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“Hey, Gina!” Tim greeted her at the door one evening.
“Hi, Tim! I hope the kids weren’t too much trouble.”
“They were great, but you might want to talk softer. They’re already asleep.”
“Really? I’m not sure how you did it, but I’d call that a miracle!”
“The secret is vodka.”
“What?”
“Vodka in their sippy cups.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Of course! But speaking of that, can I fix you a drink? You know, to help you relax after a long day of errands.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary, Tim.”
“Sure it is. Moms need attention too,” Tim declared, prompting a smile from Gina. “Sit down on the sofa. I’ll bring you something.”
“Well, OK. You might as well pour one for yourself while you’re at it. You deserve it for giving me a moment of peace and quiet.”
“Oh, and I fixed your vacuum cleaner.”
“You did? Thanks, Tim! I didn’t think that would ever get fixed. Frank just hasn’t had the time.”
“That’s OK. I took care of it.”
“Wow! You’re really earning your babysitting money!”
“Remember, I’m not your babysitter. I’m your children’s bodyguard.”
“Sorry, I forgot. ‘Babysitter’ isn’t a manly enough title for you.”
“So, is Frank working late again?”
“When is he not? I hardly know I have a husband. Everything changed when he took that last promotion. Actually, everything changed long before that. It was different when I was his partner. We saw each other all the time.”
“Yeah, we all missed you when you left. Things just weren’t the same without you. The office was so dull.”
“I miss it, you know.”
“I know, but that’s why I’m here. With me watching the kids, you’ll be able to get your life back in order and get back in the game. You can run all your errands and still have time to work out and practice at the range so you’ll be fit for duty again.”
“Of course, it doesn’t matter how much I prepare or how badly I want to come back to work if there aren’t any openings.”
Gina got up to put her glass in the sink, but Tim stopped her. “I’ll take that for you,” he offered. When he sat back down, he positioned himself closer to her than before. “Is something else bothering you?” he asked, sensing there was more on her mind.
“It’s nothing. You can go if you want. I’m not trying to keep you.”
“I’ve got time. Talk to me. Tell me your troubles.”
Gina took a deep breath before she began. “Well, except for the kids, I wake up alone, spend the day alone, eat dinner alone, and go to bed alone. If I’m lucky, I see my husband a couple hours a week, and even when I do see him, he’s either asleep or completely exhausted. He gives everything he’s got to his job, and there’s little left for the kids and nothing left for me. Then, just the other day, Frank says he’s got his sights set on becoming captain. It nearly killed me, but I couldn’t be the one to crush his dreams. But what about my dreams? I’m left longing for my old job back and desperate enough to dump my kids in daycare just so I can catch a glimpse of my husband at work, since work is the only place I’ll ever see him!”
“I’m so sorry, Gina.” Tim slid closer and took her hand, but he didn’t stop there. They had become more comfortable with each other over the last few months, so she was not alarmed when he ran his fingers along her forearm, rubbing it gently. He grew bolder when she did not shy away from his touch. “I can see the hurt and frustration in your eyes when you talk about it. I wish there was something more I could do to help you feel better.”
“There’s nothing you can do, Tim. It is what it is. I just feel abandoned. We couldn’t even celebrate our anniversary without him getting called away, which meant I got to spend the rest of the night alone.”
“Come here, darlin’. You look like you could use a hug,” Tim said, inviting her into his open arms. He rubbed her back and stroked her hair, imagining those were the little things Frank would do if he had been there. It seemed to comfort her. “You’re too beautiful to spend so much time alone,” he added.
Gina could sense what was coming. “Tim,” she interrupted and started to pull away, but before she could, he pulled her back and kissed her passionately on the lips.
Tim could feel her resist, but he persisted, and for a moment, it seemed like his risky move might pay off. Then everything changed. He grabbed Gina by the wrist just in time to stop her from smacking his face. “I’d let you slap me, but I think you secretly enjoyed that kiss. You only want to slap me because you feel you have to.”
Gina hated to admit he was right on both counts. She scrambled to come up with an appropriate response but found none.
To Tim, her lack of denial spoke volumes, and the look on her face confirmed it. He released her wrist and took her hand instead. “You’re just so lonely, aren’t you, angel?” Gina remained silent, so he kept talking. “I know how you feel. I’m lonely too,” Tim sympathized, his eyes still locked on hers, knowing things could go either way at this point.
She let him kiss her once more while the internal battle with her conscience raged on. This kiss lasted much longer and was far more intimate. He tried to slowly lay her down on the sofa, but Gina would not allow it. She knew if she gave Tim any encouragement, he would be all over her, ready to take full advantage of the situation. She was trying so hard not to lose control, but it was like the devil himself had come to torture her.
“Gina, he doesn’t have to know. You know I won’t tell him. Give me one night to make you feel like a woman again.” He could tell Gina was still listening, which meant she hadn’t completely dismissed the idea. “I’m not asking you to leave him.”
Gina knew Tim was wearing her down, and it frightened her how dangerously close she was to giving in. “You know we shouldn’t be doing this,” she said softly.
Tim ignored her and chose to plant the seed of dissatisfaction. “I’ll bet it’s been so long since the last time you and Frank were together that you don’t even remember when it was.”
“It’s been a long time,” was all she could say. He wasn’t Frank, she thought, but maybe he would do.
“Well, you don’t have to be lonely tonight. He may not have time for you anymore, but I do.” Tim played with a strand of her long dark hair, wrapping it around his finger. He was trying to take his time, hoping a slower approach would be less likely to scare her away. “You know I’ve always had a thing for you. I’ll worship you if you let me.”
She tingled with every touch while he gently massaged her neck and shoulders. It felt so good, and she was so starved for some attention! Gina wondered how long she could let this go on before she lost all power to resist temptation.
Tim reached around her waist from behind and slowly worked his hand underneath the front of her shirt. He could feel her tremble. “I want you, Gina,” he whispered in her ear, nuzzling her neck. She turned to face him, and they stared at each other for a moment before he attempted to slowly undo the buttons. Tim could sense her hesitation. “Don’t be shy. It’s not like I haven’t seen you before. Even though it’s been a few years, I never forgot how sexy you looked in that lacy black bra.” Neither one of them could forget the night of the dinner party, when Tim had walked in on Gina and Frank fooling around.
Tim reached for her again, but this time she pushed his hand away. “No! No more!” she said firmly. And just like that, Gina snapped out of the sweet spell of seduction she had fallen under. She was not willing to throw away five years of marriage to a man who loved her for one night with a man who didn’t, and she could never betray the father of her children. “This stops now! You need to leave.”
“Gina, your marriage is crumbling. It’s only a matter of time.”
“If it does fall apart, it won’t be because of me! Now I’ve got two good reasons you need to go, and they’re sleeping upstairs!”
“Alright, relax. Take it easy.” Tim’s tone revealed his frustration. He walked to the door, leaving her with, “Call me if you change your mind.”
“Go!” she shouted. The door shut behind him and Gina slumped into a chair, burying her face in her hands. “What have I done? How could I let this happen?”
A couple days later, Tim showed up unexpectedly at Gina’s door.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him.
“You have a doctor appointment, remember? I didn’t know if you still wanted me to show up. You didn’t say anything.”
“Uh, I forgot all about that. I should call and cancel.”
“You should go, Gina. Don’t neglect your health on account of me.”
“Fine,” she said, starting to gather up her things.
“You haven’t told him yet, have you?”
Gina shook her head. “No. How could I?”
“That’s probably for the best.” Tim reached out to touch her arm, but she quickly pulled it away. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, Gina. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Just take good care of the kids, alright?”
“Of course,” he replied and watched her rush out the door.
When she returned home, Tim casually asked about her appointment. “So, how’d it go?”
“It went fine. I’m fine.”
“You seem uptight.”
Gina glared at him. “That’s understandable, don’t you think?”
“I know a way to ease the tension.” Tim moved in closer hoping for a kiss, but Gina backed away from him.
“Please, just go! Here’s what I owe you for today and last week,” she said, handing him some money.
“Keep it. It’s on me.”
“Take it!” she insisted. “I don’t want to owe you anything.”
Before Tim could respond, they were interrupted by the sound of keys in the door.
“Frank! It’s the middle of the afternoon. What are you doing home?” Gina asked and hastily shoved the money into Tim’s hand.
“Can’t I surprise my wife?” Frank smiled and gave her a kiss on the lips. “The captain finally made it in today, and he told me to go home and get some rest.”
“You do look exhausted.” Gina took his briefcase from him and set it down on the table.
Frank put both his arms around her and greeted Tim half-heartedly. Before he let Gina go, he gave her another kiss, longer this time. Frank could tell he was making her uncomfortable. “Why so shy all of a sudden? What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“Nothing,” she replied, glancing nervously in Tim’s direction.
Frank moved behind Gina and began rubbing her shoulders. “Tim, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone with my wife. Our time together is long overdue.”
Tim gave Gina a lingering look before slowly heading for the door.
“I’ll walk you out,” she offered.
“Bye, Gina. Take care,” Tim said and gave her a small hug. “Call me,” he whispered in her ear. “Frank,” Tim called back over his shoulder to say goodbye.
“Tim,” he responded coolly. Frank had been studying the two of them carefully. He quickly closed the door behind Tim and immediately shifted his focus to Gina. “Hey,” Frank said, grabbing her arm to get her attention. “Do you think I’m too tired to notice that?”
“Notice what? What are you talking about?” Her pulse quickened.
Frank noted her dilated pupils, the almost imperceptible quiver in her voice, and all the other telltale signs of deception he knew to look for in her body language. “Something happened between you two, didn’t it? You’re different around each other, and don’t bother trying to hide it. I’ll know if you’re lying to me.”
“Frank, it’s not what you think,” Gina said, but she hung her head shamefully. “We need to talk.” She glanced up at him briefly before returning her gaze to the ground.
“I knew you two were acting strange.”
“You should sit down, Frank. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“No, I don’t imagine you will, but you deserve to know.”
“What I’d like to do is rearrange Tim’s face starting with that smug grin of his!” Frank said angrily, tightening his jaw and slamming his fist on the table. “How can he even look me in the eye?”
“Please, settle down, Frank, and just listen to me for a minute,” she pleaded.
But Frank ignored her and continued his rant. “I had a feeling this day would come, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would be with him! I knew I couldn’t trust him, but I thought I could trust you, and I thought he repulsed you! It shocked me you two could even become friends, let alone lovers, or whatever it is the two of you are now!”
“You were expecting me to someday cheat on you?”
“You basically cheated on Carlos with me, although that was different. You weren’t married to him, he was blackmailing you into staying, and it was over anyway.”
“Seriously, you actually believed this would happen to us?”
“I always knew it was a possibility, but I was so in love with you I didn’t care. I knew I’d eventually get too old for you, but I was going to love you for as long as it lasted. I told myself I’d deal with it when and if it came. Of course, I thought it would take longer than five years!”
“This has absolutely nothing to do with your age! I just got lonely, really lonely. You’re never here, Frank! Tim was. What did you think was going to happen?”
“Well, I would expect my wife to remain faithful to me!”
“And I was! It’s not like I slept with him!”
“Tell me what did happen then! Was it just a kiss or something more?”
“He kissed me twice, and there was some touching. Tim instigated it, not me. I never put my hands on him,” she clarified.
“I can maybe understand one kiss taking you by surprise, but if there was another one, then that means you allowed it to happen.”
“I’m not claiming to be his victim, although he did use my emotional state to his advantage.”
“Gina, how could you let him touch you? Do you have feelings for him?”
“I felt something,” she admitted. “What it was exactly, I’m not sure. Maybe it was just two very lonely people reaching out to each other.”
“You’re breaking my heart, Gina.”
There were now tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Frank. I never meant for this to happen.”
“Gina, I can’t deal with this right now, and I can’t stay here tonight either. Tell the kids I love them.”
“Tell them yourself. Where will you go?”
“I don’t know. Just not here. I need some space, alright?” he said firmly and walked away.
“Frank!” she called after him, but the door slammed shut, and he was gone.
