by Alisa Mullen
“I am sorry,” I said as I dropped her off in front of her office building. Her beautiful red curls were down today and she looked tired. She leaned across the console. “Me, too,” she said. We kissed soundly and I threaded my fingers through her hair to hold on to her. I wished today had been a weekend day because I really wanted to hold her all day long.
She gave me a small wave and watched me drive down the street. When I looked through the rear view mirror, she had already gone into the building. I let out a ragged breath and tried to figure out a way to call Sam on her shit. I didn’t want to see her or talk to her. I didn’t want Lizzie to be any more upset than she already had been. I had promised her father that I would look after her and here I was, making a stupid mess of things.
By ten o’clock in the morning, I had acquired several accounts throughout the firm and was feeling well accomplished. I picked up the phone to call Lizzie to see if she wanted to grab lunch with me. Her phone rang three times before the receptionist picked up.
“Leeman Financial,” she said.
“Hi, this is Nick Sawyer. Can I speak with Elizabeth O’Malley?”
“Oh, uh. Mr. Sawyer, of course,” she stammered. “Would you hold on for one moment?”
“Sure, no problem,” I said. I twirled a pen around on my desk and leered at the phone cradle for minutes. Why was she taking so damn long?
Mac picked up the phone. “Mr. Sawyer. I understand you are looking for Elizabeth?”
“Yes, sir. Just checking to see if she can make it for lunch today,” I replied a bit aggravated.
“Yes, well. Unfortunately, Ms. O’Malley was let go from the firm today,” he proclaimed somberly. “I thought she would have called you because we met first thing this morning. She left around 8:30 this morning.”
I couldn’t speak for minutes. Let go? What the ever loving hell for? I stood up and chucked the pen across the room.
“Mac, what happened?” I demanded as I sat back down and put my head on my desk. “You know that I have millions invested in your firm. What could Elizabeth possibly do to get fired?”
“Perhaps you should speak with her about the details, but the Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into a possible fraudulent trade that Elizabeth put through the system yesterday. That is really all I can say,” he concluded. He didn’t want to show any emotion but I could tell he was bothered.
“A fraudulent trade? Are you serious?” Mac didn’t reply.
After a few minutes and the realization that he wasn’t going to be anymore help to me, I said, “Okay, well thank you.” I hung up.
This made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Lizzie hadn’t even been to work yesterday. How could she have made a trade? I called the home phone. No answer. I called her parent’s phone. No answer. I called Lily. She answered, thank God.
“Lily, did Elizabeth pick Niall up from you?” I asked. I was freaking out. Sweat started to pool on my forehead and my legs were shaking. Lizzie lost her job and I couldn’t find her.
“No, sir. I have Niall. Is everything alright?” she inquired.
“Yes, just checking. Thanks.” I hung up. Where would she go? I tried the house and her parent’s phone five or six more times before I picked up my keys and headed out. I needed to find her. She was probably even more of a wreck than last night.
When I got home, Lizzie was hanging up a garment bag in the closet.
“Hey,” I said breathlessly.
She jumped. “Oh shit. You always scare the crap out of me, Nick. I swear it is your lot in life to scare me as many times as possible.”
Okay, so she was solid. She was taking it cool. She wasn’t crying and she wasn’t angry. Was she is shock? I started to freak out. Was she going to tell me?
“I called you at work,” I blurted out.
“Oh yeah? Did they tell you I got fired and they are investigating a fraudulent trade that I supposedly made yesterday?” she asked nonchalantly.
“Mac told me you were let go. Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.
“Nope. I didn’t make that trade. I wasn’t even at work. I don’t know who did it but there isn’t anything I can do about it. So, I went and got that gown for the partner’s dinner this weekend.” It was all very mechanical and matter of fact. It was like she just told me she forgot to pick up milk from the store but she got bread. I shook my head and watched her walk around the room, picking things up and then setting them down. She noticed I was staring and smiled at me. It was a real genuine smile.
I nodded encouragingly. “Can I see it? The dress?”
“No way! I am going to wow your socks off. It is beautiful,” she smiled brightly at me. “Of course, it was almost three thousand dollars so I can’t imagine it won’t be stunning.” I balked at the amount and she grinned at me like she had just beaten me at a game. So, she was willingly spending our money now?
“Well, that’s great! I was worried about you,” I took her face into my hands and kissed her all over her face. “Why didn’t you call?”
“I didn’t do it, Nick.”
That was all that she said. She walked out of the bedroom and went to the kitchen. I followed her like a lost puppy dog.
“One of us should work, you know. So why are you home?” she asked, taking a mug down from the cupboard.
I frowned. “Are you sure? I can stay home with you and we could go somewhere,” I urged. I would take her to Hawaii tonight if she needed to get away.
“I think I am going to take a nap and then I will get Niall a little early today,” she answered. I processed everything she had told me about losing her job and something wasn’t matching up. She wasn’t upset and that was not a normal reaction for Lizzie. Was she in shock? Her demeanor didn’t make any sense and I needed to call her out on it.
“Elizabeth. You lost your job today because of a fraudulent trade. There is no way you can be this unaffected by it.” I braced myself for a reaction, whatever it may be.
“I know, Nick. I lost my job. I lost my income. I lost my clients. I am quite aware of how it affects me. I am a failure… again. I just don’t want to cry on and on about it. It won’t make it go away so I am going to focus on you, Niall, and what is in front of me.” Her voice was strained and I knew she was on the verge of tears. She took a deep breath in and out. Neither one of us said anything for a few moments.
“I am sorry,” I trailed off. She shook her head.
“Don’t do that, Nick. Don’t pity me. I must have left passwords out and someone did a trade and they messed it up. I must have done something to contribute to this monumental fuck up.”
Her teeth clenched her upper lip and she looked around the room. She couldn’t even look me in the eye.
“I do not pity you, Lizzie,” I responded quietly. “I am worried about what happened. Something sounds fishy about this.”
“Fishy?”She snapped. “Not fishy, Nick. More like sucky.”
She stood up and started for our bedroom. As she rounded the corner, she popped her head back. “You know what you can do? Come make me feel better?” It was a plea from her to feel good for one moment in a line of awful moments. If I needed to be her aid than I was all hers for however long she needed me. She could use and use and use me.
I was on my feet, stripping off my clothes and on top of her in an instant. I kissed every spot on her body, trying to soothe her body inside and out. She giggled when I kissed the back of her wrists.
“You are amazing, Nick. I love you so much.” She said.
I hummed my response as I started to make sweet and gentle love to her. She basked in every kiss and every motion. She was right there with me. Our moment to forget the outside world and feel good.
After we were both satiated, she crawled on top of me.
“I promise I will find another job right away,” she whispered. I kissed her forehead.
“Lizzie, I just want you to be content. If you want another job, find one that you will be passionate about. That is al
l I ask. We are perfectly fine financially so please don’t rush into a job that you will despise. You will spend more time there than at home. Remember that.”
Lizzie nodded her head and I felt one wet tear touch my chest. I felt her body limp against mine. I quietly moved out from under her sleeping gorgeousness and got redressed for work. It was nearly one o’clock and if I got back to the office, I would attempt to find out what happened with that trade. I had to have a pull with someone I knew to help me out.
I left Lizzie a quick note, telling her that I would see her later that evening and walked out the door feeling much better than I did when I walked in.
THIRTEEN - SAM
I had just started on my face foundation when the hotel room phone rang. In my white fluffy robe, I ran to answer it. Maybe it was Nick wondering how I was doing after that awful dinner last night. Surely, he must have wondered how I was fairing after being verbally attacked by his fiancée. I was itching to know what happened after they got home, too. Was he still thinking about how she had treated me?
“Hello, Samantha.” My father’s normal stern voice was smoothed over. He sounded a bit smug.
“Hi, Daddy,” I basically questioned. My father didn’t call me unless there was something imperative to discuss. I paused and waited for his instructions. Was he angry with me because I wasn’t working fast enough at claiming Nick’s attention? I had gained some ground yesterday, so I was pleased so far. Please let this be a good phone call.
“Thank you for sending over the information about Elizabeth’s work. I was able call in a favor. That young lady should be unemployed as of this morning,” he said proudly.
“What?” I asked dumbfounded. Lizzie lost her job? “But how, Daddy?”
“Let’s just say that her financial firm is a subsidiary of a good friend’s investment firm. It was fortunate for us that she had left her trade passwords in her computer files at work and he was able to access them. I don’t want to say anymore because I don’t want you to be involved legally,” he said. “No matter that. We did it, honey. This is a great step towards our future."
“Daddy, that is awful. Lizzie wasn’t even at work yesterday. How? I mean, why?”
I felt my throat plunge into my stomach and my hands started to shake. I hadn’t realized that the information I gave him would cause immediate termination. Shit.
“Samantha! You don’t need to focus on anything but getting that young lady out of Nick’s life. He belongs with you.” Dad paused for a moment. “Now, I am sure that she is home, so you need to go have a Come to Jesus talk with her. Let’s get this moving. The software company in Austin needs Nicholas.” The phone went dead and I kept a firm grasp on it while I tried to comprehend what he had just told me.
I placed the phone back on the receiver and went back to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and began my make up again.
An hour later, I was at the receptionist desk at Nick’s apartment. I wasn’t on the list to go up so the doorman buzzed the apartment several times to ask if it was okay if I went up. I heard a hoarse female voice come over the line and greet the doorman.
“Ms. O’Malley, I have a Samantha Hughes here to see you,” he said. There was a long pause. I held my breath, waiting to hear if she was going to let me up. If she said no, I would have to try again tomorrow while Nick was at work and I really didn’t want to get this dressed up again for Lizzie O’Malley. What a waste of primping time.
The doorman nodded into the phone. “Thank you Ms. O’Malley. I will send her up,” he said. He gave me a skeptical look, like he knew I was an unwelcomed visitor and nodded his head to the elevators.
As I rode up to the top floor, I braced myself for what I was about to do. It could go horribly bad or it could go the way my father wanted it to. I tuned into my inner Hughes attitude and got into character. The elevator doors opened abruptly and there she stood, leaning against a cherry wood table in the foyer, her arms crossed over her chest.
She was wearing a Boston College tee shirt that had seen better days and yoga pants. Her hair was put up in a messy bun and it was obvious that she had just woken up, since she had bed sheet wrinkles all over her face. I darted my eyes quickly to make sure we were alone.
“He isn’t here,” Lizzie said in a bland voice. “Should I tell him you stopped by?”
“I didn’t come here to see Nicholas. He and I spoke this morning,” I lied. Her eyebrows furrowed and a scowl started to form on her face until she realized I was watching her reaction. She quickly put her bland expression on her face and waited.
“So, may I come in?” I asked.
“Why are you here, Sam?”
“Nick told me that you lost your job and I thought maybe you needed someone to talk to. He tells me that you aren’t doing well,” I started. Her eyes went wide. She didn’t think I still talked to him. I didn’t but I smiled on the inside, knowing I already had her defenses down. She regained some of her composure and narrowed her eyes.
“That is none of your business. I lost my job, yes, but why Nick would ever talk to you about our personal life is beyond me,” she answered. Good. This was the in that I needed. Here it goes.
I pushed past her towards the kitchen and opened the cupboard for a wine glass. I went to his wine cupboard and popped off the top of a Moscato wine bottle. As I took a sip, I noticed in my peripheral vision that Lizzie’s jaw was basically at her chest level. She also didn’t know that I knew my way around the house. Actually, I only knew where Nick kept the wine. I inwardly smirked.
“Nick tells me a lot of things, Lizzie. You have to remember that he and I have been friends probably since the year you were born,” I stated.
She closed her mouth and I could see her deflating already. I felt kind of bad for her. Her whole world was about to be ripped to shreds.
“Anyhow, last night he told me that he had never seen you act so crass towards anyone and he apologized profusely. He was ashamed of you. I tried to tell him that you were going through a hard time, you know, with Conner and that guy from Ireland. It was sad really. He immediately said that he didn’t know how to deal with your mood swings and was embarrassed for you,” I continued. I took a long sip off the wine and peered at her over the top of the glass. I wanted to laugh so badly. So badly.
“He said what?” she asked angrily. Her mouth was now shut tight and she stood like she was preparing for an attack. I had her right where I wanted her.
“When he called me this morning, he said he didn’t know how you two were going to make it. Of course, I have known all along that you just aren’t the right woman to be his wife.” These strings of lies were just rolling out of my mouth like water. It was empowering and deceiving at the same time. I tamped down the latter and embraced the surge of dominance in my chest.
“And why is that, Samantha?” She didn’t move an inch. Her body was so tense that if someone just grazed her skin, she would probably go bat shit crazy. I went around the breakfast bar to put distance in between us. Lizzie O’Malley had a temper. Most gingers did. Conner certainly had one and he wasn’t as red as she is. I was pretty sure she would resort to bodily harm if I didn’t play this out perfectly.
“Come on, Lizzie. You know why already. Look at this apartment. You didn’t pick out this furniture. You didn’t go to the art galleries in Paris or Italy and pick out those paintings. Do you even know who those artists are?” I shook my head. I had no clue who painted the art on the walls.
She said nothing.
“When was the last time you went with Nick to a gala? Do you even like to dress up? He needs a woman on his arm that can stay quiet, look at him with adoration, and throw lavish parties.” I myself had never done any of these things outside my own family events but at least I knew that it could be done with help from a catering service, a spa treatment, and a couple glasses of wine.
“Nick talks about how your mother won’t even come out of the house. That can’t be good. You know,” I said casually a
s I took a seat and crossed my leg over the other one. “Nick has a reputation to maintain. What would business colleagues and potential investors think if his future mother in law is an agoraphobic?”
“Stop.” She held up her hand. “Just stop. You don’t know anything about my mother.”
“I don’t? Isn’t it true that you have to babysit her when your father has to go to work? She is so mentally unfit that she can’t even be left alone. Not to mention that she isn’t even actively part of your son’s life anymore. Nick has to pay and make sure that Niall gets the care that he needs and he isn’t even his own child,” I said in disgust. That part I really meant.
“Nick loves Niall,” she whimpered. “He always has.”
“Are you sure about that? As far as I know from our long conversations, Nick wanted you at first because he thought you would be a good lay. Then when Conner died, he felt a responsibility to take care of you.”
A tear rolled down Lizzie’s face and she quickly rubbed it away. That was it. That was her button. Lie down and die, bitch.
“My thought is that when Mitch died, no one was there for him and he knows how hard losing a loved one is. I think it got to him, watching you go through that pain. Maybe he felt like he could finally do something to redeem his own misgivings when we lost Mitch. Nick has always been a caring and giving man. He wanted to make your world a better place. Look around. I think he accomplished that, don’t you?”
Lizzie’s whole face was glazed over now. I wasn’t even sure she was mentally there anymore.
“But what have you given back to him? He says the sex is good and oh, he does say you are a talented musician. But let’s be honest, shall we, how do those things ultimately contribute to a lifelong marriage?” I asked with sympathy in my eyes. “Honey, you need to let him go. I came here from Texas because I knew after talking with him these past few months that even though you both live in the same house and share the same life, he is so lonely. He doesn’t get to go out with his friends. He hardly calls his parents anymore. They are worried sick he won’t ever come home to the ranch. And don’t let me get started about how ashamed Margaret is to become a step-grandparent.” I used my fingers around the step-grandparent.