Dominica reaches her front door and looks in her purse for her key. But before she can find it, the door swings open. She looks up and is surprised to see her daughter Jo standing there, upset and angry. She looks like she hasn’t slept. Tears are welling up in her eyes, and she crosses her arms in a defiant gesture.
‘Mom…where the hell have you been? You’ve been out all night. I thought you were dead!’
‘My God, Jo. You’re not supposed to be home yet. I wasn’t expecting you until later. You said you would be at your father’s place until mid-morning today.’
‘Yeah, I know. But I had a row with Dad last night – you know what he’s like. I couldn’t stay there a minute longer. So I came home early. I thought I would get some sympathy and comfort from my Mom, and instead I just found an empty house. No note or anything. I’ve been calling and calling your cell phone, but there’s no answer. I must have left you a hundred messages. I was so worried…you’ve been gone all night.’
Jo turns away from the door, tears welling up in her eyes. She stomps away into the kitchen as Dominica finds her cell phone in her purse. The battery is dead. Damn. She had been so wrapped in getting ready to go out with Max that she had completely forgotten to charge her phone. That wasn’t like her at all. Being available for Jo has always been her 100% No.1 priority. Now she has let her daughter down just when Jo needed her most.
What was happening to her? Was she becoming so wrapped up in herself that the most important person in her world was now her No.2 priority? That wasn’t right at all. Dominica rushes into the kitchen and finds Jo hunting in the fridge for some comfort food.
‘Jo…I’m so sorry. What can I say? You know I love you more than anything. I always keep my phone charged, but somehow I forgot last night. I had other things on my mind…’
‘I bet you did. I saw you in that guy’s car, groping and pawing. I looked out the window and saw some tart snogging at the bottom of our driveway…and then I realized it was you…my Mom! I saw where he was putting his hands, too. That wasn’t a peck-on-the-cheek goodbye. What’s happening, Mom – did you sleep with him? You went on some kind of one-night stand, is that it?’
Oh, crap…Jo saw all that. I guess that’s not the way you want to see your Mom behaving. This is all getting out of control. I really didn’t mean any of this to happen.
‘Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t plan all this – it just kind of happened. You know I care about you so much. Being your mother is more important to me than anything else.’
‘Yeah, right. So important that you went off and humped the first guy who came along.’
‘No, Jo, it wasn’t like that. Max is a special kind of guy. I just wanted one night of happiness. Is that too much to ask? You don’t know what it’s like to be me…you wouldn’t understand.’
‘Oh, so I’m just a kid who wouldn’t understand, huh? I’m sixteen, Mom, not six. I understand you want a man in your life. Of course you would, and you should, too. I don’t have a problem with that. You deserve all the happiness you can get. But I didn’t expect to find you acting like some cheap tramp. Heck, it’s supposed to be you having a go at me for sleeping around. I’m the teenager with the rampant hormones. You’re the mature, responsible parent, remember.’
Jo slams the door of the fridge shut and carries the remains of a chocolate fudge cake to the table. Dominica bought the cake a few days earlier as comfort food for herself, to keep her company while Jo was away. But then she found other ways to pass the time instead.
Jo settles into a chair and broke off a big chunk of cake. She brushes a tear from her eyes and gives Dominica a level stare.
‘OK, it’s not that big a deal. I was just worried that something had happened to you. It’s so unlike you to disappear like that. You never do anything interesting. I should be pleased that you have some kind of personal life at last. So where did you meet this guy, anyway?’
Dominica is relieved that Jo is calming down, and tries to gather her thoughts. She sits across the table from Jo and starts to explain.
‘My car broke down a couple of days ago. He kind of rescued me. And then things happened from there. None of this was planned, Jo. I just saw a chance for a little happiness and grabbed it with both hands. Is that really so wrong?’
‘This is some guy who picked you up at the side of the road a couple of days ago, and you are already spending the night with him. He must be one hell of a good lay, Mom.’
Oh, more than you can imagine Jo…much more than you can imagine. Don’t ask me about that. Better not to go there…
‘Look, he’s not just some guy, Jo. He is a very respectable businessman. He really helped me out.’
‘He’s stinking rich if his Merc is anything to go by. They don’t give those away in packets of cornflakes. So how much is he worth?’
‘I don’t care about his money. He just made me feel like a woman for once. I had a great time last night. Do you really mind that so much?’
‘No, of course I don’t. Not really. Sorry for having a go at you, Mom.’
Jo pushed the plate of cake away, stood up and crossed the room to where Dominica stood. They hugged, and Dominica felt the tears welling up in her eyes. Nothing would ever be more important than her relationship with Jo.
‘I love you, Jo, I really do. I didn’t mean to scare you. I won’t let that happen again.’
‘I love you, too, Mom. And I want you to be happy. It was just a bit of a shock, you know. I expected to find you vacuuming the carpet and doing the laundry, and instead I see you being seduced by some hot hunk in a Mercedes. I really didn’t see that one coming.’
Dominica pulls away and smiles. ‘Yeah, you’ve got to admit – he is kind of hot, isn’t he? So at least you can see why I was interested.’
Jo grins back. ‘To tell you the truth, I didn’t get that good a look because your face was so wrapped around him I couldn’t see more than his hair. But any guy that makes my Mom happy is OK with me.’
Dominica begins to relax. ‘Thank God for that. I would do anything to avoid upsetting you. So are we cool now, Jo?’
‘Yeah, I suppose so…just one condition.’
‘Condition? What’s that?’ Dominica senses some negotiation in the air.
‘Billy has arranged to pick me up in an hour and take me to the mall. I arranged it yesterday before all this blew up. It’s no big deal, we’re just going to hang out and have some harmless fun. If you’re cool with me seeing Billy, then I’m cool with you seeing Mr. Merc man.’
Hmmm. Dominica is not super keen on Billy. He is a little older than Jo, nearly eighteen, and tries to act like he is twenty five. Normally, she would give Jo a hard time and plenty of lectures on not being led astray. But if she was to try that now, Jo would no doubt respond with something about ‘people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.’ Dominica realizes she has put herself in a difficult position. This time she will have to be more accommodating than the conservative mom inside her would really like. She decides that discretion is the better part of valor on this occasion.
‘OK,’ she says reluctantly. ‘As long as you don’t let him drag you into anything stupid.’
‘What…like groping me on the driveway?’
‘That was uncalled for, Miss Dunn. But I take your point.’
5: Dominica’s Dilemma
Billy arrives on the dot to pick up Jo, and Dominica stands by the living-room window, watching them drive off with mixed feelings. On the one hand, she is glad she and Jo have patched things up, but on the other hand, she is worried that she has opened up a can of worms. How is she going to keep her impressionable daughter under control, now that the girl has seen her Mom running off and sleeping with a man she hardly knows?
Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the back door opening and closing. Even before she turns around, she knows exactly who it will be. Her best friend and next door neighbor, Maryanne, is the only person who doesn’t bother to knock. Dominica w
alks through to the kitchen and smiles a greeting.
Maryanne is in her mid-forties, an empty-nester with a husband who is faithful and moderately successful, but who bores her to tears. As usual, she is dressed somewhat gaudily, with a little too much make-up and perfume that gives away her approach from about a mile away. Maryanne has a heart of gold, but being backwards at coming forwards is not one of her faults.
‘OK, now that Jo has gone out, you can tell me the news,’ she says, taking the chair at the kitchen table that Jo had vacated not so long before. ‘Who the hell is he? What’s his name? Where did you meet him? How can he afford a top of the line Mercedes? And how could you breathe with his tongue that far down your throat?’
Dominica sighed and sat in the chair on the opposite side of the table. ‘I guess you saw me coming home, then.’
‘Coming home? Is that what they are calling it now? It looked like volume two of the Karma Sutra to me. Come on, honey, spill the beans. You know I live a dull and boring life. Watching you out of the window this morning was the most exciting thing to happen to me for years. And it’s about time you got some happiness after the crazy shit Darren put you through. So quit stalling, and tell me who the hot guy is…’
Dominica knows Maryanne won’t quit until she has heard the whole story, from the incident with the flat tire through to coming home that morning. So she spills the beans, and is somewhat amused to see Maryanne’s eyes almost come out on stalks as they discuss the more intimate details.
‘Holy smoke,’ Maryanne exclaims. ‘That’s one hell of a story. I can’t believe it. Let me get this straight. This really happened to you – Ms Dominica Dunn, my plain and ordinary next door neighbor with freckles?’
‘Yeah, that’s me. Why, didn’t you think I had it in me?’
‘From what you just told me, it sounds like you had it in you most of last night, and then again this morning, you lucky bitch. What did you say this guy’s name is?’
‘Max. Max Rockford.’
‘Hey, wait a minute. Are you talking about Max Rockford, the CEO of Randall Rockford International? No, that can’t be right…’
‘Yes, that’s him. You’ve heard of him?’
‘Dominica, of course I’ve heard of him. You should spend less time skimming the business pages and more time reading the important stuff in the gossip columns. He’s like a gazillionaire who is in the celebrity news every other day. I always said you were too good for your low down crappy ex, but I didn’t expect to find you playing in the big league. Hold on to him, honey, he could be your ticket to the Malibu class.’
Dominica is a little offended. Surely Maryanne has known her long enough to understand that she is not a gold digger?
‘It’s not about the money, Maryanne. I don’t need some man’s money to make me happy. I run my own business, remember. I can make my own money. OK, so maybe I will never be able to afford a multi-million dollar yacht, but I will always be in charge of my own destiny financially. I wouldn’t care if he was broke. That’s not what it’s about.’
Maryanne stands up and starts to make some coffee. She treats Dominica’s kitchen pretty much as if it were her own. ‘OK, sorry. I get it – it’s not about the money. So what is it about, then? Does he have a big dick, or what?’
‘I doubt if he gets many complaints in that department,’ Dominica laughs. ‘But that’s not what it’s about, either. It’s just the way he makes me feel. In the last couple of days, life has changed from being ordinary to being – well – extraordinary. It’s like living life in the fast lane. Every moment spent with Max seems to pack in more than you get in a thousand moments with anybody else.’
‘Well, all I’ve got to compare him with is my Herb, and your average garden snail packs more excitement into every moment than he does. Tell you what, if you don’t fancy going out with Max one night, just give me the nod and I’ll be your stand in. OK?’
Dominica looks at Maryanne, getting a little more serious now. ‘Actually, I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t see Max again.’
Maryanne almost spills the coffee she is pouring. ‘Hey, what? You’ve just told me you’ve found the world’s greatest lover – a hot, rich guy who thinks you are the bees’ knees. And now you’re telling me you don’t want to see him again? Are you nuts? Dominica, I know a really good psychiatrist who can help you with that. He’s really good with me when Herb bores me to the point of insanity…’
‘I didn’t’ say I didn’t want to see him again. I said maybe I shouldn’t see him again. There’s a big difference.
Maryanne sits down at the table, pushing a mug of coffee over to Dominica and taking a slurp of her own.
‘You’re talking in riddles, honey. Why shouldn’t you see him again? Have you had your brains surgically removed or something?’
‘No, it’s Jo. She’s at a very impressionable age. I’ve spent all this time trying to be a responsible mother and a good role model for her. I don’t want to throw all that away by being selfish and going off to enjoy some mad adventure.’
‘Even responsible mothers are allowed to enjoy themselves. You don’t have to take a vow of celibacy to be a good parent. Come on, there must be something else. What’s bothering you?’
Dominica barely understands this herself. She knows there is something troubling her, but she isn’t quite sure what. Finally, she is able to put a finger on it.
‘I guess I don’t want to get dumped again. I mean, what would a wealthy and successful man like Max Rockford want with a thirty-something mother like me? I’m just a plaything for him. A novelty. When he gets over his soccer mom phase, I’ll be history. If I’m going to end up on my own, I’d rather stay on my own all the way through and avoid the disappointment. Can you understand that, Maryanne?
Maryanne places her cup back on the table. ‘Honey, I’ve been married to Herb for twenty seven years. I know all there is to know about disappointment.’
‘I know you don’t mean that. Herb has taken good care of you all these years. You know he loves you and would never leave you. I wish I had that kind of stability in my life.’
‘Yeah? Well, maybe if you’d had it as long as I have, you would be longing for something else. If I had some rich guy trying to get inside my panties, I’d be saying “which way do you want me?” Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, girl. Go out and grab all the fun and excitement you can get. You might get run over by a bus tomorrow.’
When Maryanne leaves a short time later, Dominica is more conflicted than ever. As always, she spends most of Saturday afternoon dealing with domestic chores and preparing a meal for when Jo returns later. Most of her weekends have disappeared that way in the last ten years. As she goes about her business, she struggles to work out the right thing to do.
The sensible mother within her says she should forget Max before she gets hurt, and before any damage is done to her relationship with Jo. But the independent woman inside her wants to enjoy more of the excitement, more of the new sensations that Max has opened her eyes to. But then again, what about Jo?
Dominica finds no answer to her questions on Saturday, or Sunday, or even Monday. But Tuesday, she is beginning to put Max to the back of her mind, and is sure that he has forgotten about her. He is clearly too preoccupied with some Miss Executive Girlfriend…or maybe some other lady of a certain age that he rescued from distress over the weekend. Perhaps he has worked his way through several of them by now, showing each the pleasures of being pleasured on his yacht. Who knows?
Monday rolls around and Dominica finds herself back in the hamster wheel. She is too busy with meetings, new business pitches and press conferences to think much about Max. Now that her business is cash flow positive again, she is planning to expand and take on new clients. But that means hiring new staff, buying new office equipment and maybe even moving offices. It’s a lot of work, and a lot of worry. But she remembers what Max said about turning his business around from an impossible position. If he can build an empire, so can she.<
br />
She is at her desk on Tuesday, just getting ready to duck out for lunch, when her phone rings. She recognizes the voice on the other end of the line at once, and her stomach does a lurch that has nothing to do with feeling hungry.
‘Dominica? I’m so glad I caught you.’ Max’s voice is a soft growl, aural testosterone that sends her heart skipping a little faster.
‘I’m so sorry I haven’t been in touch for a few days,’ he says. ‘Unfortunately, I had to go away on urgent business. You know how it is. We have a big merger going through that is turning out to be even more complicated than usual. I had to go and kick a few butts to get things moving. But I’m back now. I wondered if you would like to meet up for dinner this evening?’
Dominica suppresses the urge to squeal a delighted ‘yes!’ She takes a deep breath, thinks for a moment, and measures her reply.
‘Max, it’s so nice to hear from you. Dinner sounds lovely, really. But I’m afraid I’m busy this evening. It’s rather short notice after all – I have already made other plans.’
‘OK, I understand. Never mind, we have plenty of time. So what about tomorrow evening?’
Dominica instinctively checks her diary. An acre of white space fills her social schedule for tomorrow evening. Ooooh…she would so love to go out with Max, but…
‘I really do have a lot on, Max. I’m afraid my schedule is full, then, too.’ She feels her cheeks blushing at the blatant lie.
‘No problem. Just let me know what evening suits you. I’ll see if I can move some things around to fit in with you.’ Max seems a little surprised, but unruffled, nevertheless.
‘Tell you what Max, how about I call you when I am free? It may not be for a while yet, though. I hope you understand.’ Dominica can barely get the words out, but she feels it is the right thing to say.
The Domination of Dominica Dunn: Discovering New Worlds of Sexual Sensation Page 7
