Two Sides of Terri (8 page)

The idea of Terri cheating on me, having sex with another man, was devastating. It left a painful pit in my stomach to just think about it. And yet, I was somehow turned on by the notion that other men wanted to fuck her. And worse, I had to admit that when I thought of her and Chucky being in touch, the balance of pain and excitement was hard to disentangle.

If she spoke to him, would I be angry or aroused? And what if they did more than speak? I realized I was rubbing my crotch. I was hard again. At least that part of me knew the answer, or part of it.

I Googled “Chucky Doyle.” She was right. He was easy to find. Handsome bastard. Work phone and email both easily accessible. Had she already known that when she said it? Of course she had, I thought. I rubbed myself harder, and before I knew it, I was coming hard, filling my shorts.

-----------

“We need to talk,” I said as we climbed into bed.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m already naked, babe.”

“I know, I know, but it’s not that. Well. It is that, but I need to talk.”

She laughed. “Jeez, when did you turn into the chick in this relationship?”

I shook my head. “No, don’t,” I replied.
Don’t call my masculinity into question
, I thought. “This is weird enough.”

She nodded, understanding.

“So, did you Google him?” she asked.

“How’d you...”

“Google auto completed it when I...”

“I was just curious, you know...” I stammered defensive. Then it struck me, “Wait, what were you searching?”

She gave me a knowing smile.

“Guilty,” she replied.

“So why were you looking him up?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I swear I haven’t in years, but...”

“How many years?”

“Oh, I dunno, lots. At least since we’ve had the kids. But yeah, when we were first together, I did look him up once in a while. It was, I guess, like a safety blanket as we were getting more serious. Like knowing I had a port in a storm, or something.”

“More like a bed in the night.”

She smiled. “Okay. But are we talking about the last decade or last night right now?”

“Last night.”

“Okay, well, last night I’m going to have to blame you. You put the thought in my head by asking if I was still in touch. And I will remind you that you’d looked him up first.”

I realized my heart was pounding . I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.

“So,” I began slowly, “so, last night both of us spent time on the computer trying to track down your old boyfriend.”

“Not really a boyfriend, but...”

“Right, your old lover.”

“I think the term we’d settled on was fuck buddy,” she replied with that same amused grin.

I shook my head to clear away the fog that was rapidly clouding my mind.

“And I presume we both found him?”

She nodded.

“So now what?” I asked.

“Now nothing,” she replied. “I told you, I’m not going to lead him on.”

“What are you saying? That if you ever ran into Chucky again you’d feel obliged to have sex with him?”

She gave me a quizzical look. “Running into him randomly is not the same thing as deliberately getting in touch.”

I was an autopilot, speaking before even processing what I was saying. “It could be. What if, you know, what if you just happened to be at a bar where he was for a happy hour or something?”

“Well, that would be random, wouldn’t it?” A look of understanding crossed her face. “Oh God, Bill, that’s crazy. What? We’d stake out his office and follow him somewhere?”

I hadn’t actually thought it through that clearly. But now that she’d said it, it seemed to make a lot of sense. I warmed to the idea quickly.

“Sure? Why not? Aren’t you curious what he’s up to? Whether he’s married? Has kids? Is still a player?”

“So, what? We’d follow him into a bar and just be all, like,
wow Chucky is that you, long time no see
?”

“Well, you would at least.”

“Oh, not the two of us?”

“Well, it just seems. I mean, you know, if I’m there, it’ll be all awkward.”

She laughed. “Oh right, because it won’t be awkward otherwise.”

“Well, less so at least. Just two old friends running into each other at random.”

“And then what?”

“I dunno. I really don’t. I mean, maybe you just say
hi
and go your own way, or maybe you have a drink and catch up.”

“So, let me get this perfectly straight. You want me, your wife, the mother of your children, to follow her old…” She paused. “Her old fuck-buddy into a bar and have a drink with him while he chats her up?”

“You wouldn’t be leading him on. And you wouldn’t need to do anything more.”

She grinned. “I dunno. I told you, Chucky can be very persuasive. I always did have a hard time saying no to him. What if he invites me up to his place?”

My heart was in my throat, but my cock was also throbbing almost painfully.

“You wouldn’t need to go. It would just be something for us. Just a little game. He doesn’t need to know. You wouldn’t be leading him on.”

“You’re crazy,” she replied. But all I noticed was that she hadn’t said no.

CHAPTER 6:
EXPECTATIONS

It was a harebrained scheme, and yet all the pieces came together seamlessly. His downtown office was close to the “L” and Terri noted that he used to live in Wrigleyville, so we assumed he either walked or took the train to work. All we need to do was stakeout the main entrance of his office.

We picked a Friday and arranged to have the kids spend the weekend with my folks. I picked up Terri early. She was dressed to impress, wearing that same clingy party dress from her birthday. If the plan to ambush Chucky failed, we agreed to go out to dinner instead.

We set up shop at Starbucks across from his office. Starting a little before five, his building started to empty out, and I was sure we’d never spot him in the crowd. But after just a few minutes, Terri gasped.

“Oh my God, there he is.” She pointed at a tall, slim, dark haired man exiting the building and heading north on La Salle.

“I’ll call if he goes somewhere close by,” I replied, dashing off after him.

It wasn’t a long chase. A block and a half away, he ducked into a bar with a large happy hour crowd. It was a trendy place. Lots of nice suits, girls who’d obviously “freshened up” before heading over. A meat market, but classy or at least expensive.

I texted Terri with the bar’s name.

Are you sure?
she texted back. She was asking about the scheme, not the address.

It’ll be fun
, I replied.

You’re crazy
, she answered.

Chucky was at the bar, part of a small group of well-dressed men and women. Obviously a regular crew. They were laughing and trading shots. He seemed to be the elder statesman of the group, but definitely one of the guys.

I had managed to snag a small high top against the wall. I had a good view of the bar, although frequently interrupted as people crossed in front of me heading to and from the dining room.

I waited anxiously for Terri. I was about to text her, asking if she was backing out, but when I looked up from my phone I saw her. She approached Chucky and gave him an exaggerated reaction.

Oh my God, Chucky, is that you?

Terri, baby, let me buy you a drink.

I couldn’t hear their conversation, of course, but that was the body language.

Chucky seemed to introduce her to his friends, but as I’d expected, dreaded, fantasized, he quickly pulled her aside and ensconced her on a bar stool as he hovered close over her.

I could feel the intimacy between them. At least I thought I could. At the very least, it was obvious they were comfortable with each other. They were huddled together. Was that just to be heard over the noise of the bar? She was smiling, laughing. Was that an act, just part of the game?

To me, though, they looked like an item, like lovers sharing some time together in public. As she laughed, she casually touched his forearm. He rested his hand easily on the back of her chair, his thumb caressing her back. She flicked the hair from her eyes. He bought another round of drinks and made a toast. She giggled at him. I could feel the jealousy coursing through my veins, and yet seeing her with him was undeniably erotic.

I looked closer. They were leaning in, talking softly. His hand... his hand was now on her bare thigh. Was she wearing underwear? Somehow I knew she wasn’t. His fingertips were just inches from her naked pussy. Her hand was on his shoulder. Another drink. Another toast. She was glowing. He was looking at her, hungry.

A large group filtered past me, moving painfully slowly. They were leading an elderly couple, probably regretting having chosen a happy hour night spot for their early dinner with grandma and grandpa.

When they finally moved into the dining room, I looked back at the bar. The stools where Terri and Chucky had been were empty and quickly filled with other patrons. I couldn’t see them.

And then it hit me like a shot. The bathroom. He’d offered. She’d accepted. She could never say no to him. She was bent over the sink right now, her dress rolled up over her ass. He was hammering her from behind.

I took a hurried step toward the restrooms. And then I saw them. They’d stepped back away from the bar. They had their phones out, exchanging numbers from the looks of it. He turned back toward his friends. I caught Terri’s eyes and nodded toward the door, asking if it was time to leave. She shook her head and glanced down at her phone. I pulled out my own phone just as her text arrived.

Go on ahead. He’s going to walk me to a cab. Meet me at Mateo’s.

That was one of our favorite places, a little tapas joint by our house. I started to text back, but noticed that she’d already put away her phone and was talking to him again. He nodded toward the door, and she started in that direction with him resting his hand on her shoulder as they fought through the crowd.

I hadn’t planned ahead. I still had to settle my tab. By the time I did, they were long gone. I couldn’t see them outside, though with the crowd and gathering dusk, that wasn’t too surprising anyway. Still, it was hard to put out of my mind the image of the two of them leaving the bar together.

I got my car out of the garage and drove quickly to Mateo’s, but I was easily fifteen minutes behind her. I expected to find her at the bar. But she wasn’t there. I peered into the dining room. Not there either. I asked the hostess. No, they hadn’t seen her.

I sat at the bar and ordered a shot, and sent her a text.

Hey babe, where are you?

Then I stared at the phone as if trying to will a response. One minute passed. Then five. I ordered another shot. Ten minutes. Fifteen.

Jesus. There was no other explanation, was there? She was obviously with him. Fucking him. Sucking his cock. Spreading her legs for him as his pounded her roughly. She was wearing her engagement ring and wedding band. He would know she was married. I imagined it turned him on, knowing he was having another man’s woman.

Am I better that he is?

Oh yes, Chucky. Oh God yes. No one fucks me as good as you.

Her big tits jiggling. Her toes curled. Her stomach muscles rippling as he made her come again and again.

“Hey honey.” She kissed me on the cheek and sat on the stool beside me. Her hand slipped into my lap, groping my erection. “Thinking of me?” she said with a grin.

“Where’ve you been?” I replied hoarsely.

She laughed. “I forgot my purse. I didn’t have money for the cab.”

“What’d you do?”

“What could I do? I had to blow the driver. You wouldn’t believe how much he came.”

I looked at her shocked. “You didn’t!” But the image was already in my mind. Both of them in the backseat, her dress pulled down to show off her tits, her red lips wrapped around his fat tool.

She laughed. “No, of course not. But I had to stop by the house to pick up my purse, then stop at the ATM to get some money. God, Bill, you really are losing it.”

“So that’s all?”

She nodded. “I could make up a story for you, but I’m afraid you’d ruin your suit, and anyway, I’d like to be able to move over to a table. I’m starved.”

--------

We settled in at a little two-top in the corner of the room.

“So what happened with Chucky?” I asked after we’d ordered some small plates and a bottle of wine.

She shrugged. “Nothing that exciting. Just the usual catching up. How’re you doing? Still living on the North Side? That kind of stuff.”

“You seemed to be having a lot of fun for a conversation so banal.”

“Chucky was always a good talker. He’s funny. Lively. He talked about his job. Asked if I still saw some of the old gang. You know, that kind of stuff.”

“So, no flirting?”

“Oh, it was all flirting. But nothing really overt. He commented you were a lucky man. Said he missed me.”

“Did you flirt back?”

“Of course. Wasn’t that the idea? I asked why no woman had snatched him up yet. He reminded me I’d had my chance. Just silly stuff.”

We both sat silent for a moment.

“I saw him touch your thigh,” I said suddenly.

She laughed. “My, you were watching closely. Did you also see me move his hand away?”

“Not right away, you didn’t.”

She grinned. “No, I guess not. I gave him a few seconds. Did you see him rubbing my back?”

“Yes,” I replied, nodding.

“And did that make you jealous or excited?”

“Both,” I admitted.

“Should I have let him continue to rub my thigh?”

“Are you wearing panties?”

She laughed. “Would that make a difference? I am, but they’re really small. They wouldn’t have gotten in the way at all.”

I groaned.

“You didn’t answer. Should I have let him rub my thigh longer?”

“I dunno,” I replied finally, dully.

She nodded. “That...that answer says a lot.”

“Does it?”

“Well, yeah, I mean, I think most men would answer without hesitation.”