Professional Woman Pt. 02

I sat in my chair as the waiters brought out our plates before us. The appetizers were magnificent even though Mark had brought me here under false pretenses. I was in complete awe. Then the talking began, and I wanted to throw up all the contents of my stomach.

Mr. Crawford or Edward Crawford was doing all the talking, and as usual, all the men around him just nodded their heads or kept repeating what he said, no matter how disgusting or stupid he sounded. It was sickening to watch grown men act like scolded children. Edward was a battle ax, old, stuck in his ways and never apologized even when he was wrong.

Mark was another one of his "yes men" as I called them cowards that hung on every word Edward spewed from his mouth. Some people had called Edward, a silver fox because of his silver hair. His looks reminded me of the actor Sean Connery. In the few times I have met him he never said my name, always calling me by married name.

"Do you want more?" the waiter asked as he held a bottle of wine.

"Yes," I nodded.

Mark shot me a look which I ignored. No doubt he was unhappy that I was the only one at the large table that was on my third cup. If he was going to lie to me so that all his male coworkers could take short glimpses at my cleavage or pretend to drop silverware to peek at my thighs, then I will drink as much wine as possible.

The conversation was the usual, not enough of this, do more of that or else chatter. I looked around the table. The other wives were either staring at their husbands, peering down at their phones or staring off into space.

Except for Edward's wife, the youngest person at the table was hanging on every word her husband said she was Edward's fifth wife. I was guessing her age to be no more than twenty-three or two. She was young and perky in all the right places. I had liked Margaret, his fourth wife, she had spunk, but that was also the reason he divorced her. In Edward's mindset, a woman should be seen and never heard.

By the time dessert came around, I was on my sixth cup of wine. I looked around one more time and noticed a few models as well as a designer I had seen in one of the magazines. I excused myself and walked to the bathroom. I made a slight detour so that our paths would cross as he was leaving.

"Stephanie," the designer said as I nearly bumped into him.

"Marcus," I smiled pretending to notice him. He shook my hand while staring down at my dress.

"That's not one of mine," he said as he held my hand as I spun around.

"No," I shook my head. "Unfortunately not," I smiled as he told the three ladies by his side to go on ahead.

"Well," he said as he looked me up and down. "I have been thinking of doing a new design for..." he stopped as he looked at my chest. "The pleasantly gifted?"

"That's a good way of saying top heavy," I smiled.

"Yes," he smiled. "Do you have any models in your agency that I could use for a showpiece?"

"Marcus?" I leaned in towards him. "Are you asking what I think you are?"

"Let's just say there has been a falling out between one of your competitors and me," he whispered back to me. Then he moved back from me. "I will have someone call your people and set up something?"

"Absolutely," I smiled. "It was nice seeing you."

"Take care," he said as he walked outside.

I couldn't wait to tell the girls. I had four of my models in mind. They weren't too top heavy, and they could fit themselves in dresses that Marcus usually designed. When I got back to the table, Edward was still on his rant. I sighed as I pulled myself closer to the table.

"Something wrong?" Edward asked as he stared at me.

"No," I answered defiantly.

"Was I boring you?" he asked as all eyes were centered on me. It was Mark's turn to place his hand on my thigh. He knew I wasn't the type to back down from anyone least of all his boss.

"I wouldn't say boring," I replied as I picked up my cup.

"Should I order them to bring out the whole wine cellar?" he smiled as a few others laughed along with him.

"Don't," I said shaking my head as I looked at the others. "He isn't funny, he knows it, and all of you know it. The only reason your laughing is because you're scared of him."

Three of the wives stifled a laugh. "No Edward you don't need to order the whole wine cellar. I like the wine, it is good. You have great taste in wine you always have, so let's just cut to the chase you don't like me. I don't like you, let's leave it at that."

Mark's face was flushed red, his nails had pierced the skin on my thigh, and I could care less. Edward's face, on the other hand, was pale. He was good at hiding his emotions it was what made him a good lawyer in his hay day. No one could call his bluff or know what he was thinking behind those steel blue eyes.

"How is the business?" he asked.

I smiled. "It is doing well," I answered as I turned to face him.

"I played golf with Maxwell a few days ago," Edward said name-dropping the owner of my company.

"I talked to him a few weeks ago," I answered. Maxwell Martine was a man of precise words. When he said something people jumped right to it.

"His son is thinking of coming back to the company," Edward said as he slowly sipped on his wine.

"Todd?" I smiled on the outside, but on the inside, my heart was beating like crazy. I had turned Todd down one night at a company party. He knew I was married, but it didn't stop him from coming on strong many times.

Since then he had begun to try and buy his parents stocks in the company so that he could take control.

"Yes," Edward nodded with a smile. He had me, and he knew it. I wasn't as good at hiding my emotions as he was. "I understand he thinks..."

"I know what he thinks," I nodded looking down at my napkins. Todd was like a young version of Edward he believed my models should not have a say in what shows they should do, what clothes they wanted to wear. I gave them a choice, I treated them all fairly, and I had their respect as well as their loyalty.

"Can you pass this down to her please," Edward said as he gave the person nearest to him an envelope. He sat back as he watched it get passed down to me. Mark handed me the envelope.

My heart sank as I read it. "You bastard," I said through gritted teeth.

"Stephanie," Mark said as I stormed out.

I stood outside staring at the letter. Edward had bought out Maxwell's share as well as his wife's. He had then sold both parts to Todd for less than what he had bought it. Mark met me outside. "You knew!" I shouted at him.

"He wanted me and a few others to go to Los Angeles to head up a new office," Mark said as the rain began to come down. I stared a hole through Mark. "I told him I couldn't leave because you were invested in your career."

"You spineless prick," I shouted as I stormed away from him.

Mark ran up to catch up with me. "I didn't know he was going to do that," he said as he walked next to me.

"He asked you if I didn't have my job would you go?" I stopped and looked at him. I knew how men like Edward worked. They came and went in my job all the time. To them, we were dolls and playthings. I looked at him as the rain came down harder. My hair and dress were soaked. The water dripped down my tear filled face as I stared at my husband.

"Get in the car," Mark pleaded. "We can talk about this inside, your making a scene."

I looked around no one was looking they were too focused on getting out of the rain or looking at the people coming out of the restaurant.

"Answer the fucking question!"

"Stephanie,"

"Fuck you," I barked as I made my way back to the restaurant.

"Stephanie, wait," Mark said as he gave chase.

Edward and his entourage were coming out of the restaurant. One of his henchmen saw me and stood in front of Edward protecting him from the crazy woman barreling down on them.

"Did you ask him if you got rid of my position at my job would he go?" I asked staring at Edward.

"Of course," Edward shrugged. "I needed him to go where I wanted, and he told me the only way he could go was if you no longer had the responsibilities that you had."

"He told you that, his words?" I asked.

"Yes," Edward smiled.

"Thank you," I nodded as I walked away. "You're still a fucking bastard."

I grabbed my ring off my finger and threw it into the road. "Fuck you," I said as I held my middle finger up to Mark.

*********

"You did the right thing," Ginger said as she poured another cup of hot tea into my cup.

I sat on her couch staring at the steaming dark black cup. "I'm finished."

"Don't say that," Ginger said as she sat near me. "You don't that know for sure now do you? You can sleep here for tonight. We can get better answers in the morning."

"Babe?" Ginger's boyfriend Gary said as he stood up from his chair in the corner. "Can I talk to you?"

The two walked into the next room. I could hear them. He was upset that I would be staying. It was his last night in town, and they hadn't spent enough time with each other. Ginger told him that I was her boss and she would do anything for me. I smiled as I heard that. She then told him if he didn't like it he knew how to go through the door.

"Sorry," Ginger said as she returned.

I watched as the boyfriend walked towards the door. He slammed it closed behind as he left. Ginger smiled as she looked at me. "No," she said shaking her head. "I know what you are going to say and the answer is no. You are sleeping here tonight, and that's final."

I nodded. I knew better than to argue with her once she went into redhead mode.

The couch was comfortable, and even though many thoughts plagued my mind, I slept somewhat comfortably.

The morning sun woke me as it filled the living room. I looked at my phone. They were notifications of emails, text messages and a few missed calls. Lucky, I had put it on silent, or I would have never slept.

The emails were from Todd notifying me that he had called a board meeting. He also sent out many emails about changes that were going to be put into effect immediately.

I looked through the changes. "You have got to be fucking kidding me," I shook my head.

"I know," Ginger said as she stepped into the living room. She was holding her tablet. "Lucy is on her way over," she said as she planted herself on the couch next to me.

Together we went through the four emails, each with a new list of things that were going to change. "Can you believe this asshole?" Lucy said as stepped into the condo.

"Yes," I said as I looked up at them. "Yes I can," I got up and looked out the window. The city looked peaceful from up here. I could see the people down below going about their daily routine.

"Bet he has a small dick," Lucy said as she put the three coffee cups on the table.

"Everything comes down to dick size with you, doesn't it?" Ginger said as she picked up her cup.

"I am just saying, usually the guys that want women to bow to their knees and worship them because they are the "boss," she said as she made the air quotes. "Usually have small dicks."

"Can't argue," I replied. "Listen, we will face the music together," I nodded. "He has called a meeting for everyone bright and early Monday morning, so be prepared we might be losing our jobs," I sipped my cup of coffee.

"Right," Lucy nodded.

We sat in silence as the three of us contemplated what would be our next move.

"I got to go the house," I mentioned breaking the silence. Most of the missed calls were from my soon to be ex-husband.

"Want us to come?" Ginger asked.

"No, you have some repairing of your own to do," I smiled. "And you," I turned to Lucy "have to call all the models to let them know what has happened and prepare them for the worse."

"On it," Lucy said with her usual smile.

***********

I stared at the house. It didn't feel like my house anymore. I felt like I was a visitor. Slowly I got out of my car and walked towards the door. I took my keys out and then stopped. I put them back in my purse then rang the doorbell.

Slowly the door opened, and there was Mark. "Threw your keys away too?"

"No," I shook my head. "Didn't feel like using them. Can I come in?"

"It's still your fucking house," Mark exclaimed as he moved to the side.

"Thanks," I said as I walked in.

Mark had been busy. There were boxes of stuff everywhere. "Most of it is my stuff," he explained as he pushed past me.

"I was going to move out," I said as I stood against the wall separating the kitchen from the living room.

"And go where?" Mark said squinting his face. "Your sisters?"

"Hell no," I shook my head. I couldn't live with that slut. Listening to her bang a different guy every night, my sister was a certified nympho, that was putting it as lightly as possible. She fucked any guy with a dick. Her psychiatrist had called it a sex addiction. I called it what it was. She was a fucking slut.

"Well then," Mark shrugged. "You can stay here until we sell the place, then you can do whatever you want," he stated.

"Okay," I agreed. It made sense. "What about your mother's ring?"

"I will leave that between you and her," Mark smiled. "If I were you, I would write a will before you tell her. That ring has been passed down more times than I can count."

"Trust me I know," I said shaking my head.

"So, this is it," Mark said as he leaned against the couch. "You really want to do this?"

"Yes," I replied without hesitating. "It's been a long time coming, for the both of us."

"For you," he corrected me. "You're the one that has been unhappy."

I shook my head. "Not unhappy, bored."

"Wow, that is so much better," Mark shook his head. "I am boring?"

"Not you, us. It takes two remember?" I said. "I don't know why but it feels like we have come to an end and we both don't know what to do, getting a divorce is a right thing. You can move to where ever you want, do whatever you want. I can," I stopped. "If I still have a job, I can do what I want, and none of us have to put our career's on hold for the other."

Mark nodded. "Fine," he stood up. "I will let you know when the papers are done. Anything you want to keep?"

"My car," I nodded.

"That's it?" Mark looked at me.

"I love my car," I shrugged. "You can keep or sell everything else."

"Even the hunting cabin?" Mark asked.

"Especially the hunting cabin, you can bulldoze the damn thing if you want," I laughed.

Mark laughed with me. He knew how much I hated that cabin. It was in the middle of nowhere, in the mountains. The water hardly ever worked and it smelled horrid no matter what I had tried to do to take the smell away, it stunk like death and decay.

"I am going to miss you," he said as he stepped closer to me.

"You will find someone else," I smiled as I looked into his eyes. "I am sure there is already a young secretary that is just waiting for you to nail her to the desk."

"Talking about nailing," he said as he slipped a finger down the top of my shirt.

"One last look before you go?" I asked as he looked down my shirt.

"I was thinking about one more go around before we called it quits," he smiled.

"I can be convinced," I smiled back at him.

Mark began to squeeze my tits through my shirt. He quickly turned me around and pushed me against the wall. The track pants I had borrowed from Ginger fell to my ankles. Slowly I felt Mark's dick slide into me from behind.

"Fuck," he said as he began to piston his dick into my wet pussy. He reached around and squeezed and fondled my breasts.

"Fuck me," I said through gritted teeth. Mark may be an asshole, but when he was angry, he fucked like an animal.

Mark gripped my hips and began to buck into me hard. I felt our bodies smack against each other. "Fuck me?" he said as he pounded me for all his worth.

"Yes!" I shouted back at him. "Fuck you!"

He grabbed my hair and tightened it around his fist as he yanked my head back. "I will fuck you!" he shouted at me.

"When?" I smiled. "You haven't done a good job of it yet," I spat back at him. I wanted to make him mad, so he would fuck me as he used to when we first got married.

"Fuck you, you are a fucking slut," he said letting go of my hair then spanking my ass. "Just like your fucking slut sister. Both of you love getting fucked!"

I pushed my ass back on him harder. I was going to milk him for all his cum. "You should know, you fucked us both."

I felt him cumming. I knew he wasn't going to pull out. Mark gripped my hips tight and pushed himself deep into me as he shot his load deep inside me. He sighed as he pulled his dick out of me.

I turned around to look at him. There was a moment that I wanted to tell him to stay, but it faded the moment I looked into those eyes, the same eyes that lied to me that betrayed my coworkers and me.

"Bye Mark," I nodded as I pulled my pants up to my waist and walked towards the stairs.

As I walked into the bathroom, I heard the door slam shut.

***********

The weekend past quickly. Mark had movers come to get most of his belongings. As I walked through the house Monday morning, it was a shell of what it used to be. The couch was the only thing in the living room. The kitchen was bare because most of the cooking utensils belonged to him. I found it strange that he had done most of the cooking in the house.

I smiled as I looked at the Keurig, coffee maker. It was one of the only things in the kitchen that I had bought.

I sat at the table and smiled. I was free. Apart from the long conversation with Mark's mother about her ring everything else had gone smoothly.

Agatha screamed and yelled at me for what seemed like hours. I don't think there was a single curse word that she hadn't used. Then she said she hoped I died a long and agonizing death then hung up. All in all, I think it went well.

"Hi, Steven," I said as I passed the security guard at the entrance to the building.

"Stephanie," he bowed. "We are with you," he whispered as I got close to him.

"What?" I replied.

"Have a good day," he smiled with a wink.

"Thank you," I nodded. "For everything," I said with a wink of my own.

When the elevator opened, I almost fell back in shock. Slowly I walked out into the open forum. All of the models stood there looking at me. "We are behind you all the way," one of them said as the others began clapping. I slowly walked between them my eyes tearing as I walked to my office. I turned back to them and smiled.

"You're going to cry," Lucy said as I walked in.

"No," I said shaking my head. I looked back, and they were still there. "Yes," I said as I began crying.

"It was their idea," Lucy smiled.

"It was a good one," I said gaining my composure. I took a deep breath and nodded at them as they began to make their way to the elevator.

"Where's Ginger?" I said wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Getting the meeting room ready," Lucy said as she took a tissue and began wiping my eyes.

"Jeremy?" I asked as I looked around.

"He said and quote," Lucy smiled. "I can't be there because I might beat some guys ass and go to jail."

"That is definitely something Jeremy would say and do," I nodded.

Ginger came into the room. "They are here," she said as walked into the room.

"They?" I asked.

"Yeah," Ginger said as she looked at me with a worried face. "Todd, his lawyers, four members of the board and some old guy with a white beard."

"Edward," I said shaking my head. "All right, let's go," I said as I walked forward.

The three of us walked to the meeting room. Edward sat at the head of the table with Todd and his lawyers on either side of him. The board members sat in their usual spots. I sat at the end with Ginger on my left and Lucy on my right.

"Well, glad you could make it," Edward smiled.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Part of the deal," Todd replied. "He has a controlling aspect of our company."