by Sean Geist
I rushed to the bathroom. All the stalls seemed occupied so I vomited into a trash can. I realized I wasn't going to be able to have any more fun tonight, plus I needed to be up for a 9:00 lecture on Pet Training and Behavior Modification. I knew Robin would be pissed if I made her stay in the room with me. I saw she was having a good time and I really didn't want it to end for her. I wasn't going to be able to show her a good time, doubled over in pain; I might as well let Scott do it.
"I'm not going to be able to do anything else tonight," I said as I returned. "I'm not feeling too well, and I gotta get up early."
Robin got a serious look on her face. I think she was expecting me to force her to call it a night.
"But, Robin, if you want to go out with Scott, I don't mind. Just get me back to the room,” and you two can paint the town red for all I care. I didn't say that last part.
I could have probably walked it, but we got a cab instead. Robin and I sat in back, my head in her lap, her fingers running through my hair. The cab let us off at our hotel entrance. Robin was going to escort me up to the room, while Scott got some Pepto at the drugstore nearby.
In the room Robin helped me get out of my clothes.
"You going to tell me that joke now?" I asked.
"You really want to hear it?"
"Yeah."
"It's kinda stupid and rude."
"I expect nothing less."
"Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you."
"I won't."
"What's the difference between jelly and jam?"
"Huh?"
"What's the difference between jelly and jam?"
"Uh, one has fruit particles in it?"
"That wouldn't be a very funny joke now would it."
"I don't know then, what is the difference between jelly and jam?"
Robin paused. It looked like she wanted to say it, but then she just broke out in laughter. "I can't say it."
"Robin! You can't leave me hanging like this."
"Come on, let's get you in bed, you don't want Scott to see you in your underwear."
"He saw you in less this afternoon at the pool."
She gave me a warning look. "Get in bed right now mister."
"Only if you get undressed and join me."
Again the look. "Not with Scott coming, and not with you getting ready to throw up."
I knew I wasn't going to win this one, and I didn't want to upset her. I just wish she wasn't able to have such a good time without me. I wanted to share that feeling, but then my stomach did another flip and I ran to throw up in the toilet.
By the time I finished cleaning myself up, Scott had arrived. He took a bottle of Pepto out of the CVS bag and handed it to me. There was something else in the bag, but I didn't see what it was before he put it in his pocket.
"I see you didn't get dressed up for me," he said.
Now it was my turn to give dirty looks. Several mean comments came to mind. Robin interrupted before I could say anything stupid.
Scott stayed out in the sitting room while Robin tucked me into bed. She set the Pepto and a glass of water on the night stand.
"You be good," she said. She bent down to give me a kiss on the cheek. "You know I would kiss your mouth but..."
"Yeah, my breath probably smells like pig slop."
"Well it's not that bad, but it's no flower garden."
We shared a laugh. She did give me a kiss on the lips, but I kept them closed.
"Any idea when you'll get back?" It was 10:30.
"No, don't wait up."
Robin left to join Scott. He said goodbye and they both turned to leave.
"Wait," I called out. "What about the punch line?
"I can't say it Peter." Robin said.
"Scott you tell me."
"No way, my friend."
"Robin!"
"Okay, you asked for it." Scott was already out of the room. Robin turned to look back at me before leaving. "I can't jelly my cock up your ass," She blew me a kiss as the door slammed shut behind her.
***
She really didn't want to say it, but Peter made her. At least that's what she convinced herself. It's just a stupid frat joke. One she finds incredibly funny.
My dear Peter, she thinks, you've been so understanding these last 24 hours and you deserve so much better.
She's sure she loves him. She feels a deep emotional bond with him. But tonight, she's caught a scent of adventure and she's following it to the end. That's why she's walking into the night, hand in hand, with a man who is not her husband.
Chapter 4
That was a rude joke. It made me giggle though. I imagined Scott telling it to Robin. Last week I would have said she'd smack anyone who said that to her, joke or not, but she had become a different woman. One I still loved, but who somehow changed and was drifting away.
Was I really going to lose her? She said she loved me and didn't want anything to come between us. Was that a lie? If so I was lost. I would fight any battle to save our marriage, as long as my wife was on my side and not against me.
I loved the straight-laced Robin with the long hair and moderately conservative clothes. I also found myself drawn to this new, more daring Robin. I just wish I could be spending more time with her. After this week I would be, I hoped.
I took a dose of Pepto and it immediately started soothing my stomachache. I shut my eyes and tried not to imagine Robin and Scott, out dancing, laughing, kissing. I hoped they weren't kissing. They almost did earlier this evening. They probably would have if I wasn't tagging along. Somehow I fell asleep.
I dreamt I was strolling down the Strip humming some silly tune I later realized was from the Zumanity show. It was just after dawn and the early morning sun glistened off the glass encased hotel towers. A cool breeze wafted up Las Vegas Boulevard. I was alone, save for a few songbirds flittering about.
Without warning thousands of couples began pouring out of every door. They came from the casinos. They came from the hotels. They came from restaurants, bars and shops. They even came from the kiosks that sold discount show tickets. They came from everywhere and swarmed past me. And each couple, a man and a woman, and the woman was Robin and the man was Scott. I woke up in a sweat.
I don't know how long I lay there, in the dark. A few seconds, a few minutes, maybe an hour? I was lying there with my eyes wide open, watching the neon lights dance around the edges of the window curtains. Again that void drew my attention. It was larger this time because I was closer to it.
I heard the hall door open, spilling more light into the room. Neither entered the room right away.
"Peter," Robin whispered. “Peter, are you awake?”
I just lay there, eyes closed, saying nothing. I wanted to see what would happen. I wanted to maybe witness what Robin and Scott did when I wasn't around. I reminded myself to breathe. It took a lot of effort to remain calm.
"He seems asleep to me," Robin said.
"Can I come in?" Scott asked.
"No, you better not. I think it's time to call it a night."
"I had a great time this evening, a really great time," Scott said emphasizing the word 'great'.
"So did I," Robin said softly. "Thank you for everything. I really enjoyed myself."
Then silence. I opened my eyes for a peek. The hall lights cast their shadow into the room. A single shadow. They were hugging and then I realized it wasn't silent at all. I heard the wet sounds of two pairs of lips smacking, tongues yearning to explore new places. I felt my stomach begin to erupt again, but I was determined not to move. If I threw up, I would have still lie there and drown in my own vomit.
There were so many fucking emotions exploding in my mind. Anger, sadness and jealousy chief among them. But also curiosity, surprise and even arousal fought for room to breathe. For some fucking reason I found it hot to think of my wife kissing someone else. I always got aroused when she kissed me passionately. I guess my body was reacting to those memories. Maybe helping me cope with the
other, more hostile emotions. I hoped the rising tent pole under the sheets didn't give me away.
Somehow I remained in bed and didn't jump up and clobber Scott. I couldn't blame just him. Robin was totally into the kiss and she deserved some blame, too. I was disappointed, but for some reason glad that she was enjoying herself.
I was truly and royally fucked up.
The couple at the door, it was still hard to call them Robin and Scott, finally broke their embrace.
"Good night," she whispered.
"Good night," Scott replied.
The hall door closed and darkness returned, but only briefly. Almost immediately after she shut the door, Robin turned on the sitting room light. I moved a little, faking I had just woken up. I reached for the water glass next to me. It almost slipped out due to the heavy condensation on the side.
I looked at the clock. It read 3:12.
"Did you have a good time?" I asked as gently as I could. I wanted to sound like I was really curious, but I settled for not sounding sarcastic.
"You're awake," she said, casually, with just a hint of surprise. Like I caught her off guard. "Yes, we did have a good time."
She undressed in the dim light.
"What did you do?"
Robin sighed. "Nothing much. We stayed close, went to the Aria. You and I need to go there. It's amazing." She paused as if trying to find something to say.
"First we went to a little English pub. I was starving since I only had half a salad for dinner. Food was good, but man was it overpriced."
She slipped into bed totally naked. We both lay on our sides, facing each other.
"I had the fish and chips, Scott had this huge hot dog. Very messy."
"What did you do after that?"
"We went to a club, I don't remember the name. Had a few more drinks and danced for a while. After that Scott played a little Blackjack. I watched."
"That's it?"
Another pause before she answered. "Yes, that's it."
I reached out and began stroking her body. I started at her head, running my fingers gently through her short hair. I really missed her long tresses. I ran my hand down her cheek, over her shoulder and down the side of her abdomen. I could feel the goose bumps forming on her soft skin, a sure sign of arousal.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Much better."
I ran my palm across her back and down to cup her butt. I pulled her towards me.
"Ouch," I said. My erection got caught between us and it hurt.
"Someone's awake," my wife said. I could hear the amusement in her voice.
I really needed to make love to her. I needed her to make love to me. My suspicions needed soothing and my anxiety needed calming. Making love would turn this horrible night around. I brought my hand around front and began to gently knead her breast. I was about to pinch her nipples when she reached up to stop me.
"Not tonight dear," she whispered. "I'm tired and you need to get up early."
"I'm willing to suffer," I said.
"Let's just cuddle."
Now it was my turn to sigh. A harsh and abrupt breath of air passed my lips. Let's cuddle. The dread phrase no horny man ever wants to hear. My cock didn't hear it and remained hard. My wife turned her back to me and we spooned, my penis nestled between her ass cheeks. I had to hold very still or I was going to make a mess.
Despite the sexual rejection, it felt good. I would never grow tired of holding my wife. Even if I wanted more, I would settle for anything she offered.
She fell asleep in my arms, but I took a moment longer just to enjoy the sensations. Her warm body pressed close to mine, the faint aroma of hibiscus, like an expensive body wash. We were as one, Robin and I. It was only us. No Veterinary Conference to go to tomorrow, and no Scott.
Just one thing was bothering me, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe it would come to me in the morning. I wanted to dream of Robin and I making love, instead I went out cold.
***
My eyes opened with a start. I turned to look at the clock. It read 8:15. Fuck, I forgot to set the alarm. I was going to be late.
I hurried into the bathroom to take a quick shower and brush my teeth. No time to shave today. They'll be lucky I don't stink like a sewer. I came out and started to quickly get dressed. Today was going to be even more casual, a pair of black jeans and a white button down shirt. No tie.
I looked over at the clock again, 8:43. Maybe I could grab a coffee and danish at Starbucks and only be a few minutes late. I was slipping on my shoes when I looked over at Robin, still asleep lying on her back. The white bed sheet covered most of her lower torso save for a small tuft of pubic hair that teased me.
She looked so lovely, a slight smile played across the serene calm of her face. If she was dreaming, it must be pleasant; I trusted I was in it. I was in no mood to think otherwise. She could also have just been pretending to sleep and instead enjoying watching me frantically getting ready for the day. I was in too much of a rush to find out.
I bent over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. As I did, I saw a small but noticeable bruise on her left breast. I knew she didn't have it at the pool yesterday; her bathing suit didn't cover that much. Did I do that last night when I was pawing at her, fruitlessly trying to seduce her?
It was ten til 9 and I didn't have time to obsess over it. I grabbed my phone and wallet, making sure I had my room key. My wife still asleep as the door closed behind me.
At 9:45 I was again sitting in the back of a crowded conference room. A stale half-eaten pastry sat on a plate next to a lukewarm cup of coffee in front of me. It was conference coffee, not Starbucks.
This morning's presentation was all about proper pet training. The speaker showed how vets could increase their income by offering training and behavior modification services. This was mostly a sales pitch for a six week training course we could send our employees to, but it also focused on how we could fold the services into our current fee system.
I look around for Dr. Cho. This seemed to be the kind of workshop she would take. I didn't see any other courses on today's agenda that would appeal to an animal shelter vet.
The speaker was passing out a list of textbooks available for the course when I felt a buzz in my pocket. It was a text from Robin.
-We're doing lunch right?
I didn't think we had discussed it. Maybe subconsciously I assumed she was spending all morning with the spa owner, and I just didn't want to think about that. I couldn't even say his fucking name.
-If you want.
-YES, I want. U better be here if U know what's good for U.
An ultimatum. That was new. And she seemed eager to see me, not like yesterday. Then a scary thought ran through my jealous mind. What if she thought she was texting Scott. That could happen, I've seen it on T.V.
-You do know this is your husband, not your boyfriend ;)
I was being silly serious. Like it was a joke, but not.
-Peter Wilkenson, you shit.
No humorous emoticons.
-Sorry.
-I forgive you. Just be here. Gotta go. Luv ya.
-Luv ya 2
By 11:45 I'd had enough. I packed up my notes and handouts, and took advantage of sitting in the back of the room to sneak out. Would have made a clean getaway, but out in the hall I ran into Alex from the Glossman Pharmaceuticals.
"I can't get away from you, can I?" he said as I almost bowled right into him.
"Guess not," I said.
"Leaving early?"
"Yeah, gotta hot lunch date with my wife."
"You sure? My company is sponsoring the meal. Sirloin steak sandwiches."
I looked at my phone, it was ten til. If I was late, I was sure she would just leave and run right into Scott's arms. I was at a low point, so that kind of crap would of course leap into my mind.
"I haven't spent much time with her the last couple of days, so I need to take every second I can get."
Alex seemed
amused with my situation. "Maybe you should have left her at home."
That was a great idea. I wish I had thought of that sooner.
"I couldn't, tomorrow's our anniversary."
"Oh, a work and pleasure thing."
"Yeah. Hey, don't mean to be rude, but I have to run."
"No problem, Peter isn't it?"
"Yeah."
We shook hands.
"I saw your name on the sign-up list for the Pain Management panel. I'll see you then."
"Cool," I said as I ran off down the hall. It was 11:55.
The elevator took forever to arrive. When the doors opened, the car was full.
"Sorry, no room," someone in the back called out.
This car was going up and I wasn't waiting for another. "There's always room for one more," I said as I forced my way in. Several people grumbled, but in the end we all made it safely to our separate floors.
I pulled out my key card as I rushed down the hall. My phone had said 12:00, so technically I could still be on time. I really didn't think my wife would leave if I was a minute or two late. Actually, she probably wouldn't have left no matter how long I took. I was just really anxious for some quality time with Robin.
The green light couldn't come on fast enough for me after I slid my card in. I opened the door.
"I made it," I shouted triumphantly.
The sitting room was empty. I was expecting Robin to be sitting at the table with lunch spread out. I only had an hour.
"I'm in here," she called from the bedroom. I hadn't noticed the door was closed. Relief flooded through my body, washing away all the tension that had built up the last couple of days.
I opened the bedroom door and a different tension took hold and it was painful.
There on the bed was my wife, naked as I had left her. She was spread eagle on her back, her upper body exposed, her lower parts covered by the sheet. The bed cover had been thrown off, so the only things on the bed were a few pillows, a thin white sheet, and my wife.
Blood rushed to my cock, which unfortunately had been lying in an awkward position. I had to adjust myself.
"I'd help you with that but," my wife said. "as you can see, I'm indisposed."
