Chapter 10
Amanda
“Y ou just don’t understand how essential you really are, darling.”
I looked up from my eggs Benedict to Jennifer’s smiling face. Her smile belied all of the complaining she’d been doing about my absence from the charity work.
“I mean, Jake and Ramone are like a couple of wild puppies without you around. They keep trying to do things their own way, and then when I try to lay down the law, they get the sad puppy dog eyes and go ‘but Amanda always says…’ so on and so forth.”
I chuckled and took a sip of my Mimosa. The Happy Trails Café offered a spectacular vista of the city, especially early in the morning as it faced east. We practically had the café to ourselves because of the extremely early hour. The morning sun had just peeked up over the horizon, a fat and blurry red blob tingeing the thin and wispy clouds with gold.
“I mean, it’s gotten so bad that Jake and Ramone are saying they had it better at the restaurant.”
I laughed, remembering my days as a waitress there. No way would either of those men even think about actually following through on their threats. I knew that for a fact. Food service sucked. Their current jobs allowed them to make a very comfortable living and take care of their families, and no matter how much of an adjustment it was getting used to Jennifer’s management style, I knew they weren’t going anywhere.
“Well, don’t worry about it. Soon enough I’ll be back organizing events for the charity. I’ve had time to think about a ton of new ideas. We’re going to do more than just save the world, Jennifer. We’re going to change it.”
Her lips spread in a wide grin.
“Now that’s the Amanda I know and love.”
The smile faded, and a grimace replaced it. She put a hand over her belly and then sipped a bit of water.
“Hey, are you all right, Jen?”
“I’m fine,” she said, though she looked a little green around the gills.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m just a little bit nauseated. It should pass here in a moment.”
“Oh,” I said, realization dawning in my mind at last. “Is this a pregnancy thing?”
“Yes, it is.” She smiled. “Don’t get me wrong, my life with Marshall is perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m not about to complain about some morning sickness. Here I thought it wouldn’t happen since I got up so early. I guess I don’t have to be sleeping for it to strike.”
I leaned down and spoke to her belly.
“Hey, Jake or Ramone, stop making your mama sick.”
Jennifer chuckled.
“There’s no way I’m naming one of my children after either of those clowns.”
I heard her say it, but I didn’t believe her.
“So, things are going well between you and Marshall?” I asked.
A dreamy smile came to her lips .
“Yes, you could say that. Very well. We had a somewhat rocky road to our happily ever after, but now that’s just what it is. A happily ever after. I mean, life’s not perfect. Sometimes I burn my toast, or they lose a suit at the dry cleaners or what have you. But I wouldn’t change anything about my life, you understand?”
I sighed. “I hope I have that someday. You know, if I didn’t upset my karmic balance or something by having a fake wedding.”
“Ah yes,” she said with a chuckle. “Hera, the Greek goddess of marriage and family, will surely smite you down. Or turn your hair into snakes. I forget.”
“It was Athena who turned Medusa’s hair into snakes, and it was so that men would stop forcing themselves on her and she would have a way to fight back.”
“Really?” Jennifer asked, blinking. “That sounds… dark.”
“The old myths were all dark. I took Greek mythology as one of my electives in community college because I thought it would be all easy like Clash of the Titans. Instead, it was some fucked up, harsh shit that would turn you white.”
“Don’t bother going into details,” she said, holding a hand over her mouth. “I’m sick enough already.”
“Do you need me to flag down a waiter and get you a bucket or a trash can?”
“I don’t think so, no,” she said, looking a little bit better at last. She drank some of her tea and looked relieved.
“I think the worst of it is over now. What were you saying about me and Marshall?”
“I was just asking; how did you know that Marshall would change from being a total alpha male dickwad to this perfect loving husband? Did you have some kind of sign or are you just that good at blow jobs?”
Jennifer spat out her tea in a laugh and then spent a few moments wiping up the mess she’d made .
“Look at what you made me do. To tell you the truth, I didn’t change him at all.”
“Shut the front door,” I said.
“No, really. You see, Marshall may have acted like an alpha male jerk, but on the inside, he really was a loving and nurturing man. He just buried it very deep. In his environment, the place he grew up in and cut his teeth, he had to develop that attitude as a survival tactic. But eventually he realized he needed to let his real self bubble up if we were going to have a life together.”
She gave me a long look and then cocked an eyebrow.
“Wait, why are you asking me this specifically?” Her mouth gaped open in a gasp. “Oh my God, have you got something for Evan?”
“No!” I said, a little too loud and a little too emphatically.
“No way,” I said, far more casually. “I mean, sure, he’s good-looking and great in bed, not to mention fabulously wealthy, but come on. I’m just his employee. This is a transactional arrangement. I’m his pretend wife, not his real one. I’d have to be stupid to think that he might have feelings for me. And I’d be even stupider to let myself have feelings for him, right?”
Jennifer cocked an eyebrow. “Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?”
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Because I had nothing.
“Uh-huh. That’s what I thought. And besides, being an employee didn’t stop me and Marshall from making it work. Maybe you should give it a chance, too?”
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes aglow with mischief. “What’s the matter? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid you might like it?”
I had no idea how to reply to that. On the inside, I still worried that I wasn’t good enough for Evan. I wasn’t a supermodel, or a movie starlet, or a world-famous musician. I was a nobody. Sooner or later, he would get tired of me and find someone more exotic, like trading in a plain old sedan for a sports car.
I couldn’t see any way around winding up with a broken heart. The only problem was, I was worried I’d already gone in too deep. I was afraid I already did have feelings for Evan, and that scared me more than anything else.
Jennifer’s hand went to her mouth, and she rose shakily to her feet.
“I think I need to take off.”
“Oh my goodness, do you need me to go with you?”
“No, I’m fine, thanks,” she said, looking anything else but fine. “I may not even throw up, I don’t… I’ll be fine.”
She walked off toward the exit. I frowned with concern, but I trusted Jennifer to take care of herself and know her limits. I scowled and poked at my breakfast. The Hollandaise sauce was over-salted to my liking.
The doors to the café opened, drawing my attention since it was still pretty early in the morning. My mouth gaped open when I saw Evan. His eyes blazed with cold fury, and even though he tried to hide it, his anger was evident in his stride. The restaurant manager immediately came out from behind the counter, along with a couple of waiters. Evan had that effect on people. When he was angry, they wanted to do anything they could to soothe his mood.
He came to a stop beside the table, and I looked up at him.
“Can I help you?” I asked. “Sorry I didn’t eat breakfast with you, but you were doing your broody, beat up the heavy bag thing this morning anyway, so I thought I’d grab a bite with Jennifer.”
“You are my wife,” he snapped. “You’re going back to the manor. Now.”
I arched my brows at him. “Excuse me, but what did you just say to me?”
“I said you left the house without my permission or consent. Now, you’re coming back with me. Immediately.”
“Are you serious—”
“Don’t make me repeat myself, Amanda.”
His nostrils flared, and I could see how he seethed just under the surface. He didn’t go all hysterical, but he was furious.
I calmly dabbed my lips with my napkin and looked up at him.
“Are you sure you want to cause a scene here, sir ?”
He spun on the manager and the staff.
“You’re all dismissed for the day. Double pay for all staff, including estimates for lost tips.”
They all bowed their heads and turned about without complaint or argument. I realized it was his restaurant. Of course, he probably owned half the city.
As they left, I looked up at Evan and cleared my throat.
“Obviously I have displeased you, sir .”
“Understatement of the year, Amanda.”
“So,” I said, still in that stiff and formal yet cordial tone, “what are you going to do now? How are you going to punish me for displeasing you, sir ?”
With an animal growl and a blazing gaze, he grabbed me by the arms and drew me to my feet. He kissed me deep, insistent, and I couldn’t help but melt into it for a moment.
“How about I show you,” he rasped when we came up for air. “Right here, right now?”
Then he dropped his mouth to my neck, and I felt all of the signals blazing through my body. I was so down to have sex with him again. Or at least, my body was ready.
My mind, on the other hand, still had some semblance of pride .
I pushed him gently but firmly away and stepped back.
“There’s no need for that, sir ,” I said, trying to stop myself from panting like the wanton wench I was on the inside. “Just send me a disciplinary notice.”
With that, I turned and walked toward the exit.