Daphne

(13) Surprises

"Where do you go, anyway?"

It was Wednesday night. Daphne and Sean were still under the covers entwined in post-coital bliss when she mentioned that she was going on one of her periodic treks this weekend. Just as Leo had predicted, Sean had become more and more curious as her disappearances became a tantalizing mystery.

"I told you – it's private time. I think it's healthy for us to have a little breathing room, don't you?"

"So why can't I see you until next Wednesday?"

Because I'm likely to be sore and bruised and my welts will need some time to heal before you see me again, or else the questions will never end!

"You aren't cheating on me with another man, are you?"

"Sean, of course not!" which is how she felt, sincerely, although in a real sense she was actually cheating on him with with scores of other men at a time... She didn't think of it that way because she never thought of her weekends at Leo's as anything other than a job. She had no emotional attachment to the men there. None. It was just a job. A job where she had no control over how many men played with her, or what they did. Or what they made her do. Or how they made her feel.

The situation came to a head the next evening when Daphne came home from her study group. There was a noise in her bedroom and she opened the door. Twin female calves and feet poked out from under opposite sides of an animated sheet.

"What's going on?" Daphne asked, rhetorically, as it was perfectly plain to anyone what was going on.

The motion and giggling under the covers stopped. The sheet came down and revealed the woman, Wendy, from down the hall. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed as she pushed a male off of her. He rolled over. It was Sean.

Daphne stood at the door of her bedroom, dumbfounded as the naked couple scrambled out of bed and got dressed.

"Look, I know you're cheating on me!" he accused her once again.

"Bullshit! I haven't been with anyone since we got together!" Not even hugs and kisses – well, nothing past friendship, anyway. "And what're you doing right now? If you're not cheating on me this instant you're doing something that looks just like it!"

"I'm just getting a head-start on tomorrow, when you're going out to cheat on me anyway. So go fuck yourself, which is what you're going to to do tomorrow anyway! I'm outta here, whore!"

He grabbed Wendy's wrist and started for the door. "You're not even a good lay!"

Wendy turned to Daphne as Sean dragged her out, "Look, I'm really sorry," and disappeared as the door slammed shut. She looked like she'd meant it.

Daphne stumbled back to her living room and crumbled onto her couch. She felt sick and cried herself to sleep.

She woke up shivering in the middle of the night. She got up and walked to her bedroom. The door was open and sheets were still tussled. She opened a closet and pulled out a blanket, and left. At the door she glanced back. He made love to her, here, in my bed, on my sheets. There was still a trace of the aroma of sex. She wanted to burn everything in the room, ideally with Sean and Wendy still in there. She closed the door and returned to the couch – and decided it was time to get another apartment.

The next morning an ad appeared on a popular site: "Bed, Qn sz, complete, incl mattress. Almost new, used once too often. Plus sheets, more – U clean. All free. Come and get it."

Later that evening Daphne was at Leo's, affixed to the table, naked and accessible, as usual. She was relaxed. She looked out at the growing assembly. Not long before the festivities start, she thought. Ever since she woke up that morning Daphne looked forward to coming here and forgetting about her personal problems.