Commitment

by K. M. Golland

  ‘Oh, Thomas, you’ve got so many more years of homework ahead of you. I suggest you learn to accept it, like it, even.’

  ‘Never.’ He trudged off to collect his homework book from his school bag.

  ‘So, I was thinking we should visit Bryce and Lexi later today,’ I suggested.

  ‘What?’ She snapped her head in my direction. ‘Why?’

  ‘I want to meet Eleanor.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Bryce’s new girl. Apparently he picked her up this week. He was telling me all about her at Thomas’s—’

  She held up a hand covered in cheese and rice, some of the mixture falling to the kitchen floor. ‘Hang on a minute. What are you—’

  ‘His new Shelby Mustang GT500,’ I interrupted, chuckling. ‘You know … Eleanor, from the movie Gone in Sixty Seconds?’

  She nodded but hesitated for a moment. ‘Right. Well … they might be busy. It’s Saturday afternoon.’

  ‘So ring and find out.’

  ‘It’s a bit rude, don’t you think? Inviting ourselves over.’

  ‘Since when has that ever stopped you before? It’s Lexi, Tash.’

  ‘Yeah, I know. It’s also my place of work,’ she whined. ‘I’ve been there all week.’

  ‘I get that, but Bryce’s penthouse isn’t your place of work.’

  She huffed. ‘Okay, I’ll shoot her a message.’

  * * *

  Three hours later, we were riding the elevator to the penthouse for Bryce’s famous fish ’n’ chip Saturday, and I couldn’t have been happier.

  ‘So what’s so good about his fish ’n’ chips?’ I asked.

  ‘I dunno.’ Tash shrugged. She was leaning against the fancyschmancy brass railing and mirrored panelling surrounding us, tapping her foot. ‘Alexis once mentioned that he makes the best tartare sauce, so maybe it’s that.’ She gently clipped William over the head. ‘Stop blowing fish faces on the mirror. You’re leaving smudges.’

  I smiled but gave Will my do-as-your-mother-says look when he glared at me.

  He huffed and looked down at his feet. ‘Mum, are you sure Nate is gonna be home?’

  ‘I think so. I’m pretty sure Rick was bringing him and Charlotte back today.’

  ‘How’s Rick going, by the way?’ I asked. ‘I haven’t seen him since Bryce and Alexis’s engagement party.’

  ‘Yeah, good.’ She gave me a weird smile and continued impatiently tapping her foot.

  ‘You have to admit that he’s had a rough couple of years with Alexis leaving him.’

  ‘Karma’s a bitch.’ Her answer was curt and uninterested.

  ‘You all right? You’ve been a bit anxious since we got here.’

  ‘I’m fine. I just don’t like elevators.’

  ‘Since when?’

  ‘Since the one I was in last night got stuck.’

  ‘Shit! Really? You didn’t tell me that.’

  ‘I didn’t have time. And anyway, it’s fine, it wasn’t stuck for long.’

  Thomas threaded his fingers through Tash’s. ‘Is this elevator gonna get stuck?’

  ‘No!’ She pulled him to her side and wrapped her arm around him. ‘And if it did, we’d be fine.’

  He nodded, and then his eyes lit up. ‘Because Dale would save us, right?’ There’s that fucking name again.

  ‘He’d see us through the security cameras and he’d save us. Can he see us now?’ Thomas jumped up and down and waved at the camera perched high in the corner of the cart. ‘Hi, Dale. It’s me, Cadet Thomas.’

  ‘Stop that,’ Tash hissed. ‘He’s not watching. He can’t see you.’

  ‘How do you know? We watched you when you were in your office, remember? He can see everything.’

  A feeling of uncertainty swept over me. He watched Tash when she was in her office? What the fuck? ‘You have a camera in your office?’

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes. ‘It’s outside my office. Security can see in when my door is open.’

  ‘Isn’t that an invasion of your privacy?’ I wasn’t sure I liked that this Dale dude could spy on my wife.

  Tash tilted her head a little. ‘Well, no, it’s not. They have every right to monitor their employees.’

  I shrugged; she had a point. ‘Fair enough.’ It also got me thinking whether I had a camera in my office. I’d never even looked.

  The elevator pulled to a stop on the forty-third floor of City Towers. We stepped out and made our way to the penthouse apartment, pushing the buzzer in the foyer and being greeted by Alexis when she opened the door.

  ‘Hi, guys. Come on in.’

  I couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated every time we visited Bryce and Lexi, because, as you’d expect, the penthouse was dripping with money. I’d only ever been there a handful of times — a few before the explosion and a few after the renovation — and although the previous ‘rich dude’ interior of blacks and whites had been replaced with the creams and browns of ‘rich family’, you were still made aware of the wealth surrounding you, if not by the massive chandelier hanging in the centre of the living room, then by the skyscraper views beyond the two-storey-high ceiling windows. But that wasn’t to say Bryce and Alexis rubbed it in your face or made you feel uncomfortable, because they didn’t. And without personally knowing any other billionaires for comparison, Bryce was a decent, giving bloke. I liked the guy, and I was glad Tash worked for him.

  ‘Make yourselves at home. Bryce is in the kitchen with Lucy, Nic and the little ones. And, boys,’ she said to William and Thomas, ‘Nate and Charli are in their rooms. Go on upstairs if you like.’

  The boys rushed up the spiral staircase while Tash and I followed Alexis into the kitchen. Lucy — Bryce’s sister — and her partner Nicole were feeding little Brayden and their son, Alexander, who were both in highchairs. Bryce was standing behind the bench, dipping pieces of seafood in batter while wearing an apron that read ‘Nobody likes a burnt burger’. It was not exactly the type of apron you’d expect a billionaire to wear. Then again, I wouldn’t expect him to wear one at all. He could afford to ruin his clothes.

  As we approached the bench, Bryce lifted his chin and smiled. ‘Tash, Dean, glad you could make it.’ He wiped his batter-covered hands on a tea towel and then threw it on the chopping board beside him. ‘Beer?’ he asked me.

  I nodded. ‘Thanks.’

  ‘How ’bout you, Tash?’

  ‘You should know by now, boss-man, that my middle name is vino.’

  His eyebrow rose, his expression one of good-humoured annoyance. ‘Vino it is.’

  ‘Soo …’ I said, nodding towards him with a shit-eating grin on my face. ‘Interesting apron you got there.’

  Bryce glanced down briefly then gave Alexis one of his infamous smirks before turning to open the fridge.

  She giggled and leaned over the bench, resting her chin in her hands. ‘Carly and I got them for Bryce and Derek. Aren’t they cute?’

  ‘I was thinking more along the lines of … unusual.’

  Bryce handed me my beer and Tash her glass of wine then positioned himself behind Alexis. She stood upright, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

  ‘The apron has a hidden meaning,’ he said, nuzzling her neck. ‘And she won’t bloody tell me what.’

  He went to bite her skin but she pulled away and punched him on the arm. ‘Very true, Mr Clark. And I never shall.’

  Seeing the two of them together reminded me of how Tash and I once were. We hadn’t been all touchy-feely or lovey-dovey with each other since before the boys were born. Come to think of it, a lot had changed since the boys had come along. But that was marriage. Our flame still burned, just with less ferocity. And for a while after William was born, I’d continued to try and fuel our flame by making ‘moves’ on my wife, but slowly and surely she’d ‘moved’ away from my moves until I just didn’t bother making them anymore.

  Rejection stung no matter how old you were or what genitals you packed.

  I never pushe
d the issue with her, though. I understood that being a mother to two boys was draining and hard, because being a father to two boys wasn’t all that different. Deep down I knew that she loved me despite our flame only flickering. I knew that she appreciated and respected me, as I did her. And at the end of the day that was what kept our flame from extinguishing. Still, I’d had no idea that sex after marriage was like an Olympic medal — you had a chance to fight like fuck for it every four years.

  I grinned, having fought earlier in the day and having scored myself the gold.

  ‘NO!’ Alexander shouted just as a piece of broccoli flew past my head.

  My grin vanished.

  ‘Naughty boy,’ Nic gasped. ‘Don’t do that.’

  ‘Down. Ander down,’ he protested, slamming his grubby hands on the highchair tray.

  Lucy put down the bowl and spoon she was feeding Brayden with. ‘I’m so sorry, Dean. Did it hit you?’ She wiped his chubby little chin and cheeks with his bib. ‘All done. Good boy. Aunty Lucy will feed you over her naughty son any day.’

  I laughed. ‘Nah, he missed, it’s all good. What Tash throws at me is a lot worse than that.’

  My wife glared. ‘I’ll throw something at you now if you’re not careful.’

  I winked at her and chuckled … because I’d no doubt that she would.

  ‘Right. I’ll set the table,’ Alexis said, shrugging out from under Bryce’s arm and bending down to open a cupboard.

  Tash put her wine glass down on the bench. ‘I’ll help.’

  ‘Good. Hold this.’ Alexis stood back up and brought with her a huge roll of paper. She disappeared behind the bench again, this time re-emerging with what looked like a picnic rug. ‘Okay. Follow me.’

  I was very fucking confused.

  Minutes later, they were back, the fish ’n’ chips were ready, Lucy and Nic had settled the boys, and I was being asked to carry a bottle of tomato sauce and a bowl of lemon wedges. I followed Alexis and Bryce out of the kitchen and nearly stopped short when I noticed a picnic style set-up on the floor in the middle of the room.

  I was now even more fucking confused.

  ‘Don’t look so scared, Dean,’ Lucy said with a laugh.

  ‘I’m not. I just … wasn’t expecting this.’

  ‘How did you eat your fish ’n’ chips when you were younger then?’

  ‘On a plate, and sat on the couch in front of the telly.’

  ‘Well,’ she said, scooping some chips and fish pieces onto what looked like a paper picnic rug in front of her, ‘Mum and Dad always spread it out on the floor like this for us. When they died, Bryce and I vowed to keep doing the things that we’d loved doing together as a family. Fish ’n’ chip Saturday on the floor is one of them.’

  ‘Except now I cook it,’ Bryce chimed in.

  ‘And you make your own sauce,’ Alexis added. She bit her lip and didn’t look up.

  The man smirked, again. ‘Yes, honey, I do.’

  ‘Okay. That’s it,’ Tash said, taking the sauce and lemons from my hands and placing them on the paper picnic. ‘Fess up. What’s so good about Bryce’s sauce?’

  I knelt down beside her and the boys, curious to know the answer.

  ‘Why, it’s homemade, of course,’ Alexis explained.

  She and Tash stared each other down, their eyes silently discussing something that was oblivious to the rest of us. When Tash squinted, Alexis pursed her lips. When Alexis smiled, Tash screwed up her face and looked as if she was ready to vomit. And that was when Alexis blurted out, ‘No. Good God, no, you idiot.’ She also removed the sauce bottle from Charlotte’s overzealous hands. ‘You might actually want some chips with your sauce, Charli Bear.’

  Tash playfully whacked William’s arm. ‘Settle, piglet. Everyone else needs to eat too.’ She pointed to Alexis. ‘And I should hope you’re right, missy. Because that … what you just insinuated with your Jedi mind trickery, is just … just all kinds of Wrongtown.’

  I took the bottle of Coke from Thomas’s shaky grip and poured his drink for him. ‘What the hell are you two talking about?’

  ‘Mate,’ Bryce said casually, leaning back on his hands, his legs crossed at the ankle. ‘I wouldn’t even go there.’

  I cocked my head but decided to take his word for it. ‘If you say so.’

  ‘Ahhh … this!’ Lucy waved her hand among us all, then, with exaggeration, popped a chip in her mouth. ‘I just love this. This is what fish ’n’ chip Saturday is all about.’

  I smiled.

  I also understood what was so good about Bryce’s fish ’n’ chips.

  CHAPTER

  17

  DEAN

  After we’d eaten dinner and cleaned up, Bryce took me down to his private car park, or, more accurately, his car museum. I’d been there before, but fuck me dead it was a man’s wet dream. We’re talkin’ Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bel Air, Mercedes Benz … a goddamn McLaren.

  ‘I’m an honest guy,’ I said, scrubbing my hand over my face, ‘which is why I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t serious movement in my pants right now.’

  He slapped me on the back, nice and manly. ‘I can appreciate that.’

  ‘Good. Just wanted to clear that up.’ I turned my head from side to side, treating my eyes to some serious machinery. ‘You’re gonna need another car park soon by the looks of it.’

  ‘Got it covered.’ He put his hands in his pockets and casually walked ahead.

  ‘Yeah, I have no doubt.’ I followed him, feeling like a kid in a candy store. ‘Can I ask you a favour?’

  ‘You’re not borrowing the Reventon,’ he interrupted.

  I chuckled nervously. ‘Nah, nah. That’s not what I’m talking about.’ I stopped walking. ‘But hang on a minute … are you saying I can borrow a different one then? Seriously?’

  ‘Sure. No fucking on the exterior, though. Unless you know a real good panel beater.’

  I shook my head, bewildered. ‘Of course not. Who’d be crazy enough to fuck on these beauties?’

  ‘Lex and I have fucked on every single one of them.’

  There was so much confidence in his voice. There was also a shitload of ‘and I don’t give a fuck about it, either’. Then again, if I had as much money as him, I’d be that confident too.

  ‘You’ve fucked on all of them? How the hell did you manage tha—’ I rounded the corner, unable to finish my own sentence for almost blowing a load in my pants. Eleanor. Oh, sweet, sexy Eleanor. ‘Oh yeah. Nice. She’s perfect. Sleek, shiny, delicate and dangerous.’ My hand shot out to caress her, but I hesitated and held it back. ‘Mmmm. Curves in all the right places.’

  Bryce laughed. ‘Do you need a moment?’

  ‘Yeah, I think I do.’

  ‘Go on then, take one. Open her up.’

  ‘For real?’

  ‘Of course.’

  I grasped the handle and pushed the release button, swinging the door open and feeling how a car door should weigh. It was heavy. Fierce. Eleanor felt like a vehicle, and nothing like the imported plastic crap that a lot of cars were made from nowadays.

  Lowering myself into the driver’s seat, I took in the pristine interior and then simply sunk into what could only be described as pure bliss covered in sheer fucking envy. What I wouldn’t give to be Bryce Edward Clark: billionaire, smirker extraordinaire, and owner of some serious carporn.

  ‘You really do have everything, don’t you?’

  He appeared at the passenger-side window. ‘What?’

  ‘I said you really do have everything.’

  ‘Yeah, I have a lot. But you and I both have what’s important.’

  ‘With all due respect, that’s easy to say when you’re you.’

  ‘What is it you want that you don’t have?’

  ‘Eleanor, for starters.’

  He scoffed but then smiled. ‘She’s just a car.’

  ‘A really fucking nice car.’

  ‘Fair enough. What else don’t you have?’

 
; ‘Errr … I don’t know. Maybe a few billion dollars, a fucking awesome sex life, and a six-pack. Nah, scrap that. I’d be happy with a two-pack.’

  ‘Well, Deano, it just so happens I can help you with all of that.’

  I laughed and placed my hands on the steering wheel. ‘Yeah? How so?’

  ‘You need a loan to invest? I’ll gladly tee something up. You want to get fit? Come train with me. You want a fucking awesome sex life? Tell me what’s wrong with the one you have.’

  ‘That’s just it. I don’t have one.’ I turned my head and met his stare. ‘And I was kidding ’bout the billion dollars. But thanks for the offer.’

  ‘Well, I wasn’t kidding. The offer still stands. Same as the personal training.’ He opened the passenger-side door and took a seat beside me. ‘Now, this sex life … what are we talkin’ about here? Once or twice a week?’

  This time I full-on belly laughed. It was sad. Really fucking sad. ‘Try once or twice every couple of months.’

  There was silence for a moment, and I was almost afraid to check whether or not he was still breathing.

  ‘You havin’ issues gettin’ it up?’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Tash got woman problems?’

  ‘No. Well … she gets headaches, cramps, sore throats and other shit. But every woman gets that.’

  Bryce sucked in a deep breath and forcefully blew it out of his nose. ‘What the fuck is wrong with you?’

  ‘What? Me? Nothing. I want sex. Tash doesn’t. And when she does want it, it’s husband and wife sex, which I’m not complaining about. It’s just always the same.’

  ‘What the hell is husband and wife sex?’ His face was twisted with horrified confusion.

  ‘Ya know … or maybe you don’t. But it’s “let’s kiss, I’ll slip it in and out a few times, and then we’ll come together, quietly, all while the kids are asleep”.’

  ‘Jesus fucking Christ!’ He covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head in disbelief.

  Shame swept over me like an icy breeze, and I felt as if I’d let him down, like he was a father with high expectations and I was the failure of a child. I also felt the dire need to redeem myself. ‘But …’ I added enthusiastically, ‘I fucked her doggy-style this afternoon, right after she gave me head.’ I waggled my eyebrows at him.