Zoey's Place

by E M Bannock

  At that moment she heard the sound of the front door opening. “Babe, I’m home.” Mickey was calling out from the living room. She threw the silk robe back on and rushed to his waiting arms, bursting into tears.

  “Hey, hey,” he consoled. “What’s all this about? We’ve only been apart for a few hours. What’s going on?” He could feel her tremble in his embrace.

  “Oh, Mickey,” she said through the sobs. “It’s that dream. It seemed so real and so horrible. I felt like my world was falling apart.”

  He stroked her hair and pulled her close. “Zoey, it was only a dream. Look, I’m here and I’m fine. We’re both fine here in Zoey’s Place.” But his mind was replaying the conversation he’d had with the sheikh just hours ago about the growing danger and unrest in the Arab countries. Extra precautions were being put in place and more security was being hired for his next visit, which would take place in just seven days. Could she feel it? Was the danger so great that she’d had a premonition of some future disaster? Mickey didn’t want to think about that now. He forced it out of his head.

  For a few minutes they just stood there, holding each other tightly. Zoey stopped crying, loosened her grip on him, and wiped away her tears. “I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you, Mickey. You’re my life, my love, my very reason for existing.”

  “I feel the same way, babe.”

  She looked up and saw his smiling face. The fear subsided and she smiled back.

  “That’s better,” he said as he stepped back and admired his beautiful wife in the dim light. He breathed in her heavenly scent. “You smell good,” he said as he reached out and pulled the sash of her robe, letting it fall open and exposing her naked body underneath. “Why don’t you pour us some drinks and wait for me in the bedroom. I want to take a quick shower and then I’m going to give you that massage I promised.”

  She smiled and rushed off to the kitchen, feeling at peace once again and grateful for her life.

  For the next two days the outside world ceased to exist and they didn’t leave their home. They could have been on a different planet. Their sexual feast celebrated their love and desire, their oneness and commitment to each other. They rang in the New Year in each other’s arms and with Mickey inside her.

  Chapter 13

  In the blink of an eye their holiday was over. Mickey traveled back to the Mideast and Zoey went back to their Michigan home. Weeks and months were filled with a blur of activity, but Zoey didn’t mind. It kept her mind off of the nagging fear for Mickey’s safety that was always in the back of her mind.

  It was the third week of May, and Jonathan’s divorce case would be heard by the court in two days. Her office was a beehive of activities. As usual, Annette controlled the chaos so Zoey could focus on the important things. She’d spoken to all of her witnesses and made sure they knew why they were being called to testify. Annette helped her go over the exhibits that would be presented in court: phone records, pictures, and videos. Joanne had called several times. Each time Zoey had to calm her fears and assure her that they had a strong case and, although you could never guarantee how a judge will rule, she was cautiously optimistic that Jonathan would get full custody of his son.

  Two weeks before the hearing, Jonathan and Rhonda were able to reach an agreeable property settlement. They really didn’t have much to split up, just their cars, clothes, and some household items. The bulk of the furniture from the tiny apartment and a lot of communal possessions, mostly wedding gifts, had been sold at a garage sale and the profits held in escrow. They agreed to use the profits towards their credit card debt, which was split 50/50. They had no real estate or any significant savings. This case was all about child custody.

  Zoey had enough witnesses lined up to prove that Rhonda was not only unfaithful to Jonathan, more than once, a fact which might come as a surprise to her current lover, but also the fact that she had made it no secret she had never wanted to be a wife or mother and was really only in it for the money. She foolishly thought that Jonathan came from money, and was looking for alimony and child support. It also didn’t help that during the holidays she had been caught and arrested for driving drunk, and in March she was arrested for drunken disorder at a local bar after getting hammered and starting a fight with one of Jonathan’s friends who called her a whore. She spent that night in jail.

  Zoey had done a background check on Rhonda and found three previous arrest records from Pasco County, two aggravated assaults, and one shoplifting. She had been fined for the shoplifting and had to attend Anger Management class for the first assault charge, but she actually did six months in the county jail for the second one. All of this was before she met Jonathan, who was unaware of her past.

  CASA and the GAL had already submitted their reports, all favorable to Jonathan, and they were ready to testify to that effect. This, Zoey felt, was her ace in the hole. She knew how important this was to the judge.

  The night before court she lay in her bed, full of anxiety and unable to sleep. She looked at the bedside clock. It was already 11 o’clock. It would be 6 AM in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where Mickey was. He told her he always got up at 5:00 AM when he was on the road. She decided to call him.

  The phone rang only once before he answered. “Hey, babe,” he answered. “Everything all right?” Somehow he sensed her nervousness.

  Just hearing his voice calmed her. “Yeah,” she said. “Jonathan’s case is tomorrow and I can’t sleep. I just needed to hear your voice. Are you okay, Mickey?”

  “I’m fine,” he reassured. “Listen, you’re going to do great in court. You’ve got this woman dead to rights. She’s a horrible mother and a horrible person. No judge in their right mind would give that boy to a nut case like her.”

  She felt better but she knew anything could happen. She missed him, and the sound of his voice, while comforting, only made it worse. “When are you coming home?” she asked desperately.

  There was a pause. “Not for a while, babe.” His words were edged with sadness. “I was going to call you later. This deal is tougher than we anticipated and Allen and I have to stay here and make it right. Might be another two weeks.”

  She felt crushed. “It’s not fair,” she said, pouting into the phone. “You’ve already been gone for two weeks. You need to come home. I need you. I can’t wait another two weeks.”

  He felt her pain. “I know, hon. Hey, why don’t you come out here for a few days?”

  She thought about it for a moment. She hated it there, but she missed him more. “Do I have to wear a hijab?”

  “Only if we have dinner with the sheikh. Things have changed since the last time you were here. American women get away with a lot more.”

  She still didn’t like it. Women were treated so badly there. It made her furious. “I don’t know,” she said with trepidation. “Why can’t you come home for a few days?”

  “Babe,” he said matter-of-factly, “we both know the answer to that. Just come for a few days. I promise you won’t have to see anyone. I’ve got a morning meeting on Saturday that Allen can handle by himself.” There was no response from the other end. He continued, “I’m gonna fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk.” He heard her giggle on the other end.

  “I’ll send the car to pick you up from the airport. You can come right to the hotel and we’ll have all our meals delivered. We don’t even have to have dinner with the sheikh if you don’t want to. What do you say? I know you need it and, frankly, so do I. I didn’t realize how much I missed you until I heard your voice. In fact, my dick is hard as a rock right now. I’m going to have to jerk off before I leave for work.”

  She laughed and gave in. “Oh, I can never say no to you,” she conceded. “I’ll try to get the first flight out on Friday and stay for the weekend.”

  “Great,” he exclaimed. “I’ll take care of things on this end. Now, what am I going to do about this hard-on? What are you wearing?”

  The next day Zoey presented her
case for Jonathan’s divorce to the court. She was pleased with the way it went down. The barrage of witnesses and reports showing how unfit Rhonda was as a mother was more than Rhonda and her attorney could handle. They were left fumbling and speechless throughout the day. Their evidence to the contrary was flimsy at best, and most of what was presented was thrown out as hearsay. In fact, even though they had reserved the entire day in court, because Zoey’s case was presented so solidly and Rhonda’s case presented so weakly, they were out of the courthouse by 2 PM. Zoey felt pleased. Joanne and Jonathan were all smiles.

  The only unpleasantness came afterwards in the courthouse parking complex. Zoey and Annette had come together in Zoey’s car. Joanne and Jonathan had parked next to them. They entered the complex together and headed towards their cars.

  Suddenly Rhonda’s car raced around the corner of the lot and came to a screeching halt in front of them. Her eyes were blazing and her face was contorted in an evil scowl. Zoey looked inside and noticed that her boyfriend, Jacob, aka Spider, was sitting next to her, looking just as sheepish as he had looked all day in court. His ill-fitting sport coat and dress shirt had been replaced with a tight camo t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. For the first time Zoey noticed a tattoo of a spider on his right upper arm. It sent a shiver up her spine.

  “You think you’re so smart!” Rhonda yelled at her, snapping her back to attention. “You think you won. But you didn’t.”

  Zoey tried to defuse the situation. “Rhonda, you need to go home,” she said calmly, but Rhonda would have no part of calm.

  “You haven’t heard the last from me!” she screamed out. “You’ll be sorry you ever crossed me. I’ll get you, Lawyer Lady. I’m not done with you yet!”

  Her words were still echoing off the parking lot walls as she sped away, squealing the tires and leaving marks on the pavement, the smell of burnt rubber in the air.

  Joanne and Jonathan looked at Zoey with fear in their eyes. “Zoey,” Joanne spoke, “do you want me to call the police?”

  Zoey thought about it for a moment. “I’ll be fine. It’s not the first time I’ve been threatened. They usually don’t go any farther than that.” She wasn’t sure if she was trying to reassure her friends or herself. Rhonda was particularly vengeful. Zoey had found that out during the background work preparing for the hearing.

  “You need to call the police, Zoey.” Jonathan was speaking now. “She’s really pissed. I wouldn’t put it past her to try something.”

  “He’s right, Zoey,” Joanne said. “At least call the Birmingham cops and let them know what happened, and ask them to do a few extra patrols around your house.”

  “You guys,” Zoey tried to sound confident, “I’ll be fine. I’ve got a killer alarm system in the house. No one is going to break in without a million alarms going off and an automatic 911 call. Now go home and relax.” She hugged her friends. “The hard part is over. Now we wait. The judge won’t make a decision for at least a week. Go home and love up that little boy who needs you both more now than ever. Give him a kiss from Aunt Zoey.”

  Reluctantly, Joanne and Jonathan left. Jonathan gave Zoey a tight bear hug. “Thanks, Zoey. I really mean it. You were great in there. I’m glad you were on my side.”

  “Thanks,” she whispered back. “You’re a good guy.” She kissed him on the cheek and stood back.

  Joanne pushed in and grabbed Zoey around so hard she couldn’t breathe. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for our family.” She barely got the words out before breaking into tears and sobs of gratitude.

  Zoey pushed back and grabbed Joanne’s hands. She looked her friend in the eye. “We are family, sweetie,” she said with a smile. “I’d do it a hundred times again if I had to.” Joanne’s sobs became louder as Jonathan directed her towards the car.

  Annette and Zoey got into her car and headed back to the office. “Boss,” Annette said, “Rhonda is a crazy bitch. Maybe you should call the police and put them on alert, just to be safe.”

  ‘Oh, Annette,” Zoey replied. “You know how these people are. They get all upset after a bad day in court and make all kinds of threats that, in the end, don’t materialize. She’s not stupid enough to do anything now.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Annette said. “She just gives me the creeps.”

  “You and me both,” Zoey said, trying to put little emphasis on the incident. “But I’ll be fine.”

  That night Zoey couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling she had ever since Rhonda threatened her. The words reverberated in her head over and over again. “I’ll get you, Lawyer Lady. I’m not done with you yet!”

  As a precaution Zoey, did put the Birmingham Police on alert and requested the extra drive-by. That night she noticed a patrol car cruising the block at least once every hour, hesitating in front of her house for a moment or two every time.

  It usually took over a week for the judge’s decision to come down. But in this case, it didn’t take that long to decide. Two days later, as she was packing for her weekend rendezvous with Mickey, Annette called with the news.

  “Hey, boss lady. Are you ready for some good news?”

  “Annette, what is it? Did I win the lottery?” Zoey kidded, not having the slightest idea what it could be.

  “The court ruled in your favor on Jonathan’s case. You got everything you asked for. She even has to pay Jonathan child support. Congratulations.”

  This last bit of information was even more than Zoey had asked for. “No kidding?” Zoey sat down on the edge of her bed, trying to take it all in. “What about the visitations?” she asked.

  “Just what you asked for—once a month for four hours, supervised by CASA, for the first three years, subject to annual review by the GAL after that,” Annette answered with excitement. “Hot damn, girl. You did good!”

  “Thanks,” Zoey said modestly. “I couldn’t have done it without you. You know that.”

  “I know,” Annette answered, “but you’re the brains. I just follow your lead. You want to call Jonathan, or should I? I know you’re getting ready for your trip.”

  “I’ll call,” Zoey said. “I don’t have to leave for the airport for another two hours.” She was anxious to tell Jonathan and Joanne the good news. She felt relieved. This would take a lot of stress off of her and allow her to concentrate on Mickey during their short time together.

  “I’ll start the paperwork and have everything ready for your review when you get back, “Annette said. “Now, you go and have a good time with Mickey. Don’t worry about the office. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Like you always do, Annette. Thanks,” she said. “See you next Wednesday.”

  It was early in the day and Zoey knew Jonathan would be at work, so she decided to call Joanne and let her tell Jonathan. She would have a formal meeting with him after she returned. Joanne answered the phone on the first ring. “We won,” Zoey said without any introduction.

  It took Joanne a moment or two for the news to sink in. “Oh, my God!” she shrieked, then she realized the impact of Zoey’s statement. “Hold on, Zoey. Jonathan is here; he took the day off.” There was a pause before she continued. “Jonathan, pick up the phone. It’s Zoey!” she shouted out. “Zoey, I want you to tell Jonathan.”

  She waited patiently, smiling.

  There was a click as he picked up a phone. “Okay, Zoey. I’m here,” he said.

  “Jonathan, the worst part is over. You were awarded full custody of your son. Congratulations,” Zoey announced.

  “Oh, man,” he said, his voice cracking. “Thank you, Zoey. Thank you so much.”

  “It was my pleasure,” she replied. “We got the visitation schedule we suggested. Your ex even has to pay you child support.”

  Joanne was overcome and couldn’t speak. She just kept muttering the words ‘thank you’ softly into the phone as Zoey explained the details and the next steps of the process.

  Chapter 14

  The trip to Saudi Arabia was long an
d boring. As promised, Mickey sent a car to bring Zoey to the hotel where he was staying. The man holding the placard with her name on the front looked American and greeted her in perfect Texan English as she approached him. Thank goodness for that, she thought. No language barrier. The car was a sleek black stretch limo like the limos she used in the States. The driver didn’t say much, which was just as well. Zoey always felt so out of place here. As they drove the flat, hot, white streets of Riyadh she noticed the bearded men walking freely as the covered women sheepishly made their way through the streets, usually with a child or two in tow. It was midafternoon and the heat was unbearable. The few palm trees she saw gave little shade for the women, who she figured must be roasting under all those clothes. She hated this place. Thankfully, she would only be here a couple of days. Days filled with sexual ecstasy, she hoped.

  It had been two full weeks since she was with her husband. This assignment had been particularly hard, and their communications had not been regular. When they did talk, the conversations were usually short. She could feel the tension and tremendous stress he was under.

  A deal he and Allen had been working on for two years was supposed to close a week ago, but at the last minute other options opened up for the client, most likely a competitor’s bid, and the Saudis wanted to renegotiate. She didn’t know the details, but knew this was a big deal for corporate.

  She had no idea what state of mind Mickey would be in when she saw him, but she knew he would be feeling better by the time she left. She leaned back into the head rest, closed her eyes, and conjured up an image of him naked before her. She pictured his muscular arms glistening with sweat. Hot as molten steel and just as strong. She could almost feel the ripples of his chest and his well-toned body. What would she do with him tonight? Would she let him take charge, or should she? She read somewhere that men who have to make heavy decisions for a living often like to be submissive in sex and turn control over to their partner. It served as a psychological release for them to not have to make choices. That was the course she chose to take. This was going to be fun. She smiled to herself and thought of all the possibilities.