Her Itch

"We'll have two orders of the baked claims. Serve them separately, and then an order of calamari. My husband will have the sole marinara and I will have the veal piccata. The house dressing on the salads. The best Soave with the claims and Valpolicella with the main course and bring my husband a dry vodka martini to start. I'll have a short Drambuie."

When the waitress had left, I said. "You plan on getting me drunk and keeping me here all night,"

"Yes, it's all I have. I know I'm taking advantage, but I'm fighting for my life here."

"Why? You obviously don't want me," I said

"What a fucking stupid thing to say."

"Not after Saturday."

"OK, I got mad and stupid. Do you end a marriage over one angry action," she said.

"How can you call it one angry action and why in the name of God should you have been angry."

"You say that after what you put me through for the last month. The cold shoulder, cutting me off in bed. Not speaking."

"You bring your lover around and throw him in my face and you expect a warm welcome when you come back."

"Keep your voice down. I didn't throw Samuel in your face. I had no choice but to introduce him to you. Let's call him what he is my bull—nothing more. He happens to be the best bull I've ever had, but he is still only a bull," she said.

"What's this bull business?"

"That's what you call a man like Samuel. He has an awesome huge cock and he knows how to use it," she said her voice lowering to a whisper.

"So that's it - he has a big cock and that's worth our marriage."

"No, certainly not, but you knew that occasionally I need someone like Samuel, before we got married. It's your behavior since meeting him that has caused the problem."

"I see. I'm the problem. Well, that is easy to fix. You keep your promise and let me go amicably."

"Why? Tell me why now after twelve years?"

"Because you broke your promise and threw it in my face after berating me about the same thing."

"I did not throw it in your face until Saturday, by which time it was clear to me the marriage was broken. What I did that night was the result of anger and a desire to get the problem out in the open.

"You don't call bringing your stud, bull, or whatever to our home - in front of our son - throwing it in my face."

"As I said, I had no choice. Let me explain."

"Oh go ahead, I just have to hear this BULL-shit," I said.

She reached across the table and took my hand.

"Baby, I love that face of yours. With that scar you are no longer pretty, but still very sexy. No woman alive wouldn't want you as a husband. But there are times that a woman wants and needs a bull like Sam. That doesn't make him a better man - actually the contrary.

"When I look at you I see my wonderful husband, the father to my children. But other people look and see one bad-ass-looking white dude. The kind of man who would put some black guy who took his woman at least in the hospital if not the morgue.

"Samuel would not believe me when I said it was ok for him and me to be together. The only reason that I brought him to the house was so he could see you for who you really are, a very gentle loving man.

"I brought him when I knew you and Douglas would be together. That way I could be sure that he would see the loving husband and father you are. It also meant that both you and Sam would feel inhibited. Neither of you was going to act out in front of our twelve-year-old son. I was sure we would act like sophisticated adults in what was an awkward situation. It is exactly what happened and if I had not believed both my men would behave themselves I would not have exposed my son to their meeting.

"You knew in advance what I was going to do that weekend. All I added was having you meet and shake hands with Sam. That way he could see you in your own environment being the person you really are. Sam now accepts that you understand and accept my being with him. He told me how much he would like to be your friend."

She paused, collecting her thoughts as I shook my head in disbelief. Was I to accept such a story? This big guy was afraid so she introduced us so he would not be afraid? It was crazy enough to be true.

"That meeting started the problem. You were acting so cold to me and angry. Sam was so happy after meeting you and enthused. He liked you and was hoping you two could be friends. I guess my hopes were raised that I could have a truly open relationship with both my lover and my husband.

"When I realized how upset you were, I tried to soothe your feelings, but all you did was push me away and grow more hostile. Finally, I had enough, so when we got back from taking Doug to camp I decided to teach you a lesson. Clearly things have not worked out the way I thought.

"I made a stupid misjudgment. I deliberately tried to provoke you. I was trying to get you to let the anger out so we could confront the problem. The more I did the quieter you got. I could see it wasn't working and I should have stopped, But I lost my temper. After all, I treat you so well and all I have ever asked was some understanding.

"I didn't have sex with the guy I picked up in La Pera. Everything I did was for your benefit. I was trying to show you the difference between that sort of relationship and what we have. Even as I left with that guy, I thought you would come to me the next day. I would confess my deception and we would make up. I would promise to respect you and you would in turn promise to respect me and my choices in extramarital partners," she said.

"I do respect you most of the time, but I don't see how you can expect me to respect a woman who so casually engages in extramarital sex," I said.

"I was upfront about my needs from when we first started a serious relationship. You agreed to my stipulations. I wasn't trying to humiliate you by bringing Sam by the house. It was not like you with Becky," she said.

"To be honest I don't see it that way. The whole Becky thing has always grated on me. Yes, you made the point that you were upset with how it came down, but that is not the whole truth. I know that most of the Becky blowup was your feeling that it was all right for you to play but not me. At least that is the message that I took away from our argument. I should point out that I have never had extramarital sex since," I said.

I could see her frustration. We had talked through the appetizers and the main course had arrived. I love the Sole Marinara and I know the Veal is fabulous. We broke the conversation while we ate. I could tell she was seriously thinking, and that made me nervous.

Shantel is by far the stronger personality. She owns the pants in our relationship. I can pretend to be the master of the house, but she is the ruler. We have very few fights. If you remove the current sex problem from the mix, we don't fight at all. She knows me inside out. Both what I want and what I need. She has always seen to it that I have all my needs met. Take away what she does with other men and our marriage is paradise.

"Rob what you have is a hurt ego. I can see introducing you to Sam was a mistake. I know he can never compare to you as a man and what's more so does he. He may be a lion in the bedroom but not in his life. I have never told you this, but for the last ten years I have maintained an apartment in Somerset," she said.

I was shocked. We never worried about money and I never paid attention to her finances. We were one of those couples who, while we share the principal bank account, also maintain separate accounts.

"You're living with this guy?"

"No, obviously not. I spend nearly all my time at home. I maintain an apartment to house my bulls. Every time I start a relationship I move the guy into the apartment. It makes life easier and the sex discreet. Men like Sam don't have a lot going for them. He has a minimum wage income. He lives to a great degree off the support I provide him. The apartment I rent, the food I buy, and the allowance I give him," she said looking me hard in the eyes.

"So you see," she said, "Sam is the one who should have the ego problem and to a great extent he does. He would like to feel that he has a relationship with you. Some mutual understanding between equals."

I had no idea how to respond to this. My mind was in a whirl. It was as if Copernicus had just explained to me why the earth must move around the sun. The facts had always been there - I just never worked them all the way through. Sam was probably twenty-five and my wife was pushing forty. She was a gorgeous woman, but he could have had his pick. Moreover, she had always maintained that her men must be exclusive. It just never occurred to me that she kept them.

"I have always told you I didn't love these other guys, but what I failed to tell you was I did not respect them either. It wasn't a lie, we had agreed to keep the details private. I was not burdening you with information you did not want or need. It also helped me keep things strictly out of public view. Somerset is a mostly black neighborhood where I could blend in. I kept my men there and it did not intrude on the two of us," she said.

"I don't know what to say," I replied.

"What's the problem? You can't believe that I would give up our wonderful home and family for any man who needed me to pay his rent. What these guys have beyond hard bodies and the ability to deliver great sex isn't worth the price of this dinner. Please believe me. It is you I love and always will," she said.

"I guess my problem is that I can't see how you can respect me and do what you do," I said.

"Now we are getting someplace. That's a fair question," she said.

"Now open your scientist's mind and consider the facts. In twelve years of marriage, we have had exactly two fights. You know what both were about. They were not about your annoying habits of leaving the toilet seat up or dropping your clothes on the floor instead of putting them in the hamper.

"You never washed a dish or made a bed. I never nagged you about anything. You spoiled our kids and made me into the person who had to say "NO" when it was needed. No, you can't watch TV until your homework is done. No, you can't stay out past ten o'clock. I could go on and on.

" You see, any time I might have gotten mad at you I thought about you loving me so much you would let me fulfill my need for other men. A man who can love a woman that much is special. More special is a man who foregoes other women when he has every right to see them. You had only that one lapse with Becky, and that was partly my fault. I should have communicated more and explained things better.

"It is impossible for me to see how, given these facts, you can reach the conclusion I do not completely love and respect you. I know I am a weak woman when it comes to sex. I can't resist. I told you that, and in a real sense, I have kept my word. I have stayed within the lines and in the process my love for you has become limitless," She said all this and then took a deep swig of the red wine.

She had not had much to drink. Most of the wine had gone in me. I was definitely feeling mellow, but the deep ache I felt inside remained.

"It still hurts," I said. "And I don't know what to do about it."

"I know. It's your male pride. You are feeling inadequate although that is totally untrue. But listen to me. For the last twelve years, I have always taken care of you. Met every need you have. And I promise to take care of the problem we are having now."

It had grown late. The restaurant was empty. She ordered coffee and we skipped desert. I promised to think about what she had said and she drove me back to the lab. I was still thinking the next afternoon. I was truly troubled. I loved this woman with all my heart. I believed her when she said she could not give up other men. But I also could not see how I could live with it.

____________________________________________

"Trouble in Paradise?" she said.

Vice President of Research and Development Becky Stilman was standing in the doorway of my office, leaning against the door jam. She wore the kind of smirk that told you she was about to put you in your place.

She was my boss, had been for two years. Youngest VP in the business, but only to be expected. She had that rare combination of talent, ambition, and hot pussy that leads inevitably to success.

"What can I do for you today, Ms. Stilman?" I said.

"Heard you were feeling down, Rob, and needed cheering up. Something about a bruised ego," she said.

"And you heard that where?"

"Your wife, we had lunch today," she said.

Over the years since the Christmas party fiasco. Shantel and Becky had become friends. Not best girlfriend type friends. More the occasional lunch to talk about their men and children type relationship. Becky had a five-year-old son, Tommy. No father named or in evidence, many rumors circulated, but there was no viable evidence of paternity

"How does Tommy like his train?" I asked after my birthday present to her son.

"Loves it! He would sleep with it if I let him."

"Thought he would." I could not help but smile. My son Douglas had a similar toy at that age. Boys love the flashing lights and noises they make.

"You are a great man and father, it is truly a pity," she said.

"What is?"

"That you are so stupid. What have you got to complain about? You have a fabulous family with a loving do-anything-for-you wife. Not to mention a solid job with a boss who gives you a raise every year. Men don't know when they are well off," she said.

"My complaint? Women who can't keep their legs closed," I replied

"Interesting you bring that up," she said, that smirk of hers getting bigger.

"Ok, let me have it," I said.

"Well, you are speaking to the soon-to-be Executive Vice President of this company."

I'd half-expected her to eventually reach that lofty height, but this soon? It seemed strange.

"May I ask—"

"Who did I sleep with? Well no one, they needed a woman on the board of directors. We are moving into Government contracts. They needed to look better."

"But what about Mary Price?" I asked.

Mary was the head of sales and senior to Becky. Mary was also a well know slut.

"Yes Mary has certainly earned recognition whoring for the firm, but that reputation is a bit inconvenient on the Board of Directors. They are giving her a new title and substantial raise. She will be happy. It's you the big boys are worried about," she said.

I was puzzled a minute by what she was saying.

"Who gets your job?"

"Sorry, Rob, they are moving Sara into that," she said.

Technically Sara Marks was Assistant Lab Director, my old job. She certainly had the qualifications. She had a Ph.D. from Stanford and was a highly respected lecturer in biology. The problem was she was useless in the lab. No ability to think beyond what she already knew. She might have been a good manager, but she couldn't get along with anyone. She had one other qualification that trumped all her faults in some eyes. She was the daughter of our company CEO.

Sara and I had had any number of arguments over the last several years, and I was the person in the lab who disliked her the least. The rest of the staff hated her, and none more than the other women. They refused to work with her at all.

"Let me get this straight. They are appointing someone the research staff hates to be the head of research."

"You are looking at this wrong. They can't appoint you because you have no business sense. And if they did who would run the lab? Sara would be a disaster as lab chief. This way she is out of the lab doing what she does best, being a pain in the ass administrator." Becky sounded oddly very pleased with herself.

I reflected for a minute. In some stupid, purely bureaucratic business logic, what was planned for Sara made sense. The question was, what I would do?

"But, of course, you called Shantel for lunch to get her to keep the lid on me, and she told you our problem," I said.

Becky merely nodded. "Look, cowboy, anything you want or need. No questions asked. You got a wife that loves you and a boss who would do anything for you," she said and then got up. At the door she turned. "Remember, A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G," she said. And was gone.

My life had turned into shit again. It was time to see my old friend Tony.

_______________________________________

Research, that is the key to success. As General Sun Tsu said "Know your enemy and know yourself..."

Tony had done the scouting. I knew a great deal about Samuel. The gym he worked at and the hours he kept. How often he saw my wife was quite amazing. I had literally no idea they saw each other nearly every day. The apartment he lived in was in a decent part of town, but was no palace. It was a two bedroom in what they refer to as garden apartments. There were no gardens, everything was paved over. The two-story buildings were nondescript cement block structures. Still they seemed well maintained and clean. The parking area was a principle concern. It was well lit, and you could park close to your entrance. What we planned would need to be sudden and quick.

Tony had joined the gym that Sam worked at under a false name. My dear wife had never actually met Tony, so he was in a position to observe them as Sam provided his personal training to Shantel. Each weekday they met about 11:30 a.m., did a workout until about 12:30 p.m., and then headed back to the apartment. They spent maybe an hour there and my wife headed back to her real estate office. It was very discreet. A black woman visiting a black man in a black neighborhood.

Once, maybe twice a week she would stop by after work as well. They also had a date about once every three weeks or so. It was these dates that I was made aware of - the rest I had been kept in the dark about. In addition to training my wife, Sam had about a half dozen other customers, all women and all about ten years older than Shantel.

Samuel's busiest days were Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays. He worked Saturday morning and afternoon and both Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I figured he put in less than twenty hours a week if you didn't count the time he spent fucking my wife. I never worked less than fifty-five and was minding the kids on all those late nights they got together.

We planned on an evening for what was to happen. I needed to arrange an alibi. We did not necessarily need the alibi to bear more than a cursory examination because we were scheduling a set of payoffs to the local constabulary. Tony was arranging this last through a contact he had.

My job was the tricky part. I had to walk right up to a much larger and stronger man and put him down quickly. For this, I needed an equalizer. Actually I had a set. The first was a toy bat, one of those items small children play with. A two-foot-long hollow piece of plastic shaped like a baseball bat. A large hole was drilled in the end and it was filled with epoxy and lead shot. One properly placed hit should do the job.

On my hands, I had tight leather gloves and what are referred to as brass knuckles but were actually stainless steel. Between the bat and my armored hands, I should be able to do the job as long as I maintain an element of surprise.

"Pretend Inferiority and encourage his arrogance," said Sun Tzu.

It was time that I joined a gym.

_________________________________________________________

Shantel was positively beaming at me when I arrived home the first Saturday after my training session with Sam.

"Sam just called me he said that you did very well. How did you like the workout?"

"Oh it was great, Sam is an excellent trainer," I said.

She dragged me right off to bed and I must say the sex was great. She was very pleased with herself. For the next two weeks, I played the willing cuckold and then it was the Thursday after the clocks get set back. It would be dark by the time Sam got home and some of the lights where he usually parked had gotten broken.