One Slip: Question of Intent

This story is my ending to the story "One Slip" written by Patricia51. In order to understand what I have written, you absolutely must read her story first. I have merely taken up the challenge that Patricia made at the end of her story to carry the story on to its conclusion. Thanks, Patti!

I was struck immediately by Donna and her decision to cheat. Was it intentional? Was it an accident? Was Gil a skillful drug wielding hypnotist--a kind of Svengali in a business suit? Or was what happened something that was, at least in part, intentional? This is my take on the situation. I hope you enjoy it.

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"She opened the outer doors to Steve's office. She paused with her fingers on the handle of the inner door. She could still turn away, go back to Gil and hope that she could somehow persuade him to drop his plan. "No," she angrily thought to herself. She hadn't been the first woman tricked by that man but she was going to be the last.

"Donna took a deep breath. She straightened her shoulders, blinked back a threatened tear from her eye and reached deep inside herself to a reservoir of strength she had never known she had. With her head held high, in spite of the guilt and anguish in her heart, she opened the door and marched inside." -----from "One Slip" by Patricia51

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Donna did not immediately see Steve. She took several steps into the office, but he was not at his usual place behind the desk. She stood in bewilderment in front of the empty desk, hoping against hope that she could continue to hold it together until her husband returned from wherever it was that he had gone. Then two familiar arms snaked around her waist, the hands caressing her stomach as they moved upward until they cupped her breasts.

"Hello gorgeous." Even though it was Steve's voice, Donna tensed. "How's my beautiful wife?" Steve nuzzled his face into the long blonde hair flowing down Donna's back until he found that special place on her neck. Steve knew how to use that spot to give her shivers of delight. Between kisses, he whispered, "I probably haven't told you lately just how much I love you."

Steve's words cut like a dagger. Wincing in pain, Donna pulled free. "Steve, we need to talk!"

"I know. I know. I keep telling you that I'm going to take more time and I mean it. I promise, I'm going to back off so that we can spend more time together."

Donna turned so she could face her husband. "But Steve..."

Cutting her off, her husband pulled her into a gentle hug. "I'm sorry, I really am, and I promise! No more 80 hour weeks! Just bear with me until the Goldman-MacCormack Building is complete. Then we'll have your parents take the kids for a couple weeks so that the two of us can take that trip to Aruba we've been talking about."

"Steve, stop it!" Donna again pulled free of her husband's arms. "This is important! We have got to talk!"

At that moment the phone rang, providing Donna with another obstacle.

"Let it go, Steve." Donna reached for her husband's arm as he hurried to answer the phone. "Please don't answer it. This is really important."

"I can't, honey. I've been expecting a call back from Clinton MacCormack. Things are at a critical stage right now."

"But Steve..."

Donna's protests were ignored as her husband picked up the phone and took the call. Her nerves barely held her together as she paced across the office. This is how it had come to be between Steve and Donna. Something always got in the way, and more often than not, that something was Bellows Construction.

It wasn't that way when they got married and started the company. It was a partnership in those days. Fifty-fifty on everything. They even signed papers making them joint owners. Donna, of course, had to quit working for the business eight years ago when she got pregnant with Brandon. Shortly afterwards, Bellows Construction took off. First, there was the Henderson Mutual Building downtown. Then Gil Gentry was instrumental in seeing that Steve and Donna's upstart little company was chosen for the Warren Fidelity Building where he worked. After that Bellows Construction soared. The only problem was that work took up so must time that Donna and the kids rarely saw him.

Oh, Steve loved her! Of that, Donna had no doubt. When Donna stopped working, Steve made a commitment to reserve Saturday nights for themselves. It was their time, important time, and it was precious to both of them. It just seemed to Donna that work took up more and more of his time. Steve was indispensable--or at least he believed that he was. Maybe things would have been different if Donna had not quit working for Bellows Construction after the kids were born. Maybe....

A gnawing ache in the pit of her stomach told Donna that it was going to be no different today. This was the one time that she absolutely had to divert Steve's attention from the business. She'd worked her courage up to tell Steve all about what happened, to beg his forgiveness, to plead for a second chance. It terrified her to think that she might work her courage up again. She'd just have to get Steve to stop and listen to her now!

Suddenly, Steve's phone conversation brought Donna back to reality. "Fifteen minutes. Can you give me fifteen minutes, Clinton? Bill and I can meet you at the airport in fifteen minutes. We can get this whole thing straightened out before you get to the meeting in Cincinnati. ... Good! Have Jamal bring his figures so we can compare. I think that as soon as Bill and I go over the budget and clarify spec's, we can put your minds at rest. ... Great, we'll meet you at the airport! Just don't make any decisions until we get there. ... Fifteen minutes! See you in a few!"

Steve tossed the received back into its cradle as he started toward the door. "Gotta go. Sorry I can't talk now."

"But Steve, we have to talk! It can't wait! I did something that..."

Steve stopped briefly at the door. "It'll have to wait, honey. This Goldman-MacCormack project is about to go to hell. Bill and I have to fly to Cincinnati with MacCormack and put out the fire."

"But you can't go, Steve. I need you; we have to talk."

"Tomorrow. We should be home early tomorrow morning; we can talk then."

With tears of frustration in her eyes, Donna watched her husband hurry down the hall toward Bill Bryant's office. Donna slumped to the floor and broke into tears. Later! Her world was coming apart and her husband told her that they'd talk later!

It seemed like only a few seconds later that Donna felt the gentle touch of a hand on her shoulder. She whirled around, thankful that Steve had come back, but instead found herself looking into the concerned eyes of Darlene Bryant.

"Men!" Darlene said with a sigh. "They can be such assholes." She knelt beside her friend and gave her a reassuring hug. As Donna let the mixed tears of pain, guilt, and frustration flow, Darlene whispered, "I'm sorry, girlfriend. I know I'm not supposed to eavesdrop, but I was worried about you. I could tell something was up when you came in. I can't believe Steve couldn't see it. I was so mad that I almost threw a stapler at him the way he flew out of here."

Donna took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As she started to get to her feet, she said, "Thank's Darlene. I'll be okay."

Darlene grabbed Donna by the wrist and pulled her back down. "Not so fast! You going to tell me what's up, or am I going to have to beat it out of you? A little while ago you asked whether Rich was still on still with the sheriff. You want to explain to me what that was about? If you're in trouble..." She gave Donna's arm another reassuring squeeze.

It was as though a dam burst. Finally Donna was free to talk about what had happened with Gil. All of her pent up anger and guilt gushed forth. She handed the envelope filled with pictures to her best friend and shared the entire tawdry tale from beginning to end. Part way through, Darlene got up to call her brother and sister-in-law, inviting them over to hear the story. Then she rejoined Donna on the floor to hear the rest of the story.

When she had finished, Donna wiped the last remaining tear from her eye and said, "I can't believe that bastard! And to think that Steve and I thought of him as a friend. I'd like to...Grrrrr!" Donna clenched her fists and pantomimed shredding some portion of Gil's anatomy.

Donna again started to speak, but Darlene cut her off. "Back up, girlfriend! Let me clear up a few things. Are you mad a Gil for the sex, the blackmail, or both?"

"Everything!" Donna spat the words out dripping with venom. "God! The nerve of that son of a bitch! He wanted to make me his own private company whore!"

"So you're telling me that Gil seduced you, that you really didn't want the sex. He forced himself on you and you didn't enjoy it."

Donna blinked in surprise and leaned back on her hands, drawing even her feet away from Darlene. "Whose side are you on?"

"I'm on yours, Donna, but if you're going to fix this, then you need to be honest with yourself." Darlene pulled a picture from the assortment that had an especially clear view of Donna's face. Holding it up for her friend to see, Darlene said, "I don't know about you, but it sure looks to me as though the woman in this picture is really enjoying herself. If you show this to Steve and try to tell him that Gil seduced you, he'll call you a liar."

Donna tried not to look at the picture, but wherever she turned her eyes, Darlene found a way of putting the picture in front of them.

Darlene continued to sort through the stack of pictures. "Damn girl! This is a still picture, but I can see the movement. You're arching your hips up to him. He's not the only one moving here. Even your face says 'I'm having great sex'."

Donna sighed and dropped her eyes to her lap. "I didn't go to that party planning to cheat on Steve. I never gave it a thought--not even when Gil came outside looking for me. It wasn't until we kissed ... I knew it was wrong; I tried to stop myself" Donna wiped a tear from her eye. "It just happened."

"So you're saying Gil had no part in all this?"

Donna shook her head. "Gil did seduce me. I haven't any doubt of that." She wiped a tear from her cheek, and in a whisper, said, "But I didn't make him work very hard. I wanted it to happen almost as badly as he did."

"Do you have feelings for him?"

Donna opened her eyes in horror. "Oh God no! Gil is a flirt and he's good to look at, but he's married. Kristin and Gil are--were--our friends. Having an affair was a mistake, a terrible mistake."

"So why cheat at all?" Darlene shook her head. "God! You and Steve are the last people I thought would have problems."

Donna averted her eyes sheepishly. "I know." She silently played with her finger for a moment. "Like I said, I didn't go to the party expecting to cheat on Steve. It's just that Steve and I have grown apart. Sometimes it seems as though Steve is more in love with this business than he is with me. I know he spends a lot more time thinking about it than he does me."

"So have you and Steve talked about how you feel?"

"No. My biggest mistake in judgement wasn't having sex with Gil, it was not being honest with my husband--and myself. Until Friday night I don't even think I knew how far apart Steve and I had become. Now I've lost him completely." Tears again began to flow down Donna's cheek.

As Darlene comforted her friend, her brother Rich and his wife Sara arrived. With the skill of a crack reported, Darlene brought them up to speed on Donna's mistake as well as the sick plans Gil Gentry had for her. "Can you get a search warrant and check his office?" Darlene asked when she came to the conclusion of the seamy story. "Better yet, can you have that slime ball arrested?"

Rich slowly shook his head. "It's doubtful. I Know the judges in this district. They're not going to sign a search warrant with only Donna's complaint. It would sound like this was an affair gone bad, a cheating wife trying to make it up to her husband. Sara or I could go talk with this guy, but not only will he deny everything but it would tip him off. We'd need more proof."

"But what about Sue Dalgreen?" Donna sniffed. "I'd bet my life that Gil did the same thing to her."

"I'll check her out," Sara replied. "I should be able to get her to talk. I've done things like this before. In the meantime, though, I have another idea. Are you up to doing a little police work, Donna?"

"I am if it'll put that son of a bitch behind bars where he belongs!"

"Good! And when is the earliest that you expect Bill and Steve to come back."

"Tomorrow," Darlene interjected, "and I'm going to throttle him as soon as I see him. He ran out of here like he was going to a nine-alarm fire. He didn't even notice how upset his wife was."

Sara rested her hand on Donna's arm. "You said that Gil wanted you to show up for work tonight at 7:00, is that correct?"

"Yes, but I can't do that!"

"And I don't want you to. I want you to call Gil. Tell him you couldn't confess to Steve. Tell him you're afraid of what Steve will do. Then ask if you can get together tonight and talk--just the two of you. If he pushes, tell him that you're not ready for more. If you need to, try to convince him that you're still trying to deal with the fact that you had real feelings for him. Work his ego, but just get him to agree to meet you--alone."

Donna wiped her eyes. For the first time it felt as though she were doing something. It might not save their marriage, but at least she would be involved in nailing Gil.

"We'll have you wear a wire--a microphone. All you have to do is to get him to talk. Make him say something about the blackmail or about what he wants you to do with his customers."

Donna sighed. "Sara, it'll never work."

"Why not?"

"If I know Gil, he'll have me undressed within the first five minutes. He'll find whatever bug you've hidden on me."

"Not a problem," Sara said with a smile. "I have a purse out in the van that's already wired. I've used it on a couple undercover investigations. It's got a very sensitive mike. We'll be able to hear every word."

Donna had given a great deal of thought about how to dress tonight. If her outfit was too sexy, she would appear too interested. On the other hand, she had no interest in antagonizing Gil any more than he already was. She settled on a nice two piece Brooks Brothers suit. The skirt ended just below the knees and when matched with her low-heeled pumps, it was perfect. It would have the conservative, I'm-not-helpless look she wanted to project.

At 6:00 sharp, and with Sara at her side, Donna dropped Brandon off to spend the night with Darlene and Bill. Then she left Abigail and the baby with her parents and headed off to Gil's home. Gil Gentry and his wife lived in one of the nicer condominiums along the riverfront. Donna and Steve always wondered how it was that Gil could afford a place so luxurious. Now she knew!

"I don't know if I can go through with this," Donna whispered as they waited for a traffic light to change. "The thought of him touching me makes my skin crawl."

"You're stronger than you think, Donna," Sara replied. "After all, you already did the hardest part. You took the whole story to Steve."

"Big deal! Steve wouldn't even listen! My big confession amounted to squat!"

"But you were going to tell him everything and accept the consequences."

"Yes, but I never got the chance. As usual, the business was more important than my concerns."

Sara shook her head. "Makes no difference what Steve's response was. You did the hard part by deciding to tell him everything--even knowing what his reaction would likely be." She gave Donna's arm a gentle squeeze. "You're a lot stronger than you think. Besides, all you need to do is get Gil talking--get him to brag. Once we have that on tape, your job's done."

"Then just promise to get me out of there before he gets me into bed. If it goes that far, you'd better be prepared to arrest me, too, because I'll castrate the bastard."

"Trust me, Donna! It won't go that far." Sara abruptly pointed to a parking lot next to a pharmacy. "Pull in that parking lot. This is where you go on alone. Don't forget, though, Rich and I are in the van right behind you and we're listening to every word that's said."

Donna took a deep breath and tried to force a smile.

"Just know that I will hear every word you say. Rich alerted everyone on duty at the Sheriff's Office tonight as to what's going down. All you need to do is call for help and we'll be on top of it like frosting on a cake."

A cloud of butterflies swarmed in Donna's stomach as she turned into the parking lot to Gil's condominium. Cheating once was bad enough. What she seemed a thousand times worse. Donna shook her head. That wasn't true. If Steve was going to divorce her, he'd do it on the basis of what she'd already done. This was for her! Before the night was over, she was going to see that Gil Gentry was behind bars where he belonged.

Out of the corner of her eye, Donna saw Rich and Sara's van slowly pull into a parking place in the far corner of the parking lot. The cavalry have arrived! Gil Gentry was going down.

Donna walked at a deliberate pace as she made her way to the front door of Gil's condo. She remembered the last time she had made the walk. Steve was not only at her side, but they walked hand-in-hand. It made her sad to think that Steve may never again want to even touch her.

"Well, sweetheart!" Gil said as he opened the door, a smug smile covering his face. "I didn't really think you'd come!"

"Did I really have a choice?" Donna retorted.

Gil chuckled as he held the door open for Donna. "Not really. But still, coming here was your idea, not mine."

"Is Kristin home tonight or is she conveniently out?"

"Kristin's travel plans are rarely convenient. The truth is that she is attending a seminar in San Francisco. She will be away until tomorrow night. That leaves the two of us with a whole evening and nothing to do."

Donna shook her head, not certain what to say. She needed to find a line of conversation that would make Gil spill his guts without making him suspicious. Clutching the purse as though it were her security blanket, Donna followed Gil into the condominium's great room where Gil had a bottle of Johannisberg Riesling chilling in a bucket next to the sofa.

"A fancy imported wine already uncorked," Donna cooed, irony dripping from her voice. "It doesn't look to me as though you had much doubt that I'd come."

"I had hopes. I also knew that a slut like you would be back. After all, every bitch comes back to its owner with its tail between its legs when she's hungry. Isn't that true my pet?"

Donna shook her head. "Gil, you really are a bastard! Do you know that?"

"And you screwed up my plans tonight! You were supposed to be meeting with someone else right now, but I managed to smooth things over. You'll make it up to him next week with he'd back in town."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

Gil simply smiled and poured two glasses of wine, handing one to Donna. "I have to say that your choice of clothes tonight is interesting. It's a little too 'business professional' for me, my pet, but you always look beautiful."

Donna felt as though Gil's eyes were drinking her dry as they slowly scanned her from foot to head, stopping at significant points for extra refreshment.

"I have to say that I have a few clients who would think this look to be an absolute turn on. It's definitely not my cup of tea, though. I prefer my little slut to wear something a lot more sexy and teasing." Gil took a long sip of his wine. "You know, of course, you didn't have to get all dressed up just for me. This is a party of two--and we aren't going to be dressed for very long."