Jess was now on the phone, telling her Mother the good news. I just hope that I can deliver what I have promised.
What I had told her, had got me out of trouble. For now. But without some skilful manoeuvring, my story would unravel, and I would be in an even bigger mess than before.
It was her saying Goldie, that had given me an idea. That was the name of Harry's dog. Thankfully, within seconds, I had a full explanation.
And this is what it was...
"It's not me, it's Harry from work. He's chronically shy with women. One day, he asked me for a favour. A big one. He wanted me to go with him to May's Massage Parlour. He was too nervous to go on his own."
Jess looked sceptical, but she was still listening, so I continued.
"He didn't have enough cash with him, and he couldn't find his credit card. Harry was mortified. While I paid with my card, he frantically searched his pockets again. When he eventually found it, he insisted that they cancel my payment. They did. Now, for some reason, they have used my card details again. But don't worry, I'll sort it out tomorrow."
I was now smiling, to give her the impression that I wasn't worried, but really, I was shitting myself.
"Who is Goldie?"
"What did they say?"
I held my breath, because her answer would make or break my lie. She was thinking about it, trying to remember the exact words.
It was, "It's now always Dexter and Goldie."
I was now breathing again. What she had been told, was vague, so I could put my own interpretation on it.
In a casual tone, I said, "That's the name of his dog. It's a Golden Retriever. It's in the room with him while he is having his massage."
Everything I had said, was plausible. But would she believe it? I wasn't sure, but I had something else up my sleeve, and it should tip the balance.
"I was going to surprise you with this next week, but I might as well tell you it now. Because I helped him out, Harry says that we can have a week at his apartment in Palm Court Resort."
That made her eyes light up. It was somewhere that she has always wanted to go to.
"And there is no charge."
She was now happy, excited about the holiday we would be having. And I had gone from cheating Husband, to Good Samaritan.
The next day, while I drove to work, my mind was on what I needed to do, to consolidate my lie. Harry did exist, and he did have a dog called Goldie. However, he wasn't shy with women. He was good looking and a charmer. He was never short of female attention. But he did have an apartment that he rented out, and it was at that luxury resort.
By the time I got to work, I had made a mental list of all the things that I needed to do.
1. Speak to Harry. I needed to book his apartment. Jess had given me some dates that were suitable.
2. Speak to my Boss. I needed time off work to go to the apartment.
3. Call May's Massage Parlour. If Jess was to contact them again, then they needed to lie for me.
4. Call Charlotte. To keep her in the loop, in case Jess said anything about it to her.
By midday, I had done it all. Harry was straight forward. He was happy to rent out his apartment, and we had our pick of the dates. I didn't say anything about using him as my cover story. If there was ever a chance that he and Jess might meet, then I would have to. But that was a problem for another day.
Also, I had no difficulty booking time off. I had plenty of days owing, and the week that I wanted was more than two months away.
However, speaking to May was difficult. It took me a while to get her to understand my story, and when she did, she thought it was very funny, and she wouldn't take it seriously. I found that irritating, but eventually she did agree to cover for me.
Charlotte was surprisingly calm. I thought that it might freak her out, and she might even refuse to see me again. But after explaining it to her, her main concern was getting assurance from me, that I wouldn't stop going to May's Massage Parlour.
While I ate my lunch, I reflected on how lucky I was. Without that sudden brainwave, I would have been in a mess. Paying at the Massage Parlour with my credit card, had been stupid. From now on, I needed to be extra careful. No more mistakes.
As soon as I was home, Jess was hugging me, and so tightly, that I could hardly breathe.
"I'm so excited about our holiday."
She was even more so, when I told her that we had got the week that was our first choice.
"And the best part, is that we don't have to pay anything for it. Do you know how much it should have cost us?"
I shrugged my shoulders, and then I said, "I thought that it would be rude to ask."
She nodded in agreement. But I did know, and it wasn't cheap!
The meal that she had cooked, was special. I enjoyed it, but it made me feel guilty. It was my reward for being such a nice person, somebody who has helped a friend. But that wasn't me. I was a cheating Husband, who had managed to get away with it.
When it was bedtime, I was eager for sex. If Jess hadn't scrutinised the credit card statement yesterday, then today, as usual, I would have gone to the Massage Parlour after work. I had thought about going, but it didn't feel right, so I had given it a miss. It still felt like the right decision, but I was now craving for the sex that I should have had there, with my Mother-in-law.
But was she in the mood? I hoped so. I needed to empty my balls, so even a quick fuck would do.
When I kissed her, she responded, and with passion, but shortly after, she suddenly stopped. It looked as if this was going to be another day without sex. Yesterday, I should have gone to May's place.
"Would you like a massage?"
I did, but her asking me was a worry. If I said yes, then would she tell me to go to May's Massage Parlour? Had she just pretended to believe my cover story, and now I was going to be in trouble? But she would be expecting me to say yes. I would have to agree to it, and hope for the best.
Calmly, I said, "Yes, I would like that."
When she gave me a nice smile, I was relieved. It hadn't been a trap.
I was now face down on the bed, trying to remember the last time that we had done this. Two years ago, or possibly even longer? But what I could remember, was how good she was at it. I was going to enjoy this.