A chance at a new life.
by r a wallace. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories.
Wendy
I woke the next morning lying beside a man who wasn't my husband and felt good about it. I didn't feel a bit of guilt as I looked at him. I'd done two, one-night stands in my life and wasn't excited with what I found next to me in the morning. One of the reasons I had sworn off drinking before meeting my husband. The amazing part was, I didn't feel a bit horny at the moment and wondered if that was going to be a problem–would he want more from me now?
As I lay there I wondered if he had saved my life, not merely by accident because of the baseball, but because he saw I was troubled and stayed with me, so I wouldn't try to use the pistol again. That was what I had intended. I simply didn't know if he had or not, but probably. His bringing me home with him had certainly changed my thinking in that regard. I'd been ready to end my life over a man Robb felt wasn't worthy of my consideration. Not that the passion he had shown as he lay into me didn't tell me I was desirable to at least one man. It had a tremendous effect on me for reasons I didn't fully understand, and maybe never would.
I felt a movement, then Robb rolled over toward me, his eyes open. When he saw me looking at him he smiled, causing me smile back.
"Could you spare a kiss this morning? He asked.
"You mean could I spare a kiss and something else?"
"A kiss and then you let me hold you for a while. The something else is up to you."
I laughed as I rolled over onto him, "Make way mister, you're going to get an armful of woman."
I snuggled into him and heard him reply. "You mean an armful of beautiful woman."
The words melted me immediately. If he had wanted to control me for his pleasure, he had me–no contest. We lay together not speaking for a while, his hands caressing my leg and arm. I kissed his neck a few times, then snuggled and closed my eyes again–he pulled me closer. I could hear his heart beating, feel his chest rise and fall, and smell him. When was the last time I had been so intimate and comfortable with a man? I couldn't remember for sure. It was sad, but I couldn't, not even with my husband.
Shit! My husband. I was going to have to go home and face him today. Would he even notice I hadn't come home? If he did would he even care? Knowing him, his only concern was that I would make him look bad–his wife not home and obedient where she should be. He would push for me to attend Fellowship with him in the afternoon to keep up appearances with the congregation. I pushed the thought away as my stomach tightened.
I'd make this time with Robb last another hour, then face the reality of my life. At this juncture I realized I had one to live thanks to someone who cared enough for a woman crying on a park bench to intervene. It was as incredible as it seemed I realized. I was lying in bed with a man in my panties after he had promised to do what I asked of him to end my despair.
"Are you hungry?" He asked.
"Yes, actually I am."
"Does scrambled eggs, corned-beefed hash, and toast sound good to you?"
The words made my mouth start to water. I realized I hadn't eaten but the Danish since the previous morning. My stomach gave an audible growl and I placed my hand over it as if it would hush it.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'", he laughed lightly.
"I have to pee," I slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
I finished my business, washed my hands, than looked into the mirror while running my fingers through my hair. I thought I looked hideous. Then I thought again about why I was here in the first place.
That's what a tart looks like. At least a satisfied one.
I swallowed hard, opened the bathroom door, and walked into the bedroom to see Robb sitting on the edge of the bed in his briefs. When he saw me his jaw dropped.
"My god! Wendy, you're gorgeous. Drop dead gorgeous."
I stopped dead in my tracks, looking down to see my breasts standing proud, my flat stomach, pantie clad pelvis, my shapely legs, and my red polished toenails. The sunlight coming in through the window hitting my skin warmed it ever so slightly. I looked up at him as he rose from the bed with a smile. I wasn't sure what he was going to do– grab me and take me without asking?
"My turn. Why don't you get dressed, I'll join you in a minute, so we can eat."
The bathroom door closed and I walked to where my blouse and skirt lie on the floor. His words, his expression, his smile of obvious delight with my appearance all came back to me. I put my bra on, finished dressing, and sat on the edge of the bed looking around. The bedroom was tastefully decorated and there was no sign in the form of a photograph, or other articles suggesting he had a girlfriend.
Okay, if he was unattached that made it easier, I wasn't the 'other woman'. At least I hoped I wasn't. I knew who my husband was screwing when I saw them from the hallway– she headed the prayer group that met on Friday nights almost every week.
I had gone to several of them and stopped going as it was too much for me– touting how a woman should respect her husband and honor his wishes even if she weren't entirely onboard with it. Yes, she espoused Christian women bear the fruit of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Well, so much for faithfulness and self-control parts. Peace might work too if you spelled it 'piece' and added two words.
She was thin, with big boobs, and blonde hair that came out of a bottle. I'd met her husband twice and he made my husband look really good by comparison. It was obvious to me some of her prayers hadn't been answered. That, or God's plan for her was as flawed as my own. My husband was so deep into her they never noticed I was in the house. I had simply left in tears, devastated at the sight.
Robb
I was a little nervous as I opened my eyes–was she going to be ashamed, guilty, for what we'd done last night? Seeing her in the dim light the night before gave me hints she was well-endowed. It hadn't taken much effort to get her to orgasm. In fact, I had hardly gotten started when she gasped, and I felt her muscles contact around me. When she got on top she didn't hold anything back– she went all out. It was when she walked out of the bathroom that I saw her in full light for the first time– she was absolutely beautiful. Her husband had to be a real piece of work to walk away from someone like her.
I was pleased I'd taken a low profile approach and brought her into my arms to comfort her when we woke. When she smiled her teeth showed from between nicely formed lips, her blue eyes sparkled. Though I knew it unwise to feel so protective, it made me want to never let her go. I reminded myself again she was separated from her husband, not divorced. She could go back to him, they could work things out. There are always two sides to a story– I could be the one to ruin their marriage. I had to admit it bothered me. Shit, what was I thinking? After what I saw, this woman was hurting and I had done the right thing by her.
Don't overthink this dude, she needed someone, and you were there.
Wendy
I sat with a glass of orange juice as he made breakfast. I felt a little awkward just sitting there doing nothing. My husband would never cook because that was a woman's job. I tried to lighten the mood a little by asking Robb what he had planned for the day– at least it was a safe question.
"I volunteer at the Community Food Bank, so I'll be working there most of the afternoon."
"Really, that sounds nice, I bet you meet a lot of interesting people there."
"I do, but sometimes it's hard to see how many people with young children have to rely on it. I never knew how many people live right on the edge until I started there. It makes me appreciate I have a good education and a well-paying job."
"So, what do you do?"
"Computer Aided Design, CAD, for an engineering firm. It pays well and has regular hours. How about you?"
It struck me that after talking with him for hours I'd never mentioned my job once. But, then in my emotional state that was the last thing on my mind.
"I work as a clerical for a law firm, close to a paralegal I guess, but they don't pay me for that."
"Wendy, I have to ask. How are you feeling? Are you going to be ready to go home and feel safe?"
"He's not abusive physically, so I'm not worried about that. But, in all honesty I'm dreading having to spend the afternoon with him, and I know he'll demand it."
"Do you want to stay another few hours?"
"Thanks, but I know I should go home, take a shower, and get into some fresh clothes. I'm going to have to deal with it and a few hours here won't change anything. Robb, about last night. Thank you, I mean that. I needed what you gave me. You saved me from hurting myself."
"I think you should get some professional help. That is if you can afford it."
"I can't, but I'll deal with this. I've been putting off making the decision, but after yesterday I know I'm damned if I don't."
"What decision is that?"
"I want to get a divorce and move on with my life. Thanks to you, I recognize killing myself wasn't the way to punish him. He would have won in a way, and I don't want that. Call it what you will, a form of revenge in a way, if I leave him. I have friends, family, and a job that pays enough to live on if I do."
We sat silent for a minute, eating in silence. Then I looked up at him with a smile. "I promise not to do something stupid."
"I want to believe that," he replied with a firm expression.
I reached for my shoulder bag hanging on the empty chair next to me, and took out the pistol, handing it to him butt first.
"Here, keep this."
He took the pistol from my hand and placed it on the counter behind him, then looked at me.
"I suppose I should take you home."
"Yes, but not home. Back to the park, I can walk from there, I don't…"
"I know. You don't need to say it. I wouldn't want to make things any harder for you."
"Thank you for being so understanding."
"Wendy, give me your phone so I can put my contact information in it. Just in case… well… in case you need a friend again. By the way, you stayed with my wife Cindy and me last night. You know her from… let's see… she's one of your clients from work."
I took my phone out and handed it to him. When he gave it back I checked and saw he had put in 'Robb, Com. Food Bank'. I looked at him with a frown.
"Just in case someone looks at your contacts. No reason for a man's first and last name to show up– it might cause problems. If someone asks, you may decide to volunteer, and I'm the contact person."
I was pretty much lost in thought as he drove me to the park. I felt myself tense, my stomach going into knots. I got out before Robb could attempt to open the door for me and looked back into the car– my emotions mixed with good and bad.
"Robb, thank you. I know it sounds lame, but you made a difference, a big one. I can't explain why I asked you to do what I asked of you, maybe it was because I wanted to feel like a desirable woman again."
"Wendy, I can't pretend to know you, all I can say is you deserve to be happy. Please, don't throw your life away, do what you need to do to move your life forward. If you ever need a friend to lean on call me. I promise to be there for you."
I watched as he drove away, then turned and took the first step back to a life filled with problems. Regardless of the outcome, I had a life to rebuild and I was determined to make it better. It was time to face my demons. Robb had given me that chance– I wasn't going to waste it. I had always been strong in the face of adversity and the one time I had faltered there was someone who cared enough to pull me through. I would always be grateful to him.
Chapter 4: Reflections
Robb
Well, this had been two of the strangest days in my life. I save a woman from killing herself, comfort her by having sex with her, feed her breakfast, and drop her off to return to a husband who doesn't deserve her. Sure, I was recovering from a failed relationship of long standing, but I had never come close to committing suicide despite the pain. But, depression affects people in different ways and some can climb out of it, others can't without help. I hoped Wendy had the strength to do what she needed to do to make her life better.
I drove home wondering if I would ever get a phone call from her in the future. After walking in the door I went to put things away in the kitchen– there was the pistol sitting where I had left it. I hefted it, it had been a long time since I had fired a pistol in the military; it still felt familiar. I walked to the bedroom and to the closet, opened my fire safe, and placed it inside along with the rounds I had taken out of the clip.
Wendy
I walked the fifteen minutes home thinking of what I would need to do. I walked in the door after seeing his car in the driveway– he was home. He was sitting in front of the TV watching a car race when I walked in.
"Where have you been? We have to get ready for church in a few hours you know."
"I stayed with a friend last night. Sorry, I should have called, or left a text."
He looked at me with a wicked grin, "You go to the bedroom and take your clothes off. We haven't done it in a while, and I'm feeling you might be good about now."
I froze, my stomach went tight. If there was something I didn't want from him that was it.
"I'm not in the mood right now, maybe later."
"I'm not interested if you're in the mood, get yourself in the mood. I'll be in after the race is over in about ten minutes."
"Honey, I'm sorry, I really don't want to, maybe after church this afternoon."
He looked at me with a scowl. "You're my wife, that means you listen to what I need, and give it when I want it. It's probably those pills you take to avoid getting pregnant. I hear they mess up a woman's mind too. It's time for you to stop taking them."
'There's nothing wrong with my mind that getting away from you for a while won't solve. You haven't touched me in six months, and now you want me to flop onto my back for you. Well, it's not going to happen this time."
He turned the volume down on the TV and stared at me with hard eyes, "What are you saying, you're not going to be a wife?"
"What! Be a wife only when you want to be a husband! Why don't you be a husband to me instead of spending all your time with Joanne Winston," my voice going shrill.
"Joanne has nothing to do with this," he thundered.
"I'm grateful for that. My Lord, I guess you having her bent over the sofa, your cock inside her didn't mean anything."
I saw is face grow taut, his jaw moving slightly, but he didn't say anything.
"Yes, I walked in and saw the both of you. You were so intent on screwing her you didn't even hear, or see me. I'm going to divorce your ass."
"You can't talk to me that way. I had a moment of weakness and I've prayed for forgiveness. I want to make it up to you."
"Oh, so you can go around screwing her for months and you expect me to forgive you. I guess I'm not the hardcore Christian woman you thought I was. I'm going to pack my clothes and things I need and find someplace else to live until the divorce is final."
He stormed towards me, grabbed my blouse and torn it open, his eyes wild, "You're in my house, you are my wife, I'm going to have you as is my right. Now, we can do it the hard way, or the easy way. But, I'm going to get my due out of you."
I knew I wasn't going to be able to stop him, he was much too large for me to resist him. My mind scrambled to find a way to tamp things down. For the first time I was afraid of being raped– by my own husband. Maybe I wasn't thinking straight, but it was the only thing that came to mind.
"Well, it's about time you showed some real interest in these," as I placed my hands under my breasts and pushed them up. I saw a look of confusion on his face. He stopped, his hands went down to his sides as his eyes remained glued on my heaving chest.
I swallowed hard, it was taking every bit of strength for me to take a step toward him. I planted a kiss on his cheek, my stomach protesting, then forced a smile. "Finish watching your race, then come in and treat me as your wife. I went off the pill a month ago if you want to know."
I watched as he sat back down on the sofa, his temper had settled. I was sure he didn't even think my comment about Joanne made a difference– as far as he was concerned he'd been forgiven by the Lord. Well, I wasn't the Lord and the memory of them at the sofa was fresh in my mind. He was going to hell as far as I was concerned and I knew he would have company.
He looked at me, his face stoic. "This will be over in about seven minutes. Glad you came to your senses."
His words made me want to heave. I rushed down the hall, into our bedroom, pulled out a suitcase and jammed underwear, a bra, some blouses, a few pairs of slacks, and two pairs of shoes into it. I slipped out the door into the garage as he stared at the TV. I didn't have much, but it would be enough for a few days until I could come back for more. The asshole wasn't ever going to touch me again.
I rushed to my car and was away as fast as I could go, the tires squealing as I drove off. My last look was of him standing in front of the garage in my rear-view mirror– I had gotten away. I got as far as the park and pulled onto a side street and called my parents. They lived about two hours away where my husband wasn't likely to go. After a minute to settle myself, I called and told them I was coming to spend the night and would leave early for work in the morning. I Explained I would tell them what was going on when I got there.
I started driving and felt my hands tremble as I gripped the steering wheel. He had intended on taking me regardless of what I wanted and the fear was now manifesting itself. I settled down after a while and the drive to my parents' home was enough time for me to reflect on my three years with him. Three full years of my life down the drain because I wasn't mature enough to know better– our relationship had gone bad after no more than a year. We had disagreed on one thing after another, at first small things, then major things– like having children, and having money in a savings account.
I spilled everything to my parents, well… not everything. The pistol and Robb I omitted not wanting to admit I had been so desperate. They sat silent and let me talk and when I was finished told me they understood and would help me in any way they could. I took my suitcase into the guest bedroom and sat down on the bed. I opened the suitcase to see what I had selected in my haste to get out of the house hoping there was the right combination to wear to work the next day.
I slept poorly, tossing and turning, thinking I had screwed my life up big time. I had sought revenge on by husband by sleeping with a total stranger and realized I would never use it against him. I didn't want to look like that kind of woman. He had his righteous Christian woman and the Lord had forgiven him. What did I have now? I felt asleep and jerked up with a start when the alarm went off.
Chapter 5: Freudian Slip?
Wendy
I drove to work and stumbled into the office half awake. I struggled through the day and realized I hadn't made arrangements for a place to stay for the night. It didn't make sense to drive all the way back to my parents' house again. I hadn't closed my savings account, or made it a joint account after we married– now happy I hadn't. I went to the ATM and withdrew enough money for the week to stay in a cheap motel. It would do for the time being and I decided I wasn't going to go back for my clothes either– I'd shop for what I needed. The account was healthy enough to support me for a while, so at least I felt better about that.
After work I drove to the cheapest place I knew, committing for one night. I walked into the room, put my suitcase on the chair, and fell exhausted onto the bed. I woke up three hours later feeling hungry and decided to walk down the street to a fast food place for a salad. I had put my phone on silent and when I looked at it found there were multiple calls, and text messages from my husband. I deleted all of them and blocked his number. No sense in talking with him, he could do that through my lawyer, and I'd find one before the end of the week.
The week went along and the women at work knew something was up. I finally revealed I'd left my husband and was living in a motel. One of the single women offered me a room in her apartment saying she didn't use it for anything other than storing a few boxes of stuff. I accepted her offer and moved in two days later after buying a used single bed and bedding to make it up from a thrift shop. I needed to stretch my money as far as I could not knowing how long it would be before I could end my marriage.
Clara was a godsend, she was always such a happy person, her personality was exactly what I needed, and I found my mood improved as the days went by. We shared expenses for food, so that helped too. The biggest change after a few days was I didn't feel stressed as much as I had before. I didn't realize how much it was taking out of me having to deal with my husband day in and day out.
I found a lawyer and gave him the go ahead to do whatever was needed. He told me if my husband didn't contest the filing it could be done in a month at a modest cost. Under state law I was entitled to half of our real assets and funds held in joint accounts at the time of the filing.
A week later I had diverted my paycheck to my new checking account. I was feeling better about the decision I had made when my husband showed up in the lobby of the building asking to see me. My lawyer told me it was best not to talk with him unless someone were with me, even if it were not him. I told the receptionist to tell him I was in a meeting for the rest of the day. I found out later he left after a few minutes saying he would try to see me later obviously unhappy.
I was eating supper with Clara when my phone rang, it was my mother. I decided to ignore it and call her back after we finished eating. I walked into my bedroom for privacy, went to my contacts, and touched the screen.
A male voice answered, thinking it was my dad who had picked up.
"Hi Dad, this is Wendy. How are you?"
There was a long pause, then. "Wendy, this is Robb. Are you okay?"
Surprised, I stammered out a reply, then regained my composure. "How are you?"
"Good, work and doing the volunteer stuff, nothing unusual. But, why are you calling me?"
I didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him I hadn't meant to call him. I was trying to come up with a plausible explanation when he offered. "You called my number by mistake didn't you?"
"Yes, I'm sorry. I never took your number out of my contacts."
"I understand. So, things are going well with you and your husband?"
"No. I'm in the process of getting a divorce. I'm living with a friend in her apartment until I get things settled. I hope my lawyer will have good news for me by next week."
That's great, ugh, well… not great news…
"Robb, it's okay. I understand it's awkward."
"Good, it's good to know you're moving your life forward and you're safe. Well, I'll let you get back to whomever you meant to call."
"Thanks." I replied not knowing exactly what else to say. I saw the call end and this time pressed the number for my mother: Roberta, not Robb. I would remove Robb's information after talking with her.
My Mother answered and told me my husband had called her asking if she knew where I was living. I felt my heart go into my stomach. He was stilling looking for me.
"Honey, I told him I didn't know where. I won't repeat what he said, it would only upset you. Your father and I think you're doing the right thing. Be strong, see this through, and when things settle down you'll find a man that's good for you."
That was my mother, always looking for the silver lining. We talked for another half hour and then I put my phone down. I would call my lawyer tomorrow and see if he had anything to tell me. I opened my contacts to delete Robb's number, my finger almost touching the screen when I pulled it back. I probably should have thanked him again for helping me. I'd call him back, then delete it after we finished talking. I selected his name, waited for the dial tone, and for him to pick up.
"Robb here."
"Robb, it's Wendy again."
There was a pause. "You're alright aren't you?"
I laughed. "Yes, I'm fine. I thought I should call you back and thank you again for helping me."
"Okay, you know I'm pleased you're alright. You sound good, I can almost see your smile. I remember what you look like when you wear one."
I felt myself smiling like a fool, I remembered when I had smiled at him that way. Memoires flooded my mine and I felt myself go warm remembering being in bed with him the following morning. There was a long pause between us, then I started to say something just has he did, we both stopped, another pause.
"Go ahead, what did you have to say," he offered.
"I don't know, what did you want to say?"
Another pause, I felt myself tense wondering now if I should have called him.
"Wendy, are you free tonight?"
"Yes. Well not free, but reasonable," I replied flippantly.
I heard him laugh. "Reasonable works for me. How about I come and pick you up and we can go out for a coffee."
"Robb, I'm still married. I want to, but I'm not sure it's a good idea."
"I understand, it makes sense, sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking straight."
"Robb, I would say yes otherwise. Really, I would."
- to be continued..
By R A Wallace for Literotica
