The Affair, Part 7

    This story contains adult language and themes. If such language and themes
offend you, please do not read further. Copyright 1997 by SSTORYMAN. All
rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce this story in any form and
for any purpose as long as this notice is reproduced and no financial
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    THE AFFAIR


    7. Epilogue: Two Weeks Later

    Anne sat in her office. It was after seven o'clock. She got up and closed
her door. Everyone in her area was gone for the day. She removed a small
ashtray from her desk and lit up a cigarette. She'd talked to the cleaning
crew. Carl agreed she could smoke in her office after hours, the same
arrangement Julie Russell had. She took a hit and inhaled. Relaxation began
spreading throughout her body. Nicotine's pharmacological effects were very
dependable.

    She was still sad about Robin's departure. But no use crying over spilled
milk. Robin would be happy at Johnson & Myers. And Robin's replacement, a
young girl named Traci who previously worked in accounting, showed promise.
Although she doesn't smoke, Anne thought. At least not yet.

    Anne was also sad about John. After the last night together two weeks ago,
it went the way Anne expected. John and Sherry were reconciling and John felt
it best to discontinue his sexual relationship with Anne. Anne pleasantly
concurred. She knew it was best for everyone to back off. Sherry was smoking
with him, though only in the evenings. She hadn't started taking cigarettes
with her to work, but John believed (and Anne agreed) that it was only a
matter of time. Anne hoped to maintain her friendship with John on a platonic
basis.

    Anne had been right about trying to transfer work to Johnson & Myers. Carl
was opposed to transferring existing cases, although Anne told him the affair
was over. Looked bad, Carl had said. Anne didn't push. She knew there'd be
more opportunities to start using John's new firm.

    The phone rang. "Anne, this is Julie."

    "Hi, Julie," Anne replied. "You working late, too?"

    "Yeah," Julie replied. "But I'm at stopping place now. Can I come down? We
can smoke together for a little while."

    "That'd be great," Anne said. "Come on down."

    Anne hung up. She tapped some ashes into the ashtray and took another
drag. It was funny how she and Julie had become friends over the last two
weeks. Despite Anne's initial anger over Julie's gossiping, they'd built a
friendship smoking together during their breaks. Recently divorced, Julie
liked riding Anne's coattails. Anne was an expert at picking up men. They'd
gone drinking a few times and enjoyed each other's company.

    While waiting for Julie, Anne looked at her cigarette. She was glad she'd
started smoking. She lost John and Robin, but she'd gained a new companion:
her Marlboro Light 100's. She smiled to herself. This, she knew, was a
relationship that would last.

   
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    Becky Cummings called to her daughter. "Where do you think you're going?"

    "I'm going to Beth's," Hope replied. She put on her coat and headed for
the front door of their condominium.

    "Hope, you spend all your time over there. Why doesn't Beth ever come over
here anymore?"

    Hope sighed. "Mom, they've got a house. We've got a condo. Is it that hard
to understand?"

    "I guess not. It's just that Beth used to come over here a lot. Now that
tax season is finally over, I miss having you around. It seems like now that
my busy season is finished, you're always at the Crawfords. What do you do
over there?"

    "Mom, you're imagining things," Hope said with a smile. "Beth has a large
basement. We spend a lot of time there. There's room to hang out. That's all."

    Her mother sighed. "Okay. But don't come back too late."

    "I won't, Mom. Goodbye!" Hope blew her mother a kiss and started to leave.
She came back inside. "Oops," she said. "Forgot my purse. Bye!"

    Becky shook her head as the door closed. What does she need her purse for
anyway? All she's doing is going over to a friend's house, for God's sake!

    It was hard being a single mother. Becky felt guilty about not spending
more time with her daughter. Hope got more input from friends than from her
mother. Especially during tax season.

    But that was going to change, Becky resolved. Right away. She was going to
make more time for Hope. Time to do things together.

    Becky got a can of pop from the refrigerator. There was only one problem,
she realized. How was Becky ever going to admit to Hope that she'd started
smoking again? Especially after all the shit she'd given Hope about smoking a
few months ago? Becky'd rehearsed the speech in her head several times. All
the long hours she'd worked during tax season just got to her. She was tired
and temptation got the better of her. It's not that bad, as long as it's only
in moderation. She'd slipped one night at the firm, when some of the other
accountants went on a smoke break. She'd only meant to have one cigarette.

    Becky smiled ruefully. She knew better. There was no such thing as just
one cigarette. Not for a former smoker. Not even after ten years. And she
wanted another one now. "I'm going outside so Hope won't smell the smoke," she
said to no one in particular. She smiled again. "Just one cigarette. God, I
hope that Hope understands," she sighed. "Because I'll have to tell her
eventually."

    She pulled on her own coat and headed out the door. "There's a corner
behind the building," she thought to herself. "I can hide there while I have a
smoke." Feeling guilty, Becky walked outside to enjoy a few moments of
pleasure. God, what will Hope say when she finds out? she wondered. Shit!
She'd worry about that tomorrow.

   
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    John's first day at Johnson & Myers had gone well so far. He spent two
hours with Jack Johnson and Randy Myers going over formalities. Now he stood
in his new office trying to organize his files. It would take time before the
new office felt like home.

    He was interrupted by a smiling face at the door. "Excuse me, John," said
a well-dressed woman. "I'm Judy Johnson, the office manager."

    "How do you do?" John said with a return smile as he shook her hand. "I'm
still trying to get organized here."

    "I'm sure you are," Judy replied. She turned and motioned to someone else
standing outside the door. A good looking blond entered the office. "John,
this is Robin Sullivan. She'll be your secretary here at Johnson & Myers.
Robin started last week. So she's new, too. Her desk is outside your office.
She'll be working for you and Kevin."

    John smiled and extended his hand to the girl standing behind Judy. "Nice
to see you again, Robin," he said. "We worked together while you were at GTS,
didn't we?"

    John looked closely at his new secretary. She was as pretty as he
remembered. Her blond hair was perfectly coifed. Her gold, dangling earrings
were elegant. She wore a white silk blouse and a tight navy blue skirt, both
of which accented her figure.

    Robin shook his hand and smiled demurely. "Yes, we did, Mr. Crawford.
It'll be a real pleasure working for you. I'm sure we'll get along. And I want
you to know I don't mind working late with you when needed. All night if it's
necessary." She held his hand longer than usual for a simple handshake. She
gave it an extra squeeze.

    John let go of Robin's hand and smiled. Her long nails were covered with
bright red polish. He noticed her long, elegant fingers. "Please, Robin. Call
me John. I don't know how they do it here at Johnson & Myers, but I prefer
being on a first name basis."

    Judy smiled and shook her head. "I had no idea you knew each other," she
said. "Robin has excellent skills, John, and lots of experience working
corporate. Ordinarily we give new attorneys a secretary who's familiar with
our system. But in Robin's case, given her background, we thought this would
be a better match."

    He smiled at Judy. "Robin and I will get along fine," he assured her. He
turned to Robin. "I'm unpacking some things, Robin," he went on. "In a little
while I'll call you in here and maybe you can give me a hand."

    Robin batted her eyes and smiled graciously. "I'd love to help you out,
John. Whatever you need. I'll be at my desk, right outside your door."

    As Judy and Robin left, John returned to his files. First, he decided, it
was past time for a cigarette. After all, that was one of the reasons he came
here. At Johnson & Myers he could smoke whenever he wanted.

    He sat down at his desk and lit up a cigarette. On his desk was a large
marble ashtray. He put his pack of cigarettes on the desk. Yeah, this was a
pleasure. My God, he thought. So much has happened over the last two weeks!

    John smiled as he remembered that memorable night. He'd come home from
Anne's and smelled smoke in his house. Sherry had assumed that her smoking
would be a complete surprise to her husband. That night he'd done his best to
seem dumbfounded, and it wasn't completely an act, either. It was the first
time he'd ever seen her smoke, and it was a sight he'd never forget! It was
almost overwhelming watching his bride of seventeen years take a big drag on a
cigarette, inhale, and then expertly exhale the smoke in a tight stream toward
the ceiling. She'd looked great!

    He sighed. Yeah, Anne was right. He did still love Sherry. He was
impressed with how fervently she was trying to heal their relationship. He
knew the only reason she started smoking was because she truly cared for him.
He smiled. Of course, that was beginning to change. In the beginning Sherry
smoked only with him. But this week she'd started smoking by herself before he
got home from work. She was smoking in her car, too. Smoking was evolving into
something Sherry enjoyed on its own terms. That fact pleased John even more.

    Anyway, as a result, he'd felt it best to discontinue seeing Anne. So the
affair was officially over. In some ways, he'd hated to see it end. Anne was a
great lover. But with Sherry smoking almost a pack a day now, he knew she
deserved a chance. Surprisingly, Anne hadn't objected to ending the affair. He
and Anne agreed to remain friends, and agreed the affair would remain their
secret. He saw reason to disclose anything to Sherry. What she didn't know
wouldn't hurt her, he reasoned.

    Yeah, John liked the new arrangement at home. He loved watching his wife
smoke. The enmity of the recent past was gone. They were getting along better
than they had in years. Beth and Grace sensed the improvement and were
happier, too. The two daughters were also happy about being permitted to smoke
at home. He didn't mind, and Sherry didn't seem to care, either. She was doing
her best to become a devoted addict. It was great!

    John moved his desk chair to the far side of his desk so he could see
Robin's desk outside his door. She was lighting up a cigarette. By force of
habit, John watched as Robin held her lighter to the tip of the cigarette
hanging from her lips and bring it to life. God, he had to admit, she was good
looking! She took a big drag and began exhaling a long plume of smoke into the
air. He smiled to himself. Nice blond hair, too. Just then Robin noticed him
watching her. She finished her exhale through her nostrils and grinned back.
She winked. He smiled and nodded.

    Well! John thought to himself. Anne told me Robin thought I was cute. He
tried to remember. Hadn't Anne said that Robin was ready to fuck me herself?
Maybe she's sending me a signal, he decided. Maybe there's another affair in
my future. Robin was very attractive and a very sexy smoker. He winked back
and smiled again. "Oh, Robin," he called. "Can you come in now? Let's start
organizing this mess."

    Robin walked into John's office with a pronounced wiggle of her hips. Her
walk and her coy smile had the look of someone headed for trouble. Robin was
very satisfied. Unknown to John, she knew all about his smoking fetish. Anne
told her all about how he responded when he saw her smoking. Robin was going
to do her best to make him crazy.

    As she stood in front of him, she held her cigarette high in the air, her
wrist cocked demurely beside her head. Then she put it in her mouth while she
sat in the chair beside his desk. As she sat down, with her cigarette
dangling, she hiked up her short navy blue skirt as if to better show off her
legs and thighs. She placed her fingers around the cigarette, took another
drag, and removed the cigarette while she inhaled the smoke, holding the
cigarette between to her fingers right in front of her face. Wisps of smoke
escaped from her smiling lips while she waited. Smoke from her cigarette
circled her face. "God, it's so wonderful to work with other people who smoke,
isn't it, John? I just love to smoke. You don't mind if I smoke with you while
we work, do you?"

    John gave her a big grin. Her legs, no, all of her, looked great! "No, I
don't mind, Robin. Not at all."

    THE END

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