But is it Immoral? Ch. 02

Dalton took the next exit and headed for home.

Tracy rushed up and threw her arms around her man and greeted his with a big kiss as soon as he walked in. "Well?" asked Tracy with a mixture of fear and excitement.

"He's gone," Dalton told her, "He shot over to I-eighty-eight and headed west, my guess is, he doesn't stop till he hits Omaha," he laughed.

"Does Jean know?"

"No, it's after eleven, I'll call her in the morning; they're all probably sound asleep by now."

"I doubt it," replied Tracy, "I think you should call now; they'll sleep a whole lot better knowing they have no more to worry about."

Dalton thought about it for a second or two, "Maybe you're right," he said pulling out his phone. It rang only twice before Jean's dad picked up.

"Hello."

"Hi, Henry, it's me, Dalton."

"Oh, Dalton; is everything okay?" he asked a little worried because of the hour.

"Henry, everything is great; we have Kevin on the run, I don't believe any of us will ever hear from him again," he was happy to report, "Can you put Jean on the line or is she in bed?"

"Ah, no; she's down in the bar with Eric."

"Oh really, any sparks there?" Dalton inquired.

"You know, it's kind of hard to tell, we've all been under such a stress but I hope so. I really like Eric, he's a fine young man. They've been spending more time together and I think Jean is becoming very fond of him."

"Good," chuckled Dalton. "I think I'm beginning to see why Eric was so quick to volunteer. Well, if they're in the bar I'm going to call him and give them something to celebrate. Oh, Henry, there's no hurry to get out of the room, you've got till noon on Saturday."

Tracy heard the conversation and was smiling at Dalton as he dialed Eric's cell phone.

"Dalton," Eric said a little surprised to hear from him so late. "What's the matter?"

"Absolutely nothing, is Jean there with you?"

"Yeah, she's right here, why?"

"Well, my friend, you can tell her she won't be hearing from Kevin anymore, and she doesn't have to worry about any retaliation, he thinks the Chicago mob has a contract out on him and he's hightailing it out of the state as we speak."

"The mob," laughed Eric, "How the hell did you pull that off? Hold on, Dalton, Jean is sitting here wondering what the hell we're talking about; let me tell her a second."

Eric looked at Jean with a big grin on his face. "Don't ask me how they did it, but Dalton says they convinced Kevin the mob is after him and right now he's running like a scared rabbit."

Jean almost knocked the phone from his hand as she jumped from her stool, threw her arms around Eric, and in her excitement, kissed him on the lips. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said quickly breaking the kiss, I didn't mean..."

"Damn, don't be sorry," replied Eric, "I've wanted to do that all week."

Jean smiled; she was beginning to like this guy a lot. "Is...is he sure, no more Kevin?"

"Here, talk to him yourself," he said offering the phone to her.

"Dalton, really; is he really gone?"

"Yes, Jean, he's really gone," he was happy to tell her. "I doubt very much if you ever hear from him again, but if you do," he warned, "you let me know immediately, understand?"

"Yes, yes, Dalton, Oh how can I ever thank you?" she gushed.

"By finding a nice guy," he told her.

"I'm working on that right now," she replied, smiling at Eric.

"Good, well NOW you have something to celebrate. You guys have fun, huh." Dalton said goodbye, hung up and smiled at Tracy. "I think there might be something going on between Eric and Jean," he told her. "Wouldn't that be a kick?"

"Yes it would," responded Tracy. "She made a big mistake but she's suffered enough, she deserves to be happy. You know what you should do? Since they don't have to leave the hotel until Saturday, we should all have dinner there tomorrow night; Jean's mom and dad, Jack and Lynette, Jean and Eric, and you and me; let's make it a real celebration."

"Damn, honey, that's a great idea; I don't dare call Jack at this hour, even if he's up I don't want to wake Lynette or the kids, but first thing tomorrow morning I'll call; hopefully they'll be able to make it."

"So, another point for me, huh," she said with a grin, "And you still owe me for catching the reflection in the window. Come on upstairs, buster, I want to collect."

Tracy was already half undressed by the time they reached the bed. She made a show of dangling her bra before twirling over her head and tossing it into a corner, next came the panties; she accentuated the sway of her hips as she slowly lowered them to her feet then playfully kicked them in Dalton's direction.

"Come my pussy slave," she said trying to sound forceful, "Put thy tongue right here; I want at least three orgasms before you even think about moving."

"Yes, ma'am," Dalton replied jumping between her legs; what the hell, he thought, she deserves to be boss for a night.

He still hadn't wiped the grin off his face, when bright and early the next morning, he called Jack and confirmed dinner for that night, then called the restaurant and made reservations.

That night theirs was the rowdiest table in the place. The laughs flowed like water, most at the cost of Kevin as Dalton passed around pictures of a very scared looking bully throwing items haphazardly into his car and making his get-a-way.

"Jack, how the hell did you ever come up with such a devious plan?" Eric asked.

"Oh, Eric, you don't know my husband very well if you have to ask that," joked Lynette.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tracy caught a glimpse of Jean's mother taking her daughter's hand. When she looked over she saw the emotion in Jean's face. "What's the matter, honey," she asked.

Jean tried to hide her tears at first but it was too late, everyone had already looked. She shook her head as she wiped the moisture from her cheeks. "I...I'm just so grateful; you guys went through so much, I...how can I ever thank you, I...I just don't deserve friends like you," she said before grabbing a tissue to wipe her eyes.

Eric put his arm around her. "Hey, hey, there'll no more talk like that...hear me?"

"That's right," Dalton confirmed. "No more punishing yourself; okay? From now on it's nothing but good times ahead, right Jean?"

Through her tears, Jean was able to force a smile and nod her head in agreement. She prayed he was right, it had been a long time since she'd actually been happy; maybe being helped out of a scrape like that was a sign of good things to come.

A few minutes later, as everyone was waiting for dessert and coffee, Eric excused himself and headed for the men's room. Dalton waited only a few seconds before he asked to be pardoned as well. Eric was washing his hands when Dalton entered, leaned his back against the door and folded his arms across his chest.

"So, what are you intentions with my ex-wife?" he demanded sternly.

Eric was taken aback by the seemingly aggressive stance of his friend. "What? Wha...what the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that, I've been watching you two make googly eyes at each other all night; have you made love to her yet?" he asked breaking into a small smile.

Feeling a little more at ease with seeing Dalton's grin he answered with a smile of his own. "No, we've only known one another for a week."

"What about the bondage thing, are you into that; can you give her what she's looking for?"

If it were anyone else asking, Eric would have told him to take a hike but he knew Dalton was only looking out for Jean. "Well, to tell you the truth we did talk about that. No, I'm not, but it's a funny thing, since the experience with Kevin she no longer wants anything to do with it. She told me she has no desire anymore to be tied up or be submissive. She said it was always the feeling of being helpless that turned her on so much, but when she was scared and helpless for real...well, I guess that kind of thing just lost its appeal."

Dalton's grin got wider. "You know what I'd do if I were you; I'd take her my room and make love to her, slow, gentle, tender, passionate, love."

"I...I don't want her to think I'm trying to take advantage of her when she's vulnerable though," Eric stammered.

"Listen, man; she needs you. I see it every time I'm with her; she's still punishing herself over our break-up. That's going on five years ago, now. She needs someone in her life who will treat her with love and respect; I see how you look at her, I think that person is you."

"Thanks, Dalton," he responded. "I think I just might take your advice."

As the two men returned to the table, Dalton took his seat but Eric stood behind Jean, leaned down, and whispered something in her ear. Whatever he said, it brought a big smile to her face.

"Ah, listen everyone," Jean said, "it's been a really tiring day and I'm exhausted; I hope you won't mind if Eric walks me to my room." Everyone at the table exchanged pleasantries and said their goodbyes before she and Eric put their arms around each other and headed in the direction of the elevators.

About half an hour later the party broke up. Everyone had such a good time they all agreed they should do it more often.

On their way home, Tracy had to ask, "What did you and Eric talk about in the men's room? Whatever he said to Jean sure seemed to brighten her spirits."

When Dalton told her about their conversation she laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just so ironic," she pointed out, "Think about it. You guys were divorced because she was scared to tell you about her fascination with bondage and being submissive; then I come along, and here you are, ready, willing, and able to participate as a Dom to my bondage fantasies; now she turns around and gives it up."

"Yeah," he replied. "That is kind of weird isn't it."

***

"The light is out in Jean's room, she must be in bed already," remarked Jean's dad as they entered their hotel room.

"Oh, Harry, are you really that old?" scoffed Jean's mom, "She's in bed alright but not her bed."

"Huh...Oh, you mean her and Eric?" You really think so?"

"I know so, honey; did you not see the two of them at dinner?" she said as they walked to the bedroom.

"I wouldn't mind seeing those two together," he responded, "I like that Eric. It probably wouldn't hurt to have a cop in the family either," he joked.

As his wife reached around to unzip her dress, Harry moved closely behind her. "Here, let me help you with that," he said with smile. "You know, since Jean won't be in the next room, and this is our last night in this beautiful hotel...well, it would be a shame not to put this big king size bed to better use than just sleeping on it."

His wife of thirty-five years turned, put her arms around his neck and kissed him...very, very passionately.

If everyone from the dinner had compared notes the following day, they would have found it had been a night for making love all around.

***

That following Monday everyone was happy to see Jean back to work and asked if everything turned out okay with her family emergency; she assured everyone that things worked out fine and thanked them for their concern. Of course only Bel and her boss, Mr. Jacobson, knew the truth.

Bel could hardly wait for lunch time to hear what happened. She couldn't stop laughing as Jean told the story. "Boy, my husband had it right, didn't he; he said if Jack and Dalton put their heads together they'd be able to figure out something and they sure did; that is so funny! Wait till I tell Dave, he'll split a gut."

"That reminds me," Jean said sounding coy, "What's it like being married to a cop?"

"Well in Dave's case it's great. He doesn't have to go out on patrol or anything like that; for him it's just a regular nine to five job, why?" she asked seeing the sly smile on her friend's face. "Ah oh; what's going on, Jean?"

"Weellll," she said slurring the word, "You know that cop Dalton asked to keep us company in the hotel; we're...ah, well, we're kind of seeing each other."

"Jean, that's great. Is he into...you know," she said lowering her voice, "the bondage and all that stuff?"

"No, but I'll tell you, Bel, after being tied up and beaten all weekend by that maniac, I really don't want any more to do with that stuff. It isn't that I wouldn't trust Eric, but it would bring back those horrible memories. No, Eric is a wonderful lover; he gives me everything I need."

"Oh, Jean, that's wonderful; I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Bel; And I'll tell you something, if this does turn out to be the real thing and I'm lucky enough to get another shot at real love...I won't mess up this time. I will be the most faithful, loving, and compassionate wife anyone could ever ask for."

Bel smiled; "I know you will, honey."

Epilogue:

For the next few months everyone kept an eye out for Kevin's return but it never came. Over the course of time he became nothing more than a bad memory. Six months into their relationship, Eric popped the question; two months later Jean became Mrs. Eric Watts.

It was at the wedding that Tracy found she not only enjoyed Jean's company but also that of her good friend, Bel. The three became very tight and would regularly meet for lunch.

"Girls, I have news," Jean said bursting to tell her two friends as they all sat down at their favorite restaurant; she took a deep breath then let it fly, "I'm pregnant!" she yelled.

Almost everyone in the restaurant looked over as Bel and Tracy joined in with screams of their own.

"Congratulations!" Shrieked Tracy followed by Bel.

Three weeks later the entire incident was played out again, only it was Tracy making the announcement. A few shorts weeks later both women supported baby bumps as they all sat down for their weekly luncheon.

Only Bel was left, it was almost four months later when she announced she was more than two weeks late; a home pregnancy test made it official.

For the rest of her life, Jean never forgot the lessons she learned during the most difficult times in her life. Never once had she taken her wonderful husband or her three sons for granted; she treats them all with the love and respect they deserve and every morning, when she gets up, she says a silent little prayer and thanks God for her family, her friends, and for giving her a second chance.

The End