As Mistress Day approaches, cheating husbands and boyfriends are making preparations to spend quality time with their secret lovers.  This once-secret holiday, which falls on the day before Valentine's Day, has become almost as important to a cheating man's mistress, as Valentine's Day is to his main girlfriend or wife. A survey conducted by a popular dating site for married men found that 71% of the cheating husbands planned to see their mistresses on Mistress Day. 

Infidelity expert Ruth Houston, who is frequently called on by the media to comment on infidelity issues in the news, offers some insight into this unofficial holiday. 

Says Houston, "This is one of the things my 12^th Annual Valentine's Day Infidelity Awareness Campaign warns wives and girlfriends about. Most cheating husbands spend Feb. 13 with their mistresses, since Valentine's Day is reserved for the wife. This also holds true for the single men with multiple girlfriends.  As for the one he plans to see the day before Valentine's Day – it's pretty obvious where she stands."    

What Cheating Men Plan to Do on Mistress Day

What does the average cheating man have planned for his mistress on Mistress Day?  Florists, restaurants, and hotels figure prominently in a cheater's plans for Mistress Day.

Houston, whose National Infidelity column features a series of articles on how to catch a cheating Valentine, says,

"Most cheaters plan to wine and dine their mistress at an upscale restaurant and lavish her with an expensive gift.  For men who can work it into their schedule, Mistress Day activities may also involve making hotel  reservations for an afternoon or evening lover's tryst."

Many hotels report that Feb. 13 is the highest booking day for short stays. For restaurants, Mistress Day has become as popular as Valentine's Day itself.  Maitre d's report that some cheating husbands make reservations for both evenings -  Feb. 13 for dinner a romantic dinner with the mistress, Feb. 14 for the wife. 

Houston, an author and expert who has been researching infidelity for over 20 years, says florists also have interesting stories to tell.  

Says Houston, "My research  on the activities of cheating men on and around Mistress Day, revealed that cheating men charge the wife's  flowers to their credit cards, while  flowers for the mistress are paid for with cash.  The mistress usually gets a larger, more lavish bouquet, which if not personally delivered by the cheater himself, will be scheduled for delivery on Feb 13."

Since it's almost guaranteed that a cheater will contact his mistress at some point on Mistress Day, Feb. 13, Houston says that this is the best time of the year to catch a cheating mate.  Wives and girlfriends who plan to utilize the services of a private investigator are advised to book early since for those who specialize in infidelity investigations, this is their busiest time of the year. For more information on catching a cheating spouse or significant other on or around Valentine's Day, see Ruth Houston's Valentine's Day Infidelity article series at www.NationalInfidelity.com .