Sweet Ass Pt. 01

"Nothing!" I insisted. "I woke her up when we got to her apartment, then I helped her to the door and she went inside. I came straight home afterwards."

Tears started trailing down Amy's cheeks, but her eyes remained flat and her face was impassive. Her lack of anger or visible reaction was more unnerving to me than if she had been hysterical. I knew from the look on her face that she didn't believe me, and to be honest, I couldn't blame her. I probably wouldn't believe her if the situation was reversed.

That was when I started crying. I put my arms around Amy and told her I was sorry. I hugged her as her arms hung slack at her sides, and put my wet cheek against hers. I assured her again that nothing happened between Alex and me. I suggested that we find Alex so she could confirm my story. Alex had been drunk, but I thought she was probably not too drunk to remember it and back me up.

Amy said she was tired, and she wanted to rest for a while. She pulled away from me and took off her clothes, dropping them on the floor. We both slept naked, so this was not unusual, but she had always hung up her clothes after she took them off, until that night.

It was still early, but I had no idea what to do with myself as I wandered around our house, trying to come up with a way to assure Amy that I had remained faithful. I wanted to call Alex and ask her to help me convince Amy that nothing happened between us, but I had no number for her and couldn't even remember if she ever told me her last name, much less what it was.

Then I remembered that I had programmed her address in my car's navigation system. I could drive Amy over and we could clear up the whole mess tonight!

I went back in the bedroom and the lights were off. I quietly asked Amy if she wanted to go to Alex's apartment so we could have her clear up the whole misunderstanding. Amy had been sleeping when I entered. She opened her eyes momentarily and then closed them again, saying we could do it later. She reiterated that she just wanted to rest a while.

I decided not to press the issue and tried to watch TV for a while, but couldn't concentrate on what I was watching. After an hour of staring at the screen as my mind searched unsuccessfully for a solution to the problem, I went to bed.

After I took my clothes off and hung up both mine and the ones that Amy had discarded, I slipped into bed next to her and pressed my body against her back. She continued to sleep as I lay in a state of mental turmoil next to her. I don't remember when I finally got to sleep, but it was many hours later.

I woke up the next morning, and Amy was already up. I heard her making breakfast, so I got up and threw on shorts and a tee shirt so I could help her. She let me kiss her cheek good morning and asked me to get the newspaper while she finished making eggs and toast.

When I returned with the paper, she had the food on the table, so we sat down to eat. We split the paper up and read as we ate and then sipped our coffee. I kept looking at her, trying to figure out a way to broach the topic of my non-infidelity, and Amy ignored me for a while. Finally she looked up at me and asked, "What?"

"I'm sorry," I began, "I don't think you believe me about what happened Thursday night, and I want to reassure you that I didn't do anything more than kiss Alex, and I am very sorry that I did that."

"I do find it hard to believe," she admitted, "but I don't know how you can prove something didn't happen. I know you want me to talk to Alex about it, but even if something did happen she would probably deny it."

I struggled to come up with a response, and after a minute or so, Amy concluded with, "I just have to trust you."

I should have been happy to hear her say that, but the way she said it told me that this was going to be difficult for her. I said the only thing that I could think of at that moment, and it would be something that would come back to haunt me. "I will do anything to earn your trust back, honey."

And that was the last time we talked about it. The rest of the weekend was surprisingly normal, and though we didn't get romantic with each other, Amy was not cold or standoffish to me.

The following Tuesday we both went to the yoga class together. Carol was there when we arrived and she did her best to stare daggers at me when I wasn't looking directly at her, but then looked away whenever I did return her stare. This confirmed that she was the one who had told Amy about what happened. I couldn't figure out what brought her back to the bar after she left, until she checked her phone just before the class started and I remembered that she left her phone behind that night. She must have come back later and witnessed the whole crazy scene in the parking lot.

Suddenly I realized how bad she must have portrayed it when she told Amy. Carol was divorced because her ex-husband had an affair. She caught him after he had been cheating for several years, and she told us that the worst part of it was realizing how many of her friends knew about it and didn't tell her. She said it made her feel foolish and ruined her relationship with those people.

She would not have hesitated to tell Amy everything she saw that night. She might have even embellished it, given her anger towards men who cheat. My heart sank as I thought about it, but I realized also that Amy must still truly love me, to put her doubts aside and believe my version of events.

Alex was also there, though she was on the other side of the room with her friends and didn't even look over before the class started. I wasn't sure how she would react when she saw me, or even if she remembered coming on to me at the bar.

I was incredibly tense as the class started, but Amy chatted casually with Carol and another girl and seemed completely fine. When the class was over I finally stood directly in front of Carol and said hi. She couldn't really pretend I wasn't there so she finally faced me and said, "Hello Randy." with a look of undisguised contempt on her face.

I wanted to ask her about her discussion with Amy, but Carol turned away and strode to the door, not even saying goodbye to Amy before she left. I looked at Amy and she was watching me, so I smiled and asked her if she was ready to go.

We each drove our own car home and put them in the garage. Once inside, I turned to Amy and asked, "It was Carol who told you what she saw Thursday night, wasn't it."

"Yes," she said, "and she has been very helpful to me in dealing with the situation."

"You spoke to her since last Friday?" I asked.

"We have talked every day since then, yes."

Alarm bells were going off in my head, and my concern must have shown on my face.

Amy said, "She has mostly been listening to me talk about my fears. If you are concerned that she is trying to break us up, don't worry. Her advice was to decide if I trusted you and if so. to do my best to forgive you and and move forward."

I was surprised at that, but glad that she was not actively undermining our relationship. Again, Amy didn't seem interested in any further discussion and I was doing my best to put the situation behind us, so I let it drop.

Home life was no different than it had been before, with the exception that Amy and I had gone almost two weeks without having sex. We had been married for five years, so sex was not an every night event, but we normally get amorous at least one night a week as well as on the weekend. I was the one who usually initiated sex and Amy wasn't denying me, I was just not making an attempt. I realized I was denying myself. Maybe I felt guilty about kissing Alex, or maybe I was afraid of being rejected by Amy, but I knew my behavior made me look guilty of something.

Knowing that I was making the situation worse didn't help me find a solution. I was still trying to figure it out on Thursday as I left work to meet Amy at the yoga class.

Chapter 3

Amy and I met up after work that night at the yoga class. Carol was more friendly to me, responding to my hello with an actual smile. We finished our workout and I overheard Amy telling Carol that she would see her at the bar we frequented after the class.

I asked Amy, "Are we going to the bar tonight?"

She responded, "I am planning to, yes. Are you going too?

I thought her response was odd. Of course I was going if she was. I said, "Sure, sounds like fun."

I got to the bar and changed into jeans and the dress shirt that I wore to work that day while still in the parking lot. I was surprised to see that Amy's car was not there yet.

I went inside and spotted Carol at the bar. I went over and stood next to her, asking, "Is it okay if I sit here?" gesturing to the stool next to her."

She sighed and said, "Sure."

"Listen, Carol, I know what you saw in the parking lot last week between me and Alex looked bad. I was foolish to let myself get carried away and return her kiss. That really was the worst of what happened that night, though."

She looked at me and said, "I am not the one you need to worry about convincing."

Just then Amy appeared in the space between us and said, "Order me a chardonnay please, hon."

I didn't react immediately because I was gawking at my wife. She was wearing a beige sweater dress that had a scoop neckline in the front and back, and suede pumps with four inch heels. She had applied fresh makeup and perfume, and looked like she was dressed for a date.

Carol did a low wolf whistle, and said, "You look like a million bucks, girl."

"Where did you change?" was all I could think of asking.

"I used the bathroom at the community center," she said.

I finally gathered my wits and said, "I agree, you look great."

I ordered Amy's wine and looked her over as she chatted with Carol. I could see that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath the dress because in the back the dress plunged to the middle of her back. That was unusual for Amy, who was normally somewhat body conscious when it came to clothing.

When her wine arrived, she gave me a peck on the cheek and said, "I don't feel like sitting, I'm going to mingle a little."

She walked off before I could respond, leaving me with Carol, who had a bemused look on her face. I struggled to find something to talk about with her, and she surprised me by asking, "So how are things at home with you and Amy?"

I scanned her face to see if she was gloating over my predicament, but she didn't display any malice in either her voice or expression. "Um, okay I guess. We haven't talked much about the situation since I apologized for kissing Alex and assured her that it went no further than that."

"Uh huh." Carol grunted.

"I am worried though. I am not sure that Amy believes me completely and I don't know what I will do if she doesn't forgive me. I would do anything to keep from losing her," I confessed, "She means everything to me."

Carol must have seen the anguish on my face, because her features softened. "It will take a while for her to get past this. You have to be patient and understand she is working on rebuilding her ability to trust you again."

I looked over to where Amy was standing, talking to David and Goliath, two guys from our yoga class. She looked happy and animated, laughing at whatever the subject was. She didn't look at me once while I was watching her, even though I continued to stare in hopes that she would acknowledge me. It finally dawned on me that the whole situation, the dress, the makeup and her attention to the guys from our class was punishment. She was punishing me for my indiscretion!

Now, I know guys are transparent, particularly when it comes to our feelings for women, but I was still shocked when I looked back at Carol and saw her arched eyebrows and the look of concern on her face. "You are really hurting from all of this, aren't you?" she asked, softly.

I dropped my head forward, afraid to even try to answer her out loud. As we sat there in awkward silence, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning in my seat, I found Alex standing behind me with a grin on her face and a martini glass in her hand.

"Hi Randy, I just want to thank you for driving me home last week. I'm sorry I was such a mess. It was great of you to be so concerned for me."

"Sure Alex, you're welcome."

Alex turned to Carol and said, "You know, this is one great guy. A lot of guys would have taken advantage of a girl in that situation, but I must have gravitated to Randy that night because I knew I could trust him."

She turned back to me and gave me a quick hug, then said," You're a peach," and wandered off.

As Alex wrapped her arms around me, I looked over her shoulder and saw Amy glaring at us.

"Oh no," I muttered.

Carol took in Amy's expression and said, "Maybe you should go give your wife a hug, too."

I picked up my beer and made my way to Amy. She was talking rapidly to David when I got there. I gave them a nod in greeting.

"This is Eric and Keith," Amy said, providing me with their real names. "Guys, this is my husband, Randy."

I shook hands with Eric, who we had nicknamed David because of his dark, good looks, then with his muscled friend Keith, who we christened Goliath before we met him.

"Nice to meet both of you." I said.

"Listen, hon," Amy said to me, "we are going to go to a club to do a little dancing now. I know you don't like to dance, so why don't you stay here and I will meet you at home afterwards."

I glanced at Eric and Keith, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact

"Can I talk to you in private?" I asked Amy, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.

I took her elbow and stepped away from the others to give us some privacy. "What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Just what I said," Amy replied defiantly, "I want to do some dancing."

"I don't mind going with you if you want to go somewhere else," I said through gritted teeth.

"I know you don't enjoy dancing," Amy replied in a hiss, "so the only reason I can think of that you would want to go along is that you don't trust me. I find that rather ironic under the circumstances."

"You don't even know these guys." I retorted.

"I am a grown woman; I can take care of myself. Besides, what do you think they are going to do to me? Attack me in the parking lot? And even if they do, I think I can handle it better than you did!"

We were both good and pissed off at that point, so I said, "Fine, do what you want," and turned back towards the bar. By the time I got there I was cooling off and regretting my outburst. I decided to go back to Amy and ask her to please let me accompany her. I was more than willing to let her dance with the guys, I just didn't want to worry about her.

Turning back, I saw that I was too late. Amy was already exiting the bar with Eric and Keith in tow, and she seemed to be in a hurry.

I felt a hand on my forearm, and looked down to see Carol looking at me with concern. "What happened?"

"Amy decided to go dancing with Keith and Eric," I explained. "She didn't want me along, and I didn't handle it well. I wonder if I should follow them."

"Sit down for a minute." Carol said, "I want to talk to you."

She motioned for the bartender to bring us another round, and held onto my arm until I finally gave in and took a seat.

"You have to understand what Amy is going through. I really believe she is trying to trust you, but she is probably also questioning whether you deserve her trust. This is just a test to see if you do."

"I'm worried about her," I admitted. "And I am jealous that she wants to spend time with other guys instead of me."

"Do you trust her?" Carol asked.

"Sure I do. I just never saw her act this way before. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't have any concern about her being with other guys without me, but she is not acting like herself."

Carol nodded, "I think I know what she is feeling. When I found out about Aaron cheating on me I questioned if I was attractive to other guys any longer. I even thought about having an affair of my own, to teach my husband a lesson."

"If you're trying to reassure me it's not working," I said.

We both laughed, breaking the tension.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about. I said I thought about having an affair, but I never went through with it. I think Amy is like me in that regard. She just needs some reassurance from someone other than her husband that she is desirable."

"What do I do now?" I asked Carol.

"Well, you could keep me company, enjoy your beer and relax for a while. If you leave now you will either waste a bunch of time driving around trying to find them, or go home and mope until Amy decides you have been punished enough."

I considered what she was saying, and realized she was right. I was in no emotional condition to be alone at that point. "Thank you for your advice. I know that you talk to Amy about this situation frequently, and I think it's helped her. I imagine that you probably advised Amy to give me a second chance, and I appreciate that too."

Carol grinned, and shoved my shoulder. "I have always been on your side, you idiot. I have to confess that it confused me and made me angry when I saw you kissing Alex. I still have too much emotional baggage from my husband's issues where that is concerned, but I have always thought you were a great guy. There aren't too many of your type around, so we girls have to make an effort to look past your goofy mistakes."

We chatted until I finished my beer, then I excused myself and headed home. I was hoping to see Amy's car in the garage when I got there, but I was not surprised when it wasn't. I went upstairs and got ready for bed. It was only 10:30, but I kept straining to hear her car in the driveway. There was no way I could sleep, so I put on track pants and a tee shirt and went back downstairs to watch TV. I tuned into Sports Center and sat on the sofa, staring at the front door.

I remember looking at the DVR and seeing 12:05 at one point before I dozed off. When the garage door opened and roused me it was 12:47. Carol slipped through the door quietly until she saw me on the sofa. She shut the door and walked over to me.

"You waited up for me?" She asked.

"I was worried about you."

"About me, or about what I might do?"

"Both." I replied, honestly.

Amy sighed, and sat in my lap, resting her head on my shoulder. I was overwhelmed by a feeling of happiness to have her home safe, so I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. I took in the smell of her perfume, and looked down past her face to the wonderful swell of her breasts visible above the neckline of her blouse.

"I'm sorry." She said, closing her eyes. "I don't know why I was such a bitch tonight."

"It's okay," I whispered.

"Do you want me to tell you what we did?" she asked.

I did, but didn't want to appear too eager or demanding.

"If you don't mind telling me."

"We went to Ophelia's," she said. "They had a good band there tonight."

Ophelia's was a restaurant and club that had opened up about six months ago that was very trendy and popular. I relaxed a little. Somehow knowing where she had been was reassuring.

"Was the band good?"

"Yeah, it was a jazz band with a female singer. She sang some blues numbers too."

Uh oh, I thought. Blues music means slow dancing.

"Eric convinced me to try a whiskey cocktail." Amy continued.

I gulped nervously. Amy is normally a wine drinker, and doesn't have much of a tolerance for alcohol.

"Did you like it?" I inquired.

Amy looked up at me and smiled. I could smell the whiskey when she said, "It was so good I had two of them."

She had been with Eric and Keith for almost four hours. Two drinks was not too bad for that amount of time, but I suspected that the cocktails were pretty strong based on how mellow Amy seemed to be.