To: My Cherie Amour
I love every moment I spend with you. Last night was amazing.
Sincerely,
Your Anchor
“My Cherie amour?” Emma thought. The words sounded so familiar in her head and she knew it wasn’t because of the song from Stevie Wonder. She kept repeating the words in her head as she walked into her office and closed the door.
Samantha was walking around the office fulfilling her duties when the flowers from him came. Daniel was so sweet. He was so naughty as well, taking such a chance after he just broke up with Emma the night before. She couldn’t help but feel like a naughty school girl. The sex last night had been off the charts amazing. It wasn’t that his techniques got any better, he was still a little predictable in that area, but it was the fact that he didn’t mind breaking up with Emma for her. Plus he was just so gorgeous; it didn’t take much for him to please her. Just looking at him did wonders to her body. She was glad that Emma got what she deserved. Emma always walks around like she has everything but I finally took something that she wanted the most. Love. “I took her man right from out of her fingertips” Samantha thought mischievously. As she walked back to her desk she noticed that Emma’s door was closed. Before she entered she wanted to make sure that she finished most of the paper work and called clients that needed to reschedule or confirm their mediations. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Emma’s face after a long night of crying. She’d feel complete. Today was an amazing day already.
Emma was in the middle of walking around; throwing out old pictures she had in her office of her and Daniel when it clicked. “Reminder: Don’t forget to send roses to My Cherie Amour.” That’s what the reminder next to Daniel’s bed had said last night! He sent flowers to Samantha? Samantha was the other woman?! Her own secretary? He would stoop that low and mess around with someone who is that close to her? Her business? She deserved this betrayal? Emma had to sit down. She began to feel light headed. This little bitch had been cheating with Daniel this whole time? Whenever she asked about Daniel’s likes and dislikes was really just to get him into her own pants. Emma felt like a complete imbecile. Samantha is a twenty two year old vivacious college graduate, while Emma was only 4 years older acting twice her age. At 26 Emma had to say she was completing a lot in her life but this felt like she was in high school all over again. “How could he?” she thought and the tears welled up again. Emma couldn’t cry. Not here. Not while Samantha was right outside of her door. She had to compose herself again. She got up and powdered her nose in the small mirror that she had hanging up in the corner of her office. “Get it together Emma. You’re smart, you’re beautiful, you’re sexy and you damn sure look better than that little hoe outside of your door. Stay confident.”
That same feeling she felt last night consumed her again. She looked in the mirror and threw on her poker face. Samantha wasn’t even going to know that her break up with Daniel tore her up inside just less than twenty four hours ago. Instead, Samantha would walk into Emma’s office and see that not only was she happier without Daniel, she was going to show that she was ready for the single life as well. “Let the games begin” Emma said aloud as she called Samantha in for a brief go over for the day ahead of them.
Chapter Six
Samantha couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face. She knew she had to though if she wanted to keep her job. But it just felt so freaking good. “I, Samantha, have stolen a celebrity off of my boss’s hands. Damn, I’m good”, she thought. She started to look at her reflection in the monitor of her computer and couldn’t help but realize her beauty. Her beautiful complexion, her perfect hour glass shape, her long hair, and deep hazel eyes were what always won any man over who tried to resist her. In her heart she knew that being with a cheater wasn’t a good idea but it didn’t matter .All that mattered was the moments they have shared together so far. Like the ones when he would lay with her and sent her flowers like he did today. She sniffed the flowers and inhaled with a smile. Her phone rang at her desk and she quickly pulled herself together. “Emma Sanget’s desk” she said professionally. “Hey Samantha, can you please come into my office real quick. I have to go over a few things before I go into my next meeting”, Emma said through the phone solemnly. “Sure Miss Sanget. Coming now.” She hung up the phone and tried to pinch herself to get the smirk off of her face. She sounded pissed. “Good!” Samantha thought. “I can’t wait to see her face distraught. I wonder if she’s going to use me to vent to.” Samantha got up and fixed her skirt and prepared herself for her boss’s sad face and tear stained eyes. She knew Emma had to be upset and to know that she was the cause? Made it all the better.
Emma did everything she could to remain calm and collected. In just a few moments her ex’s mistress was about to walk through her doors. Just as the thought passed through Emma’s head, Samantha knocked on her door. “Come in” she said aloud. Samantha walked in the doors and looked into Emma’s eyes. “How may I assist you Miss Sanget?” Samantha asked timidly as usual. Emma tried her best not to glare at Samantha. Every vein in her body was yelling at her to wring this girl’s neck. “How dare she? How dare she pretend she doesn’t know what she’s done?” Emma thought angrily. Emma gritted her teeth; it was time to change up on this little girl’s mind. It was time to play this game that Samantha thought she knew. But the real thing that Samantha didn’t understand was that Emma was the coach of these games. She turned on her cheerful attitude and said, “Sit down Sam. I just want to go over a couple of things with you. I have to head out early today.”
“Is everything ok?” Sam asked sweetly, as if she really cared.
“Yup. Everything is great actually. I have a great vacation coming up with a few people. I can’t wait, I still have to pack.”
Sam looked shocked but bit her lip. She decided to ask but hesitantly, “You’re going away? Aww, you’re so lucky. Is Dan going with you?”
Emma shook her head and smiled. “No, actually Dan and I decided to part ways. We realized it was best for us. We’re both at different stages in our lives. He’s not ready to settle down yet, I am though. And that’s fine. I just need some me time anyways. I was settling for so long”, Emma sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I love him still but eventually we would’ve fallen apart. I’m just glad it was sooner than later you know?”
“Yes, of course. I completely understand Miss Sanget. You just seem so happy. I know if I was in love with a guy the way you were with Dan, I’d be distraught right now”, Sam said trying to remain unflustered.
“Of course I was hurt at the moment! But then I had time to think and realized this is for the best. I can’t be mad about that. I just have to wait for Mr. Right to come along. Until then, I’m going to enjoy the single care-free life. Love is going to have to wait for a second.” Emma wanted to cry at the words. Love sucks. Love doesn’t live here anymore.
Sam didn’t know what else to say so she just nodded her head. “Now back to business”, Emma stated in an authoritative tone. “Since I’m going to be gone, I realized that I’m going to have a lot of work to do. But I just want you to send all emails and phone calls to my vacation email box. If it’s urgent then you can ask them to call my cell phone. Otherwise don’t let them talk you into believing that it’s an emergency because most of them like to exaggerate. You can take a couple days off if you’d like. I spoke to the boss and he said it’s ok if you want to take off Friday and Monday. The rest of the days I’m going to probably need you in for half days. The pay won’t be all there but at least you get a break right?” Emma laughed.
Sam nodded; she wasn’t sure how she felt about the situation. She was about to barely get paid for these next couple of weeks because Emma was going on a vacation. That isn’t fair. “I need money too dammit” she thought angrily. But she held in her words so that she didn’t lose her job. “Yes that’s fine Miss Sanget. But is it alright if a couple of those days I get paid in full. I’m a little low on cash because this is my only job.”
“Oh, sure Sam. No problem. The best I can do is half of those days I’m out I’ll pay you you’re full wage.”
“That’ll be fine Miss Sanget.”
“Ok good. Well, let me get into this work and prepare myself for these mediations. I can’t wait to go party. I’ll tell you bye on my way out. Stay nearby.”
Sam rose from the chair and nodded and quickly walked out and closed the door behind her. After the door closed Sam crumpled a piece of paper in her hand trying to disguise her anger. How the hell is she so damn happy? She was supposed to be crying. Asking for my shoulder to lean on! This cannot be happening. Sam’s thought were rushing all over the place. “Stay calm Samantha” she told herself. “Just get through today.” She took out her phone and texted Dan. “Can’t wait to see you later” she texted him. She knew she was supposed to feel happy she had him, but now she wasn’t even as happy as she once was before all because Emma was happy when she was supposed to freaking be a mess right now. “Why the hell does she have to be so damn put together all the time? A damn robot. All business. I hate her.” Samantha got back to work on the computer and tried to push her frustration away.
Emma couldn’t wait for the doors to close. As soon as it did, she put her head in her hands. The tears rolled down her face and her heart ached. How the hell did this little bitch just sit in front of her and act like she actually gave a damn what Emma was feeling? The nerve of her. Emma wanted to punch Samantha in the face. She wanted to make her feel just a little bit of the pain that she felt. Nothing could compare to the feeling that she felt right now. It felt like someone stabbed her in the back. But the pain that hurt the most was the stab she felt in her heart. She needed this vacation. Samantha really just pretended she didn’t know what was going on. She even had the audacity to ask if Dan is going with her?
When Samantha brought up Daniel, it took all of Emma’s strength not to strangle her. Emma knew that if she stayed in this office for too long, she’d choke Samantha with one of the flowers that Daniel had bought for her. She stood up and looked in the mirror again. The tears just wouldn’t stop flowing down her cheeks. It was as if her life had changed in minutes. She could’ve sworn she would one day marry Dan, and now? Now all she could think of was getting as far away from him as possible. “I’m predictable? Routine? Too wife-like?” she thought angrily to herself. “Well you know what? Now is the time for me to stop being so predictable. I’m tired of this shit!” She wiped her tears away forcefully. Thank goodness she was wearing waterproof makeup because she’d look like a clown right about now.
Words couldn’t describe the pain but she was tired of always being there for someone. It was time to show herself what she deserved and what she was made of. It was time for someone to take care of Emma. Though she knew she was always a good woman, maybe it was time for her to be bad. It was time for Emma to unleash her wild side. “Fuck being tamed.” She got her make up back together with the items from her purse and prepared herself for the upcoming mediation. She knew that after she left the doors of her office, she would never come back the same woman. Daniel was who hurt her to her core, but he was also about to be the reason that she became a new woman. For once, Emma decided it was time to do something for her. Emma got her things together as she began to write down notes with a tad bit of a smirk on her face. She actually anticipated being bad. Emma anticipated letting go of her inhibitions and facing her fears. It was time for Emma to give her life a try and leave some of her fears behind.
Chapter Seven
As Emma finished up with her mediations a couple of hours later, she began to get her things ready to go so she could enjoy her vacation. Hank stopped by her office before she left the building. He closed the door behind him as he walked over to her.
“How are you feeling hun?” he coaxed gently.
Emma couldn’t really feel the pain anymore, ever since she had that little epiphany earlier. For some reason she tried to just repress the pain of her past and think of what good could come from her naughty and enticing future.
“I’m actually doing ok for right now. I know the pain will come crashing back soon enough but I definitely just need to get out of this building. Plus, there’s someone here that I cannot stand to see at this moment.”
“What? Who are you talking about?” Hank questioned.
“I don’t even think I want to talk about it right now. But I just know that a little later, I think you’ll know what I’m talking about. I refuse to be the reason someone loses their job because I could fire her right now. But karma’s a bitch.”
“Are you referring to Samantha? What’d she do? Do you want me to fire her now?”
“I’m not ready to talk about it, but I will most definitely call you after I’m more relaxed on this vacation.”
“That’s fine with me. Have fun. Let your hair down and forget about this douche. He’ll get what’s coming to him. You never know what you have until it’s gone.”
“I sure hope he realizes. But even if he doesn’t, I need a break anyways.” Emma gave Hank a hug and thanked him again for this break he was giving her. As she walked out of the doors and past Samantha she decided not to look at her and just put in her IPod’s headphones to pretend she was listening to music. She walked fast past everyone with her briefcase and exhaled once she got in the elevator.
After twenty minutes of driving, Emma finally got home and took off her shoes. She checked her voicemail and had no new messages. What was needed right now was a great bath. She also needed to figure out just where she was going for this wonderful, relaxing, luxurious vacation. As she went to get her water running, she picked up some of her lavender candles. The smell always eased her stress while making her smell magnificent. As the water ran lightly she went to her laptop and started to search for getaways just for singles. She needed to find a place where she could just relax and not have to worry about seeing other couples. Singles resorts it was. But then again, she didn’t want to look lonely. “Maybe I’ll just look for a spa resort. Hmm, yes that will do” she thought. Emma chose The Grand Hyatt in Kauai, Hawaii. Despite the high price, she immediately booked a week vacation in a deluxe ocean suite. Though she was going alone, she decided that the “Romance Package” would do just fine. She’d wine and dine herself. The villa looked gorgeous and she couldn’t wait until flew down. She booked her flight and looked at the price and shrugged her shoulders. There was nothing that would stop her from taking this well-earned vacation. She received bonuses all the time and always saved it for her wedding day, or to buy something nice for her and her significant other. “What other?” she thought. There is none. There’s no one else in her life romantically right now. It was time for her to be free.
Zack got his bags and started to head back to his hotel room in the Four Seasons from out of the town car. He couldn’t think straight with all these conferences. After creating his own car shop he realized that he had a lot of competitors and always needed to socialize in order to build up his popularity. He just hated not being able to just relax and work on the cars in his shop. Though he owned one of the stores in the family franchise, if it was up to him, he wouldn’t let it be known to the general public that he was one of the owners. Most people assumed that since he had money he didn’t do any of the work. They thought that he just sat behind the desk and looked pretty. That was false. If it was up to him he’d be working on cars all day and drinking a nice glass of Merlot while doing it. It didn’t matter that he was a man. “Men like wine also”, he chuckled to himself. Right now he just needed a break from all of this publicity. Some people knew his face but he needed to be better known if he wanted to be able to become one of the best car shops on the East Coast.
When he got into the elevator he passed a few ladies who were pretty but he could tell they would be nothing more than a good lay in the sheets. Nowadays he needed more. He wasn’t old, but he wasn’t too young either. At the age of twenty eight he realized that he wanted more than just a
female to call on when he wanted to release his sexual frustration. Plus, the fact that he was making more money made more groupies and gold diggers come along rather than the real ladies that he was now becoming more attracted to. As he opened his door to his room he threw his bags on the floor and switched on the television. He couldn’t help but think that he needed someone waiting in his bed rather than a note from the concierge of the hotel welcoming him to his suite.
He started to get undressed and checked to see if the hotels phone had any messages for him. He wasn’t sure why but he just wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone tonight. He needed to think of where his life was going and the best way to do that was in the shower. He threw off the rest of his clothes and turned on shower. As usual, he made it as hot as he could withstand. Zack took a deep breath and just sat on the shower seat and scrubbed away his stress. He closed his eyes and had a flash back of when his father told him that he wasn’t going to be anything.
“You’re just going to keep failing. You’re disappointing this family. I’m not even sure I want to hand the keys of this new building over to you. You’re just concerned about sleeping around and wreaking havoc on this family. I’m tired of this shit Zack. This is the last time, and if you mess up? Your ass is cut off from this family franchise. There’s only so much I can do for you.”
The words of Zack’s father, Gregory More, still stayed in his mind to this day. Five years ago he was reprimanded for his reckless behaviors and he realized he had to change. Even though he still whored around occasionally, he never made a spectacle of it and was sure that the women he slept with understood their place in his life. Zack took a deep breath and imagined what it would be like to have just one lady to come home to. The thought alone made him a bit queasy. He shook his head and laughed. “I’m a mess” he thought to himself. He switched back his train of thought to stay peaceful and relaxed and began to think of the new cars that would be coming to his shop. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on the 1970’s Chevy coming in soon. The owner had kept it in impeccable condition and was actually trusting Zack to tune it up and customize the Chevy the way that Zack felt fit. His mind drifted to the new ideas and possible options he could give the car. So he allowed his eyes to close and let the water roll down his body while his mind drifted away to the place where no one could interrupt him. Not even his worse fears. Failure.
Unleashed Page 3