Backfire

The place was beginning to fill up with the after- work crowd. The noise level had risen and people jostled each other at the bar, yelling out their drink orders. In a back booth a man and a woman sat across from each other, nursing their second (or was it third?) martini. Angela Rizzo was a dark haired beauty in her early 40s, but with a bitter twist to her mouth as she looked at the front door.

\God damn that bitch. Here she comes waltzing in with hubby at her heels. Mrs. fuckin\' goody two shoes,\ she snarled.

Carl Crowe, her drinking partner, raised his eyebrows and directed his gaze to the front of the room. \You mean Lily Palmer? What do you have against her?\ Carl brought his glass up and sipped a bit of his drink.

Angie looked up at the tall, dark haired man seated across from her and hissed, \she\'s the one who almost wrecked my marriage. I\'m almost sure that she got the word to Frank that I was having an affair and the bastard threatened to divorce me.\ The venom almost dripped from her lips.

Carl laughed softly at his friend. \Shit, Angie. Why blame her? If you hadn\'t cheated you wouldn\'t have had this problem. You knew it was just a matter of time, you were kind of blatant about it.\

Angie pouted and whined, \It\'s easy for you to say, Carl. I know you screw around on Fran and you get away with it.\

\That\'s because I\'m damned careful, cupcake. The only mistake I made is letting it slip to you, so you had better just keep your mouth shut. Anyway, you have little contact with Lily; she\'s in Human Resources and you\'re in Graphics so you don\'t have to interact with her all that often. Just forget it.\ Carl raised the glass to his lips and drained it.

Angie\'s lips tightened, \Yeah, and the bitch just got a promotion; she\'s now Assistant Director of Human Resources. She\'s got to be screwing Doug Collins.\

Carl laughed again. \Calm down, Angie. Not everyone is screwing around, you know. I, at least, have a good reason. My wife is almost never home and there\'s a ton of pussy around when I\'m on the road. Besides, I wouldn\'t be surprised if she\'s getting her share when she has to travel for a \conference.\

Angie stared at him. \You mean you don\'t care if she cheats on you? Damn, I should have married you.\

\Our marriage is an intelligent union, Ang. It\'s kind of like an open marriage, but with no discussion. If we don\'t talk about it, it\'s not happening and I\'m happy with that. Fran needs a little release, she works hard and I don\'t begrudge her that. What the hell, it\'s only sex,\ chuckled Carl.

Angie just shook her head. \Shit, I wish Frank felt that way. It\'s just that he\'s so bad in bed.\

\Awww, poor Angie,\ Car smirked. \What, his dick is too little?\

Angie just grimaced. \You know better than that, Carl. Don\'t go believing all that shit about dick size, it really isn\'t all that important. Frank is quite adequate at almost six inches. It\'s just that he\'s a \'wham bam, thank you ma\'am\' kind of guy. He doesn\'t give a damn about me. Most of the time I never even have an orgasm with him. Shit, I don\'t know why I love the jackass\ She paused briefly, \Anyway, I just wish I could get back at the bitch,\ she muttered as she glared across the room.

Carl followed her gaze, his mouth tightening \You\'re not the only one, Angie. You know that Palmer just picked up the Packard account - one that should have gone to me. The fucker will now be pulling in big bucks, well into six figures. He\'s got to be kissing someone\'s ass, Plus, he\'s fucking one sexy broad. I tried to come on to Lily at the last company get-together and she almost went ballistic. Shit, she\'s got one bitch of a temper,\ he concluded bitterly.

It was now Angie\'s turn to laugh. \I thought that you were buddies with Scott. You play golf with him and two other guys every weekend.\

\Yeah, but we\'re not close. The golf is just a game of convenience. They needed a fourth and Scott knew that I\'m a scratch player, so he asked me to join the group. He\'s too fuckin\' perfect. You know, perfect job, perfect wife, perfect life. He\'s even obsessive about exercising, you know, he wants a perfect body. He\'s also nuts about his wife, he even has a tattoo of a lily on his butt.\

Angie\'s eyes widened. \You\'ve gotta be kidding. Perfect Scotty boy has a tattoo? That\'s a riot. I bet that Lily talked him into that - kinda like putting a brand on him,\ she laughed.

\Yeah, I first saw it when we all showered after a golf game. He was showing it off. you know, proud of it.\ Carl shook his head in disgust.

Angie\'s eyes had narrowed and she was quiet for a moment, than leaned forward and lowered her voice. \You know, Carl. I have an idea how we can really screw them up. Really screw up their \'perfect\ lives\'. Now just be quiet and listen.\



Lily and Scott Palmer had it all. Even those who weren\'t overly fond of the couple had to admit that they were perfect for each other. They had met in college and after their first kiss they knew that they were meant to be together forever.

After graduation Scott gained employment with the largest advertising agency on the east coast. He had majored in Management and Marketing in college and was primed to join the sales staff as an account executive. It wasn\'t entirely a coincidence that Lily had been offered a position in the same company in their Human Resources Department. The fact that her father was a director on the board didn\'t exactly hamper their chances for employment there.

Six months after joining the company they married. It was a blow-out affair with a guest list out of the social register. Scott\'s older brother Marc, a Lieutenant of Detectives on the local police force acted as his best man and Lily\'s older sister Claire was the Matron of Honor. After the honeymoon they settled into a modest five bedroom, four bath cottage with a three car garage, a swimming pool and a single tennis court. It would have been pretentious to have put in a double court, after all they were just starting out.

They were also alike in that they were both gorgeous physical specimens. Scott was dark haired, tall with a beautifully sculpted body. Lily was another story; it appeared as if she had stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine, a very expensive fashion magazine. She was blond, blue eyed and above average height with a slender, willowy figure that belied the rather impressive breasts that strained whatever garment she happened to have on.

While their love for each other was obvious, their relationship could only be described as tumultuous. While Scott was a laid back, easy going sort, Lily was another story. While innately kind and giving, she did have a fiery personality. Lily was fortunate in that her close friends were used to her outbursts and had learned to accept, or at least tolerate, them. Lily was also smart enough to recognize the danger inherent in a \loose cannon\ and made sure that she was nothing but professional at her job.

Unfortunately, Scott never knew, from day to day, just what he would find at home. Would it be the kind and loving wife he adored, or would he have to face a raging harridan. Luckily, her bad days did not occur too often, but every few weeks he knew that there would be trouble. It seems that it didn\'t take much to set Lily off; the problem was that he never knew when that would happen. A minor problem that she would just shrug off most days, would result in an emotional storm another time. It was like living with an active volcano, never being sure when the eruption would come. It was that temper that fueled the calamity that befell them.



A cloudy and blustery Saturday a few weeks later saw Carl Crowe in Angie Rizzo\'s graphic office at work with her drawing materials strewn over her table and desk.

\Okay, Carl. I have to be near the phone. I told Frank that I had some work to clear up and he expects me to be here. Shit, he\'s called me twice already. He doesn\'t trust anything I tell him.\

Carl laughed as he doodled on the drawing pad that Lily had presented to him. \Poor Frank, he\'s a lawyer, but so easy to fool. You know that he\'s nuts about you, Ang. That\'s why he\'s still with you. Anyway, here\'s the drawing.\

Angie mouth twisted with disgust as she viewed Carl\'s drawing. \Damn it, Carl. You can\'t draw worth a shit,\ she complained. \That\'s the lousiest sketch I\'ve ever seen.\

\What do you want from me, Ang. I can\'t draw, big deal. This whole thing is your idea so come up with another solution to my lousy drawing,\ answered Carl crossly.

\Wait, wait,\ Angie replied excitedly. \Let me get some clip art down. I know that we have a book of flowers.\ Angie started to rummage through the volumes on a back shelf off her office. \ Here it is, let me leaf through this. Aha, here we go - a lily. Now, is this like the one on Scott\'s butt?\

\Bingo, you\'ve got it. That\'s exactly like it, except his is in color, not black and white.\

\Not to worry, sweetie. I\'ll do the color. Just give me the size of that tattoo as close as you can and we\'ll get started,\ smiled Angie.

\One inch, Ang. Scott even told us how big it was. He would brag, \'one inch, guys. I\'ve got a one inch Lily right here\' and then he\'d laugh, the dumb schmuck,\ Carl told her.

\Okay, one inch,\ repeated Angie. \Now get your pants and shorts off and let me get started. I\'ve got all the materials right here.\ With that Carl did as he was told and removed his slacks and undershorts, standing there without a trace of embarrassment.

\Turn around, Carl. I\'m not going to draw on your dick,\ laughed Angie.

Carl had a small smile on his face. \We\'re gonna do more than just draw, Ang. Once the drawing on my butt is finished, we start taking pictures. That\'s why the camera is perched there on the tripod. Where\'s the remote, by the way?\

\Yeah, yeah, I know. That\'s the deal. You get to fuck me and we\'ll get some good shots, but from the waist down. Lily Palmer is going to get proof that her perfect hubby is screwing around on her. It\'s a good thing that you kinda look like Scott, at least, I hope, below the waist,\ Angie chuckled. \Oh, the remote\'s on the arm of the couch, that\'s where the action\'s going to take place.\

\Hmmm,\ mused Carl. \Now how do you know what Palmer looks like below the waist, Ang. Have you been boffing him?\

Angie laughed despite herself. \Keep quiet, Carl and let me finish. This won\'t take too long,\ she said as she bent to the task. True to her word the drawing was finished fairly quickly and Carl looked at his rear in the mirror Angie provided. \Perfect, Ang. It\'s just as I remember it. Look, we won\'t make the pictures too crystal clear, kind of soft focus. That\'ll take care of any slight difference there might be.\

Carl then slowly licked his lips, began to unbutton his shirt, his last remaining garment and nodded to Angie. \Ok, cupcake. Off with your clothes. Let\'s get this on.\

Carl watched closely as Angie shed her blouse and skirt. Seconds later she was nude and standing proudly before him. Angie knew that she still had a great figure. Her breasts were still firm with dark nipples that had started to stiffen. Her waist was trim with a belly that had a slight swell which only added to her sexual allure. Carl\'s eyes traveled to the darkness below and saw that her pubic hair was neat and well trimmed.

\Ok, Ang. Let\'s get to it. We\'ll let the camera go on automatic for awhile and then crop the pictures so that we print just what we want. The money shot will show Palmer\'s butt with the lily on it as he\'s pumping into a pussy that sure isn\'t blond,\ he laughed.



It was a cool evening despite the fact that the calendar indicated that spring had finally arrived. Scott Palmer parked his car in the garage and trudged wearily into the house. He had been working the Simmons\' account for weeks, trying to overcome each objection old man Simmons had fired at their ad presentation. Tonight had been just one in a prolonged series of meetings trying to placate the old bastard. Scott had no inkling as to what was to greet him when he walked into his sanctuary.

He dropped his briefcase on the chair in the spacious foyer, stripped off his suit jacket and tie, both of which he draped over his arm. Walking into the living room he saw Lily standing there glaring at him.

Uh, uh, he thought. What the fuck has set her off this time. Scott usually shrugged off Lily\'s tantrums, but tonight he was just too beat to put up with any shit. He was startled though when she beat him to the verbal draw.

\You rotten, cheating son -of- a- bitch,\ she hissed, spittle flying from her mouth. \My faithful, adoring husband is nothing but another prick who thinks with his dick. Oh, you poor, hardworking, lying bastard. Late night meetings, huh? Late night screwing is more like it, you prick.\

Lily had hit her stride. She hurled invective after invective at Scott who just stood there, dumbfounded at the sight of his wife spitting and hissing like a viper about to strike at his jugular.

She slowly approached him, still hurling verbal barbs. She was white with anger and Scott was just barely able to grab her hand as it came flying up to his face. His patience was worn thin and he clasped her hand with some force, causing her to gasp in pain.

\Let go of my hand, you son-of-a-bitch,\ she spat as she attempted to claw him with her other hand. Scott lips curled in disgust as he pushed her onto the sofa.

\Shut the fuck up,\ he roared. \I\'ve had it, I\'ve had it with your irrational, idiotic outbursts. I don\'t know what set you off this time, but it\'s the last time. You\'re acting like a spoiled child. One day you\'ll grow up and learn to comport yourself with some dignity and maturity.\

Scott\'s words stung Lily and she cowered, stunned by his vehemence. He sat down close to her and lowered his voice. \Lily, listen to me, please. I don\'t know where you got this ridiculous notion, but please let me assure you that I have never, repeat NEVER cheated on you. The thought has never even entered my mind.\

His voice took on a pleading tone. \Lily, I love you, I\'ve always loved you. The very thought of betraying you would kill me. Please, Lily, please. believe me\

Lily\'s eyes softened for a moment, then quickly hardened again. This time her voice was calm and controlled. \Fuck you, Scott. You\'re a pretty good liar, but I KNOW that you\'re a cheat and an adulterer, so you can quit trying to be the injured party. I saw the proof. You\'re going to crawl through hell before I forgive you.\

Scott sighed and rose to his feetl. He looked down at his wife and shook his head slowly. \Have it your way, Lily, but I won\'t play your game. I don\'t know what put this wild hair up your ass, but you can play the martyr by yourself. In the meantime I\'m leaving. Stew in your own bile for a bit . I may be back and then again I may not. Chew on that for awhile,\

\Forget about coming back,\ Lily snarled. \Go fuck your girlfriends.\ Her voice dropped and if Scott had looked back he would have seen the tears flowing down her cheeks. \They .can have you,\ her voice cracked as he stalked out of the house.



The next few days were agonizing for both Lily and Scott. Scott had made good his threat about leaving and had rented a suite at the local Extended Stay Inn not far from work. He had made sure that Lily was at work when he came home and packed most of his clothing and personal effects.

They were both subdued and tense at work which was quickly noted by their co-workers who avoided them whenever possible. Fortunately, Scott and Lily worked on different floors and it was not difficult for them to avoid each other. Things came to a head a few days later.

Scott was seated at his desk, trying to develop a proposal, when his phone rang.

\Scott? This is George, are you busy?\ a deep, authoritative voice asked.

Scott blinked, surprised to hear from his father-in-law. He immediately thought that Lily had brought out the big guns, getting her father to threaten him with dismissal, then smiled as he realized that would be the last thing that George would do. His respect for the man knew no bounds; George Bender was a true gentleman with a huge amount of integrity.

\George, it\'s nice hearing from you. No, I\'m not busy. What do you have in mind?\ asked Scott.

\Good, then do me a favor, son. It\'s almost lunch time, why not pop out and join me for a bite at the club. It\'s not far and you wouldn\'t be too late getting back. It\'s time that we had a chat, something that we should have had a while ago.\

It was a short time later that saw Scott Palmer seated with his father-in-law in a small dining room at a private and very exclusive center city club. They had greeted each other in a warm and friendly manner and enjoyed their lunch along with a bottle of good California wine. Scott declined the offer of a cigar, but rose and followed George into an adjoining study. George motioned Scott to have a seat and then closed the door firmly behind him. George was obviously uncomfortable and Scott watched this tall, blond growing gray man pace a bit before seating himself also.

\Okay, son. I\'m sure that you\'re astute enough to realize the purpose of this little meeting. Lily has been raving and ranting about your so called adultery and her mother has been commiserating with her, something that she has done for ages. Helen has always been terrified by Lily\'s temper and so my daughter has never grown to realize that temper tantrums are for children, not adults.\

George sighed ruefully. \I suppose that it\'s partly my fault also. You know that Lily is our youngest child and I guess that I\'ve given into her more than I should have. But this notion of hers is ludicrous, despite what she calls the so called proof of her claim. I told her that I just do not believe her accusations. I know you, Scott, and I know that infidelity is just not part of your character. So what the hell is going on, son?\

Scott leaned back in his chair and smiled wryly. \You know, George, you\'re my father-in-law, my wife\'s father, and yet you believe in me and are certain that I wouldn\'t betray my marriage. Isn\'t that sadly ironic? You will not believe that I cheated, yet my sweet, loving, trusting wife does. What does that tell you about the kind of relationship Lily and I have?

\I opened my heart to her, George. I pleaded with her, I swore I had never betrayed her and she just spat at me and cursed me. The events of the past few days have opened my eyes. I saw, perhaps for the first time, just what kind of person Lily really is. I truly believe that Lily may be schizophrenic, George. She seems to be two different people and I have been going nuts trying to figure out who she is at any given time. It\'s like a Jekyll and Hyde situation.\ Scott had to stop, his eyes filling with tears.

George felt his heart go out to this man who was like a son to him. He started to speak, but Scott put up his hand.

\George, most of the time Lily is as sweet and kind as anyone I know. But there are times, at least every few weeks or so, when she goes nuts. Most of the time her anger is not directed at me, thank goodness, but she does find a target and I have to wait until she regains her mental equilibrium. I\'m tired, George. I\'m really tired. It\'s like living with a time bomb and I\'m tired of it. I love Lily, I really do, but this little blow-up is the final straw. I can\'t live with her, George. I\'m truly sorry, but I just can\'t live like this.\

Scott took a deep breath and lowered his eyes. He truly hated to wound this decent man. \I\'ve decided to divorce her, George. I\'ve given this a lot of thought and I see no other solution. I love her, but I\'m going to divorce her.\

George Bender paled as he heard Scott\'s plan. He knew that this would devastate Lily, despite her anger at what she perceived as her husband\'s betrayal. His mind worked quickly and in seconds he had come up with a desperate plan.

\Scott, please, hear me out - just for a moment or so. I have a suggestion that may have some value. Let me draw up a Notice of Intent to Divorce for you and have it served on Lily. It\'s a document declaring that unless Lily agrees to counseling or couples mediation you will file for divorce. It\'s not as final as divorce papers and it can give both of you a chance to cool down. Please, Scott, at least think about my suggestion.\ pleaded George.

Scott sat quietly for a moment before speaking. \Okay, George, let me think about this for a day or two. I have to tell you that I have my doubts. Lily is so sure that I cheated that she\'ll probably go bonkers when she sees that. But let me get back to you, I promise I\'ll let you know soon,\ and with that the two men shook hands and parted.



Angie grinned at Carl as he sat nude on her office sofa, his erection pointing up at the ceiling.

\Boy, are you proud of that flagpole. That extra inch you have on Frank really pleases you, doesn\'t it,\ chuckled Angie who had disrobed to her panties.

\Hey, cupcake, don\'t mock that extra inch. I figure seven is better than six and this flagpole is waiting to be mounted. C\'mon, Ang. Slide that sweet pussy down on peter here.\

\Jeez, Carl. Aren\'t you the romantic one. No sweet whispers, no exclamation of love?\ she complained, tongue in cheek, as she rid herself of the panties and approached him.

She slowly eased herself on his lap, taking his straining cock in her hand and placing the head between the lips of her vulva. Angie, despite her cool demeanor, was wet and very aroused. Carl slipped in easily as she continued to lower herself until she was fully impaled.

\Ahhhhh,\ she moaned. \Damn Frank, if he could only make me feel like this, but his golf is more important,\ she murmured as she rose and then lowered herself on Carl\'s rampant cock.

\Mmmmm, thank goodness for golf and Saturdays. This is terrific, Ang,\ Carl said softly. \Your hubby plays his golf and we get to play in your office. It sounds fair to me,\ laughed Carl as he held Angie\'s hips and guided her movements.

Carl then allowed Angie to move at her will. She had her hands clasped around his neck as she rose and descended slowly. She then picked up the pace and began moving more rapidly as she felt her orgasm approaching. Her breathing quickened until she finally sank with a whimper. The muscles in her neck strained as she tensed and let her climax wash over her.

Angie remained in that position for a bit, on Carl\'s lap with his throbbing erection still deep inside of her, gasping, trying to regain her breath . She felt him caressing her back and murmuring softly.

\Carl,\ she breathed, \You\'re a horny woman\'s dream. Frank would have come in around five seconds and you\'re still stiff as a steel rod. Let\'s see what we can do about that.\

Carl laughed and then quickly flipped Angie over until she was seated on the sofa, her thighs spread, her pussy gaping obscenely. Moisture glistened on her pubic hair and a small pool had collected at the base of her vagina. Angie sat quietly, looking up at her lover as he stood before her. He then went to his knees and began to softly kiss her thighs and the approach to her steaming cunt.

\Oh, my God,\ muttered Angie as Carl\'s tongue gently teased the lips of her pussy. She wrapped her fingers in his hair and pulled him forcibly into her crotch. He spent the next few minutes down south, licking and sucking until Angie was virtually crying out for release again. Car suddenly rose to his feet, turned Angie on her stomach, lifted her hips and plunged into her very wet vagina. He held her hips up and fucked her. There was nothing loving or gentle in his thrusting, this was raw and basic copulation. Then with a roar Carl ejaculated deep inside of her, his bellow drowning out Angie\'s shrill keening.

Both had collapsed, lying together exhausted on the sofa. Angie turned her head to Carl. \Holy shit,\ she whispered. \That was fantastic lover. I hope that you had your Wheaties this morning, I\'m not finished - no, not by a long shot. By the way, did you show that photo to Lily Palmer yet?\

Carl chuckled quietly. \Yeah. I waited until she was alone in her office, not many people around. I walked in and give her a line of bullshit that I didn\'t think a decent person like her deserved to be treated as Scott was doing. I told her that I wanted to show her something but she had to promise to leave me entirely out of it, and I then showed her the photo.\

Carl paused and smiled again. \I, at first, thought she was going to throw a fit, but she just turned to me and asked if she could have the photo. I told her no, that this was totally confidential, but if she really needed it in the future to let me know and I would see if I could give it to her. I could see the fire in her eyes so I got out of there as soon as I could. Angie, that picture was perfect. We didn\'t even need just a waist down shot. With the soft focus and from the back, it sure did look like Scott, and with that tattoo on his ass there was little doubt.\

Angie had a self-satisfied smile on her face. \Good, good,\ she said softly. \There goes that \perfect\ marriage. Let her suffer, the bitch.\



\Lily, you had better calm down. Losing control of yourself isn\'t going to help the situation,\ counseled Claire, Lily\'s sister. They were seated in Claire\'s kitchen, a half empty coffee cup in front of each sister. Claire again glanced out of the window, watching her two children playing on the back lawn.

Lily sighed and put her cup down. \I know you\'re right, Claire, but I\'m still so steamed. The bastard cheated, he was unfaithful and he has the balls to tell me he loves me and he never betrayed me. I saw the proof, Claire. I saw a photo of him screwing a dark haired bitch. I don\'t know what to do. I\'m really tempted to just divorce Scott. I can\'t trust him anymore. I\'ll never be able to trust him.\ Her voice broke as her eyes filled with tears.

Claire just shook her head, truly puzzled. \I\'m sorry, honey. I really am. It\'s just so hard to believe. Not Scotty, anyone but Scotty. I know that he adores you. My God, it\'s plastered all over his face every time he looks at you. There something awfully strange about this whole situation, Lily. No, no, don\'t get pissed at me,\ she stopped Lily as she was about to interrupt her. \I really wish that you would sit down with Scott and just talk with him, and talk without losing your temper.\

\What\'s to talk about, Claire,\ replied Lily glumly. \I tell him that I know that he cheated on me and he replies again and again that he never has. He lies like a rug, Claire. He won\'t admit it. You know how stubborn he can be. I know he cheated and he won\'t admit it.\

Claire\'s housecoat had opened a bit and Lily was surprised to see quite a bit of cleavage become exposed. It looked like Claire had forgotten to put a bra on before answering the door. When Claire absently scratched the inside of her knee, exposing quite a bit of her leg, Lily couldn\'t help but notice a trail of a whitish, milky substance running down her thigh.

Lily flushed and rose quickly to her feet. \I\'m sorry, Claire. I\'m sorry I barged in on you like this,\ she stammered. \I\'ll come back another time. I didn\'t mean to come so early.\ Lily was babbling and Claire stared at her in amazement, wondering what had come over her. She then noticed Lily\'s gaze and blushed as she noticed the condition of her inner thighs.

Clair quickly collected herself and laughed. \Take it easy, sis. Don was a bit amorous this morning while the kids were watching TV downstairs. Sit, sit - just give me a minute to clean up. I\'ll be right back.\

Lily wandered into the living room as Claire went upstairs. She looked wistfully at a picture of Scott and herself that Claire had on an end table. It was a shot of the two of them during their honeymoon. She wondered if they would ever again be that happy. Lily then wandered into the kitchen where she poured herself another cup of coffee. Sitting at the table, she again tried to make sense of why Scott was so insistent that she was wrong. Damn, she saw the proof, he should be begging for forgiveness.

Lily was startled as the doorbell chimed. Knowing that Claire and Don were upstairs she went to the door and was greeted by a short, rotund man who asked if she was Lily Palmer.

\Yes, I\'m Lily Palmer, who are you?\ she replied. Handing her a folded document, the man told her that she had been served, turned and walked away. Lily stood in amazement, looking at his retreating back and then at the paper in her hand in puzzlement.

Moments later, as Claire was descending the staircase, she stopped in shock as she heard Lily shrieking. \That son-of-a-bitch, that dirty, rotten bastard. I\'ll see him in hell first. I\'ll cut his balls off, that rotten prick. He hasn\'t seen anything yet. I\'ll castrate him.\

Claire rushed into the living room and found a wild-eyed, disheveled Lily, pacing the floor and spitting curses at her absent husband. She whirled on Claire and thrust the paper at her. \Look, look at this. Look what that bastard had the gall to do. He had me served with this.this. piece of shit called a.a.what the hell is it called?\

She looked at it again before surrendering it to her sister. \A Notice of Intent to.to Divorce,\ she sputtered. \He threatens to divorce me unless I go into.into. ccccounseling,\ she stammered incredulously. \He fucks around and wants ME to go into counseling, the bastard. Oh, the unmitigated gall. I just can\'t believe the unmitigated gall.\

\Lily, Lily,\ Claire had to raise her voice so as to be heard over Lily\'s. \Just calm down. NOW, Lily. Calm down,\ Claire commanded.

\Okay, okay, Claire,\ Lily had regained control, although her face was still red with rage. She bit her lip and flopped down on the sofa and Claire saw that she was still trembling with anger.

Claire was reading the document that Lily had thrust at her. \I don\'t understand. Why would Scott send you this? It just doesn\'t make sense, sis. Think about it. Scotty isn\'t devious, you know that. What you see is what you get with him. Why on earth would he want YOU to go into counseling if HE screwed up?\

Claire sat next to her sister and just looked puzzled. Claire knew Lily well and at this point was very suspicious of Lily\'s claim. She also knew Scott and she was pretty well convinced that Scott wouldn\'t cheat on Lily consciously. If Lily did indeed have proof of his infidelity, then something strange must have caused Scott to loose control. And if he did, Claire was certain Scott wouldn\'t be sending Lily an such an ultimatum. That, she knew, was totally out of character.

Lily had regained a modicum of control. Her facial flush had been replaced by a paleness that was startling by comparison. Her lips had tightened and she spoke calmly, her voice almost emotionless. \That\'s it, Claire. This is. over the top. I\'m beginning to hate him and what he\'s been doing to me. It\'s obvious that he doesn\'t love me anymore and I\'m not even sure of my own feelings right now.\

Tears had started to form in Lily\'s eyes. \I\'m going to start divorce proceedings, Claire. This marriage is. over.\ Her voice broke and she put her hands over her face, allowing the tears to come.



It was a warm evening and the air was filled with the smells of spring. Lawns that had been mown that day still gave off their fragrance and the trees had blossomed with new growth. It was a season filled with the promise of new life, but Scott Palmer was oblivious to all of that.

He was seated in his brother\'s living room, cuddling a glass of Dewar\'s in his palms. Marc and his wife Marie sat across from him on the couch. Both their eyes were filled with concern. Marc finally broke the awkward silence.

\Scott, it was nice having you for dinner, but that\'s not the real reason you called, is it?\

Scott sighed wearily and nodded. \Yeah, you\'re right, Marc.\ He then smiled awkwardly. \You could always read me. Not much I can hide from you. By the way, Marie, dinner was delicious, thanks again.\

Marie nodded, her smile tentative, but the look of concern returned quickly. \Oh Scotty, this whole situation is so tragic. I know that you love Lily and that she adores you. What on earth is going on; this is so crazy.\

Scott was quiet for a moment then began to speak, but in a voice that was so low that his hosts had to strain to listen. \I know, Marie. It is crazy, but I\'ve had time to think. We all know how Lily is, she blows up easily, but she usually calms down quickly enough. Everyone knows that she doesn\'t carry a grudge.\ He sat quietly for another moment, obviously gathering his thoughts.

\Something\'s going on, something completely out of the ordinary. I lost my temper at Lily, at her ridiculous accusation.I was royally pissed that she would even dream that I would cheat on her. But she continues to insist that she\'s right, that she has seen the proof. Lily\'s excitable, but she\'s not nuts and she\'s not stupid.\ Scott paused, was pensive for another moment then continued.

\Marc, Marie,\ he looked up at them. \I think somebody\'s screwing with us. I\'m not being paranoid, but I really think that somebody is trying to fuck up my marriage.\ Scott reddened and quickly apologized to Marie. \Sorry, Marie. Please excuse my language.\ Marie waved her hand dismissively.

Marc sat, nodding, a satisfied look on his face. \I think you\'re right, Scott. I\'ve been thinking along those exact lines. I can\'t think of any other explanation for Lily\'s behavior. You may be on to something.something really stinks here. I think it\'s time to be proactive.\

\You\'re right, Marc,\ replied Scott. \I think it\'s time for me to sit down and have a serious conversation with Lily, something I had been foolishly avoiding.\



Lily stood in the shower, absently swiping the soapy washcloth over her skin. She was deep in thought, her innate common sense finally starting to kick in somewhat. She really had had no opportunity for a reasoned, sensible discussion with herself since that fateful day when she had been shown that horrible picture. Since then a whirlwind of emotions, from anger to grief, had swept her along. Now, many of the things that Claire had pointed out were awakening her and causing her to consider what was happening. Scott\'s infidelity, she finally realized, was so out of character, that there had to be another explanation for that photograph.

\Ohhhhh, that photo, that horrible photo,\ she thought. \Scott\'s tattoo pictured so prominately on his.\ Lily froze, her eyes widening. The color left her face, leaving her ashen. In the photograph, the tattoo was on the left hip. Scott\'s tattoo was on his right! She then crumpled to the floor of the shower, letting the water cascade over her. She started to sob in regretful sorrow, the tears flowing. \Oh, you stupid, stupid fool.\she whimpered. \How could you have been so dumb,\ she castigated herself as she fought to control her tears.



Lily was seated at her desk later that day, her mind obviously not on her work when Carl Crowe walked into her office. Her eyes narrowed just a bit as she watched his face light up with a smile.

\Hi Lily, I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. I really hated being the messenger of such crappy news, you know that. I hope that you got to the bottom of the.ah, problem?\ he asked smoothly.

\Thanks, Carl,\ Lily replied evenly. \I see you have another envelope under your arm. Is that the picture you showed me? I really need it, Carl. If I\'m to go ahead with my plans, I really need that photograph.\

Carl\'s eyes lit up as he heard Lily\'s words. His mind quickly assumed that her next steps would be the divorce court and he was prepared. \Yeah, Lily,\ he replied. \The picture I showed you and a couple of others are in here. They will tell you all you need to know. No words are needed.\ He then placed the large, tan envelop on her desk.

\Look, Lily,\' he continued in a low and conspiratorial tone. \I know that this is difficult for you and I really can sympathize. It\'s really rotten when someone you love plays around on you. I want you to know that you can count on me. for anything. Understand? anything, anything at all. Okay?\

Lily smiled, but Carl didn\'t notice that the smile did not reach her eyes. She nodded. \Thanks, Carl. I do appreciate it; you\'ve been a good guy and I won\'t forget what you\'ve done. Believe me, I won\'t forget.\

The day passed slowly for Lily, the hours dragging by. Strong emotions again wracked her, but she managed to control them while trying to come up with some kind of plan. She felt rage consume her at times, perspiration flowing down between her breasts and down her back. Finally, realizing that she wouldn\'t be able to get anything done, she gave an excuse and left work early.

Arriving home Lily mounted the stairs and quickly shed her clothing in the bedroom. She felt sticky from perspiration and was far from sure that her deodorant was still working. She entered the shower and let the hot water relax her tense muscles. Soaping herself and rinsing she started to feel a bit more human, although still filled with rage as to what was being done to her marriage and bitter recrimination of how she had treated her husband.

Drying herself, Lily entered the bedroom again then paused, listening. She was sure that she had heard the front door open and close. Quickly donning a robe, she opened Scott\'s closet door and extracted a six iron from the golf bag nestled in the corner. Lily silently crept down the stairs, a bit frightened, not knowing what to expect. From near the foot of the staircase she saw a figure in the living room. She almost turned to run up the stairs to a phone when she realized that the figure was Scott.

For a long moment they stood gaping at each other. Then Lily, with a sob caught in her throat, ran and flung herself at her husband, clasping him around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. \Ohhh, Scotty. I\'m so sorry, please forgive me. please Scotty. I\'ve been such a damn, stupid fool, I know that I don\'t deserve you.you\'ve got to forgivemeScottyplease I\'mbeggingyou.\

Her words were running together, becoming unintelligible. Scott just stood there, totally flummoxed, this being a reception that for which he was totally unprepared. He had expected a cold and bitter Lily, not this broken woman begging for his forgiveness. Taking her arms in his hands, he attempted to pull her away from him just a bit when she planted her lips on his and kissed him desperately, not realizing that she still held the six iron, the head of which was tapping into Scott\'s skull.

\Jeez, Lily,\ he gasped as he came up for air. \My head, jeez, put the damn club down.\

Lily, realizing that she was still grasping the golf club, turned red and flung the six iron from her.

\Lily, jeez, careful. Those irons cost me a fortune,\ complained Scott.

They then stood and looked at each other, beginning to recognize the total absurdity, the idiotic incongruity of the whole situation. Lily then, despite her fears, giggled. She quickly put a hand over her mouth in horror, apprehension in her eyes. Scott blinked, blinked again and tried to suppress a grin, failed and let a chuckle escape him. In wasn\'t long before they were both holding each other, howling with laughter.

Wiping tears from his eyes, Scott then held Lily to him and, his voice low, murmured softly. \Honey, we have to talk, we really have to talk.\

\I know, sweetheart, I know,\ Lily answered dreamily. \I know that that\'s important.but something is even more important now.\ Lily then shook the robe from her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. She stood there, nude, and slowly sank to her knees. She reached up to his fly and attempted to lower his zipper. Grasping her hand, Scott just shook his head, \Please, Scott. I want to do this. I really need to do this, plus, for some odd reason, I\'m horny as hell. Don\'t stop me, Scotty.\ Slowly his hand released his hold and she then unfastened his trousers and lowered them along with his shorts to the floor. His cock was now hard and throbbing and Lily grasped it by the base and brought the head to her lips, lightly flicking her tongue across the smooth skin.

Lily suddenly engulfed him totally, her nose buried in his pubic hair. She slowly moved back, almost allowing him to slip from her lips and then buried him in her throat again. Scott moaned and, despite himself, sank to the floor, disengaging himself from his wife\'s mouth.

\It\'s been too long, Lily. I\'m ready to . explode,\ he stammered. Lily quickly shed him of his clothing and moved into his arms. She felt his throbbing erection against her belly and moved sensually against him, smearing the lubrication leaking from him across her flesh. Kissing him then passionately again, she mounted Scott, shifted slightly and with almost no effort, felt him slip effortlessly into her steaming pussy.

Lily sat still for a moment, gazing into her husband\'s eyes. \Scotty, I love you. I love you with all my heart and I\'ll spend the rest of my life proving that to you.\ With those words she began to slowly raise and lower herself, feeling Scott slide in and out of her while holding her hands steady on his chest and keeping her eyes locked onto his. They were both much too aroused to last very long and as Scott moaned, Lily felt him pulse deep within her which triggered her own orgasm. She lay atop him for a few brief moments in post orgasmic bliss and then shifted to his side, letting his arms enfold her.

After awhile, Lily rose to her feet pulling Scott along with her. \Let\'s go, honey. Let\'s go upstairs to our bedroom. I said that I would spend the rest of my life proving my love for you, and that begins tonight.\ Scott smiled down at her and hand in hand they ascended the stairs.



The early morning sun, creeping past the window blinds, woke Lily. She stretched and gazed lovingly at her husband lying beside her. Her eyes teared momentarily, recognizing how close she had come to losing him because of her stupid temper. Quietly she got out of bed and moved to the bathroom where she peed and then took a quick shower. Drying herself, she had a thought, grinned and tossed the towel aside. She tiptoed quietly back to the bed and gently lowered herself, scooting next to Scott.

Lily examined his strong, naked body and felt herself getting moist. His penis was lying flaccidly along his thigh. She reached and ran her finger along the ridge of it\'s head and almost giggled as she saw it twitch. Taking the entire length in her hand she squeezed it gently. She felt it start to swell a bit and then quickly moved down and engulfed it, feeling it grow to it\'s full length in her mouth. Keeping her eyes on Scott, who continued to sleep in blissful unawareness, she allowed his cock to move from her lips until just the head was on her tongue, which she laved gently.

Lily saw Scott move restlessly and a small moan escaped him. She smiled with her eyes as he finally awoke and saw his wife\'s head at his groin and felt her tongue caressing his phallus. He moaned softly again. \Damn, Lily. I\'ll give you 2 hours to stop that,\ he muttered. Lily continued her ministrations until she felt his cock begin to swell a bit. She then quickly removed her mouth before his impending ejaculation. Scott moaned again, this time in frustration. Lily giggled and moved up the bed.

\My turn, honey,\ she said softly as she smoothly moved across him and straddled his head. He looked up and saw her soft, blond trimmed pussy hovering above him. The pink lips were slightly agape and her moisture was very evident. He moved his hands to her hips and pulled her down to him, breathing in her sweet fragrance. He worked his tongue like a magic wand, moving it from her vagina up to her clitoris and teasing it gently. Lily threw back her head, her hands clutching his head, pulling him more tightly to her. She shuddered, feeling her orgasm approaching.

Quickly, Lily moved down until she felt Scott\'s cock rubbing against the lips of her pussy. Reaching beneath her, she grasped his throbbing member, almost jammed the head of his cock between her nether lips and sank gratefully down until she was fully impaled. That was all it took. She heard Scott grunt and she knew that he was about to blow. Lily tensed and allowed her orgasm to overwhelm her as she felt Scott pulse and spew inside of her. She seemed to freeze in a rictus of spasmodic agony until she finally gasped and fell, exhausted, on top of her husband who enfolded her in his arms. They both drifted off to sleep in that position until hunger pangs finally awoke them and convinced them to descend to the kitchen for a late breakfast .

After a meal of scrambled eggs and scrabble (Scott\'s weakness) they settled in the study with large mugs of coffee and the photos that Lily displayed on the coffee table. She grimaced as she viewed the photos again, disgusted at herself for being taken in.

\Look, Scott. The tattoo is on the wrong hip, that\'s what finally awakened me and made me realize what I fool I\'ve been,\ Lily said ruefully.

Scott shook his head. \Stop beating yourself up, Lily. As we said, we\'re moving on and now we\'re going to get to the bottom of this.\ He sat back with a puzzled frown on his face. \Now why would Crowe do this? What reason would he have? Scott mused.

Lily thought for a moment, then said, \Didn\'t he get really pissed when you got the Packard account? You told me that he was mad enough to spit nails.\

\Yeah, but would he do something like this for revenge? It just seems so over the top, even for Crowe.\ Scott shook his head again. \It just seems so strange.\

Lily picked up one of the photos again. \Scott,\ she said and the intensity in her voice was obvious. \Take a look at this, the woman in the photo. Look at her ankle, that scar.\

Scott looked at the photo held by Lily. He saw the small, half moon scar and looked at Lily with a puzzled expression. \Doesn\'t register, honey. What about it?\

\Sonofabitch,\ Lily grated. \I know who that bitch is, it\'s Angie Rizzo. I swear I\'ll kill her.\ She looked up at her husband, fire in her eyes. \I know it\'s her, Scott. I\'m sure of it.\

\Okay, okay, Lily. Just calm down now. Get control of yourself,\ Scott tried to calm her and was pleased when the fire in her eyes dimmed a bit. She nodded and took a deep breath. \I\'m alright, Scott, but I definitely know it\'s that bitch. She\'s in this scam along with that prick, Carl,\ she spat out.

Scott sat back, a puzzled expression on his face. \But why, Lily? Why would she do a rotten thing like this? Shit, I barely know her. What does she have against me?\

Lily laughed bitterly. \It\'s not you, honey. It\'s me. The stupid bitch thinks that I\'m the one who blabbed about an affair she was having and which almost caused her husband to divorce her. I still don\'t know why he didn\'t. I denied it, but she didn\'t believe me so I told her to go fuck herself. This is her way to get back at me and that idiot Carl went along with her.\

Lily\'s eyes suddenly widened and she jumped to her feet. \Scott, Scott, guess what? We have the proof that she\'s screwing around again. It\'s right there in the photographs. The stupid morons never even realized that they hung themselves by taking those pictures. The tattoo is fake and we can prove that and the scar on her ankle gives her away.\

Scott just sat there, thinking.\Wait, wait, Lily.\ He held up his hand. \You\'re going off half-cocked again. We don\'t have \proof\, we really don\'t have squat. What we have is totally circumstantial. Wait a second, let me think.\ Lily started to override his objections, but thought better of it and reseated herself.

Lily continued to sit and fidget while Scott sat, rapt in thought. She finally rose and told Scott that she would refill their coffee mugs and Scott nodded absently. When Lily returned with fresh coffee she saw Scott sitting there with a small smile on his face.

\Okay, honey,\ he said. \I think I have the beginning of an idea, but a lot of parts have to come together; it gets a little complicated. Just listen, I\'m now just flying by the seat of my pants.\ Scott paused, collecting his thoughts.

\You know Jon Russell, one of the guys I golf with.\ It was a statement more than a question and Lily nodded. \Well, a few weeks ago we were sitting around with a couple of beers after the 18th hole, the other two, Crowe and Fisher had already left. Jon was bitching about the Regency, his small boutique hotel, in center city. It really hasn\'t been doing well and his two partners wanted to turn it into a very private and exclusive brothel. One of the partners, a John Benboe, ran an illegal whorehouse in Vegas, but was busted and had to get out of town. He told Jon that he has the experience and that they could make a fortune. The other partner loves the idea but Jon sure doesn\'t.\ \Scott,\ Lily complained, getting a bit agitated. \What does that have to do with anything?\

\Hold your horses, kid, I\'m getting to that. Jon wants nothing to do with that and he would love to buy them out, but they won\'t sell, so he kind of divorced himself from the hotel\'s operation. He just became an investor. He doesn\'t want anything to do with the day by day functions. Now here\'s what I have in mind.\ and Scott explained to Lily just what he had in mind.

\

The next evening Scott and Jon Russell were seated in a small, center city lounge, sipping their drinks. Jon was looking at Scott quizzically, a small smile on his face. \Okay, Scott. Thanks for the drink, now tell me why I\'m here. I\'m sure that it\'s something nefarious,\ he laughed.

\Jon, I need your help and after I tell you what I want you to do, I\'ll try to explain my reasons and how this will help you also. Remember Crowe mentioning that he was banging some broad?\ Jon nodded and said, \he\'s always banging some broad, Scott, so what?\

\Well, what I want you to do is tell him about the little boutique brothel and offer to let him use a room there anytime he wants. You know Crowe, he\'s cheap as dirt - he\'ll jump at the chance to get a nice room in a nice place for nothing.\

Jon sat there, frowning. \I can do that, Scott, but, you had better tell me what\'s going on. You figuring on getting my ass burnt?\

\You know better than that, Jon,\ Scott chuckled. \Here is why I want you to do this,\ and he related what Crowe and his married girlfriend had done and were doing to him and to Lily.

Jon sat there, amazement on his face. \I can\'t believe that. I mean I can, but that\'s got to be the most rotten thing I\'ve heard in a hell of a long time. That prick, I never did like him. Scotty, I\'m more than happy to help you. Even though I\'m not involved in the place\'s operation anymore, I can surely get a room anytime I want. Now tell me why you want this.\ Scott explained just what he had in mind.



The following evening Scott strode purposefully up the walk to his brother\'s house. He had called and was reassured when Marc told him to come ahead, but that Marie was out - it was her bridge night.

Scott didn\'t have to knock, Marc had the front door open by the time he reached it. They hugged briefly and moved into the living room. Scott sank into the sofa gratefully, trying to relax. He was obviously stiff with tension and his shoulders and neck ached. Marc looked at his brother with a worried expression.

\Okay, Scott. Tell me what\'s going on. It looks like you\'re ready to explode. Have things gotten that much worse with you and Lily?\

Scott shook his head firmly. \No, no, Marc. We\'re ok, really. We\'re fine now, but I have a story that I\'d like to tell you.\

Marc sat there and listened, at first with astonishment and then with a burning anger at how his brother\'s marriage had almost been derailed. Marc didn\'t say anything for a few moments when Scott had finished his tale. He had paled a bit, obviously trying to control his temper. He swallowed and then looked at Scott.

\Look, Scotty. I can just imagine how you feel, but don\'t do anything rash. The important thing in all of this is that you and Lily have seen through this despicable charade and have reunited. That\'s the bottom line, Scott, that\'s the important thing,\ Marc concluded intently, trying to forestall any precipitous action by his younger brother.

Scott smiled slightly and reassured him. \Don\'t sweat it , Marc. I\'m not going to go out and shoot the bastard, though I sure feel like it. Also, I\'m not going to do anything that will get me into any trouble, but I am going to try to burn Crowe\'s ass. He\'s going to learn that crap like he\'s pulled has it\'s consequences.\ Scott paused and then explained to Marc how he could help him bring down both Crowe and Angie Rizzo.

Marc sat with his mouth agape as Scott finished outlining his plan, then chuckled quietly and shook his head. \Remind me not to get you pissed off at me, bro.\ He then sat back and let the laughter come. \Count me in, just let me know a couple of days in advance and we\'ll be ready to go.\



Scott waited patiently, contacting Jon Russell from time to time, gathering information. He kept his brother Marc in the loop. It wasn\'t long before the call came. Jon Russell called him on a Friday.

\Scott, tomorrow\'s the day. I gave Carl a key card for room 312. He told me he would be there tomorrow evening around 8 p.m. It seems like her hubby is out of town. I didn\'t ask any questions, just smiled like a good guy.\

Scott smiled, just a bit of satisfaction in the facial gesture. \Thanks, Jon. I do appreciate your help.\

\No problem, Scott. The bastard deserves everything he\'s going to get, and what\'s even better, I\'ll benefit also. The place will be closed down and I\'m sure that I can buy those goons out then. I should be thanking you. Look, Scott. I\'ve got to go now, I expect to read all about it in the paper,\ and he chuckled as he broke the connection.

Scott quickly redialed. \Marc, it\'s me. It\'s on for tomorrow. Crowe and his slut will be there tomorrow at 8 p.m., room 312. I guess the best time would be around 8:30 or so - give them time to really get into it.\

Marc grunted in satisfaction. \Perfect, that\'s when we\'ll do it. I\'ve already primed a distinguished member of the press who\'s just waiting for my call. He\'s salivating over this story. It\'ll probably make the front page.\ Marc paused and then continued. \Scotty, I think it best that you be nowhere near that place tomorrow. Take Lily somewhere. Go away for the day. Make yourselves scarce.\



Scott chuckled a bit in satisfaction as he read the local section of the Sunday paper. \Lily, look at this,\ he said and held up the newspaper. In bold print, right under the fold was this headline: LOCAL BROTHEL BUSTED. \Here\'s the first sentence, honey. \'Police bust center city brothel and take the girls and their customers into custody.\' He chuckled again. \Pictures on page 6,\ he continued. \Holy shit, how about this,\ he exclaimed. \Crowe tried to escape out the back via a fire exit. He fell and broke both legs. Sonofabitch. Well, he deserves what he\'s going to get. They forgot the moral clause in their contracts. They\'ll both be out of a job by Monday. Ohmygod, Lily, here\'s a picture of Angie Rizzo being led out by a cop. Her ass is toast when her husband sees that.\

Lily smiled briefly, but felt no satisfaction. She felt soiled by the whole sordid mess and she still felt mortified at how she had lost control of herself and had lost faith in her husband. She vowed to herself to find help, to see someone, to enroll in an anger management program.

\I know how you feel, honey. They do deserve it, but I would really like to just forget it all now and just get on with our lives,\ sighed Lily. \It\'s just a shame that so many people had to suffer because of their jealousy, but I learned a valuable lesson, Scotty,\ she continued as she moved to his side.

\I learned, the hard way, to have faith in my husband, and to love him with all my heart.\ And with that she settled against him and felt comforted when she felt his arms enfold her.

The End