I parked my car in the driveway rather than pulling it into the garage. I didn't live in this house anymore. Using the garage seemed inappropriate. I got out of my car and walked up the side walk. At the front door I started to take out my key but stopped. Using my key wasn't appropriate either. Instead, I rang the door bell.

I heard footsteps inside and then the front door opened. Kelly looked beautiful. It was a chilly October day. She was wearing a pink cable knit sweater and a pair of denim jeans. She'd put on fresh makeup and brushed her hair.

"Why didn't you use your key?"

"I don't live here anymore Kelly."

"I see." Disconcerted by my answer, Kelly paused. She took a moment to regain her composure and then she said, "Timmy please come in."

I stepped inside.

"Why don't we sit in the living room."

"Very well."

I followed her into the house. She gestured towards the couch. "Let's sit here."

I walked over to the easy chair opposite the couch and sat down. "I'd prefer to sit over here."

Kelly nodded uncertainly. My usually self assured wife appeared hesitant, insecure. I wasn't certain what she was expecting, but my attitude was apparently unsettling for her. That gave me confidence. Maybe she did still care about me.

"Can I get anything for you?"

The question surprised me. This was the first time in almost a year that Kelly had offered to do something for me. I shook my head. "No, I'm fine."

Kelly sat down on the couch. As soon as she was seated she said, "Timmy I'm so sorry about everything. I don't..."

I put up my hand and interrupted her. "Kelly before you begin I have two things I have to say."

"Okay."

Marshaling my courage, I said, "Kelly, if you want a divorce I'll let you have everything. You can keep the house, our savings account, all of our stocks and bonds, everything. All I'll take will be a few personal items and my car."

Staring at me, Kelly asked, "Timmy is that what you want?"

"No Kelly, it isn't. I love you. I will always love you. I'd like to find a way to resolve this mess so we can start living together again, but if you want to end our marriage I'm offering you that opportunity right now."

Kelly shook her head. "No Timmy, I don't want a divorce. I want to stay married to you. I love you too. Please give me a chance to explain..."

I interrupted her again. I was trying to be firm. "I am going to give you a chance to explain, but please don't lie to me. I don't care how many men you've had sex with during the past year and I don't believe you've done anything that I can't forgive. I just want you to be truthful with me."

Kelly whispered. "Timmy I'm sorry that I lied to you. I am so very sorry that I lied."

She stared at the floor. After a moment she said, "I've done awful things. I'm really not certain how many men have fucked me in the past year. It's a lot." She looked up at me. "Timmy I don't know how to tell you all of this. I'm sure you're going to hate me when you find out what I've done."

"No Kelly, I know you. You're my best friend."

She smiled at me.

"I don't believe you could ever do anything that would make me hate you. We have a lot of time. Let's go slowly. Start at the beginning. Tell me about everything that's happened since you started working for JTandR."

Kelly again stared at the floor. I watched her take several long slow breaths. She was gathering her courage. I waited. Suddenly she looked up at me and blurted out, "Timmy, I was a prostitute for JTandR."

"I thought you preferred the term courtesan." I was smiling. She'd finally told me the truth.

Looking at me with a puzzled expression, Kelly asked, "How did you know about that?"

"This morning I spent almost an hour talking with Martin Jackson."

"You talked with Martin this morning?"

"Yes I did."

"What did he tell you?"

"Enough so that I now have a pretty good idea about what you've been doing for the past year."

"And you still called me? You still came to see me?"

"Yes I did and I still love you." I paused and looked at Kelly. "But I do need to hear you to tell me about it, all of it."

"Okay." There was a tone of resignation in Kelly's voice. She was silent for a moment and then she said, "I don't know where to begin."

"Why don't you start by telling me about Chris Kendricks."

"Mr. Jackson told you about him?"

"Yes he did."

Kelly sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't say anything for almost a minute. Finally she looked at me and said, "Timmy you know how much I love sex."

"Yes, of course I do."

"In my family girls were expected to be proper ladies. I was taught that sex was an expression of love that was supposed to be reserved exclusively for my husband. When I graduated from high school I was still a virgin." Kelly smiled. "Because of my big tits the boys were constantly hitting on me, but I was a good girl. I always fought off their advances."

I nodded. Kelly had alluded to this before.

"When I got to college I rebelled. I think that's pretty common. I lost my virginity during freshman orientation week. It was wonderful and I immediately fell in love with sex. Timmy I fell in love with cocks, big hard magnificent cocks. I loved touching them, playing with them and getting fucked by them. Most of all I loved sucking them. By the end of my freshman year I was a dedicated blow job queen. I had an insatiable appetite for sucking cocks."

She sighed. "And then during the winter of my sophomore year I met you and immediately fell head over heels in love. Timmy you are the man of my dreams. You are my white knight. You are my soul mate." She paused and then she quietly added, "Except...." Her voice trailed off.

I finished her sentence. "I can't fuck worth a damn and my tiny cock isn't much fun to suck."

Vehemently shaking her head, Kelly answered, "No that's not true, I love sucking your tiny cock. I adore your tiny cock." She looked at me for a moment and then she whispered, "The problem is that sometimes I need more. Sometimes I want to suck a really big cock."

"I know that and I never objected when you did it."

"Yes and that was just one more reason for me to love you. Timmy you were the perfect man."

"And you were the perfect girl."

"No Timmy, that's the problem. I wasn't."

"What do you mean?"

"I was taught that the perfect girl is faithful to her man. She doesn't sleep around." Kelly shook her head. "Timmy during college I always felt so guilty when I left you waiting in my dorm room while I went out on a date with another guy."

"But it was okay with me. I knew what you were doing and I didn't mind."

"Yes, but I'd been taught that what I was freely giving to those other guys should only be given to you. Timmy, I loved having sex with all those other guys, but while I was doing it I felt like I was cheating you out of something that should exclusively belong to you and only you."

"But I didn't care."

"I know that, but I did." Kelly looked at me."The night we decided to get married you made me the happiest woman in the world. That night, after you went to sleep, I vowed to myself that after our wedding I would be faithful to you for the rest of our lives. You were the perfect husband. I wanted to be the perfect wife."

"But you didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did. Not for you, for me."

Understanding, I said, "Okay."

"After we were married I spent a lot of time fending off old boyfriends."

"I didn't know that."

"They called me on my cell phone. Baby I was so proud of myself, I turned all of them down."

"So what happened when you went to work for JTandR?"

"They assigned me to the guy you just asked me about, Chris Kendricks. He was one of the corporate analysts. Timmy when I met him I nearly wet my panties. He was so handsome. Chris is about thirty. He's tall, at least 6'2". He has sexy long dark curly hair and a gorgeous face with deep blue eyes. He's in excellent shape. He goes to the gym every day. He has a slim waist, broad shoulders and nice firm muscles. I'm sorry Timmy, but Chris is an absolute dreamboat."

I nodded.

"Timmy as soon as I saw him I had the hots for him, but I wanted to be a good wife. I resisted him. At the end of our first day working together he made a pass at me. I was putting some folders back in one of the file cabinets. He came up behind me, put his strong hands on my shoulders and whispered in my ear that I was irresistibly beautiful. He longed to take me in his arms and kiss me. Then he let his right hand slip to my breast."

"What did you do?"

"Timmy I almost gave in and let him kiss me, but I didn't. I really did want to be a faithful wife. Instead I pulled his hand away from my breast and told him that good girls never play around at work."

"That was an odd thing to say. Why didn't you just tell him you were a married woman?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm so used to fending off advances that I rarely think about what I'm actually saying. I always try to crack a silly joke when I'm saying no to a guy. I think it makes the situation a little less awkward."

I nodded. That actually made sense. It also explained why Martin Jackson and his partners thought Kelly was turning down Chris's advances because she was already inundated with dates outside of work.

"I held out for two months. After his initial attempt to seduce me failed Chris cooled his advances, but he kept working on me."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe I'm not being completely fair to Chris when I say that. He's an extremely thoughtful and considerate man. Working for him was pleasant. He's one of those people who are always making you feel good about yourself. He complimented me on my appearance all the time. Not in a creepy way. It was more like he was just being friendly. He always noticed when I got my hair cut and styled. If I was trying a new shade of lipstick he would comment on it. Things like that. And he was constantly telling me how smart and efficient I was. I really started to like him."

Kelly sighed. "After a while I began having fantasies about sex with him. Timmy you are the love of my life and if someone told me that I could only have sex one more time before I died I would want it to be with you. I would want you to lick my pussy, there is nothing in this world I enjoy more than that."

I laughed. "It's lucky we found each other because I feel the same way. There's nothing in this world I enjoy more than licking your pussy."

Kelly grinned at me. "Timmy I've missed you so much during the past year."

At first that struck me as a strange comment. After all, up until five days ago Kelly and I were living together, but as I thought about it, I understood exactly what she was saying.

We smiled at each other. For a brief moment I felt a surge of electricity between us that hadn't been there for months and then just as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone again.

Kelly must also have felt it dissipate because her excited smile turned into a frown. She sighed and then she quietly continued. "Timmy after two months of being faithful to you, I have to admit that I was beginning to miss the wonderful sensation of sucking and being fucked by a beautiful big hard cock. I'm ashamed to tell you that I started day dreaming about Chris. I couldn't get him out of my mind."

"I wish you would have told me. I would have given you my blessing."

"I know, but I wanted to be a good wife. I had to be a good wife. It was important to me. I was trying so hard."

Taking a deep breath, Kelly said, "On the first Wednesday in September the firm completed a takeover of a struggling company. Chris had been instrumental in drawing up the initial plan. Since I worked for Chris I was also involved. The stockholders meeting was held in the early afternoon. We succeeded in taking control of the board of directors. When the partners got back to the office they called everyone who'd worked on the project into the conference room. Timmy, they had two cases of French champagne. I'd never even tasted French champagne. It was wonderful, I had three glasses."

Kelly's voice dropped to a whisper. "After the party ended Chris and I went back to his office. I was organizing some papers on his desk when he walked up behind me, put his hands on my shoulders and whispered to me that I'd been an important part of this success. He told me they couldn't have done it without me and then he kissed my neck."

Closing her eyes, Kelly slowly shook her head. "Timmy I'm so sorry, I melted. I fell into Chris's powerful arms and let him kiss me. It was a soft, gentle kiss. Sometimes those can be the most exciting. While he was kissing me he slipped his hand to my breast. Timmy I didn't stop him. I didn't even try. Instead, I let my hand slip to his crotch. He had an erection and it was huge. I was so excited. Baby the next thing I knew I was on my knees. Chris's pants were unzipped and I was sucking his cock."

I nodded.

"I let Chris fuck me three times that afternoon. The last time he fucked me I had this huge orgasm. It was wonderful." Kelly closed her eyes. It looked like she was reliving the moment.

Suddenly realizing what she was doing Kelly opened her eyes and looked at me with an alarmed expression.

I smiled at her. I knew my wife. I understood how much she enjoyed sex. I also realized that it had nothing to do with her love for me. I was happy that she was finally being honest with me.

Kelly smiled back, but it was a smile laden with remorse. "Timmy I'm sorry I slipped. I was trying so hard to be a good wife."

"It's okay, I just wish you'd told me about it."

"I couldn't. Timmy, you weren't the problem. It was me. I was the problem. That afternoon I let both of us down. Later, when I was driving home I cried. I felt so awful about what I'd done. I drove around aimlessly for over an hour. I was afraid to face you. I was overwhelmed with guilt."

Kelly looked at me. My smile had encouraged her. Her eyes were pleading for my forgiveness and understanding. I did love Kelly and I did understand her. My anger was dissipating. My resolve was wavering. I wanted to reach out and console her, but then I remembered the blatant lies and callous treatment I'd endured for the past year and my heart hardened. I looked back at Kelly with fixed eyes.

Sighing, she continued. "When I got home that night and finally did face you I was so ashamed. You'd prepared a wonderful dinner. While I was eating, it was all I could do to keep from crying. After dinner I tried to make it up to you. I took you into the bedroom. We made love for a really long time. That night I desperately wanted you to be able to enjoy my body even more than Chris had."

I remembered that night. It had been wonderful. The memory was further weakening my resolve. Suddenly a thought occurred to me. I asked, "Did Chris wear condoms that afternoon?"

Immediately grasping the significance of my question, Kelly gasped. She stared at the floor. After a moment she looked up at me and asked, "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes I do."

She shook her head. "No he didn't. It all happened so suddenly. We didn't have any and Chris told me that he'd just gotten himself checked by his doctor."

"I see, so that night when I was licking your pussy I was also eating Chris's dried semen."

Kelly nodded.

"I guess so. I'm sorry sweetheart, I didn't really think about that at the time."

I tried to maintain my anger, but I couldn't. I loved my wife too much. There was also another factor. My perverted little penis woke up and started sending ripples of excitement through me. I melted and smiled at Kelly. "It's all right. Anyway, it kind of fits into my cuckold fantasies." I shook my head, "But I would have enjoyed it more if I'd actually known what I was doing."

"I'm sorry baby, I was so confused that night. I felt horrible about cheating on you." She closed her eyes. "There's more."

"Tell me."

"When I was falling asleep that night I was already starting to fantasize about Chris's big cock again. Timmy, that made me feel wretched."

"Kelly, if you'd just told me, everything would have been fine."

"I know, but do you understand why I didn't?"

"I'm think I'm starting to."

She shook her head. "It gets worse."

"Go on."

"The next morning, as soon as I walked into his office, Chris took me in his arms and kissed me. This time it was a hot passionate kiss. By the time we were finished I was burning with desire. But then something really strange happened."

"What was it?"

"After Chris kissed me he held me in his arms and asked me how you reacted when I got home and told you about what had happened the previous afternoon."

"He asked you that?"

"Yes he did. The question startled me."

"What did you tell him?"

"Baby, I'm so ashamed. At that moment I wanted him so badly that I lied. I told him you were just fine with it." Kelly closed her eyes and whispered. "And then I dropped to my knees, unzipped his pants and started sucking his cock."

"You got yourself into a real mess, didn't you"

"That was just the beginning." Suddenly Kelly started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it just feels so good to finally be telling you the truth about all of this."

That made me feel good. I smiled and then I asked, "So how long did your affair with Chris last?"

Kelly stared at me. After a moment she started shaking her head.

"Are you questioning my use of the word affair?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'll rephrase the question. How long did you continue having sex with this man?"

"About a month."

"How often?"

"Every day." Kelly's voice was a barely audible whisper.

"So if it wasn't an affair, what word would you use to describe it?"

"Okay, it was an affair. It's just that every night while I was driving home I'd swear that would be the last time I'd let Chris fuck me." Slowly shaking her head, Kelly continued, "But by the time I was driving back to work the next morning I'd already be finding reasons to justify letting him do it one more time. Timmy, I'm sorry. I kept telling myself it was wrong, but I couldn't stop. By the time we finished our work day I'd always end up letting him fuck me again."

"What you're trying to tell me is that you didn't want it to be an affair. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Why did the affair end after a month?"

Kelly thought for a moment and then she said, "I guess it really didn't end. It just sort of tapered off. Chris and I still get together about once a month for sex. We've kind of become fuck buddies." Suddenly she realized what she'd just said and looked at me. "I promise I won't ever see him again."

"Kelly, I don't want you to make promises you're not going to be able to keep. Why don't we worry about the future of your relationship with Chris a little later. Now, why did the affair taper off?"

Kelly quietly said, "I got involved with another man."

"Who was he?"

"John Reynolds, he's the youngest of the three partners. I think he's in his early forties. John's not a total dream boat like Chris, but he's still a very handsome man."

"How did it happen?"

"It was just before Halloween. The firm had been researching a company. They thought it might be a good possibility for a takeover. Chris and I had been heavily involved in the research. The partners set up a dinner party at the Goldenrod Supper Club to discuss the feasibility of a takeover attempt. Chris and I were included in the group. It was the first time I'd ever been invited to a meeting like that."

"That must have been very exciting for you."

"It really was. When we sat down to dinner, I was seated right next to John Reynolds. Timmy, I'd met the partners during my interviews, but after I started working for JTandR I had very little contact with them."

"So being seated next to John Reynolds made the evening even more exciting."

"Timmy I was so nervous, but John was wonderful. He was so easy to talk to. He started out by asking me about Kelroy and then we talked a little bit about you." Kelly smiled at me. "I told him how wonderful you were and how you were working so hard to support me in my job. After dinner the business part of the meeting started. Chris had cautioned me to not say anything unless I was asked a direct question, so I just sat next to John and listened. Martin Jackson and Wendell Tyler were both there too, but John had led the research effort on this project, so he was running the meeting.

"And you were sitting next to him."

"Yes."

"That must have made you feel important."

"Timmy it really did and John was so masterful." She sighed. "Timmy you're my favorite man in the entire world, but I have to admit that I do find powerful men exciting."

Suddenly Kelly stopped. There was an expression of alarm on her face. "Timmy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you weren't a powerful man. It's just that you demonstrate your power in other ways."

"It's okay, I understand."

Kelly sighed. It was a sigh of relief. It was clear that she was extremely concerned about hurting my feelings while she was telling me about all of this.

After a moment she continued. "Anyway, the meeting didn't last very long. After a short discussion they concluded that there were still two questions that had to be answered before they could make their final decision."

"I see, so what happened next?"

"As soon as the meeting broke up Martin Jackson approached Chris and asked him if he could talk to him for a few minutes. Chris told Martin that I'd ridden over with him and he felt responsible for getting me back to the office. Martin turned to John and asked him if I could ride back with him. John smiled at me and gallantly asked if I would do him the honor of allowing him to escort me back to the office. I giggled at his exaggerated chivalry and told him that of course I would. He offered me his arm and said that his car and his driver were awaiting us outside the restaurant.'"

Kelly looked at me. "Timmy all three of the partners go everywhere in chauffeured Cadillac Escalades."

"I'm fairly certain I rode in Martin Jackson's Escalade this morning."

"Really? How did that happen?"

"After you're done telling me your story, I'll tell you about my day."

Kelly stared at me for a moment and then she shook her head and continued. "When we got back to the Whetmore building John invited me up to his office for a drink. Timmy, I had to go. He was one of the partners."

"He was also very handsome. Be truthful Kelly, you wanted to go, didn't you?"

"Yes Timmy I did. At that moment I was so turned on. I really was hoping that John would try to seduce me."

Shaking her head, Kelly said, "Timmy, I'm sorry. I know I should have told you about all of this, but once I started sleeping with Chris it was almost like I was living two separate lives. In my work life I saw myself as a hardworking, free living libertine. I was the woman that I'd dreamed of becoming while I was going to college. In my home life I was trying to be a faithful and respectable wife. Timmy when I was with you I was trying so hard to be the woman I was taught to be while I was growing up."

"And your work life was fun and exciting, but when you came home you were racked by guilt."

"Yes! But how...?"

I sighed. "The pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fall into place. Kelly, what happened when you got to John's office?"

"He took off his suit coat and tie and then without saying anything he put his arms around me and kissed me full on the lips. He didn't ask permission, he just did it. John is the kind of man who takes what he wants. I melted. He was so powerful. I Suddenly had this overwhelming desire to please him. I dropped to my knees, unzipped his suit trousers and started sucking his cock. He came in my mouth. I swallowed all of his semen."

Kelly's voice dropped to a whisper. "As soon as John was finished cumming he led me over to the sofa in the corner of his office and told me to undress. He sat on the couch and watched as I stripped for him."

"You've always enjoyed stripping for a guy."

"I guess I'm kind of an exhibitionist."

"Kind of?"

Kelly grinned and then she said, "Once I was naked John told me to turn around so he could look at me. Timmy I did it."

"You've always enjoyed a man who takes control."

"I'm not submissive."

"I know that."

"Yes, I guess you do."

Suddenly we both realized that we'd temporarily forgotten why we were talking, why we were separated. Our lighthearted mood evaporated.

Sighing, Kelly said, "Timmy, I'm so sorry that I didn't talk to you about all of this. It just got so badly out of control so quickly and then I was lying to you and I didn't know how to get out of it, so I kept lying to you. That just made it worse."

"It's okay, it's over now. We have some work to do." I chuckled. "We have a lot of work to do, but if you're willing to try I am too."

"Timmy I'll do anything, anything at all." Kelly shook her head. "But I was so awful. I don't know how you'll ever be able to forgive me."

"Kelly, I love you and even after everything that's happened I still believe you love me."

"I do Timmy, I really do."

"So let's start by trying to rebuild some trust."

"How do we do that?"

"By being honest with each other, totally honest."

"Okay."

"Lets get back to that night with John Reynolds. What happened next?"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Kelly it's the only way."

"Okay." Kelly took a moment to think and then she said, "Once we were both naked I kneeled on the floor between John's legs and started sucking him again. As soon as he was hard he pulled me up on the couch, laid me down and climbed on top of me. He fucked me twice that night. The second time I think he must have lasted for over forty-five minutes. Timmy I had three orgasms while he was fucking me."

"It was an exciting evening."

"It was, but when it was over I had to go home and face you."

"You could have come home and told me everything. It would have been okay. We both could have enjoyed it. I could have written a story about it."

Kelly winced.

I stared at her.

After a moment she said, "Timmy, you have to understand. I couldn't do that. I really couldn't. I wasn't your girlfriend anymore, I was your wife."

"And you wanted to be the perfect wife."

"Yes I did and I failed miserably."

"I never wanted that kind of a perfect wife. I prefer a wife who's a free spirit."

Kelly smiled.

"Let's finish talking about that evening."

"Okay, It was almost nine o'clock when I finally got home. You were in the den watching television. As usual, by the time I walked in the front door I was overwhelmed with guilt about cheating on you. That evening it was even worse than normal. That evening I'd not only cheated on you, I'd done it with a new man. Somehow that made it even more deplorable. I felt awful.

I nodded sympathetically.

"Timmy when I saw you sitting in the den I was so ashamed about what I'd just done with John. The only way I knew how to cope with my guilt was to try to make amends for my behavior by giving you a wonderful session of steamy sex before we went to bed." Kelly grinned at me. "When I got home that night I was primed for a very hot time."

"Last fall your work days did start to get longer, but when you came home we always seemed to have fantastic sex."

Kelly giggled. "We did didn't we. Anyway, when I walked into the den you stood up and greeted me. As soon as I sat down you disappeared into the kitchen. When you returned you had a single glass of wine on a tray. That was the first time you'd ever served me with a tray. It got me even more excited. We'd been playing around with sexual domination games since we first met. In the beginning they were subtle. I think we were both a little self conscious about admitting to each other just how much we enjoyed them. As we became more confident about our roles and more comfortable with each other, the games gradually became more and more overt. I was really starting to enjoy dominating you, and it was apparent that you loved submitting to me."

Laughing, I said, "Yes we compliment each other in a variety of ways."

Kelly grinned and then she asked, "Timmy do you remember that night?"

"Yes, I remember it very well. You were starting to work longer hours and I was so lonely and I was also bored. I was spending an increasing amount of time on the Internet reading erotic stories. I was reading stories about female domination and those stories were fueling some very vivid submissive fantasies for me."

"Baby, I'm sorry that you were getting lonely, but that night you were fantastic. You served me that glass of wine like you were my slave and then you kneeled down on the floor in front of me, took off my shoes and massaged my feet. After a moment you started kissing my toes. Timmy, it was so wonderful, you made me feel like a queen and suddenly I didn't feel as guilty about cheating on you. I guess I felt like I was your goddess and goddesses don't have to feel guilty about anything."

"The game would have been more fun if I'd been included in that part of it."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"After that night you started to become more and more dominant, didn't you?"

"Yes, for awhile it helped me cope with my guilt, but as my cheating escalated my guilt overwhelmed me and I think my dominance turned into cruelty. Timmy I'm so very sorry about the way I've treated you over the past several months."

"I can forgive you for that."

"Really?"

"I love you."

"Even after everything you've heard?"

"Yes."

"Timmy I love you so much."

"I know you do Kelly."

"Do you?"

"Yes, you got confused and made some serious mistakes. You hurt me. I should be angry. A big part of me is angry, but another part of me realizes that sometimes we make choices that get out of control. When that happens we often do things that later make us feel ashamed."

"Thank you Timmy. Thank you for understanding."

"Kelly, I fear your thanks might be premature. I'm still angry, unbelievably angry. You hurt me."

"I know, I really am sorry. Please try to understand."

"I'm trying, but you have to understand, hurt and anger are emotions that are difficult to overcome."

"They are, but I beg you to try. I fucked up. Please don't let my stupidity destroy our lives."

"I'll try Kelly, I really will."

"Thank you Timmy, thank you very much."