Cufflink Ch. 01

One tender that I did share with him was a major contract for a major defence industry manufacturer called CDI for short. If we were successful in our proposal it would increase our revenue by over thirty percent! At our normal review Alex told me not to waste my time, we had no previous dealings with them and no point of contact within CDI. He rated our chances of success less than I did. I argued and eventually he consented to let me work on it but warned that he would not be cutting me any slack on my other prospects!

During this same time period, my relationship with Kirsty was becoming under pressure. She was moody when she was at home and where she once would have shrugged off her work issues and take me to bed, she now just found excuses for not making love to me as frequently as in the past. I wasn't happy with this, but I recognised that she was working extremely hard. A number of our workforce were at or nearing retirement age and she was busy recruiting their replacements. When I was in the office, usually about twice a week, Kirsty and I always had lunch together. We never went far from the office for lunch if we went out. More often than not, we shared a sandwich in Kirsty's office. After having to argue my case about CDI with Alex, I needed to vent with someone and I immediately thought of Kirsty. She was always my sounding board and since she had cancelled our last two lunch dates at the last minute, I decided just to surprise her and take her favourite sandwich and coffee in to her. Her secretary informed me that she was working in Conference Room 1 on a special project, so I just breezed past her secretary and up to the conference room door. I tried to enter the room, but found the door was locked. I could hear voices within but I wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying. I wrapped on the door and loudly demanded to speak to my wife!

I could hear a scuffle that sounded like chairs being pushed back and Kirsty's order to wait a moment. Two minutes later the door was unlocked and Kirsty let me enter. I noticed that she had a flushed look on her face and she refused to meet my gaze directly. Her normally luscious lips were devoid of lipstick, but she had a tendency to chew on her lips when she was concentrating on a problem. The top button of her blouse was undone, but it was well above the start of her cleavage in any case, so nothing to make a fuss about. She saw my glance down and hastily restored the button to its proper place. Apart from those three details, there was nothing to suggest that anything untoward was going on. Jeremy was also in the room, sitting watching us with an amused expression on his face. I noticed that whatever they were working on was covered by a piece of flipchart paper and that the flipchart itself was covered hiding any information upon the other sheets.

I held up the sandwiches and coffee containers and said, "Since you've been dodging my last few invitations to lunch with me, I thought I would surprise you so we could have lunch together."

"I have not been dodging your invitations!" she responded heatedly. "We have an important project nearing it's conclusion and I need to focus on that. I'm sorry about lunch, but Jeremy and I have a working lunch planned and our food should be here any minute."

As she said that, the catering lady came round the corner with a buffet lunch on her trolley. I retreated after telling her that I would see her at home later should she manage to get home in time for once.

"I will be home when I have finished here! If you can't handle Andrew on your own, just give my mother a call." she replied testily.

"I'm glad you still remember that we have a son. It's been a while since he's seen you before he goes to bed!" I snarled back.

The door to the conference room slammed shut and I never discovered whether it was just the wind from the open window or Kirsty that caused it. She was home before Andrew's bedtime and she spend some quality time with him. She never mentioned our earlier spat and I thought that that in itself was significant. We used to always have the ability to talk through our issues, but that too seemed to have slipped. Maybe she just didn't care to try anymore.

As our marriage started to ebb away, so too did our love making. Kirsty was always a very sexual woman and for the first time I started to wonder if she was taking her relief elsewhere? I dismissed that idea telling myself it was just the pressure of work, but the seed was planted and I started to question her more often about what she was working on late into the evening. She took it in good humour to start with and simply told me that the Project was very demanding and would soon be over. I tried to curb my suspicions and back off on my questions but I guess I wasn't very successful at that because she soon became irritated if I even raised an eyebrow towards her when she came in late.

So we continued to cohabit and I forced myself to be civil towards her and pretend nothing was wrong. I even attempted to woo her with special meals and flowers. I talked our situation over with her mother and she suggested that I prepare a special meal for our anniversary. She told me that she was sure that Kirsty loved me and she would soon be back to her old self.

My own special Project was going well. I had submitted our tender response and had heard that we were shortlisted for the contract on the eve of our wedding anniversary. My first instinct was to inform Alex Young, but decided that it could wait until the following day. I wanted to tell Kirsty about it first! So, I checked with her secretary and asked her not to put anything in Kirsty's diary that evening. I also asked her to remind Kirsty that it was our anniversary that evening and she promised to do so. I left work early and prepared a meal fit for a queen. I had the meal ready for seven, the table set, lighting subdued and candles waiting to be lit but no wife to share it with!

At half eight, I rang her mobile and when she answered I could hear the noises that one usually associates with a barroom. I asked her where she was and was informed coldly that she was just taking 'a quick refreshment' and would be going back into work for a few more hours!

"Have you forgotten our wedding anniversary? I asked sarcastically.

"That's not until tomorrow." She insisted and then she went silent. I don't know if she thought I had hung up or if she missed the stop button on her phone but, I heard her say to someone who must have been beside her, "Shit I've forgotten my fucking anniversary, he'll be furious. We will have to cancel tonight. I'll make it up to you both another time."

I hit the end button this time. I was gutted and just wanted to be sick. There was no other interpretation that I could put on that conversation, she was cheating on me. My instinct was to lash out at her, but I needed to know more facts, firstly, the who, then the when and lastly, the why. Don't ask me why I needed the information, maybe I was a masochist or something, but at the time it seemed to be very relevant.

After a few moments thought, I decided I was taking the following day off. I needed to see about getting proof of Kirsty's infidelity and had a friend who had left the police to become a PI. I called him and set up an appointment for the next morning. Then, I called Alex to inform him. He was stickler for procedures and monitored holidays and sickness closely.

Besides, I had to tell him about the shortlisting by CDI. I speed dialled his mobile and when he answered, I heard the same noises that had accompanied my call to Kirsty. I hung up but he called me back a few minutes later.

The background noise was gone, so he must have found somewhere quiet to make the call.

"If you're looking for Kirsty, she's just left for home." He said as an opening. I wondered why he had the balls to call me and realised that he was unaware of my overheard conversation. Good I thought, he won't be on his guard about his affair with my wife. It was easier to catch an unsuspecting rat than a cornered one. I told him the good news about CDI and he was immediately excited.

"Great news! I knew that was a super opportunity. We will meet tomorrow morning, nine o'clock in my office." He ordered abruptly.

He was really pissed off at me when I told him that I would not be able to make it and he started to berate me, then he tried the soft sell, but I refused to be swayed. I don't respond well to bullies or bull shitters and he was both. I wondered briefly what Kirsty saw in him? I terminated his call when I heard the garage door opener operate.

Kirsty rushed into the kitchen just as I was scraping the charred remains of the meal I had painstakingly prepared into the rubbish bin.

She looked into the dining room and saw the prepared table settings and she went as white as a sheet. "Why didn't you remind me?" She cried, trying to put the blame back onto me.

"Kirsty, I checked with your secretary and asked her to keep your diary clear for tonight. I also asked her to remind you and gave her a card to give to you. Are you trying to tell me that you never got either?"

"I did, but I was sure that you had gotten the date wrong and that our anniversary was tomorrow. I've been so busy lately, I have lost track of the days. I'm sorry my love. I know that sounds trite and stupid, but I genuinely misplaced the day! Believe me nothing would have prevented me from being here with you tonight."

When I refused to respond, she went on, "And you prepared a meal and everything! The table looks wonderful too. I can only apologise and beg you're forgiveness? Please Craig, say I'm forgiven and I promise you that I will make it up to you later in bed."

She approached me and tried to embrace me. I avoided her and simply turned my back and went into the lounge.

She followed me and tried again to engage me in a dialogue that I didn't want to have. I was angry and she kept trying. Finally, she resorted to tears continuing to beg me to forgive her, in between the sobs and tears.

When I couldn't take any more, I raised my voice in order to be heard over her sobs, "Just shut the fuck up and let me be! I don't want your pity sex. In fact I can't remember the last time we made love as if we were still in love! On the rare occasions that we have had sex lately, that was not making love, that was simply two people satisfying a need!"

She stopped abruptly at that. I never talked to her in that tone at any stage of our marriage and she must have decided that it was better to go on the offensive when your situation was lost anyway and she snarled at me, "If that's what you want, then you've got it! Sleep in the spare bedroom tonight, because I don't want you near me in bed!"

Not to be left wanting for the last word, I snarled back, "If you want to sleep alone, then you take the spare room, because I fully intend to sleep in my own bed tonight and every night until this issue between us is sorted!"

Well, we did share the bed, but she kept as far away from me as possible and I her. The following morning she tried again to beg my forgiveness. I had slept on it and decided that I still didn't have anything concrete to accuse her of! Suspicions? Yes, but proof, No! If I wanted to find out exactly what was going on, I would need to suck it up until I had the proof I desired. I made a tentative approach towards her and she responded. We kissed properly for the first time in months. I would have taken it further, but she was late for work and told me we would get together later that evening and she would prove that she loved me more than ever!

I told her that I was taking the day off to work on my golf game and she accepted my story without comment. I never said a word about the CDI shortlisting, but she would doubtless be told about that when she got to work. I met with my PI and told him about my doubts about my wife's fidelity. He tried to persuade me that I had insufficient pointers to make employing him worthwhile. Eventually he agreed to do some preliminary investigation work and if he felt that it was worth continuing he would say so. After a week he reported back that there was no evidence to support my suspicions so we decided to call a halt. I paid him and felt much relieved at the outcome.

I tried to get back on an even keel in my marriage and Kirsty tried too. We started making love again, but the spark that used to drive our passion seemed to have disappeared. I always took my time and tried to ensure that she reached at least one orgasm when we did the deed, but I felt that she may have been faking it occasionally.

Prior to our shortlist presentation, Alex Young intimated that he would attend this crucial meeting and do the introduction. He felt that it was important to demonstrate SAME's management commitment to the CDI Contract. He had the answers to the expansion of our premises and Kirsty would be in attendance to address any recruitment or training issues raised. Colin Dawes, SAME's Operations Director also present to detail our production strategy should it prove necessary. So we had a full management team there to represent SAME. I felt as if the whole show was being taken out of my hands and insisted that the detailed presentation on our proposals should be left to me. I argued that I was the one who understood CDI's requirements best and that I had written our detailed response to the tender. I felt that I was the only one capable of fielding their questions safely. I tried to sugar the pill by saying that it was great that I was now getting the senior management support on this bid, but they were not familiar enough to the tender specification that detailed CDI's requirements and close questioning may expose Alex, Kirsty and Colin's ignorance of the fine detail of CDI's requirements. As you may imagine that did not go down well, but Jeremy backed me on that and told them to leave the bulk of the questions to me to respond to. They were only to respond when I specifically asked them to!

Naturally, we had no sooner completed our presentation and taking questions when Alex jumped in to answer a question and made a complete hash of his answer. The client that asked the question looked dumbfounded by the answer, so I stepped in and clarified what Alex was trying to say. The difference being, I gave the correct response. I turned and glared at Alex and he frowned back at me, but he learned fast and kept his mouth shut unless invited to respond.

The rest of the session went reasonably well and we left CDI with the feeling that apart from Alex's cock up, we had done well. Once we were safely back in my car, I rounded on Alex and vented my anger. He was sitting in the back with Kirsty, a fact that I later got me into a heated discussion with her. Colin had volunteered to sit in the back with Alex, but Kirsty insisted that he should sit in the front with me. I was annoyed because she was wearing a pretty short skirt that left her long legs exposed right up to her mid thigh. That in itself wasn't the problem, but the fact that she twisted in her seat so that she was facing Alex. This position caused her legs to spread slightly and I could see her panties when I tuned round to reverse the car out of the parking bay. She saw me looking and parted her legs even more. She had to be aware that she was giving Alex a grandstand view of the deep V of her thighs. There wasn't much that I could do about it as I was driving, but when she tried to defend Alex's actions at the presentation, that was too much and even Colin had to intervene and say that Alex had been out of order and should never have fielded that answer. As it was, we were fortunate that I had recovered the situation so well. For his part, Alex tried to argue his corner, but his heart wasn't in it or he had other things on his mind, maybe Kirsty's legs, for we soon lapsed into silence for the rest of the trip back to base.

Jeremy wanted an immediate debrief on the meeting, but I received a call from CDI with a few supplemental questions that had arisen from their meeting with our main competitor for the business. By the time I returned to the meeting there was only Alex and Colin there and Jeremy made a point of telling me how good a job I had done, then Jeremy said, "We are going to have a management meeting to make preliminary decisions on expanding our facilities to cope with the anticipated increase in work. I'll see that you get a good bonus if we win this contract." He then shook my hand and led me to the door and patting me on the back said, "Don't forget your Dinner Suit for the Christmas Party."

That was a pretty clear dismissal and as I left, the whole management team were gathered waiting to enter the meeting room. I was dismissed. Clearly I no longer had anything worthwhile to contribute.

The Christmas Party! It was just a week away and I had forgotten that it was a formal affair this year. All the management team were stopping at the Holiday Inn overnight at SAME's expense! With Kirsty part of the management team, I would be stopping overnight as well. My mother in law had agreed to take little Andrew for the weekend, so we had no problems from that direction. The rest of the office staff could stop if the so wished, but would have to pay for their own rooms. SAME were hiring mini buses to get them from their homes and back again after the festivities. In previous years, this party was always hosted by Sam Peters and his wife. Sadly, she had passed away several months ago and Sam had become a virtual recluse. Kirsty told me that he had been invited again this year, but he had failed to respond.

With the party was only a day away, I got the call I had been hoping for from my CDI contact, Peter Wilson. SAME had won the contract! All my misgivings suddenly evaporated and just for a few moments I forgot about my marriage as the implications sank in. We would have our contract signed and delivered by courier and addressed for my attention. I was a little surprised at this as our submission clearly identified Alex as Sales Director and as the prime contact for any contractual matters. Reading between the lines of the comments that Peter had made, they were less than enthralled by Alex, but the rest of the SAME team had impressed them with their professionalism and commitment. We agreed to meet before Christmas and discuss our plans for implementation in more detail.

Jeremy's secretary, Mary took one look at my face and the fax of the contract in my hand when she shrieked for joy and rushed around her desk to give me a hug and a kiss smack on the lips! It seems that everyone knew the decision was imminent and what the new business would mean for SAME. I was still firmly held in Mary's arms and over her shoulder I could see the door to Jeremy's office open and an alarmed MD standing in the door wanting to know what the noise was about. He quickly sized up the situation and bounded over to congratulate me. Behind him in his office I saw Kirsty carefully reapplying her lipstick before joining in the congratulations. It took me some time to register that she looked a little flushed in the face and was clearly flustered at my unexpected appearance, but I was so wrapped up in my moment of glory that I dismissed her discomfort until much, much later.

After a hectic Friday during which I was repeatedly congratulated and asked numerous questions regarding the CDI contract I finally managed to get away in time to prepare for the Christmas Party. I kept my suit carrier in one of those drawers beneath our bed and as I dug it out in readiness for my Dinner Suit, I pulled out a single gold cufflink with it.

Cufflinks were something of a rarity these days and as I picked the one I had found I realised two things. Firstly, it wasn't one of mine and secondly, the only person I knew who wore cufflinks as part of their everyday dress was Jeremy Todd! Closer examination of the cufflink revealed an ornate pattern on the face of the jewellery in the shape of JST with the S intertwined with the other two letters. JST and I may not be the quickest person on the uptake, but JST nagged at me until I managed to put a name to the initials. Jeremy Stuart Todd! That begged the obvious question. What was one of his cufflinks doing in my bedroom? The answer was obvious, he had spent some time in there and that could only be at the behest of my loving wife, Kirsty! One more piece of circumstantial evidence but hardly a smoking gun! I had a feeling that things were about to come to a head and with me as the loser all round. If Jeremy was her lover, not Alex, then he held all the face cards! I had no Ace in the hole or Joker to play. Again, the sick empty feeling filled my stomach as I stood there motionless and in some kind of paralysis.