HOLD ON!

HOLD ON!

Fair Warning

This blog is an autobiographical collection of my relationships and sexual affairs over the years and contains adult-oriented material, including graphic descriptions of sexual acts as well as R-rated and X-rated pictures. If you find this type of material objectionable, then please leave.


Time For Fun

Time For Fun

February 9, 2009

Cheri--Part One

July 1987 to March 1998.
Status: Married seven years, one kid (stepdaughter)
Occupation: Caterer
Meetings: Lost count
Age: 30 (today, 51)

Cheri and I ran hot and cold and had several on-again, off-again periods. We broke up and got back together several times over those years. But I'm getting ahead of myself. This is an entry covering a long period of time, so I'm going to break it down into dates.

June to December, 1987
Cheri was the redheaded caterer that I met at Maria's party. Remember the caterers that I was joking around with when I was piling up the food to take home? Cheri was one of them. She was the one who mentioned that Maria let the staff take whatever food was left over from the party.

I liked this girl. And we chatted as she cleaned up. She was married and hoping to start her own catering service. Knowing a potential client when I saw one, I offered her my services.

I told her I would help her with the legal filings and forms, as well as related things like insurance and financing, etc. and that I'd do it just for a good reference. Remember, I hadn't been doing much freelance paralegal work at that point. So I was happy to bite the bullet so I could start a client base.

I remember her smile. "Wow. Nice...but I really wouldn't feel right taking advantage like that...." "Don't worry about it. I want to."

We kept chatting until the staff had finished cleaning up the kitchen and food serving areas. She smiled and said,
"Well....I gotta take the van back in. Uh....really nice meeting you."
"You too."
"So...I'll be calling you soon."
"Cool."

"Yeah,"
she laughed, "Cool."

I watched her walk away. I really wanted to try and get her into bed. Even if I hadn't been into married women (literally), I would've wanted her. But she was going to be a client.....and Jim had drummed the dangers of mixing business with pleasure.
And at 24....I really needed to start a career. Girls I could get. A career was what I needed to focus on. And besides, I had already mixed business with pleasure a few hours earlier with Maria.

So I headed home and dealt with the mess my then-girlfriend, Ashley, had created (again, Maria entry) and got on with my life.
Besides, the next day I had a date with a lovely married neighbor named Candace. A couple of weeks later, I still hadn't heard from Cheri.

Regardless, I was still hoping to do some work for her.
I was still on my first signment for a legal temp agency, breaking down depositions for a large, pending civil lawsuit. So that definitely occupied my time (and brought in some nice cash as well).

One Monday, I came home and there was a message on my machine.


"Ryan? This is Cheri--we met at Maria's party--I'm ready for your help! Help me please!" and laughed. "Am I a sole proprietor or a corporation? I look like a person, so sole proprietor.....I'm a cook, not a business woman! Help!"
and hung up.

It was easy to see that she had never taken a business class in her life. So I called her back.


"Hello. Is Cheri there?"

A rather brusk voice replied, "Who may I ask is calling?"
"Ryan Callahan. I'm working with Cheri on her catering business."
"Oh, that. Yeah, hold on."

"That"? Dude either didn't want his wife starting her own business or he didn't like strange men help his wife start her own catering business.

"Hey Ryan, thanks for calling back."
"I call at a bad time?"
"No, I'm sorry. I'll explain when we meet."

"For the next few weeks, I can only meet at night or the weekends."
"Okay....uh....Wednesday night? Is seven okay?"

I heard her husband mutter something in the background.
"John, do you mind? Sorry, is that okay?"
"Sure. My place?"

"That's fine."

I gave her directions and we hung up. I tried not to imagine the argument that was taking place between those two. I really didn't want to know. I got home around 6:30 the following Wednesday and was beat. As glamorous as reading depositions sounds (note sarcasm, please), it can get old really fast.

I really wasn't looking forward to going over Cheri's plans for two hours, no matter how cute she was.
But I had given her my word..... I quickly showered and changed. And sure enough, at 7:00 on the dot, I heard a knock on my door. I opened it and saw Cheri. "Hi! I brought a little something for you."

Just what I needed: food.


"Just some leftovers I made for dinner. Lasagna, some garlic bread."

"Wow. Thank you."
"I know a caterer bringing you lasagna is a bit of a cliche, but trust me, you'll like it." she laughed.
"Hey, I didn't say anything....besides, it looks great."

"Well, have some. Trust me, it ain't that frozen crap you can buy at the store,"
she smiled.

She was right. This was so good, my tongue nearly did back flips.
And for good reason. The woman was a trained chef. She had graduated from The Culinary Institute of America several years earlier and had worked as cook in a couple of 4 star restaurants in Manhattan.
"So what brought you out here?"
"I was working as a sous chef at ***** when I met my husband at a party a few years ago. We dated and he proposed. Then he got a job out here--he's originally from San Diego--and I told him to take it. I was burned out on restaurant life. The hours, all that. I loved cooking, but just got tired of psychotic chefs yelling at everybody."

"Sounds stressful. But...you graduated from the CIA....not to sound snobby, but why work as a server for a caterer."

"No, that's okay. I took the job because it allows me to split my time serving a cooking. It's less stressful and honestly, I think there's more creativity involved. And it actually pays pretty well--I've been able to save up the money to start this business."

Made sense, especially the stress thing. It's one of the reasons I decided not to go to law school. As a paralegal, I had more flexibility in accepting assignments and taking jobs, and unlike law school graduates, I would never be at a loss for work. In the 80's, law schools were graduating lawyers at record numbers. There were a lot of law school graduates looking for any kind of law-related work.


Me? I could do a lot of the same work at lower rates. Who'd YOU hire?
Anyway, I cleared up the whole sole proprietor/corporation question for Cheri, explaining the differences between the two (she actually had a general idea, but I broke it down even further for her), as well as insurance and accounting options (I recommended the accountant Jim used for his own business), and soon Cheri was on her way home.

Over the next couple of weeks, Cheri and I got all the necessary forms for her business license. I reviewed her lease on a small office/kitchen setup in Claremont and soon she was set to go. And every time she came over, I was fed a great meal.


The woman could even make a cheeseburger and fries a gourmet meal. Incredible. Cheri's plan was to specialize in catering business events. She already had some clients lined up and one night she dropped by with some food.

"For you. To thank you. I have my first official event set up for Thursday afternoon. You're a true friend. My husband isn't all that supportive. You are. I can't tell you how grateful I am."
"No big deal. I was glad to help."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Would you like to....uh.....maybe....to this to another level?"

"What?"
"Sleep with me? If not, that's cool."


Honestly, I didn't see that one coming at all. I know I'm usually running any kind of game to get a woman into bed, but that had been put on the shelf. This was all business for me. She was beautiful. She was funny. She was smart. And she was a client, whether I was being paid in money or food.


"Did I screw things up?"
, she asked.
"No.....but.....you do remember that you're married, don't you?"

"How could I forget? Are you really that surprised?"

"Yes."

"You're attractive...you're nice....and I've been here several times every week. Just to bring you food...just to say hello.....I like you. And I've thought it through. You interested?"


Of course I was. I reallllllllllllllllllly liked Cheri. But to be honest, I was wearing down a bit. I was 24 and starting to get tired of acting like a horny frat boy. How many married women could I fuck without getting a barrel full of buckshot pointed at my nads?
How many Ashleys would I date just to get some hot ass? How much skulking around could one person do before it just got old? She knew I wanted her, but wasn't going to push.

She picked up her purse and stood up.
"I won't apologize for asking. But I won't be upset if you say no. Take your time. Think about it. And I'll see you tomorrow night on my way home."

And she leaned down, kissed me, and left.
Time to call my spiritual adviser.
"Jim, I need advice. Can you come over?"
"Okay. I shall come straight over. Need food?"

"No, I have some here that will make you cry with joy."
"In a few."

About a half hour later, my mentor arrived. I explained the whole thing as he ate Cheri's beef stroganoff.
"Fuck me in the ass, this is great."
"So what do I do?"

"Fuck her. You need me to tell you that?"

"She's a client."

"Not officially. You're working for her for free and she's gorgeous,"
he said, as he looked at her picture.

Jim hung out for awhile and then headed home.
The next day, I called Cheri.

"Hey honey."

"You still coming over tonight?"

"See you at seven."


Soon the end of the day came, and I drove home. I showered, shaved again, and put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. And waited.
Right at seven, Cheri arrived. She walked past me, put a casserole in the kitchen and walked over and wrapped her arms around me and we started kissing.

It was hot, it was passionate, and long overdue. I wished we had started this weeks ago once we were kissing.
She grabbed my hand and said, "C'mon. Let's go to the bedroom."

We walked in and she stripped out of her blouse and skirt. I pulled off my shorts and shirt and reached around her and unhooked her bra. The straps slid down her arms and she let it fall to the floor.

"Yes?"
"Yes."

She leaned down and pulled off her panties and laid down on her back. I crawled up between her legs and spread her lips with my fingers and exposed her clit. She groaned softly and I started licking and sucking her clit.
I took my time. There was no rush and I was enjoying how she tasted. I worked deliberately and worked her slowly toward an orgasm. Neither one of us were in a hurry; we just wanted to enjoy being together.



After about ten minutes of eating her out, Cheri moaned softly and said,
"I'm cumming, honey...." and tensed up and came. I rested my head on her leg for a minute until I heard her say, "Come up here and lay down." I did as she ordered. Cheri then laid her head on my stomach and started slowly sucking my hard cock.

I took my hand and rubbed her back and shoulder. I relaxed and enjoyed having her warm mouth on me for several minutes.
Finally, she got up and reached into her purse and pulled out a condom.

She smiled and said,
"I thought we'd be using this last night....but tonight's just as good too, right?""Right."

She crawled on the bed and rolled the condom down my cock. She then smiled and said,
"Which position would you like?" I told her to stay on her hands and knees. I needed to start off in the doggy position. It wasn't the most romantic sexual position (missionary is, due to the face to face proximity), but I wouldn't last more than thirty seconds in any other.

She smiled.
"Whatever you want." I got up behind her and slid in. Incredible. Nice, wet, and warm. And she laid her head on the bed, so there she was: gorgeous, wonderful woman with her ass in the air, her eyes shut, and a smile on her face. I was able to go in this position for five or so minutes. I alternated between sliding in and out and grinding my hips into hers.

Luckily, I was able to make her cum before I reached the point of no return. And I was really close when I heard her moan and cum. You know that little tingling you get before you shoot? I felt it and was able to pull out.
I had her lay on her back.

"You need to cum, honey."

"Not yet."

Palm Pilot time.
I got up and put some lube on my hand. Cheri was extremely wet at this point, but she also had a very hairy pussy. I love hairy pussies, but they present a bit of a challenge for the Pilot. They don't get as slick as shaved ones. So I went with the lube just to be safe. I started by fingering her clit and getting it hard. I could feel her tense a bit when it got too sensitive so I moved away.
"Sorry, baby."
"No, no....keep going....it's okay."

I kept some pressure on her clit with the palm of my hand and concentrated on her lips and fingering her pussy. After several minutes, she gripped my shoulder and squeezed hard and yelled out, "OH FUCK!", and came. She pulled me on top of her and I slid in again.

30 seconds later, I groaned and came hard. I guess that you can only delay the inevitable for so long. As I was cumming, I buried my head in her shoulder and heard her say,
"Yeahhhh...that's it honey.....that's it...."

I pulled out and took my condom off and tossed it away. Cheri pulled me back onto her and we started kissing again.
"As good as I thought it would be...better....." I laid on her and we kept kissing. My cock was resting on her pussy and started getting hard after only a few minutes (hey, I was only 24, the age of never-ending erections) and as we kissed, I started grinding it gently against her.

This had an immediate reaction.
"Oh....yeah, that feels good....." So I kept doing it. She wrapped her legs around mine, I propped myself up on my arms, and kept sliding my cock up and down her lips. A few minutes later, she reached up and pulled my head down and kissed me as she came.

She reached over to the nightstand and unwrapped a condom. I took it and rolled it on and started fucking her in the missionary position for several minutes. She didn't cum, but was enjoying it quite a bit. We started kissing again as I slid in and out of her.
Finally, I pulled out and had her roll onto her left side.



I got behind her and got on my left side and lifted up her right leg. She held it up and I slid into her again. Cherie then brought her leg down and I started fucking her in the spoon position. Spoon fucking is totally underrated. I reached around and started playing with her clit as I pumped her repeatedly.

Finally, I heard her say,
"Cumming, honey....." and she groaned, tensed up, and relaxed again.

"C'mon...your turn......when you cum, cum on me."


That did it. I pulled out, took off the condom, and shot my load all over her side and stomach.
I fell onto my back and Cheri snuggled up next to me. We kissed some more and then I put my arm around her and pulled her tight.

"That was......so nice...."

"Incredible....."

"I want to keep seeing you. I like this. I like you."
"I like you, too. A lot."


We talked for awhile. Cheri only had a few requests. She definitely needed discretion. And she emphasized that she wouldn't be able to leave her husband. I had already figured this out.
Cheri had a stepdaughter named Ellen, who was nine years old.

Ellen was her husband's daughter from his first marriage, and her birth mother was no longer in the picture, having taken off when she was only two. Cheri loved her and was the only mom Ellen ever knew. So she was determined to stay.

Finally, Cheri looked at the time.
"Shit. Gotta go. Love you."

"You too."

"See you on Thursday, okay?"

"Okay."


I was happy that she didn't want to meet the next day. I had a date with Shay, another married lady. But a pattern of Cheri twice a week or so and the assorted married female here and there was a winning formula in my book.
Cheri took a quick shower and went home.

I showered, had my dinner and passed out for a bit. I then worked on doing some rudimentary marketing of my freelance services to some of the local attorneys (and by rudimentary, I mean sending out writing samples, my resume, references, and a listing of what I could do for them).


Before I went to bed, the phone rang.


"Hey."

"Hey."
"I'm thinking of you. Wanted to thank you."
"Me too. I miss you."
"Me too. Until Thursday...."

The next evening, Shay and I tore it up. I only saw her a few times. Shay was nice, but not somebody I wanted to have a long-term thing with, especially with Maria and Cheri handling my needs. Shay was great in bed though and will be my next entry.


Cheri and I continued to see each other over the next several months. The assignment I was on when I met her ended, and I started getting calls for freelance work in addition to several short-term assignments from my legal staffing agency. I was making some excellent money and enjoying my life quite a bit.
I had no bills, a great apartment, great friends, lots of married women who wanted to fuck, the time to fuck them, and Cheri on top of it.

I could take off and spend the day with Jim drinking at Lake Elsinore (one time, we picked up two married women and banged them right on the beach).
Life was good. It was incredibly self-indulgent, but good. Great, in fact. But there was one little problem: I was totally in love with Cheri. It sucked. The one woman I wanted to get serious about I had no chance of getting for my own.

Cheri confessed that she felt the same way. And it didn't help our relationship. Eventually, every time we got together, the fact that this could only be an affair stayed in our minds. In early December, she came over and we talked for awhile and finally called it quits.
Well, for awhile at least.

December 1987 to September 1988
It was tough when Cheri left. The physical part was secondary; it was her I missed and her friendship, smile, and company. So I compensated the only way I knew how. I worked, made a ton of money, and fucked every married woman I could get my hands on, as well as a few single ones. I had no interest in a girlfriend; I just wanted to run up the score. And I did.
All were fairly short-term hook ups. I met them by placing and answering ads in local fuck rags as well as the local paper, The Daily Bulletin (although my ads there were worded quite a bit differently than in the fuck rags). I always provided and required proof of clean health and always used condoms. I also didn't meet up with heavily experienced people. I had no use for hard-core swingers. I wanted women who had either never cheated or had only cheated once or twice.
It was easy as picking apples from a tree. There were plenty of ads to choose from and my ads generated quite a few responses. There were a lot of lonely wives in the area who wanted attention.
My total spiral in debauchery came to an end in the middle of August. I was fucking a married lady in her bedroom when her husband got home. I heard the door, pulled out, grabbed my clothes and bolted out the window. There's something about a screaming six foot, five inch guy chasing you through backyards and over fences until you put enough distance between you and him that makes you wonder if you're making the right choices.

Run naked through a backyard, through your clothes over a fence......run through another one.....clothes over the fence....etc.... Luckily, I was faster and a lot more nimble than the enraged husband. A nice head start didn't hurt either.
Man, that guy was pissed. So was I. I forgot to grab my shoes on my way out. That was an eighty-dollar pair of Nunn Bush shoes I left behind. I still remember his loving words to me: "You motherfucker, I'm going to kick your bitch ass and beat you down like a dog, you piece of crap!"

Good thing the only info he had for me was a fake last name, an unlisted number (which I changed the next day) and a P.O. box for a mailing address.

Heh.


During this time, I knew that Cheri missed me as much as I missed her. A couple of times each week, a box of food mysteriously appeared on my doorstep.
After my quick tour of that neighborhood's backyards, I decided to take some time off from having illicit sex (or any other kind of sex) with married women. Like the old saying goes, a good scare is better than good advice any day of the week.

A few weeks of abstinence was needed.
But all bad things come to an end. One day in September, I heard a knock on the door. Still fearful of the large man who chased me, I made sure to check who it was through the peephole. I liked who I saw. I opened the door and Cheri walked in.

Without saying a word, she took some food and put it on my kitchen counter and walked over and grabbed my hand and led me to the bedroom.
And we spent two hours fucking like crazy, making up for our eight-month drought.




Cheri--Part Two



September 1988 to October 1989.

"Okay then...."
"Wow."
"I was going crazy I missed you so much."

We picked up right where we left off. Cheri started coming over twice a week. Her business had done so well that she employed a staff of eight part-time employees and was in the black. Her marriage was another story.

She was fed up with her husband. He still wasn't supportive and even though his daughter was older and in school, he wanted Cheri to "sell high", and take the money and run. Finally, she decided to come to the one guy who had supported her all along: me.

I wasn't about to argue. I wanted to marry her. But I didn't dare ask. I know when to be greedy and when not to be. Well, maybe not; a few weeks earlier, I had been running away like a scalded dog.

Whatever the case, I could position myself to have it all. A great job, a great lover, and a girlfriend. Sure, I had to find one, but that wouldn't present any problem now, would it? I could still play around with Cheri and other women while I looked for one.

Jim took care of that, introducing me to a single girl named Caylie in October of 1988.

Caylie completed the trifecta. A girlfriend, a married lover, and lots of girls on the side. Lots of women, and Cheri was at the top of my list. She knew I fucked around, but what could she say? She was still fucking her husband. I had every right to sleep with other women. All she asked was that I always use a condom. That was fair enough.

One night Cheri dropped by with some papers for me to look over. She had landed an exclusive account to cater a local company's executive meetings and parties. Lots of money, and she wanted to make sure everything was on the up and up.

Caylie and I had just finished some serious fucking when Cheri arrived. I let Cheri in and introduced her to Caylie. Everything was fine--although a bit awkward for me.

Caylie headed off and Cherie put the papers down on the table.

"So, how long have you been seeing her?"
"A few weeks."
"Like her?"
"Yes."
"Okay. She seems nice. That's cool."

I told her that I'd look over her papers and give her a call when they were done. She smiled, gave me a kiss and left. Cool. My married girlfriend approved of my "regular" girlfriend. Life was good.

A few weeks later, I decided to really, as Montgomery Burns of The Simpsons would put it, "wallow in my crapulence."

I had just completed work on a personal injury case and the attorney was so happy with the lawyers and paralegals assigned to the case, he handed all of us big fat bonuses. Bonuses in the thousands.

I felt I could do no wrong. I was fucking invincible. I had a huge chunk of change in the bank. I had lawyers calling me for my services and could work for whoever the fuck I wanted. And best of all, I could fuck just about any woman I wanted.

Ah, but that weekend I was feeling self-indulgent. Well, more so than usual. And I wanted to celebrate. So I scored some pot (something I rarely did) and bought several bottles of Crown Royal and lots of beer. And I called two bi girls who loved smoking weed and drinking.

There names were Jen and Sally. I had met them at Chaffey (of course) several years back. And the three of us became fast friends. I was able to get a couple of threesomes with them that quarter and it was an absolute blast. Whenever I wanted a threesome with them, all I had to do was score some pot and invite them over. They were roommates, friends, and lovers.

But while I liked them, they could be a headache. Both were wild and only tolerable on occasion. This just happened to be one of those occasions.

And why not? Mr. Lucky just had to call and he'd get a weekend of pure hedonism. And my luck held out. These two were great girls and they loved smoking pot. And I had a nice fat bag of it for them to toke on.

The following Friday night, they came over and were ready to party.

Jen started stripping and laughed and said, "Do we fuck before, during, or after (the pot)?"

I tossed the bag and said, "Start now and don't stop till Sunday night." Sally smiled and said, "Excellent."

Oh, I got fucked that weekend. I ate pussy like crazy and my cock was never dry. These girls partied and fucked like crazy. I smoked a little of the pot, mostly helping myself instead to the Crown Royal.

Pizzas were ordered and clothing was banned. These girls rarely fucked guys, so when they did, they went at it hard (no pun intended). If I met these girls now, at my age, I'd get a fucking doctor's clearance first.

The following Monday I spent recovering and cleaning up my apartment. I vacuumed, washed the drapes, mopped, cleaned the kitchen...... Cheri came over around 3:30 and didn't suspect a thing. And neither did Caylie when she came over the following Tuesday.

The next year went very smoothly. I dated Caylie for about eight months until she moved back to her home state of North Carolina. She was a blast. Cute, 20 years old, incredible in bed, and as laid back as could be.

But I didn't want to settle down with her, and she didn't want to get serious with me, either. So we went our separate ways. Soon after, I started dating a divorced lady  named Caryl.


Cheri and I slipped back into our familiar routine where she'd come over a couple of times a week. Her business was extremely successful (and still is, to this day) and she was content. Things were good.

And if any other women wanted to meet for fun, you know where I stood on that.

In October, though, Cheri came by and ended our relationship for the second time, although she didn't phrase it that way.

"We need to cool it for a bit, honey."
"Why?"

"He's getting suspicious. I have too much to lose if I'm caught. The kid, half my business....."

"Okay. How long?"

"Not sure. But strictly business for the meantime. And we have to meet at my office if something needs to be done."


Meh. A break. Been there, done that. But hey, her call.

"Okay."
"Cool. We'll pick it up again as soon as we can."

And she split.


October 1989 to March 1990.

I liked Cheri. I liked her alot. But at some point you have to cut bait. Caryl and I were getting along okay. She was divorced and in her early thirties.

But this "cooling off" period with Cheri never made sense. If he was suspicious in October, why would that change in a few months? Oh well. It's not like I was going without sex.

In January, though, I'd get my answer about Cheri.

I dropped by her office to bring back her lease. Time for renewal and she had me review it. I walked in and the place was deserted. This wasn't really too odd, except that the receptionist wasn't there. I went to the back to see if everything was okay. Maybe a robber had stopped by, whatever.



Trust me, there was no rabbit in that hat!

I stepped into the back and heard some rustling. I followed the sound into a back room and saw Cheri and some guy kissing.

"Having fun?"

She looked up.

"Oh shit...."
"Relax."

The guy just about freaked.

"Dude, it's cool. I didn't see anything, okay?"

He calmed down a bit and said, "Thanks."

I looked at Cheri and said, "Give me a call later. Your lease is on the front desk. And for fuck's sake, lock the door. Are you trying to get caught?"

Cheri decided to do just that.

"Be right back, Mark."

She walked up front.

"Sorry. I wasn't honest with you."
"No big deal. Where'd you meet him?"
"Client."
"Mistake #1."


She bristled and said, "That's how you met me."

True.

I walked out the door and she said, "Sorry. I....uh....sorr."

I wasn't mad. I would've preferred her telling me that she wanted to pursue an affair with this guy, but I think she had been trying to spare my feelings.



March 1990 to January 1991.

By the time March rolled around, Caryl was long gone, having caught me having an affair with her friend, Hillary. To those of you who say I'm bad, I have two things to say to you: One, Carol didn't knock and walked right in, and; two, her friend was really, really cute.

Soooooooo in March, Cheri called me and asked me to come over. I hadn't heard from her since that day I saw her kissing Mark and wasn't sure I really wanted to bother.

However, ever since her business took off, she paid me handsomely for the work I did for her. And while I may be a total hound, I'm also a money-grubber. The way I figure it, this was the least of my faults. So when she called, I agreed to come over.

I drove down and she smiled and took into her office.

"So......I missed you."
"Is that why you haven't called since I walked in on you?"
"Um.....I handled that badly. I'm sorry."
"So why'd you have me come down? I'm due in Rialto in a bit."
"Wanna start up again?"

Oh for......

"What happened to Mark?"
"His wife caught us in a motel."
"Ouch."
"Yeah. It wasn't pleasant. She blamed me and said if I didn't stay away from her husband that she'd tell my husband."

So.....I'm second fiddle? Fuck that. I didn't mind her getting some from other guys, but don't cut me off, lie about it, and then expect me to come back like a starving dog.

"Um....so......"
"Cheri, I think we've run our course."
"Excuse me?"
"We're done."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that? You've ended it twice."
"So the fact that I'm married.....all of a sudden is a problem? That sometimes I can't just meet you?"
"No, the problem is that you lied and the only reason you want me back is because your boyfriend's wife caught you fucking him."

Cheri didn't appreciate my take on the situation.

"That's bullshit. With our history, you're just walking away because of one lie?"
"No. Nobody's perfect. It wasn't just the lie. We've been involved for what, almost three years? We were together.....stopped......got back together....stopped.... It's just run its course, Cheri."
"Okay. Fine. We'll end it. And I think I'll be getting myself a real lawyer as well. I need a bit more than you can offer."
"Oh ouch. That really hurts, Cheri. I'm wounded. A 'you're not a real lawyer' joke. That's fine. I have more to offer than reviewing your stupid leases. And you go get yourself a real lawyer and enjoy paying 200 bucks an hour. I charge you sixty, max."
"Get out."
"With pleasure."

I didn't intend for it to end that way, I really didn't. But I was tired of getting jerked around by a woman I had done so much for. I had not only helped her with the legal stuff when she started her business, but with other issues as well. I helped her find a bank to partially fund her start up. I had given her name out to business people I knew through my work and Jim's. I had served as a sounding board for her ideas. Enough was enough.

We never did officially bury the hatchet--it kind of buried itself. Once in awhile I'd find myself at a lunch she was catering. And we always gave each other that nod and smile you give an acquaintance.

I never stopped throwing Cheri's business out as a suggestion to people who were in need of her services. She was very, very good and it made me look good when she completed a job. One day, in January 1991, I was working on a temporary assignment for a large law firm in Orange County. It was a huge firm and they were holding one of those lame company picnics that businesses think their employees love but secretly hate wasting part of a weekend on.

One of the senior partners, who loved me for some reason, nodded to the flier one day in the lunch room and said, "You know you're invited, right Ryan?" That was cool. I'd go, of course. Good for business.

"You got a caterer?"
"No, we've decided to try someone else"
"Got anyone in mind?"
"A couple, why?"

I took out Cheri's business card and handed it to him.

"Call this lady. You'll thank me. She's fantastic. Specializes in catering for business events."

Cheri got the job. I didn't see her at the picnic, but I did eat well. And later that week, I got home from work and found a box of food on my doorstep.

The note said,
"Thank you. For everything."

So I called her and thanked her. And she asked again if I wanted to see her. And this time I said yes.


January 1991 to October 1991

And we were on the roller coaster again. Cheri settled into her old routine of stopping by twice a week and I resumed seeing other women when she wasn't around.

The sex was incredible, as always. And taking a page from the business world, it was "at will". Either could end the relationship for any reason. No reason needed. That was the way we should've done it all along.

And Cheri exercised that right in October. She didn't need to give a reason, but she did. Her business just kept growing and growing and she just ran out of time for our fun.

But a few months later, she was on my doorstep again. And we ended up heading straight to the bedroom.

This time though, it wasn't steady. The relationship settled into a "friends with benefits" type of thing rather than a romantic affair. That was finished. But we were always attracted to each other. So we'd fuck a lot for a period of time, then it would drop off.


I saw Cheri on and off until I started getting serious with Alex in January of 1993. Cheri gracefully bowed out of the picture and gave me a hug and a kiss and wished me well.

Alex and I had been married for a couple of months when she took a trip up to Fresno for a few days to visit a girlfriend from college. I was lonely, so this time I called Cheri.

"You sure, baby? You're married now......"
"Definitely. Come over tonight?"
"I...hmmmmm......let me make a call."
"Okay."

She called a few minutes later.

"Okay. I changed my plans. Just for you. Let's have some fun. Been too long."
"Whenever's good for you."
"Be there around six."

And that's how it ended up. Over the next several years, we ended up getting together whenever one of us wanted to get laid. Cheri had a couple of guys on the side, and that was fine by me. We last slept together in February of 1998.

We still talk. She's divorced now and has no intention of remarrying. "Been there, done that." Ellen is all grown up and married with a family of her own.

The divorce was amicable. Her husband didn't want to take any of her business. He was pretty successful in his own right and they just split their assets right down the middle. She ended up buying a huge house in San Antonio Heights, an area just north of Upland, and hired Jim to do some serious work (he jokes that Cheri gave him enough business to purchase his own house in the area).

I'm trying to get her to fly out here for a visit. It's been far too long.