The Party's Over

Dexter's paces were long and deliberate. Alicia had to almost run in her high heels just to keep up. She waited until they were on their way before her first attempt at any communication.

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

"That makes two of us," he countered. "Let's just not say anything. I'm really not in the mood to talk right now."

Alicia had never seen him so angry, not at her anyway. She knew better than to press him. In spite of how badly she wanted to continue saying she was sorry, she kept quiet for the entire ride home.

Once inside the house, Dexter pulled a beer from the fridge, loosened his tie and top collar button, then sat down at the kitchen table. His mind had been in overdrive all the way home. He thought about all the free time his wife had while he was working late at the studio or staying overnight at some location shoot.

Alicia was sitting at the opposite end of the table just waiting. He seemed almost calm at the moment but she was expecting him to explode any minute. What she wasn't expecting was his first question.

"How long?"

She was confused. "How Long? I...I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"How long has this been going on," he snapped. "How long have you been cheating on me?"

She hadn't even considered he would think there were other times. Surely he must know this was a one-time thing. "Honey, I...I've never cheated on you other than that one time at the party. You have to believe that. It was just that one t..."

"Well I don't believe that, Alicia. I saw the tape, remember? I would think if it was your first time there would have been at least some hesitation on your part, but there wasn't. I saw you. You had no problem opening up and letting that asshole stick his cock half way down your throat."

"No, no, that was..." she tried to interject but Dexter wasn't finished talking yet.

"Then he tells you he's coming and you take it all over your face like an old pro. It sure didn't look like a one-time thing to me. It looked like something you're used to doing. Is that why it was so important to become a member of that group of whores?"

His words were slicing her heart into pieces. She had her face buried in her hands, crying. This can't be happening, she thought. How can he think that? He has to know it was that one and only time. "Please, please, Dexter, you can't really believe I've been cheating like that. It... it..." her sobs prevented her from being able to say more.

Dexter listened to her plea. He took no joy in seeing his wife in her sorrow but he was also hurting. "I saw nothing on that tape that would back up your claim, Alicia...nothing."

He sat quietly for a few moments listening to his wife's crying and decided he had to get out of there. "Alicia, I know you're hurting right now. You feel bad because you got caught and because you got caught you know you've hurt me and I'm sure that was never your intention."

"No, no, Dexter, I'm so sorry..."

He interrupted her again. "That really doesn't help, though, Lees. I don't think you know how much you've hurt me. I don't think you have any idea. If it was a one-time thing like you claim, then you should've come to me; you should have told me about it.

"That's something else that makes me think this was not the only time, Lees. If you had told me right up front what happened I wouldn't have liked it but I would have forgiven you. But no, you didn't do that. You not only cheated, you hid it from me—you and your so called new friends all kept it as your dirty little secret. On top of the infidelity you were deceitful. You knew up front they were going to have a stripper there, didn't you. You didn't think to mention it to me though, did you. You gave the guy a blow-job but didn't think to mention that either, did you. So how do you expect me to believe you when you tell me this was the only time it's ever happened...ugh?"

"Dexter, I swear..."

"Sorry, Alicia; right now there's nothing you can say that'll make me believe you."

The distraught wife sobbed even harder but Dexter stood his ground.

"I need time to think and I can't do it here. I'm going to pack some things and go stay at the studio for a while."

"No, oh no, Dexter, please...please stay with me, don't leave me, please," she begged.

"I can't, Lees. Not right now. I need time to myself. I have a lot of thinking to do and I need to be alone."

She was still sitting at the kitchen table when he came down the stairs with his suitcase. He stopped at the front door. "Give me some time, Lees. I'll call you in two or three days but please don't call me first."

"Dexter, I love you," she shouted as he walked out.

"I love you too," he said quietly as he got into his car.

For the rest of the weekend, Dexter and her marriage problems never left Alicia's thoughts. She didn't sleep a wink Saturday night. She constantly berated herself, asking why she didn't have the courage to just pass when the stripper came over to her. She knew it was wrong; knew it would almost kill her husband if he ever found out and she did it anyway. In hindsight she should passed on the blowjob then told him what happened when she got home. Of course hindsight is twenty-twenty and that opportunity was now gone forever.

When Monday morning rolled around, Alicia had gotten only three or four hours of sleep all weekend and sure as hell didn't feel like going to work but she needed something to take her mind off her problems. What she really wanted to do was call Dexter and say she was sorry until he forgave her but she would honor his request and wait for his call. So-work seemed like as good a distraction as anything.

The first thing Alicia noticed when she arrived was how quiet it was...very unusual, especially for a Monday morning. She looked down the row of secretary's cubicles but they all looked empty. Then she saw a glimpse of Vanessa's elbow.

"Are we the only ones here," she asked.

Vanessa peeked her head around the divider to see who was speaking then immediately stood and motioned for Alicia to come over. "Are you alright?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"No, not really," she replied with moisture already building in her eyes. "Dexter spent the weekend at the studio. I'm scared; I've never seen him like this."

"I'm so sorry, Lees. I can't believe Sylvia didn't delete that damn video. Geez, what a mess. And to think I was so pissed off at Terry for missing the wedding; if he'd been there I'd be in the same situation as everybody else."

Secretly Alicia was angry that Vanessa was going to get off scott free. She knew she shouldn't feel like that but she couldn't help it; after all, she was just as guilty as the rest of them. It wasn't fair.

"It really hit the fan after you guys left," continued Vanessa. "Both Vicki's and Mindy's husbands went over to Manny just as you were leaving. Vicki's husband didn't say much but you could see the anger in his face. I felt sorry for Mindy though. Mark started screaming at her right there in front of everyone. Meredith's husband had been in the bathroom. It was a free-for-all by the time he came out.

Alicia wondered about the bride and groom. They were supposed to go to Hawaii for their honeymoon. "What about Aaron and Wendy?" she asked.

"Oh God, I don't know. I thought their parents were going to come to blows. I didn't hear it, but I think Aaron's dad called Wendy a whore or something. Her dad was screaming at him. I was sure they were going to get into a fist fight.

"I don't know what's going to happen with Aaron and Wendy. The last I saw, Aaron took the rings off her finger and she ran into one of the other rooms, crying. Her mother was headed in there to be with her when I left."

"Jesus, what a fiasco," expressed Alicia.

"Yeah," agreed Vanessa. "It was all just supposed to be in good fun." She thought back to the party for a second. "I guess we did kind of get carried away," she said, more to herself than to Alicia.

"Girls, may I see you both in my office, please."

Together, Alicia and Vanessa looked up and were startled to see Mr. Johnson, the boss, summoning them. They were a little apprehensive but had no choice.

"Sit down, ladies," he said, gesturing to a couple of leather chairs in front of his desk. "Now, I want to know what's going on. Out of seven secretaries only the two of you bothered to show up today. Are the rest having some kind of strike or something?"

The two girls looked at each other. Vanessa had seniority so she spoke up. "No, sir, nothing like that; it ah, well there was some trouble at Wendy's wedding."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Ah, well it's...it didn't have anything to do with work."

"Uh huh; well if it didn't have anything to do with work then why is nobody else here? Wendy had two weeks off for her honeymoon. I had to hire a temp for her, but unless someone forgot to tell me something, everyone else was supposed to be here this morning."

Alicia could see Mr. Johnson wasn't about to stop the interrogation until he knew why none of the other secretaries showed. "We had a bachelorette party for Wendy a few weeks ago. It kind of got out of hand and our husbands saw a tape of it at the wedding. They're all pretty angry," she told him.

"I see," he replied with a sigh. "Vanessa, since you've been here the longest you'll be my secretary until Sylvia comes back—if and when that happens," he added. Your first duty is to get ahold of the temp service we use and get us some more secretaries, pronto. You should be able to find the number in Sylvia's card file. The one I got for Wendy should be here any minute. Get her situated first then come back here so we can go over things. Alicia, you'll continue to work with Tom."

"Yes, sir," she responded.

***

Dexter also had a bad weekend. He got about the same amount of sleep as his wife. He wanted to believe her when she said it was only that one time but how do your force yourself to believe something you don't really believe. Honestly, he didn't know what to believe.

He had never even considered Alicia to be the type of wife who would cheat on him, but now that he knew she was, all he could think of was how much free time she had. She never was the clingy kind. She always seemed to understand that for him to be successful he sometimes had to put in long hours; even spend the night out of town once in a while...

He always thought of her as being an understanding wife but now, as he looked back, he wondered if she used that time to see other men...maybe that's why she was so damn understanding!

It's a terrible thing—doubt; once you get it, it's almost impossible to get rid of it.

As soon as Cindy, Dexter's assistant, walked in Monday morning, she knew something was wrong. Her boss lacked the big smile and jovial attitude he usually had. She didn't want to pry so she said nothing.

Dexter concentrated on what had to be done and it turned out to be a productive day. As soon as it was over though, thoughts of his marital issues consumed him again.

He also had to do something about his living quarters. The studio had a shower in the dressing room, and a microwave and coffee maker but he was sleeping on a chaise lounge that he picked up as a prop for a series of lingerie shots he did a few months earlier. It worked great as a prop but fell far short as a bed.

All Monday night, Alicia waited anxiously for Dexter's call. She was almost out of her mind with worry. At least a dozen times, she had started dialing his number but stopped and talked herself out of it. When he hadn't called by midnight she went to bed and cried herself to sleep.

The following day, Mr. Johnson summoned Vanessa into his office and informed her that both Mindy and Vicki had phoned and said they'd be at work on Wednesday. He also told her Sylvia called and said her husband wouldn't let her work there anymore; she was officially quitting. So far he hadn't heard anything from Meredith and he presumed Wendy was on her honeymoon and would return in two weeks. Vanessa doubted that but hoped it was true. As soon as Vanessa left the boss' office she ran right to Alicia with the news.

Later that night Alicia's heart almost stopped when Dexter called to inform her that he had moved into an Extended Stay motel and was coming over to pick up some more clothes. She saw it as the beginning of the end for their marriage. At first she flopped herself on the bed and started to bawl all over again.

She really did love Dexter. She loved his passion and positive outlook on life. She loved his sense of humor and how he could always make her laugh, even when she didn't want to. She loved the way his mouth turned up on the one corner when he smiled and she worshiped the love she saw in his eyes every time he looked at her. She couldn't picture her life without him.

Somehow I have to do something, she told herself...and laying around feeling sorry for myself isn't going to accomplish anything. She needed to fight, fight for her marriage, fight for her man. Somehow she had to convince him she had never cheated on him before the party. That would at least be a start.

She jumped in the shower, dressed in some casual clothes, and was just finishing with a little make-up when the doorbell rang.

"This is still your house, Dexter. Why did you ring the bell?"

"I don't know, it didn't seem right to just walk in," he replied.

He started for the stairs but Alicia had her own agenda. She was losing him, she knew it. She was desperate and was willing to take a chance—a big chance. "Dexter, before you do that, can we talk?"

He hesitated for a second before answering. "Let me get my stuff, then I'll come down and we can talk."

She took the time to make them both coffee and had it waiting for him.

Dexter sat at the kitchen table and took a sip of the black nectar. He really didn't have much more to say. He'd said it all earlier. Now it was just a case of making a decision, as far as he was concerned.

"Dex, at the reception I heard you tell Manny to email you a copy of that tape, did he do it?"

"Yeah, it's in my inbox."

"Have you looked at it yet?" she asked.

"No. I really don't need to see more. I've seen enough."

Alicia remembered when the stripper first stood in front of her. She was gambling that the video caught her reaction. Hell, he'd already seen the worst part, what did she have to lose. "Dexter, I want you to watch it from the beginning."

"Why?"

"You said you saw when the stripper shot cum all over my face. That was at the very end. I only saw a few seconds of the recording. Sylvia had it at lunch that Monday but I was too ashamed to watch it. You said you thought I cheated on you before because I didn't hesitate, but I did...I remember; the first time he came around to me. I was the last one. Everyone else had already had his cock in their mouth by the time he got to me. I know it's not much but I did hesitate. I'm hoping you'll be able to see that clearly on the video."

Dexter took in a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. "I don't know, Alicia, I'm really not interested in watching more of you sucking that guy's cock."

"You need to watch it, Dexter. You really need to see the whole thing. At the end you'll notice I'm no longer in the chair when Wendy is on her knees, cleaning him off; that's because I made a dash for the bathroom to clean all the cum off my face. That wasn't something I wanted to happen. When he said he was going to cum I just wanted him out of my mouth. I cried as I was washing it off. It was the first and only time I'd ever done anything like that, Dexter. I had to stop off at a restaurant before I came home that night so my eyes wouldn't be red when you saw me. The party actually broke up before ten but if you'll remember, I didn't get home until midnight."

"I don't know," he said again while standing up. "I just never thought you'd cheat on me, Lees...I never thought..." His mind was all jumbled up inside. He wasn't sure of what he wanted to say. "I got to go," he said walking into the living room. "I'll think about watching more of the tape but I can't promise anything, Lees. I...I just don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you after this. I just don't know."

Those were his last words before he grabbed his clothes and left. They didn't sound very promising to Alicia. She wanted to go back to bawling her eyes out but she was determined to stay strong from now on.

Wednesday, sure enough, Mindy and Vicki were sitting at their desks when Alicia walked in. They were already busy trying to catch up so she didn't bother trying to talk to them. There would be time for that later. Because of the temps, everyone was behind. With the four of them there, hopefully they'd get caught up by the end of the day.

Wednesday was a slow day for Dexter. He had nothing scheduled to shoot but he did have some editing to do. Still- there wasn't enough for both he and Cindy so at ten o'clock he gave her the rest of the day off. He felt like taking the day off as well but he couldn't. He had at least three or four hours of editing and retouching that had to get done.

As he sat down in front of his computer his wife's plea came back to haunt him. He really had no desire to watch more of her sucking the assholes cock. It broke his heart the first time he saw it, he didn't see how watching more was going to help.

He loaded the shots from his last assignment into the organizing software and started to go through them. This was the easy part. He had a little over three hundred shots. A lot of them were almost identical except for an expression or a slight turn of the model's head. From them he would select about a hundred for closer scrutiny. They would be whittled down to thirty or forty that would then be transferred to another program for light retouching. Once that was done they would be uploaded to a private website where only the client could see them. They would pick four or five and those would get the royal treatment as they went through final retouching and were made suitable for magazine publication.

The problem was he couldn't concentrate. His mind kept wandering to the video. He had very vivid memories of what he saw, did he want any more? Not really—but...if there was a chance of there being something on that tape that would convince him it was her first time, then it'd be worth the pain of watching...or so he hoped.

Dexter went to his email. There it was, looming in bold black, daring him to open it. His hand tensed and he had to will it to move. With a couple clicks of the mouse the video started. At first it just showed the various women arriving. His wife looked beautiful as she was greeted by the others.

Evidently Sylvia hadn't just left it on because the next thing he saw was all the girls sitting around, telling jokes. Dex wasn't in the mood to laugh so he scrolled along the timeline on the bottom of the screen until he saw the stripper. He wasn't naïve, he remembered a buddy's bachelor party he attended. They actually went to a strip club and had the shindig there. He remembered the guys hooting and hollering as the strippers worked at raising everyone's testosterone levels; but none of the guys ever touched any of the strippers and compared to the girls on the tape, the guys were extremely well behaved. These girls were already getting wild and the guy was just starting. Dexter could almost smell the female pheromones through the computer screen.

He watched until Sylvia pulled the guy's G-string down and Wendy deep-throated him. Seeing that and knowing it was only a couple months before her wedding disgusted him. Not even married yet and already she's cheating on the poor guy, he thought.

Dexter decided he needed a breather and clicked pause. He got up for a cup of coffee but as he started to pour his stomach rumbled. A quick glance at his watch told him it was past lunch time. He welcomed the reprieve and decided he would take a nice long break.