This is part of a short story contest I'm in at the minute. I'll post the new chapters here as I go along. Reviews are much appreciated as always, thanks!
5.07am
The dull light of early morning shone through the slatted blinds of the room. Inside a ruffled and rumpled bed, two figures lay pressed tightly together, oblivious to the rising sun outside the window. The female of the two began to stir, gradually opening her eyes and letting out a soft moan to clear her throat of that ever familiar dryness that comes with waking up. She adjusted to the darkness then quickly squinted her eyes to block the thin streams of light breaking through the blinds. Suddenly, a soft groan from behind her interrupted the peaceful silence of the room and the previous nights activities quickly came crashing to the forefront of her mind. The strong pair of arms that were wrapped around her waist tightened slightly and the soft hand that was palming her breast flexed, gently squeezing her creamy skin. A breath hitched in her throat at the movement and she closed her eyes, remembering everything that had happened last night - the anger, the fighting and the sadness at the hands of her husband and the passion and pleasure at the hands of another.
8 Hours 22 minutes ago
"Robert this is fucking ridiculous! Will you listen to yourself! For Christ sakes!" Stephanie yelled at her husband, furiously storming away from him and into the living room.
Robert slammed his dinner plate onto the kitchen table and followed hot on her heels. "Don't walk away from me Stephanie, we're not done here," he fumed. He came to stand just in front of her, blocking her exit from the room.
"No, we are done. I'm sick listening to you and your crap."
They had an intense stare down as they stood just in front of the door. Stephanie's eyes bored into those of her husband's, just daring him to keep this thing going.
Robert didn't budge either and stared right back until he recognized that ever familiar defiant glint in his wife's eyes. He knew that no matter how badly he wanted to try and talk, it simply wasn't going to happen. He sarcastically stepped aside and swept his arm across the front of the door. "You wanna leave? Then leave. But we are going to talk about this Stephanie."
Stephanie stormed to the closet in the hall and grabbed her black trench coat. She angrily pulled it on before reaching for her keys and headed straight for the door. "Yes we are but not right now," she whispered to herself as she slammed the door shut and got inside her car. She didn't know where the hell she was going to go but she simply could not be around him anymore. That mere thought used to scare the life out of her but more and more she found herself simply not caring. As she drove away, Robert shook his head and walked back into the living room. Both of them failed to notice the little girl hiding between the banisters on the wide steps. She quickly wiped at her eyes and scampered off to her room hugging her little bear tightly.
2 Hours Later
The smoky bar and equally smoky atmosphere was absolutely perfect for her current mood. She drained the last of her wine and summoned the bar tender, asking for a double vodka and coke. He eyed her curiously as he made her drink and set it on the damp place mat on the dark oak table. She had entered the bar a while ago like a woman on a mission, heading straight for the bar and ordering a drink. As she had sipped at her wine, all the problems in her marriage were mulled over and analysed. It felt like they had been fighting forever and it was becoming harder and harder to remember any of the good times. Except for Jennifer. She was a constant reminder of the love they once shared for each other.
"Once shared," she snorted indignantly taking a pull of her drink and wincing at the strong taste. She glanced at the bar tender who smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
"You look like you needed it a little stronger," he offered and for the first time tonight she managed a smile.
"You don't know the half of it," she joked and took another sip, getting used to the strength of the drink. The loud noise of cheering and hooting from a few tables at the back of the bar caused her to spin around and scan the room. She sighed as she saw the group of people laughing and having fun. When was the last time she had done that? They used to go out with friends all the time. Even after Jennifer was born, they still made an effort to go out and spend some time together. But lately they wanted to be nowhere near each other. As she moved to turn back to her original position, she got caught in the powerful stare of a man sitting to her right. His deep hazel eyes were locked onto her and she immediately felt a frisson of energy shoot up her spine. She watched as he downed his drink and stood up, slowly making his way toward her. She held his gaze as he came to stand beside her and swallowed thickly, inhaling his light cologne and feeling his arm brush against hers.
"Can I help you sir?" asked the bar tender as he joined them at the end of the bar.
"Scotch rocks," came the husky reply as he answered the man's question yet never broke their stare. "And for the lady," he continued, the start of a small smile forming on his lips, "a water."
Stephanie raised her eyebrow curiously and tilted her head to the side as the bar tender left to fix their drinks. "Water?" she questioned, getting a little excited at the electricity she could feel growing between them.
"Yes, a water," he answered, finally letting the cheeky grin appear on his face. But just as quickly it was gone. "I've been watching you; a little water will do you no harm."
She scoffed at his remark and turned away from him, smiling at the returning bar tender who set their drinks down and then left them to their devices. "It's rude to make assumptions."
"I'm not assuming anything. Like I said, I've been watching you. If you're not careful, you'll end up getting carted out of here by some fat greasy loser." He pushed the water towards her as he took a gulp of his scotch and had to stop the smile that threatened to break across his face when she pushed it back.
"I don't want your water. It is possible to get hit on by guys that aren't 'fat greasy losers' but are just as bad you know," she answered with an accusatory glare in his direction.
This time her snappy retort was too much and he let out a small yet somehow sinister chuckle. "We both know that's not true," he whispered, sliding closer and letting his body rest against her. She turned her head and met his broad shoulder. Slowly raising it up, she finally came face to face with him and couldn't help but close her eyes as he ever so softly brushed his lips against her own. When she opened them again, his lust filled stare caused her body to throb in places that had been dormant for too long. She hadn't been intimate with Robert for the longest time. But her husband didn't even get an afterthought as the man next to her moved even closer bringing his lips to her ear. His hand came to rest on her thigh and he slowly moved it up her leg with a purpose, heading for one place and one place only.
"You want to get out of here?" he whispered enticingly.
Self-consciously she found herself nodding her head. She let out a soft sigh as his hand connected with its destination. God she hadn't been touched like this in so long. She hadn't felt wanted by her husband in the longest time yet here she was, 5 minutes in the presence of this stranger and she was ready to give him anything he wanted. As she brought her hand to his chest and gently pushed him away, she happened to catch sight of her wedding rings sparkling against the dark black of his shirt. A fleeting feeling of guilt crossed her mind and for a moment, this situation sounded completely wrong. But all it took was a soft caress on the arm and another look into those dark hazel eyes and she was gone. She grabbed her coat and stood up; watching as he placed a $100 bill on the table then grasped her arm and led her out of the bar. Within minutes they were inside a cab and headed for his place and within seconds of getting into the cab they were all over each other. The old cab driver turned his face away in disgust as he caught sight of the two locked in an arduous kiss in his rear view mirror. Stephanie's mind was reeling as he kissed and sucked at her neck. She ran her fingers through his long blonde strands and closed her eyes as they kissed lower and lower, completely oblivious to the disapproving cabbie. Pretty soon, they had arrived at his apartment and had stumbled inside, still joined in a passionate lip lock which reached fever pitch as they arrived in the bedroom.
"Jesus you're beautiful," he whispered as he yanked the tight white blouse over her head and chucked it to the floor. He pressed his lips against hers and almost instantly she opened her mouth, needing to taste as much of him as possible. Her nimble fingers made quick work of his soft black shirt and it too went the direction of the floor. She let out a groan as she ran her hands over the smooth, firm skin of his abs and then moved them lower, feeling for his belt. However she was momentarily stopped as he cupped her behind and lifted her up. He walked over to the bed and lay her down, covering her body with his much larger frame. She rid him of his pants and revelled in the feel of him pressing against her inner thigh. As their lips connected in a torrid kiss and they continued their passionate encounter, Stephanie completely and willingly surrendered herself to this stranger with not a second thought to her husband and the problems that lay with him. After spending most of the night having several rounds of pleasure filled and intense sex, the pair finally drifted off to sleep, locked in a tight embrace, the worries of the waking world long forgotten.
6.22am
The wood creaked underneath her feet as she tiptoed up the winding staircase. As she ascended up the stairs she thought about how she should be feeling right now. She had just left another man's bed and was now sneaking back into her own. She should feel like she had just broken her vows and possibly destroyed her marriage. But she felt nothing, empty. She gently pushed the door to her bedroom open and walked inside. Robert was lying flat on his stomach, his body sprawled all over the bed as usual. She should have felt a pang of guilt upon seeing the man she had betrayed last night but again she felt nothing. Nothing except for the little voice in her head telling her to go back to her beautiful stranger because at least when she was with him, she felt something. She stripped off her clothes and reluctantly climbed into the bed. Robert was a heavy sleeper. He wouldn't know what time she came in at and hell; she didn't give a damn if he did. As she lay there in the darkness, she quickly came to realise that she simply didn't have it in her to fight for their marriage anymore. A few months ago, this realisation would have devastated her. Now, all she could think about was the freedom that lay ahead of her in a life without her husband. But life was never that easy. She would always be tied to Robert and that was through their daughter, their wonderful innocent daughter who was none the wiser about her parent's situation. Somehow Stephanie guessed that Jenny knew that something was going on though. She had to notice the distance between them. Even her family had noticed and they didn't see her as often as she'd like them too. Jenny was with them both every day. She always pitied those women that stayed in their marriage for the sake of their children, thinking that she would never do the same. But it was a whole lot different being in their shoes. A separation would devastate her daughter; there was no doubt about it. But did she really want to live the rest of her life tied to a man she no longer loved? A man she no longer loved.
"Where did we go so wrong?" she whispered, turning onto her side and closing her eyes. She had to go to work in a few hours and lying there analysing everything wasn't going to do her any good. She pulled the blankets a little tighter around her body and tried to get at least an hour's sleep before she had to get up again. But as she drifted into an uneasy slumber, her very awake husband rubbed a weary hand over his face and answered her question.
"I don't know, Steph. I don't know."
