tried to console Tara with a friendly arm around her shoulder. “Sorry, baby. It’s not funny, I know.
“I mean, there I am trying to be a good wife, being supportive, running his errands, cooking him his favorite meals…and he’s seeing some woman for sex. Why doesn’t he want to have sex with me? What am I? Nothing more than just his cook and housekeeper?” Tara blathered.
“You don’t know that for sure.” Lorraine squeezed Tara tight.
“I’ve seen the marks on his body.”
“What?”
“Big red welts.”
“Shit. That’s not good.” Lorraine’s sour expression triggered Tara’s waterworks. “But that doesn’t mean this Mistress Krystal chick did it,” said Lorraine, unintentionally coming to Clem’s defense in an attempt to comfort Tara.
“Don’t stick up for him!”
Lorraine sat back and picked up her drink. “Well, did you ask Clem how he got these marks on his body?”
“Playing squash.”
“So he got the marks playing squash. There you go.”
“Clem doesn’t play squash. He doesn’t even have a bat,” Tara shot back.
“Racquet.” Lorraine corrected her.
“Bat, racquet, who cares? If he’s been lying to me and cheating on me then I’m going to catch him. I deserve better than this,” Tara snapped angrily.
“Well, if it was me, I’d taser his balls. Yeah, that’s what I would do but then I’m no Dr. Phil.” Lorraine slurped on her straw. “Mind you, he’d probably get off on it.”
“Lorraine, you have no idea who I’m dealing with here. This could’ve been going on for years without my knowledge. Clem is in the bullshit business. He’s mastered it. That’s why he’s been so successful. He’d spin me a mile of bullshit that’s so good I’d end up believing him because he’s always so damn convincing,”
Tara tossed her protein shake in the trash. “It’s disgusting.”
“You wanna try the banana strawberry?” Lorraine asked stupidly as Tara stood up and headed towards the exit.
Lorraine had never seen Tara angry before. She was always the personification of calmness. Now her eyes were glaring and there was a fire in her voice that Lorraine could relate to. In fact, she felt like she’d finally found a kindred spirit. She scurried after her friend.
“Okay, Tara. This is what you do. Photocopy the card. Put it back in his jacket pocket. Don’t mention it. Then file for divorce.”
Divorce? That really wasn’t what Tara needed to hear at that moment. The reality of her situation suddenly caught up with Tara. She’d stopped crying but her eyes welled up again.
“But I don’t want my marriage to end!” Tara blurted.
They walked quickly outside into the parking lot towards Tara’s Lexus. Tara was now damping her tears with a scrunched up tissue.
“Honey, in my experience, you can’t kick the kink out of a guy. It’s like a disease, an addiction. You’re going to have to deal with the fact you married a kinkster.”
Lorraine’s frankness had all the subtlety of a dentist with a jackhammer. It certainly wasn’t what Tara wanted to hear but it had the effect of turning off her waterworks and giving her a moment of sheer clarity.
“Well, I’ll deal with it then. I’m going to cure him,” Tara said, defiantly.
“Of course, there’s always marriage counseling too but if I was you, I’d be calling a divorce lawyer instead of a therapist,” Lorraine continued her tactless train of thought though she could tell Tara wasn’t interested in that route of treatment for her and Clem.
“I know what to do,” Tara said firmly.
CHAPTER 5
Clem was holding court in his office with Creative Director Chuck Svensen and various writers and art directors from downstairs.
“Okay, guys. We need a concept that’ll play across the board in all media – TV, radio, billboards, hot air balloons, you name it.”
“Hot air balloons?” queried the freckled art director.
“That was a joke, Suzie.”
“I thought Fitz and his team were meant
Yael Politis
Lorie O'Clare
Karin Slaughter
Peter Watts
Karen Hawkins
Zooey Smith
Andrew Levkoff
Ann Cleeves
Timothy Darvill
Keith Thomson