Revelation

One of the issues with LW stories is trying to find a new plot. Normally, stories follow similar plots, but the writer puts their own twist to them. I hope I have found a most unusual twist in this one.

Thanks to my editor kenjisato for his hard work in making stories flow

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Sam, or Samantha to her mother, sat alone in the bar of the Hilton Hotel. She was bored and lonely, not out of choice, but out of necessity. Sam worked as a sales tech for a large heating and plumbing wholesaler. She was good at designing systems, but was not comfortable meeting customers. That meant a good nine-to-five job which always had her home in time for dinner and meant very little travel and no overnight stays, until this week.

This week was a trade show, and Sam had been drafted to go at the last minute because her sales executive, who always attended, fell on the golf course on Saturday and broke his leg. Sam had no choice and flew out early Monday and would be here until Thursday. Her husband, Mark, was very understanding and her two boys, Owen and Peter, only understood that they had to be good for daddy. They were eight and five, and would do anything for their father.

There were five of them at the trade show. The sales executive, Tony, was out every night with clients along with the product executive, Lewis. Both of them were in their late fifties and Sam liked them both, but they were not good company, even if they had of been with her. What she was expecting was to have some fun with the two sales representatives, Judy and Beth. They were both in their early thirties like Sam, and were both also married. Judy had one child and Beth had two.

Sam thought they would have dinner and drinks at night, maybe a film. She was shocked to find both of them went out cruising. On the first night, they both picked up men and slept with them.

This morning, Tuesday, Beth told her about the trade show 'timeout'. Judy and Beth had been doing them for a couple of years by then and, as they were three states away, they took a 'time out' from their marriage to have some fun. It was just recreational sex and what their husbands didn't know, didn't hurt them.

Sam was shocked and disgusted-- a marriage didn't have a time-out clause! Right at that moment, Judy was plastered against a new man from their company's head office and Beth was attached to a guy who was a buyer for a retail chain. Sam decided it was time to leave.

She was getting ready to go to her room when a shadow appeared over her. She looked up to see a tall man, with dark skin, perfectly sculpted black hair, and piercing eyes. Mark was Irish by descent, had very pale skin, and an untidy mop of blond hair. The contrast between this man and her husband was an instant attraction.

The stranger reached out a hand and introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Damon, do you mind if I sit with you?"

Sam couldn't help herself, "Yes, that would be nice. I'm bored, sitting here on my own."

Damon smiled, replying, "I was standing over there at the bar, and thought you could do with a friend to talk to. Would you like a drink?"

Sam knew she already had two glasses of wine and that was her limit, but she eagerly accepted a third.

Conversation and a fourth glass of wine followed. Soon, she was on the dance floor and was closely pressed to him, in a way she vaguely knew was not appropriate. But she was having a good time, and her friends were there with her, doing the same.

After a couple of slow dances, Sam wasn't feeling any pain and Damon brought her back to the table, where a fifth glass of wine awaited. It was around this time, Beth came to the table, holding the hand of a man who was different from the one she was dancing with earlier.

Beth said, "Make sure you are up good and early for tomorrow, and remember, no harm no foul."

As Beth and her man walked to the lift, Damon lightly kissed Sam on the lips, and said, "I think the bar is closing, shall we move this upstairs?"

As he said this, he took Sam's hand and they both stood and walked to the elevator.

Sam was feeling free, but as the door opened, she saw a reflection of herself in the mirror, holding hands with a man, who was not her husband, and she knew what would happen if she didn't act quickly.

She stepped into the elevator with Damon and he reached across to press the floor number. He didn't ask her for her number, pressing the button for the seventh floor only. After he pressed it, she reached over and pressed the 'five' button, that being the floor she was on.

Damon gave her a funny look.

But, she turned to face him, removing her hand from his, and said, "Damon, I have had a lovely night and you rescued me from total boredom, but I am a married woman and I have to end it here."

Damon was clearly annoyed. He had turned down a sure thing in Beth because this one was a total babe, but here, right then, he was being left. He was about to give her a piece of his mind, when the door opened on floor number five and Sam practically ran from the elevator, not stopping until she was through her door and the safety lock in place.

Sam sat on the bed-- she was devastated by her own behaviour. She knew she had come close to crossing a line she had vowed to never go near. She loved her husband, her children, and her life; if she had crossed that line, it would have been over. She knew she could not keep that a secret from Mark and she knew confessing infidelity would result in an immediate divorce. Hell, if the shoe was on the other foot, she would do the same to him.

The next morning, Sam came to breakfast. Judy and Beth were sitting at the table, both with large smiles on their faces. "Well? I'm assuming you need a big breakfast to replenish your strength for today and more this evening," Judy almost gushed.

Sam shook her head, just as Damon passed the table without a second glance.

Beth watched him go past, then asked Sam, "Did you turn that down? He's gorgeous, totally different to your husband, and I know from experience, he's excellent in bed. Why would you turn that down when no one would know?"

The waiter was standing by the table and Sam waited until he filled her coffee cup, then replied, "Sorry, girls, but it was not for me. I could never do it. I can't give myself a time out like you have. I would be betraying Mark and everything I have, and I would have to confess. That would be the end of my marriage. No, I did the right thing for me."

The day went slowly. Sam would not be home until the next day at eight in the evening, and her heart and soul were burning with revulsion as to what she nearly did. She just wanted Mark to come and hold her and let her cry.

That night, Sam didn't even come out of her room after she returned from the trade show. She ate room service and FaceTimed home, spending well over an hour just looking at the screen as the boys played. It was like looking in a window at a scene she had been excluded from. It was a metaphor for the divorce that would have come her way, if she had trashed her wedding vows the previous night. She knew she would never go on another trade-show trip; she would resign before she went.

The next morning was slightly different. Both Judy and Beth had clearly been with someone overnight as they both looked tired, but they were talking about getting home and their children, not the previous night's activities. Sam's absence was only mentioned once, when Judy asked what she had done.

Sam replied, simply, "Read," and did not go into the long FaceTime call. That was her reminder of what it would be like to be on the outside looking in, if she destroyed her marriage.

The final day of the show was actually the best. Sam signed up two new retail outlets and then, at lunchtime, they started packing up the stand. They left for the airport a little after three for the six o'clock flight home, arriving one time zone over at seven PM after a two-hour flight.

Sam was feeling good. She had passed the test, not quite with flying colors, but she had been tempted and she had stood firm. Her wedding vows were intact and she could go to her husband with a clean body and a clear conscience.

As the three ladies walked into baggage claim, they could see their husbands standing together, talking with two other men. Sam was excited to see Mark, but he did not look so pleased to see her. Beth, Judy and Sam walked out together, and as they approached, one of the men left the group and came over to them.

He held out an envelope to Beth, and said, "Beth Summers, you have been served." He then turned to Judy, and repeated, "Judy Rodgers, you have been served."

Sam waited, but the man turned away, leaving her standing beside two women, who were then crumpled on the floor. Beth was crying and Judy was repeating, "God no, please god, no." Both of their husbands had left with what Sam presumed was a process server.

Mark approached, clearly with a frown on his face. Looking at Sam, he said, "I take it you know what these two did, when they were at trade shows. This man is the PI that followed them and got the evidence that culminated in this. I know most of what happened to you, and I know you did not cross a line, but you got too close for comfort to it. If you had crossed the line, there would have been a third envelope delivered here tonight.

"I am offering you a chance to come clean and tell me how we make sure this does not happen again."

Sam could not get the words out quickly enough and Mark directed her to a coffee shop in the airport arrivals area. She told all about how she was bored, how Damon had bought her drinks, how she danced a little too close, and even that she was on her way to the elevator.

"So what stopped you?" Mark asked, with some terror in his voice. This was the key. If he could see that she saw the error of her ways, and was genuinely remorseful about her actions, there was a way through this mess. If not... well, he didn't want to think about that.

Sam sat thinking for a few minutes, then she sighed, and said, "I stopped because of you, because of the boys! When the elevator door opened, I saw myself in the mirror and I saw another man holding my hand and the effect was devastating. I didn't want that, I didn't want to destroy us for a sleazy one night. I can add lots of flavour to that statement, but I don't think I need to because at the end of the day, you, the boys, my family and my self-respect meant I could never cheat on you. I knew if I did, I would have to tell you and I knew you would divorce me. My life would be over if that happened. So the simple answer is you and my love for you is why I walked away from him."

Mark was satisfied with that for the time being. He replied, "OK, we can go home now. The boys will be delighted to see you."

Sam's tears started again as they walked to the car. She noticed Mark did not offer to take her hand, as he would normally do. She realised she had walked up to the precipice and had stepped back, but the act of doing so had damaged her marriage. She was going to have to put a lot of work into correcting this.

They drove home in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. Mark wondering what to say and do next, and Sam wondering exactly the same.

Once they arrived home, mayhem ensued. Sam's parents were looking after the boys while Mark had gone to the airport. Sam knew instantly Mark had not shared any of the details with them. For that, she was really glad. The boys would not let her out of their sight until she put them both to bed.

Her parents left just after the boys went to bed, and Sam went to find Mark. He was sitting in the family room, watching TV.

Sam stated, "I know my actions did not pass the test set for a married person, and I have damaged our marriage, what do we have to do to repair it?"

Mark sighed. "I am not going to ask why, I suspect the answer was you didn't notice what you were doing until the end. I also know you pulled back and the fact you did it for us means our marriage is secure, but it would not survive a 'next time'."

Sam knew that was coming and she was happy that Mark had said their marriage was secure. "Mark, simply put there won't be a next time."

Mark went to interrupt, but Sam held up her hand to stop him. "Judy and Beth cheated because they had multiple opportunities and eventually, they considered the trade show trips as a 'timeout' from their marriage. I know it will never happen to me because I will never go to a trade show ever again. I only went this time because of a set of circumstances, but if I get asked to go again, I'm saying no and I will resign rather than go. My job is not as important as my family. You also know I don't do 'girls' night out'; I don't do holidays without you; I don't do lunches with other men and my only dates are with you. So that is why I know it will never happen again, I will not let myself get into a place where it is only me and another man."

Mark smiled for the first time that night. He knew his wife, she may have slipped, but she did not fall. She had clearly analysed what had happened and was determined to prevent it in the future. He asked, "You have been thinking about this?"

Sam knew this simple question was actually the start of the recovery. He had accepted she had messed up, but she had stopped in her tracks and was trying to fix it; not just with him, but within herself, as well. "I thought very hard last night. Once the trade show ended, I went to my room and stayed there, eating only room service. We had an hour on FaceTime and watching the boys and you through a screen, felt like a million cuts from a knife. That was when I decided my job was not that important to me and if they put me in harm's way again, I would leave. I don't want to be on the outside of that window, looking in at my family living without me."

By this stage, both Mark and Sam were crying. Sam took his hand and pulled him up to bed. Mark was going to be a cold fish that night, not touching Sam, and certainly no endearments or cuddling, but he had no choice. Sam wasn't going to let him out of her grasp until she had extracted every ounce of love, every fluid and strength from him. She fucked, she made love to him, and she held on to him for dear life.

Mark slept like a log because she took that much out of him,

Sam arrived at work on Friday, about ten minutes late. Her whole body was sore, not just from the sex, but from the stress that had built up to the release. Yes, her marriage would have some issues to iron out, and even though Mark had forgiven her completely, she had to make sure they didn't develop any trust issues going forward.

As she walked in the door, her boss was standing waiting for her. "Come to my office, now," was all he said as he turned to walk away. Sam followed him dutifully,

When she entered the office, Mr. Atkinson was standing by the door. Sam took a chair in front of his desk, while he closed the door and walked around the desk to sit on his side.

"Right, Sam, tell me what happened and why the company has been served papers by Judy and Beth's husbands?"

Sam looked shocked. "They served the company? Oh my. I didn't know this before I went, but apparently Judy and Beth considered their time at trade shows as..." Sam made air quotes as she said, "... a 'time-out' from their marriage. They have been doing it at every trade show they have been on for the last couple of years. When we arrived back last night, their husbands had them served divorce papers. Both husbands had obviously been suspicious and had them followed by a PI. I know this because I nearly screwed up and my husband had been given part of the report on me. Thankfully, I caught myself and only stood on the line, didn't cross it. For your information, I have a lot of reassurance to give my husband and I will never travel again for the company, but I am not on route for a divorce."

Mr. Atkinson looked at Sam, and said "Don't worry, there are some changes coming and we will never allow something like this to happen again."

Sam left the office, happy that her life as she knew it would be saved.

Epilogue

Both Judy and Beth tried to fight their divorces, but, as expected, in a no-fault state, they could only delay it, not stop it. Both husbands wanted out of the marriage and both managed it.

The cases against the company were dropped, but only after the company agreed to certain terms and conditions which significantly reduced spousal support.

Neither Judy nor Beth ever travelled to a trade show again. Sam was issued with a new contract of employment, stating she would never have to travel. She signed it on the day it was issued.

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