SNACK SIZE STORIES: Greyson and Chloe

Chapter 4: I Couldn't Resist

A word from Joseph...

For about the millionth time, I went over our debit and credit charges, hoping to find out where Chloe was. The longer she wouldn't talk to me, the harder it would be to talk her out of her anger and this was the maddest she'd ever been at me. It definitely would present a bigger challenge than normal, but I believed I could still talk her out of it. The harder part would be explaining Ricki's pregnancy, but I had a plan for that, too.

My heart had sunk when that little bitch showed me the positive pregnancy test. She'd gotten pissed when I'd demanded a paternity test, but I'd insisted and we'd gotten it done. No way was I going to upset Chloe if the kid wasn't even mine. Unfortunately, the fucking kid was mine.

My original plan had been to suggest that since Ricki wasn't equipped to be a mother -- she still lived with her mother -- that Chloe and I raise her sister's baby. I'd never tell Chloe that the baby was mine. I'd pay Ricki to keep her mouth shut and she'd be glad not to have to raise the thing and grateful for the extra income.

I made a great living and I took care of the finances, so Chloe would never know about the payments to Ricki.

Then, once I realized that Chloe had seen us in the kitchen, I had to revise my plan. I was going to tell Chloe that Ricki had come over that day, upset and hysterical about being pregnant, and I'd tried to console her, but things had gotten out of hand and we'd ended up having sex. I'd swear up and down it was the only time because if Chloe ever found out her sister and I had been hooking up for more than a year, I don't think I could have talked her around that. Then I'd still suggest we raise Ricki's baby once I got her to forgive me.

But then Ricki had lost it on Chloe after she and I lost our jobs because of her sister's social media firestorm and had spilled the beans about the baby.

If I could just find Chloe, I was fairly certain I could still salvage the situation. I'd admit that Ricki and I had hooked up a couple of times, but only for the last couple of weeks. I'd beg, plead, and whatever Chloe wanted to hear, I'd tell her.

But I couldn't find my wife. I had no idea where she was hiding or what she was using for money.

The doorbell rang, and I got up from my desk to answer it. Maybe it was Chloe, ringing the bell because she was afraid to walk in after what she'd seen the last time she was here. That hurried me to the door, but instead, it was a hot as fuck woman in a short skirt.

"Hi," she said, biting her lower lip and looking me up and down. "Are you Joseph Mara?"

I leaned against the doorframe. "Sure am. How can I help you?"

She stepped closer and then handed me an envelope that I instinctively took from her. "Joseph Mara, you've been served. Have a great day!"

Then she walked off, leaving me with an envelope that held papers for my divorce.

I opened the envelope, hoping it wasn't what I thought, but no. It was there plain as day. Chloe was petitioning for divorce. There was a note attached.

I strongly recommend you go to Ricki's house tonight in time to watch the Greyson Whitlock Talk Show. Chloe will be there.

What the hell was this? Why had Chloe asked me for a divorce if she wanted me to meet her at her mother's? Were the papers just a scare tactic? And what the hell did Greyson Whitlock's show have to do with anything? I knew the show started around eleven, so maybe it was just to give me a time to be there. I didn't care if the show was at two a.m. -- this was the first chance I'd have to see Chloe and I wasn't going to miss it.

I knocked on the door to Chloe's mother's house, and Ricki answered. It was about ten minutes before the show was about to start.

"Is she here yet?" I asked.