Matthew nodded, taking a generous bite of his triple-decker club sandwich. "Since I've been living on my own," he acknowledged. "She's been great, no doubt about it - not just with making sure I don't starve to death but taking care of all sorts of little details that sure as hell aren't part of her job description - the dry cleaning, banking, grocery shopping. She even took care of having my old bed hauled away - including all the bedding - and ordering a new one to replace it."
Ian frowned. "Why in the world did you need a new - ah, never mind."
A few days after the scene in the condo where he'd caught Lindsey and Jesse in the act, Matthew had told Ian most of the gory details. Predictably, Ian had been extremely supportive of Matthew's decision to seek out a divorce under the circumstances, and had also encouraged him to call the owner of their health club to file a complaint against Jesse.
"If you don't I sure as hell will," Ian had declared. "I caught that horny little bastard with his hand on Tessa's backside the other day. I was just about to break his jaw when my beautiful bride took care of the problem for me."
Matthew had chuckled in spite of how lousy he'd been feeling. "Tessa punched that jackass in the face?"
"Not quite. But judging by how loudly he yelped when she bent his little finger backwards I'd say he got the message loud and clear to fuck off."
Ian's encouragement had been all Matthew needed to make that phone call, and just like that Jesse was gone. There was no possible way that the owner of their club was going to piss off either the CEO of a hugely successful software firm, or one of the heirs to the top luxury hotel chain in the world.
Word around the club, however, was that Jesse had left voluntarily to "pursue other opportunities", and Matthew hadn't been anxious to correct this misrepresentation of the facts. Despite his resolve to pursue a divorce, he wasn't willing to let it be known that his wife had banged one of the personal trainers - among a long list of others. A man was entitled to some semblance of pride, after all, even if his had been badly torn to shreds these last few years.
Matthew cleaned his plate, after having already polished off a bowl of clam chowder, and asked the waiter to bring over the dessert menu. At Ian's look of surprise, he gave him a wry grin in response.
"This is the first meal I've eaten in two weeks that hasn't come out of a takeout container," he explained. "So I plan on enjoying every bite."
Ian grinned, but only asked for a pot of tea when Matthew ordered a piece of peach pie. "Tessa and I will have to have you over for dinner one evening soon, then," he assured him. "She's already mentioned it to me a couple of times. And my wife loves nothing better than to fuss over me, so you can be sure she'll do the same to you. Probably even send you home with plates of leftovers."
Matthew gave a sigh of utter bliss. "I can't tell you how great that sounds, Ian. I'm pretty sure the last time I sat down to a home-cooked meal was the last time I was at your house for dinner. Lindsey was never much of a cook, and especially not in the last few years since we were able to hire domestic help. Not to mention the fact that her diet mostly consists of salads and protein shakes these days. You're a lucky, lucky man to have a wife like Tessa, that's for sure."
Ian smiled. "I won't argue with you about that. Every man should be so fortunate to have someone like her in their life. But she also happens to be one in a million, so I realize just how lucky I am. I'm just sorry your own marriage isn't as blissful as mine is already proving to be, Matthew. Do you think there's a chance that you and Lindsey can work things out? Especially considering the children."
Matthew shook his head. "The kids are the only reason I've stuck it out this long. And even if Lindsey hadn't slept with a few dozen men - and those are just the ones I know about - I would have initiated a divorce sooner than later. We've drifted apart, no longer want the same things from life, and, well, she's like a completely different person than the woman I married all those years ago. It's said that money changes a person, and in Lindsey's case that hasn't been a positive change."
"Hmm." Ian took a sip of his tea. "You've been married how long?"
"Sixteen years. We got married just a few months before our daughter was born. And, yes, before you ask," added Matthew, "Lindsey's pregnancy was why we got married in the first place. I doubt if she would have agreed to marry me otherwise. And considering I was immersed in my doctorate program at the time, getting married wasn't exactly at the top of my list back then, either." He shoved a piece of pie into his mouth, then washed it down with coffee. "But, hey, that was a long time ago, and it sure as hell feels like we were two completely different people back then. At least Lindsey was. Deep down, I'm still the nerdy computer geek I was when she met me."