Betrayed Chapter 6

A cold chill gripped the pit of my stomach. Was I holding Susan to an unfair double standard? The circle came around once more to the issues of honesty and choice. Had Susan been honest with me about her needs, as Dianna had? Not even close. Susan had, not an hour before, offered me a choice, but it was a choice in name only and only because I had forced her hand. Dianna had even predicted it:

And if she came to you tomorrow and said the same things we said tonight, what then? Better late than never.

Susan had not said the same things. She had dangled attractive bait before my eyes; what would, for her, amount to a get-out-of-jail-free card. Any 'contrition', it was clear, was expected to come from me, not her. She had not even hinted she would end her affair with Jeff Spencer. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. If I gave her a taste of her own medicine, as either Lance or Lisa, she would likely turn around and divorce me – and take me to the cleaners.

Of course, STD's are an issue when multiple partners are involved, but a manageable one if proper precaution is taken. Dishonesty is not manageable. Lack of trust is a plague on all houses. Could I trust Susan again? No way, José. Could I trust Dianna? Trust has to be earned over time, but I perceived she had been honest with me. That goes a long way towards establishing trust.
The rest of the morning went quickly. I was following CNN closely. The OPEC ministers were meeting in Vienna. I was anticipating them making a move on oil production. I wasn't sure which way it would go, but I had committed the company to a hedge position in a dangerous way. There had been rumors circulating since the previous Thursday of a major new offensive by U.S. forces in the Sunni Triangle When I heard that, my instincts had gone into overdrive. I called our people on the floor of the Merc and issued a buy order for all the Number Two Arabian Crude contracts they could get their hands on. My job and reputation rested on the accuracy of my instincts.