They were the perfect couple - Emmet and Mei Li.
A former college jock turned star real estate agent, Emmet was the golden boy to many with his perfectly styled head of blond wavy hair, bright blue eyes, and buff body. He had an engaging grin of pearly whites could blind you on a sunny day; a handshake guaranteed to crush your knuckles; and a wheeling-dealing personality of a used car salesman. Irrepressibly charming, Emmet was to me self-absorbed and somehow incredibly fake. He was always cutting some deal that would bring him more land, money, and power.
"Exotic" is how you'd describe Mei Li, Emmet's trophy wife. Born of a Chinese mother and a Columbian-German father, her cosmopolitan blend gave her sultry look of sensual sophistication. Five-ten-tall and lissome, Mei Li has this air of casual allure especially when she turned those smoky dark brown eyes of her on you or moved with a lithe grace. An airline stewardess and a model in her twenties, she met Emmet and chose marriage and motherhood. While her husband craved attention, what made Mei Li so compelling attractive was that she was totally unaware of her natural beauty and the reaction of others (especially men) to her. Mei Li truly was a living embodiment of her name's meaning - "beautiful grace."
Mei Li had been my workmate, my partner in crime, for five years in the "think-tank" cell of our advertising agency. As my collaborator, she put up with my off-the-wall creativity and antics, laughing at my morbid and ribald humor, spinning-off my fleeting thoughts and grounding my quirkiness. I, on the other hand, was that electrical charge that jump-started Mei Li's layback nature, taking her to exhilarating heights, and introducing her to alternate realities she never knew existed. My innovative but edgy thoughts were nurtured and polished by Mei Li until incredibly presentable and ultimately marketable. We called ourselves the "Dynamic Duo" (I was "Chaos" and Mei Li was "Order"), but I know that our boss and colleagues often referred to us as "the Beauty and the Beastie-Boy."
We bonded from the moment we teamed and I became an integral part of her life. Now in her early thirties, Mei Li was a loving mother two young children, a four-year old girl and an eight-month old boy. She was also a devoted wife even though Emmet less than reciprocal and was never there for her. Could you believe that I was the one who rushed her into delivery for both her children? Emmet was supposedly away on a so-call business trip the first time, and just couldn't be found on the last time.
I was the first man to hold her son moments after he had been delivered with Mei Li chuckling at my utter amazement. "Uncle Jack" to her daughter, Amy, I was the godfather to her son who was named after me. When Mei Li needed a rare break, I was there more than willing to be her babysitter. I enjoyed our outings (minus Emmet, of course) and my most cherished picture was of the four of us with beaming smiles, a happy family to the casual observer.
Don't get me wrong. It is not that I didn't date. My long line of women had always been a source of interest to Mei Li. She teased me about this one, cautioned me about that one, and voice her objection about those that just weren't good enough for me. In retrospect, none of my ladies seemed to find favor in Mei Li's eyes (or ultimately in mine). Neither one of us realized at the time what this ultimately meant.
I shouldn't have even thought about Mei Li in any way other than platonic and strictly professional. But, the truth was that I was hopelessly in love with her, silently yearning for her. Although I didn't want to admit it, it was against her that my women were measured and failed miserably. Yet, my love for Mei Li was simply unspoken and unrequited. That is until our last business trip. It was then she turned those dark brown smoldering eyes on me and her sensuous lips uttered those magical words, "Shut up, Jack, and make love to me!"
Where do I begin? We had planned a trip in which we had planned to make a pitch to a corporate client and then attend an advertising conference in the same city. Instead of staying at the conference hotel, we opted for our favorite hotel when in Chicago - a quaint, modestly-price hotel but with terrific room service, an awesome view, and quiet privacy. Normally we'd hit the city with gusto, doing a fantastic job with the client, Mei traipse through Li's endless downtown shopping, then with my tripping through the local hot spots, and have a ton of laughs at the convention.
However, this time Mei Li was just off and dud a less than stellar presentation to our client. I knew for sure that something was wrong when she declined her usual boutique romp and opted instead for drinks in the hotel's lounge. At first I thought it might be because she missed her kids whom she left with her mom since she could never rely on Emmet. But after the third martini and a light meal, I knew that something was very wrong and suspected that it was marital in nature.
"Jack, you've known many women, haven't you? Have you ever been attracted to a married woman?"
I did a silent gulp as I wondered if Mei Li was some how keying in on my silent desire for her. Shrugging, I sought desperately avoid answering so that I wouldn't betray my feelings for her.
"Have you ever found a married woman attractive," Mei Li whispered intently as she raised her head to look me straight in the eyes. "Have you ever had an affair with one?" There must have been something about the way that made her doubt my hastily stammered denial.
"You have, haven't you? And not just once...I'm right, aren't I?" Then after a long moment of thought, she then asked, "Why married women?"
"Mel Li, for the record, I have never carried on with a 'happily' married women. To me, married women are somehow unbelievably 'complete' - immune to distraction and the possibility extramarital affairs. They are immensely "safe" and as such, utterly attractive - like you are to me. With you, I am free to be my terrible flirtatious self, knowing that you'll never take me seriously." I had to bite my lip to stop myself from confessing just how much I yearned for Mei Li to take me seriously.
There was a pregnant pause before Mei Li, brushing her dark hair from her face, leaned forward and said, "So you only like 'unhappily' married women then?" When I hemmed and hawed for fear of sinking further into quicksand of Mei Li's questioning. "Come on, Jack," she implored, "I need to know. Tell me, please."
Seeking to escape her questioning by reversing the situation, I said only one word, "Why?"
Now it was Mei Li's turn to hesitate as she searched for a response. A conflict of emotions surged across her face as she struggled to clarify for herself why the matter was so important. I knew that she wanted desperately to tell me something but just couldn't bring herself to do so. Shaking her head, Mei Li finished her drink, and said she was tired and wanted to turn in early. I paid the bill and walked her to her room which was right across the hall from mine. When I told Mei Li that I would be staying in too, she gave me a light peck on the cheek before mumbling that we'd talk some more.
I had just fallen asleep when I was rudely awoken my telephone ringing. "Jack, it's Mei Li," her usually confident voice seemed somewhat strained and subdued. "Can I come over? I'm kind of having a hard time sleeping and I really don't want to be alone. Please Jack?" What could I say?
My heart pounded in my throat as I didn't even have enough time to pull on a t-shirt over my pajamas pants when there was a soft knock on the door. I opened it and Mei Li wearing a thin knee-length terry cloth robe and light slippers quickly slipped in. She immediately pressed her face into my shoulder as I closed the door, her arms wrapping around my waist, weeping softly.
Ushering her to the couch, I held her, letting her cry. Then brushing her shoulder length black locks from her face, I asked what had happened. At first, she sought not to answer, but finally she said tearfully, "It's Emmet...he's fooling around...for quite some time. This time...with some blond busty bimbo...a married one at that...to whom he sold a house to. It seems that he's been...carrying on with her...all the time he's said he's been working..."
"But, how do you know for sure," I asked as her body was racked with sobs. Her loosely tied robe became undone as she sought to compose herself, revealing a satin, knee-length sleep shirt in which her breasts made extremely noticeable peaks.
Collecting herself, Mei Li then tucked her long legs under her, oblivious as to how her hem slid slowly up her toned thigh before saying, "The other woman has been sending me notes, tipping me off as to her affair with my husband. She justifies stealing and sleeping with Emmett by showing me what a rotten bastard he truly is. The just before this trip, I received an envelope with very explicit photos of Emmet humping this other woman and obviously loving every moment.
"And you know what?" Mei whimpered, "When I confronted Emmet, he didn't even try to deny it. 'Honey,' he said to me as nonchalant as ever, 'it's not big deal.' Can you believe it? What an idiot I've been!
"Jack," Mei Li mumbled, racked with sobs that wet the front of her shirt making her tits more pronounced and unbelievably distracting. "Am I that 'ugly' that Emmet had to find someone else...I mean there must be a reason he fooling around on me..."
Before I knew it, a derisive chuckle escaped my lips as I couldn't believe what I had just heard - the woman of my dreams ugly? When I saw the hurt look on her face at the perceived slight, I told her, "Yeah, there's a reason Emmet left you. He is a fucking idiot! And for that matter, so are you!"
