“You did WHAT??”  Saul’s best friend and co-worker Dan Masterson said, incredulously.  “What the...I don’t even know what to say.  Wait, I DO know what to say...you STUPID FUCK.”

“I know, I know.  We were at that conference and one night we had too much to drink and it just...happened.”

“Papercuts just HAPPEN, Saul.  Sleeping with a woman other than your wife...it may not have been pre-meditated on your part, but you had the ability to NOT put your dick in the company bicycle at any time that night.  I mean, it’s not like you slipped and fell dick first into her vagina.  And continuing to screw her after the conference?  Man, come on.  Can you really blame Lynne for throwing your ass out?”

“No. No, you’re right.  How do I fix it?  I don’t want to lose Lynne, I love her so much.  What do I do, Dan?”

“I can’t answer that for you, Saul,”  Dan said, slowly shaking his head.  “Lynne might be willing to talk at some point, but I think for now you just need to give her space and time to sort things out for herself.”

“But what if during that time she decides she wants a divorce?  That would kill me.”

“If she files for divorce, you have to accept that it’s what she wants.  You betrayed her trust, man.  It’s hard to regain trust once it’s broken.”

It wasn’t what Saul wanted to hear, but he knew that his friend was telling the cold, hard truth.  He didn’t expect any less, but he knew he had to try to regain his wife’s trust.  He’d give her the space she needed, but he wasn’t going to give up on them.

******************

Saul was back in his office going over his team’s production stats when there was a knock on his door.  He looked up and his blood began to boil.  Alicia.

“Alicia, if this isn’t business related you can turn around and go back where you came from.”

Alicia walked in and closed the office door.  “That’s not nice, Saul”,  she said while sitting down in the chair in front of Saul’s desk.  “I came in to see how you were doing.”

“How I’m doing?  Are you fucking kidding me?  How did you THINK I’d be doing after the stunt you pulled on Friday?”

“Oh PLEASE, spare me the victim routine.  You weren’t complaining all those times we were having sex in this very office.  I did you a favor.  You are definitely not the type to be satisfied with a boring little school teacher”  Alicia said, dismissively.

Alicia flinched when Saul abruptly jumped out of his chair.  Her reaction gave him the smallest bit of satisfaction.  

“Alicia, get out of my office.  Get out of here before I do something that will get me fired and arrested.”

“Saul, I-I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to say that!  I love you.  I just wanted the chance to love you the right way.  Now that your wife is out of the picture, we can be together.”

Saul stared at the woman incredulously.  “My wife isn’t out of the picture and I do NOT want to be with you.  What you and I had was just sex.  JUST sex, Alicia.  I told you that before you made your little phone call.  What happened between you and I was the single most regrettable thing I’ve ever done in my ENTIRE life, I take full responsibility for it. I should never have done it and I’m paying the price, believe me.  And that boring little school teacher?  She’s more woman than you will EVER be...even on your BEST day.  Now please, get the HELL out of my office.”

Alicia stared at him wide eyed.  She got up and walked out of Saul’s office and walked briskly to the ladies room.  Once she was behind the locked bathroom stall door, she let the hot tears flow down her cheeks.  

She didn’t understand how he could treat her this way after everything they’d meant to each other.  Granted, he never TOLD her he loved her, but actions speak louder than words.  She could tell by the uninhibited and passionate way he would take her.  It was love, she knew it.  She told his wife about them so that they’d be free to have a relationship without him feeling so damned guilty all the time.  It was his stupid wife’s fault.  That mousy little thing more woman that her?  Not likely.  No, there wasn’t a woman alive who could hold a candle to her, deep down Saul knew that.  And he’d see that.  She’d make him see that.

Alicia walked out of the stall, and headed to one of the sinks.  She dabbed away her tears, reapplied her make-up and fluffed her hair.  She smiled at her reflection.  Perfect.  This wasn’t over for Alicia.  She loved Saul and she wanted him for herself.  “And I ALWAYS get what I want”, she said, smiling.

******************

Lynne was sitting in the teacher’s lounge at Arbor Hills middle school.  She was resting her head in her hand, absentmindedly picking at the salad she brought for lunch.  She looked up as the door opened and her friend and fellow teacher, Angela Emerson walked into the room.

“Okay, Lynnie, spill.  You’ve been walking around here like a zombie all day.  Is everything okay?”

Lynne looked up at her friend and couldn’t stop the tears that had been threatening to fall all day long.

“Lynne”, said Angela, her voice filled with concern. She sat in the chair next to Lynne and began rubbing her back.  “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“He cheated on me, Ang”,  Lynne whispered.  “Saul...he’s been having an affair.”

“Oh my God!  How’d you find out? Did he tell you?”

“No, the bitch called me herself.”

“You have GOT to be kidding me!  That takes big brass balls and a non-existent level of shame.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Oh, honey...I’m so sorry.  So what did your husband have to say for himself.”

“He got out a bunch of meaningless bullshit before I kicked his ass out of the house.”

“Well, that’s probably for the best, for now.”

“For now?  Do you think I should take him back, because I don’t know if I can do that.  I also don’t know if I can divorce him, either.”

“I don’t know, chica.  I DO know that you have to be comfortable with whatever you decision you make.”

“I know, Ang.  I just have no idea what my decision is going to be.  If I take him back I’ll always be wondering if he’s going to cheat again.  I can’t live like that.  But I love him.  He’s the only man I’ve ever loved.  I just don’t know if I can throw that away.”

“Sweetie”, Angela said softly, “he threw that away when he slept with that other woman.”

Lynne dropped her head, the tears streaming again.  Angela wrapped her arms around her friend and held her as she cried.