Ginger Snaps

"No I can't demand that. He's so sexually naive that he just might get violent."

There was a pause while whomever she was talking to said their piece. "Let's just do it like we talked about. Don't make him hide it this time. It'll pique Ginger's curiosity."

I slipped back outside wondering what was going on. What did my lack of sex experience have to do with anything? After all, I learned from her so if I was sexually inadequate it was on her. I decided I'd keep an eye open for a while until I figured out what she was up to.

After we had supper Shawna informed me she was going out for the evening. I had thought that she was dressed nice for me. "Oh?" I said. "What are you going to do?"

"Heather and I were going to meet a friend of hers and have a few drinks. Nothing too big."

"Is Jason going?"

"No. Heather said he didn't feel like going out, he wasn't feeling too well I guess."

I was suspicious about this sudden girls' night out, but I had no reason to object. She put the dishes in the dishwasher and told me she'd be home by 10. At 7:00, Heather pulled up in the drive and honked her horn. Shawna kissed me quickly and headed out the door.

Around 8:30 I called Jason to see if he was feeling better, and to see if he knew anything about this girls' night out. The phone rang for over a minute before I hung up. On the TV the Oklahoma Sooners were beating the snot out of some school from back east, but I wasn't paying much attention.

I tried Jason again a bit after nine and got no answer. At 9:30 I heard a car pull up the drive. A moment later, Shawna came in and joined me in front of the TV.

Before I could ask her about her night, she pulled my pants down and began sucking my cock. When she was turned on she was known to ride me like I was a hobby horse. I don't know what had her so worked up that night, but it was two in the morning before she finally went to bed.

I had out lasted my personal best that evening. I came four times, and only went soft once. I lost count of the number of orgasms Shawna had. I slept quite well that night and didn't wake up until nine.

I spent Sunday afternoon drinking a few beers and getting my grill ready to cook. Heather and Jason were due to show up at five so I figured I'd start the coals about 4:30. Shawna spent the day getting the food ready as usual, but it seemed she was pre-occupied with something. I caught her just staring off into space on several occasions.

Around five I was throwing the burgers on the grill when I heard Jason's car pull into the drive. I heard Shawna go out to greet them. I wasn't sure but I thought I heard more voices. I was a bit surprised to see Kevin come around the corner of the house with his arm around Heather, followed by Jason who was wearing the most ridiculous outfit I have ever seen any sane person wear.

Heather was dressed in casual shorts and a nice sleeveless blouse and her usual summer sandals. Kevin was wearing a polo shirt and a pair of khaki shorts and a pair of jogging shoes. I was dressed normally as was Shawna.

Jason on the other hand wore some sort of frilly pink and white sleeveless blouse that had been cut into a crop top, a pair of "Daisy Duke" cut off shorts that had seen far better days, and a pair of flip flops with baby blue frills on them.

Everyone seemed to be watching me as Jason walked onto the patio three steps behind Heather and Kevin. If we had been in high school he would have been beaten already and laughed out of the building. If this had been any public building he would have been shown the door until he could dress properly.

But this was my house and I wasn't going to say anything about his choice of clothes. Maybe he was going to a shitty costume party later. I didn't care, he was an adult and could wear a bed sheet and swim fins if he so pleased.

I could feel the stares boring into my back as I turned back to the grill. I put the last of the meat on and turned and offered Jason and Kevin a beer. Kevin replied that he'd love a beer and Jason didn't say anything.

I turned to go to the kitchen to grab some beers when Kevin cleared his throat. As soon as he did Jason spoke up. "No Ginger. Please allow me to get the beers."

I gave him a puzzled look and said, "Suit yourself guy."

As he was heading toward the door I heard him ask Kevin and Heather if he could have a beer. I almost turned said something, but I figured I'd catch hell later for being rude, and rude Ginger usually ended up quite horny before Shawna would forgive and forget.

When Jason came back out with the beer, he bowed to Kevin as he handed him the opened bottle. Heather reached over and patted his head as he did this. He then came toward me. He bowed as he handed me a beer.

"Don't bow dude. That just looks wrong," I said just loud enough for him to hear.

"I have to or my mistress will be displeased."

"This is weird man. Way weird."

He turned and looked at Heather. I turned back to the grill and he sidled up beside me. Within a few minutes Shawna announced that she needed to run to the store to pick up a couple of things she'd forgotten the day before. Heather and Kevin volunteered to go with her and I said I'd slow the cooking down.

Jason said nothing and I suddenly got the feeling that this little trip to the store was planned in advance. Shawna never forgets things at the store or anywhere.

"So what's the deal man? Why are you dressed that way and why do you bow and refer to your wife as your mistress?"

"I am a cuckold Ginger."

"A cuckold?"

He looked embarrassed, "Yeah. I am a willing cuckold."

"Is that like a Pollock or a Slav or some race like that?"

He chuckled a little as if I'd said something funny. "No, it's not a race, it's a "calling in life" if you will. Some folk are preachers because of a calling, I am a cuckold."

"So what exactly does a cuckold do besides run errands and curtsey?"

"A cuckold does what his mistress asks of him. He obeys his bull."

"Bull? Mistress? What in the heck are you talking about man? You used to be normal and now you're acting weird and dressing like a deranged Easter clown."

He gave an exasperated sigh. "OK Ginger. A cuckold is a man who allows other men to have sex with his wife. The man who has sex with the wife is called the bull. The cuckold gets to watch if he has pleased his mistress. Sometimes if he's really been good he gets to clean her out after."

I wasn't sure if I had actually heard what I thought I had heard. It seemed so foreign to me and so wrong. I thought about how bad it must suck to watch another man in bed with your wife.

"I love being a cuckold. Don't feel bad for me I ENJOY what I do for my mistress and our bull."

"Jesus jumpin' catfish! Do you mean to tell me that Kevin beds Heather while you watch and you have to bow and scrape to him like a slave?"

"Yes. I love it that way. He can please her in ways I could never fathom. He has a much bigger dick than I do and she loves it."

I decided right then I wanted to distance myself from these sick people. I just didn't know how. Shawna would want to know why and I couldn't tell her what her best friend was really like.

Therefore I decided to just keep my mouth shut. I guess it didn't really make Jason a different person; the only difference I could see might be having to invite Kevin everywhere too.

The food was done by time they got back from the store. I wasn't looking forward to an awkward dinner with my new unwanted knowledge. I didn't think I could look Heather in the eye anymore. I was saved by a ringing telephone.

The office and clerical staff at the rail yard worked different types of shifts. The office side; the account people, the managers, and safety people only worked a five day week, while the clerks and dispatchers had to cover twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. There were always a minimum of three clerks in the office.

The tracks were managed from a tower but the electronic switching system only worked about half of the time, requiring two switch operators to be out in the yard at all times. With an average of five trains an hour moving through the yard these guys had to be on their toes constantly.

On the weekends should any office personnel be needed, there is an on call rotation. This was my weekend to be on call for safety. There had been an accident requiring one of the safety professionals to investigate. While I was sickened by the thought that someone had been injured, I was glad for the opportunity to leave this party early.

I hung up the phone and tuned to find Shawna in the room. "Who was that?"

"It was work. There's been an accident and I have to go investigate."

"Can't someone else do it?"

"Nope. My weekend on call, I'll be back in a while."

I went upstairs and changed into more work suitable clothing and then I headed for the yard.

When I got to the yard, the ambulance had already departed for the hospital. The switchman had not been paying attention and had been hit in the head by a coupler handle on a passing rail car. He'd been bloodied and need a few stitches. The ambulance ride was mainly precautionary.

I did all of the paperwork and took all of the pictures and gave the ok for the trains to roll again. By the time I had everything finished, the switchman returned from the Emergency Room and I was able to interview him and get all of the paperwork done and faxed to the head office in Nebraska.

I looked at the clock and realized that I had only been at the office for three hours and the shin dig at my house might not be over with. I decided I would rather not be around Jason and Heather so I went to a small roadhouse for supper and a few beers. The place was busy enough that I could sit at a table by myself and not worry about anyone wanting to talk.

By midnight I had consumed two burger plates and several beers. I hoped Shawna would be in bed asleep already so I wouldn't have to make an excuse for beer on my breath. I paid my tab and made my way to my truck. The trip home took a little longer than usual, about four side streets and three alleyways longer but I made it home without any contact with law enforcement officials.

I went in to the dark house and crept upstairs and slid into bed. Shawna made some sort of noise and then rolled into my back and resumed her snoring. I tried to sleep for a while. My mind kept running over Jason's revelation. I was kind of disgusted.

I was disgusted that Heather would have another man in her bed, and disgusted that Jason not only knew it, but he watched and slaved for them. Sleep and alcohol finally took me and it was a blessed divorce from my thoughts.

On Labor Day Monday, I cleaned up after the party that I had missed. There wasn't a lot to clean, but I managed to make the work last. Around noon Shawna came out and asked about the accident. I told her that the paperwork had been a bear but the guy would be just fine.

Shawna seemed to be past whatever had been pre-occupying her for the past couple of days and our lives slid back to normal. We enjoyed a quiet evening at home and returned to work the next morning.

Somehow we managed to avoid going anywhere with Heather and Jason and/or Kevin. The one time they called to set something up I was fighting some sort of illness that was making the rounds. Shawna spent the occasional evening out with Heather but I didn't see Jason at all.

One morning in mid-October I found Shawna reading through a booklet containing apartment rental listings. I didn't think much of it until a week later when she approached me.

"What would you think if I asked you if we could sell your house and get us an apartment a little closer to my work?"

"Why would we want to do that?"

"Because this isn'tOURhouse. It's yours. You bought it long before we met and I feel like it's not mine no matter how much youALLOWme to decorate. I want someplace we both can call ours. A placeWEchoose. A place where I will feel equally invested."

While her reasons made sense on one level, I felt like there was a hidden agenda behind it all. I balked at the idea. After the first week of sleeping on the couch I offered to have her name put onto the deed so that legally the house would be hers as well as mine. The ensuing screaming fit that followed that offer had me retreating to a motel for a couple of nights.

I came home from work a few days later to find Shawna sitting in the kitchen. I was anticipating another night of silence and the couch. As I put a frozen dinner in the microwave she said those words that every man dreads. "We need to talk."

I didn't say anything right away. I retrieved my dinner and sat down. "Ok, you are speaking to me now. What do we talk about? More demands that I sell a place that is paid for so we can go back to throwing away money every month?"

"No more demands. I am going to talk to a lawyer in the morning."

"A lawyer? For what? "

"I want a divorce Ginger. You obviously don't care if I am happy or not so I don't see a need for us to stay together."

How can you say I don't care? I have always done everything in my power to see that you're happy. In fact this is the very first time I have ever even thought about declining your requests."

"YOU SELFISH BASTARD!!" she screamed with such venom that I was sure I'd be killed before the next words flew out of her mouth, "You are the most selfish asshole I know! You selfishly sold your aunt's house because you didn't want to face the fact she was dead. You now want me to spend the rest of my life in a house that I had no say in its purchase. So I'll just ask for a divorce and you can live here all happy like in your hidey hole on the fringe of civilization all by your selfish self."

Her words stung me badly. I asked myself if I would rather have her or the house. Reluctantly I came to the conclusion that I'd rather have her in my life than out of it. "Fine. I'll call Clay in the morning and tell him to list the house. You mean more to me than the house does. I'm sorry I was selfish."

When I look back I realize that there was an inner voice telling me I was making a big mistake. In a way I made a huge mistake. In another way it was the best thing I could have done.

I went back to the real estate agent who had helped me sell Aunt Tori's house and find this one. He cautioned me to be sure I was doing the right thing, but listed the house. By Halloween we were showing the house, and by Thanksgiving I had an offer on it.

We spent Christmas that year in an apartment surrounded by boxes. By New Year's Eve we were unpacked and settling in nicely. Our sex lives improved and I fully believed that I had made her completely happy.

I kept thinking about what I was going to plan for Valentine's Day. I sat with the Yellow Pages for an hour one evening trying to decide which restaurant would be the most romantic. I had thought about buying her jewelry, but she rarely wore any. I finally decided I'd get a special bouquet of orchids and roses made for her.

On the morning of the day I was going to call for our dinner reservations Shawna and I were having breakfast. "Don't make plans for Valentine's Day. I have a special evening planned for you."

I was like a kid before Christmas that entire week. I bought her a few things like chocolates and the flower bouquet I had planned on, plus I bought a golden "key to my heart" pendant that she could wear on a chain if she wished to.

I stashed the key in my truck so she wouldn't find it before our Valentine's evening. I planned on giving it to her after her plan was concluded, just to show her that I had moved past selling my house.

I got home Valentine's evening to find that Shawna had served a candlelight dinner of prime rib and shrimp scampi, two of my favorite dishes. Even though I've never been much of a wine connoisseur, I have to admit she picked up a really good wine to go with dinner. Little did I know that after a sweaty sex session that night I'd end up returning the key pendant the next day.

During dinner that night we were talking as we usually did as we ate. Several times she talked about Heather; never any mention of Kevin or Jason though. It was always about how good Heather had looked at the office, "She was positively glowing," Shawna had said, or how happy and content Heather seemed to be. I never responded to her Heather blurbs. I honestly didn't care what the sickos were up to in Pervovania.

The only time I said anything during the whole Heater-rama was when she asked me what I thought Heather and Jason were doing at the moment. "Probably Heather and Kevin are making Jason dance in a pretty pink tutu while they fuck in front of him." I thought to myself. "No clue," was my terse response. Shawna got an annoyed look on her face but finally let the subject drop.

Later as we lay in the afterglow, Shawna laid her head on my chest and began running her fingers through my chest hair. "Do you wish I was a better lover?"

I couldn't believe she asked me that. "What makes you think that you aren't a fantastic lover?"

"Well, I just haven't had a lot of experience. I've had one other serious lover and a one night fling. I just wonder if I could learn more to please you more."

"I couldn't ask for better honey. I love you the way you are."

"Haven't you ever wondered about what it's like to be with someone else?"

"No. Why would I?"

"It's human nature. Every guy wonders what it would be like to have sex with Miss. January, or Jenna Jameson."

"I don't. I am completely satisfied with you Shawna."

"How can you know that? How can you know that I'm not the worst lover on the face of the earth?"

"It doesn't matter. I love you, and I love everything we do."

"I want to learn more and be a better lover for you Ginger. I know I have tons more to learn."

"Do you want to buy a book? We could buy you a computer and some internet."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Ginger, do you know what really turns me on? Do you know what really gets me so hot I have to fuck your brains out the first second I can?"

"I'm hoping the answer is my love for you, but I have a sinking feeling that isn't it."

"You are so sweet and loving Ginger, but you aren't the only thing that gets me going. I know that you know about Jason and Heather's arrangement. I know you have avoided them vehemently since he told you." She took a deep breath. "Ginger, I get so turned on by the idea of you watching me get fucked by another man that I can't stand it."

There was a roaring sound in my ears. Even in the darkness of our room I was sure Shawna could see the red glow from my face as I strove to not explode. Shawna had kept talking but I hadn't heard much of it. How could she even fathom that I would want this?

"Oh fuck that!" I said as I jumped up and out of bed nearly sending Shawna flying in the process. "So you think so little of me that you think I want to wear pink panties and act like a damn slave while you and some guy fuck each other silly? What have I ever done to you to make you want to treat me like a piece of shit on your shoe?"

"I love you. I don't think..."

"Love?! Where do you get your definition of love? I love you. I'd go to the ends of the universe for you. I'd die for you. But never in a million years would I ever expect you to sit back and watch while I bang Miss March, or any other woman for that matter. What the fuck?"

"But it would make me a better lover for you," she said as I slammed the bedroom door behind me as I went to the couch.

I didn't sleep at all that night. I do know that around four Shawna finally stopped wailing and seemed to have fallen asleep. I sat there in the dark wondering why Shawna would want another man in bed.