A Stranger's Touch

by Beth D. Carter

  That’s life. What utter crap!

  “I’m seeing a lawyer on Monday and I swear to God, if you’ve fucked me too badly I’ll see you in court, Morgan. Do you hear me?

  He chuckled. “Perhaps if you’d shown this type of spirit in the bedroom I might have really married you. Now I don’t have to close my eyes and pretend I’m fucking a porn star.”

  She thought he couldn’t say anything else to hurt her, but she was vastly wrong. One of the cruelest things a man could tell a woman was that she was boring in bed, and the pain only multiplied expeditiously when it came from a husband. Aubrey ended the call. She didn’t even say good-bye.

  What did she do now?

  With her head spinning about Morgan’s confession, Aubrey left the small bus stop shelter and headed back to where she had parked her car. Morgan’s car, actually, she reminded herself. Feeling like a broken doll, she drove back to Merryl’s house on autopilot, trying to sort everything out in her head. Her brain, however, refused to cooperate. It kept replaying Morgan’s horrible words, regurgitating them like an irritating video stuck in a loop.

  Considering she had no memory of the drive back to Merryl’s, Aubrey had to conclude a small miracle had occurred. One moment she was on the sidewalk hanging up on her no-good ex and the next she was letting herself into the house. Not remembering how she got back scared her a little. Heading to the kitchen, she grabbed the opened bottle of wine and a water glass, emptying the rest of the wine into it. Then she sat on the couch and practically downed it because she needed something to drown out Morgan’s voice.

  She never thought a person could be so cruel. Bad men who kicked puppies and abused their wives were supposed to be evil entities existing only in the shadows or on television. How did she not see the signs?

  Processing how ignorant she’d truly been was almost too much to comprehend. She couldn’t think straight, which was why she raided Merryl’s wine cabinet for another bottle.

  That evening when her friend finally came home, the alcohol had helped dull the pain and disillusionment but it left her antsy, so when Merryl appeared, she jumped up and hugged her.

  “Let’s go dancing!”

  Merryl pulled back. “You smell like wine. Are you drunk?”

  Aubrey held up her thumb and first finger about an inch apart. “Maybe a little. But I had to get drunk. Morgan is a jerk.”

  “You talked to him?”

  “Yeah. He didn’t want to be married so he tore it up.” She mimicked tearing a piece of paper in half. “Just like that. I’ve gotta pee.”

  She abruptly walked away to the bathroom, and Merryl followed her. She was beyond caring if her friend watched her pee. She pulled down her pants and sat on the toilet.

  “He used me to get the job,” she said. The wine had worked. It made the words he’d said hurt less. “He was going to leave me soon. The jerk.”

  “The asshole.”

  Aubrey pointed at her. “That too. A big one. I hope he gets hemorrhoids.”

  “You really wanna go dancing?”

  Finished, Aubrey wiped and stood, flushing the toilet before pulling her pants up. She wobbled a little as she made her way to the sink to wash her hands. “Yep. I want to drink more and dance until my feet hurt.”

  “Okay. I know a wonderful little place where a lot of us from the office go. You might meet some of them.”

  “Great!” Aubrey said as she dried her hands. “Maybe I’ll even remember them tomorrow!”

  Merryl snorted. “Get yourself dressed, wild child. Let’s go shimmy and shake.”

  Aubrey happily clapped her hands.

  Chapter Six

  By the time they made it to the dance club, Aubrey had sobered up a little. “Zanzibar,” written in a bold, fancy font rested above the entrance where a burly looking bouncer sat, checking IDs. They both showed their driver’s license and were admitted into a dark room where the base of a dance song thumped in a seductive rhythm. A large square bar rested in the middle of the room, letting patrons dance in several places around it. Sheer white material flowed from the ceiling, allowing privacy in certain areas were love seats and cushions provided a comfortable retreat from the rest of the club.

  The decoration had an Arabian feel that Aubrey found charming. It played to her sense of romance as Lawrence of Arabia danced through her mind. Merryl plopped down her credit card to the bartender, ordered the first round of drinks, and from that moment on Aubrey never had an empty glass. It wasn’t long before the evening became a blur, dancing and drinking away her aching heart. A reprieve, even if it was only temporary.

  The next morning, her bladder prodded her awake, even though she wanted to stay asleep. In fact, she really didn’t want to move, because she knew she had drunk too much. As soon as she got up, she had no doubt that her hangover was going to fully hit her. Lying still kept away the nausea and headache, but her bladder was begging her to empty it, so it was simply a matter of time before she’d have to rise from her comfortable bed.

  Then a movement behind her caused her heart to stutter and pray that it was Merryl sleeping with her. She turned her head and saw a strange man lying on top of the covers, fully clothed, but completely unknown. Although he was classically handsome, his youthful face placed him a good ten years younger. Being a cougar had never been a turn-on for Aubrey and she really hoped nothing happened between them. As if sensing her gaze on him, he stirred and stretched. He glanced her way and smiled.

  “Morning,” the strange man said as he turned onto his side to look at her. The dyed blonde hair had rumpled charmingly in his sleep and his dreamy blue eyes were a little red and puffy.

  Aubrey looked under the blanket. She had on her panties and bra. “Did we, ah, do anything?”

  He chuckled, sending a sharp hangover pain through her head. “No. Rule number one is potential bed partners must be sober and willing.”

  That took a load off her shoulders. “Thanks for your morals.”

  “Besides,” he continued. “Merryl would kill me if something happened to you.”

  “You know Merryl?”

  “I work with her.”

  “Oh,” Aubrey said. “Then we’ll be working together starting Tuesday.”

  The man groaned. “Oh no! That activates rule number two. Never shit where you eat.”

  She blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “No fraternizing with coworkers.”

  “Oh. That’s probably a good rule to have. Well, we can still be friends, right?”

  He pursed his lips. “Yeah, I guess. Although I think we’d make a great couple. Have beautiful babies. Combine our 401K plans. Still, can’t date a coworker. Damn it.”

  “Aw, that’s sweet. What’s your name, friend?”

  He laughed, turning the small hammer inside her skull into a sledgehammer. She desperately needed some ibuprofen.

  “I’m Jason Hanna.”

  “I’m Aubrey Len … er … Magill.”

  “Yeah, we met last night.”

  “Since I have no memory of last night you’ll have to pretend we’ve just met for the first time today. But hold that thought until I’m back from the bathroom.”

  She rose, taking a second for the dizziness to subside, before heading into the bathroom to empty her bladder. As she washed her hands, her stomach churned and she knew she had to lay back down.

  “Breakfast is ready!” Merryl called out.

  The smell of bacon hit Aubrey as she opened the door, causing her to turn around and hurry back to the toilet, reaching it in the nick of time as whatever was left in her belly decided to upchuck. Nothing but bile came up, stinging her throat and causing tears to form. Vomiting was nasty business and Aubrey hated it, but after several dry heaves, she knew she was done. Nothing was left in her belly. She made her way back to the sink and washed her face and brushed her teeth before heading back to bed. Jason was gone so she closed her door and laid back down, pulling the comforter over her head and drifting off to sleep.
/>   ****

  Aubrey shuffled from her bedroom just as twilight peeked through the half-open blinds. She’d come to the conclusion at some point during her hangover recovery that she had reached that age where she hated the consequences of drinking.

  “Look who’s rejoined the living?” Merryl teased. She stood at the kitchen sink cutting up vegies. “Would you like some bacon?”

  “You’re a terrible friend,” Aubrey muttered as she sat down at the kitchen table. Merryl snickered. “Where’s Jason?”

  “Boss Man called him back to the office,” Merryl replied as she transferred the chopped vegetables into the waiting wok. “There’s a presentation first thing Monday morning so he has to make sure everything is ready to go.”

  “Will I have to work weekends?”

  Merryl shook her head. “No way. Monday through Friday only.”

  “I don’t mind if I have to. It’s not like I’m going to have much of a social life.”

  “Speaking of which…”

  Aubrey held up a finger, halting her. “No. I can’t handle anything right now. I just found out I suck at relationships, so nope. Not going there.”

  Merryl sighed dramatically. “You don’t suck at relationships.”

  “Let’s tick off the things I didn’t know at all about the man I chose to share my life with.” She held up a hand and touched each finger as she counted. “One, he never wanted me to follow him to California. Two, he never wanted to marry me. Three, he used our so-called marriage to secure a promotion. Four, he hated having sex with me. And five, he made sure I ended up with nothing. Should I go on?”

  “Don’t let one man ruin the chance to find true love.”

  “True love? I’ve come to conclude the male species are takers and many of them look for gullible women like me. They say a few kind words and poof! I’m cooking, cleaning, and washing his clothes. How can I ever trust my instincts again?”

  “Hey now, don’t sell yourself short. Morgan had everyone fooled.”

  “Not you,” Aubrey said morosely. “You never liked Morgan.”

  “No, I didn’t.” Merryl sighed as she began to cook the stir-fry. “I always thought he was a little too arrogant for my taste. Not caring enough for you. But I never saw this coming.”

  “He wants his car back. And the phone.”

  “We’ll get you a new phone tomorrow.” Her eyes narrowed as a devious smile appeared. “As for your car, I’ve got a great idea.”

  Aubrey raised an eyebrow, not sure if Merryl was planning revenge or Morgan’s untimely demise. And if she were honest with herself, Aubrey hoped it was the latter.

  “But tonight let’s eat ice cream and watch comedies. I think Melissa McCarthy is just what we need.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  ****

  Monday morning, Aubrey sat nervously in her attorney’s office, clutching her new cell phone. She had only one number programmed into it and that was Merryl’s. A text buzzed and she glanced at the screen. Don’t be nervous. Be mad.

  Aubrey mentally snorted to herself in derision. She wanted desperately to throw a temper tantrum, but she didn’t think her attorney, Mr. Parker, would appreciate the theatrics. Still, she wondered why she felt so twitchy. It wasn’t as if she had to confront Morgan and hear any bad news. At least, she hoped there wasn’t more bad news to come.

  “I reached out to a colleague because this case is quite unique to me,” Mr. Parker said. “I wasn’t sure how we should proceed. Did you happen to find out what happened to the marriage certificate?”

  She nodded. “Come to find out, Morgan never wanted to be married. He only wanted the illusion of a marriage to impress his company. The certificate was torn up and discarded.”

  “So he did this deliberately?”

  Aubrey nodded.

  “There might be grounds for a lawsuit,” he said, a gleam coming into his eyes. “The ceremony is still a binding contract. I could look into—”

  “No,” she interrupted, the word coming out a little too harsh. “He has humiliated me enough. I just want this to be over.”

  “I can certainly understand that, but if you don’t sue, he gets away with this scot-free. A man like him should have to face consequences for his actions.”

  “And what would I be fighting for?”

  “Compensation. He took ten years of your life.”

  “And I don’t want him to take any more. I want to be done with him so I can start figuring out what to do and where to go next.”

  Mr. Parker stared at her for a moment. “My colleague said we should treat this as a normal divorce.”

  Panic twisted her insides. “But you said we’re not married.”

  “You aren’t, but if we go the route of trying to prove this marriage never existed, we actually have to dig up the records, witnesses, and get his statement that he destroyed the certificate. We’re talking man-hours that can and will add up. Especially if we involve a tax attorney to go through all four years you filed as a married woman. If we go for the standard divorce, especially if we make a notation of his verbal abuse, you could be a free woman in a few months plus have saved a lot of money.”

  “I’m already a free woman.”

  “Yes, I know that, but I’m talking about in the eyes of the law.” He shifted forward and leaned his elbows on the desk. “It sounds like your ex is a grade-A asshole. Most of the time in divorce cases they’re cut and dry—she was wrong or he was wrong—all tied up with a neat little bow. But Morgan Lennox stole from you, Aubrey. You deserve some compensation for the time he embezzled from you.”

  Part of her hated that Morgan wasn’t going to be punished, but it was a disappointment she’d have to get past. What her lawyer said made sense but what did she want from Morgan? She didn’t want his money or his car or anything else that belonged to his world and all the material possessions simply had too much of his presence attached to them.

  “What is it you want to do in life, Aubrey?”

  She didn’t even have to think of the answer to that question. “I want to finish my degree. I only had a semester left.”

  He sat back with a smile on his face. “Then we’ll ask for that compensation. For him to pay for you to finish college.”

  “He’ll say no.”

  “Then I’ll tell his lawyer you’ll sue for breach of contract because a marriage is a contract. He entered into this union with plans on deceiving you, deliberately misleading and misrepresenting himself.”

  She honestly didn’t see Morgan agreeing to that. “No. It would be a colossal waste of time.”

  He sighed in disappointment. “If you change your mind…”

  “You’ll be the first to know.”

  “In the meantime,” he said, “I’ll petition the court to have your named changed back to Magill as soon as possible.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “Okay,” he replied, holding out his hand. Aubrey shook it. “I’ll have everything drawn up and will contact you as soon as it’s ready to sign.”

  Aubrey rose from her seat, shook the attorney’s hand, and left. His office was located in Westwood, along a very busy street where parking was prime. She had parked Morgan’s car in an area that was designated for residents only, knowing that since the car didn’t have a permit sticker, it was going to rack up tickets awfully quick. When the car would be finally towed, Morgan was going to have to pay a lot of fines to get it back.

  As much as she wished it had been her idea, she had to give this one to Merryl. Her friend had a devious little mind.

  Aubrey pulled out her brand new cell and ordered an Uber car, which arrived within ten minutes. She gave Merryl’s address, watched as the driver programmed it into the maps app, and settled back on the drive to her temporary home. Things were beginning to look up. She started work tomorrow and would commute with Merryl, and although she wasn’t able to stick it to Morgan, she was content with the knowledge that repossessing the car was going to cost him dearl
y.

  Chapter Seven

  Dark glass and brushed steel made up Onofrio Architecture Firm. The single-level office was flanked by a posthouse production company and a law firm. Merryl parked in her designated space and led her into the front reception area. Black, blue, and grey were the operating colors with splashes of white and red mixed intricately to offset the mannish feel. Many pictures of buildings decorated the walls, and much to Aubrey’s surprise, several she recognized.

  “Boss Man has a good eye,” Merryl said. “I’m actually impressed that he designed this as well.”

  “I really like the art deco vibe,” Aubrey murmured.

  “Actually, that’s what the firm is known for,” Merryl replied. “Boss Man is passionate about preserving the history of buildings, so many restoration projects seek his expertise. That’s why we have a lot of architects because there are many projects happening.”

  “That’s really amazing.”

  A new respect developed for Mr. Onofrio and Aubrey was excited to meet the man.

  “Come on,” Merryl said. “Let’s put on some coffee.”

  She led the way into the small kitchen area that was meant for customers and employees, with state of the art appliances offering every amenity available. Merryl made a pot of coffee and then turned to the espresso machine and made a double for both of them as people began trickling into the office to begin the workday.

  “This is enough caffeine to keep us going until lunch.”

  A very pregnant woman who looked like every step she took was painful waddled into the break room, one hand on her lower back and one resting on top of her large belly.

  “Jenny, this is Aubrey,” Merryl introduced. “She’ll be covering your maternity leave.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Jenny said enthusiastically. “My feet and back are killing me. I really can’t wait until this kid is out.”

  “I’m going to give her the grand tour and introduce her to Boss Man before I release her into your clutches,” Merryl replied.

  Jenny gave her a thumbs-up as she waddled over to the refrigerator. Aubrey was happy that she’d be helping Jenny rest a little before her baby arrived. Merryl led her through the sprawling office, where many draft tables were positioned. Several people waved at them and Aubrey waved back. The relaxed, happy atmosphere immediately put her at ease and erased some of her nerves.