by Sean Geist
"Color me out," I said as I slid my chips his way. The dealer took my stack and counted it out. He tossed me a black chip and two of my green ones back.
"Good Luck," he said as I walked away. Good Luck? What the fuck does that even mean, coming from a dealer? In the long run, only the house wins.
I went to the casino lounge to self-medicate my depression away.
Not a lot was going on. One guy was at the bar playing video poker and nursing a free drink. Most of the tables were empty. At one a man and a woman, both white, seemed to be arguing about something. At another table a couple of women seemed to be getting along just fine. One looked Asian with shoulder length blond hair. She had her hands on the thigh of another woman, who had beautiful ebony skin, her curly brown hair cut close to her scalp.
Any other time I would get hard watching two lovely women getting it on, but not tonight.
I sat at the bar and ordered a Guinness.
"How much?" I asked the bartender when he brought my drink.
"It's six bucks," he said. "But it's free if you play."
I didn't feel like playing. I gave him one of my green chips to cover my first three drinks. I told him he could keep the rest.
"Whatever," he said and went back to cutting up limes.
I took a drink. I thought of Robin on her back taking in Scott's cock. I took another drink. I thought of Robin bobbing up and down on my dick until I came in her mouth. I took another drink. I thought of the tiger on Scott's back. A strong primal animal, taking what it wanted, leaving scraps for the lesser members of the pack. I downed the rest of my beer.
I waved my empty glass. The bartender started to draw me another.
Man, I was getting hard thinking of my wife having sex, whether it was with me or Scott. She looked so beautiful giving and receiving pleasure. I never realized that something could be so beautiful and sexy and wonderful, yet so painful at the same time. If there was just some way to get rid of the pain.
"Thanks," I said to the bartender as he placed my second beer down.
"Hey bartender," came a familiar female voice behind me. "Can I get a.." She didn't finish her request.
I turned to see who it was and why she had gone silent. It was the blond Asian girl. She looked even better up close. She wore a tight dark blue skirt that just covered her butt, and a pink blouse with more than enough buttons undone to show off her generous cleavage. I had to force myself to look up at her face. It took me a second to realize who it was.
"Doctor Cho," I said. "Are you following me?"
"Doctor Wilkenson, I was here first."
For some reason, my gaze started to slide down her face, drawn by her incredible décolletage. “Call me Peter,” I said to her breasts.
She paused. She waited, saying nothing. The silence caught me by surprise and I looked back up into her eyes.
“Enjoy the view?” she said, with a smile.
“Yeah. I mean, no. I mean yeah. Wow, I didn't recognize you. That's a wig, right?"
"Duh, men are all alike."
"Why aren't you at the conference?"
"It's my free day today. I've got every hour crammed tomorrow."
I was about to tell her that tomorrow was my free day when I noticed her companion was getting up to leave.
"I think your lady friend doesn't like you talking to strangers." I pointed towards the other woman heading out of the lounge and towards the casino.
"Excuse me," she said. "Sylvia, wait," she called out as she ran towards the ebony beauty. She caught up with her near a row of slot machines. There was no way to tell what they were saying, but it was obviously not going to be an amicable parting. Besides me and one of the other guys at the bar, the rest of the patrons were ignoring the dispute.
I decided to get back to my drink. I had my own problems to worry about. Eventually, Dr. Cho came back and took a seat next to be.
"Cinnamon Appletini, please," she said to the bartender.
I wasn't sure why she came back to sit next to me. I tried not to give the impression I was looking for a drinking companion. I took a sip of beer.
"So why are you playing hooky today, Peter?"
"I'd rather not talk about it." I was hoping she'd go away, but I didn't want to be rude about it.
"Oh come on. I'm a near stranger. Let it go."
She just couldn't take a hint.
"You're right, Doctor Cho. You're a stranger and it's personal."
"Who better to tell your problems to than a stranger?"
I turned to face her. I really wanted her to leave. "Let me be clear. I don't mean to be rude, but I don't want to talk right now."
Doctor Cho looked me in the eye. She held the gaze, taking a measure of how serious I was.
"Fine," she said grabbing her drink. "And the name's Kelly by the way. I'll be over there." She went back to her table.
I watched Kelly walk away. I couldn't help but notice her lovely round ass sway back and forth. At least I could still appreciate a beautiful woman. It was good to know I wasn't totally dead inside. I wasn't the only one in the bar who liked Doctor Cho's ass. I saw a guy at the end watching. He looked at me and nodded his head in approval. I nodded back. A universal guy sign, acknowledging a fine woman. If only we weren't such dicks about it.
I took another sip of my beer. I wanted to find out what time it was. I checked my phone, but the screen was black. I forgot I had turned it off. After it came back on, I found out I had several voice mail messages and one text, all from Robin.
-Peter, I love you.
Right, she loved me. Fine fucking way to show it. A guy would never do what she did. He might cheat, he might lie, he might break her heart, but no guy would be mean enough to pick up a woman when he was on vacation with another. At least he wouldn't if he really loved the first one.
How could she be so naïve? She said she didn't want anything to come between us. I know I heard that. Was I mistaken? Was she mistaken? Did she overestimate her self-control? No, the text messages proved pre-meditation. She knew she was going to fuck Scott before and during her romp with me. But why plan an elaborate lunch for me? She must still have some feelings for me or she would have bailed out on lunch to spend more time with her lover.
I was really confused, in over my head, and lost. I wanted to ask Robin what the fuck she was thinking, but I wasn't ready for that yet. I needed to find out how women think. I needed to understand what makes women cheat on their husbands. I needed another perspective.
I could call my sister, Suzie, in Scottsdale. She and I were pretty close. I was ten years older than her. My dad left us when she was only four. My mother worked two jobs to support the family. I pretty much raised her. If anyone could help, it would be Suzie. I tried calling her, but only got her voice mail. I left a brief message telling her to call me as soon as she could.
I thought about all of the women I knew at my clinic. I considered a few of them friends, but none I would pour out my heart to.
Then I looked back over at Doctor Cho. She was staring at me over her appletini. She knew I had an issue to deal with and she wanted to find out what it was. I couldn't blame her. In fact I wanted know what her story was, too. A married woman, alone in a bar hitting on other women. Sounded a lot like my wife, but at least Kelly didn't rub her husband's nose in it.
I decided I'd take a chance with the doctor. I asked the bartender if he could pour me another beer and make another Cinnamon Appletini. I tossed him my last green chip. "Keep it."
I took the drinks. Kelly's eyes lit up when she saw me head her way. As I approached I noticed her shit-eating grin.
"Thanks for the drink, mister," she said, batting her eyes. "You come here often?"
"Yeah, this is my favorite spot to pick up married women."
"I knew you'd come over."
"Let's play a game," I said.
"I love games. What do I get if I win?"
"Not that kinda game."
A wistful sigh escaped Kelly'
s delicate lips.
"It's simple: I ask you a question, you answer it truthfully. Then you ask me one. We trade information and both go away satisfied."
"I'll play, but I want to go first."
"Shoot."
"I see your wedding ring. Does your wife know you're alone in Vegas talking to strange women in bars?"
"You seem to be asking for a lot of information, not sure that's kosher. I am married obviously. My wife knows I'm in Vegas, she has no problem with me going out, and since she probably thinks I'm alone, that means she doesn't think I'm talking to strange women."
"That was a convoluted answer. A simple no would have been fine."
"Ok, my turn," I said. "Why isn't your husband here?"
"Oh, he is," Kelly said. She pointed to the man who had been watching her earlier. "Wave to Thomas." Thomas had light skin and caucasian features. His curly hair was cut short and he wore a full neatly trimmed beard. He was dressed for a night out, in a red and black stripped button down and dark slacks.
"Why isn't he over here with you?" I asked. Maybe I was wrong about Kelly, maybe she did like to philander under her husband's nose.
"You're getting ahead of yourself. It's my turn. Is your wife here in Vegas, and, if so, where is she?"
"That's two questions, but I'll be nice and let it pass. Robin, that's my wife, is in Vegas. I can only say I think she's back at Planet Hollywood, but I'm not sure."
"What's the story behind that?"
"First you have to answer another question for me. Who was that woman you were talking to earlier and why was your husband watching you flirt with her?"
"Well now, there's a lot to unpack in that question." She paused to take a sip of her drink. "Promise this stays between you and me and this cinnamon apple vodka."
"Yeah, I promise. A toast, to telling secrets in Vegas." We touched glasses and took a drink.
"Okay. Simple answer. Thomas and I have what you would call an open marriage."
"Like in you cheat on each other."
"You should really keep your mouth shut and let me finish. If you mean do we sleep with other people, the answer is yes, but it's not cheating. We both love sex, a lot. We have lots of sex together. We also have sex with other people. Sometimes we like to watch each other have sex with other people. And sometimes we'll join in."
"That sounds like a lot of sex."
"Not really."
"And you never get jealous?"
"I guess our game is over. You're not following the rules."
"Ok, you finish your story and I'll tell you mine."
"Fine," she said. "Yes, I get jealous when I see my husband flirting with and fucking other women. It's like a little stab in the heart. But, there are two things to consider. One is I get lots of pleasure out of watching my husband enjoy himself. I like to see his eyes roll back when he's ready to cum. The pain of jealousy adds an edge to that pleasure, like a bitter spice that makes the meal. It's something I can't do when we're making love together and I'm lost in my only pleasure. The other and most important point is our love. I enjoy feeling lots of different cocks inside of me. But it's only sex. My husband is the only man I love."
And now, yesterday's encounter with Kelly and Jonathan at the pool was starting to make more sense to me. "And your husband's cool with this?"
"Thomas and I have been like this since college. We're both horn dogs."
"You also like sleeping with women, I see."
"Oh, yes. No man can lick a pussy as well as a woman. At least that's been my experience. I truly love my husband, but most women could lick laps around him on his best days. He has other ways to please me."
I was getting aroused listening to this woman tell me about her sexual exploits. I had never heard anyone talk about sex this way. I've never considered myself a prude, but I always thought sexual exclusivity was what bound a marriage. I had heard of open marriages, but never really understood them.
"So, if you and I went back to my room and had sex, your husband wouldn't consider that cheating?"
"No. Do you want to?"
That was a good question. I wasn't really considering it. It was just the first example that leapt to mind. I did find Kelly physically attractive. She was so different from my wife. For one thing her breasts were much bigger. She was a little shorter and just a little bit heavier. And obviously her eyes were different. Yes, I had to admit I wouldn't mind taking her to bed.
"You're thinking too hard,” she said. “I wasn't really asking if you wanted to fuck."
"I know. I was just thinking about my situation and how similar it is to yours."
"Oh, your wife likes to fuck other men."
She hit it on the first shot. "It appears so," I said.
"And you don't like that?"
"I'd have to say no."
"Are you thinking about her fucking other men right now?"
"Well now I am, thanks."
"It doesn't seem to bother your dick." She pointed to my crotch. My erection was visible through my jeans.
"So, you don't like thinking about your wife enjoying sex with others."
"It's not the thinking. It's the knowing. I've seen it."
"So you'd rather not know?"
"No, I'd rather she didn't do it."
"Let's try this a different way," Kelly said. "You said you saw her have sex with another man, correct?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, step back and look again. Did you see how much she was enjoying it?"
"Yes."
"Do you like to see your wife enjoy herself?"
"Yes, and I'll tell you the truth, she looked sexy as hell. If I could just block Scott out of the picture."
"So her lover's name was Scott. Anyone you know?"
"Kinda, but not really. We only just met him on Monday. Long story."
"Oh, Peter, we have all night. I'm not going anywhere."
So I told Kelly Cho, a woman I had known for a shorter amount of time than Scott, all about the last two terrible days. I told her about winning at roulette, our celebratory dinner and how hot my wife was that first night.
"Yeah, he really turned her on. Don't take this personally, but I don't think she was thinking about you while you were pounding away that night."
"Thanks, you gonna let me finish?" I went on about their shopping spree, seeing the show and their late night kiss at the door. I told her about the lunch time blow job, the text messages, and catching them in the act. I even told her about the photo.
"Oh, you took a picture? Let me see it."
I showed her. I was baring my deepest pain to this woman; showing her a picture of my wife and her lover didn't seem that out of bounds.
"Wow, that's a nice shot. I could really masturbate to this."
"I think I missed my calling, should have gone into porno photography."
"This is good, see? You can laugh about it. All isn't lost."
"I could just be getting numb."
"Is she still with this man?"
"I don't know. She was supposed to meet me for dinner. I assumed it would be alone, but since I didn't show up -.” I paused, to let my unspoken doubts settle in. I still couldn't believe I was spilling my deepest anxieties to this woman I hardly knew. “She's waiting for me to let her know when I'm ready to talk."
"She knows you're aware she's cheated on you."
"Yeah, I sent her the picture."
"Nice one. Ok, let's bottom line this. Do you still love her?
"Yes," I said without hesitation.
"Does she still love you?"
I had to think hard before I said, "She says she does, I'll have to take her word for it."
"Can you forgive her for going behind your back?"
"I don't know."
"Well, if you want to save your marriage, you're going to have to."
“Since when did you become a marriage counselor?”
“Since you bought me this drink.”
"I think I do," I said, “save my mar
riage, that is.”
"If she feels the same way, there's a chance this might work out."
"What do you mean, a chance?"
"Peter, this is going to be hard on you. You are going to have to accept that your wife likes fucking other men. She's done it once. Things can never go back to the way they were. There are only a few options, and it will be up to the both of you to agree on which one it is."
"Go ahead."
"Option one, go back home. You forgive her and she promises never to cheat on you again."
"That sounds like going back to the way things were."
"Sounds like it, but isn't. She'll say she won't cheat, but she probably will, she'll just be more discreet. Even if she doesn't cheat, she'll resent you for denying her that pleasure. And even if she's happy and faithful, you'll never trust her like you used to. You know what she's capable of."
"What's the other option?"
“You let her indulge her sexual craving.”
“Like an open marriage?”
"You don't have to call it that, but yeah. Set a few ground rules and move on. The fewer rules you have the better. I'd recommend just one, be honest and be accepting. Shut up, I know that's two. It's the way Thomas and I live, and we are very happy."
"This is all too much, too fast. I just want to go home and pretend this didn't happen."
"It did happen. You have to accept Robin is not the same woman you came here with.”
I didn't want to admit it, but I knew Kelly was right. Our marriage was irrevocably changed. I had to accept that whether I liked it or not. I got up to leave.
“Thanks, Kelly. You gave me something to think about.”
Kelly reached into her clutch and pulled out an all black business card.
"What is this?"
"It's my personal card." She pulled out what looked like a flashlight, but with a dark bulb. It was an ultraviolet light. She pointed it at the card. The words Kelly Cho and a phone number appeared under its purplish glow.
"Very classy, I see you've kept your maiden name."
"No. My family name was Park."
I looked again at the man she said was her husband.
"Really? His last name is Cho?"