The Unsuspecting Housewife

by Olivia Charles

  “Oh, I see. My menu obviously has no prices.”

  “As it should be, my darling and you look like an angel who truly belongs here but I’d hate for you have to wash the dishes in that frilly dress.” He took a gulp of iced water. “Henrietta, please tell me you have brought your credit card, or a pair of rubber gloves.”

  Henrietta smiled and nodded which dissipated all anxiety and they were able to enjoy a memorable dinner. Terry smiled and reached across the table for Henrietta’s left hand and kissed her fingers as the candles flickered in the welcome evening breeze.

  “I never want to be without you. You have saved me and given me hope.”

  When they were ready to depart Terry discreetly asked Henrietta to pass over her debit card and whisper her four digit pin number to him, as he did not want to cause her the social embarrassment of being seen to pay the bill. He added a tip and took the receipt and promised to repay the entire sum once they returned home but as they walked away from the sumptuous hotel Henrietta realised that she had no intention of asking for reimbursement. She was happy and excited about her future and snuggled up to her fiancé on the back seat of the taxi and kissed him and later in bed that night he made love to her with tenderness and with many voiced promises.

  When they returned from Italy there was no doubt that they were a couple and would be married. Hetty couldn’t wait to tell her mother and son the life changing news.

  As a couple, they looked in several jewellers shop windows and Terry insisted that Hetty should have the biggest and most expensive diamond they could find. Finally he paid £500 as a deposit to have the multi-carat diamond ring re-sized and then promised to collect it the following week. Henrietta was excited and wanted to tell everyone that she was loved and would finally have a husband and a proper home at long last but knew she should wait until the ring was on her finger, if she was to be believed.

  May 7th 2005.

  Terry sat on the stone step outside his shop and made the phone call he had been planning in his head:

  “Aiden, matey, I want to ask you to be my best man?”

  “Bloody hell, I’m shocked you’d want me. What about your brothers?”

  “No, they won’t be coming. It must be you. What do you say?”

  “I’m flattered Terry, but I dread the shopping trip for the wife’s outfit!”

  “I will take that as a ‘yes’ and talk about the formalities later. Meanwhile we need to get some commission in your pocket to pay for that shopping. I know a lady who needs some practical and financial advice. I don’t want to offend her but her ex-husband is a bank manager who treated her like a child and gave her pocket money.” Terry placed his hand over the receiver as he almost lost control and laughed. “I’ll pay any costs. What day are you free? I’ve told her that you could see her at your house in private. I hope that’s ok?”

  Aiden agreed and an appointment was made for the following Tuesday when Terry knew Aiden had an empty house. He phoned Sandy and suggested a role play scenario which would prove exciting for both parties.

  On Tuesday morning Aiden had just made his fifth mug of tea and thrust another three Jaffa cakes into his mouth when his ostentatious door chime played Bach loudly in the echoey hallway. He chomped quickly and walked slowly and noisily on the laminate flooring towards the front door. He swallowed, licked his teeth and opened the white PVC door his new client.

  “Come in, please.” He was not expecting such a shapely glamorous woman on his door step. He offered her a drink and carried the extra-large mugs into the conservatory. He gave Sandy her choice of padded wicker chair and sat opposite her to outline his credentials and hand her one of his newly printed business cards.

  “I am a freelance independent financial advisor. I give impartial advice on a wide range of services and products. I am governed by the FSA; the Financial Services Authority, who ensure that I have the training and ability to assist anyone like yourself who may need financial guidance. Obviously that also gives you peace of mind that I am regulated and insured by the FSA.” Aiden opened his leather document folder and clicked his trusted Parker biro into action. “Would it be ok for me to ask you a few questions first?” He smiled at the stunning, buxom bird in front of him and shuffled in his seat as she slipped out of her jacket and he felt an unwanted erection.

  Sandy loved her ability to manipulate men and followed Terry’s prior instruction to torment Aiden; she fluttered her eyelashes, licked her lips and told him how her former husband had left her feeling stupid, unattractive and frustrated. She told Aiden how her husband never let her socialise without him and organised every hour of her daily life. She was not allowed to have a credit card or a cheque book had managed her entire married life on the cash housekeeping allowance he gave to her. She complained that although he was obsessively controlling and possessive, he never wanted to touch her. Aiden struggled to maintain his composure.

  “All that bullying stuff is history now. Perhaps you should ask your doctor for some counselling?” He leaned over to open the window for some much needed fresh air.

  “Why bother? It’s me now. He has made me what I am.” She slowly opened her legs to reveal her nakedness beneath the knee length skirt which had risen up her thighs as she wriggled in the wicker chair. “I hope Terry was right and you know what to do with me?” She started to fiddle with the buttons on her pink cardigan to expose her large, unrestrained breasts.

  “I will do my absolute damnedest.” He dropped to his knees in his navy polyester trousers and shuffled over to the desirous and moist woman and proceeded to steam up the rest of the windows over the ensuing two hours of the most mind blowing sex he had ever had.

  When Sandy finally agreed to put her clothes back on and leave, Aiden had to promise that she could visit him again the following week. He could not believe his luck but remembered his mother telling him that there was a perfect someone for everyone and that you just had to find them. Sandy had found him and he was immensely grateful.

  When her car had driven off, he tidied the house, sprayed a strong fabric freshener over the conservatory furniture, plugged in the de-humidifier and scrubbed the fuchsia lipstick from his nymphomaniac’s mug before placing it in the dishwasher. He couldn’t allow his wife to know what had happened on her new M&S conservatory suite. He re-checked that everywhere was tidy, then his mobile phone rang, it was Terry.

  “I’ve just had Sandy on the phone. She sounded pleased as Punch and said you were very kind and thorough. You’re a good man Aiden. How much do I owe you for seeing her?”

  “You must be ‘effin joking, I owe you! Did she tell you what she did to me? Has she ever made a pass at you?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, but she is a very attractive woman. Are you sure she actually made a pass at you? I find it hard to believe. You had better tell me what happened.” Terry let Aiden brag about the sexual encounter in graphic detail whilst he listened to and recorded the one sided conversation to tease his friend in the future whenever he complained about doom or gloom. All Terry said when Aiden finally took breath was:

  “You scoundrel, I didn’t think you had it in you. What would her indoors say if she found out? Surely you won’t see Sandy again?”

  “Wild horses couldn’t stop me, you jealous bastard!”

  May 10th 2005.

  Terry made it his priority to ensure Henrietta felt needed, loved and special and encouraged her to pop into his shop whenever she was passing. She would wait politely if he was serving, then kiss him as soon as they were alone. On one of her regular visits Henrietta could sense that Terry was in a low mood and encouraged him to close the shop for an hour, so that they could share lunch. He was reticent to loose potential custom but was overpowered by her winning smile and turned the ‘open’ sign over in the door, then taped a paper addition which said ’Back at 1pm’.

  They walked to the Honey Bee Café which served homemade soup and scrumptious sandwiches and once seated with their food, Henrietta could not he
lp but comment upon his long face and subdued mood which was totally out of character. He in turn said that he owed her an explanation, so with damp eyelashes he began to unburden himself. He told her that since his separation from his wife, he had re-thought his entire life which included resigning from a highly paid job as sales director of a well-known firm to work for himself, thereby using his talents and commitment to long hours in order to develop his own company and make money for himself and his family, rather than benefit others. He told her how well things had been going and how he was convinced he had made the right decision. He was proud that he had been able to get a mortgage to buy his apartment which could accommodate his children when they stayed over and was happy to pay an additional hefty service charge for the benefit of an on-site gym and swimming pool, which enabled him to keep fit during the week and was an excellent source of entertainment for his children in the water.

  He went on to explain that recently his business had become inexplicably slow and the takings were significantly down on previous expectations. He assured her that his personal financial embarrassment could only be a temporary glitch, exasperated whilst earned commissions were authorised at head office, but that he felt awkward and humiliated and hated himself for letting her down. He could not see a way to imminently afford to pay for the expensive engagement ring they had reserved, despite a couple of terse phone calls from the jeweller about its payment and collection. He wrung his hands together and his voice faltered as he told her how he felt he didn’t deserve her and how she had come in to his life at the same time as his recent formal agreement with his wife which had left him financially drained. He explained that he could not face losing Henrietta and although he loved spending evenings cuddled up in front of the TV with her and the children, he preferred going out and having fun but needed the cash to pay for his commitments and desires. He told her that he had an appointment at Nat West bank that afternoon to ask for a business loan until trade picked up again but admitted that he was averse to borrowing money, especially at such inflated rates of present, which made it harder for him to get back on his feet.

  Hetty felt compassion towards him and wished she could make him smile again but also felt a pang of discomfort and embarrassment, as she was aware that Terry had been spending his money entertaining her on their recent trips and spoiling her with gifts. She had plenty of money in her savings account and knew the jeweller personally, so decided she would go and pay for the ring herself and ask them to discretely keep it to one side until he had the means to ask after it. She also offered to lend Terry the money he sought from the bank and wrote out a cheque there and then. He was shocked that she had sufficient funds in her account to cover the cheque but was also immensely grateful. As she walked away from the café she felt humiliated and embarrassed that the shiny new life her friends wanted for her, was not so shiny after all and she did not dare tell anyone the truth, not even Ruth.

  Henrietta thought it prudent to speak with two acquaintances who both had boys in the same class as Oscar at school and whose husbands worked for the police force; Angela’s husband Paul was a dedicated undercover detective in the Vice Unit and Sally’s husband Dave was a plain clothes officer who supported victims of crime. When she saw each of them socially, whilst the boys played out of ear-shot, she told the ladies of her engagement and of her desire to establish whether Terry had any skeletons in his closet. Both women understood and accepted her anxieties, for they too would have wanted to know of any potential problems before the bond was made, especially where children were involved. They believed that no decent mother would want to enter into a relationship which might have a detrimental impact on a child’s emotions. The two women approached their respective husbands on Hetty’s behalf and asked them to use their privileged professional positions to check on Terry.

  Henrietta was relieved that both men were unable to find anything untoward and she felt relieved and safe to move the relationship on to the next level and live together. Whenever she socialised in the days to come, with friends and other mums from her circle, she never mentioned the absence of an engagement ring but talked instead about the prospect of moving into a wonderful new home with Terry and her proposed step-children.

  June 1st 2005.

  One of Henrietta’s regular social arrangements was with Yvonne whom she had met fifteen years earlier and had subsequently met at least once a month for lunch. Henrietta adored Yvonne and respected her as the ultimate housewife and confidant and enjoyed shopping with her and listening to her talk about her home and marriage whereas Yvonne looked forward to the laughs she enjoyed with her lucky and glamorous friend. The girls would take it in turns to travel the eighteen miles distance to the other friend’s town or home on alternate trips. Yvonne was delighted that it was her turn to travel, as her husband had just bought her a trendy new Mini with special paintwork and she wanted to show it to Hetty.

  “What do you think? Is it too much?” Yvonne asked as Henrietta approached the parked car.

  “No, it is cute and fun, just like you. I love it.” Henrietta hugged her friend.

  “I’m not too old and frumpy for it?” Yvonne did not have the self-confidence she deserved.

  “You are not! Let’s get a coffee, I want to discuss something with you and need your advice.”

  “That sounds important. Lead on.” She smiled at Henrietta and walked closely with her closest friend.

  The women spent the day sharing intimate details of their respective lives and listening to the valued opinion of each other whilst they drank coffee, ate lunch, then ended the afternoon in a café above an antique shop in town where they ordered earl grey tea. Yvonne was not surprised to learn that Henrietta had potentially sold another house but was surprised that she was prepared to co-habit with a man she had only known for a few months. Yvonne listened to Hetty as she described the fun she was having with Terry and the places they had visited and Yvonne felt sorry that a second marriage and family eluded such a warm and generous soul but was concerned about the speed at which he had swept her friend off her feet and by the amount of money that she suspected Hetty might be spending. She took a sip of hot tea and leaned over the table to discretely voice her concerns and give well-meant advice just as Henrietta was notably distracted. Yvonne turned to view two men who approached their table.

  “Goodness me, Terry, I didn’t realise you even knew this little café existed!” She raised her face to be kissed lightly on the lips. “This is my special friend Yvonne, who I have told you about.” She gestured towards Yvonne to be introduced.

  “Henrietta has told me how much she values your friendship. I am delighted to finally meet you Yvonne.” Terry said as he smiled warmly and shook her hand.

  “Like wise.” Yvonne said but remained seated.

  “Who is your friend Terry?”

  “Oh, this is my company secretary; Aiden.” He turned. “Aiden, this is Henrietta who I have talked so much about.” The strangers shook hands. “We thought we could hide away here, have a drink and discuss a bit of business. Do you mind if we sit in the corner and leave you lovely ladies alone?” Terry was polite yet intent on privacy. The men excused themselves and sat quietly at the far table, out of ear shot and Henrietta watched as Terry showed Aiden something on his phone and saw Aiden pass a pink document folder over to Terry and observed him reading documents he pulled from within.

  Ten minutes later the girls got up to leave, waved to Terry and his friend and returned to their parked cars for their respective journeys home.

  “Henrietta, he seems very nice and friendly and I know you are lonely. You deserve to be loved and I wish you the best of luck, but keep me posted in case I need to buy a hat at short notice.” Yvonne smiled and waved as she got into her snazzy new car and drove away.

  That evening Terry phoned to promise Henrietta that as soon as his fortunes turned around, she would be the first to know and be paid back in spades. Meanwhile he suggested that as a token of good faith,
he give her a signed ‘I.O.U’ for the sum of money she had loaned him and offered her shares in his company. He explained that Aiden, in addition to being his company secretary, was also his financial advisor and his closest friend and he had asked him to prepare the documents for Henrietta to accept. He asked her to consider the proposition and invited her and Oscar for supper the following evening at his apartment.

  Terry prepared a meal of chicken and fajitas for their threesome and afterwards whilst Oscar watched the new found novelty of Sky TV, Terry handed the company documentation over for her to sign and accept a thirty percent stake in his business. Henrietta voiced her reticence as she no longer wanted any involvement in any business as she had promised herself and Oscar that she would concentrate on fulfilling her personal aims in life and give up on chasing money or material goals. Terry held her gaze and told her that his conscience would not let him take advantage, that he felt morally bound to share the fruit of his labour after her support and belief in him and begged her to accept his offer and become a family team. She reluctantly signed the document and was promised a copy of it and other relevant business documentation once formally registered at Companies House. She would have a small income before she even got out of bed!

  June 8th 2005.

  Time passed pleasantly and quickly in spite of her self-imposed retirement from Interior Design, as Henrietta was instinctively a worker and had constantly found herself looking for dilapidated properties to rescue, renovate and sell. Now she browsed the local paper looking for a family sized home for her and Terry and their collective children as Mulberry Cottage had only three bedrooms and was not large enough to accommodate them all satisfactorily. She noticed a large farm house in the property pages of the local paper, which fitted the criteria exactly except that it came with an additional large two bedroomed barn, which potentially pushed it out of her price bracket, especially as she had already committed herself and her savings to an off-plan purchase of a holiday property in Sotogrande. She had signed for it at a Spanish Law firm in the February 2004 and had been paying for on a monthly basis since then. She knew she would imminently have to go over to Spain to complete the purchase and pay the balance of monies or renege on the deal and lose thirty per cent of the money she had given over, which was not an option she wanted to consider.