" Oh, man, I need a second cup of expresso this morning bad! " Nadine murmured as she drained the coffee cup in her right hand and prepared to pour herself a second helping of the imported Canadian blend expresso coffee she and her husband Jack both loved. " Before you dash out of here, could I talk to you for a minute or two about something important? Ummm, there’s no delicate way of bringing this up so I’m just going to say it. Over the last few weeks, you’ve been, well, more than a little frigid during the night. In fact, you’ve begged off every time I try to cuddle or try even a little, ummm, foreplay, " Jack said with a little hesitation but frustration evident in his voice. Nadine’s cheeks turned beet red in response to Jack’s declaration. " Hold the fuck on! You damn well know that I’ve been working my ass off trying to get that impression at work and haven’t been home until late every day of the last few weeks. I told you I was going to be a little tired from all this stress and you said you understood. Was all that just bullshit on your part when we talked about this? " the blonde haired woman exclaimed as she slammed her coffee cup down on the counter in unrestrained fury. " Don’t you give me that crap! You came home three nights ago with vodka on your breath and practically danced into the house twirling and spinning. Ten minutes later, after I put my hand on your thigh, you ran for the bathroom and spent an hour in there claiming you were on the verge of being sick. What the hell is up with that? " Jack roared back with his eyes wide and cheeks slightly reddened from the anger he was feeling and expressing. " I was sick that night! After you fell asleep, I went back to the washroom and, ummm, took care of things. As for the drinking, I had no choice! They held an impromptu executive meeting and the booze was being tossed back by everybody there. I want this promotion so bad for you and me that I would have downed a whole bottle of vodka that night if it meant a better life for us down the road, " Nadine exclaimed with tears welling up in her eyes. Seeing his wife growing distraught, Jack’s anger quickly melted away and he moved to embrace Nadine and reassure her with barely audible words. After the two kissed and shared a few words, they parted ways and went to get in their respective cars and head off for work. Settling behind the wheel for her silver BMW, Nadine watched as her husband pulled away in his black Audi and her sorrowful look quickly faded away as her husband faded from view. With a smug look becoming visible, Nadine drove out of the driveway and headed off in the opposite direction. “That idiot always melts when I sob or cry just a little! Man, I’ll be glad when the end of next week comes and I can finally tell this jerk that we’re through, once and for all!” Nadine thought to herself as she went over what had happened in the past that looked to be changing her life. At the annual Christmas party the company held, Nadine had met Ralph McEwen, the company vice president in charge of financial procurement. Nadine’s first reaction was to dismiss Ralph as a typical executive interested mostly in the expensive things he could get for himself and quick one night stands with women he had no real interest in. However, Ralph turned out to be much more than that and as they chatted over drinks at that party, Nadine discovered that Ralph cared about what she thought and avoided any of the cheesy lines usually offered by guys looking for one night stands. The dinner encounter led to other dates and overnight stays by the two in remote places to avoid tongues wagging and Nadine’s husband finding out about the affair. Over time, overnight flings led to weekend trips to resorts out of country that Nadine covered with Ralph by saying she had a convention or something similar. However, last week, Ralph had approached her when it was only the two of them left in the offices and suggested that the two of them take their relationship to a more permanent level. Ralph suggested that Nadine leave Jack and settle down with him in his private estate on the West Coast. Nadine shot down the suggestion as she wasn’t mentally ready to take that step as of yet but a few days after that meeting, Nadine found her mind wandering. Looking over at a sound sleeping Jack at night, Nadine came to the conclusion that spending the rest of her life with him was going to be boring and predictable at best. With Ralph, Nadine saw an opportunity to get a taste of the good life finally even if Ralph dumped her in a few years for somebody hotter and sexier than her. “Anything is better than spending the rest of my life worrying about the monthly bills and whether Jack will ever show any passion in the bedroom? Well, if Ralph plans things out right, I’ll never have to worry about those little things again!!” Nadine thought to herself as she motored along and mentally over a number of ways she could tell Jack that their marriage was over. However, when Nadine arrived for what was supposed to be a routine day of work, her receptionist told her that she was to go immediately to the executive boardroom where Ralph and the other company brass were to discuss an urgent matter. " Thank you for getting here so promptly, Miss Cross. To put your mind at ease, this is not a critical matter that I’ve summoned you to today but rather an event I think you’re going to be rather happy about the news I’m going to announce. After some negotiations on behalf of the company, I have managed to secure a weekend for all company executives and their respective spouses at a exclusive resort and outdoor activity area. The highlight of this meeting will be the announcement of three new locations we are planning to break ground on around the world. Now, due to the size and nature of this meeting, everyone attending has to get a mandatory physical conducted by the company physician. It’s strictly routine to make sure none of you are vulnerable to any of those nasty flu in the resort’s region. My secretary will be sending out emails to all of you before the end of the business day. Now, with that said, I believe Charles is going to show us some pictures of the resort we’re going to be going to, " the company CEO proclaimed happily before nodding to his vice president. “This is lousy timing, to say the least!! Christ, I can’t dump Jack as we’re sitting around a pool with the other execs and their significant others! I guess I’ll have to put on a happy face and tell Jack about this ‘wonderful’ trip we’re going to be taking,” Nadine mentally fumed as she accepted a folder from Charles that contained pictures and information about the retreat in question.
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