Socio

Shannon readily accepted the doctor's marriage proposal, but as she would only admit to herself, she was doing it for all the wrong reasons. She simply wanted the insurance, the luxury and the convenience that marrying a wealthy doctor would provide. It wasn't that she didn't think she could find anyone closer to her age that she was more attracted to. After all, Doug was just a year older than she was and she was more attracted to him than she was to the doctor. For her, it was all about the money and the security. Lust could be fulfilled in other ways. Where the doctor's regular absence frustrated Shannon at first, now she saw the advantage it could bring and the opportunity it presented. With the doctor gone so often, she could have the best of both worlds. She could get the comfort and security she needed from the doctor while getting the sex she wanted from others. Others like Doug. If Shannon was honest with anyone at all, it was with Doug. He knew she was intimate with the doctor and why she had agreed to marry her. Did she feel guilty about not loving the doctor in the way she loved her? Yes. A little bit perhaps. But she took solace in knowing that she couldn't control the way she felt. She wished she could be on the same level as the doctor was and okay with her not being around more often, but she wasn't. The only thing that was hard about carrying on her affair with Doug was that the doctor's schedule was so sporadic. It was pretty predictable during the week but other times she would come and go at random. The problem was that Doug worked during the week as well, and the only time they could squeeze in a quickie was at lunchtime. One Saturday, she misjudged her timing when waiting to be picked up by him and she was on her way out just as the doctor returned. "Where are you going? Everything okay?" Dr. Warren asked her. Shannon nodded. "I met this woman while out jogging and she's coming to pick me up. I thought you would be out a little longer." Dr. Warren looked at her curiously. "Who is this woman?" "The one I mentioned meeting a while back. We would catch each other jogging quite often and a few times we stopped to talk." "I don't remember you mentioning any woman." Shannon knew that. She just thought she could manipulate the doctor into thinking she had mentioned it and that she had simply forgotten with her busy schedule. "She has an apartment nearby and wants me to help her pick out a pet rat. She's never had one before but she's been wanting one for a while now." Shannon was amazed at how quickly she thought up the lie and how easily it slipped from her lips. "Oh, okay. When will you be back?" "Probably in just an hour or so." The truth was that Shannon had happily engaged in X-rated activities with Doug for several months. Yet despite the doctor's frustratingly hectic schedule and lack of attention toward her, she grew closer to her during the time they spent together. It was more than obvious to Shannon that the doctor truly loved her. The more she got to know the doctor and realized just how much she cared about her, the more Shannon began to experience unfamiliar pangs of guilt regarding her side activities. But it was guilt nonetheless. Each time she got together with Doug, be it for a lunch break quickie, which she sometimes dared to conduct in the apartment, the less comfortable she became. Doug could sense her growing hesitation as well. "What's wrong, babe?" he asked her one weekend at his place while Dr. Warren was called to assist at the emergency room. Shannon sighed heavily. "I don't know." "What do you mean, you don't know?" "I'm not sure if I can do this much longer." A flicker of surprise registered in Doug's eyes before disappointment took over his features. "Something I did?" "Oh, no, not at all." "Then what is it? Tell me and I'll fix it." "It's not you. It's me. The closer the doc and I become, the guiltier I feel about stepping out on her. She may not always be there for me as often as I'd like, but she's real." "And I'm not?" Doug asked, his voice now taking on a hard edge. "Of course you are. As I said, it isn't you. You're a great guy and you're a lot of fun in bed. It's just that the more she and I come to feel for each other, the more dishonest I feel I am. I'm pretty sure she would never do this to me under any circumstances, and well, it's not exactly her fault that she's no beauty queen. I mean, neither am I." "So what are you saying?" Shannon studied Doug's coal-black eyes, which now had a slightly scary look to them. She had hoped he would be more understanding but apparently, he wasn't. She thought of a way to appease him while still being honest. She didn't want to lead him on or hurt his feelings. He wouldn't deserve that. "Are you saying you want to end it?" he asked, tone becoming more insistent. "I don't know. I just don't want to lie to you and I don't want to lie to her anymore either." Doug sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, then placed his head in his hands, frustrated. Shannon placed a hand on his back but he abruptly stood up. "I'm not saying anything for certain, Doug. All I'm saying is that I'm starting to feel things I wasn't feeling before and that I didn't expect to feel. Therefore, I want to pull back a bit and figure out exactly what I want." Doug glared down at her. "Well, when you figure it out, be sure to let me know." He stormed off into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. It rattled in its frame. Shannon waited patiently for a while, but when Doug failed to emerge from the bathroom in just a few minutes, she called out to him through the door. "Hey, it's getting dark out. Can you please bring me home now?" "Find your own fucking ride home." Knowing it was best not to push the matter, Shannon quickly dressed and headed out of the apartment building before it could get any darker. Once on the street, she hailed a cab. The driver, a tall, lanky guy who looked and sounded Punjabi, reached across the passenger seat and opened the door for her with a wide smile. "No, thanks," Shannon said. "I'd rather sit in the back like most customers." The driver closed the door just as she opened the back door behind the passenger seat. She gave the driver her address. "Bad day?" he asked. Was it that obvious? "Kind of." "It's early. Let's have a little fun to make up for that bad day." At that moment, Shannon knew two things. One was that she would never again see Doug in a non-professional manner. The other was that she'd gotten into the wrong cab.