Wrapping up the gala and losing Rachel

The rest of the gala went off without a hitch. Thomas didn’t even remember what story he told Rachel about why he had stepped away other than the check on something. He tried looking for Helen, but Rachel said that she had already left.

Thomas smiled, laughed, and chit-chatted with a few folks, but generally felt like he was in a haze and just going through the motions as if he were watching his life rather than living it. He remembered the blowjob in the hallway with Aubrey and wanted to feel guilty, especially as he stood there next to his wife, but then he remembered Aubrey’s words. “Rachel too.”

'Had his wife been sleeping with their nanny all summer as well?'

The question made his head swim even more so he resisted drinking too much so he could keep what wits he had about him intact. Plus, he knew he was driving home later.

As the night began to wind down he realized he needed to step out for some air and clear his head. Stepping out one of the backdoors of the community center, Thomas took a deep breath. The ocean wasn’t too far off and he could still hear the gentle sounds of the tide climbing up the shore. On and off all summer he had been fighting his brain about Aubrey. Somedays the memories and fantasies all felt like a dream and others all too real. He knew now that it was real, but he still couldn’t understand why or why his mind had betrayed him. He knew why his body did. He was a weak, pathetic man who caved into the first beautiful woman who threw herself at him. He and Rachel had been having problems and the summer away from home was supposed to fix that. In many ways it did, but at the same time… at the same time, he had been sleeping with their nanny, but so had his wife. Was an affair fixing their marriage? Thomas knew he needed to talk to Rachel about it. He knew now was not the best time, not when everything was going so right for her and the gala, but soon.

“There is a serious lack of hot women out here.”

Thomas turned when he heard the familiar voice of his friend, Greg.

“Sorry, I needed some air. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, but your wife was looking for you. I said I’d track you down, but I may have gotten distracted along the way.”

Thomas checked his watch and realized he had been gone too long and knew he needed to get back, but as he started to head back inside with Greg something hit Thomas’ memory and he stopped.

“Hey, what was it that you called your ex-girlfriend? Some sort of witch?”

Greg, laughed. “Yeah, she was a real succubus bitch. Why?”

“No reason. Hey, tell Rachel I’ll be inside in a bit.”

“Sure thing.” Greg then gave Thomas a pat on the back and headed back inside.

Thomas pulled out his phone and opened a search tab. He misspelled the word at first, but eventually the idiot-proof browser figured out what he was trying to spell.

Succubus. A succubus is a demon or supernatural entity in folklore, in female form, that appears in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. According to religious traditions, repeated sexual activity with a succubus can cause poor physical or mental health, even ****. In modern representations, a succubus is often depicted as a beautiful seductress or enchantress, rather than as demonic or frightening.

Thomas fell down a few more rabbit holes which include Reddit threads of personal experiences, conspiracy theories and other questionable accounts of run-ins with these so-called sex demons, but each time he tried to dismiss the notion. He was trying to justify an affair, plain and simple. Sure, Greg teased about his ex, but demons and monsters and things of that sort weren’t real. He was stressed, hadn’t slept well while away from home all summer, and the strain in his and Rachel’s relationship had taken a toll on him. If anything he needed personal therapy and better sleep. After a bit Thomas shook his head, cleared his browser history, and walked back inside.

The gala was wrapping up and a few people were already starting to clean up from the night when he entered the main room. He could overhear Shelly laughing out loud in the distance. He didn’t know her well, but knew her enough to single out the deep belly laugh of hers that only happened when she was a bit tipsy or drunk. Greg was in another corner chatting up one of the models, but who Thomas couldn’t find was Rachel.

“Tommy… Tom, Tom, Thomas!” Shelly cried out as she came sauntering over to him.

“Hey Shelly. Have you seen Rachel?”

She didn’t immediately respond, but hugged him instead, snuggling into his chest. “Mmm, thank you for helping make this nice so goodful. I mean, wonderful,” she said with a drunken giggle.

Thomas peeled himself away from her and looked around for Shelly’s girlfriend who was helping clean up. The two of them made eye contact and Thomas’ call for help was made clear.

“Happy I could help, but do you know where Rachel went… or maybe Aubrey?”

“Oh, the really pretty one? I mean, Rachel is gorgeous too, but wow, I want to get Ashley, I mean, Aubrey to model our stuff. I tried to get Rachel to do it, but she doesn’t want to.”

When Shelly’s girlfriend approached Thomas was able to shift Shelly over to her and mouth a “Thank you”.

“Are you looking for Rachel?” Shelly’s girlfriend asked.

“Yes,” Thomas replied.

“She told me to tell you that her and Aubrey were getting an Uber back home since they had both had a few drinks and couldn’t find you.”

“Thanks.”

Thomas then checked his phone for any messages from Rachel. It wasn’t like her to just up and leave and not tell him. His mind started to race again, but he tried to dismiss it. He shot a quick wave over to Greg and made his way out to the car while texting Rachel. Once he got in he waited for a response, but nothing. He was **** to text Aubrey, but was also a little worried to do so. He dismissed his ridiculous notions again and texted her.

After a few minutes Aubrey responded.

Aubrey: Hey handsome. We’re home and waiting for you. *kissing emoji*

Thomas wasn’t sure what that meant, but he sent a quick reply and headed home.

*Author’s Note: Thanks to everyone for sticking with this story. If you’ve been paying attention I’ve been dropping subtle and not so subtle hints on how this story wraps up or what’s been going on. That said, when thinking about how this story will end I've had a few ideas in mind so that’s where I will deviate from the linear format and go branching off.

So what’s your flavor? Erotic Thriller or Happily Erotic Ever After?

Update (3/24/23): A bit of writer's block/fatigue hit me pretty hard, along with a few other real life things. Working on the two endings now. Hopefully an update soon.