responded, touching her breasts, sucking at her nipples, then removing her nightgown and his pajama pants and moving on top of her. She had usually been wet enough for him to thrust into her and within a few minutes he'd climax with a moan, roll over, and fall asleep.
God, when she thought about it, it sounded deadly dull. Hadn't she realized that? Seen it? What if she had? Would that have been in time to make a difference?
----
Chapter 8
Pam slumped against the back of the booth. "I don't know what confuses me more, the little bit you've told me about what went on between you two or his feelings about making all the decisions. Why didn't he tell me all of this? Why you?"
"Why me? I can't answer that one," Liza said. "All I know is that he desperately didn't want you to know about the making decisions part. He said you depended on him to be strong and authoritative all the time and he was glad that you leaned on him."
"Actually, I didn't." Pam shook her head slowly, taking in what Liza had said. "I deferred to him, and that's quite different. It was just easier to let him do it all than to argue about anything."
Marcy chimed in, "That's an interesting distinction, one I don't think Vin would have understood."
"I don't think he knew you at all, Pam," Liza said. "I think he thought of you as another person who couldn't survive without his guidance, and from the little I see, you're anything but. It's really sad, when you stop to think of it."
"It is," Pam said. "He didn't know much about me, and I guess I didn't really know him either."
Pam thought about how little she and Vin had really had in common, particularly in the later years of their marriage, and strangely how much she did have in common with both of the women who shared the booth with her. They were bright, insightful, and charming, and she could see why Liza commanded such a high price for her time. "Liza, thank you so very much for being honest with me. This can't have been easy for you."
"I'm glad it turned out this way. I think his being with me and not you was Vin's loss, and I'm sad he never had the opportunity to find out more about you."
"If I were being brutally honest, I'm not sure it would have mattered. I think our marriage would have chugged along until something, or someone, pushed just a little. Then, I think, it might very well have stalled or fallen apart altogether." Pam huffed out a breath. "It doesn't matter now anyway."
"You need to understand one thing, Pam," Liza said. "Vin didn't consider what we did together cheating. True, he didn't tell you about it, but in his mind paying for it was different than having any emotional attachment to some 'other woman.' He told me several times that he had never done what he considered cheating, seeing another woman without money being involved. He liked and respected you."
"Thanks for that," Pam said, understanding things a little better. But still, wasn't cheating cheating? Did it matter that Vin didn't consider it that way?
Liza took a final drink of her wine, then reached under the table and took her pocketbook from beneath her feet. "I've got to run. I've got a dinner date this evening. I mean a real date, with no strings or money changing hands."
"That's great," Marcy said, kissing Liza on both cheeks. "Do I know him?"
"Not at all. I met him at a parents' night at Kim's school. He's got a daughter in her class. He has no idea what I do for a living and for the moment I'll keep it that way." She stood and reached for Pam's hand. "I like you, Pam, and it's been an unexpected pleasure to meet you. I can tell you now that I wasn't looking forward to this encounter."
"Neither was I," Pam said, "but I'm glad we got to know each other." She took Liza's hand warmly and held it for a moment. "In our own ways we both cared about Vin. I'm glad you gave him something he needed." She would examine the small pain and large sense of inferiority later.
"Maybe I'll see you again sometime." And
God, when she thought about it, it sounded deadly dull. Hadn't she realized that? Seen it? What if she had? Would that have been in time to make a difference?
----
Chapter 8
Pam slumped against the back of the booth. "I don't know what confuses me more, the little bit you've told me about what went on between you two or his feelings about making all the decisions. Why didn't he tell me all of this? Why you?"
"Why me? I can't answer that one," Liza said. "All I know is that he desperately didn't want you to know about the making decisions part. He said you depended on him to be strong and authoritative all the time and he was glad that you leaned on him."
"Actually, I didn't." Pam shook her head slowly, taking in what Liza had said. "I deferred to him, and that's quite different. It was just easier to let him do it all than to argue about anything."
Marcy chimed in, "That's an interesting distinction, one I don't think Vin would have understood."
"I don't think he knew you at all, Pam," Liza said. "I think he thought of you as another person who couldn't survive without his guidance, and from the little I see, you're anything but. It's really sad, when you stop to think of it."
"It is," Pam said. "He didn't know much about me, and I guess I didn't really know him either."
Pam thought about how little she and Vin had really had in common, particularly in the later years of their marriage, and strangely how much she did have in common with both of the women who shared the booth with her. They were bright, insightful, and charming, and she could see why Liza commanded such a high price for her time. "Liza, thank you so very much for being honest with me. This can't have been easy for you."
"I'm glad it turned out this way. I think his being with me and not you was Vin's loss, and I'm sad he never had the opportunity to find out more about you."
"If I were being brutally honest, I'm not sure it would have mattered. I think our marriage would have chugged along until something, or someone, pushed just a little. Then, I think, it might very well have stalled or fallen apart altogether." Pam huffed out a breath. "It doesn't matter now anyway."
"You need to understand one thing, Pam," Liza said. "Vin didn't consider what we did together cheating. True, he didn't tell you about it, but in his mind paying for it was different than having any emotional attachment to some 'other woman.' He told me several times that he had never done what he considered cheating, seeing another woman without money being involved. He liked and respected you."
"Thanks for that," Pam said, understanding things a little better. But still, wasn't cheating cheating? Did it matter that Vin didn't consider it that way?
Liza took a final drink of her wine, then reached under the table and took her pocketbook from beneath her feet. "I've got to run. I've got a dinner date this evening. I mean a real date, with no strings or money changing hands."
"That's great," Marcy said, kissing Liza on both cheeks. "Do I know him?"
"Not at all. I met him at a parents' night at Kim's school. He's got a daughter in her class. He has no idea what I do for a living and for the moment I'll keep it that way." She stood and reached for Pam's hand. "I like you, Pam, and it's been an unexpected pleasure to meet you. I can tell you now that I wasn't looking forward to this encounter."
"Neither was I," Pam said, "but I'm glad we got to know each other." She took Liza's hand warmly and held it for a moment. "In our own ways we both cared about Vin. I'm glad you gave him something he needed." She would examine the small pain and large sense of inferiority later.
"Maybe I'll see you again sometime." And
Similar Books
