The Unfaithful Business

Chapter 1

Yes, if you ask me - was I enjoying whatever I was doing? My answer will always be YES. If you ask me - Was I cheating on my beloved husband? My answer always will be YES.  Will I be continuing this? Probably YES. Will I be with you for the rest of my life? YES. Yes, every time. But, will you ever ask? NO. You will not, you want me, not with whom I am, or what I  do or what I don't. That's what I love about you. You never ask, you always give...

Oh, Peter -  Peter Mathew Smith. You came into my life unannounced, and now I have become your slave. Your bitch to be precise. I am your bitch, I will be forever.  No regrets about being one.

Lying on top of his warm chest. his muscular hands clutching me to him, I was thinking about yesterday. I had come to London on the pretext of a business meeting.  I had told Steve that  I would only come after a week, and he politely said 'My dear Lollitha, what will I do without you? " 

"Find a hooker! " I had said, "Charming, thanks for the advice " He had said smiling, pondering on that thought.

Steve never objected to me going out alone,  he never objected to anything, there were days when I had come home drunk till the brim of my head, and yet he would lift me, tuck me on the bed, and cuddle with me to sleep. He never complained, never argued, never shouted. A perfect specimen for a husband. I And I took that as my advantage.

"Never mind Hon! Anything for you." And then we made out, and I left for the train station.

I have had affairs before, many affairs... even with his collogue That was fun, yet dangerous. but never anything like Peter. Peter Mathew Smith knew me, knew me well enough to kill me at his will, knew everything about me. He knew the routes to take, and the routes not to take, he knew the ways that I liked, and those I did not. All in all, he was the one whom I was searching for, or was I? I don't know. I love being with him, spending time holding hands, walking around the park. People think that we are a couple, quite amusing hah! me and Peter, a couple. Stop! Lollitha, you are married. Steve loves you, and you love him. Yes, you do. Yes. Or...

So here was I, with Peter in this plush hotel with everything I could imagine. Hot bathtub, the cozy bed, and the big chandelier hanging above me on the ceiling. Steve could never afford this, even if he could, he would kill himself before spending 1500 currency for one night. Peter had no problems in spending cash. He spent like a six-year-old, never thinking about anything else. Oh, Peter, it's not the money I like about you, it's you babes, always will be you. 

I could hear his snores, why do men snore?   The only thing I hated about Peter was his snores. Watching him sleep was one of my guilty pleasures, maybe it was just me, but he looked more handsome and loving when he was asleep. I could watch him sleep all day. lifetime? I think so. 

I looked at the Renaissance watch hanging on the wall, it was well past five in the evening. He had promised me to go for a walk in the park. Yesterday, I and Peter had gone to a [restaurant 1], and was i surprised to see how rich and posh that place was. Peter never took me to cheap places. his lists only included rich ones, the ones I liked. The dinner was quite fabulous too. After dinner, he had said that he wanted to walk on the green lawn of the park and so he promised he would take me. I kissed his sleepy lips to wake him up.

"Wake up babes" 

He did not respond but kissed me. I could taste his cigarettes on his lips. I kissed. We kissed. Then, it led to another session of making love, which ended up in us sleeping with each other. When I woke up the time was eight thirty. Peter was nowhere in the room. I called on his phone, it was on the bed. Why can't he take his phone with him?  As soon as I hung up, my phone buzzed. STEVE!

I picked up, and the first thing I heard was his loving cheesy line he would always say whenever I was out of town.

"Oh! My beloved queen, the kingdom misses you, more than I miss you"

"Steve, my love. Missing me already? I will not be home for a few more days" I said

"Lolli, I do not miss you, the kingdom does."

"Stop it, Steve, you make me sound like a whore " I laughed, and so did he.

"Apology my majesty"

"No, you are not," I said to hide my embarrassment. 

"How was the meeting? will you be getting the job? or not" He asked, though I knew he had very little interest in my job life. 

"They are going to interview five of us, and the selecting two for the next round" I had all planned. A nice and intricate story to tell my husband. Fake emails, fake calls for meetings, and fake hotel bookings. Everything was going according to the plan. In case he calls any of my work friends, they would tell him the same thing. So, my getting caught was none in the millions. say it was my over-confidence, but I was good at making stories, and being an editor in the regional newspaper had made me a better storyteller than many. 

"Fine, take care of yourself. I will be going to meet a few whores here. Will tell you how they were better than you." He laughed off, and I did not say anything.

"Okay. do whatever you want. Anything for you" And I hang up. I had expected his call, but not one on the very first day. Meanwhile, I was wondering where the hell was Peter? 

A few minutes later, he comes into the room holding a bottle of wine, which must be some expensive one and two large wine glasses. He was smiling, and I was not.

"Babes, look - wine for us. "

"I see that, but can't you take your phone with you when you go outside." I was not very upset, but I wanted to sound like one.

"Calm down lady -  here drink this one," he said in his sing-song-handsome-beautiful-charming hard-to-be-upset-at way.

"Peter, the next time I find you missing without me being informed, I swear to god, I will leave at the moment, that very moment" Yes, I sounded like a bitch.

"Okay - take a chill pill babes, I will not do this again" and a smile to convince me. Did that work? hell, it did. And in a while, I was sitting on his lap, his hands tightly clutching my hip. I was admiring his smooth-skinned face, with a little hint of stubble.  We drank our wine in peace, looking at the sky filled with bright stars.

He took me outside, the September air was chilling. The coats did no good to keep the cool air out, so he hugged me even tighter. We walked like teenagers in their first love.  London seemed a little different than the last time I had come here. That was two years ago, with Steve, on our honeymoon. Things change.

We walked on the bridge and stood against the railing. The river beneath was reflecting our blurred image, just like our present. Then we walked to the nearby garden, which was now closed. I gave Peter a dismissive look.

Peter winked, and mouthed 'Don't you worry baby'. He walked towards the guard and gave the guard a few currencies more than he would have imagined. Presto! and we were escorted into the park. 

Peter placed the glasses and the wine on the grass. We sat there, on the cold freezing grass. He poured the glasses till fill, and we drank.  I slept on Peter, looking at the bright stars and the moon. We talked about things I don't even remember now. I didn't realize when I slept. 

When I woke up, we were in the hotel, Peter hugging me sleeping. I felt happy and peaceful and wanted to be here with him for life. Do I love him? No. I do not. Or..

Oh Peter, why did I ever meet you?