Bad Decisions

Many thanks to those who offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories. For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper...

Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. And please remember, this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama...

*****

Jason Chandler sat on the couch, looking at his phone. Not long ago, he received a disturbing call from Karen, his wife of nearly ten years. Earlier that day, his PI told him she and her lover had just boarded a flight to Honolulu. He knew they planned to spend the week there, even though she told him something different. It was just the latest in a long line of lies and bad decisions on her part.

He wondered to himself how he could have been so stupid and blind. For nearly ten years, he had given everything to build a life with Karen, but that was all gone now. He took another sip of his coffee and sat back in his chair, closing his eyes.

He thought about the last decade. He met Karen in college 13 years ago. They were both working for a business degree and were part of the same study group. That led to them dating. Eventually, they fell in love and married after graduation.

He went to work for his father, who owned a chain of successful tire stores across the state. He had always worked for his dad, spending his summers in one of the many stores his father owned. Sometimes, he worked in the shop, replacing tires and brakes. Sometimes, he worked as a runner, driving tires and parts to some of the local shops. As a result, he learned a lot about the business.

After college, his father talked him into working for him at the corporate headquarters in the accounting department. Over the years, Jason proved himself to be more than capable of handling whatever needed to be done and was now in charge of the accounting department, working directly for Mike Allen, the CFO, who was set to retire in a couple years.

Jason knew that it was his father's dream to hand the company over to him when he retired and he knew that when Mike retired, he would be promoted to take over his position.

Karen, meanwhile, had taken a job as a Realtor. After they married, she went to school and got her license to sell real estate. She was darn good at her job and made pretty good money, even during leaner years when the market wasn't doing very well.

They had a good life, or so he thought. They scrimped and saved and were able to buy a nice house in the suburbs. They each drove a nice fairly new car and to all outside appearances, had a secure marriage. They didn't have any children, something which bothered him more than her.

Right now, he thought that was something of a blessing in disguise. Early on, Karen said there was something wrong with her tubes, so she had them tied. He consoled her and suggested they look into adoption, but Karen dismissed the idea. Eventually, he accepted the notion that they would never have any children.

But several things happened over the last year that made him think something was going on - something that would forever change his relationship with Karen. For starters, Karen began spending more time with "the girls" than ever before.

He never begrudged her some time out, as he knew how stressful her job was. But the every-two-week "happy hour" that only lasted until 7 pm became a two or three-night-a-week event. And depending on the day of the week, she might not get home until midnight or later.

Jason wasn't happy about it and expressed his displeasure, but she waved him off, saying she was under a lot of stress at work and deserved time to blow off some steam.

"So what are you doing until midnight?" he asked her one night when she got home, her hair disheveled and her clothes smelling like cigarette smoke.

"Oh, we just had a few drinks," she said. "Sometimes we might dance if the mood hits us. Look, Jase, it's none of your concern. I'm a big girl and I don't need you telling me what to do. So lay off, okay?"

Jason looked at her, shocked. She had never spoken to him like this before. She saw the look on his face and softened up.

"I'm sorry, Jase," she said. "I didn't mean to go off on you. It's just that we're under a lot of pressure with the market the way it is."

"You've worked through tough times in the market before and it didn't bother you," he said. "What's different about this time?"

"You have no idea how hard it is sometimes," she said. "The competition is getting worse and worse and the higher ups are putting more pressure on us to sell property."

"I understand that, dear," he told her. "But you don't need to take it out on me. I'm on your side, remember?" She smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

"You're right, dear," she said. "Please accept my apology."

"All right, I accept," he said. "But please take a shower or something. No offense, but you smell like an ashtray."

"Sorry," she said. "There were a lot of people smoking at the club. I'll go take a shower." He laid down and was asleep by the time she made it to bed.

The next few months saw other changes as well. The frequency of their sex dropped dramatically. Before this started, they used to make love three or four times a week. That dropped to twice a week and eventually fell off to about once every two weeks, if he was lucky.

Even worse, her attitude toward him seemed to change. Before, she always asked about his work and took interest in his hobbies. Now, it seemed that she could care less what he had to say. Then there was the day he caught her in a blatant lie.

One day, he decided to drop by her office to take her out to lunch. When he got there, however, he was told she was out showing some property. That night after Karen got home from whatever it was she was doing with "the girls," he asked about her day.

"I was in the office all day today," she said. "I had a lot of paperwork to catch up on so I just grabbed a sandwich out of the vending machine."

Jason was shocked. She just lied to him with a straight face. As far as he knew, this was the first time she had ever done that. He thought about pressing her on it, but chose not to. In her frame of mind, she would probably blow a gasket and he was simply too tired to deal with that. He began to wonder, though, how many other times she had lied to him.

Later that night, as they lay in bed, he rolled over and looked at her. She saw the concern on his face.

"What's wrong, Jase?" she asked.

"I'm concerned," he said.

"About what?" she asked.

"Us," he said. "I feel like we're drifting apart from each other. Do you still love me?"

"Of course, I do, honey," she said, putting an arm around him. "You know that, don't you?"

"Honestly, I don't know," he said. "I can't remember the last time you told me. And it's been a while since we've had sex. It seems you're gone more than you're home."

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just the pressure from the job. I do love you, please believe me."

"Can you start showing me a little more?" he asked.

"Of course, baby," she said, kissing his face. They made love that night and Jason felt better, but he still had concerns. Things went back to normal for a month or so, but the same pattern began to emerge again. What the hell is going on, he asked himself for the umpteenth time.

It started to become clear to him what was going on the day his longtime friend, Ron Greene, called him, asking if he could get away for a bit.

"Sure, I can meet you for a beer," Jason said. "What's going on?"

"I really can't say over the phone, Jase," Ron said. "But it's important."

"Okay," Jason said. "I'll meet you there at 5:30 if that works." They ended the call and Jason met Ron at the bar that evening. Jason wasn't too worried about being late as Karen was almost always gone until 6 or 7 pm - sometimes later.

"Okay, bud," Jason said as they sipped their beer. "Spill it. What's going on?"

"Jase," Ron began. "I saw your wife today while I was out doing my runs."

"Yeah?" Jason asked. "She sells real estate. Probably out showing some property."

"I'm sure," Ron said. "But I never knew selling real estate involved kissing and hand-holding."

"What?" Jason asked. "Come on. You're pulling my leg."

"I wish I was, buddy," he said. "I was going down Riverside Drive and I saw your wife coming out of a house with some man. They were holding hands and then they kissed. I'm not talking about a smack on the cheek, either. He had his hands all over her ass at the same time."

"That can't be," Jason said. "Are you sure you're talking about my Karen?" Ron pulled out his cell phone and showed Jason a picture. Sure enough, it was Karen, kissing a man who had his hands all over her backside.

"Fuck," Jason said quietly as he handed the phone back. "Can you email me that picture?"

"Sure," Ron said, hitting some buttons on his phone. "So, what are you gonna do?" Jason shook his head.

"I don't know, buddy," he said. "Things have been off for a while now, but I would never have thought she'd do something like this."

"A friend of mine is a private investigator," Ron said. "If you want, I can put you in touch with him."

"Do that," Jason said. "I need to know what the hell is going on." They said their goodbyes and headed out the door. Karen was in the kitchen when he got home. This was something new, he thought to himself.

"You're home early," he said, giving her a kiss. "I'm not complaining, by the way." She smiled and kissed him back.

"Where were you?" she asked.

"I was down having a beer with Ron," he said. "I wasn't expecting you home so early, so I figured, what the heck."

"Everything okay with your friend?" she asked.

"Not really," Jason said. "He just learned that the wife of a friend of his is running around on her husband."

"Oh?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jason said. "He saw her kissing and holding hands with some guy earlier today." Jason thought he saw her flinch just a bit.

"Well," she said. "Maybe he's reading too much into it."

"I don't know," Jason said. "I'm just glad I don't have that problem." Again, he thought she seemed to flinch just a bit at that remark. "It would kill me if you ever did anything like that to me."

"I'd never do anything like to you," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you too much."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," he told her, kissing her pretty face. "So, why are you home so early?"

"Well, our annual company convention is coming up this weekend, so I thought I'd start packing and I wanted to spend the next night or two with you, since we'll be apart for a few days," she said. "It's in Las Vegas this year."

"Where at?" he asked.

"Over at the Convention Center," she said. "We're all staying at the Westgate Resort. I hear it's a 4-star hotel."

"So when are you leaving?" he asked.

"Friday afternoon, right after lunch," she said. That was the day after tomorrow.

"You getting another award this year?" he asked. She always received awards for being the top seller in the region.

"Probably," she said. They shared another kiss.

"Well then," he told her, "why don't I take you upstairs and congratulate you for a another successful year?" She smiled and took him by the hand.

"I thought you'd never ask," she said. They spent the evening making love, but Jason had other things on his mind. Would she cheat on him over the weekend, he asked himself.

"Say, I have some vacation time coming up," he said. "Why don't I take a few days and come with you? Maybe we can spend the week in Vegas and unwind a bit and reconnect. Our tenth anniversary is coming up next week, you know."

"That sounds like fun," she said. "But I'll be so busy with seminars and meetings I don't think we'd hardly ever see each other. Besides, they're expecting me to get right back to work after the convention. Listen, why don't we celebrate our anniversary when I get back? I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Okay," he said. "I'm going to hold you to that."

The next day, he contacted Ron and got the name and number of the private investigator. He arranged a meeting for that day and drove over before lunch.

"Good morning, Mr. Chandler," the middle-aged man said as Jason entered his cluttered office. "Good to meet you. Ron said you might be calling. Please, call me Jerry. What can I do for you?"

Jason explained the situation and told him about Karen's upcoming trip to Las Vegas.

"Vegas, huh?" Jerry asked. "You think she intends to hook up with someone at the convention?"

"I don't know," Jason said. "It's possible."

"Well, I have contacts out there who owe me a favor or two," Jerry said. "Tell you what, we'll put eyes on her there and if you want, we can sneak in a camera and a microphone if you get me her room number. It'll cost extra, you know."

"I figured that," Jason said. "But I need to know the truth." Jerry pulled out a digital audio recorder and handed it to him.

"This is really simple to use," Jerry said. "It's voice-activated, so all you have to do is slip it under her car seat and turn it on. You can retrieve it later after she's left. I'm assuming she'll be leaving her car at the airport."

"She usually does," Jason said.

"Good," Jerry said. "Don't worry, we've got it all covered. If she is messing around, we'll find out. By the way, here's my private number in case you hear anything. Call me anytime."

"Thanks," Jason said, writing a check from his personal account instead of the joint account. Both he and Karen had their own personal accounts, separate from the joint checking account which was used to pay the bills.

They had each agreed on this years ago, promising to deposit no more than ten percent of their net earnings. Until now, Jason had used his for clothes, incidentals and presents for Karen. He had been saving for a cruise, but was now using it for something else.

That night, Karen finished packing for her trip. Jason offered to carry her bags to the car - an offer she gladly accepted.

"That would be such a big help," she said, giving him a kiss. He carried the bags to her car, placing them in the trunk. He couldn't help but notice how much she packed. It was certainly more than enough for a weekend. As he put her overnight bag in the trunk, he couldn't resist the urge to see what she had taken, so he opened the case.

He spotted the container holding her birth control pills right off the bat. Only ten were left in the container. What the hell, he asked himself. Why does she have birth control pills? Didn't she say she had her tubes tied? Or was that another lie?

He glanced at the clothes she packed. Some of what she packed seemed appropriate for a business meeting, but much of it appeared to be club wear - tiny dresses he had never seen before and frilly underwear. He also noticed a couple of very skimpy bikinis, one of which appeared to be an open sling micro bikini, something he had only seen on the Internet. The garment looked like a large "V" with a zipper that, when opened, exposed her pussy. What the hell kind of meeting is this, he asked himself. He pulled out his phone and took pictures.

Opening her car door, he slipped the audio recorder under her seat and made sure it was turned on. Then he closed the car doors and made sure everything was locked up. They made love that night, perhaps, Jason thought, for the last time as husband and wife.

Karen gave him her room number the next morning at breakfast and promised to call every night.

"I love you," she told him as she kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you, too," he said. He watched as she pulled out and drove off. When he got to work, he called Jerry and gave him her room number.

"Great," Jerry said. "Thanks. I'll get my guys on it right away."

That afternoon, he got a call from Karen, letting him know she was at the airport and getting ready to take off.

"I'll call you when I get checked into my room," she said.

"I'd appreciate that," he said. "Remember, I love you."

"I love you too, baby," she said. "I'll miss you." Sure you will, you lying bitch, he thought to himself sarcastically.

"I miss you, too," he said instead. As he ended the call, he looked up to see his father standing in the door.

"Everything okay, son?" he asked. "You look like your dog just died."

"I don't know, Dad," Jason said. His father came into the office and closed the door.

"Everything okay at home? You want to talk about it?" his father asked. Jason knew better than to try to keep anything from his father, so he told him everything he knew so far.

"That doesn't sound too good, son," his father said. "I never would've suspected her of cheating on you."

"Me neither, Dad," Jason said.

"Well, listen, if there's anything your mom or I can do, let me know," the older man said. "We're here for you."

"Thanks, Dad," Jason said. "I appreciate that." Jason took off a couple hours early and drove to the airport, looking for Karen's car. He found it in the short-term parking and retrieved the audio recorder. Looking around, he noticed the rest of the car was neat as a pin, the way she always kept it.

On the way home, he got a call from Karen.

"Hi, baby," she said. "Just wanted to let you know I got here okay."

"Thanks for letting me know," he said.

"I'm just getting settled in," she added. "I'll call you later tonight. Love you."

"Love you too," he said.

After he got home, he turned on the audio recorder. He hoped there would be nothing on it, and for the most part, there wasn't anything except road noise and the sound of her radio. About halfway through the recording, however, he heard his marriage go down the toilet.

He could hear her phone ringing, and since it was connected to her car through Bluetooth and worked through her speakers, he could hear both sides of the conversation.

"Hey, baby," he heard a man's voice say.

"Hey yourself, stud muffin," she said. Stud muffin, Jason asked himself. Who the fuck is this clown?

"I can't wait to see you again," the man said. "Last week was fan-fucking-tastic."

"I'm glad you approve," she said with a naught giggle. "Are we set for next week?" Next week, Jason asked himself, shocked.

"Got it all taken care of," the man said. "Did you tell your husband?"

"Not yet," she said. "Don't worry, sweetie, I've got it all under control."

"He doesn't suspect anything, does he?" the man asked.

"Not a thing," she said. "He's clueless as ever."

"I hope you're right," he said.

"I told you, don't worry," she said. "He'll believe whatever I tell him."

"Good," the man said.

"Listen, I'm about ready to pull into the airport," she said. "I'll see you at the hotel tonight, okay?"

"I can't wait," he said. "Bye, lover."

"Bye bye," she said, ending the call. Jason stared at the recorder, not believing what he had just heard. He played it again, just to make sure he wasn't taking anything out of context. Not only was she cheating on him, she had something planned for next week - the week of their tenth anniversary - and it didn't include him. Damn. Damn, damn, damn, he thought to himself. How long has this shit been going on? And who the fuck was this asshole she was screwing?

He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and sat at his desk, thinking over the last few months. Had he really been so clueless that he missed all the signs? He started wondering what else she might be hiding. Up until now, he had always respected her privacy and stayed out of her personal things. But that was now off the table.

He knew she kept her home desk locked, but he also knew where she kept the key. He went to their bedroom and opened a small drawer in her jewelry box. Sure enough, there was the key to her desk, on a ring with a couple of other keys. He grabbed the ring and went into the bedroom they set up as her office.