I caught my breath as I reread the text message:
7 pm. DO NOT BE LATE
Not exactly a seductive invitation, Anna, I thought. I wonder what can be so important?
A frown crossed my face. Surely the girls hadn’t broken down and told Jennifer’s mother anything? Whilst the brief exchanges with Anna had certainly been a little flirtatious, I doubted that she was as openly sexual as her daughter.
“Problems at work, darling?” my wife asked as she entered the room and saw the concerned look on my face.
“Nothing that can’t wait. Y’know, sometimes I wish bloody smart phones had never been invented. They keep you connected to the world every second of the day.”
I quickly deleted the message and plugged the phone into the charger on the nightstand, turning the volume down to avoid any loud beeps should another inappropriate text come through.
“Honey, I’ve had an exhausting day, would you mind if we just went straight to sleep tonight?” she asked as she slipped her naked body between the crisp linen sheets.
“Actually, darling, I rather think I’ll be asleep before you. It’s been a tiring evening for me, too.” I smiled to myself, wondering what her reaction would be if I were to tell her why I’d had a “tiring” evening. Thankfully, she chose not to enquire.
“Goodnight Jerry,” she said as she leant over to kiss my cheek.
“Goodnight, darling. Oh, I’ll probably have to go in to meet with John tomorrow evening to sort out a few things, so I’ll grab a bite to eat while I’m out.”
“No problem,” she responded, fluffing her pillow before reaching out to turn off the bedside lamp.
Well, that’s that sorted, I thought. My mind returned to the demanding text message, still unsure of whether I should be worried or delighted by the invitation. Perhaps she was cooking dinner and didn’t want it to be ruined? Yes, that must be it. There was no way either of the girls would have given up on their story, especially Jennifer, who obviously had a lot more at stake than Susie.
Unable to quash that niggling doubt, I drifted into a restless sleep.
The next day seemed to pass fairly quickly as I threw myself into the various mundane chores around the house, ticking them off a list that had got a little longer since my son’s new girlfriend had arrived on the scene. Thankfully none required much, if any, mental acuity, leaving my mind free to replay the events of the previous evening in ever-increasing detail throughout the day. That resulted in a delightful state of continuous semi-arousal for hours, only interrupted by the occasional concern over the possibility that Anna’s terse message had a darker purpose.
As I was digging and pulling weeds from the last flowerbed, the alarm on my phone went off, reminding me to prepare for the evening ahead. An hour later, after a relaxing hot bath, during which I had managed with difficulty to avoid satisfying my sexual needs, I was dressed and ready to make the short drive to Anna’s place. I grabbed a bottle of red and walked out to the car.
At precisely 6:57, I pressed the doorbell, and stepped back as I heard the click-clack of high heels. Anna opened the door. She was wearing a form-fitting black dress, which fell to her knees, and a matching pair of black strappy high heel sandals. She looked positively stunning. Thankfully, I’d decided to dress smartly in a crisp white shirt and black slacks, and had thrown my jacket in the car at the last minute, just in case she planned for us to go out.
“Good evening, Jerry,” she said as she stepped back to allow me to enter, smiling as she saw my eyes glancing down her body to her heels before returning to her face.
I walked in, then waited for her to close the door.
“I wasn’t sure what your plans were, Anna, but I thought a nice red wine would cover most eventualities.”
“Perhaps, but you might like to start with something a little stronger. What’s your preference?”
I felt the colour rise in my cheeks. What the hell did she mean by that?
“Gin and tonic, if you have it, Anna,” I said, following her into the kitchen, my gaze roaming up and down from her firm bottom to her sexy heels.
I watched as she dug a few scoops of ice into the empty glasses, then poured what could only be described as a very full measure of gin. Her drink of choice was vodka and orange, which I noticed she made with considerably less alcohol.
“Let’s go down to the den, it’s much more comfortable down there. We usually save the living room for the vicar, or my husband’s boss when he stops by. Why don’t you grab the tray so we don’t have to come back up for another. Follow me,” she said, picking up the two glasses and leading me through the house.
Their den was a very large room, furnished expensively yet comfortably with a leather sectional in front of a massive television screen on one wall. Several lamps provided the only light, although I made out a pool table and some exercise equipment in the darkness on the opposite side of the room.
Anna put the drinks on a heavy, smoked-glass coffee table and sat at one end of the massive sectional, demurely smoothing her dress on her lap before crossing her ankles.
“Cheers, Jerry,” she smiled at me as I slid the tray onto the table and sat.
“Salut, Anna,” I responded, lifting the glass to my lips and taking a healthy gulp. “Wow, you certainly didn’t skimp on the gin, did you?”
“Oh, sorry, is it too strong?”
“I think I’ll survive,” I replied as the alcohol seared down my throat.
She smiled as she put her drink on the table.
“I’m not sure there’s any way to say this other than just to come right out and tell you, Jerry.” She looked into my eyes as she spoke. “I saw you and Susie in the kitchen last night. Do you make a habit of letting teenage girls play with your penis, Jerry?”
My heart skipped a beat as I heard those words. I took another gulp from my glass, in part to give me time to think of a suitable response. After what seemed like an eternity, but was in fact only seconds, I couldn’t think of anything that would excuse my behavior.
“No, Anna, I don’t make a habit of it,” I replied. “She just stood in front of me and reached out and… well… just grabbed me.”
“I don’t recall you doing much to stop her,” she continued, “or pushing her hand away. What did your wife say when you told her about this?”
“Well, I haven’t actually told her yet,” I mumbled, looking down at the floor, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“But I’m sure you’re planning to, right?”
“Um… well, not exactly. I don’t want to get Susie into trouble for a youthful indiscretion, so I thought I’d just let it go,” I said, lamely.
“I’m not sure I can let it go, Jerry. As a married woman, I feel very uncomfortable with what I saw, and I feel morally obligated to tell your wife. I asked you to come over tonight to tell you that.”
“Oh,” I said quietly, visions of my wife’s face swimming through my mind as Anna recounted my indiscretion to her. The thought of the inevitable divorce hit me like a ton of bricks. That was something I just couldn’t afford to have happen.
“Anna,” I took a deep breath and then another gulp of my drink. “Please, don’t do that. She’d take me for everything.”
I looked at her and saw an evil grin on her face.
“Perhaps you should have thought of that before you let Susie play with you, Jerry,” she said. “Quite frankly, I don’t give a shit what happens to you. You can finish your drink and leave now, I’m done with you.” She stood, picking up the television remote and turning it on. “You can see yourself out, Jerry,” she added dismissively.
“Please, Anna, can we just talk about this? You’re going to ruin my life for a few lousy few seconds? You can’t do that, Anna,” I said angrily. “Please, I’ll do anything… anything. Just don’t tell my wife; I’m begging you.”
She turned to look at me imperiously.
“Oh, are you still here? The door is upstairs on the left, Jerry. I want you to leave my house!” She walked to the stairs and started up. Even then, I couldn’t help myself, I stared at her firm bottom and her delicious legs as I followed her. When she reached the top she turned her head quickly and caught me staring at her. She laughed out loud.
I made one last desperate plea. “Anna, please… don’t do this. What do you want from me? Anything, just tell me.”
She raised her eyebrows as she opened the front door. I gave up, and walked past her to my car and unlocked the door, my heart pounding like a drum, my head spinning.
“Jerry! Wait!”
