The American Lover (2 page)

I
smiled to myself as I imagined how happy Cassandra was going to be, when I arrived home early as a special surprise for her. My wife was always complaining that I put in too many extra hours at the San Francisco offices of the American Western Bank where I worked.

I bet Cassie thought I'd forgotten that it was our wedding anniversary, but after the argument we’d had when I forgot about it last year, I'd set myself a reminder so as not to make the same mistake again, aware that you have to work at a marriage to keep things fresh.

I’d gotten Cassie a big bouquet of lilies, which were her favorites - at least I thought they were, as I remembered her mentioning something about lilies recently. I hadn't said anything about it being our anniversary that morning, firstly because she’d still been asleep in bed when I’d left early for the office, and secondly, because she said I never surprised her any more. Well, I was going to put that right for this anniversary.

I’d booked us a table at Acquerello’s, our favorite Italian restaurant in the Nob Hill neighborhood of the city, and as Cassie was always perfectly groomed and made up, I didn't think it’d take her long to get ready to go out after I’d sprung this surprise on her.  She certainly had plenty of clothes to choose from in her closet - she justified her frequent spending sprees by claiming it was important for the wife of an up-and-coming banking executive to create the correct image. 

I’d always been proud of my beautiful wife. As a fitness instructor, she kept her figure in perfect shape.  Her long brunette hair was always immaculately styled, and I never saw her without makeup. She was stunning, and I considered myself a very lucky man.

I was planning that after our meal, we’d go home and head straight to bed, where I would make sweet love to my wife, because I had to admit, it had been a while since we’d had sex.

What with the long hours at the office I’d been putting in, and Cassie working extra shifts at the health club, we just hadn't gotten around to it in a while, which we needed to put right if we wanted to start a family soon.

Cassie kept putting off trying for a baby, claiming she wasn’t ready, despite the fact that we’d been married several years now, and I’d ensured we were comfortably set up so that I could easily support her while she took a career break. I put a large part of her reluctance down to vanity, as she worried about losing her perfect figure that she always worked so hard to maintain. I tried to reassure her that it wouldn’t worry me in the slightest if she ended up carrying a few extra pounds once she became a mommy, but she just ignored me as she fretted about stretch marks and saggy boobs.

But as we were both in our thirties, Cassie’s biological clock had to be ticking pretty loudly by now, so her maternal instincts would hopefully kick in before too long and then she’d agree to come off her birth control pills. We really needed to get on with things, as I’d always liked the idea of having a large family, and time was ticking by.

I parked my Chevrolet Cavalier alongside Cassie’s Chevy Spark. She’d been going on about upgrading her car - I think she had her eye on a flashy little Mercedes sports model - but I didn't see the point when we were thinking about starting a family soon. Babies and two seater coupes didn't exactly go together.

I let myself in, but couldn’t see any sign of Cassie downstairs, so I guessed she must be upstairs somewhere. I headed in that direction, still carrying the bouquet of lilies, so I didn't forget to give them to her and impress her with my thoughtfulness.

When I heard noises coming from our bedroom, I figured she must have the TV on in there, and that’s why she hadn't heard me come in. Well, that would make the surprise even better I thought, as I swung the door open.

“
Mmm
, oh, yes,
yes
, that’s it, Leo. Right there,” I heard Cassie moaning.

“Take it, take all of me, Cassie baby,” a male voice panted back.

What. The.
Fuck
.

I stood and watched in fascinated horror as some young blonde guy enthusiastically pumped his dick into my obviously very willing wife. Then he glanced over his shoulder at me.

“What the hell… Who are you?” he yelled as he hurriedly withdrew, at the same time as Cassie spluttered out. “Caleb… what are you doing here? I didn't expect you home for ages.”

“Yeah, so I gather, Cassie. Oh, I’m her husband, by the way. That’s
my
wife you’re having such a great time fucking in
my
bed in
my
house.”

The guy jumped out of bed and made a grab for his pants that were on the floor.  He was just a slim young boy, quite a few years younger than Cassie. Not even a proper man, for crying out loud.

“Look, I didn't know… she told me you were separated… I don’t want any trouble,” the kid whined, as he hastily gathered up the rest of his things and made for the door.
Young Leo
had obviously decided discretion was the better part of valor and couldn’t make his escape quickly enough.

I let him go, even though part of me wanted to beat him to a pulp. But I decided the real issue here was with Cassie, seeing as he hadn't exactly been forcing her against her will, had he?

“Happy anniversary, darling,” I snarled bitterly.

“I thought you’d forgotten again,” Cassie calmly stated, as she swung her legs out of bed, retrieved her hastily discarded pink silk gown from where it had been flung on the floor, and proceeded to wrap it tightly around herself, concealing the luscious curves that Leo had been so happily enjoying just a minute ago. “So I found my own way of celebrating.”

“Oh, I see. So you fucking some jock you picked up is down to me?” I asked incredulously.

“Yes, actually it is, Caleb. You’re never here, you’re always working. You never pay me any attention, or listen to anything I say.”

“That’s not true!” I protested. “I remembered our anniversary. See, I’ve even gotten you some flowers.” I shoved the bouquet at her to prove my point.

“Then why have you brought me lilies, when I only told you last week how much I hated them?” Cassie retorted, as she stood up and glared at me with her hands on her hips. Not the slightest hint of remorse or any kind of apology from her. Unbelievable.

“You didn’t say that… did you?” I hesitated.

I’d been working on a report for an important presentation the following day, and hadn't been paying much attention.  Cassie had been mindlessly chattering away in the background in her usual irritating manner, while I’d been trying to concentrate on the figures.

“I told you that lilies always remind me of funerals, that I found the scent overpowering, and that the pollen stained.  But of course you weren’t listening, because as usual, you had your head buried in your boring figures and reports for work.”

“Look, I think you’re just bringing up this thing about lilies to avoid the real issue here. For Christ’s sake Cassie, I just found you in bed with another man!”

“So? Why should that bother you, seeing as you’re always more interested in your job than coming to bed with me? Can you even remember the last time we made love?”

“It wasn't that long ago. And you know this is a busy time of year, the end of quarter figures…”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before, save it for someone who cares. I’m bored with all your excuses. I’m sick to death of taking second place to your boring job, because you know what, Caleb? It’s made you boring. Trying so hard to be the perfect executive with your boring suits, boring glasses, boring haircut, and boring car. Boring with a capital B, that’s what you’ve become.”

“I’m just trying to build my career to provide us with a decent life style, Cassie. I work hard for our future. What’s so wrong with that?” I replied defensively.

“You’re so busy worrying about tomorrow, about the future, that you’ve forgotten how to live in the here and now. You’ve forgotten how to have fun Caleb, because you’re too busy being so
sensible
all the time.”

“So it’s a crime to be sensible now is it?” I retorted scornfully.

“It is when you’ve forgotten how to enjoy yourself. You don’t seem to realize there’s more to life than work. You’ve become a typical boring banker, because all you think about is your job, to the exclusion of everything else, including me.”

“I don’t see you complaining about my job providing you with a nice house and a comfortable life style,” I pointed out. “Or is all this complaining just a front, when in reality you're perfectly happy to have me out of the way working long hours, leaving you free to bring your toy boy lovers here? It’s just a shame you got caught today, and that’s the real reason you’re so pissed off. Find that one doing work experience at the gym did you? I didn’t know you got off on seducing teenagers.”

Cassie went to slap my face, but I was too quick and grabbed her hand before it made contact, and held it tightly as I stared into her face.

“How long has this been going on? How many others have there been? No wonder you turned your back on me when I came to bed, pretending to be asleep. You’ve been getting it elsewhere, haven’t you?”

Cassie struggled to get away from me, but I kept a tight grip on her hand, because she wasn’t going anywhere until I’d gotten some answers.

“Caleb, you're hurting me. Let me go,” Cassie demanded.

“Just tell me the truth, and then I’ll be more than happy to let you go, because you’re nothing more than tainted goods to me now. All I want to know is how long you’ve been making a fool of me behind my back.” I stared at the face I’d always thought so perfect. My stunning wife, whom I’d thought would always be at my side, as I pursued my ambition to become one of American Western Bank’s youngest executives. But right now, all I saw was a self centered, cold hearted bitch.

“You really want to know, Caleb? You’ve been so immersed in work that you really haven’t noticed anything wrong?  It’s actually taken you walking in and finding me in bed with someone else, before you finally see what’s been going on right under your nose for months?” she taunted.

“Is that so?” I sneered.

“Yes, actually. I’ve been getting my needs taken care of elsewhere for quite a while now, because you know what? You’re boring and predictable in bed, same as everywhere else, Caleb. It’s always exactly the same with you, the same boring position, the same old boring sex.”

“I don’t recall getting any complaints from you, Cassie, especially as I always made sure you got your orgasm,” I retorted.

“You tell yourself that if it makes you feel better, but you know what?  I always faked it.  Truth is, on the rare occasions you got round to making love to me, I just pretended to come, to get the whole tedious business over and done with as quickly as possible so I could get some sleep. And typically, you never even noticed, not once.”

“How the hell was I supposed to know you were faking it, Cassie? I certainly don’t ever recall you telling me you weren’t satisfied with things the way they were, because trust me, I would have been only too happy for us to have had a more adventurous sex life. But I thought I was respecting your wishes, because of the way you never responded, never initiated anything, you always just lay there like a cold, unreceptive fish.”

I’d long ago accepted that Cassie wasn’t that keen on trying anything too radical in bed, so that was why I’d stopped suggesting we try anything new.

“Caleb, is it any wonder that I lost interest in sex with you, seeing as you’ve never even had the faintest clue where my clitoris is? Can you really blame me for getting totally bored with the whole process, when you always fumble around, trying to get me off, yet always failing miserably,” she stated.

“Well, did it never occur to you to show me, guide me, help me hit the right spot, instead of expecting me to somehow read your mind?” I shot back.

“Didn't seem any point, not when all you were interested in was your own satisfaction. You’re such a typical guy, thinking size is all that matters, convinced I’d be satisfied just because you happen to have a big dick.  Well, let me tell you, size isn’t everything, Caleb.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t help noticing that your toy boy wasn’t exactly well endowed in that department, was he?” I sneered, as I wiggled my little pinky at her.  Christ, she was actually choosing a little weed like him over me? She was saying that young jock was a better lover than me? That really stung.

“Maybe I was just too much man for you to handle,” I hit back.

Cassie snorted with derision.

“Leo’s a very considerate lover, actually. He listens to what I want, unlike you.”

“Please, spare me the details. If a pathetic excuse for a man like Leo is what you want, then you’re welcome to him.”

Once a cheater, always a cheater in my book, so although this had all come up out of the blue, I’d already decided there was no going back - my marriage was over.

“You know Caleb, I used to think you were the hottest of the Mackenzie brothers, but now I don’t find you the least bit attractive,” Cassie stated coldly. “Not since you’ve gotten so flabby and out of shape. You’ve let yourself go, always too busy working to find time to exercise or workout.  Added to which, you live on take outs you can just grab while you’re working, instead of eating healthy meals. So, to sum you up, Caleb. You’re unattractive, unadventurous, predictable and boring.  And you wonder why I’ve been taking lovers.”