Laws of Motion – Book 3
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT
Chapter 20
Monday – October 3, 2005
Nick and Carrie's
5:45 pm
Exhausted from mowing the expansive lawn, Ryan dropped onto his aunt's couch and kicked up his feet. "Finally a break." He grabbed the remote to channel surf.
"Ryan!" Nick called out. "C'mon, we're headin' over to your house for a bit."
"I just sat down after mowing that farm you call a lawn. I'm too tired to move."
"Is that whining?" Nick pointed to the tin on the book shelf. "One dollar in the Fine Jar."
"It wasn't whining!" he protested. "It was a statement of fact."
Nick smiled as he pointed to the Fine Jar. "That's another dollar for talkin' back. You have five minutes to change and meet your aunt and I in the garage or you'll owe me twenty push ups for being tardy."
"Did you really grow up like this!" the frustrated teen asked as he begrudgingly reached into his pocket for two bucks.
"Yep."
"That explains a lot about you." After stuffing the money inside he stared at Nick's butt. "Hey, it looks like you sat in something blue. Maybe ink."
"Dammit!" Nick craned his neck to check.
"Ooops, guess who owes a dollar to the Fine Jar for swearing."
"Hey!" Nick snapped at his nephew, "You set me up."
LVPD
5:55 pm
As Vartann returned to the questioning room with Grissom he dreaded the spousal confrontation about to occur. "Before I went through the break up and divorce from hell, I was entertained by these husband/wife nightmares, but after living through one, my gut twists into a knot. I'd rather be out in the middle of gang turf war."
"I don't think it will be that bad."
"Twenty bucks says it's a brawl."
"What the hell," Grissom replied, "I've always wanted to give optimism a whirl."
Walking into the room Vartann felt a chill. "Thanks for joining us, Drew."
"My pleasure," The angry husband replied through gritted teeth. He was chomping at the bit waiting for his wife to be ushered in. "When will Lissa be here?"
Realizing he just lost twenty bucks, Gil took a seat at the table.
"She's being brought over as we speak." Vartann sat across from the man responsible for introducing him to his wife. "Drew, after watching your wife's confession, would you like to proceed with pressing charges or…"
"I won't know the answer to that until I speak with her."
"Fair enough." Vartann winked at Grissom. "Double or nothing?"
"No, thanks, I'll be putting a kid through college in eighteen years."
When the door opened, the room fell silent and it remained that way until Lissa crossed the threshold. "I'm very sorry for causin' so much trouble, Drew. For the sake of the children, I hope you'll hold your anger in check and drop the charges." He'll do it for the kids.
Sure, use our kids, you manipulative bitch. "I'll be more than happy to drop the charges, Honey, if you're willing to do a few things to help right the wrongs you've done."
"Certainly." Smiling like a prom queen, she sat next to Vartann as directed. "What is it that you would like me do?"
"I want a copy of all the footage from today, so Greg can see what transpired before and after the kiss."
"Not a problem."
"I want you to write an apology to Greg for the pain and suffering you caused him."
"Consider it done."
"I want you to personally apologize to Nick and Sara for the damage and disruption you caused at BPAC."
"Fine."
Through a smile Drew stated, "I want you to look Tawny in the eyes and apologize for intentionally trying to break up her marriage to Greg, for humiliating her at her workplace which resulted in her being fired, and stressing her to the point of endangering her unborn children." You're lucky I didn't ask you to do it on your knees, bitch.
You bastard. Matching the intensity of her husband's smile, she spat, "Sure thing, Honey."
Vartann glanced over at Grissom and mouthed, 'Here it comes'.
Opening the file sitting in front of him, Drew sweetly said, "I want a divorce."
"What!"
"I…want…a…divorce," Drew repeated, accenting each word with a little more pleasure than the one before.
"Fine by me," Lissa snarled. "If you want a divorce, I'll be more than happy to give a lyin', cheatin' pig like you a divorce! After the public humiliation you caused me when you shoved your tongue down that slut's throat today, I demand a divorce! And you know what that means according to our pre-nup!"
As Vartann's stomach twisted into a tight knot, he reminded Lissa, "You'll stay calm or we'll end this right now and take you to booking."
Cool and collected, Drew forged on, "The thing is, Darlin', I didn't cause you to be publicly humiliated, you caused it yourself. I kissed Tawny in private and no one would have known about it were it not for the surveillance camera you installed and used to make a DVD, a DVD that you made public, not me. The truth of the matter is…you publicly humiliated me. You did so by publishing that DVD and sending it to BPAC with instructions for me to 'gather my officemates to watch it, and by sending it to Greg. " Sliding over a highlighted page of their prenup, he happily informed his miserable wife, "Since we've established that you humiliated me and, and since you stated during your interrogation that I never physically abused you, the conditions of the pre-nup are in effect. Upon divorce, you lose custody of our children and walk away with nothin' but the clothes on you back…unless I say otherwise. But, if you ask me real nice, I just might let you keep your personal belongings and give you a little cash to start over."
Vartann restrained Lissa as she lunged for her husband's throat. "Take her to holding!"
"So is it 'yes' or 'no', Sweetheart!" Drew barked in his wife's direction.
"If you think I'm gonna let you bring that slut into my house and raise my children you're out of your mind!"
"How are you going to raise them from jail, Lissa! Not that you raise them anyway, Marta and I do all the work! All you like are the fun parts!" Once she was gone, Drew released the primal yell he had been dying to release, then immediately apologized, "Sorry."
"No apology necessary," Vartann replied. "I think your soon to be Ex is my Ex's twin sister."
Grissom slapped a twenty in front of his co-worker. "Congratulations, my complete lack of faith in people has been restored."
The Blakes
6:15 pm
"My faith in people has been completely restored," Wendy told her husband as she watched Lindsay and Celine having fun in the swimming pool with Sean. "Those two were at each others throats and now…they're on their way to being good friends."
"Fantastic." Paul tossed his briefcase on the counter and hugged his wife. "I just realized we're alone. Quick, let's kiss like we're horny teenagers, because…" His wife's mouth blocked the remainder of his words. "Oh, yeah." Slipping his hands under Wendy's soft cotton t-shirt, he initiated a more passionate round.
"Ewww!" Ryan shrieked upon entering the kitchen. "You guys were using tongues." He shivered. "That's so wrong. It's bad enough I have to watch my guardians perform tonsillectomies on each other daily."
"They're kissing in front of you?" Wendy asked while straightening her shirt.
"Why do you sound so surprised?" Paul laughed, "They're always kissing each other."
"More than kissing." Ryan lowered his voice to a nervous whisper to augment the lie, "They're doing it, and not just in the bedroom, everywhere and not just it…that. Last night, I went to the kitchen for a glass of water, but when I got there, Uncle Nick was standing in front of the fridge moaning like an animal. At first I thought 'wow, he must be really hungry', but then I noticed Aunt Carrie's knees on the floor in front of him. Right as I was sneaking out, I heard Uncle Nick yelling 'Eat that hot dog, eat it! Oh yeah, you like that foot-long doncha, Baby! Get ready, here comes a biiiiiiiig squirt of mustard! Oh yeah, you know you want it. Here it…' I couldn't understand the rest of it because he was grunting. After that I heard Aunt Carrie smack her lips and say 'Yummy! Can I have seconds, Nicky?'"
Wendy's palm flew to her mouth just as Nick and Carrie strolled in holding hands.
"Gotta go!" Ryan dashed out the back door.
"Hey," Carrie greeted her brother and sister-in-law. "Why are you looking at us like that?"
Paul couldn't resist, "Eat any hot dogs lately, Sis?"
"Uh." Carrie searched her memory. "Yeah, when we were camping, why?" She looked at Wendy, "Oh great, now I'm going to have to endure another lecture on the evils of hot dogs and how they're made up of the animal guts that fall on the floor at the meat processing plant, right? As I've told you before, I don't care, I love hot dogs!" When her brother burst out laughing, she knew something was up. "What!"
Because her husband was incapacitated, it was up to Wendy to give the blow-by-blow.
"He's lying!" Carrie shrieked in horror after her sister-in-law stopped moaning 'Can I have seconds, Nicky, pleeeeeeeease!'
"See…this is how we know he's lyin'. I'm not capable of speaking in full sentences when I'm participating in that particular activity." Nick broke out laughing when Carrie glared at him. "I did like that part about you askin' for seconds, Darlin', and I'm very flattered that he gave me a 'foot-long weiner' in his big fat lie. For that, I won't kill him."
"But I will!" Carrie darted out the back door. "Ryan Patrick Blake!"
"So, Nick." Paul went to the fridge for a beer. "Other than lying about your sex life and embarrassing the hell out of my sister, is my son behaving?"
"Wait a minute," Wendy said as she stepped in front of Nick. "So you didn't really do that with Carrie in the kitchen last night?"
"Not last night, no." Nick winked. "Don't worry, we committed to bein' extremely discrete whenever we resume those types of activities. We're uh…still on a break since."
"Sorry," Wendy left the conversation to busy herself at the stove.
"How's she doing?" Paul asked as he cracked open a beer.
"Better, much better. The camping diversion did us both a world of good. Now we have another diversion, unfortunately it's not a fun one."
"Huh?"
"I'm pickin' up my nieces and nephew, they're going to spend a couple of days with us. That's why we stopped by. We need to leave Ryan here for a few hours while I take care of some business with my brother and Carrie…."
"What?" Troubled by the tone in Nick's voice, Wendy turned to ask, "What's going on?"
"Greg and Tawny separated earlier today and my brother's the reason."
"What!" Wendy gripped the gallon of milk she was holding.
"It's a long story," Nick sighed as he went to the window to look for Carrie. "The short version is…my brother's getting a divorce."
Dawson Stables
6:40 pm
"I'm here, Cassie!" Drew yelled as he raced to the fenced riding area. "Sorry, I'm late, Sweetie, but it couldn't be helped."
The little girl lit up when her father waved. "Miss Marta said you wouldn't be here!"
"Things went quicker than I expected, Sugar. Now you listen to Gwen and don't look at me while you're ridin'!" At the fence he stood next to the nanny. "Thanks for puttin' up with all the craziness, Marta."
"Is everything okay?" the concerned twenty-six year old asked. She had worked for the family since they had moved to Chicago from Dallas and had felt the tension in the house build.
"It's over for real this time. I'm sick over what it's gonna do to the kids, but my marriage therapist agrees it's the healthiest thing to do." Wrapping his fingers around the fence rail Drew sighed, "My attorney is workin' on the papers as we speak. With the pre-nup the way it is, I get full custody and determine Lissa's visitation. I have no idea what to do about that yet." While watching his daughter trot her horse, he said, "I know Lissa hired you and you're close to her, but for the kids, it sure would be great if you stayed on for a while. I'll…"
"You think Lissa and I are close?" She covered her mouth to shield her smile. "Are you really sure you're getting divorced this time?"
"A hundred and ten percent sure with zero chance of reconciliation ever. If we didn't have children together, I'd never set eyes on her again after we sign the papers."
"Okay then." Marta stepped closer to whisper, "I can't stand Lissa."
"What?" Never in a million years would he have believed that if someone told him. "But you're always…"
"Faking!"
"Why?"
"Do you know why your wife hired me?" She pointed to her husky hips. "Because I'm a size twenty."
"What? What makes you say that?"
"Because she told me." The nanny mocked her employer's voice, "'You're younger and quite inexperienced compared to most of the other applicants, but you have a lot of energy around the children, which I'll require because I don't intend to lift a finger when it comes to childcare. The deal will be…I get all the glory of motherhood, while you get all the work. For your efforts, you'll be paid handsomely and tipped very generously on holidays and your birthday. You'll get a car and funds to decorate your room very stylishly'." Then she snickered as she gave me the once over and said, 'Originally I was planning on hirin' an older woman so I wouldn't have to worry about the nanny catchin' my husband's eyes like you hear happens. But, unlike the size zero girls with big tits who only applied for this job hopin' to score a Sugar Daddy, I know my husband will be repulsed by your gargantuan hips. Drew likes his women petite everywhere but the chest'."
"She did not." Absentmindedly, he reviewed Marta from head to toe. "I'm very sorry. My wife, uh…soon to be Ex, has body image issues, I'm afraid I didn't help with that problem, cause I'm not the best in that department either. I'm sure you heard me say a few things that made you want to punch me out. Damn, I'm really sorry if…" Embarrassed over the private weight-related comments he had made about the girl, Drew quietly said, "I can't believe you took the job and then stayed."
Marta returned to watching Cassie ride. "At the time I needed the money to help my little brother. Without a college degree or a body that anybody would want to pay cash to see or sleep with, it was the best offer by far." Smiling at the ground she said, "I was kidding about the sleep with part."
Recalling the month the girl had taken off to cope after her brother lost his battle with cancer, Drew asked, "Why did you stay on after Brendan died and you didn't need to help your family with their medical bills?"
Smiling at Cassie, who was running from her horse to the rail, she answered, "Reason number one is on her way over here right now. So, don't worry, Drew, I'd love to stay on after…"
"Did you see me, Daddy!" Cassie exclaimed as her body still trembled from the rush. "Did you see how fast I was goin'! Did you!"
"Yes, ma'am! At one point you were a blur!"
"This is the best day ever!"
"Come here." He lifted his little girl into his arms, clutching her tight. It wouldn't be long before her world was changed for ever and he wanted to savor the innocence in her voice and eyes. Glancing over at Marta he humbly said, 'Thank you for stayin'."
Dr. Meyers Office
7:00 pm
"Thank you for coming back in to see me tonight," Greg quietly told the doctor, who normally only had late hours on Wednesdays.
"I told you I'd work it in," Sylvia said as she gave her patient a hug. "Did you do as I asked?"
"Yeah. I had to take a Valium to do it, but I got a solid rest."
"If it made the difference between exhaustion and a clear head, that's okay."
"Yep, I woke up refreshed, managed to force some food past the lump in my throat, and here I am ready to focus with a clear head and stable blood sugar."
"Excellent." The doctor grabbed the TV remote and sat next to her patient. "Where's the Valium bottle now?"
"In my Dad's pocket."
"Your request or his?"
"His."
"How did that make you feel?"
"Loved," he answered as he settled into the overstuffed chair. "Any other day I would have been annoyed for him not trusting me, but today, after watching my wife cheat on me, it felt great to know my Dad cared. When I climbed into bed to sleep he asked me for a hug because he knew I desperately wanted one but couldn't ask for it."
"Why couldn't you ask for a hug when you wanted one?"
"Because I already felt too emasculated by everything else to add 'hug me, Daddy' to the pile of pathetic behavior I've exhibited today. He knew exactly how I felt though and it was nice to bond, even over something horrible." He shrugged. "At least I got that out of this nightmare, right?"
"I'm really proud that you found something good in the midst of the crisis." Believing Greg needed a little more time before watching the video, she asked, "Were there any other good moments?"
After trying to relax further with a deep breath, he said, "I confirmed that I have friends who care, ones I can count on. Nick, Tony, and Becca, have all been great."
"Good, very good." The doctor held up the remote. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah."
The doctor pressed 'play' to start the DVD. "Let me know if you need to take a break at any time."
His eyes focused on the screen, Greg nodded.
Five seconds in, she paused the footage. "Why do you think Tawny wore that red dress to work?"
"I know why she wore it, Becca and her concocted a plan to out Drew for lusting over Tawny. From the footage, we know it worked like a charm. Becca told Tawny to dress sexy, and so she wore Drew's favorite type of dress…red, tight and low cut."
"Do you blame Drew for being physically attracted to her in that dress?"
"No, every guy is physically attracted to her when she wears a dress like that. On Sunday I asked her to wear one just like it to the club, so all the guys would drool and I could say 'eat your heart out, boys, she's mine."
"Why was it important to you for them to drool over her?"
"I just wanted to remind them I'm not a loser anymore…or so I thought before this morning."
"Why do you feel success must be measured by the beauty of the girl on your arm and not the fact that you're published, or that you graduated from Stanford, or that your work has incarcerated violent criminals?"
"Because…because that's not how real men think. Look how successful Donald Trump is, but he still has to have a hot young babe, right? At the end of the day, it unfortunately all comes down to the quality of the woman on your arm."
"Considering his marital track record, please don't become Donald Trump's apprentice."
"I promise," he replied, almost smiling.
"Let's talk about someone I know you look up to. I've seen wedding photos with Carrie in them, do you think your friend Nick feels devalued as a man because his fiancée has small breasts?"
"No, because Carrie is extremely smart. She tears up the courtroom. He goes on and on about her being brilliant."
"So, Nick flaunts Carrie's brain because she doesn't have boobs?"
"Why are we talking about Nick when…"
"Answer the question."
"Yeah."
"But you flaunt Tawny's boobs, not her brain."
"I tell her she's smart all the time," he protested. "When we were in Maui she had a panic attack about not being smart because she doesn't understand stuff people talk about in the office. I went on and on about how it's not that she's dumb, she just didn't have the same educational opportunities as her co-workers. I told her that I wasn't born with an understanding of DNA PCR Analysis; I had to go to school to learn about it. I told her that I would be in her position if my mother had thrown me out instead of paying my way to Stanford, but I'd still have the same brain."
"That's wonderful, I'm sure that really made her feel much better about herself." Before Greg could comment, she said, "How do you think she felt this weekend when you were objectifying her as the sum of two body parts just to pump your needy ego?"
After he recovered from the shock of the question, Greg said, "I thought we were meeting to discuss what she did to me today, not what happened at the club this weekend?"
"Is that avoidance?"
"No."
"Then answer the question."
He pointed to the TV. "Are you insinuating that's my fault because I put her in a bimbo state of mind? That's totally not fair! She's responsible for…"
"Time out!" When he calmed, she said, "You know me better than that, I don't play the blame game. What I am doing, Greg…is pointing out that your marriage may have been unhealthier than you thought and that Tawny may not be the only one guilty of behaving hurtfully. Fair enough?" When he nodded she continued, "If you and Drew were both single and there were no babies, who do you think Tawny would choose?"
"Drew, hands down, no contest."
"If Becca, Tawny and Carrie were all single and there were no babies, who would you want to have a serious relationship with at the moment?"
"Carrie, hands down, no contest."
Even though it was the answer she expected from the shattered man, she asked, "Why?"
"For the same reason Nick picked her for his first serious relationship. She's the girl least likely to break your heart. She's predictable and safe."
"If Nick were single, which one of those three would he pick to take home on Saturday night for a romp and why?"
"Becca, because she's the opposite of Carrie…unpredictable and dangerous. You should have seen them in San Marino together, she totally got under his skin and he loved every minute of it. They had wicked chemistry and that really pissed me off."
"Who would you pick and why?"
"Tawny, because…" He hated the answer but knew she'd prod after three seconds so he spilled it, "Because she's the girl of my porn fantasies."
"And sweet, flat-chested Carrie would be the girl sitting home on Saturday night."
"Nice girls kind of have a reputation for that…so do nice guys, trust me. The truth is, Carrie and I had a fantastic time together recently. We went shopping and out to lunch and there was this great, comfortable vibe, but the two of us getting together for a hot Saturday night back when we were single, would have been the blind leading the blind," he laughed and was immediately surprised that he could or did. "Sex with Tawny was Nirvana. Carrie would have died from shock if I even hinted at some of the stuff Tawny let me do. I loved every minute of the wildness, but today changed everything."
"How?"
"Because I realized she was faking through most of it. Not maliciously…out of pity. If I had married a girl like Carrie, my libido would be restless, but my self-esteem wouldn't be in a million pieces. How cool is it for Nick to be with a woman who has no frame of reference regarding hot sex? Unlike Tawny, Carrie's not up against the wall thinking 'Whoa, this is night and day compared to when I did it with SuperStud. Poor Chuckles, he's really giving it his all too. I'll moan louder to make him feel good'."
"Do you honestly believe she was faking?"
"Yes."
"I need more than 'yes', I need why."
Leaning closer, he shared, "Something happened this weekend that I didn't think of in relation to me at the time, but now, after seeing that footage, it's totally obvious she's been faking it with me all along."
"What happened this weekend?"
"We were staying with Becca and Vartann in San Marino and things got a little crazy on Saturday. Vartann and I went out drinking together and when we came back, Tawny and Becca were sunbathing topless. They decided to tease us and rub lotion over each other. As a joke, I ran inside and got some whipped cream. Becca took the can and said 'Give us a two minute lead!' Next thing we know, they're running off giggling into the guest house off the pool area."
"This is real?" the doctor asked in disbelief. "Not your fantasy?"
"I was just as shocked as you, trust me."
The frustrated doctor gripped her pen ready to stab her favorite patient. If the word 'swap' is in this story, I'll kill him.
"We step inside ready to hear 'gotcha!', but instead, there are candles lit and the two of them are on the bed facing each other in their thong bikinis with the can of whipped cream in between them. I look over at Tony and say 'Holy shit, I think they're serious'. Before he says anything, Tawny shakes the whipped cream and strategically sprays some on Becca's chest, saying 'Go ahead, Chuckles…dare me'. I look at Tony again and ask, 'Are you okay with this?' He takes a seat in one of the chairs and raises his beer with a drunken smile on his face. So, I teeter over to the other chair and say, "Okay, I dare you'. It was insane! Just like a movie I saw on Cinemax after Dark once."
Exasperatedly, the Doctor queried, "Why were you drinking when I've told you not to drink at least a half dozen times?"
"Because I was finally a cool guy in Vartann's eyes! I'm not going to say 'sorry, my therapist has advised me not to drink alcohol until I'm less of a basket case'. I was living out my frat boy fantasy weekend and I was being a responsible drinker."
"Responsible, hmm." Trying to disguise the irritation in her voice, she said, "You actually think it was a responsible idea to watch your wife being sexual with Becca, your fantasy girl for over decade, in front of her husband whose marriage you have told me broke up when his wife had sex with another man?"
"No! But it's not like I was thinking with my brain at that point. I didn't want to look like a prude in front of my co-worker who has a rep for being a cool guy. See… Vartann's ex-wife looks like a top of the line porn star and they were at the top of the cop-wife food chain before the divorce. She won Best Ta's at the LVPD charity event."
"Do they vote for a MILF too?" she droned.
"Yeah, they're all telling me Tawny's a lock if I bring her."
Barbarians.
"But trust me, after this…she's off the ballot." Then he remembered the day's events and sighed, "That is if we're together."
"Greg…what made you think that scenario in the guest house was normal?"
"Since Becca, Tony and Tawny all look like they're having fun, I thought maybe beautiful women and jocks do this all the time, and geeks like me just aren't privy to the secret. I didn't want to remind the party crowd that I'm an inexperienced dork when it comes to sex by calling a time out and asking 'are you sure this is a healthy thing to do? And then I…"
"And then you what?"
"And then I…" His gaze moved to the floor. "After having Vartann laugh at me and think I'm gay for years…I wanted him to see how hot my wife is, which I know…I know…is just another stupid, immature way I objectified her this weekend, so…I'm an even bigger idiot."
"I prefer the term 'confused individual'." Being a therapist in Sin City was never dull. "How far did the wives take it this weekend?" Sylvia asked in exhaustion. "Full frontal?"
"No, they kept their bottoms on, but they didn't stop until they both…you know."
Oy Vey. "Your wife achieved in front of another man and…"
"No! That's the critical part of the story. I thought she did, but immediately afterwards she cracked up and said, 'I've still got it! I'm like 'you were faking!' She cracks up saying 'I can't believe you thought that was real! Now you know why I made big bucks at Bachelor Parties, Chuckles! Sorry, Becks…only men make my toes curl.' We were all stunned, because we thought she really had. Now do you know why after seeing that tape I'm suspicious that she had been humoring me all along? Think about it, she's spent the last four years of her life making money by getting pathetic men to believe she really wants them. That's what strip clubs are all about…illusion." Reaching for the remote he said, "May I?"
"Certainly," the doctor answered in surprise.
"How could she think it's good with me?" When he pressed play Greg sadly remarked, "I'm going head to head with a guy who had the guts to walk on the gridiron in front of eighty thousand people and thousands more on TV. A guy who walked off that field a hero and had chicks throwing their bodies at him. Nick's told me stories of post-game celebrations and he was a second string running back, not the star quarterback. Studly there lost his virginity when he was fifteen and he honed his craft every weekend until he got to college. Once he was at A&M, he had the opportunity to fine tune it nightly. In contrast, I had sex a total of twenty-five times before I got my Master's. I've had more sex with Tawny, than I did in my entire life before I met her while that man's pecker has seen more mileage than the Space Shuttle Atlantis. It's not rocket science, Dr. M…look at him, he's bigger and better at it. Look at the way he just…possesses her and how she's melting in his arms. Watching the two of them is like watching a romance novel cover photo come alive. There's no way I can compete."
"If she's that good at faking, how do you know she's not faking there?"
"What would be the point? She doesn't have to be with him like she has to be with me, and there's no one there to tease."
"How do you know she wasn't teasing Drew?"
"What?" Greg straightened up in his chair.
"After a weekend of feeling objectified and valued only for the reaction her body gets, maybe she's in that mode and decides to play another game when the opportunity presents itself…an opportunity that was orchestrated by her and her immature playmate Becca. It's not much of a leap for a girl to play 'let's see if I can turn him on' to 'wow, I'm really turned on from making him get turned on' and get momentarily carried away. "
Feeling dumber by the second he replied, "I never thought of it like that. I guess she could have been feeling a little messed up, huh?"
"Yes, 'feeling messed up' is exactly what happens when marriedpeople spend their weekends playing sexual games."
"Dammit."
"You encouraged your wife to be sexual with another man in the room watching, right? Well, the next step is usually for the husband to let his wife get sexual with another manwhile he's with the other man's wife. From there it often progresses to the spouses getting sexual with other people on the sly. Innocent little games rarely stay innocent, Greg, and they usually end up breaking the trust in a marriage and damaging both spouses' psyches."
"I should know, we've had cases with backgrounds like that." He sunk lower in his chair.
"Why do you think Tony was so comfortable with the scenario?"
"Because he went to ASU?" Greg shrugged. "Because he's a jock who saw a lot of action? Because maybe his wife really is a porn star and they've been to parties?"
"Is it a possibility that he's played games like this before and, like a lot of men, never thought of it as 'cheating' until his wife excluded him from the fun? Like porn, or self-gratification, the behavior can be addicting. You know he's divorced because his wife cheated on him, but do you know much beyond that?"
"Uh…nothing, because he was really quiet about the whole thing until recently," Greg answered as he reached for a glass of water. "Are you…do you mean…you think that maybe he and his ex wife might have swingers and she went out of bounds?"
"Who knows, Greg? That's my point here. You have no idea who these men are that you're parading Tawny in front of every day. One danger of encouraging another man to lust after your wife is that he might really start lusting after your wife. Her being topless in front of a man whose sexual history you know nothing about is ridiculously dangerous, not that I would have given it the stamp of approval if it was Nick either. Who knows what Vartann was thinking about Tawny, but I guarantee he was wondering if you were getting turned on by his wife because of your history with her. For all you know, he was sitting there thinking about mutually agreeable opportunities."
"Dammit!" He jumped from the chair to pace the room. "Or Tawny could have been thinking that I was thinking about Becca! Maybe she even thought that Vartann and I talked about swapping when we were out drinking!"
"Now you're tracking," the doctor said with relief. "You've been playing with fire, Greg, and today you got burned."
While wearing down the carpet he rambled, "Why did Tawny say to Becca on Saturday 'Sorry, Becks…only men make my toes curl', why not only Greg? What if she was hinting that she would be game for a swap? Yeah…yeah…she missed having sex with SuperStud so she thinks maybe if I'm placated by having sex with Becca, then she'll fill her stud urge by doing it with Vartann every now and then."
"Greg…: Seeing he was working himself into a frenzy in the wrong direction, the doctor ordered, "Okay, stop right there."
"I need to know!" Rushing for the door, Greg yelled, "I need to talk to Tawny!"
Tawny's Apartment
7:15 pm
"Greg doesn't want anything to do with me," Tawny cried to Carrie who had unexpectedly shown up on her doorstep. Sitting on the couch together, she sniffled, "The only reason he's still involved with me at all is for the babies." Handing over the scrapbook pages she had completed on Sunday, she said, "Look how happy we were in Maui. Look what I wrote about us."
After studying both pages long and hard, Carrie glanced over at her sobbing friend and said, "Did you know you spelled gorgeous wrong on both of these?"
"What!" Tawny said in an angst-ridden voice.
"Right here." Carrie moved to show her. "And over here too."
"No, I mean 'What!' as in 'I can't believe you're pointing out a spelling mistake when my heart is in a million pieces!"
"Oh!" Feeling like a heel, Carrie cringed, "Sorry. Please don't be mad, I can't help it."
"I can't afford to be mad at you, I don't have many people left in my life." While catching her breath, Tawny watched her friend staring at the pages. "What's wrong now?"
"Who took this photo of the two of you?"
"Ned, a guy who was there from Seattle with his wife. He and Greg buddied up because Ned's a Chemical Engineer."
"Was Ned a bit geeky?"
"More than a bit, but really, really sweet."
Carrie slid closer, "Looking at this photo, it just seems like Greg is saying 'look I'm in Maui with my beautiful wife!' and you look kind of happy but bothered by the moment."
"Whoa." Tawny looked up at her deductive friend. "I was bothered! Because Greg put his arm around me and said, 'Ned, can you believe a geeky lab rat like me scored such a babe for a wife! Ned's wife is a doctor and I felt totally stupid for Greg saying that in front of her."
"Wow," Carrie giggled. "I am good. Reading expressions is critical in jury trials, so I have practice."
"What else do you see?" Tawny asked as though her friend was looking into a crystal ball.
"Well…your wording interests me. You're completely focused on the beautiful things not your marriage, and you refer to Greg as your Prince Charming. Prince Charming is a guy who rescues trapped women and takes them away to live happily ever after in a perfect place."
"I was being cute."
"Yeah, but there's nothing on these two pages that shows your love for Greg beyond him taking you to a beautiful place. To me, it looks like you're in love with the fantasy he provided you."
"What does that mean about us!" Tawny demanded, hoping her friend really had psychic abilities and could see the future.
"Maybe you really have been swept up in the excitement and romance." Lowering the pages, Carrie sadly said, "Maybe now that reality is setting in you're subconsciously realizing that maybe you really don't love Greg, you only love what he represents…an escape from your bitter circumstances."
"But I don't want that to be true!" Tawny cried. "I want a happy ending for us! I really do." She crashed onto her friend's shoulder. "Tell me how to fix it with Greg."
Wrapping her arms around her heartbroken friend, Carrie whispered, "Maybe you need to throw out the unfinished book and start over."
"You mean get an abortion?" Tawny gasped in horror. "I'm in my fourth month and…"
"No! I'm obviously getting a little too fancy with the metaphors." Carrie smiled and reviewed what she and Nick had secretly decided would be best, "No, I meant that you need to throw out all current perceptions, spend some time apart to grow as individuals, and then start over like two normal people, not two fairy tale characters thrown into a whirlwind story of singing proposals, gorgeous diamond rings and dream trips to Maui."
"So you think this separation is good thing?"
"I do, I really do." Carrie handed Tawny a pile of tissues. "Sometimes I think it would have been better for Nicky and I to take things slower too."
"Then how about you move in with me and be my roommate until the wedding! You could coach me on normal life!"
"What? I can't move out on Nicky to be your life coach." Carrie laughed until she recalled a conversation with her man, "Although, Nicky did say he worries that I moved in with him before ever having a chance to live on my own and have close girlfriends."
"Is that a yes!" Tawny grabbed her friend's arm. "You could totally teach me how to be boring and normal!"
"Thanks…I think."
"And Greg would know I wasn't here having sex with Drew twenty-four seven! If he found out you were living here to help me be a better person then he may want me back one day in the future!"
"I want to help, I really do, but…"
"I can't be this scared and alone, Carrie," she pleaded as tears fell from her eyes. "I'm afraid if I am that I'll be tempted to take the easy way out."
"You mean Drew, now that he's divorcing."
"Please help me. Help me be the kind of person my babies need me to be to give them a happy home. I've never had a good role model, please. I'll do all the cooking and the cleaning! And the place is paid for so…pleeeeeeease."
Feeling incredibly sorry for her friend, Carrie said, "It could be like recapturing the thrill of dating Nicky before the wedding."
"Yes!"
"I didn't say…"
Tawny threw her arms around her best friend's neck. "You're the best!"
The Grissoms
7:24 pm
"And now for the best part of my day," Gil mumbled as he shut the garage door. Thrilled to be away from all the crazy people who had crossed his path, he strolled into his home and tossed his keys on the entry table. When he glanced up and saw his Basset Hound waddling down the hall wagging his tail at him, his mouth exploded into a smile. "Hold that thought, Flash. Honey! I'm home."
"Be right there!"
"Heya, Flash." Crouching down, Gil patted his dog's head. "Who would have thought I'd end up being the one with the normal life?"
"Not me," Sara teased as she walked down the hall wearing an apron.
"What's that foreign object around your neck?"
"After hearing how stressful your day was, I decided to surprise you and buy something hot to wear tonight."
"A white apron? How unexpected."
Grinning she explained, "I was rushing down the street and saw a store called Some Like It Hot. I thought it was an adult store and hurried inside. It was a cooking store. Somehow I missed seeing the cookware in the display window."
"Nice observation skills, CSI Sidle."
"Shut up." She walked over scolding her husband with her eyes. "Just as I was about to leave I thought 'While Gil would find La Perla a pleasant surprise, he'll really be shocked if I cook him dinner!' Hence the apron."
Leaving Flash, Gil stood and reached out for his wife's hand. "Thank you, Honey."
"You want to know a secret?" Sara whispered in her man's ear, "Later, after you pretend to like the tasteless, overcooked food I made, you'll take me to the bedroom and realize…I stopped at La Perla too."
"Would it be bad for me to ask for dessert before dinner?"
"Yes." Sara released her husband's hand and stepped back. "But what woman doesn't love a tumble with a bad boy every now and then?"
Amy Vartann's Spiffy Townhouse That She Paid For with Her Half of the Divided Marital Assets, Most of Which Were Earned by Her Hardworking Husband, and THAT Made the Place So Much More Special!
7:30 pm
"Absolutely," Amy purred as she held the phone between her shoulder and head so she could polish her toe nails fire-engine red.
"I promise to thank you very generously, Baby."
"Damn, you sound hot when you're whispering in that sexy voice of yours." Smirking, she probed, "What exactly do you mean by very generously?"
"Whatever you want it to mean."
While reclining on the bed to wait for her wet toenails to dry, Amy gave a breathy laugh, "I can think of a few things I wouldn't mind you doing for me, but that bitch you married probably wouldn't approve. God, that woman is insufferable."
"Yeah, I didn't marry her for her personality, remember? But let's not talk about her, Baby, let's talk about you. You looked better than ever and you were perfect before."
Grabbing a photo Tony snapped of her at the LVPD Benefit dinner, she said, "I have a picture of me for Don to give you just like you asked."
"I hope it has cleavage."
"It's from the night I was voted Best Breasts, what do you think?" Recalling his reaction when he first saw her in the visitation room, Amy snickered, "I wanted to look as hot as possible this morning because I knew it would drive you crazy to see these beautiful tits my husband bought me in that tight red sweater and not be able to touch them. I can't imagine how you would have reacted if female visitors were allowed to wear v-necks."
"You got that right. I was seconds away from ripping that sweater off you as it was."
"Hmm…I think that would have blown your cover as a devout Christian, Reverend."
"And I didn't want to spend my last days here in the hole."
'This call has originated from a Nevada state prison', the recorded message interrupted for the sixth time.
"Dammit, that guy's voice is so annoying," Amy groaned as she wiggled her polished toes. "It killed the vibe we had goin'."
"Don't worry, in eight days or less, we'll never have to hear that bastard's voice again." Mike softened his tone to a romantic whisper. "Schultzy's hiring a limo to bring me back to Vegas. I told the wife to stay home and bake me a cake, because I want to spend every minute of the five hour drive with you."
"Sorry, the idea of you going home to make love with your trailer-trash wife after spending five hours in the limo with me makes me sick. I'll pass."
"Do you seriously think I'm ever going to sleep with Marlene?"
"The marriage won't be consummated if you don't."
"Exactly, then I can get an annulment whenever the mood strikes. Baby, you know I only married her because I felt sorry for her. When I'm reinstated into the force, the poor thing will have medical benefits and she'll be able to get that operation she needs. After that…"
"Right, right, I keep forgetting your charity work, Reverend." Amy rolled her eyes, knowing he was bullshitting because prison phone calls were recorded. Not that there was much of a chance it would be heard, because the system was incredibly short-staffed and only a small percentage of calls were reviewed.
"Even if I wanted to be affectionate with my wife, I'd be useless. When you and me hooked up at Dubrowski's party for our one and only romp, you almost killed me in more ways than one. Not only was the sex hot, I almost lost it watching you create an opportunity to screw each other by very innocently asked your dutiful husband to go home and check if you left the cat outside. Right then I knew…you're my kind of gal."
"Uh huh, then you had to go and get incarcerated."
"You know where to direct any frustration you have over that."
Sliding off the bed to go to the kitchen, she sighed, "I sure do."
'This call has originated from a Nevada state prison.'
Amy screamed into the phone, "Go to hell robot-voice message man!"
"Baby, that closet booty call is one of my favorite memories to replay when I'm relieving tension in my cell at night."
"I'm honored to be your handball fantasy girl," she flirtatiously laughed. "Tell me something else romantic."
"When I close my eyes at night, I can still hear the rain pounding down on the skylight of the walk-in closet while we're goin' at it."
"Mmm…very nice. I remember almost getting caught," she reminded him as stood in front of the open fridge deciding on a wine.
"Almost getting busted was the hottest part."
"I know! Waaaaaaay hotter than when I actually got caught."
"I would have loved to have been the one screwing your brains out when Good Cop walked in."
"You would have been if you weren't in Ely."
"C'mon, Baby. Say you'll be in the back of the limo for me."
"Hmm, that depends. What are you going to do to me if…"
"This call will disconnect in two minutes."
"Dammit!" Amy slammed her bottle of Chardonnay on the kitchen counter. "This is the worst phone sex ever! Call me back when…"
"Can't, there's a line. I'll make it up to you in the back of that limo, I swear. I can't wait to show you my new tattoo and you won't believe the abs I have now that I've been lifting every day for a year."
"Sure, play the bad ass stud card."
"Wear red."
"I have the perfect dress!" she replied with the girlish zeal of a prom date.
"Don't wear underwear."
"I rarely do," she purred before sipping her Chardonnay.
"I'll see you soon."
"Watch your back, okay. The riskiest time for inmates is the week before they're freed, because guys who hold grudges know they're running out of time."
"Don't worry about me. I know how to take care of myself in here."
"You better."
"You watch yourself going out in Sin City tonight, Honey. The murder rate there is skyrocketing. I worry about a looker like you, and who knows when that Ex of yours will go into a jealous rage and try to rape or kill you."
"Aww, you're such a Sweetie," she cooed while stepping into her closet to select a form fitted dress. "If Tony was ever going to kill me, he would have done it the day he saw me getting pounded from behind by his buddy. The man's a teddy bear at heart. That was part of the problem in our marriage, every now and then I like my man to be a little rough."
"I'll make a note of that."
"Please do," she smirked.
"I have big plans for the future, and I know you're going to help me make a dream or two come true. Amy…"
'Your time is up.'
"Damn!" She tossed the phone on the bed. "I hate being left hanging!"
Author's Notes:
Who else hates being left hanging! Anyone? LOL if I could have written more I would have!
First off – my apologies to Heidi who had also emailed that she suspected it was Lissa before the last chappie! Way to Go!
I hope you enjoyed the voyeuristic chapter LOL and my twisted sense of humor at times (Eat that hot dog, Carrie! Oh man…I love writing Ryan!). There was A LOT going on in this one and I hope it all tracked well for you.
Does anyone like Tawy's plan to have Carrie room with her to teach her how to be boring and normal? Any guesses about Nick's thoughts on the subject.
Were you feeling the love between Mike and Amy. I think they make a really sweet couple!
You finally got to see Marta and find out she can't stand Lissa. I loved writing her asking Drew "are you sure you're getting a divorce this time" before she bitched about Lissa.
Greg is the last of the triangle members to have his session and methinks it went in a much different direction than Greggo had imagined. Now that all 3 players had their time with the Doc, what's your take?
Alas, it's the Grissoms who are NORMAL! I love irony.
Thanks to:
KJT for staying up late and waking up early to edit when my busy week prevented me from getting her stuff at normal times. She's truly dedicated!
Next Chapter: Greg doesn't get far when he bolts out of Dr. M's office. The Grissoms have a little fun. And much much more! Posting: Wednesday night 9/20
Thanks for reading!
Maggs