Very Different Valentine's Days

I wasn't surprised when, after returning home later that afternoon, Chels plopped herself down in my lap and began buttering me up with light kisses all over my face and neck.

"Dale...I hate to do this...but I need to show a condo...tonight...I hope you...understand...and I promise...I'll make it...up to you...tomorrow." She said to me between kisses.

I took her shoulders in my hands and pushed her away from me so that I could look into her eyes before asking her.

"Why can't you make it up to me tonight? Are you going to be that late getting home from showing a condo that you can't do it tonight?"

When she turned her head away so I couldn't see her eyes, I had part of my answer. I stood up, holding onto her long enough for her to place her feet on the floor.

"I don't know what's really going on here, Chels." I lied to her. "But you're hiding whatever it is from me and I don't like it. I thought you loved me enough to be honest with me, but I guess I thought wrong. Go. Go do whatever it is you're going to do. Just remember some things you do have consequences and I hope you're able to live with those consequences in the future. I'm going for a walk around the block and won't be back for an hour. If you're here when I get back, we can talk and if you're not, then I'll know that whatever you're going to be doing is more important to you than our marriage."

I left the apartment as quickly as I could before she could say anything. I walked around the block which didn't take an hour and was sitting in the coffee house across from our apartment building when she came out fifty five minutes later. She was dressed in a slinky black evening dress that I'd never seen before and was still as sexy and voluptuous as she'd been when we first met. Another part of my answer fell into place.

I hurried upstairs to our apartment, showered, shaved, and dressed for the evening myself. I was going to an award show to find out who had come between my wife and me even though she'd promised no one ever would.

I arrived at the banquet hall a half hour later than the starting time and walked in with four couples who were also running late. While the attendant who was taking the invitations and giving out name tags was busy with the couples, I snagged a name tag that was on the edge of the table and by itself. I strolled into the hall like I belonged and no one tried to stop me. I immediately faded to the back wall behind a crowd of people and started looking for my wife. I spotted her standing with a group of people from her realty company and couldn't help notice the man standing next to her with his arm around her waist and the closeness of their bodies while they stood there and chatted.

I made sure to keep other people between me and them while I watched them for the next twenty minutes. Even though it was a formal affair, they couldn't resist touching each other in that intimate way a couple who have been together for a while manage to do. I saw an older gentleman standing near a column down from me and eased over to where he was.

"Excuse me, sir, but do you happen to know who that beautiful couple are over there with the people from EFG Realty?" I asked in a pleasant conversational tone.

"Why yes, that's Brad Covington and his girlfriend Chelsea Chambers. I think she's a manager for EFG Realty." He answered as a look of lust clouded his face briefly.

"I hate to be a bother, but I've seemed to have lost my program. Can you tell me what's on the agenda for this evening?" I asked.

"Right now it's drinks and mingling. In a few minutes the award ceremony will start and after that the music starts and whoever wants to can stay and dance. I'll be gone before then though. As soon as my Gloria gets her award for best staging of an apartment or condo, we're out of here. Speaking of my Gloria, here she comes now." He answered and I saw a once beautiful and still fairly good looking older lady coming toward us. I couldn't take the chance that she would know the actual Bob Zannis so I made a hasty retreat.

I managed to take a seat at an empty table at the back of the room in the shadows that gave me a clear view of Brad and Chels' backs. I began to fume as they continued acting like love struck teenagers as the awards were given out. It went quicker than I thought it would and ninety minutes later the rest of the lights in the hall dimmed and a quartet of musicians began to play.

I moved closer to where my wife and her "boyfriend" were sitting so I could keep them in sight. I watched as he led her to the dance floor and pulled her close when the musicians started playing a slow ballad. When he started rubbing her body all over with his hands while holding her as close as humanly possible, I couldn't take it anymore. I made my way to where they were dancing and neither of them knew I was there until I tapped him on his shoulder.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm cutting in on this dance." I said to him when he looked at me and as Chels stood there with a deer in the headlights look on her face.

"I don't think so buddy. Why don't you go bother someone else and their date?" He growled at me.

"Because none of their dates is my wife like yours happens to be." I growled back at him.

"You've got one sick sense of humor, Bob. Chelsea's not married and even if she was, it wouldn't be to a loser like you, so beat it before I have to make you beat it." Brad snarled at me before shoving me away from them and turning back to Chelsea.

That was his third mistake; turning his back on me after making the first two by calling me a loser and then putting his hands on me. My first punch was to his right kidney, the second was to his ribs below his left armpit, the third was to his groin and squarely on the family jewels, and the fourth was to his right temple which did two things: put him down and out.

I reached out and grabbed Chels by her wrist and pulled her forcefully to me.

"We're leaving and it's your choice as to whether you're walking beside me or over my shoulder like those cavewomen from the "Alley Oop" cartoon strip." I hissed at my visibly shaken and scared wife.

I walked at a brisk pace away from where Brad was laying while Chelsea hurried along beside me the best she could in her high heels. I opened the passenger side door of the new company car I'd received the day before and kept secret from Chels before pushing her down into the seat.

"Don't say a word until we get home, you lying bitch." I yelled at her as my anger continued to rage inside me.

I drove us home while trying to get my anger and pain under control. I was only slightly calmer than I'd been since my altercation with Brad when we got back to our apartment. I found a parking space in the apartment building's underground garage and was headed toward the passenger door to open it, but Chels beat me to it and was halfway to the elevator by the time I cleared the back of the car. I ran after her and managed to catch up to her just as the elevator door was opening.

She hurried into the right hand back corner and stood there with her back to me. I left her alone during the tension filled ride to the floor our apartment was on. I stood with my back against the elevator door and it dinged twice before Chelsea turned and ran out of the elevator and to the door of our apartment. She had to wait for me to unlock the door because she didn't have her keys.

She tried to bolt away from me when we were in the apartment, but I grabbed her arm and steered her into the den, closing the door behind us after we were in the room. She ran to the couch on the side wall beside the desk and sank down on it with her face in her hands and with it turned into the couch cushion. I could hear her sobs as she cried harder than I've ever heard her cry. I sat in my chair and let her cry until she'd cried herself out.

"Ready to talk now, Ms. Chambers? It's funny how you were able to take back your maiden name without divorcing me. No wait, you have divorced me and didn't even let me know. How did you manage that, you lying piece of dog turd?

"I'm going to stop seeing Brad and he's going to know I'm married and love my husband more than him." Weren't those your exact words or something close to it? All those Friday and Saturday night showings were actually dates with him, weren't they? You need to start talking and you better not lie to me if you want to stay my wife.

"Or maybe you don't want to stay my wife. Is that it Chels, you don't want to be my wife anymore? You sure didn't act like it with your actions tonight. I love you with all my heart and thought you loved me the same way, but I know now that's not true. I told you before I could live with you fucking other people as long as I still had your heart, but I don't have it anymore so the decision is on you as to what happens now.

"One thing is for certain if we stay together, our marriage is officially closed from this day forward. It all depends on you, Chelsea." I ranted at her as she cringed on the couch.

"I do want to stay your wife, Dale. I admit I lied about breaking it off with Brad, not telling him I was married, and yes I lied about showings so I could go out with him on weekend nights, but I do love you Dale. I think I fell in love with Brad too and I'm sorry about that. Except for the lying, I've done everything to make you feel my love for you, haven't I Dale? Can you please forgive me for lying to you about Brad? I swear, he's the only thing I've ever lied to you about, Dale, and I swear it's over between us." Chelsea said in her whiny, "I'm sorry it won't happen again" voice.

"How can I believe you this time when you swore to me that it was over between the two of you the last time?" I asked her as my love for her did battle with my anger at what she'd done to me and our marriage.

"Maybe it's better if we divorce, Chels. I don't know if I can ever trust you again because you've definitely proved you're not trustworthy by your actions tonight. I gave you a chance to stay home and gave you the space to make the decision on your own without any influence from me and you choose to go to him instead of staying and talking to me like you know I wanted. I should go see a lawyer about a divorce first thing Monday morning. I promise I'll be fair as long as you are when it comes to what each of us gets to keep in the settlement." I told her with a defeated tone to my voice.

"NO DALE, PLEASE DON'T DO THAT!" Chelsea yelled at me for the first time ever in our marriage as she slid down off the couch and knee walked over to where I was sitting before wedging her torso between my spread legs and looking up at me with fresh tears beginning to fall from her eyes and the saddest look I'd ever seen on another human being.

"I love you more than I love Brad, I swear. Please don't throw me away. I promise to be the best wife in the world if you only give me a chance. I'm done with the sex with other people if that's what you want. Please Dale, give me a second chance. I promise you won't regret it." Chelsea begged me before dropping her head into my lap and beginning to sob anew.

I pushed her away from me before she could react and manage to cling to me. I stood over her, glaring down at her as my anger overpowered all my other emotions. I managed to take a couple of deep breaths to calm myself a little before I spoke to her again.

"How do I give you a second chance after what you've done tonight? How do I know you're not lying to me yet again after you've already admitted to me that you've been lying to me? How do I know you love me more than you love him when you went to him even though I gave you a chance to change your plans and stay home with me? Tell me how I can ever trust you again after you've been cheating on me for the past two months? Yes, you've been cheating so there's no use in trying to deny it. When you started lying so you could be with him and when you started keeping secrets from me like tonight's little gala, it became cheating. So you tell me Chels, why in the world should I even think about giving you a second chance?" I said to her in a tone barely below a yell.

"Because of our love for each other?" She answered, asked in a tentative voice.

"Ha, ha, really funny Chels. When are you going to take your little comedy act on the road? I gotta tell you, your act needs a lot of work. My love for you hasn't changed although I'd probably be less miserable right now if it had. As for your love for me, we both know that it has changed and not in a good way either.

"If you really loved me like I love you, you'd never done what you've done to me. Lying, cheating, giving most of your love to another man proves at least to me that you don't love me in the same way I love you. I won't let you try and deny that you love him more than me and deep down inside yourself you know that it's true also.

"So tell me another good reason why I shouldn't pack your shit and use my new company car to haul it and your sorry ass over to where ever Brad lives and dump you off on him?" I yelled at her as my anger ramped back up.

"Because of the love you have for me?" She asked with a little more conviction.

"There's that and the fact that whenever I've thought about being without you in my life; it seemed to be more painful than the pain I'm actually feeling right now.

"I'm probably the stupidest man on the planet at this moment, but I'm going to give you another chance to prove your love for me, Chelsea; but there's definitely going to be some changes made in both our marriage and in your freedom.

"From today forward, our two person democracy has become a monarchy with me having total say on everything in our marriage and our lives. If you can't agree to that then hit the bricks and drag your sorry ass over to lover boy Brad's with only the clothes on your back."

"I agree. I'll agree with anything you want, Dale, for the chance to make it right between us. I may have started loving you a little less than I did Brad, but I swear I've never stopped loving you." She replied with a hopeful tone and look upon her face.

"Well I hope you meant all of that because here come the biggies. You will move into the guest bedroom and use the guest bath until my anger from what you've done is completely gone. You will quit from your position at EFG Realty effective first thing Monday morning. You will find another job that has a set time for both starting work and stopping work for the day. You will go straight to that job and come straight home from that job every day.

"No girls' nights out anymore, no flirting with other people. You will open up another checking account for the household expenses and all of your pay goes into to it along with a quarter of mine. You'll get a weekly allowance and you'll spend it wisely or you'll have to do without when you run out. I control the rest of our money from now on. Basically Chels, I become your dictator and get to treat you like a prized possession instead of an equal partner in our marriage up to the point that I trust you again or the point that you can't take it anymore, whichever comes first.

"Still ready to agree to all of that, Ms. Chambers, Mrs. Stringer? Pick which one of those you want to be Chelsea, because after tonight I better not ever hear someone else call you Ms. Chambers like I did earlier this evening if you pick Mrs. Stringer. Am I making myself clear here and do you understand everything I've said to you?" I said to her in the calmest voice that I'd had since before I'd left earlier in the afternoon.

"Yes, I agree and understand everything you've said Dale. I want to continue to be Mrs. Stringer and I promise I'll be the best wife any man would ever want." Chelsea said as she hurriedly arose from the floor and tried to hug me. I caught her before she could wrap her arms around me and held her away from me.

"Good, I'm glad you agree, but you need to get your ass into the guest shower. I can still smell his cologne on you and its making me sick. I'm still hurt and angry about tonight so no hugs and kisses for you. Now go, get away from me before I change my mind and boot your ass out into the street." I told her in that raised voice that I'd still not learned to suppress when I was angry or excited.

Chelsea kicked off the black spaghetti strapped shoes with their five inch heels which had enabled her to be eye to eye with the 6' Brad while they were standing butt cheek to butt cheek during the wine and cheese portion of the evening's event and again during their brief dance that I had so rudely interrupted and ran from the den removing her clothes as she ran. I gave it a couple of minutes then followed behind her picking up her things. I didn't know how much she'd spent on them, but after I was through with them she'd not be able to wear them again.

I was standing outside of the guest bathroom when she exited it and grabbed her around the waist before carrying her across the hall to the guest bedroom and throwing her face down on the bed. I lifted her up and felt between her legs and wasn't surprised to find her wet down there. I dropped my trousers and briefs, placed my hard cock to her opening and slammed it to the hilt inside of her. I pounded her unmercifully as I used her to vent my pain and anger. Even though I only lasted five minutes, I felt and heard her orgasm mere seconds after my own. When I was flaccid again, I pushed her down away from me on the bed, pulled up my briefs and trousers, and left her lying on the bed making sounds that were part sobs and part moans of pleasure. I went to bed in my room and surprisingly fell instantly to sleep.

It took two months for the anger inside of me to completely go away during which time I used Chelsea's body for my own sexual gratifications in any way I wanted. Mouth, pussy, and ass all got the same treatment. The first time I forced my cock down her throat and fucked her face like a snatch; the tears rolled down her cheeks, her face turned red until she began breathing through her nose, and she would have puked my cum back up if I hadn't warned her that she'd be severely punished if she did. I always took her somewhere in the apartment other than the bed in what I now considered to be my room.

The first time I made love to her again was in that bed and I did all the things I knew she liked and gave her multiple orgasms using my fingers, mouth, and cock. I still made her go back to the guest bedroom which I considered and called her room. She knew not to bother me when my room's door was closed and also knew not to ever shut her door after I took it off its hinges the one time it was closed and locked to get into the room. I took the I-phone she'd been texting on and smashed it to bits under my heel. I replaced it the next day with a flip phone with everything blocked but incoming and outgoing calls and with only three numbers programmed into it, all mine. I checked it and her purse every night for anything out of the ordinary.

It had been six months since that awful night and I had begun working with Chels to rebuild the loving, caring relationship we'd once had. We were sleeping together in the master bedroom six out of seven nights most weeks and I thought we were beginning to turn the corner to becoming the happily married couple we'd been before. It was Valentine's Day and I had plans to make it the best we'd ever had.

I had always tried to make Valentine's Day special and though technically it was our eleventh, it was the tenth for us as a married couple. I had spent the day before calling to different florists and other stores to find the things I needed and had taken off work at noon to go and pick them up. I was going to prepare our apartment for the evening's events then pick Chels up at four thirty from her new job to take her out to dinner. I had a vase with a half dozen long stemmed yellow roses, her favorites, and two bags with crepe paper rose petals, rose scented bubble bath, a non-scented massage oil that was almost as hard to find as the yellow roses, a dozen candles, and a bottle of Champagne with two crystal flutes to pour it into.