forgiving you."

"You'd do that for me?!" Cathy was literally stunned. "After all I've put you through and that big, wonderful heart of yours has enough compassion left in it to do that for me?"

"As I said, I'm not ready to wear any I love Cathy tee shirts in public, but I do agree that you've suffered far more than anyone deserves to suffer. And with no moral support from family or friends to turn to, you had nowhere to turn but down. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Now come on. Let's take a shower and get the hell out of here before Carl sends out a hit squad," he laughed. She just squeezed him tighter, her tears soaking the rumpled pillows beneath them.

"Love me again, Mark! Please, Baby! Love me again! Hold me and never, ever let me go! Oh God! I can't breathe!!" She was hysterical. Hyperventilating.

"Sit up," he soothed, helping her sit. "Put your head down and breathe deeply in through your nose, then slowly out through your mouth. That's it," he said calmly, rubbing her back. "Keep breathing."

It took almost ten minutes before she finally settled down. She'd shed enough tears to be dehydrated.

He went and got her a glass of water and held it as she sipped. "Do you need to take one of your benzos?"

"I don't think I'll need those ever again if things keep going the way they seem to be going."

"Oh, Mark. I just wish you could know my heart right now. That you could read my soul. I know no promises were made, but you have given me hope that weeks ago I'd have never even dreamed possible. And I promise, on my very life, that you'll never, ever, regret taking this first step with me."

"I believe you," he smiled, leading her into the bathroom. She was barely able to stand, wobbling on her shaking legs. When he reached in to turn the shower tap, she started laughing.

"Well, Horse Dick, you did it again! You destroyed what medical science claims is indestructible!"

He looked down and saw the hardened patches of blood and semen on her firm thighs and plastered to her cute cheeks. "You certainly chased the cobwebs out!" That had them both laughing. "And I'm going to have stretch marks on my lips for eternity."

"Trying to boost my ego isn't going to gain you any brownie points, Woman," he laughed.

"Boost your ego my ass! I'm once again ruined. Mm. And that tongue of yours sure hasn't lost any of its' magic, Baby."

"Shut up," he chuckled, lifting her into the shower.

The delightful memories of their hundreds of past showers together came back in a flash as he gently washed her long, beautiful blonde hair. She just stood there cooing, languidly rolling the soap over his rippling chest. How she'd missed him. Moments like this with him. Longed for him even during her fugue.

Dark flashes of her hideous betrayal came to mind. She quickly dashed them. Her mental illness had made her a hapless fool. No man could ever possess every inch of her heart and soul like the gentle giant who was currently bringing those delicious electrical jolts back to her sore pussy as he lovingly washed her hair.

Their initial contact the night before had been cautious. Hesitant. She'd been wary; petrified he'd reject her advances until he started with those gentle butterfly kisses over her eyes and cheeks. She could read him like a book and those kisses of his had always been his gentle way of telling her that he loved her and wanted her.

Sometimes he'd start doing it when they were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie, sometimes while they were doing the dishes together after dinner, and occasionally when they were all sweaty after a workout. She never knew when it was coming, but it came frequently and always signaled a night of unbridled passion and love. Last night had been no different.

She was certain she'd die when he entered her. It had been so long, and she was so anxious to feel him inside her again, that she was tense; even after he'd licked and nibbled her neglected labia and clit until she'd come so many times she lost consciousness.

He'd always made certain she'd reached numerous, soul-stealing orgasms until she was at the point of delirium before he slowly stroked that baby's arm sized cock of his up and down her dripping sex and slowly entered her, his eyes locked on hers, the love evident in his big, beautiful doe eyes. That love hadn't been as prevalent last night as it used to be, but she could see enough of it to give her glimmer of hope a major boost.

"Whew!" she chirped, feeling him stroke his huge, soapy hands teasingly up and down her aching nether lips.

"You've still got it, Girl." That heart-stealing smile and those deep, sexy dimples of his always made her swoon.

"So do you, Handsome. And then some." She reached out and stroked his throbbing cock gently. "Does this thing ever rest?" she giggled.

"Not with you standing there all naked, wet and gorgeous and stuff."

"Well, we definitely managed to start you on the healing path after that nearly chronic case of elephantiasis you were suffering." She gently rolled his big scrotum in her hand. He'd always had huge, beautiful balls, but seeing them in the state they were in before their incredible night of lovemaking broke her heart.

"I have a feeling you'll be leaking out of me for weeks to come," she giggled. "And I want us to be long gone when the maid sees those sheets!"

"They're used to it."

Chapter 16

Cathy was pacing impatiently in Cindy Kelly, PhD's, office six days after their return, wringing her hands nervously.

Seeing the tears streaking down her cheeks broke Cindy's heart, but they were already fifteen minutes into Cathy's session. Cathy hadn't seen or heard from Mark since they got back from LA. He asked for time to think things through and she reluctantly agreed.

"Cathy. Please have a seat. Maybe something came up and he got tied up. Sit. Let's talk."

"I was so sure, Cindy! He was really starting to come around," she sobbed. "Oh god, oh god! I love him so much, Cindy! I just want to curl up and die."

"Sit, Cathy. Take a deep breath."

Cindy sat beside her, her hands folded in her lap, deep in thought before she spoke.

"Ok. Let's be blatantly honest here, Cathy. You really did a number on that poor man. Just as you needed time to heal, so does he. You can't expect him to just forgive and forget in the short time since you reconnected. Honestly, he may not be able to get past it at all. I've tried to prepare you for that possibility all along."

"Oh, I know, Cindy," Cathy sobbed. "But I know him. I saw the love in his eyes when he made love to me. There was no, for lack of a better term, grudge fucking. We made love over and over again just like we always used to. Better, even. There was no anger, no revenge."

"That you know of, Cathy. And you're probably right. From everything you've told me about him, he's one of the good guys. But being a good guy also carries the burden of feeling pain and heartache very deeply. Let's face facts; you hurt that man on every imaginable level and then some. He probably just needs..."

Just then a knock at the door interrupted their session.

"I'm sorry, Cathy. Theresa must have stepped away from her desk. Excuse me just a minute."

Cindy stood and slipped out in the waiting room, closing the door behind her. She had to crane her neck to look up at the wall of a man standing on the other side.

"Hello. I'm Mark Cleary. You must be Doctor Kelly?" He had a smile that gave Cindy a warm fuzzy as he stuck out a catcher's mitt hand to shake hers. "I'm so sorry I'm late. Something unavoidable came up."

"No problem, Mister Cleary. We were just talking about you," she chuckled. "I'm Cindy Kelly. Please. Come in."

"Call me Mark. Please."

They both heard Cathy's screech as she bolted off the couch, clapping like an excited seal, and rushed to him, tears flowing in waterfalls as she wrapped her arms around his waist and nearly squeezed the life out of him.

"I knew you'd come! Oh, Mark! I love you so much!"

"Let's all sit down and talk," Cindy said, smiling herself. It did her heart good to see him there, but she wasn't jumping for joy just yet. She wanted to hear what he had to say before she came to any conclusions. She did, however, wonder how any woman could ever step out on a gorgeous hunk of man-flesh like that.

"I'm sorry I'm late, and I didn't mean to interrupt whatever you were talking about, but I have some news I'd like to share," he smiled.

"Feel free," Cindy said cordially.

"I just came from your parent's house, Cathy. We're having dinner with them tonight."

"What!! What!! Oh my God!!" And out she went. Had he not been sitting beside her, she'd have fallen to the floor.

"Cath? Cath?" he whispered, gently easing her back up on the couch. He took her hands in his, rubbing them briskly. When her eyes fluttered open, the biggest, broadest smile she'd ever smiled crossed her pale face.

"It's true, Cath. That's why I was late. You know how much your mom likes to talk," he chuckled. "They've missed you terribly. They want to apologize, and they want you back in their lives."

Cathy was still completely stunned when she replied. "Will we be back in their lives, Mark?" she whispered hoarsely.

"I believe that's the reason we're taking up this poor woman's time," he chuckled. "As I said, we've got a long and winding road ahead of us but, after a few days of pondering everything, I believe there's a chance.

"Oh, Mark!!" Cathy was actually hyperventilating. He sat her up and rubbed her back, again, instructing her to breathe deeply. "I haven't been this elated since the day we said our wedding vows!"

"Well. We're definitely not rushing back to the altar, Cath. We need time to try and start off on a fresh new foot. You hurt me like no one else ever could. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I won't ever subject myself to another heartbreak like that again."

"Let's start there," Cindy smiled. "On this point I believe I may be able to offer some insight, Mark."

Cindy went on to patiently explain what she'd been treating Cathy for. The details of the illness, from Mark's medical experience, sounded exactly like PTSD. The self-destructive behavior, the anxiety, the emotional numbness. All terms he'd seen and heard before when dealing with combat soldiers pushed past their mental limits, so he said so.

"In a sense, the symptoms definitely parallel PTSD, Mark. You're absolutely right. But in this case, for lack of a better definition, Cathy just, literally, snapped."

"The constant pressures; first from you being away and possibly being injured or killed, her having to run the dojo alone, the lawsuit, and then that snake in the grass whittling away at her weakened condition: all of that brought about the perfect storm that just pushed her over the edge; so to speak."

"In medical jargon, it's called dissociative amnesia. One of the symptoms in her case was a dissociative fugue. When she could no longer handle the pressures, she just took a mental vacation from her life."

"I called it a psychological sabbatical to avoid any lingering stigma, but it was a combination of that amnesia, and maybe a little PTSD tossed into the mix, to complicate matters."

"The real Cathy, the Cathy you waved goodbye to on the runway at the base the day you left, would have just as soon died than to ever betray her marriage vows. Especially not with that piece of work."

"Actually, the fact that he is so repulsive, and a total one-eighty different than you, is a lot of the reason she fell for his conditioning. He is the total antithesis of you. Somewhere, deep down, she knew she could never feel anything for him, but he managed to put enough doubt in her head about what you might have been up to, to ease her that last inch into the abyss. In her weakened mental state, she caved, so to speak."

"And what are the chances of this happening again, Cindy?" He felt his heart sink, anticipating her reply.

"Fair question. If I were in Vegas, I'd bet the farm on it never happening again. You're home now. You've met your commitment so there's little chance that you'll be called away again."

"But even if you were to somehow be called back, Mark, Cathy has made great strides in learning what happened to her, how it happened, and to recognize and identify any recurrent signs and symptoms."

"I did medicate her for a while, but she had a back to reality epiphany when she left him, and she set her mind on one goal: making things right with you and praying that you'd understand and work with her toward reconnecting."

"Now. Today has been a definite positive. This is a good place to stop. I'd like to see you both again next week. Will that work for you, Mark?"

"I guess so. Sure."

"And do you have a little better understanding of what the catalyst for Cathy's breakdown was?"

"I believe so. I will, however, be breaking out my nursing psychology books," he laughed.

"Good. We can discuss that further next week. I'm so glad you came, Mark. I have a very good feeling about this."

"So do I," Cathy chirped.

Chapter 17

Dinner with Cathy's parents was nothing shy of miraculous. The tears flowed and the apologies flew amid rounds and rounds of tearful hugs and kisses.

While Cathy and her mom cleared the table, speaking giggly in whispers, John invited Mark into his man cave for a beer and a cigar.

"You're a man among men, Mark." He patted Mark's back, rubbing his shoulder.

"As I said this morning, and to avoid any misconceptions, there's been no promises made, John. We've got a long row to hoe yet. But I'm slowly starting to understand what happened to bring that whole shit show about."

"I don't know," John sighed, stroking his forehead nervously. Guilt was written all over his face. "I kinda lost it when I found out what she'd done. I overreacted. Said a lot of horrible things I didn't really mean. But we've always considered you a son, Mark. Family. To do that to you while you're over there dealing with God knows what, unable to defend yourself against that piece of shit... We were just so ashamed of her. I never thought I'd ever say the things I said about my little girl, but I never expected her to do the things she'd done either. For you to even consider working toward a second chance just reaffirms my lifelong belief that you truly are one hell of a man."

"To be honest, John, that first night when she showed up at my dojo, I was trying to think of a way to bury a body," he chuckled.

"But I know her better than anyone. There was more there than the obvious and, as mad as I was, I knew it. What she did was so out of character for her that there had to be something really amiss to bring it about, but I never had the opportunity to talk to her, face to face, and try and sort it all out."

"It wasn't just the cheating. It was the whole destroying me that, after all of the anger and hurt started to fade, I knew that wasn't Cathy. The Cathy we all know and love doesn't have it in her to ruin me; or anyone else for that matter."

"Well just know that my hat's off to you, Mark. Anything we can do to help you two along, just say the word."

"I appreciate that, John. Thanks."

They all sat in the living room, talking and laughing, until nine-thirty.

"Well, it's a work night. I've got a class in the morning," Mark said, rising.

"Me too," Cathy agreed, rising to say her goodbyes. The hugs and kisses recommenced with promises to get together again soon. It was nearly ten by the time Mark and Cathy left.

"I don't know how to even begin to thank you for tonight, Mark."

"I think you do know, Cathy. Let's put it this way. I'm not going to check your phone, I'm not going to check your laptop, and I'm not going to make you drop your panties if you show up later than expected some night to finger you looking for another man's semen."

"When you tell me you were somewhere doing something, I'm not going to check up on you to see if you're there. That's no life. I certainly have no desire to have you living in a police state, and I don't have the energy to play gestapo. If I can't trust you, we have nothing."

Cathy sat there in shock, not believing how wonderful he was being.

"We're going to have to take this very slowly? Dating like we did in high school. You keep your place, I'll keep mine, and we'll get together when we make plans to. I have no problem with you stopping by the dojo to see me at any time, and I hope you have no problem with me stopping by to see you if I'm in the area."

"There has to be a but, Mark. You're being entirely too accommodating."

"There are no buts, Cathy. It's called trust. Something I always thought was unquestionable between us. Apparently, it wasn't."

"I understand and believe everything Cindy said today. But I've become sort of a cynic since all of this went down. Actions speak louder than words. You're going to have to prove to me that absolutely nothing in this world could ever make you stray again before we can ever even consider returning to any permanence."

She shifted closer to him as he drove and rested her hand on his thigh, stroking gently. Her words were barely audible through her heart wrenching sobs. "I will do anything and everything humanly possible to regain your trust," she bellowed. "I love you so much!"

"My heart died when what I'd done came to light, Mark! You have to realize that nothing short of mental illness could have ever, ever, made me do the things I did to you. I have loved you with a love like no other since the first time you kissed me back in the third grade. We're soulmates. We always have been, and we always will be, and I'm going to make that evident to you in spades; you'll see."

"I certainly hope so, Cathy. As much as I hate to admit it, I've been a mere shell of who I was since I came home. I poured myself into that dojo, trying to bury the pain, but it hasn't worked. Yes, the dojo is a success, but it's a shallow victory," he sighed, turning into the driveway of her apartment complex.

"Baby. Baby. Listen to me," she whispered, taking his face in both of her soft hands. She could see the wetness in his eyes in the glare from the street lights.

He never cried. The only time in his entire life she'd seen him cry was when they watched the funeral director lower his parents into adjoining graves after a drunk driver hit their car head on at some ridiculously high rate of speed when Mark and Cathy were in the seventh grade. And even then, he internalized most of the tears, trying to be strong for his grandmother who raised him after his parents were killed. The fact that she'd caused him such unbearable pain to bring him to tears ripped at her insides like a chainsaw.

"I can never, ever, apologize enough for what I've put you through. Please, Baby. Don't cry. Oh god!! Please, please don't cry! What have I done?!"

"Stop, Cath." He tried to hide the tears, wiping inconspicuously at his eyes. "One minute I want to just hold you in my arms and never let you go, and the next I just want to strangle you. The desire to strangle you is waning slowly. I'm trying really hard to put everything in perspective and begin to trust you again."

"For the record, I'm definitely leaning toward seeing Cindy as a couple and letting her help us swim our way out of the cesspool our relationship has become. Initially, I wanted to put all my faith in you again, but I just can't. We need help if we're ever going to be us again."

"Come inside with me, Mark. Let me hold you and love you and show you that I am now, and have always been, yours."

"Not tonight, Cathy. I think we jumped the gun a little in LA. We were both emotional wrecks and acted on our more primal instincts. It's not that I don't want you. I do. I actually ache for you. But I need time."

"I understand," she said evenly. Her tears flowed as she stared intently at him, desperately praying he'd say more. Give her more to hang on to; but he didn't.

"If you're free Friday night, let's have dinner and see a movie."

"I'd like that very much, Honey. I'll be available whenever you want me to be."

"No, Cathy! You're not getting it! I don't want you to be available whenever I want you to be. I want you to be available when you're available and you want to be!"

His raised voice startled her. He'd never, ever raised his voice to her. Never once in all their years together. She could tell from the tormented look on his face that it was frustration and not anger that brought on his outburst.

"Ok, Sweetheart. I have no plans Friday night. I would very much love to go to dinner and a movie with you."

He let out a long breath. "I'm sorry, ok. I didn't mean to yell. It's just..."

"Don't you dare apologize to me, Mark! The understanding, love and compassion you've shown since I first came to your dojo puts you right up there on Olympus. Especially today. From the moment you walked into Cindy's office it's been one prayer answered after another for me. The fact that you're even considering rebuilding our relationship makes me feel like God is giving me a second chance to right the most heinous wrong ever committed. And I will swear to you, here and now, on all that is holy, that I will never, ever, make you regret any of this. Can I kiss you goodnight?"

"Bring it in."

The glowing smile returning to his face as he held out his arms brought back her ugly crying. She fell into him like he was the only thing standing between her and oblivion and wrapped her tremor wracked body around him like a python, squeezing him. Their kiss was intense. Needy. An affirmation that there was hope.

"Shush, shush, shush," he soothed, stroking her hair gently. "I have a good feeling, Cath. Everything's going to work out. Just give it time. Now go in, wash that beautiful face and get some sleep."

She sniffed, trying to quell the hopelessly flowing tears. "I love you so, so much," she choked out.

He just reached across her, giving her a breezy kiss, and opened the passenger door for her.

"Goodnight, Cath."

She stood there at the end of the driveway, still in tears, waving sadly as his taillights began to fade into the night.

Seeing her in the rear view was breaking his heart, but things were what they were. Slow and steady always wins the race, and this was now a race he was determined to win.

Chapter 18

Fridays and Mondays were always very busy in Mark's dojo. The flooring factory up the street worked weird four-day shifts so a lot of the employees came in for lessons, or to spar or work out, after their final shift of the week at all hours.

Three weeks after his return from LA, Mark and Charlie were both in studios with their classes when Mark saw a familiar face peeking through the window on the studio door.

"Looking good, Class. Marie, firm up your stance. Good execution, Cleve," he said to the group, making his way to the door. "Keep the exercise going."

"Chris! Hi! How are you?"

"In need of a job, Mark. Can we talk?"

"Sure. Give me ten minutes and this class will be through. Go ahead and wait in my office."

"Thanks, Sweetie."

Chris's sudden reappearance surprised him. He'd tried to contact her once his dojo started to grow, but she seemed to have fallen off of the face of the earth. Not even her mom knew where she was.

Cathy's admission about her fall out with Chris explained a lot, but whatever made her suddenly turn up now was a mystery.

"You're all doing great," he smiled, returning their bows. "Practice this week. Some of you are ready to advance to your orange belt. I'm very proud of you all. We'll see you all next week." He stood at the door, sharing conversation and answering questions as his class dispersed, then went to his office.

"Jesus, Girl. I was about ready to send out the hounds. Where have you been?"

"I just went into a snit, Mark. Cathy and I really had it out at Finnigans one night. We'd all been friends since we were kids and, I don't know... I just had to get away for a while."

"She told me. Thanks, by the way," he chuckled.

"So... You two are actually speaking?"

"Yeah. Things are still pretty rocky, but we're working on it."

"You're one hell of a man, Mark. That's wonderful!" She rushed to him and gave him a big hug and kiss.

"Don't be too quick to toss the accolades. For a while there I was plotting her demise hourly."

"You know, looking back, now that I've had some time to reflect, that wasn't Cathy, Mark. I was too mad at her to see it then, but she'd been acting squirrely since you left. And it just seemed to get worse as the days passed. And don't even get me started on that piece of shit she was seeing."

"I'd like to get started on that piece of shit she was seeing," Mark grumbled. "So. Are you back for good?"

"Yeah. I went on the circuit for a while and had my ass handed to me. I didn't even make it past the qualifiers. I need to do a lot of internal meditation and get my head back on straight. Teaching gives me that inner peace."

"I'm not in a position, financially, to take you on full time, Chris, but what I can offer you is a part time position that we can work into full time if you can bring some of your old students in."

"I've already lined a few of them up. The only catch is that they're at Cathy's dojo now."

"Shit," he sighed. "From what she told me; she's already running bare bones."

"She is. From what one of my old students told me, it's almost to a point where she's going to have to tell the last one out to shut off the lights."

"Not for nothing, Sweetie, but she never had your business acumen. You were always the brains behind the operation. Not that she's not a fantastic teacher. She is. She just lacks the savvy needed to run a business."

Mark could feel his heart sinking. "It'll all work out, Chris. In the meantime, let's put you to work. I've got a new, smaller class of beginners starting Monday at four. Interested?"

"Absolutely! Thank you so much, Sweetheart." She jumped up and gave him another big hug and kiss. "I'll be here with bells on. We'll catch up then. I've got to run. I've got a doctor's appointment in twenty minutes."

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah. Just a check-up. I've been feeling kind of run down lately. Figured I'd better get it checked out."

"Let me know how you make out. I guess we'll see you Monday. Glad you're back, Chris."

"Me too, Sweetie. Ciao!"

Chapter 18

An hour later, Mark came out of his office dressed in street clothes. "Charlie, hold down the fort, will you, Bud? I'll be back in an hour or so."

"Got it, Mark."

Mark swore he'd never step foot in Cathy's dojo, his old dojo, ever again; but there he was.

It looked like a ghost town when Mark walked in. Not a soul inside.

The shine on the equipment that he'd once meticulously maintained was gone. He could see tears in a lot of the mats, and there was a dingy gloom throughout the entire, once bright and airy, space.

He made his way back to Cathy's office, knocked and stepped in. Cathy quickly tried to hide the fact that she'd been crying and pasted a phony smile on her face.

"Hi, Handsome! Come on in."

"You haven't been honest with me, Cath," he sighed.

"About what, Mark?! I swear to God that I've told you everything!" she whimpered.

"Wanna tell me about business? You told me you were holding your own. It's like a mausoleum out there."

Cathy collapsed back into her chair in tears. "I wasn't being dishonest, Honey. I was just so ashamed. I let this place go. I drove most of our students away when I lost all sense of reality and did the horrible things I did. It's been all downhill from there. I was just too ashamed to tell you. You already had enough reasons to hate me without my having to tell you that the business you worked so hard to build up was circling the drain."

"The business we built, Cathy. I certainly didn't do it alone." He stood, arms out, and sat on the end of her desk. She stood and collapsed into his arms in tears. "How bad is it?"

"I don't even know if I'll be able to pay the electric bill this month. And I can't ask Aunt Bethany for any more money. She already feels like she'd have been better off just flushing the money she gave me down the toilet."

"Stop the pity party, Cathy. Crying over it isn't going to fix anything. How can I help?"

"You can't be for real. First, you thoroughly floor me by being so nice to me. and working toward fixing us, and now you're offering to help me dig myself out of the grave my incompetence dug?"

"Wha!! Wha!!" She was screaming as she felt herself being lifted in the air like a lone leaf on a breeze.

"What have I always said about pity parties!" he faux growled as he fell into her chair, holding her aloft.

Before she knew it, she was over his knees. Her gi bottom and panties were whisked down her kicking legs as the first barrage of slaps stung her bare bottom.

"I've avoided accepting your offer to do this until now, but it appears corporal punishment is the only way to get through to you!"

Each word was enunciated with a stinging slap across her reddening ass cheeks. His huge hand completely covered her ass. She was squirming valiantly, trying to free herself from her precarious position, but she was no match for the wall of muscles holding her firmly across his solid thighs.

One hand held her two hands pinned behind her back, his long, rock-solid leg and her disheveled gi bottoms and panties held her legs down, and the slaps kept coming.

The pain was bittersweet. She was between tears and laughter. She knew he'd never be doing this if he didn't love her.

She also knew he was pulling his slaps. The sharp sting and the resounding crack had her so turned on she was ready to bust. Her slightly exaggerated cries were nothing but a mask to hide the fact that her pussy was twitching and leaking like a broken water pipe.

When he finally relented, he released her hands and let her roll down his long legs to the floor. "Now we can talk turkey," he chuckled.

"Maybe later," she growled.

She flew into him like a flying squirrel, tackled him back on the desk, sending papers and doodads flying everywhere, and nearly ate his face with a flurry of passionate kisses. She was a raging inferno of lust and desire as her hand reached down, fumbling with his belt, squeezing his rock-solid erection through the thick material of his jeans.

She sprang back off of him, kicking off her gi pants and panties, letting them flutter to the floor as she tore off her top, struggling to free herself of her sports bra. She couldn't remember ever being more turned on in her life.

All the troubles they'd discussed when he walked in went by the wayside. She didn't care if the building burned to the ground around them. She had to feel him inside her, holding her, caressing her.

Seeing her fumbling to undress, that incomparable body literally glowing in the subdued room light, turned him into an animal. Again he swept her off her feet, laid her across her desk, deftly unfastened his belt and jeans and released the Kraken.

She had her first orgasm as she felt her feet on his broad shoulders and that big, fat, beautiful cock teasing her sopping wet pussy, stroking up and down her engorged nether lips.

"Don't tease me, Baby! Please, please, please! Take me! Make me yours! Ahhhhh!!!"

Her screams of utter ecstasy echoed through the barren dojo as he impaled her on his throbbing sword. The intense pleasure-pain that monster always gave her as he literally tore her apart sent her into a non-stop spiral of orgasms beyond anything she'd ever experienced before.

She suddenly started squirting like a pin hole in a fire hose as he plunged into her sex over and over again. He held her hands pinned to the desk above her head. The look she thought she'd never see again filled his beautiful face. Those glowing, gorgeous, sincerity laden eyes, half lust, half love, bore down on her, stealing her breath as he literally rearranged her internal plumbing.

"Ye-ye-ye-ye-ye!!!!! She didn't even recognize the primal screams and pleasured grunts emanating from her own lips as she circled the moon over and over again. "Give me that great big cock, Baby!" she howled.

She could feel herself sliding across the smooth surface of the desk. Each thrust of his powerful hips sent him deeper and deeper inside her. She felt as if her soul left her body and was hovering above them, looking down at their carnal, loving act.

Just when she was certain she'd just implode, she felt him growing thicker inside her, signaling his impending release.

"Cath! Cath!"

"Yes, Baby, yes!!!" she moaned, breathless. Sweat oozed from her every pore. The coolness of the desk's surface soothed her still stinging ass as their rhythm became erratic.

One last atomic orgasm wracked her entire body as she felt the machine gun like explosions taking place inside her abused womb.

"Ayeeeee!!!" He was bellowing like a wounded bear, contorting and trembling as he filled her insides with his warm seed.

When the last salvo ricocheted deep within her, he fell down on his trembling arms, looming over her, still buried deeply inside her, and resumed their earlier primal kiss. That same, long forgotten look in his eyes remained as he wordlessly locked eyes with hers, both gasping for air.

He remained silent, still fighting for breath, as her hands reached up and stroked his handsome face. "Right now, I could give a shit about the business, Sweetheart. I could stay like this forever and be the happiest woman on earth."

"But that won't pay the electric bill," he chuckled.

"No, but it sure made me forget about it for a while."

She pushed him back to a standing position, oozed off the desk and went right to her knees, cleaning the remnants of their intense, passionate lovemaking from his retreating member with her warm mouth. It didn't take more than a little tongue action to the sensitive underside of the behemoth before he was rock hard again.

"Mm," she purred around her mouthful, her head bobbing slowly up and down his mighty scepter.

His big hands reached down and rested on her head, stroking her hair gently. She knew he'd never force himself further into her mouth. He'd never, ever forced her to do anything she didn't want to do. Not that she ever denied him anything other than that last unexplored vestige that she'd already decided to give him when the time was right.

She knew about half of him was her limit. As much as she'd tried over the years to relax her throat muscles and take him deeper, his beautiful cock was just too big and thick.

Instead, she wrapped her hand around the thick base, twisting and turning it as she stroked him in sync with her bobbing head. Her other hand rolled and fondled his great big balls.

The man had the staying power of a hydro dam. She knew he could last forever after his first release, but she didn't care. She'd suck that big, beautiful dick into eternity to make things right between them again. And they seemed to be headed that way.

Cathy's lips were numb and her throat sore when she finally felt him growing even thicker. His fingers running through her hair began to shake and a mighty grunt escaped him as he filled her mouth with his delicious cum. She'd never tell anyone but him, but she loved his taste. He had a salty-sweet flavor that she sometimes actually craved. She just intensified her hand and mouth action until he was thoroughly drained.

Mark fell back in her office chair, breathless, and again lifted her as if she were as light as air and nestled her in his lap, holding her close to him. She could feel his racing heartbeat against her as he kissed her cheeks, her eyes...

"You can't be serious?!"

He just smiled that boyish, mischievous smile of his as she felt him hardening against her bare ass yet again. "You're insatiable!" she laughed.

"You just do it for me in every way. But we need to table that for now and see what we can do to keep your head above water."

"Honestly, Honey, I think it's a lost cause. I hate to admit it, but it may be time to pull the plug and let this place die with some dignity."

"How much longer do you have left on the lease on the building?"

"Another two months. And there's no way I can afford to renew it. Not to mention that that asshole, Pickering, told me that the lease rate would be going up ten percent when I renew."

Mark went into deep thought, still stroking her bare back tenderly. "Do you want my help, Cathy?"

"More to the point, do you want to help me, Mark?"

"Yes. If you'll let me."

Cathy slid out of his lap and leaned over the desk. "Well rub my butt cheeks while you enlighten me, you big meanie," she chuckled.

"They are a little red," he laughed, playfully stroking the bubbly gems.

Cathy relished in the feel of his big hands stroking her stinging ass cheeks as she turned the monitor toward him and slid the keyboard close to him. She already had her spreadsheets up when he came in.

He kept rubbing her ass for thirty minutes or so as he studied the hopeless numbers entered in red font, and finally let out a long sigh.

"I'm afraid you're right, Cath. For now, let your students know you'll be doing their training at my dojo. I have enough room to absorb you and your people. You keep the revenues and don't worry about paying me anything. We'll work out the details once we have things here on an even keel."

"In the meantime, we'll see what we can salvage here and have it cleaned out before the lease runs out."

"I can't just barge into your dojo and not expect to pay for the space, Mark."

"We'll work out the logistics after you're out from under this place, Cathy." He kissed each butt cheeks softly and leaned back.

"Oh! And I just rehired Chris part time this morning."

"Augh oh. Does she hate me?"

"No. Actually, she said that she saw you starting to go flaky soon after I left," he laughed. "That's what clued me in on your troubles here. The deal I made with her was part time with the potential to work into full time if she brought some of her old students with her. Apparently, three of them are your students."

"Flaky is putting it mildly," she sighed, falling back into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into him: her happy place.

"Those three will bring my student roster down to about eight. And the women's self-defense class I've been teaching is done in two weeks."

"How about your apartment, Cathy? I'm seeing late payments here in the ledger.

"I'm on a month-to-month basis now. I've been going out of my mind trying to rob Peter to pay Paul, Honey. I'm beyond the breaking point."

He got quiet for a few minutes, deep in thought, before he spoke. "All right. Here's the deal. And take this in the way it's intended. My apartment has two bedrooms. Move into the spare room and let your apartment go. That way we'll have time together to talk and deal with things and start working toward fixing us."

Cathy was literally gob-smacked. "And will I be allowed in the master's bed on occasion?" She had that elfin grin on her adorable little face that always made him smile.

"What do you think?"

"I think that God threw away the mold when he created you so that he didn't unleash too much wonderful on the world at once!" she chirped, kissing his whole face.

"We've still got a long road ahead of us, Cath."

"I know. And I can once again guarantee you that when we reach the end of that road, we'll be hand in hand, loving each other stronger than ever; if that's even possible."

Chapter 19. Six Months Later:

"... and are you two back to regular intimacy?" Cindy asked.

"Did you not see me waddling in here like a penguin, Cindy?" Cathy chortled. That got a hearty laugh from Cindy. "The man's insatiable!"

"Well, you've been back to cohabitating, somewhat, for six months now. Are you sharing a bed regularly, or are you still staying in the spare room, Cathy?"

"Let's just say that I spend more nights snuggled up to Mark than I do in the spare room."

"Good. That tells me that you're both dealing with this responsibly, and with your eyes wide open. What's your synopsis at this point, Mark?"

"Things are going smoothly, Cindy. We talk, really talk, all the time. She's out from under her dojo, she's gaining more students, and the weight of keeping her dojo out of bankruptcy is off her shoulders, so she's been even more bubbly and cheerful lately."

"That explains Cathy's state of mind, Mark, but what about yours?"

"I'm very happy, Cindy. I still have a few moments here and there, but those are getting to be fewer and further between. I know now what brought that all about. And she's bent over backwards to make amends."

"But have you forgiven her?

"Forgiven? Yes. Forgotten? Not quite yet, but I'm working on it."

"That's understandable. How do you feel about that, Cathy?"

"Understanding," she said. "Just the fact that we're sitting here now tells me that the man is a saint, and that I don't deserve him, but I cherish him. I love him so very much and, while I didn't think I could ever love him any more than I always have, I find I fall more in love with him every day. I thank God for him every morning when I wake up, and every night before I fall asleep."

"Music to my ears," Cindy smiled.

"I think we've reached a point where we can start stretching your sessions out to maybe once a month for a while. How does that sound? Do each of you think things will continue to heal if we only meet once a month?" Both confidently shook their heads in the affirmative.

"I think so too," she smiled. "Ok then. What do you say we meet again on..." She perused her tablet "July fourteenth." Mark and Cathy looked at each other and mutually agreed.

"Good. I can't tell you how proud I am of you both, and how happy I am to see you both so happy and together again. Now go before I start balling," she laughed. Cindy stood and hugged them both as she walked them to the door.

Chapter 20

"Why are our suitcases in the back seat of the truck, Mark?" Cathy went into an immediate panic.

"Surprise," he laughed. "We're taking off for a weekend."

"Not that I'm not thrilled to pieces, Sweetheart, but I have a class in the morning."

"Chris is covering it for you. And Charlie's handling my classes. Just sit back and relax. Things are finally leveling off. You could use a weekend to relax and unwind."

"Oh, Honey, I've done nothing but relax and unwind since we shut the doors on our old dojo. It was kind of cathartic, actually. Closing those doors permanently was like locking all the bad things that happened up in there, never to rear their ugly heads again."

Cathy gasped, her hand rushing to her face, when he pulled in to Hobson Lake Cabins and pulled up to the same, totally secluded cabin where they'd first made love to each other after their senior prom. Not that they hadn't done everything shy of intercourse to that point. Cathy was in tears.

"You hopeless romantic," she crooned.

"I just thought what better place to start again than in the place where it all started?"

"It started long before that and you know it," she smiled, kissing him softly.

"Yes, but this is the place where we started seriously making adult plans for our future together."

He walked around and opened her door for her. "Come on inside." He was smiling that almost forgotten, heartfelt smile of his that she once thought she'd never see again as he grabbed their suitcases and led the way to the door.

Cathy stood on the isolated deck and looked out over the serene lake. The memories of that magical prom weekend wrapped around her like a warm blanket as the cool breeze, carrying the sweet scent of the surrounding pines, flooded over her in a wash of warmth and love. In that very moment all was right in her world. Everything appeared to be coming full circle. She had never in her life been as happy as she was in that moment.

She followed Mark in and nearly melted as she took in the familiar surroundings. They'd barely left the big, fluffy, king sized bed that entire prom weekend and she hoped that was his intention this time. She felt closer to him in that moment than she ever dreamed possible.

"What would you like to do first?" he asked. He had that mischievous glimmer in his eye that she knew all too well as he tossed their suitcases up on the couch in the living room.

"Anything your heart desires, My Love," she replied.

Just looking at that incredibly handsome wall of a man with that cute, boyish expression on his face melted her. And those dimples. God how she loved those dimples. She flew into his embrace and held him like her life depended on it.

"Tell me you love me, Mark. Tell me you've put the past in the past and you want me the way you used to again."

"As hard as I've tried, I can't deny that, Cath."

"At first, I so wanted to put you so far back in the rear-view mirror that I'd never see or hear from you again. All that did was make me more miserable. I fully admit that life without you in it just wasn't worth living."

When she saw his long frame go down to his knee, her heart stopped. Her hands rushed to her face in shock.

"Cathleen Ann Cleary, I have loved you since before I even knew what love was and, I find, that as hard as I tried not to, I'm going to love you into eternity."

He slid his hand into his pocket and came out with a black velvet box. Cathy was inconsolable. She fell back on the bed in utter shock.

"You'd make me the happiest man alive if you'd consider being my wife... again," he chuckled.

Cathy was incoherent as he opened the box and a diamond the size of bus glistened in the sunlight shining through the open curtains.

Cathy could barely find her voice. Her entire body was quaking. "I want that more than the air I breathe, Sweetheart. But before I say yes, I have to know that you have totally and completely forgiven me, and that you know in your heart that what happened could never, ever, happen again?"

"Do you think I'd be down her on my knee, holding this rock, if I haven't forgiven you? If I haven't processed every byte of information over and over again and come to the stark realization that this was preordained?"

Cathy's response came out like a croaking frog. "I love you so much!"

She fell into him, knocking them both back on the floor in a heap, laughing and giggling. "Yes! Of course, yes! Yes, yes, yes!" she bellowed, sing-song as she kissed his face over and over again.

Laying on his back with her perched merrily on his chest, he took her hand and slid the gorgeous ring on her finger.

"Oh my God, Mark! You shouldn't have! I'd have been just as happy putting the beautiful ring you gave me the first time back on my finger."

"I was a struggling college student when I proposed the first time, Honey. We've come a long way since then. And memories aside, that ring will always have a stigma surrounding it. We're starting off on a new path and putting certain aspects of the past behind us."

"Don't you dare belittle that beautiful ring," she smiled. "There is so much heart and sentiment in that ring that it's worth an entire gem mine."

"I'll tell you a secret, Mark. I didn't stop wearing your rings until the day I saw that horrible look on your face in the courtroom." She started to cry again. "I never wanted to ever take them off, I swear. But I was so distraught and confused that I just assumed that I'd killed any love you ever had for me."

"You definitely killed my trust, Cathy, but never my love. We have too many shared, wonderful years and experiences to just up and stop loving someone. I admit to plotting your death on a daily basis, but that was the hurt and the pain lashing out."

"You'll never, ever feel those feelings again. That I can promise you," she smiled, initiating a kiss so intense it curled their toes.

"I'll never let you forget for a second that you are the most loved, cherished, desired giant ever born, Baby." She kissed him again as his solid arms encircled her.

"Now. If we're reliving wonderful memories," she giggled, standing, "I'd say it's time for a swim!"

In a flash she was down to her birthday suit, shot out of the cabin and dove into the freezing cold lake. Mark was in close pursuit, almost falling on his face as he tried getting his jeans off over his shoes.

Chapter 21

Aaron Thacker finally wrote his book. After four successful seasons of Divorce Settlement, he wrote a comical, no holds barred, recap of some of the most memorable moments in Divorce Settlement from an insider's perspective. It was an immediate best seller and topped the charts in its' first week with no sign of falling out of the top spot. It seemed that the chaos loving, reality TV devotees enjoyed reading the saucy back stories behind the reality stories as much as they loved watching them.

With Mark and Cathy's permission, the two now remarried with a prenup: at Cathy's insistence, Aaron told the tale of how the two contrived to lose to the other in hopes of rekindling the magic they once shared. That chapter was the most talked about in all the book reviews and on all the social media sites.

Aaron's tenure as Executive Producer of Divorce Settlement had netted him a very comfortable bank balance, and with the incoming royalty checks for the book, hastened his decision to leave LA forever. He's now living in a yurt in Southwest Alaska and working on his next novel.

Carl Herman married one of the divorcees in the third season. He became the Executive Producer of Divorce Settlement when Aaron stepped down and saw the show successfully through two more seasons before the ratings began to drop and the network canceled the show in favor of another reality show titled, Men Have Feelings, Too. That was canceled after the first three episodes.

Carl's wife left him six months later for a daytime soap star.

R. Armbruster Productions was bought out in a hostile takeover when Divorce Settlement started its' downward trend. G. R. was fired from the president's position and unceremoniously shown the door. He suffered a nervous breakdown and is currently undergoing treatment in an undisclosed facility in Northern California.

As for Mark and Cathy, Mark's nursing credentials and his combat experience were credited toward his master's degree requirements. He only had to return to school for two semesters and do his professional clinicals, all covered under his GI benefits, to earn his nurse practitioner's degree in orthopedics and sports medicine. They currently own two dojo's and two gyms. Mark still teaches Taekwondo and deals with sports injuries and minor medical ailments in an office in his original dojo, and Cathy teaches Judo and manages their growing enterprise. They're expecting their first child and they've never been happier.

Life, as they say, is grand.