©2010 David Vulcez

Chapter 1:

“Hey girlfriends! Whats shakin?” Jordan gushed as she approached her two twenty-something friends sitting at a dark-wooded booth in Dingo’s Sports Bar.

Jordan and three of her friends/co-workers; Shelly, Pam and Emily met nearly every Friday after work to catch up on gossip, eat their fill of munchies and to see how many free drinks they could rack up from all the appreciative men who frequented this normally male haven.

Young, pretty, well proportioned girls were in short supply at Dingo’s so the bartender was very attentive insuring the munchies were in constant supply but still only charged the girls for one or two orders. He knew he would more than make up for the loss through the drinks that men at the bar constantly sent over to the girls’ table.

The girls had asked that the drinks be kept weak so they could drink more and still maintain some semblance of self-control. Since he had a vested interest in their repeat business he always complied with their requests. Keep the customer happy – especially when it was in the bar’s best interest.

The girls were hit on pretty regularly but that was the general idea. If a guy showed his appreciation through free drinks and could hold his own in lively, interesting conversation he might… just might, get rewarded by having one (or more) of the girls accompany him to his bed for a night of fun and pleasure. A fact that Phil, the bartender would readily point out to any male that showed interest.

Tonight the girls had other thoughts on their mind. “Did you hear about Vicky Summers?”, Pam asked her two friends, starting the gossip part of the evening. “I heard from John in accounting that she was served with divorce papers today at the office.”

“No shit, really?”, said Shelly, her big brown eyes open wide with surprise. “OMG that sucks. Not only getting nailed with divorce papers but having it done in front of everyone at work. Damn, that’s rude.”

“Yeah, but speaking of getting nailed, the word is that her husband, Mike, caught her screwing Jake Preston in their house. In their bed!!”

“Ummmm, I did hear a rumor that Vicky and Jake were doing the nasty pretty regularly. No one actually witnessed it or anything but the rumor was pretty persistent.” mused Pam shaking her head. “What the hell did Vicky see in Jake? He’s an arrogant, lying asshole as far as I can tell.”

“Yeeeaah, he is a bona fide dick-head, but it’s not whats in his head but in his pants that she was after.”, snickered Jordan. “Have either of you done Jake?”

Pam shook her head scowling while Shelly stayed perfectly still and said nothing but her silence spoke loudly.

Jordan sort of grinned knowingly at Shelly and turned to Pam saying, “Well, as RUMOR has it, old Jakey packs a pretty sizable joy stick and isn’t too shy about sharing it. Not that WE would know… Right Shelly?”, teased Jordan.

Shelly just stuck her tongue out at Jordan and smiled a small sly smile.

Pam piped up, “Look, a casual screwing is one thing – if you’re single. But looking for strange when you’re married is a whole other beehive. Especially if your husband is anything like Mike Summers! What a catch!”

“I worked with him for a while and he’s a real great, sweet guy. He’s funny, smart, a real hunk and he has a great job. What more could a gal want!”

“I would let him do me in the middle of Main Street during rush hour if I thought that would make him interested in me. He’s a real stud muffin in my book.”, Pam continued, on a roll now.

“What the hell was Vicky thinking. The stupid slut deserves to lose him. What a dumb-assed bitch!!”, Pam spat forcefully, nearly hyper-ventilating.

Jordan quipped, “Yup, that’s a fact. Stupid bitch fucked up her life for a quick romp in the sack with a brainless loser.”

“As soon as she got the papers she was sobbing hysterically and asked to leave, saying she had to go to see her parents. She ran off like a kid to her Mommy and Daddy. Spoiled brat that she is.”, Jordan sighed and looked off dreamily, “Mmmmm. Mike IS a hottie. I’d marry him in a heartbeat.”

Shelly suddenly gasped, “You know what this means, girls?! Mike Summers will soon be back on the market, so to speak. Vicky’s loss can be my… errr, our gain.”

Pam and Jordan smiled slightly wicked smiles and said almost simultaneously, “Ohhhh, yeah! Let the games begin.”. They all raised their glasses in salute.

They all laughed a little at this interplay as three new drinks were presented by the bartender announcing that the drinks came from the big guy in the blue suit at the bar. The girls raised the drinks in acknowledgment of their newest benefactor and giggled whether the guy really thought he could handle all three of them. They went back to their discussion.

Soon, Pam looked a bit thoughtful and asked, “Does Emily know about Vicky and the divorce? You know how close she is to Vicky. Like sisters. … Where is she anyway? Wasn’t she coming tonight?”

Jordan nodded a little and said, “As far as I knew she was coming but she has been stuck in board meetings for three days taking dictation and she then has to transcribe the notes to prepare some documents.”

“She probably won’t be here for another half hour. She’s got a good job but when she has to do the board meeting transcripts she has to work her ass off. I guess every silver lining has it’s cloud.”

“Guys, we need to be careful about what we say about Vicky in front of Emily. Vicky may be a scum sucking… or cock sucking, cheating slut but she really is a nice person.”, Shelly quipped, grinning widely.

They all laughed at Shelly’s joke but Shelly broke in saying, “No, seriously guys we don’t want to offend Emily by making fun of her friend.”

They all nodded in agreement. Jordan said softly, “I think we should tell her what we know in case she hasn’t heard. Since she’s been tied up the past three days she probably hasn’t talked to Vicky. I worked the board meetings with her one time and I thought it was going to kill me. It’s damn grueling work.”

“… Shhhhh heads up. Emily just came in. Be cool ladies.”

Emily saw her friends and waved acknowledgment striding confidently towards their booth with a friendly smile. She took in the fact that most eyes in the place were on her so she straightened up a bit taller and pushed her sizable chest out a bit for effect. Her red hair flowed slightly behind her and only served to heighten the effect. Emily looked a bit tired but her little strut did wonders to enliven her and brighten the bar’s atmosphere as she approached the booth.

“Hey, there Emily. Looking hot, girl. Damn, you do know how to make an entrance.”, Pam said admiringly.

“Hi, girlfriends. Sorry I’m so late. Ya’ll been waiting long?”, Emily said in her soft Southern drawl.

Shelly piped up with a warm smile,”We don’t wait, girl, we started without you.”

“Good, that means I’ve got some catching up to do and I’m in need of some liquid comfort after the week I’ve had.”, Emily sighed loudly and visibly relaxed as she took her seat in the booth.

The four friends caught up on how each was doing and continued a pleasant banter for a while talking about nothing important as at least three rounds of drinks and new finger foods were delivered to the table.

The bartender hung around for a while ostensibly to insure all was well and they were taken care of but it was very obvious that he was really there to be as close as possible to the stunning vision that had just walked in.

Emily IS beautiful. Long, strawberry blond hair with soft curls that played around her face. Her vivid green eyes held you captive if you made eye contact. Her body was tight, toned curves on top of softly muscled long legs. She was femininity personified and to top it off she was a sweet, caring person as well. Her soft voice with that gentle Southern accent could melt the telephone in your hand if she was on the other end. Emily was special and everyone knew it but her.

The bartender was a puppy dog at her beckon call and she endeared herself to him even more by touching his hand and saying, “Thank you, Phil. You are always so good to us. You’re a sweetie.”

Phil beamed and said, “Anything you ladies need you just let me know.” He trotted back to the bar with a lot of spring in his step.

“Damn, girl. How do you do that. You could have asked him for his car and he would have handed over the keys and title without even asking why. You should teach classes.”, Pam gushed. “I love to watch men melt at your feet.”

“Oh, stop Pammy. I just like to show people I appreciate what they do for lil ol’ me is all.”, Emily said playfully.

“Think I should ask him what kind of car he drives?”, Emily said, eyes twinkling.

They all giggled a bit at that and went on catching up.

Jordan was the one to finally broach the subject of Vicky and Mike. “Have you talked to Vicky lately?”

Emily looked at her friends quizzically as they all waited for her answer.

“Not since Monday. I’ve been too busy to talk to anyone.”, Emily said guardedly. “ … Why? What’s going on? What’s happened?”, Emily asked nervously because of the way they were all looking at her.

Jordan paused and then stated matter-of-factly, “Vicky was served with divorce papers today at the office.”

“Oh, God, no!”, Emily gasped. “She must be devastated. … Mike must have found out about her… her… indiscretions. How will she survive this. Oh, God. What is she going to do.”

Emily shook her head, mumbled softly and tried to get a grasp of the enormity of this news and the effect on her friend. She sat quietly deep in thought for a time and continued to shake her head sadly.

The others watched her intently for a bit and then each decided to allow Emily some time to her thoughts and began a soft conversation among the three of them.

Abruptly, Emily pulled out her cell phone and punched some keys.

“Hi…. yes, it’s me. I just heard what happened… You OK sweetie? … No, of course you’re not. I’m so very sorry. What can I do? … Want me to come over? … No, you should not be alone right now, this is too big, too painful… Oh, sweetie… You go right ahead and cry. … I’m coming over. I can be there in 15 maybe 20 minutes. … No, that’s what friends are for. I’m coming over and I won’t take no for an answer. … Oh, you poor dear. …I’m leaving now. Hang on sweetie, I’m on my way. Bye bye.”

Emily closed her phone and sighed heavily. She began immediately to gather her things.

“I’m so sorry girls, but I have to go, I have a friend in desperate need of a shoulder. How much do I owe?”, Emily panted as she pulled out her wallet.

“Don’t be silly, Emily. We got this. You didn’t eat anything anyway. You just go take care of Vicky. Give her our love and ask her if there is anything we can do.”, Shelly waved her hands in a gesture of sweeping her out and stood up to give Emily a hug.

“Vicky is very lucky to have a friend like you. You’re a doll, babe. Now get out of here and do what you can.”

Emily hugged her friends and rushed out of the bar blowing a kiss and a wave to Phil. All eyes in the place followed her out.

The three girls settled down and began discussing general topics but the conversation tended to drift back to Mike and Vicky.

Half an hour passed quickly under the haze of more drinks. The girls were starting to feel the effects by now. The conversation waxed and waned but always seemed to come back to Vicky and Mike. Mostly about how unworthy Vicky was of Mike and how they would all go after Mike once Vicky was history.

Pam suddenly sat upright. “Did you say something about Vicky going to her parents today?”

“Yes, I heard her say she was going to her parents as she was leaving the office. She was pretty broken up.”, Jordan stated quizzically, wondering what Pam was thinking.

“I happen to know that Vicky’s parents live in Tampa, Florida which is what… five or six hours away? Unless Vicky didn’t go to see her parents, Emily couldn’t be going to see her.”, Pam mulled.

There was silence in the group for a bit as their alcohol soaked brains took in and processed this new information.

“Shit! She’s not going to help Vicky! She’s going to see Mike!!”, Shelly suddenly blurted out. “Shit!”, the other two spat out.

“Phil, can we get the check please, we need to go!!”

 

+++++++++++

Chapter 2:

Somewhere on the edge of a dream, music was playing. Emily finally grabbed for the source of the sound. The offending device turned out to be her cell phone and she struggled to make sense of why it would play music in the middle of the night. The stupid thing was ringing. Two things appeared on the screen; the time showed 3:17AM and the caller ID showed Vicky Summers was calling.

“Hello?”, Emily answered hoarsely, only barely awake.

“Don’t ‘hello’ me you backstabbing slut! I’m not even gone one day and you’re already trying to seduce my husband. I thought you were my friend, you low-life bitch! If you touch my husband, I swear, I’ll shoot you dead you…, you vicious, trashy whore!”, Vicky was spitting fire and venom in her distinctive west Texas drawl.

Emily became immediately alert and chose not to acknowledge Vicky’s tirade. “Well, hello Vicky, it’s so nice of you to call but I have to say this is a very inopportune time for me. In case you hadn’t noticed it’s after 3 AM and I had a very busy, exhausting week so I’d like to get some sleep. However; Y’all sound very upset with me and I haven’t the vaguest notion why. So if you can calm down, I’d be happy to listen to what you are so upset about. If not, then I’ll have to ask you to call me at a less inappropriate time.”

Vicky panted heavily, “You know EXACTLY why I’m pissed at you! Shelly just called a bit ago and said that some of the girls told you that Mike served me with divorce papers yesterday and you almost broke the sound barrier getting over there to see him. How could you do that? Did you fuck him already you shameless, backstabbing hussy? Is he with you right now? He’s MY HUSBAND! Do you hear me, Emily? MY HUSBAND! You can not have him! He’s MINE!”

Emily took a deep breath to calm herself and spoke in a very slow soft voice. “Yes, Vicky I did go over to see Mike, but I swear on all that I hold sacred that I did not seduce or sleep with him. You went to your parents and Mike was left alone to fend for himself after finding out you betrayed him. He, as well as you, is my friend and I hold my friendships in deep regard. I was very afraid he would do something stupid, so I went over there as a friend and let him cry on my shoulder and listened to him as he screamed out his pain. You hurt him very badly, Vicky, with what you did. He may be your husband but how could you do that to anyone, much less to the one person you profess to love. How could YOU do that?”

“Vicky, you said that Shelly called you. I had no idea Shelly and you were close. You don’t suppose she called you in the middle of the night because of an ulterior motive, do you?”

Vicky was silent for a moment. “I really don’t know Shelly all that well. What do you mean? What ulterior motive could Shelly have?”

“Vicky, sweetie, you have to know that Mike is regarded as a pretty spectacular catch. I know for a fact that a lot of single women are already lining up to take advantage of your… your situation. While I was over at your house, Mike received four phone calls from various women wanting to know how he was and how long before he planned to start dating again. One was a woman he had never even met. Shelly was there at Dingo’s when I got the news of you being served. Maybe she thought she could drive a wedge between us and get us so distracted fighting she could go after Mike herself. I don’t know for sure, but maybe that’s what’s up.”

“Shit, Emily, all of a sudden I can’t trust anyone.”, Vicky shook her head sadly.

“Ummmm, Vicky. You might want to watch how you throw that word ‘trust’ around. Right now your husband is suffering with major trust issues. He recently found out that he couldn’t trust his own wife.”

“For the record, Vicky, I promise you I will not go after Mike while you two are married. I will console you and him, I will be a friend if needed for anything and I will hope with all my heart that you can make things right with him and move on together. But, Vicky, you have to know… And I’m going to be as honest as I know how. If Mike becomes a single man again, I will use ALL my wiles and every drop of energy I have to get him to notice me. Just so you know.”

“Well, thanks for the honesty and fuck you very much.” Vicky sighed dejectedly.

“Why did he have to file for divorce? I just don’t understand what the big deal is. So I fucked Jake? Big deal! It was only playing around. A little fun. Sex. So what?”

Emily sucked in a deep breath in disbelief. “Vicky! Are you out of your mind! You can’t be that stupid! What’s the big deal? My god, girl. You brought a strange man into your home. The home you share with your husband! Into your bed. The bed you share with your husband! And invited him into your body. Your body which you supposedly promised was exclusively reserved for making love with your husband!! You did this behind your husband’s back while he was out of town. Obviously, you didn’t think it was all right with Mike or you wouldn’t have been sneaking around. ‘Only playing around?’ What would it take to make you see it as a serious problem? Maybe, if you had Jake’s kid?! Or maybe, if you tied Mike up and made him watch?! Shit, Vicky! Get real! At least be honest with yourself… and me!”

“… And another thing. If you really saw it as ‘NO BIG DEAL’, then explain to me the purpose of this phone call. Can you do that, please? You called me in the middle of the fucking night to yell at me and threaten me because you thought I had slept with you husband. Explain that shit to me. According to you, sex on the side should be no big deal. You don’t even believe that crap you’re spewing yourself. See… there you go, now you have made me forget all my manners. I’m so disgusted with you, Vicky, I could spit.”

“Poor Vicky. Husband’s divorcing her because she acted like a mindless slut. God damn, you Vicky. You deserve to lose him.”

“Damn it! How am I supposed to get back to sleep after you got me all riled up!”

“You cheated on your husband, Vicky, repeatedly as I’ve heard, and you dare to be ready to commit murder because MAYBE, just maybe, he has slept with someone else. Explain that logic to me, will you? You can’t because there is none. Damn you girl, you absolutely piss me off! You had better watch who you’re threatening, Missy. You come after me with a gun and I swear it’ll take a team of surgeons to extract that gun from your ass! Here I am swearing like a drunk sailor and I’m supposed to be a Southern Lady! My grandmothers are spinning in their graves. I swear, I’m absolutely furious. ”, Emily fumed as she finished her little speech.

Vicky was now crying and blubbered, “I know. I know. You’re absolutely right. I’m a damned idiot! I just didn’t want to admit it. Oh, God! I’ve lost him, Em! He was the best and I’ve lost him! How do I face anyone? How could I have been so stupid? I don’t even know how he found out but he told my Dad he had pictures and everything. He will never take me back now! It’s over!”

“Oh, Vicky. I’m so sorry.”, Emily said sounding sincere yet shaking her head at the catastrophe that her friend brought upon herself. Emily decided it was time to move the conversation forward.

“You say your Dad talked to Mike, then?”

“Yeah, when I showed up at my parents and let them see the divorce papers my Daddy called Mike and yelled at him to explain himself. Dad was pretty mad until Mike told him that he had video and concrete proof that I was cheating on him. Dad got pretty quiet, said he was sorry for both of us and hung up. He looked at me like I was some sort of two-headed space creature and hasn’t spoken to me since. I still don’t know how Mike got video of us.”

“Ummm, I think I can answer that question for you. Mike told me you and he were video chatting over the Internet and you seemed distracted. He said you were wearing the robe that you usually only put on to cover your ‘special’ lingerie for full visual effect later on. After you signed off he got worried and suspicious so he logged onto your laptop and controlled it remotely. Even though you had the lid folded down he was able to access the external webcam that he bought just for talking to you. He restarted the video chat software and ran the whole thing remotely from his hotel room. You had the laptop on your dressing table in your bedroom so he saw and heard everything. He set up his computer to record the whole session.”

“Oh, shit! I didn’t know he could do that.”

“Oh, come on Vicky. Your husband is the Facilities Manager for a major law firm. He has control of every piece of equipment that has a power cord or battery in their office building. He’s like a computer genius, of course he can do ‘that’!”

“He also said something about a cop showing up at the door. What was that all about?”

“Oh, a policeman showed up and said he had a report from a neighbor that someone was sneaking around the area. He asked if he could come in and look around. I let him in and he looked around and I introduced him to Jake. I told the officer Jake was an invited guest.”

“Uhhhh, did the introduction take place in your bedroom?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, that means Mike has corroboration from a police officer and his shift report as to the time and date and the policeman will actually appear on the video if Mike needs it for evidence. It won’t mean anything in divorce court but it might prove important if you guys have a prenuptial agreement or something.”

“Oh, shit! Emily! I am so fucked!!”, Vicky shrieked. “Mike works for a damn law firm. Of course we have a freaking prenuptial agreement. Shit! In the case of proven infidelity, I get nothing at this point of our marriage. Fuck! My Dad is going to freak! He was all set to make sure Mike lost everything if he pushed the divorce so that would make him more agreeable to stopping the process and forgiving me. I’d even bet it was Mike who called one of the neighbors to get them to call the police. Oh, God! Em! I’ve lost him for sure!”

There was a long pause as Vicky contemplated her situation. “Em, I have to go. I don’t think I can talk anymore. Look, I’m sorry I screamed at you and thanks for being a friend and listening and stuff when I needed it. I now know what I’m up against. Thank you, Emily. Good night.”

“Good night, Vicky. Take care, sweetie and I hope you’ll be okay. Call if you need me. Good bye.”

After the call clicked off Emily looked at the phone in her hand, shook her head, rolled her eyes and said, “Stupid, stupid spoiled bitch.” She then laid back on the bed and tried to bring her adrenalin rush under control and return to sleep. Sleep wasn’t coming easily because thoughts of Mike kept popping into her consciousness. “Emily Summers… Mike and Emily Summers… Mmmmmm that has a nice ring to it. Mike, baby, once I get my arms around you, you don’t stand a chance. Now If I can just keep from jumping your bones before your divorce is final. After all a girl has to have her principles. Hang in there, Emily, patience is a virtue.” She finally drifted off into a comfortable, deep sleep.

—–
Epilogue

There was no point in fighting the divorce once the video was presented and validated, Vicky and her parents pushed for a quiet, quick closure to the process. Vicky moved to Tampa and went to work for her father. Her father’s family ranch in west Texas was leased out for cattle grazing and there were a number of actively producing oil and gas wells on the property. Vicky made many trips to her childhood home, insuring that the property was kept up and petroleum production was maintained. She also began to make use of her single status in the arms of some ranch hands and oil well workers.

Emily maintained her closeness with Mike helping him in his efforts to move forward after Vicky. They talked. They laughed. They argued. They shared their souls and learned each others loves and fears. Mike had always admired and very much loved Emily’s character, fierce loyalty to her friends and her straight forward fiery nature. She was principled, compassionate and passionate – a powerful combination. Emily insisted that there would be no physical union while Mike was still married and for a ‘respectable’ four month period after the divorce became final.

Three weeks after Mike and Vicky’s marriage was dissolved, Emily was awakened by frantic banging on her front door. It was just after 3:00 AM when she groggily opened the door to find Mike wearing a trench coat and cartoon character PJ’s. She was stunned and barely able to get out the words, “Mike, what’s wron..” before Mike wrapped her in his strong arms, while his tongue sought to taste her tonsils. She tried to remove his coat without letting go of him as she whispered huskily, “I can’t wait any longer, either.” They made love for the first time there on the floor of the living room and twice more before the sun came up in Emily’s bed. From that morning they became an inseparable pair.

Mike and Emily Summers. It really does have a nice, solid ring to it.

© 2010, 2011, 2012 David Vulcez

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