Trust but Verify Ch. 01

"Oh, God, I've missed this," she said between her groans.

"Get on me, get in me."

Their bodies joined together, as he teased her with the tip of his cock, pushing it softly to the threshold of her engorged lips, and then sliding it back out, building the tension for what seemed like forever (let's get real here, it was maybe 3 minutes), before he thrust into her. Her wet heat surrounded him, as he pulled her tighter and tighter, their tongues fiercely caressing.

They slowly loved each other, until with a twist, he rolled her onto him, letting her ride him as he alternated between guiding her hips and rubbing her breasts.

"I love you. No matter what. You know that, right?" she asked.

"How could I not?" he replied, but in the back of his mind doubt was flittering about. But doubt doesn't stand much of a chance when warm wetness is flowing onto you.

The warm ached told him he was growing closer and closer, the pressure inside of him welling up, and he pulled her down onto him. Her erect nipples rubbed against his chest as she rode him until he pulled her in tight. She exhaled as she let her body melt completely into him.

He rolled her onto her back and stopped. As he looked at her, she had tears in her eyes. The pace slackened.

"What's wrong babe?"

"I'm just so lucky to have you." She replied, wrapping her arms around him, and pushing her heels into the small of his back. She thrust her hips onto him, pulling him in tightly.

He responded in kind, with one hand on her back and one on her ass, pulling them together as he felt the tension gathering.

"Oh God, Oh God, yes. Right there. Cum in me."

Her words pushed him to orgasm. His hands grasped savagely at her, pulling her body into his, and thrusting himself into her with all his strength.

They both lay on the bed for long while, exhausted, and full of the consuming warmth that comes after the consummation of love.

The room was quiet after they lay down after cleanup. She turned towards him, about to speak. Her eyes darted to his lips, then his eyes, then at his chest. Abruptly, she rolled away from him. A thin line formed at his lips as he sat and thought. As he prepared to roll away, she reached behind herself, feathering her fingers over his arm.

"Please hold me," she whispered, as she scooted her back up to him.

He wanted to be angry with her, but he knew it would look suspicious. Somewhere, he knew he didn't want to be angry. Her hips pushed back into him as his arms closed over her chest. He squeezed her tightly for a few seconds, and then let her go, as she whispered. "Thanks... I love you".

"I love you too." Part of him hadn't wanted to say it, but most of him knew that it was true, and would be true for months, no matter what happened in the next week. A little moisture trickled onto his arm as she nestled into him. He hoped he was wrong about what he thought she had been doing.

****

Thursday morning did it's best to confirm his fears. The standard fare was spread on the table. Oatmeal with nuts and some coffee, with the kids devouring their cold cereal.

"Hey Babe, I just got a call from Tammy. She says she needs some help this weekend."

"When did this happen," he asked, trying to keep the suspicion from spilling over into his voice.

"Sounds like it just happened yesterday. You know she wouldn't call unless she needs me." Jen called from the bedroom as she pulled out some luggage. In return for being the primary caregiver for their mother, Tammy occasionally asked Jennifer to come up. John was usually happy with any arrangement that didn't involve his mother-in-law in the house for long periods. This time, he found himself wishing Jen could post some sort of bail in lieu of appearing.

He hated denying her, but the events of the last few days had reduced his willingness to let her out of his sight.

Intellectually, He knew that if she didn't want to be true to him, he would be better off without her. But if you've ever questioned things, you know it's one thing to say that you would be better off having a lying wife out of your life. It is quite another to make it happen, to watch the woman to whom you entrusted your life for the last 12 years walk away, ripping your family asunder.

Overhearing the call made the thought of the last night's sex less sweet, less full, less honest. The instant she had asked about the trip, the sex changed from wonderful love making to trading a fuck for a trip- basically prostitution lite. The doubts resurfaced, more tumultuously than before. If he wanted a whore, he would pay for one and be honest about it. The idea that she was just playing him to get what she wanted enraged him, but if she was going to hang herself, it was time to give her the rope.

Things were a little cooler that night in the bedroom. She tried to cuddle up to him, but he couldn't put her deceptions out of his head. On the other hand, he wasn't going to hand her the kids because he couldn't control himself for one more fucking night.

She slid up behind him, her breasts pressed up against his back. Though he hated himself for it, he felt himself start to rise. He had too long associated her body with love and sex.

"Babe, did I do something?" asked his wife.

"I'm just not feeling that well."

"It just feels like you're mad at me for something."

"You think so?" got as far as his filter, but left his mouth as "No Jen, I just am feeling tired, and was looking forward to being with you for more than five days in a row."

"I swear I would rather be with you this weekend, but I promised my sister I would take care of some things."

John went silent. He didn't want to think of the things that were going be taken care of.

Jen interrupted the silence. "I love you. You know that, right?"

Although the question aroused more suspicion each time she asked, he barely hesitated before answering. "Yes." If his answer was true, it confirmed the enduring trust he had in her, despite trying circumstances. If false, it was a lie to a woman who dwelt in falsehoods, and well earned.

"I just have to take care of some things this weekend. I'll make it up to you when I get back."

"I know. I'm not really feeling well. I am getting a headache, and I just need to get to sleep."

"Are you sure," she asked as her hand slid around him and softly stroked him. His fingers gently wrapped around her wrist and moved her hand away.

"I'm sure."

She got out of bed and left the room.

Served the bitch right, he thought.

He heard her come back in and turn on his nightstand lamp.

"I'm sorry I was trying to push you," she whispered as she handed him a glass of water and two ibuprofen. He swallowed them quickly. "I just wanted to let you know how much I love you. I hope you get to feeling better."

The lamp shut off with a sharp click. John felt her crawl back into bed. She reached over and kissed his cheek, and he was fairly sure he felt a tear on his cheek as she pulled away.

He felt like an ass. A very confused ass. He reached back behind himself and brushed her hip, wondering if he was a sucker or a jerk. The expanse of smooth skin on her hip revealed she was wearing a thong.

It took a while to go to sleep that night.

****

Getting the kids off the next morning seemed to take a little more effort than usual. Jen was busy packing, and getting the kids ready was like the great cat roundup. Ethan's shoes were lost, and Julie fulfilled her morning tradition of getting at least a little breakfast on her shirt.

"Hurry-Hurry-Hurry." he chanted as the kids scampered down from their barstools.

"Now what are you doing after school?"

"We get off the bus and go to Mrs. Nelson's house." replied Jill, with the authority she felt was due her as the eldest child.

"Right, and if you lose your brother, we get to chain you in the basement."

"Daaad."

"What, stuff like that is in the Bible. It's like the law."

"I'm married to a heathen," Jen lovingly chided as she walked in, a coat in her arms and a bag rolling behind her. She gave John a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll drop by to see you before I head to the airport?" She asked as she fumbled the door open.

"Around 4:30?"

"That's the plan."

"I'll look forward to it," he replied, knowing it was still the truth, despite his doubts.

Once out of her presence, his doubts intensified. They whispered of a precipice ahead and diverted him the whole morning. He only worked like half an employee, if that.

At noon he gave his wife a call. She didn't pick up. He called the front desk.

"I'm sorry, she went to lunch."

"Had to meet a client?" he inquired.

"I think it was just a lunch with Larry. They have been talking about some cases."

"Oh, Okay." Lunch with him huh? For not liking him she sure seemed to be sidling up to him. His opinion vacillated wildly from one moment to the next. One moment, in denial, the next in an Othello-like rage.

The more he thought about it the angrier he got. A few deep breaths and he started to think about what he really knew. He knew a few things. He wasn't going to tip her off until he had hard evidence, and he was going to make damn sure the kids knew with whom they would be safe.

He fidgeted with the recorder he had purchased. He slipped it onto his keyring. He sent off a quick message to Jen "Just come in when you get here. I'll be at my desk."

Jen walked into his office with a nervous looking smile on her face. It widened as she saw him. He wrapped his arms around her, but she seemed to be clinging to him like she would lose him. And she might. It was just a matter of time.

"Let me walk you out to the car", he said with a smile as he took her keys. He held her USB drive firmly in his hand as he turned. Jen always carried an encrypted USB with information she would want if the house burned down while they were out. He stumbled and struck the USB drive against the desk as he tried to catch his fall. The plug sheared off.

"Damnit! Sorry babe. I have to fix these stupid cords!" he exclaimed, gesturing at one of the few that could have tripped him. Maybe putting them back how they had been earlier that morning would work, he thought.

"It's not a problem. I'll just get one when I get back home."

"No babe, I broke it, so take mine. You'll be out, so you are the one who might need the info and not have it." He quickly slid the USB recorder off of his key ring and onto hers." Just take this one. I will make a new one when I get home."

She put her hand on his cheek and said, "You take such good care of me." She leaned in gently and gave him a soft slow kiss on the lips.

"I do my best," he replied as she stepped back.

She just looked at him for a few moments. He could see something eating away at her as her eyes shimmered as they lightly filled.

"I have to go or I'll miss the plane." she whispered, not moving an inch.

He was the first to move, and she followed. Conversation was non-existent on the way to her car, both of their minds being pulled in multiple directions as their hands tried to hold them together. He grew more resolute as they got closer. Living a sweet lie only makes it tear at you more, as each sweetness is turned to rot in your mind.

Her arms wrapped around him as they reached the car. One hand wrapped tightly around his back as the other pulled his face to hers with suggestive force.

"I love you. Never forget that," Jen said earnestly.

John opened her door, started the recorder, and kissed her once more.

She was on her way.

John closed out things at his office and headed home.

***

The night's activities were decided by his first priority. He grabbed some take and bake pizza and headed home. The night was exactly what he wanted. Pizza, a movie, and dessert followed by rough housing. He held them tight for an extra moment after he lifted them before he threw them onto the bed. They shrieked as he tickled one, then the other, throwing them on the bed again and again. It was one of the few nights they tired before he did. He knew spending every day with them would not last long. They were so exhausted their eyelids slid shut before he finished reading them the stories they had brought him. His smile quickly disappeared as he walked out of the room. Rough housing was always more fun when she was there with him. It was still possible to slide a quick feel in while the kids were turned away, and different styles of wrestling followed after the kids went to sleep.

The memories brought up his wife, and he wondered why he hadn't heard from her. Her plane should have landed by now. When he called her no-one picked up. 3 times. She didn't respond to his texts either

He called Tammy.

"Hello John, how are you doing?"

"Pretty well, I was just wondering if Jen got there all right. I tried to call her, but I couldn't get through."

"I think she should be here soon. Karl picked her up, and they are on their way home. He told me her phone died, and she forgot her charger. Should I have her give you call when she gets here?"

"Yeah, that would be fine."

The call never came.

It was another long night.

After waking, he made a decision: This morning, she would be the first to call.

Amazon reviews drove how he bought about everything those days. He was rather disappointed Amazon had no reviews on local divorce attorneys. Google made a reasonable substitute. John started a list of what he wanted if they got divorced and set about making sure he would get as much as he could. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he wasn't the natural choice for custody of his kids given his travel. If a judge gave him joint custody, he would be lucky. Today was the day to start swinging the odds in his favor.

A good day with a good dad starts with a good breakfast. Restitution started for all the time he was gone on travel.

The griddle came out, along with the blender. Hot pancakes with fresh fruit, sausage, and a smoothie started the day. The look of delight on Ethan and Julie's face as they lit into the breakfast made him wonder why he didn't start more days like this. He looked out the window as he was finishing the dishes. The weather had been stormy last night, and the grass looked fresh and green, the last raindrops glistening. He found he was actually looking forward to the day.

But by 10, all he could see was a burned out car by the side of the road, his wife unconscious and helpless. The phone lay inches from her exhausted dying hands. No matter how ridiculous he knew it was, it sprang back into his mind. The refrain of her abandoning him weakened as he thought about not calling her, not helping her when she needed him. What a load of horse rot, he thought. She could call first. He was being delusional.

He called her around 11. Each time the phone rang he grew a little more frustrated. Ring... "I wonder where she is..." Ring... "I hope I'm wrong". Ring... "Where the hell is she" Ring... "Jesus Christ, calm down" Ring..."For the love of God" Ring...Jesus Fucking H Christ Almighty! Riiing... "She's probably fucki..."

"Hello" Jen croaked. John stuttered. His thoughts had been so busy twisting in a fiery tornado he forgot what he was going to say.

"Hi Jen, um how was your flight?"

"It was OK. I felt sick by the time I got off the plane. I'm so sorry I didn't call you back. I guess I just crashed. I flew over to help my sister and then ended up sleeping this late. Are you ok? How were the kids for you?"

"They were fine. Where were you last night? You said you would call."

"Sorry, last night was a total beast. I got here and just lay down because I felt so lousy, and the next thing I know, it's morning. I still feel like I could sleep a few hours, but I already feel guilty for showing up just to lay around and make her take care of me."

"Happens I guess. Hope you get to feeling better, and call me if you need anything."

He hung up without saying I love you for the first time since they married. Things had been wild enough she had been a beast, huh? Let's see, when you call at 11 and someone still isn't up, they were very busy the night before. You don't croak out of bed after 14 hours.

While wondering what the hell she had been up to, and where she had been, he realized he forgot about her phone. It was time for her to pay the piper. He logged onto the tracking app with glee, but was soon disappointed. Her cell phone said it had never left the house. The only thing that looked like it would be of use now was the USB on her keys, but that would have to wait.

The day at the lake seemed like old times. He and the kids let go of the need to get anything done. They spent time throwing rocks, paddling the canoe, and just being together. The picnic lunch included the Cheetos that Jen hated buying, and dinner was some greasy burgers on the way home.

As he was reading to the kids before they went to bed that night, he felt better than he had in a long while. The garage was still a bit of a mess, and he hadn't mowed the lawn, but he didn't really care. It had been a wonderful day.

His reverie was interrupted by the ringing of the phone, and the name on the screen made it worse.

"Hey, how ya doing?"

"I'm starting to feel a little better. It has been a very long day."

"Yeah. Good. I'm just finishing putting the kids to bed. Can I call you back?"

"Uh, I just... No, that would be fine. I love you."

He briefly hesitated before he spoke. "Love you too babe." True even if he wished it wasn't.

John finished reading Ethan and Julie the story, then finished another.

The dishes hadn't been done yet, and so he finished those as well, though he didn't' even know how the hell they even got out. He turned towards the laundry room. The smell of the laundry room had never been quite as inviting as it was now. Warm, humid air with the scent of the chemical flowers beckoned him. Laundry was still one step above talking with his wife, especially if he could catch up on CNN, or TLC, or even WTF.

The house was clean as he walked into his room. He chuckled lightly to himself. The thing that could get him cleaning was the idea of talking to his wife. He swallowed and picked up the phone.

"Please don't pick up," he muttered as it started ringing.

"Hello, sweetie. God, you don't have any idea how much I have missed you. How did everything go? I know you must be tired after spending all day with the kids. Thank you so much for calling back."

"No prob, Things have gone pretty well. You will be shocked to know I cleaned the house. How the hell do the kids get it so damn dirty without really doing anything? How did things go there? Were you up to anything besides getting sick." The last comment sounded much more clever in his mind than when he spoke it.

"I am almost done here. We have almost everything lined out on Mom. God, I hope I don't end up slowly losing it like that. "

"How would you like to end up?"

"I thought we had discussed this. With you deep in me, having mindblowing sex. We both have an aneurysm when we orgasm and die together. Our children are scarred forever when they discover two wrinkled ancients naked on the bed."

The idea was a perfect combination of slightly off and perfectly delightful that reminded him why he loved her, and he thought of paradise lost.

"That sounds pretty good to me too. I hope you get to feeling better, and sleep well."

"Me too. I've been missing you. I promise I won't be too tired to wear you out when I get home. Love you".

"I love you too babe."

John kept busy with the kids Sunday. The profusion of texts from Jen seemed to try to make up for the day before. The day moved too quickly before the confrontation when she returned.

Jen tried to smile as she came through the front door, but it was strained. Her eyes were happy but tired, wrapped with worry.