Dating Game Ch. 03

Donna walked over to me slowly with her head bowed a little, she put her hands on my shoulders, and laid her head on my chest. I reluctantly put my arms around her in a loose embrace. Without looking up at me she softly and tearfully said, "I'm so sorry, Mark!"

We all settled in a quiet booth in the back, with Tom and me on one side, and Helen and Donna on the other. We ordered our first round of drinks, and Donna and I looked at each other, like there weren't two other people with us. She looked sorrowful as she said,

"Mark honey, I am so sorry about all of this."

"What about you new boyfriend? Do you ... do you love him, Donna?"

"I don't know! Maybe! Yeah, I guess!"

"Well, what do you expect of me then? Why are we even here? Are you moving out, and in with him, is that it? You have to know that I would fight to keep that from happening!"

"I know, Mark! It is not my intention to have two men fight for me! Can you give me a little space ... for a while ... just to figure things out?"

"You want me out of your life for a while, Donna? What about Tabby and Hank, are they out of your life too? Donna, please tell your husband of twenty-five years, what role he now has in your life, if any!"

"Mark, I am not living with Craig, we spent the weekend together, and ... he has stayed over a couple of nights since. That's all! It is still your house, Mark, and I can't really kick you out, but I would appreciate a little um, space ... for now!"

"Fine! I can move in with Gina for a while! I am sure she would love to have a handsome, manly roommate ... with benefits!"

"Mark! You are still married! You cannot um, be with my bestie!"

"But you are not married, and can be with 'Chad', right?"

"His name is Craig! And I'm not moving in with him, he will not be any kind of a father to my children—our children! I would appreciate a little time, Mark, do you think you can do that!"

"Well, Donna, this all sounds very one-sided doesn't it! It's all what you want and what you need! What about what I need?" I complained.

"It's not one sided, Mark! I am confused, and am simply asking for some time ... t-to figure things out!" She pleaded. I shook my head and told her,

"It seems very simple to me. You already told me that you love this ass-clown—whatever in the hell his name is. So then, you will move in with him, and Gina and I are back together! Sounds simple to me!" before she could answer I continued,

"If I find 'Claude' in my house, he is in for a very interesting and painful evening! I love you Donna—you are my wife, and the only woman I am interested in. You know that Gina is also my best female friend as well! And your bestie or not, she would be with me in half a nanosecond." She started to answer, but I cut her off again, and quickly added,

"Look, baby, if I did give you some space, and ended up rooming with Gina, I would be just as respectful of our marriage, as you are with 'Clint'."

"Mark, his name is Craig, and I cannot promise anything ... please respect the fact that I need this right now!" Then she looked into my eyes, with hers swollen and red from crying, and continued,

"I love you too, Mark! It is just ... just that with the date thing, my eyes were opened a little to some, like ... other possibilities. You have to know, that I have never cheated on you in twenty-five years ... u-until ... recently!" I answered her,

"Well, for now, I want to stay in the house, and you don't really deserve it, but I will give you your space. You can date 'Caleb' if you want, since nothing I say or do will dissuade you. But he cannot set foot inside the front door! That is absolute! If you don't stay with him, you may move into Tabby's room, but you cannot entertain any men there! If you don't want me anymore, fine, but you do not get "Calvin' or anyone else my house! Plus, while you are finding your 'space,' I will do whatever I wish with whomever I choose!"

"Mark, please his name is Craig! He is..." I interrupted her by saying,

"Isn't it clear yet, Donna? I don't give a shit what his name is, and if I see him anywhere near my house, his name is going to be 'Hurtin'!"

"Alright, alright, Mark! I would go along with being in Tabby's room, as an alternative to you being Gina's 'boy toy.'" I smiled at her last statement, and said,

"Then you can move into Tabby's room tonight! I prefer to have you at home, even if I have to confine my lonely little seven inches (Helen giggled) to my room."

"Alright! That sounds ... okay ... for now, I guess!" she said.

Tom and Helen were finishing their dinner orders, Donna ordered nothing but a cup of coffee, and I had a club sandwich, but only ate half of it, letting the waitress box up the other half, with a small container of slaw! When we left, I handed the box to Donna, asking her to have something to keep up her strength. She smiled, said,

"Okay, Mark! Thanks ... that's ... sweet of you!" she said with guarded appreciation.

We may be having our problems right now, but we will weather them, and I can still be concerned for her health and welfare. She walked over to me, put her hands on my shoulders, and gave me a light peck on the cheek. She withdrew, and asked,

"Will I see you later?"

"Yeah!" I said with a sad sort of smile, trying to keep from bursting into tears, feeling I have now lost my wife. On the way back to my car, Tom, a six-foot-four, former college ball player, said,

"Mark, if you need any help with that shit-dick, whatever the f—k his name is, I am in! I will have your back, whatever you need!"

"Thanks, buddy, I am sure I can handle this guy myself! But I may call on you and a couple of the guys just to throw a scare into him. The last thing I need is to toss a punch at this prick, and have him sue my ass, and end up with my wife as a bonus! I do not want to fight him like we were in high school, regardless of what Donna thinks."

"Well, I'm only a phone call away, Mark. Now, make sure you treat Donna right—she is worth fighting for ... the right way!" I smiled at him showing my understanding.

Donna was right there when I came into the house, and as I set my bags down, she said in a low remorseful voice, "Welcome home, Mark!"

She slid her hands up over my chest, and up around my neck, but I put my hands on her hips to hold her off a little as she tried to hug me. She got the hint, and moved away.

She pulled the cork off a bottle of wine and offered me a glass. "Thanks!" was all I had to say to this woman—my wife—who was carrying on a love affair with another man.

"Mark, I have been wearing your old shirts around the house lately, mostly with a pair of shorts under, just to um, have ... the smell of you!"

This is when I knew that we would get past this somehow ... because she was here! Because she wore my shirt. It sound trivial, I know, but it's a sign that she loves me. I can forgive her but I can't forget; that would take time!

I smiled down at her and asked, "That's a nice idea; what does 'Clark' think of that?"

"Craig noticed, but didn't say anything. I don't think he cared much for the idea!"

She seemed to be getting used to my purposefully getting his name wrong. She understood my attitude about all of this, and I know she was grateful for my not throwing her out, or serving papers on her cute little ass! I looked at her wanting to say something to her, but deferred it to see how things developed.

I changed, pulling on just a pair of jeans, wanting to be bare-chested in front of Donna as much as possible. I boiled some penne, serving it with some spicy arrabbiata and mushroom sauce, with some garlic bread fresh out of the oven. She just sat and watched as I made her a late supper.

She got up while I was working and hugged me from behind, running her hands over my arms and chest. She said,

"Mmm, someone has been working out!"

"Working off me sexual frustrations!"

"You mean you didn't—you haven't..."

"Of course not! I'm married, remember?" Okay, I lied, but only partly ... just to make her feel guilty.

I have mostly been saying no to Angela, and Julie, Andi, and all the other women Donna threw in my path to cover her retreat with other men over the past year or so. I did say yes to Jamie of course, and to Gina both out of frustration, and just ... needing someone I trust to be with.

"Oh, Mark! You are making me feel bad." She said with a pout.

"I didn't mean to!" I turned and gently grabbed her shoulders telling her,

"I just want to see you be happy, but I was just hoping that it would be with me, and not in the arms of another man. If that happens, I will live with it—Gina can help me with that!" She looked up, and said,

"You are making me ashamed of my awful behavior with Clark!"

"Craig!" I said, correcting her this time.

"He was attractive to me because he was of our generation—not merely some strong young punk with a hard ... um. Mark, I don't want to move into Tabby's room; I want to ... be with you!" She said hopefully.

"Well, you will be more comfortable in Tabatha's room ... for now! But, I'll be ... around!" I told her.

She finished her supper, walked over to my stool, and put her arms around me from behind, with her face against my cheek. I slid my hand down the back of the shirt she was wearing, and onto her pretty, little buns, massaging them lightly.

She turned, took my face in her hands and kissed me gently, but again on the cheek. She slid her hands over my upper arms, and smiled feeling the results of my workouts. Then she dropped her smile and her hands, turned away and said,

"I love you, Mark! But I ... I am going to date Craig ... for a while. You will have to bear with me for now, and if you really do love me ... you will!"

"I don't like it, but there seems to be very little I am able to say about it! If you, or 'Jag-boy' embarrass me in any way, directly or with my friends, you will be evicted from Tabby's room, from the house, and from my life! Keep that in mind, Donna! I do not want to see you with that prick, and he is not to enter this house! Is that understood?"

"Yeah, of-of course, Mark!" she answered, nervously.

The next week at work, she texted me after a few days saying that she was going out to dinner with ... him! I decided to look the other way, hoping that these 'dinners' did not turn sexual. She told me that they didn't, but I couldn't be sure—not with her extreme attraction to him, and his abilities of persuasion. Plus, a couple of them turned into overnights for her.

~ ~ ~

About a month and a half later, with her 'dating' Craig about once or twice a week, she told me,

"Mark, I told Craig that I didn't want to see him any more at dinner last night, but he didn't take it very well. He is not really a guy you can say no to, very easily! He called me a ... not very nice name, when he dropped me off."

I called Tom and a couple of other guys to come over for the evening. We had settled into a boisterous game of cards in my den; Tom threw his hand down and called John a cheat, and the two massive men faced off calling each other names ... just a typical card game for us. We heard the front doorbell ring, and I got up and looked out down the hallway. Donna was busy in the kitchen making snacks for the guys and me, trying to be my wife again.

She answered the door, but held onto it not opening it all the way. I could hear her arguing with someone. She said,

"Craig! I didn't think I would see you any more after last night. I can't let you in, what do you want." Then I hear the smooth polished voice of this asshole she had been screwing,

"You know what I want, baby, but I haven't been getting it enough from you lately! I'm here to correct that!"

He pushed his way in. I told my friends to wait for a moment, "Tom I will call you in a bit, and you and the guys can help me convince this prick to leave." I walked out into the living room. Craig saw me coming, and said, with a superior attitude,

"Oh, look! It's the wimpy, cuckold husband!"

I walked over to him and squared off right in front of him and said, "How's that again, Claude?"

"The name is Craig! Now get out of my way, I have something to discuss with your wife before I take her upstairs and fuck her! You can watch if you want!" He sneered at me!

"Well, I don't think that is going to happen tonight, Clark!" I said, as I grabbed the front of his shirt just under his collar, and held him back. I think he was surprised at my physical strength, since he couldn't free himself from my grip. I released him, and he spit back at me,

"Oh, you don't think so, do you?" he said then he said, "Now get out of my way you fool, your wife needs a real man!" I again held him back with a firm grip.

I pushed him back a little, and looking into his eyes, I saw his right fist coming around out of the corner of my eye. I caught his fist in my hand and held onto it (an old baseball players trick, catching a hard ball with bare hand!) as he tried to land a punch. I used the leverage to push him back. He tried a punch with the left, but I just parried it away.

"You come into my home, insult my wife, and you want to punch me out? What the fuck's up with that, Chad?" he tried to maintain a superior attitude,

"Well, I have been fucking your wife, making a cuckold out of you; and the name is Craig, dickhead!" I grabbed his shirt in my fist again and pushed him back again,

"My, you have a filthy mouth for such a polished, sophisticated guy Caleb! What do you think about that, Tom?"

Tom and my other friends, taking in this conversation from the hallway, strode out into the living room. Craig's eyes widened at the sight of such big men approaching him. I gave Craig a sneering laugh, released my grip on his shirt, and backed away to let my friends take care of business. All six-foot-four of Tom stood in front of Craig, folding his massive arms. He looked down at him and, said to Donna without taking his eyes off Craig,

"Donna why don't you get a bar of soap, darlin'? I think we'll need to wash his mouth out with it!"

Craig looked up at Tom, who was scowling down at him, and gulped hard. By the time Craig spit out at Tom, "Wait a minute, buddy!" but, both of my other very large friends were standing behind him.

One of them, Harry, put his arm around Craig's shoulders, patting him gently, but menacingly. Donna arrived back from the bathroom with a bar of soap, and handed it to Tom.

It was a large bar, but it nearly disappeared in Tom's meaty hand as he waved it in front of Craig. He told the increasingly nervous intruder,

"Y'know, Craig, old buddy ... I don't really want to do this. My friends and I, including Mark here, would be just as happy if you would apologize to Donna, and to Mark for bursting into their home, and insulting them. Then after that, you're leaving! But we will have to escort you out!"

Craig's countenance visibly sank, with kind of an "Oh fuck!" look on his face. Tom, still glaring down at Craig, continued,

"We just want to make sure you're okay, and don't accidentally fall down and hurt yourself!"

I smiled at Craig, and Harry grabbed him by the back of his neck, and asked, "So, what's it gonna' be?"

Craig looked around, then he looked at Donna for support. Donna, with her arms folded, just turned and walked slowly back into the kitchen, looking back over her shoulder at the scene by the front door. She continued putting together the food tray for my big friends. Then Craig looked at me, and then my friends, and said,

"L-Look, Mark, guys, I-I'm sorry for busting in here like this, but I just ... just n-needed to talk to Donna." Tom's expression turned from amused, to very dark on his large broad face as he boomed,

"You mean you broke in here, to talk to another man's wife??? what business do you think you have with this sweet woman that we all love?" Tom grabbed Craig, and pulled him up close, so he could smell the beer on his breath!

"Well, we uh ... um, I ah ... n-nothing ... I g-guess." Craig back-peddled quickly.

I knew that he was starting to calculate just how much trouble he was in from these huge men. He turned as much as he could toward the kitchen, and said,

"Donna, I am so sorry, I guess I just misunderstood!" Donna nodded, which was acceptance of his apology. Tom glared at him and said in a threatening voice,

"And, what else???" Craig looked at me, lowered his eyes and said,

"Sorry, Mark! I-I guess I wasn't thinking, and I um, apologize for the things I said to you, and about your wife. I was ... I was way ... way out of bounds. Sorry, man!"

Tom let go, pushing him back. This was the cue for the guys to escort Craig out to his car. Donna came over to me, wrapped her hands around my upper arms, as I stood looking at Craig with my arms folded.

Tom looked behind the now palpably frightened Craig, nodded, and Harry and John led him out to his car. Donna and I looked out through the open door, as Craig tripped (or was tripped!) and the guys got him to his feet roughly as he 'accidentally' bumped his head on a pillar by the stairs, Tom's huge hand somehow connected hard with Craig's jaw.

Harry and John picked him up like a rag doll, and pushed him toward his car. Craig bumped his knee hard into the back of his car trying to get away, and tripped as he rounded to the driver's side. Bruised, and holding his knee, he managed to make it into the driver's seat.

Tom smiled at him through the open driver's window, and said, "Well, Craig! Been a pleasure!" Then with a very dark expression on his broad face, warned him,

"Make sure this isn't necessary again! It's going to be much more painful next time!" Craig answered him sarcastically through the open window, rubbing his sore jaw,

"It won't be!"

The three huge men stood back with their massive arms folded, watching as Craig jammed his car into reverse, and screeched out of my driveway for the very last time. Then watched as his Jag chirp its tires, and disappear down the street, and taking the next corner sharply with a squeal, the guys came back in laughing, and telling each other that he wouldn't be back!

Petite little Donna looked up at her friends, Tom, Harry, and John, and said lovingly, "C'mere, you big lugs!"

she tiptoed up as each of them bent down, in turn, to receive a sweet kiss on the cheek from my wife. Harry, the biggest of the three, blushed like a shy bear. They returned to my study for another round of cards, as Donna followed with a big tray of sandwiches for us, cut across the middle, and not corner-to-corner.

"Here you go, guys, I be back, in a minute with some more beer for my big men!"

They all smiled, being waited on by such a pretty waitress. They each gave her hugs and kisses on her cheek as she served each of them. Tom gave her a gentle pat on the behind, and I asked him if he needed us to escort him out to his car! He just smiled and shrugged.

She said, "Enjoy, guys, and ... thank you! Call out if you need anything!"

I was in the living room when she came back out, and she walked to me, and with tears in her eyes, and said as she hugged me,

"Mark, I am so sorry ... for everything! I got a little carried away by Craig's looks, and manners. He is very attractive, but not half the man you are!" then in a softer voice,

"When you grabbed his fist in your hand ... it um, kind'a turned ... turned me on!" She tiptoed up and whispered in my ear, "I'll show you how much, when the guys leave!"

I turned and shouted toward the den, "Alright, you guys! Get the hell out of here!!!" they all laughed and teased me about Donna, and started another deal, arguing among themselves! Before I rejoined them, I walked over to my wife, put my hands on her shoulders and asked,