Page 34 of Hello, Listener
I set my glass down, and she tries to ignore me, but I move slowly towards her, meeting her in the entryway. Her arms grow rigid at her sides.
“What’s the matter, baby?” Her eyes get wide when she feels my hands gently rubbing her stiff shoulders, fingers trailing up to her tan neck. Then, gripping the tufts of hair at the nape of her neck, making sure to intertwine fingers in her thick strands. “You know what would be perfect after a hard, long day?” I ask in almost a whisper just above the tip of her right ear.
She stands still and her breathing becomes shallow. Goosebumps start to form on her arms.
“A nice glass of red wine with your husband.” Little does she know, I can smell the liquor she already has on her breath.
“Okay,” Ashley answers in a shaky whisper.
“Okay,” I confirm.
Ilet go of her golden waves, and I move farther into the kitchen. “You know what really sounds good?” I ask, turning around from the bright white cabinets.
She sits on one of the tall matching wooden chairs at the island in the middle of our large kitchen. Slowly, she turns her head to face me, mouth pressed into a tight line.
“The wine we got from your parents. The one they gave us as our wedding present.” I look down at the bottle, reading the label. “You remember, right, baby? The one from Napa Valley. 2012. Wasn’t that one hell of a year?”
The bottle makes a popping sound as I pull out the cork. I begin pouring wine in the already prepared glass in front of me. It’s a clear crystal glass she must’ve bought. The sweat from the cold glass slides down the smooth surface when I sit it down in front of her with a wide grin on my face. “So tell me, what was this month’s book about?” Her shaky hands reach for the glass.
“Why do you want to know?” She inquires softly, now looking up at me.
“No particular reason. Let’s just say that I’m…interested.” Now, I take a drink from my own glass.
“You’re never interested in what I read.” Her voice is a little stronger and more confident. She wraps her full pink lips around the rim of the glass. The small mark from her lipstick stays in place as she sets the glass gently back down on the counter.
“Well, I am certainly interested in this one. Considering your book club took what…” I pause, looking down at my watch, “five fucking hours. Damn. It must have been onehellof a book.” My voice stays calm, and I keep the smirk on my face. I pick up my whiskey glass and take another small sip of mybourbon.
“Sometimes we get caught up in conversation. Or sometimes we go out for drinks. You know that.” Her blue eyes playfully look into mine.
“Oh, I know that, baby. You’ve told me a number of times. What I didn’t know is that your tennis lesson and your book club were in the same building.” She stares in my direction. Her soft features are now harsh.
“Did you track my phone?” She asks, picking up her glass again. Her lips wrap around the thin rim in the same spot as before. Visions of Thalia’s lips fill my thoughts. I bite my lip to stop the fabric around my dick from getting tighter.
“Baby, I’ve been tracking your phone foryears.” I lean against the surface across her, holding my chin in my hand.
“How long have you known?” The tense feeling in the room makes the sound from her glass hitting the counter deafening.
“How long have I known what, Ashley? That you’ve been fucking your tennis instructor?” My voice holds the same calm tone it has had this entire conversation. She crosses her arms over her chest at my suspicion.
This isn’t news to me. I’ve had my suspicions for a few months, but I’ve never really put much thought into it. Now, though, it’s all changed. On one hand, she has her rich and attractive husband, who looks good in pictures. On the other hand, she has her side piece that she could have access to anytime she wanted. It's time I had the same thing. I’m not going to let her or my guilty conscience get in the way of having Thalia.My listener.
“Not your tennis instructor?” I raise my eyebrows with the question. “Let me see,” I continue my interrogation. “Is it someone you met at the country club?” I pause, leaning in closer to her face. “Or maybe it’s someone in your book club.” I lean back, crossing my arms over my chest again. “Now, there is an idea,” I grimace.
“It’s none of your fucking business,” she spits.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. Itismy fucking business. This, Ashley, makes it myfuckingbusiness.” My voice gets louder, and I point to the white gold band around my left ring finger.
She turns her head, refusing to look at me.
“Are you going to say anything about this?”
She moves her head just slightly to face me. “Oh, like you haven’t been with anyone else!”She’s trying to hide the shakiness in her voice, but I can see the tears forming in her eyes.She knows she’s been caught, and I know there is no going back from this.
“No, I haven’t. But boy, did I want to. I wanted to so fucking badly.” I can feel my face getting hotter. “You know what kept me from bending her over?!You! Even though I knew deep down you were on top of some other guy’s dick. Or who the fuck knows now?! Maybe, just maybe, you had your head in between some bitch’s thighs!” With one look at me, she stands up from her chair and takes her wine glass with her. “Ashley, we aren’t fucking done with this conversation!” I walk after her.
“I am fucking done with this conversation, Alan!”
I grab her small wrist, making her turn to face me. Her full wine glass spills down the front of my white shirt. The sound of glass breaking fills the already loud silence between us. As I tilt my head down, I notice the dark red stain forming on the front of the white fabric. The heat from my face is now moving everywhere else in my body. I take a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself down.
