Courtesan Ch. 01

I was just beginning to believe that Kelly really was going to spend the evening in her office when I saw the door to the Whetmore Building open. Someone was coming out. I watched carefully. It was a woman. It was my wife.

Kelly walked into the parking ramp next door. I ran to my car, started the engine and waited.

Three minutes later her Mercedes S 550 pulled out of the parking ramp and turned north. I waited for her to get about a block ahead of me and then I pulled my Ford Focus away from the curb and followed her.

My wife brought the luxury sedan home about four months earlier. I was shocked when I saw it and asked her how we could possibly afford such an expensive car. Kelly just shrugged and told me that her boss, Martin Jackson had been so pleased by her hard work and effort on a recent project that he'd bought if for her as a token of his appreciation.

At the time, I was still driving an old Toyota Corolla with over 200, 000 miles on it. The next day my wife had a new Ford Focus delivered to the house. When she got home that night I asked Kelly about the new car. She kissed my cheek and told me that I was such a good little helpmate for her that when she got a reward, I deserved to get one too.

Kelly made a left turn onto Fourth Avenue. The Calvert Hotel was in the middle of the block. She pulled up to the front entrance and parked. The valet opened her door. My wife handed him the keys to her Mercedes and went straight into the hotel.

I parked my Ford on the street and followed her. As soon as I entered the lobby I looked around. Kelly was waiting for the elevator. I went into the cocktail lounge and found a seat at the bar that had a clear view of my wife.

When the elevator doors opened Kelly got in. As soon as the doors were closed I raced over and watched to see where the elevator stopped. It was the seventeenth floor. I pressed the up button. The elevator came straight back down. My wife had been the only passenger.

I got into the elevator and pressed the button for the seventeenth floor. My heart was racing. I took several deep breaths to try to calm myself. As soon as the elevator stopped and the doors opened I cautiously stepped out. I looked up and down the hallway. It was vacant. There was no sign of my wife.

The Calvert is a relatively small hotel. There are only about twenty rooms on each of it's nineteen floors. Most of them are luxury suites. As I started walking down the hallway I realized that even with the small number of rooms I still had no way of knowing which one my wife had gone into.

Suddenly I heard the elevator door open. There was an opening about ten feet ahead of me. I ducked into it. I found myself in the room that housed the ice, candy and a soft drink machines. I stood in front of the candy machine and pretended to be trying to make a selection.

As I stood there a bellman passed by the doorway. He was carrying a tray with a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket and two glasses.

I heard him knock on a door.

I peeked around the corner. The bellman was standing in front of the room that was across the hall and two doors down.

The door opened. The bellman said, "Good evening Melody, how are you tonight?"

"I'm very good Mark, how are you?" It was Kelly's voice.

"I'm doing well Melody, thank you for asking. Shall I set the champagne in the usual place?"

"Yes, that will be just fine."

"Has Mr. Baldwin arrived?"

"Yes Mark, he's here. He's in the powder room right now."

There was a moment of silence and then I heard a pop. I assumed that the bellman had just opened the champagne.

"Thank you Mark. Please put this on Mr. Baldwin's bill."

"Of course, have a pleasant evening." There was a pause and then the bellman said, "Thank you Melody, you're always very generous."

Kelly answered, "Thank you Mark, you always take excellent care of us. Mr. Baldwin and I appreciate your effort."

The door closed. I ducked behind the ice machine. Fortunately the bellman walked by without looking into the room where I was hiding. I waited until I heard the sound of the elevator doors closing and then I stepped out into the hallway and carefully tiptoed down to the room occupied by my wife and Mr. Baldwin. It was room 1712.

I listened at the door. I could just make out a man's voice. "Melody, you are gorgeous. Take off your blouse, do it slowly. I've been waiting for this all day."

There was silence. I thought I heard the rustle of clothing, but I wasn't sure.

"They're so beautiful. I just love looking at them."

"Roger, why don't you let me take off your pants. You can play with my big tits while I suck your cock." It was Kelly's voice, there wasn't any question about that.

I turned and slowly walked down the hallway. There was no longer any doubt. I was now one hundred percent certain, my wife was having an affair and her lover's name was Roger Baldwin. I also now knew that this wasn't just a casual fling. It was clear that Kelly and Roger Baldwin were regular guests at the Calvert Hotel. Even worse, Kelly's lover had a pet name for her. A pet name that even the bellman knew.

I also knew the name and understanding it's significance tore me apart. When Kelly was a senior at Kelroy she wrote a story about a little girl who's parents were getting a divorce. The little girl coped with the stress in her life by taking refuge in a fantasy world. Her guardian in that fantasy world was a beautiful, but very naughty fairy who protected the little girl while the two of them enjoyed a series of wonderful adventures. The fairy's name was of course, Melody. If Roger Baldwin knew about Melody, he and Kelly had to be very close.

I sighed as I got onto the elevator. I was sad and I was afraid that I'd lost my wife. I was also angry. I wasn't angry with Kelly because she was being unfaithful. I'd long ago learned that she viewed love and sex as two completely separate entities. I wasn't even angry because she may have fallen in love with someone else. That hurt, It hurt me deeply; but love is something that just happens, it's not something that we can control. I couldn't be angry at Kelly because she'd met someone new. That just happens to people.

I was angry at Kelly because she lied to me. I remembered the afternoon that I asked her about her reputation at Kelroy. She'd told me that she didn't want to lie to me, in fact Kelly promised that she would never lie to me. Now it was clear that she had been lying. As I stepped off the elevator I was trying to figure out what had changed her.

I decided that I wanted to give Kelly one more chance. I walked into the cocktail lounge and sat down at the bar. When the bartender came over I ordered a bottle of Heineken. As soon as he was gone I took out my cell phone and dialed Kelly's cell number.

Her phone started to ring. I was actually surprised that she still had it turned on. I waited. She answered it on the fifth ring. "Hello?"

"Kelly, it's me."

"Hello Timmy. Why are you calling me? Is something wrong?"

"Kelly I just wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting lately. I'm sorry that I haven't trusted you. I was being foolish. I know that you would never lie to me."

There was a moment of silence and then Kelly said, "It's okay baby, I forgive you. Both of us have been under a lot of pressure lately."

"Are you in your office right now?"

"Yes I am, why?"

"I was thinking about making some chocolate chip cookies. I thought you and the rest of the people in your office who have to work late tonight might enjoy them."

"Oh Timmy, thank you, but the door to the Whetmore Building is locked and if I go down to the lobby to wait for you it will be that much longer before I get to go home. Maybe you could bring us some on another night." She paused for a moment and then she said, "I'm sorry Timmy I have to go. I'm in the middle of a meeting with several of our corporate analysts and they're all waiting for me. I'll be home later. Baby, don't wait up. I'll see you in the morning. Good night Timmy. I love you."

"Kelly, I love you too." My wife didn't hear that. She'd already turned off her cell phone.

I paid for my beer, left the bar and walked out to my car. I was sick. The woman I loved and trusted had just finished telling me a mammoth lie."

When I got home I sat down in the living room and waited for my wife.

It was just after 1:00 AM when I heard the garage door open. The headlights of Kelly's Mercedes lit up the living room curtains as she pulled into the driveway and then the lights disappeared when she drove into the garage.

I listened. The garage door closed and then the side door opened. I heard the click of Kelly's high heels on the linoleum floor . She turned on the kitchen light. After a moment she came into the dining room and turned on that light. Now I could see her, but the living room was still dark. She didn't know that I was watching her.

Kelly set her purse down on the dining room table and casually thumbed through the stack of mail that was next to it. She sighed and then she turned. As she walked into the living room she gasped when suddenly saw me sitting on the couch. She was clearly startled. She didn't expect me to be up.

Quickly gathering her wits, Kelly asked, "Timmy, why are you sitting in the dark?"

"I was just waiting for you to come home."

"That was very thoughtful, but you shouldn't have sweetheart. I told you I was going to be very late."

I nodded. "Yes you did."

Kelly smiled at me. "Baby, offering to bring me chocolate chip cookies tonight was very sweet. I told everyone and they're all hoping that some other night we really can do that."

"Everyone?"

"Oh yes, and they all thought it was a very nice gesture."

"Even Roger Baldwin?"

Kelly stopped. For a moment she stood perfectly still and then she looked at me and asked, "Who?"

"Roger Baldwin; Kelly, you know who he is. He's the man you met tonight in room 1712 of the Calvert Hotel. From the discussion you had with Mark the bellman I gather that the two of you are regular visitors at the Calvert."

Kelly shook her head. "No Timmy you have it all wrong. Mr. Baldwin is a potential investor that we're courting. I had to bring him some papers to sign."

"And I assume that you commemorated that signing with the champagne that Mark the bellman brought to his room."

Kelly smiled. "Timmy honey, Roger put in a hard day. He ordered the champagne for himself. I didn't drink any of it, I was working. As soon as he signed the papers I left and went right back to the office. You know I was there, you called me."

"No when I called your cell phone I was calling you from the cocktail lounge at the Calvert. You were still upstairs. Kelly you lied to me and you're still lying to me. I don't care that you let another man fuck you tonight, but I do care that you're lying to me about it. Kelly when we first started dating you promised me that you would never lie to me. What happened to that promise?"

Kelly sighed. "All right I did tell you a little white lie tonight, but honey you've been so suspicious lately. I just didn't want to have to explain why I was at the Calvert. Roger didn't fuck me tonight. I really was getting his signature on some papers."

"So why did he say to you, Kelly take off your blouse and do it slowly. I've been waiting all day for this. And then I'm quite certain that I heard him he also say, They're so beautiful. I just love looking at them. I assume you were showing him your breasts at that moment." I shook my head. "Kelly, I don't think that exposing your breasts is a normal part of a business meeting."

Kelly held her hand up. "All right, Roger did make a pass at me. Timmy I'm a blond with big boobs, that's something I have to deal with all the time. Men are constantly making passes at me." She laughed. "If they ever stop I'll get worried."

"So you were fending him off, is that what you're telling me?"

"Yes, of course I was fending him off."

"If that's true, why did you tell him to take off his pants so that he could play with your big tits while you sucked his cock?"

Kelly gasped and then she whispered, "You heard me say that?"

I slowly nodded. "Yes I did. I was standing right outside the door."

My wife stared at me. As she stared her expression hardened. Suddenly she yelled, "You pathetic little wimp, you were spying on me."

I smiled. "Yes I was and it appears that it was a good thing that I was, because you seem to have turned into a chronic liar."

Kelly's face was now filled with rage. "I don't have to take this. I work hard and make a very good living for us. I'm sick and tired of all your whining and grousing. I'm going to bed. I'm done with this conversation and I never want to hear another word about it."

My wife stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

This time I followed her. When she saw me open the door she screamed "Get out, you can sleep on the couch. I don't want to see your sorry face anymore tonight."

I ignored her and I walked over to my closet, picked up my overnight bag and started filling it with clothing.

Kelly watched me for a moment and then she asked, "Timmy what are you doing?"

"I'm leaving you Kelly. I don't mind that you're sleeping with another man, but I am sick and tired of the all the lying and I'm also sick and tired of the the way you've been treating me for the past year."

Kelly's face filled with an expression of absolute horror. "Timmy no! You can't mean that. I love you. That man tonight means nothing to me. I don't even know his real name. Please let me explain."

I shook my head. "No Kelly, I've spent the last six months trying to get you to explain. I'm tired of the lies. I'm done."

"No Timmy, you have to let me explain. This time I promise to tell the truth."

"It's too late Kelly. Maybe Roger Baldwin will marry you, but I doubt that he'll put up with your lying either."

"No Timmy, you have it all wrong. Roger Baldwin's not a real person. He doesn't exist."

I shook my head. "Kelly, shame on you. I heard him talking. He even calls you Melody. The two of you must be very close if you told him about that story."

"Timmy, he doesn't know about that story, that's just a name I use. Please believe me."

"But Roger Baldwin does exist."

"No he doesn't exist."

"Kelly, stop lying. It's not helping you."

"Timmy, I'm not lying. I swear that I'm not."

I shook my head and said, "Oh Kelly." and then I closed my overnight bag.

As I left the bedroom my wife wailed. "Timmy please don't leave me. I can't bear the thought of going through life without you."

I forced myself to ignore her as I walked quickly to the garage and got into my car. My heart was broken. I still loved Kelly. I knew that I would always love her, but I also understood that if I stayed her lies would tear me apart.