By time I had finished my 5 laps I was soaked from head to toe in sweat. My white shirt was pretty much completely see-through and stuck to my abs. I ...eeled it off of me as I walked towards the locker room, and waved goodbye to the other guys on the team who had already showered and changed by time I had finished. When I walked into the locker room I quickly stripped down to my jock strap and walked towards the shower. I stepped in, turned on the hot water and peeled my jockstrap off and threw. " My face must have shown something as she continued, "tonight was as close to being raped as it gets before it becomes violent. The slap was the first step and then more violence." I shuddered as I recalled how hurt I was both physically and mentally when Steve slapped me. Alice continued, "More violence would have been the next step. You were just becoming a sperm receptacle. He did not care what you got out of sex, just spread your legs and let him get his rocks off. Trust me when I tell. The kernel of it is that women, assert great influence over what men do. This happens at the most personal level. Mothers influence sons. Wives influence husbands. Daughters influence fathers. The more subtle we are, the more they think their decisions are truly theirs. That influence is poured down the drain in a divorce. That's the point of the Last Wives Club. By committing to staying with men who cheat on us, we gain more influence over what they do and more control, not less control, over. For this reason she didn't trust (or even like) Steven at all.She thought that he took advantage of Joanne when Joanne was mostvulnerable. Adelaide would never like Steven no matter how Joanne feltabout him.But Joanne did love Steven with all her heart. He was there for her, whenJoanne had to be there for her sick mother. Steven would listen toeverything that Joanne had to say. She could call him at any time of thenight and he would be there. It wasn't Steven who initiated intimacy, itwas.