“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I’m taking the stairs,” she snapped.
“Why?”
“Because you expect me to go down the elevator.” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t following her.
He wasn’t. He stood by the elevator doors with a bewildered expression on his face.
She reached the door for the stairwell and called out, “You can’t dictate my life.” Then she pushed the door open and stormed down the steps.
Chapter Fourteen
Danielle opened the front door and gasped, almost dropping the slice of pizza in her hand. “What are you doing here?”
“Can I stay here tonight?” Amy asked as her cab pulled away. She gave her friend a pleading look.
“Uh... Yeah. I guess.” Danielle replied, still in a state of shock as she moved aside so Amy could enter the house. “Can I ask what happened?”
Amy set down the two bags of clothes she bought so she wouldn’t have to go to Nathan’s house to get any. Standing up, she placed her hands on her hips and gave a low grunt. “I’m not going back there until he either ends the marriage or realizes that he needs to consult me about major issues like if or when I want to try for a child.” Amy rubbed her eyes and groaned. “I can’t take it anymore. He snaps his fingers and expects people to coming running to obey him, and he assumes that if he hands out some money, they’ll fall all over themselves to please him.”
“So...what exactly happened?”
“Tyler Jackson’s cousin’s wife had twins, and Nathan took me to the hospital to see the bundles of joy.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing. That part was fine. But then he started talking to everyone as if I was in complete agreement about having his child. I don’t recall having that discussion with him. He didn’t ask me if I wanted to marry him. He just barged into where we worked and announced it, and when I said no, he married me anyway! He got my parents up here so I’d have to play along because they loved him. And now he’s telling everyone that we’re trying for a child! These were strangers, Danielle. I don’t know who those people were.”
Danielle seemed to consider the situation, so Amy continued her sad story.
“It’s too much. Marriage? My parents? A child? Am I not allowed to have a say in any of it?”
Danielle glanced at the pizza in her hand. “Go on to the guest bedroom, and I’ll be right in to talk.”
Grateful, Amy picked up her bags and bypassed the kids and Randy who were watching a baseball game in the living room while they ate their pizzas. She was too upset to say hi to any of them. What she needed was a game plan. She needed a strategy. That was Nathan’s strong point. He planned things out in advance and did everything he could to position himself in the best possible light. Her problem was that she spent so much time reacting to him that she couldn’t think far enough ahead to take him off guard.
She sat on the bed and sorted through the clothes and toiletry items. She figured she had enough to get through a week. If that wasn’t enough time for him to wise up, then she could always buy more.
Danielle entered the room and shut the door. “Okay. Randy will clean up the kids when they’re done eating.” She sat next to Amy. “Now we can talk without being interrupted. What else happened?”
“Nothing. I left. I hid in the bathroom for awhile, called a cab, did some shopping, and came here.”
“I’m having trouble understanding what’s so awful about being with a man who’s rich, wants to be your husband, and wants a child.”
Amy turned to her friend. “That’s not what I’m getting at. It’s this control issue he has. How would you feel if Randy came home one day and started dictating your life? Let’s say he gave you a list of everything you had to do every day. He didn’t even ask if the list was convenient or if you could fit it into your busy schedule. He just told you that’s what was going to happen and then he broadcasted it to the public that you were going to do those things?”
Danielle nodded. “You’re right. I wouldn’t like it.”
Amy felt some of her fury depart at her friend’s sympathetic expression. “I mean, what if I didn’t want a child? Sure, he mentioned adopting if I couldn’t conceive, but what if I didn’t even want to do that? It’s like my thoughts and feelings don’t even factor into any of these decisions. The only thing he relented on was the job, but everything else?” She threw her hands up in the air and placed them on her knees. “I can’t let this go on. If I’m going to be married to him, this has to stop.”
Her jaw dropped. “You want to stay married to him?”
Amy shrugged. “He’s not a bad guy when he’s not controlling things.”
“Oh!” Danielle hugged her. “Thank you!”
“For what?”
“I foresee many happy shopping trips in our future!”
Amy groaned, but this time it was in amusement. “You’re awful, Danielle.”
“I know. What can I say? I love Nathan’s money.”
“Absolutely awful.”
“But he was good to the kids. They had fun this weekend. A guy who was that good to my kids can’t be all bad.”
“He controlled them too, you know.”
“Don’t worry. Out of the $30 they earned, Randy and I only let them keep $1 each.”
“$30? He’s insane,” Amy muttered. “The kids could have been bought for less than that.”
“Sure. At their age. But I won’t let that hinder his generous nature.”
“You really do have a price tag, don’t you?”
Danielle looked at her as if she was crazy. “You’re just now getting that?”
“It’s a good thing we met before I had more than $20 to my name.”
“Hey, friendship can’t be bought, okay? No matter what your financial status, you’ll always be my best friend.”
Amy smiled. “You’re mine too.”
“So, what are you doing here? If you’re not leaving him, then I assume you have a good reason for not going home.”
“I need to teach him that he can’t control me. I won’t blindly do whatever he says.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I need to think ahead.” Amy yawned. “But first, I should get a good night’s sleep.”
“It’s not that late out.”
“Maybe not but I didn’t get much sleep for the past couple of nights.”
“The kids have a hard time sleeping?”
“Not exactly.”
Danielle gasped. “Oh my gosh, you had sex with him!”
Amy shushed her. “Can you say that any louder?”
“Sorry. Is it true?”
“No. But we did sleep in the same bed, and I spent a good portion of the night debating whether we should or not.”
Danielle looked disappointed. “You know what your problem is?”
“That I’m married to a control freak?”
“No. It’s that you think too much. You’re always analyzing everything. Sometimes you need to stop thinking and act.”
“I need to think of how to get Nathan to start taking my opinion into consideration on these big issues,” Amy argued.
“Maybe you’d get somewhere if you gave him some satisfaction.”
Amy rolled her eyes.
“It works. Sometimes when I want something, I butter Randy up with some alone time, if you know what I mean.”
“You have no scruples.”
“Oh come on. You’re telling me you never used your feminine wiles to your advantage?”
“I didn’t need to. Sean wasn’t a control freak.”
“Alright. Fine. I got no scruples. But, I did get new flooring in the kitchen.”
“You had sex with Randy so you could get new tile?”
“No. I did the striptease and pole dance he’s always fantasized about for the new tile. I have sex with him regardless. I’m just saying sometimes you catch more flies with suga
r than with vinegar, that’s all. It doesn’t have to be sex. It could be something else. I like to call it a compromise. I do something I don’t really care to do to get something I want.”
“Like dressing up like a hooker for the hot tub?”
“Exactly!” Danielle patted her face. “It took awhile and some medicated cream, but the make-up came off. So it was definitely worth it.”
“Maybe.” Amy yawned again.
“I’m going to let you sleep. Things will look better in the morning. Good night.”
After Danielle left, Amy got ready for bed.
***
When Amy and Danielle got to work the next morning, Danielle shrieked and hurried to her new desk. “Look at this chair! I think it’s real leather.” She ran her hand over it. “It is. And look, we got new computers!”
Amy stood in the room, taking in all the new furnishings. Blinking, she shook her head and walked out of the building. Suite 105. She had the right place. She dumbly walked back in and watched as Danielle squealed in delight over all the new stuff.
“I should check the kitchen!” Danielle nearly bounced all the way to the small room in the back.
As her shock wore off, Amy stepped closer to her desk. Well, her name plate was there. That was good. It meant she was actually still working here. She went around her desk and touched the smooth surface of her desk. No chips or scratches from years of use. The brochures were neatly set in their respective slots along the side of the desk. A new calendar sat on her desk. New pens, new notepads, new... Well, new everything.
Danielle rushed out of the kitchen and grabbed Amy by the shoulders. “We have a frappuccino maker! Whatever you do, stay married to him.”
“When did he have time to do this?” Amy asked, bewildered.
“Who knows? Who cares?” Danielle let go of her and sat in her chair. Twirling around, she cheered. “You getting married to the boss was the best thing that’s ever happened to me!”
“He doesn’t do this for any of his other employees.”
“Exactly. That is why it’s a good thing I happen to work with you. Believe me, I’m counting my lucky stars on this one.” Danielle stopped spinning in her chair, looked under the desk, and gasped. “There’s even a heater under here so our feet can be warm in the winter. Oh, he is so thoughtful!”
The door chimed as a man walked in carrying a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates. “Is there an Amy Rudolph here?”
Danielle jumped out of her chair and patted Amy on the back. “She’s Amy Rudolph!”
“These are for you, ma’am.” The man set the items down, and Amy noted the card that was in the bouquet. “I hope you have a nice day.” He smiled at the two women and left.
“I envy you,” Danielle said as she leaned forward to smell the roses. “Nathan is so wonderful!”
Amy didn’t know if she wanted to read the card or not but reluctantly pulled it out. When she read it, her face grew hot with anger. She tore it up and threw it in the new trash can. Then she threw the roses in and picked up the box of chocolates.
“Wait!” Danielle grabbed her arm. “What is it?”
“All he wrote was that he made reservations at Dante Pizzeria Napoletana’s for noon. He didn’t even ask me if I wanted to go. He didn’t apologize. He didn’t even ask if I wanted to have lunch with him. He just expects me to show up, like I’m some kind of mindless puppet. I’m not a mindless puppet!” she screamed at the flowers sitting in the trash can. Grunting, she got ready to throw the box of chocolates on top of the flowers.
“Whoa! Whoa!” Danielle snatched the box from her. “No need to take out your frustrations on the chocolate. I’ll take these off your hands and eat them for you, okay?”
“I’m...I’m sick of this!” Amy was so upset, she had trouble thinking straight. “Does he honestly think I can be bought?”
Danielle shrugged and sat in her chair. She opened the box and clapped her hands. “He got the expensive kind. I know it’s wrong to love another man, but I do so love your husband, Amy.”
“I have to put a stop to this. I can’t keep letting him do this to me.”
Danielle plopped a chocolate square into her mouth and moaned. “Oh my gosh, this is as good as sex. Don’t tell Randy I said that.”
“I’m putting a stop to this.” Amy stormed over to the door and flung it open.
“Hold on!” Danielle quickly swallowed the treat and stood up. “Okay. You’re upset. You have every right to be. You’re not his employee...” She hesitated. “Well, you are but you’re also his wife. So you’re his equal. I get that, and I support you. You don’t have to jump because he says to, but I just beg you that whatever you do when you see him, please don’t end the marriage.”
Amy opted not to respond. Instead she gave her friend the eye roll and left the building. The walk down the six blocks to the Rudolph headquarters almost cooled her anger. Almost. But not quite.
She stormed into the tall building, ignoring the woman sitting at the front desk, and went straight for the elevator. She stepped in when the doors opened. Once the elevator went to the top floor, she charged out of it, ready to do battle with anyone who got in her way.
Carmen glanced up from the computer. “Door’s unlocked. Go on in.” She motioned to Nathan’s closed office door.
“Thanks,” Amy grumbled and flung the door wide open.
Nathan, who was reading through a document, looked up in surprise.
She slammed the door behind her and stormed over to his desk. Crossing her arms, she narrowed her eyes at him.
His eyes grew wide. “Are you unhappy about something?”
“I’m not going to lunch with you!”
“Why not? I picked the place you like the best.”
She resisted the urge to pull her hair out. “You don’t get it, do you? You just don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
She paced in front of his desk. “I’m not someone you can pay off, Nathan! You can’t give me gifts, snap your fingers, and expect me to come running. I’m not Danielle’s kids. I’m not—” She stopped herself before she said ‘employee’. “I’m not something you can control.”
Appearing confused, he shook his head. “What are you saying?”
“I’m not someone you can control!”
“So you’re upset because I sent you flowers and candy?”
She screamed in frustration.
Tyler came running into the office. “What’s wrong? Should I call 9-1-1?”
Amy turned to him and motioned to Nathan who continued to look confused. “Will you explain it to him? Please? He doesn’t get it. No matter how many times or how many ways I tell him to stop telling me what to do, he doesn’t listen!”
Tyler sighed. “Nathan, you’ve got to stop this.”
“Stop what? Buying things for my wife?”
Tyler gave her an apologetic look. “I knew this whole thing was a big mistake when he concocted this crazy scheme. Look, he doesn’t exactly have the best social skills when it comes to women.”
“Hey!” Nathan protested.
Tyler continued, ignoring his friend. “He thought if he interviewed all the single women in this company, the one he picked would be more than happy with being selected to be his wife. I know. Who in their right mind is going to believe that, right? Well, he’s not in his right mind.”
“I sign your paychecks,” Nathan reminded him.
“There’s something you have to understand about him,” Tyler went on, not seeming to care that Nathan was glaring at him. “Or maybe it’s something you should understand about most people who have accumulated a lot of money. A lot of people can be bought, and he’s learned that over the years. So when he wanted a child to leave his things to when he dies, he thought all he had to do was pick the woman and she’d come running.”
Amy rubbed her temples.
“I know,” Tyler assured her. “I told him it wouldn’t work, but he wouldn’t listen to reason.”
“So,” Nathan began, “you don’t like the fact that I sent you flowers and chocolates and made the reservation at the restaurant.”
“Ugg!” She threw her hands up in the air. “I give up. I’m going back to work, and I will not be meeting you for lunch!”
Without looking back, she headed out of the office.
Chapter Fifteen
Nathan watched as Amy stormed out of his office and entered the elevator. She glared at him. As the elevator doors closed, he waved to her. He noted her look of indignation before the elevator started going down.
He laughed. “Isn’t she great?”
Tyler shook his head. “You mean, you wanted her to do that?”
“I hoped it would happen, yes.” Nathan returned his gaze to the document.
Tyler walked over to the desk and pulled the document from him. “Do you mind explaining exactly what you are trying to achieve here?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“If it was, would I ask the question?”
He considered his friend’s statement. “You have a point.”
“So are you going to humor me and explain or are you just going to sit there with that idiot smile on your face?”
“She can’t be bought, and that means two things: she’s with me because she wants to be and she won’t let me control her.”
“You’re pushing her away from you, Nate.”
“If that was true, she’d be down at the courthouse filing for a divorce. But she’s not. She’s returning to work. Though why she insists on working when she doesn’t have to, I don’t understand.” He shrugged. “That’s a small matter.”
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?” Tyler sat on the edge of his desk and threw the document at him. “And you’re so proud of yourself.”
Nathan took the document and flipped to the page he needed. “No. I’m proud of her.” He glanced up at his friend. “You really believe I don’t understand women at all?”
What Nathan Wants Page 12
