Living with the Lie

"I guess we're both lucky that I'm a law abiding citizen," I said. He looked at me in confusion. "If I weren't, let's face it, you're a state cop. But this city is my stomping grounds. I know every nook and cranny of these roads and my Mustang is a lot faster than that crappy Charger of yours."

"Drive safely, Sir," he said.

"I've never gotten a ticket," said Miranda after the cop turned and drove to the next exit so he could go back to the billboard he was hiding behind.

"Miranda, you're so beautiful that no cop is going to write you a ticket," I said.

"Stop lying," she said angrily.

"Miranda, everywhere we go, every guy we run into just stares at you," I said.

"That's not my beauty ... That's my booty," she said.

I laughed at what she'd said as I turned onto our street. "You really have no idea of the difference, do you?" she smiled. "I guess that's one of the reasons I fell I love with you."

"Randa you embarrassed me today," I said as we walked into our house. She just laughed. "You think it's funny?" I asked.

"Okay, that was funny," she said laughing even harder. "Gerry Louis asking me if something is funny." She saw that I was serious and came over to hug me.

"Do you love me Gerry?" she asked.

"Of course I do," I spat. "I always have and I always will."

"I believe you," she said. "Am I pretty?"

"Definitely," I said.

"Am I as pretty as Laci?" she asked.

"Prettier," I said. "Your face, that olive skin and the way it contrasts with those light eyes make you almost other worldly beautiful. I also love how full your lips are. Sometimes I just want to chew on them. And I love waking up and just watching you while you ..."

"You see, Stupid? That's what I'm talking about. I can't lose that, God dammit, I just can't," she cried. She was almost in tears.

"Randa, what the hell is going on with us?" I asked.

"Ever since I came to this town it's been the same thing," she began. "All I've ever heard is how pretty Laci is. Everyone seems to think that she's the pettiest woman in the universe. I also hear that I'm ALMOST as pretty. As a consolation prize I hear that I'm SEXIER ... I guess that means that I'm more likely to fuck them. But I'm not, Gerry. I love you more than anyone on earth, but even you follow Laci around like a lovesick puppy.

I know that before I came here, you like every other guy in town worshipped her. I also know that things between her and that gorilla she's married to aren't good. I've heard about how competitive you and he were all through school. I also know that he cheated in a lot of those things. So ... in most people's minds you and he aren't really like number one and number two. You're more like number one A and number one B. And it just seems like Laci has decided to give up number one A and upgrade to number one B.

Let's face it Honey, Dean peaked in college. Since then his stock has clearly gone down. He's getting fatter, while you've gotten better. His job sucks, you have a great career going and you're on your way up in your company. And besides that I've already mentioned how much I love you.

Laci can't have you, Gerry. She needs to back off. You belong to me and unlike a lot of the people on this town, I have no intention of just lying down and letting her have you. Did you even notice how brazen she was jumping up on that stage and rubbing her ass on a married man? You claim I embarrassed you, but what I should have done is snatched her little ass off of that stage and beat the fuck out of her, right there in that bar..."

I started laughing then. Miranda isn't much of a fighter. And although smaller, Laci is much more physical. But from the look in her eye my wife was 100% serious.

"Okay, Randa," I said, taking her hand. "You know me. I admit that before you came to town ... maybe I did have a crush on Laci. Like you said, we all did. But I married you. I married you because I love you. I didn't marry you as a consolation prize. I married you because I wanted to spend my life with you. It's like back when I was a kid, I wanted to be a NASCAR driver. Now that I'm an adult, I have different dreams. My reality is that I would have been at best an average race car driver, but I'm a star as an engineer.

And it's the same thing with Laci. She was someone I liked as a child. She was a fantasy, but you're my reality, Honey. And I'm exactly where I want to be."

Something changed in her eyes then. It was as if a switch had been triggered.

"Well, I'm not," she spouted.

"Where do you want to be?" I asked. "Randa, I'll do anything you want. All you have to do is t ..." She put her finger over my lips and took my hand. She pulled me over to our sofa and placed the hand that she was still holding onto her breast.

I got the hint and squeezed it gently, causing her to let out a moan of pleasure. Only moments later we were both naked and rubbing each other. As I sucked away at one of her sensitive nipples she pushed my head away.

"I'm not sure you can handle those," she smirked. "Your fantasy woman has those tiny little A cups. These are double D's. There's probably too much tittie there for you."

Even as she said it, she had taken my rampant erection in her tiny hand and pushed herself down onto it.

"Now this fits just right," she groaned. "Nobody fits me better, baby."

I knew that Miranda hadn't been a virgin when we got together. She was a couple of years older than Dean, Laci and I and she'd grown up in a much bigger city. But after all of the Laci and Dean bullshit that we'd gone through that evening, I couldn't resist yanking her chain a bit.

"Not even Dean?" I asked as a joke.

"Definitely not Dean," she replied without even thinking about it. And suddenly the wheels came off. My dick wilted and I straightened up, looking over at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, a look of alarm was written all over her face.

"No wonder you're so worried about me and Laci," I spat. "You're the one who cheated. When did you fuck Dean?"

"I ... I ... never have," she said. But she didn't seem convincing. Suddenly I felt as if I couldn't breathe. I just needed to get away from her and out of our house. I grabbed my pants and put them back on. I was pulling my shirt over my head before she noticed that I was leaving. I grabbed my keys from the kitchen counter and left.

It's funny; my red Mustang GT looked black in the dark. But the engine still sounded like the roar from the guardian of the gates of hell as I started it. Seconds later I was tearing my way down our street and back towards the freeway.

My iPhone chirped from the seat where I'd thrown it when I got into the car. I glanced at it and saw that it was Miranda calling me. I reached over and turned the phone off.

* * * * * *

Laci

I didn't say a word. I walked right past him and over to the car. I held out my hand and he gave me the keys. We'd gone through this routine enough times not to need words.

"Lace, what the fuck?" he bellowed. "You were acting like ... Like some kind of whore. What the hell was on your mind with that shit? You got up on the stage dancing like some kind of stripper and rubbed your ass all over Gerry. God damn it! If you had to pick a person to twerk on, why the fuck did it have to be Gerry fuckin' Louis?

Isn't it bad enough that he had to go out and get a better job than I have? He also drives a better car than I do. And everyone in this dumb assed town acts like he's some kind of God Damned saint. Then you have the fact that his fucking wife is built like ... Fuck! Why did it have to be him?"

His whining broke through my decision to remain silent.

"You started it," I yelled equally loudly. "Every time I turn around you're screwing some waitress, or some stripper, or some female gas station cashier. Do you ever think about how that makes me feel? Every time I go shopping, I get those looks. You know the ones where I can just tell the person is thinking, "Oh boy. There's poor stupid Laci. Her husband is fucking everything in a dress or skirt that he comes across. Just how dumb is she? She has to know." So maybe it's time I let them know that I not only know, but I'm going to do something about it."

"Lace, it doesn't mean anything," he said quietly. "You know I love you. I always have."

"Yeah Dean," I said. "It means something. It means that everyone thinks I'm not enough for my husband. It means I feel like shit every time you do it. And ultimately it means that maybe the two of us should separate and find someone to be with that we can be happy with."

"Are you talking about wife swapping?" he asked. "Like Gerry gets you and I get ..."

"No that's not what I'm talking about," I snapped. "I'm talking about the kind of separation where we live separately, split up our finances and end up divorced asshole. And I'm bringing it up as a last ditch effort to save my self esteem. Not just so you get the chance to play with Miranda's big ass titties. Besides if you even tried to touch that woman, Gerry would hurt you."

"Are you kidding?" he asked. "I played football. I could ..."

"You could throw your back out trying to get out of his way," I laughed. "But this isn't about Gerry. This is about you and me. I know in high school and college you acted like I was some kind of trophy or symbol that you had won, but if you keep screwing up, you're gonna lose me. The next bimbo, I hear about will be the last one."

"I hear you," he said.

"Dean, don't just hear me," I said. "Listen to me. If I still matter to you at all, you need to quit. Tonight is a new start for us, but it's the last one."

"Then it needs to work both ways," he grumbled. "No more twerking on guitar players in crowded bars."

"Any way you want it," I smiled.

"I hate that fuckin' song," he grumbled.

Over the next few days things got really tense between us. Not only was Dean really cranky, he was following me around like a dog in heat. I suddenly realized that our sex life which had never been very robust was trending upwards. Unfortunately, I didn't like it. I also noticed that Dean was following me around everywhere I went. Any man I spoke to ended up getting the third degree or threats of physical violence from Dean.

"This works both ways," he told me. If I even think you're cheating on me, my revenge will be swift and vicious."

* * * * * *

Miranda

It had been the worst week of my life. Gerry would barely grunt at me and even then only if I was standing directly in front of him and he needed to get by. He refused to talk to me for any reason. He wouldn't even let me explain. I tried writing him letters and even email and text. He simply refused any type of communication with me. I kept trying to explain that it wasn't what he thought, but he was simply too pig headed to even give me a chance.

I was hoping that while we were at the bar for our regular weekly socializing session we could finally talk and get to the bottom of our problems. I drove my car to the bar. I knew that Gerry would be there but I often drove alone if he had to work late or just stayed there. And he'd stayed late every night this week. He'd also gone in early. That hurt me because I loved having breakfast or just coffee with him every morning. But what hurt me even more was the look on his face.

Gerry looked as if the most important person in his life had betrayed him. My heart went out to him, but he still wouldn't speak to me. At the same time, I suddenly realized something. The way he looked at me had changed too. He looked at me like Armor all.

Gerry only used Turtle wax cleaning products on his Mustang. One year, for our anniversary I had bought him an Armor all car cleaning kit with an array of their products. He'd smiled at me and thanked me, but it was clear that something was just a touch off. I overheard one of his friends laughing when he explained that to him the Armor all products were okay, but they just weren't as good.

For all of our time together, Gerry had treated me like I was special to him. I realized finally that my jealousy of Laci had been born and bred in my own mind. Gerry had never treated me any other way but special. I wish I could have seen that before all of our problems had begun.

I sat down at the same table where we always sat. The guys in his band waved at me as I sat down. Only Aaron and Gerry hadn't arrived. After waiting for nearly an hour Gerry wasn't there. Aaron came in and told the guys in the band about an accident on the freeway that had traffic backed up. Aaron had been able to cut through it on his motorcycle but cars weren't moving.

"Don't worry Miranda. I saw his Mustang on the road. I'm sure they were headed here," said Aaron.

"What do you mean they?" I asked.

"Laci Martin was in the car with him," said Aaron.

"What the fuck did you say?" screamed Dean from across the bar. Dean came across the room and towered menacingly over the small singer.

"Gerry was giving Laci a ride," repeated Aaron.

"I'll bet SHE was giving HIM a ride," laughed someone in the bar.

"Aaron, are you sure it was Laci?" I asked.

"Oh yeah," smirked Aaron. "Everyone in town knows that head of hair."

"That bitch has a car of her own," hissed Dean. "I fuckin' warned her ..."

"What are you talking about, Dean?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said. But for the first time ever he was shaken. His image of supreme confidence seemed to be cracked for the first time. If Dean had been a normal human being with feelings, I'd have almost thought that he was hurt.

I pulled him over to a smaller table. "I know Laci's been pissed at me," he said quietly. "I deserve it. I've cheated on her a lot. But ever since last week when we ... I've kept my word this time. I haven't done anything. I can't believe this. It hurts really badly."

"I know what you mean," I said almost in tears. "Gerry's been pissed at me for about a week." I didn't want to tell him why. I didn't want anyone to know. Besides the asshole knew what had happened, he'd been there.

"Oh shit," he spat. "This is a revenge fuck!"

"A what?" I asked.

"Gerry's pissed at you, Laci's pissed at me. You hate Laci and Gerry has a very low opinion of me. It's perfect. If Gerry was really passed at you what's the worst thing he could do to get back at you?" he asked. It all suddenly made sense.

"I'm gonna break her ass in half," I said angrily.

"No you aren't," he said. "You won't have time. You'll be too busy picking your husband's teeth up off of the floor." Then he suddenly stopped and looked at me. "Let's not get mad. Let's get even."

He quickly filled me in on his plan for getting revenge on our spouses. Naturally he thought that we should have a reverse revenge fuck. I went over to the office and spoke to Porky to get his help.

* * * * * *

Gerry

After a week of being angry at Miranda, I missed her enough that I thought we should talk. It was time for us to sit down and discuss our differences like reasonable people.

I guess I was ready to listen to what she had to say and then we could move on to the next step. But if she had cheated on me, the next step was a divorce. Ever since she'd revealed that she'd done something with Dean, I just felt sick to my stomach.

I had been making it through the week by simply continuing to move. I woke up, showered and immediately left for work. I stopped off at the diner in town for breakfast and after being there every morning for the past week, I was a regular.

While I was at work, I was in my element. It was my bastion of normalcy. Working was an escape from the problem, so I stayed there as long as I could. When I got home, most nights I went out to run and then made myself something eat. I cooked for myself whether Miranda had cooked or not. I guess I needed for her to know that I simply did not want to have anything to do with her.

The worst part was that I had booked a cruise for the two of us as kind of a surprise vacation before any of this bullshit had happened. There was no way I wanted to be stuck on a boat with a woman who had betrayed me. On the other hand I was finally ready to talk to her.

I had no idea what to do. Maybe I had over-reacted and it wasn't what I had thought at all. At the same time, she knew more than anyone else how I felt about Dean. She had to know that doing anything with that bastard would be the kiss of death for us.

Another thing that galled me was how hypocritical she was. She spent hours railing me because Laci had given me a hug and danced next to me on a stage, while she herself and at least a hundred other people were there. But all the while she has some sort of secret going on with Dean.

There was too big a chance for things between us to go to hell, for us to go on vacation together. I decided that on my way home I would stop and see if it was possible to get out of the cruise.

I had almost forgotten that it was my night to go to the bar. I was running late leaving work because of a problem on the shop floor that had to be resolved before I could leave.

In a way I was glad that Miranda and I were arguing, because if we weren't she'd have called me twice and then came to the plant. By the time I got out of the plant it was almost six o' clock.

I stopped by the travel agency in town. It was far more personal than booking the cruise over the Internet. In a small town there tends to be a lot more face to face business.

Mrs. Martin was just getting ready to leave as I walked in the door. As a matter of fact she'd already put out her "closed," sign.

"My favorite customer," she said. "Are you here to upgrade?"

"Actually I'm here to cancel," I said. "Things really aren't going the way they should be for Miranda and me. So maybe this isn't a good time for us to go away."

"Sorry to hear that," she said. "It's after five ... So let me call the cruise line first thing in the morning and see what I can do. If I can't get them to cancel your passage, maybe I can get them to let you defer the trip until a later date, okay?"

"Thanks," I said.

"What's that look for?" she asked.

"I was just wondering whether or not there'll be a later date for us," I said.

"Of course there will," she smiled. "The two of you were made for each other. That girl loves you like nothing I've ever seen. I wish my son's marriage was as strong as yours."

She was so sweet. There was no way I could tell her that her asshole son was probably at least part of the reason for the failure of my marriage. As I turned to leave she got a phone call. She spoke briefly and then turned back to me.

"So ... Gerry do you think you can do an old lady a favor?" she smiled.

"Sure where's the old lady?" I asked.

"I'm talking about me silly," she smiled. "You are such a charmer. No wonder Miranda loves you so much."

"Anyway, my car is in the shop. My daughter in law was supposed to pick me up today. She's running late, so could you drop me off at that bar you guys hang out at. Either Laci or Dean can run me the rest of the way home from there," she said.

"Sure, no problem," I said.

We walked out to the parking lot and I opened the door for her.

"Oh my!" she said. "This is really nice in here. It's too bad you're married. You could get a lot of women with this car."

"Are you making me an offer Mrs. Martin?" I said.

"Ooh you're smooth," she laughed. "What a joker."

We'd been driving on the freeway for about five miles when we got to the scene of a terrible accident. The police had diverted traffic down to only one lane while they cleaned up the debris and tried to do their investigation. There was still broken glass and small sharp pieces of metal littering the road surface.

The fact that everyone driving by had to slow down to gawk at the accident didn't help much either.