The Affair

Lunch Time

Marlena’s eyes popped open. She remembered everything vividly. She could still feel his fingers inside her, his mouth on her breasts…damn she wanted him. Her heart was racing. She was afraid to look at John…afraid she would see his desire for her…afraid she would give in to him. Distance…she needed distance. She needed to splash cold water on her face. Anything to cool the fire burning inside of her. “Uh John, I’ll be right back.” She headed to his bathroom.

He knew she was afraid to be alone with him. Even though they decided to wait until after he was discharged he was finding it difficult not to go to her. It was damn near impossible. No…it was impossible. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. John swung his legs over the side of the bed and went after Marlena. Halfway there, he suddenly turned around. There was one thing he needed to take care of first.

She was standing in front of the face bowl with the water running…a wet face cloth around her neck. Her eyes were closed. You can do this she told herself. All you have to do is wait a few minutes. She began to take deep breaths in an attempt to stop her heart from racing. Just a little while longer. Too late…she heard the door open.

John walked up behind her and slowly turned her around until she was facing him. No words were necessary. They both knew this is what they wanted…what they needed…what they had to have. His hands went around her waist until they finally settled on the button of her skirt. As her skirt fell to the floor he pushed her back into the sink. Marlena’s hands went to the opening on the front of his pajama pants. With one quick motion he ripped her panties off causing her to inhale deeply. Next, he unbuttoned her blouse and began to massage her breasts through her brassiere. She pulled his stiff member through the opening and began to stroke him up and down. As wonderful as the sensations they were creating for one another felt, time was of the essence. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He was inside of her moving in and out before she could catch her breath.

“Doc”, he managed to say in between thrusts. “Tell me you love me”, he said as he began to push in deeper and deeper.

“O h B a b y”, she moaned, “I l o v e y o u.”

John began to thrust harder and harder. He loved the way she moaned each time he pushed into her…the way her breath caught in the back of her throat.

They were both so aroused it wouldn’t take long. It was almost time…he could feel it. He began to move faster and faster. He wanted them to look at one another as they both reached their peak. “Open (thrust) your (withdraw) eyes (thrust). Look (withdraw) at (thrust) me (withdraw).”

Marlena opened her eyes and pressed her forehead into his. They stared into one another’s eyes as they both began to feel the waves of pleasure overtake them. Her walls began to tighten around him. John’s legs began to tremble. Finally they both succumbed to the intense pleasure they were experiencing. “I love you, I love you, I love you…” they both moaned over and over.

********************************

Enough time had passed. It was time for an answer…would Roman cooperate or would he need a little more convincing? He walked down to his glass cage. Roman was still in the same position he had been hours ago…he hadn’t moved, he hadn’t spoken a word; he hadn’t eaten any of the food they left for him.

“Roman, we need to talk.”

He made no attempt to sit up or even look in Stefano’s direction. In fact he didn’t acknowledge Stefano’s presence at all; instead he continued to stare off into space. He wasn’t ready to deal with him yet…his emotions were still all over the place. He needed to be in control before he spoke.

“Did you hear me? I said we need to talk?”

Still, no movement from him.

He needed to get a response from him, even if it was his anger…something to get through to him. “Ignoring me will not make everything go away. It will not erase what you saw…your wife with John. The things he did to her…the things she allowed him to do to her.”

In spite of his attempt at self control, that remark got a response…Roman charged the glass. “Don’t you talk about my wife…don’t you dare.”

Good, Stefano thought. At least he’s talking, showing some kind of emotion. “After all you saw, you still defend her. You still think of her as your wife when it’s perfectly clear she wants to be with John. Are you some kind of masochist?”

“I know what you want. You want me to hate her…you want me to do your dirty work for you. Well guess again…I’m not your pawn.”

He would try another tactic…something closer to home. “I knew Marlena was special the first time I saw her but I had no idea of the kind of power she wields. After all, two men in love with her…two men sharing her bed…two men willing to give up their lives for her. It makes me think I’m missing something. Maybe I ought to see for myself what makes her so special.”

Roman charged the glass again, “If you go near her, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

“Such devotion to a woman who’s cheating on you.”

“Stefano” he began, “I’ll deal with my wife in my own way…in my own time. You think because you show me a tape of my wife with John, I’m going to do your bidding. Do you think I’m you?”

“I think you’re a man who’s in denial about his wife being in love with another man. I think you’re the type of man who values honesty and loyalty above everything else. Two character traits your wife doesn’t seem to possess. Answer me this: can you forgive her? And even if you can forgive her, will you ever be able to trust her again?”

Roman said nothing. He would never admit to Stefano that he was right. He did value honesty and loyalty above everything else and he didn’t know if he would ever be able to forgive Marlena. He would deal with her betrayal at a later time…right now he needed to remain focused. His main objective was to escape. Everything else could wait.

Stefano could tell Roman was desperately trying to hold his emotions in check. Maybe a little more prodding would help him along. “Bart, start the tape.”

**********************************

Kate sat in her office going over the last report she received from the New York office. Something wasn’t right…she couldn’t quite put her finger on it…but something was definitely wrong. Unable to find the mistake, she placed it in her brief case. Maybe she’d have better luck while she was at home. She glanced at the clock on her desk and realized it was later than she thought. Her intention had been to visit John today, but she had spent the entire morning putting out fires…one after another. Nothing too serious…more like busy work…things to keep her from focusing on the really important issues. Now that she thought about it…that was a bit out of the ordinary. She’d had days like this before, days when things out of the ordinary popped up, but somehow this felt different. It wasn’t anything specific…just her intuition kicking in. Something was going on. John had always told her to follow her instincts and today her instincts were telling her there was a lot more going on than anyone realized…including John. And with him incapacitated for the time being it was up to her to keep his company running until he came back. He had given her a chance and she would be damned if anything happened to his company on her watch. Kate finished packing her briefcase and headed to her apartment. A change of scenery might give her a fresh perspective on things.

************************************

He sat in the dark…the curtains drawn together so tightly that not a single ray of light shone into the room. The first part of his revenge went off without a hitch…but this new development…the disappearance of Roman Boaty was quite puzzling. He hadn’t spent the last few years of his life planning everything down to the last detail to have someone or something upset his timetable. This was unacceptable. He slammed his fist into the table…the first sign of emotion he had displayed in years. It was the first time he actually felt something…up until this moment he had been a perfect example of the living dead…the real dead man walking. He felt nothing…nothing but emptiness…and it was all because of them: John Borne and Roman Boaty. He would have his revenge…he would take everything from them the same way they took everything from him. Death was too easy, too quick; too painless…he wanted them to suffer the same way he did…to wake up each morning knowing there was nothing or no one waiting for them…nothing but time which seemed to get slower with each passing day. This was a fate far worse than death…this is what they deserved and he would make sure they got everything they deserved. Once that happened, he could die a happy man.

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The last thing he wanted to do was watch more of John and Marlena together. How much more did Stefano have? How much more was he expected to watch? He knew Stefano was trying to break him…trying to get him to work for him. That would never happen. He wouldn’t lose his principles…he may have lost his wife, his family but he wouldn’t let Stefano take away the only thing he had left to lose…his soul. He would deal with John and Marlena’s betrayal in his own way. They would pay for what they did to him…but they would pay the price he wanted and not Stefano. Marlena…how could she do that to him? How long had it been going on? How could he have not known? There had to be signs, some kind of clues…something he missed. Think, Roman he told himself, think. When did things start to change? He couldn’t honestly remember…the last couple of months had been crazy…for both of them. Work seemed to consume their days and the kids their nights. Or did she just use work as an excuse? Had this been going on the entire time? No…that wasn’t true. Even though it had taken her longer to accept him back in her life and even longer in her bed he knew she loved him. Or at least she did love him. He didn’t know what to think. Think Roman…use your police skills to help you solve this mystery. If he could concentrate on this puzzle, his mind would be occupied which meant he wouldn’t keep seeing images of them together. Concentrate…if he couldn’t pinpoint a change in their life…maybe he could pinpoint one in John’s. What was different? Isabella…Isabella was dead…but that couldn’t be it. Isabella had been dead for at least a couple of years and he knew it hadn’t been going on that long. No it had to be much more recent. When was the first time he noticed something different? It was slowly coming to him…it was in her office…the day he surprised her. He had been gone for about a week and he couldn’t wait to see her. That’s right; they had been on a date and ran into John and Rebecca. Both he and Rebecca had to leave and he asked John to bring her home. That was it…that’s when it must have started. Damn!

The sound of her voice brought him back to her present. He looked at the screen and there they were together…again. Did she just call him sailor? What now? He didn’t want to look but he couldn’t help himself….and so he watched. He watched a completely naked Marlena step into the shower with John. He thought he’d seen everything…that nothing else would surprise him, but he was wrong. He couldn’t believe it when she knelt down before John and eagerly took him in her mouth. In all the years they’d been together she rarely performed oral s*x on him and here she was…initiating it. Not only initiating it…but enjoying it. The few times he was lucky enough to be on the receiving end, it always felt like she was doing it out of obligation…not because she enjoyed it…but because it was something he wanted. And here she was…doing things to John with her mouth he never dreamed she even knew about much less capable of doing. He never dreamed he was capable of feeling such hatred for Marlena…but here he was…hating her.

Stefano smiled. He’d been right…as usual. He could see the first cracks in Roman’s moral compass. It was just a matter of time.

*******************************

“John, did you arrange that?” She was sitting on the edge of his bed holding his hand.

“Arrange what?” he asked innocently. No one would ever suspect that just a few minutes ago they had been making love in his bathroom.

“Did you fix it so that no one would interrupt us?”

He smiled at her and said, “I might have said something about me being a little tired and that I’d appreciate it if no one bothered me for a little while.”

“I can’t believe you did that.”

“Doc, I’m sorry if I embarrassed you but I couldn’t help myself. Every time I see you, I want you. And since it seemed like outside forces were conspiring against us, I just evened the playing field.”

“John, you misunderstood. Honey, I’m not embarrassed.” Her voice took on a more sexy tone, “I’m glad you did it.”

John heard the unmistakable desire in her voice. “Doc, you keep talking like that and we’ll be making love again.”

“Sailor, as much as I would love to take you up on your offer, I can’t. I need to get home, call the children, see if there’s a message from Roman…” As soon as she said his name Marlena became quiet. It’s not that she was trying to hide anything from him; she just didn’t want to upset him.

“Doc, it’s okay. I know you love me and I know you’re worried about him. I know how much you worry about him when he’s working on a case…especially this one. You’re such a caring person. It’s one of the reason’s I love you so much.”

It was amazing she thought…he knew exactly what to say…he knew exactly what she was feeling. They were truly soul mates. “You always know what to say. I love you.” She leaned in and kissed him. “And now I’m going to leave before we get carried away. I’ll be back first thing in the morning.”

He tried to hide his disappointment. He had been secretly hoping she would come back later that night. “Well, Doc, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.” He pulled her to him once more. This time as their mouths met, he gently tugged at her bottom lip until she parted her lips. His hands cupped her face their kiss deepened.

Reluctantly, Marlena pulled away. “John I love it when you kiss me that way but I really have to go.”

“I know…I just want…” He didn’t have to finish his sentence. She already knew what he was thinking.

“Me too my love…me too.” She stood quickly and headed for the door…afraid to look into the two blue pools of blue she knew were staring at her…afraid if she looked into his eyes her resolve would quickly melt and she would be in his arms once again. Marlena quickly and quietly shut the door behind her and headed for her office. There was one phone call she needed to make before she left the hospital.

As soon as the door closed, John leaned back in his bed and closed his eyes. He wanted to memorize everything about her…the way she looked, the way she smelled, the way her skin felt beneath his fingertips…everything that was Marlena. It would be the only way he would be able to sleep.

*********************************

Kate sat curled up with her legs beneath her on her couch going over and over the same report. She almost had it…whatever it was…she could sense it. There was something going on in New York that wasn’t kosher. She took another sip of her wine and closed her eyes. Maybe, she thought, if I just relax it’ll come to me. She leaned back into the couch and allowed her mind to wander wherever it wanted…allowing random thoughts to enter her mind…not concentrating on anything in particular. This technique had worked for her in the past and hopefully it wouldn’t fail her tonight. Her instincts told her it was vital she figure out what was going on as soon as possible. Ok, breathe she told herself. She could feel her body becoming more relaxed with each breath she took. Even though her thoughts were still random, every so often something from the report would pop into her head. Slowly, the random thoughts began to disappear and she became more focused on the report until finally she was focused entirely on the report and nothing else.

Kate’s eyes popped opened as she sat straight up. She knew where to look. The information she needed was right there if you knew what to look for…and she did. She grabbed her copy of the report and began furiously taking notes. As tired as she was earlier she was suddenly revitalized with new energy. She would have to verify everything before she went to John but at least now she knew she was on the right track. Someone was out to get John and Basic Borne.

***********************************

Marlena entered her office and quickly closed the door behind her. As she sat at her desk she dialed Laura’s extension. With any luck she would still be there. One ring, two rings, three rings…oh well it was a thought. Just as she was about to hang up there was an answer.

“Dr. Horton here, can I help you?”

Marlena sighed in relief, “Laura it’s Marlena.”

“Well hello stranger. I was just on my way out. In fact I had to hurry and unlock the door to answer the phone.”

“I know I’ve been a little preoccupied the last couple of days but I was hoping you were free for dinner…my treat.”

“Are you alright? Is anything wrong?”

“No everything’s fine. We just really haven’t had a chance to talk the last couple of days and I wanted to catch up. But if you’re busy, I understand.”

“Have you ever known me to pass up a free meal? Tell me the time and the place and I’ll be there.”

“How about the Pub in an hour? I have to stop at home first.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you there.”