by Lauren Wood
Now I wasn’t so sure.
“We have to come up with a story. That’s just not going to do. Maybe we met in college or something.”
“I have you by six years. That’s not going to work.”
“You’re right and you probably went to some fancy college anyways.”
“So, what do you want to say?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to try on some of these dresses and find one that isn’t too bad, and you think about the lie we’re going to tell people.”
I agreed, but I couldn’t believe she was disparaging about the garments. I was assured that they were all the latest fashions. Nothing was too good for my wife. She was stunning on her own, but I wanted to showcase her tonight. It was our coming out and I wanted the world to see how beautiful she was. And for them all to understand that she was mine.
Deirdre
I could hear him knocking on the door and I told him to go away.
“Come on Deirdre. You’ve been in there for almost an hour. We’re going to be late if you don’t pick one and come on.”
I ignored him and looked into the large mirror in the master bathroom. He wouldn’t stop knocking and I was trying to figure out which one was the best out of the selection. They weren’t my style at all and I felt naked wearing all of them. The material was light and airy, but maybe a little too light and airy. It was too thin, and my nipples were showing. Everything was showing, every curve and I wanted something that was going to cover my body.
“Just hold on!”
The door opened, and I yelled at him to go away.
“It’s only bad luck before a marriage. Let me see.”
I knew he could see enough through the mirror and I gave him a dirty look in the reflection when he told me that I looked great from behind. It was sweet, kind of, but at the same time, I wanted him to shut up.
“I just don't like this one.”
“Well, put another one on.”
“I don't like any of them Danny. I don't want to dress like this. I feel like I am practically naked.”
He told me to turn around again and I finally did. It was becoming very clear that he wasn't going to just let this go, so I had to show him what I was talking about. My nipples were hard and jutted out. It wasn’t something that could be ignored and his eyes found the problem very quickly.
“What is wrong with this? You look beautiful.”
As he said the words, I could feel his eyes rolling over my body and it made me tingle in all the right places. This was the last thing that I needed at this moment. I was trying to find something to wear, to be around all of his rich friends and the last thing I needed was thoughts of last week in the shower. Or every night in bed with him, when I woke up the next morning wrapped around his body.
“This is not appropriate Danny. It can't be. It is barely covering anything, and it shows way too much.”
“This is what everyone wears dear. You are just a little bit more modest. There is nothing wrong with that, but I can tell you that this is actually a very modest dress, compared. I think it's one of the most modest of the ones that were sent over for you.”
“I know. But this is still a bit too much for me. Is there nothing else?”
He told me that this was everything that was brought over by his assistant. And he also explained that there wasn't any time to get anything else.
Why don't we swing by my place and I'll grab something there?”
He gave me this look like he didn't trust me.
“You have something that would work for tonight?”
It felt like he was basically asking me if I had something nice enough to be around his friends. Maybe I was reaching, because I was feeling out of my element, I don't know, but the question really bothered me. Now I was determined.
“Yes, I have plenty of things that would be just fine for tonight. You don't have to waste your money buying all that stuff. These are like slips. You can get them for twenty dollars at the lingerie store.”
“I will have you know that several of those cost thousands of dollars. These are from some of the top designers in the country. You’re not going to get a swath of cloth from them for that price.”
“You’re doing it again, you know that right?”
“What?”
“That thing where you stick your nose in the air as high as it'll go.”
“Are you telling me I am being a snub right now, is that right?”
He seems so offended and it was just what I needed to get my mind off of things. It was hard to be upset about a dress, when he looked so disgruntled in front of me. His face had changed completely, and it was rather entertaining.
“Yes, you are being a snob. Take me to my place and I will grab something there, okay?”
I was a little worried that he wasn't going to go with it, but he finally agreed, and I felt a little better.
“Well since these are thousands of dollars, let me take this off really quick so that you can take them back and get your money back. There is no way you should spend that sort of money for this little bit of material.”
He just shook his head and sighed. I waited for him to leave the bathroom, but he didn't, so I pulled it off in front of him. I watched his face grow hungry and his eyes darkened. It made me smile to myself when I saw his jaw clench. It served him right. If he was going to make it hard on me, then I should make it hard on him, right?
I put my T-shirt and jeans back on and I took my time, sure that he got a very good look as I pulled the jeans over my thong. I’d turn my back to him and when I turned back around, he was looking kind of rapey.
“You like messing with my head, don’t you?”
I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face. “Is it that obvious?”
“Yes. That’s why you should wear that dress. It would have messed with everyone’s head. Everyone would have wanted you.”
“Wouldn’t that bother you?”
“Not really.”
I didn’t add to it, because I didn’t want him to know how I would have felt about it. I didn’t like the attention, not usually. I really liked the attention from Danny, but he was different. He was my husband after all and I knew that he wasn’t going to go further than I wanted to.
He’d went to sleep rock-hard night after night and I’d messed with him several times, and he hadn’t gone any further than I wanted him to. He would certainly try to push it, but he backed off when I wasn’t ready. The longer we were together, the closer I got to wanting to really consummate this marriage. Short of the few tapings we’d had to do, I’d almost forgotten that this wasn’t the real thing.
“Well I’m not dressing like that in front of people.”
“Good, I don’t really want anyone else seeing my wife like that anyways.”
I smiled to myself as we were leaving. It sounded a whole lot better coming off of his lips. I liked the sound of it. His wife.
Danny
“You know, I have never seen the inside of your place.”
“It’s probably for a reason. Sorry I haven’t been here to clean up much. I live in chaos.”
She wasn’t joking when she said that. It wasn’t at all what I imagined. Some of the rooms, the kitchen, dining room and bathroom were neat and tidy, like I have grown accustomed to her, but then there was the living room that she used as an office and I could see that her creative juices flowed in chaos.
There was a lot I didn’t know about my wife. She sketched and crafted and wrote. There was even some clay sculptures I didn’t have to ask about because they felt like her.
“Wow, so you’re an artist?”
“No, more than anything bored, I think. I like to travel and capture the moments for later, in all forms.”
She was talented beyond measure.
“And you cook?”
“Yes, but I don’t get a chance much. The cook has domain over the kitchen. I have actually snuck back here a couple of times to make myself something.”
<
br /> “I didn’t know.”
“You work a lot.”
Deirdre said it so matter-of-factly that I didn’t know what to say. I did work a lot. Too much apparently.
“So how did I not know this about you?”
“I told you.”
“You said you did arts and crafts.”
“Yeah.”
“Not poetry, pottery and painting.”
She giggled and waved me off like I was talking nonsense. What else didn’t I know about her? I picked up one of the handwritten pages on the desk. It was a poem about love and how it didn’t exist. I got about half way through it before she pulled it out of my hand.
“You don’t have to read that. One more thing to know about me, I hate people reading my stuff.”
“So, you don’t publish?”
“I do, but never under my real name. No one knows that I write or sell art on the side. This is my private life.”
“And cooking?”
“Is my passion that I share with the world.”
“You have a lot to offer Deirdre. I never knew how much.”
I was almost stupefied how wrong I had been about her. Here I had thought that she was a sassy pretty face, but Deirdre was something else altogether. She was going to be a star, as soon as someone believed in her and backed her. Since I’d backed so many in the past, it was now clear to me that I wanted to back my own wife just as much.
“I will be right back. I have to find something to wear. You didn’t want to be late, right?”
“Late for what?”
“The benefit dinner you said we had to go to.”
“Right.”
I had completely forgotten. My eyes were taking it all in and I wanted to finish the poem. As soon as she shut her bedroom door, I went back to finish it off. My wife didn’t believe in love. I read a few more and the theory was concreted into it. I now knew what I had to do. I had to change her mind.
When she came out, I about choked.
“What do you think?”
All I could do was nod my head. My wife was beautiful in anything that she wore, but the black dress she had on was made for her. It covered everything way more than the other dresses I had suggested, but it hugged her body. I was far more turned on by the covering of her curves, than I was with the peak of nipples. She was stunning.
“Yeah, that will work.”
“Good, let’s go and get this over with.”
I agreed, telling myself once again that I really had to get it together. I couldn’t just gawk at her like I was. Everyone was going to be gawking at her and I was thankful that I had agreed to bring her here. I got more than I bargained for, which seemed to be a reoccurring thing with Deirdre.
“I can’t do this Danny. I’m freaking out.”
She was fine on the way over, but now that we were here, Deirdre didn’t want to get out of the limo.
“What is wrong?”
“There are people out there with cameras.”
“Considering you’re in the middle of this gameshow thing, I thought you would be used to it.”
“That’s different.”
“They are most likely here because of that. It’s a big event. People from all walks of life are here and they like to get a couple of shots for the papers.”
“The paper?”
The color from her face drained. “Trust me, it’s going to be fine. I will be with you the whole way and we’ll be through it in just a moment.”
She bit her lip and then twirled a bit of long hair in between her thumb and forefinger. She did that when she was nervous, and I could tell that Deirdre was nervous.
“Come on, it will be fine.”
Deirdre grabbed my offered hand as I opened the door and she scooted out to get out of the vehicle next to me. The bulbs of the camera flashed, and we walked quickly through the firing squad. Deirdre did not like to be in the spotlight at all. Most women said that, but I was starting to realize that she actually meant it.
“We’re safe and away from them.”
Her eyes widened at the ballroom.
“Maybe I should have worn one of those dresses.”
“You look great Deirdre, honest. You’re the most beautiful woman here.”
She waved me off like I was lying and even told me so.
“You don’t have to butter me up Danny. I’m already here. Let’s get this over with.”
Deirdre
While I had felt good about what I was wearing, I was starting to think otherwise. The little slip dresses that he had brought me to wear were all that I could see. Since I was wearing was a thirty dollar off the rack on clearance, I felt like I was sticking out like a sore thumb. It was nice that the man next to me seemed to only see me, but I was comparing myself to every single other woman that was there. It was not an easy feeling at all.
As we walked into the ballroom, there were at least a hundred chairs around about thirty tables. The tables were small and intimate, and we had a number when we first got in. I wanted to sit down and collect myself, but Danny was convinced that it was time to dance.
I tried to enjoy the moment, but the whole time all I could think about was doing bad things with Danny because his hands were on me. I tried to block out the rest of the room and I was successful for a while. We danced for several songs and then it finally stopped. It was time for the benefit to start and we had to find our table. We were there with another couple and before things got too complicated, I was introduced, and we sat down together.
Danny knew one of the guys from somewhere and they talked for a while. Colt’s spouse, Candy was really nice, and it was good to talk to somebody that was down to earth. In a room full of people made of money, I didn't think I would find anyone to really talk to, but I had. The couple was refreshing. She was into art and we talked about it until the announcer came up and started to speak.
There was about thirty minutes where they talked about what the benefit was for and who it was helping. It seemed kind of strange to me that people were paying a lot of money to eat very expensive food, while trying to raise money to feed starving people in another nation. It seemed like all the money that was spent to rent the hall and decorate everything, could have easily put more food in other people’s mouths. But Danny was quick to point out that this was how the rich did it. They didn't mind giving their money away, but they wanted to have a good party while they did it.
The food was brought out and there was a little bit of time for everyone to speak. The benefit was winding down and I was thankful for our table guests. Because once I started to become comfortable with the situation, I started to realize other things that should have been plain as day before.
While Colt and Candy were rather pleasant to speak, to the other women in the room were staring our way. At first, I thought it was because of what I was wearing. I was sure that they were going to sniff me out because I didn't belong there. I stuck out like a sore thumb in my dress that was less than a fifty. But that wasn't it at all. Instead, they were paying way too much attention to my husband. It was the first time that I felt jealousy and it came on very strong.
While Danny excused himself to use the restroom, I watched a woman follow him with her eyes, all the way to the back of the room. And then she got up when he disappeared and started to walk his way.
“I am sorry, but I'm going to go powder my nose really quick.”
I excuse myself and I knew exactly where I was going. I had no desire to powder anything because I didn't even have any make up on. I wanted to see what was going on with my husband and the woman that was following him. Who was she and what did she want with him?
By the time I got down the hallway where the bathrooms were, I stopped in my tracks because I could hear voices. Very quickly I realized that one of them was Danny’s.
“We can't do this here Elaine.”
“We used to do it everywhere Danny. What has changed?”
“I'm married now Elaine. That's what'
s changed.”
“Come on, I've heard the rumors. You didn't really get married Danny. This is all just some farce. Or some way for you to get some more media before the new launch of that product you and Tommy have been working on. I see right through you.”
The brunette was leaning very close to him when I went around the corner. I should have come out and made myself known to stop the situation, but I didn't. I was almost transfixed by the way that she touched his shoulder and he didn't pull away. They had been very intimate, that was clear. Another woman who was touching my husband and instead of doing anything about it, I just walked away. I ignored the lump in my throat that was impossible to swallow and the fiery burning that lined my eyes.
I sat back down at the table and Anna asked me if I was okay.
“Yeah it is just a really good cause. I am glad that I came tonight.”
She leaned in and ask me if I was really fine.
“Yeah, I am, why?”
“I saw Elaine going back there with Danny. Just know that it has been over between them for a long time. She has been chasing him ever since.”
There was nothing to say to that, so I just kind of smiled and shook my head like I agreed with her. I didn't know who Elaine was, not really and quite frankly, I didn't want to know. From what I had just seen, it wasn’t over between them at all. Because of the way she was touching Danny, she was more familiar with him then I was.
When Danny got back to the table, I could barely look at him. I couldn't imagine how off I would be and even the idea of somebody else was sending me into a rage. I couldn’t help it.
“What did I miss?”
“Nothing.”
I didn’t really talk much the rest of the night and I was thankful when it was finally over. The fakeness and smiles that were plastered on faces was not as easy to navigate as I would have thought, neither was the attention that my husband got. So many women were checking him out and many had familiar looks in their eyes.