That was a laugh. Martin could see that she was taking a great deal for granted… and that one of those things, that he would always be around, just wasn't true.
No… he would help her as well. If things worked out the way he thought they might, everyone would be smiling in a couple of days.
'Who would have thought I'd ever turn out to be a fucking romantic,' he said softly. Then he laughed. He began feeling like the Lone Ranger, and that made him feel very, very good.
CHAPTER THREE
'And that's about what we do here… and what we'll be expecting of you, Mark my man.'
Mark listened with only half a mind to his boss, J.R. Williams. The middle-aged, nearly bald, slightly paunchy man had been droning on all day about this and that, fully expecting Mark to listen to every word. In the beginning, when Mark had first gotten to the office, he had made every attempt to be attentive. The fight he had had with his wife had bothered him all the way to work, and he knew that if he could just get it out of his mind and forget about what had been said, everything would be all right. It was pretty foolish of him, he could see now. After all, he had come to the office just a little early, hoping that he would make a good impression, and J.R. hadn't even bothered to come in until after ten. He could have fucked his wife several times!
While he had been waiting to be 'shown the ropes', he ran through several conversations in his mind, and had come to the conclusion that he should call his wife and apologize. He didn't think that he was in the wrong, but he believed that his marriage was at stake, and what was a little pride where your marriage is concerned. He'd started dialing when J.R. had finally come in, and, still wanting to make a good impression, he hung up right away.
Things went down hill from there. J.R. was an old windbag. The most powerful man in the company, to be sure, but Mark found that the man used a full paragraph where one word would do. Mark learned, and quickly, that if he listened to just the beginnings of what J.R. was saying, he could get the full gist of everything. Still, good manners dictated that he at least pretend that he heard everything, and J.R. was so lost in his own explanations of the workings of the company that he rarely asked Mark anything. Just keeping up a front of attention was taxing. Mark wished that it were the next day. Getting to his job without having to put up with J.R. would be sheer bliss.
By the end of the day, Mark was shot. He and J.R. were finishing the last of their drinks in the lounge across from the company building. J.R. was being buoyant and happy, making little jokes that Mark felt called upon to laugh at.
'You know… I'm really impressed with your college record,' J.R. said, for the umpteenth time. Mark was getting more than a little tired of putting on the humble act.
'I was just doing the best I could,' he said, forcing a smile.
'I like a man who does the best he can,' J.R. said for the umpteenth time.
'Thank you sir.' Mark looked around at the lounge wall clock. He hadn't called Kate like he'd wanted, and he could see now that he was going to be late for dinner. Kate was going to be pissed, that was for sure. And after what had happened this morning…
'I think you're going to fit in the company really well,' J.R. said for the umpteenth time. Mark decided that he had had enough.
'Uh… excuse me sir, but I really should be getting home,' he braved.
'Home? Ooooohhh… the little lady doesn't like it when you're late, huh? How long you been married, son?'
'About… a little less than a month.'
'Ooooooohhh… well, we wouldn't want to get things off on the wrong foot, now would we. Come on. I'll drive you home.'
'Oh, you don't have to bother, J.R.'
'No bother at all… and call me James.' He gave Mark a little wink, and the young husband could feel his heart sink. He wanted to get away from his boss as soon as he could, and the thought of being stuck in rush-hour traffic with him really didn't appeal to Mark one bit. But how could he refuse? J.R. was his boss.
Even though J.R. wasn't exactly drunk, he was just enough under the influence for him to take some rather unnecessary chances. Mark could consider it a minor miracle if nothing happened to them on the way home. J.R. seemed more intent on learning about Mark's private life than he did about the traffic.
'Picked yourself a good little piece of ass, I hope,' J.R. said rather crudely.
'Kate? Uh… yes. Yes, she's quite pretty.'
'Thought so. A man like you would have a wife that could really help him rise to the top… and fast.'
'I… I'm not sure I understand,' Mark said, not really wanting to get into it.
'Well, Maggie and me… Maggie's my missus… we like to think that we're still young. You know the old saying. You're as young as you feel.'
'Yes sir.'
'We like to have parties at the office. A lot of wives like to attend. Things can get pretty exciting, if you know what I mean.'
At first, Mark didn't know what he meant, but as he tried to think of what he would say to his wife, it dawned on him what J.R. was talking about. There was a short moment of silence, and then J.R.'s slightly slurred voice broke it.
'Yeah… a lot of young men just starting out find that the climb to the top is a lot easier if their wives… uh… like to play ball?'
Mark's first reaction was one of livid rage. The man was all but coming out and demanding that he let him fuck his wife. Shit. If it weren't really happening to him, he would think the whole thing was laughable. As a matter of fact, it was almost laughable. The very thought of Kate allowing another man between her legs was beyond Mark's comprehension. He couldn't help himself. He smiled, and the reaction was picked up by his boss.
'Something funny, son?' J.R. asked in a rather stern voice.
'Ooohhh… no sir. Not really. It's just that… well… I can't really picture Kate going along with something like that.'
J.R. gave a little chuckle, a sound that actually made Mark shiver. 'Maybe you should have a little talk with her,' he said, making it sound more like a command than a suggestion. 'Better yet, why don't I have a little talk with her?'
'Uuuuuhhhh… well… uuuhhh… sure. I mean, you and your wife could come over for dinner some day soon and…'
'What's the matter with right now?' J.R. asked, making Mark wonder if he was actually serious. The last thing he needed at the moment was to have his problems compounded with a visit by this lecher.
'Uuuuhhh… Kate and I were sort of hoping that we could get out tonight. We've just moved in, and things are a little disorganized. It might take some time…'
'Say no more,' J.R. said with a flourish. Mark didn't know how much of this jovial mood was because of the drinking he had done, or if it was just his way of kidding around. 'I'll have Maggie get in contact with Kate. Better to let the women handle these things anyway, right?'
'Right! Uh… that's my building there,' Mark pointed, more than eager to get out of the car.
J.R. pulled up right in front. 'You won't forget what I told you,' he said with caution in his voice. 'Getting to the top can be easy. It looks like a nice apartment building. You could do better if you wanted. A lot better.'
Mark thanked him for the ride and walked away, just a little too quickly to be discrete. The whole day had really been a drain. It would be good just to be away from J.R. He hoped that Kate had done some shopping and had picked up something to drink. Even though he had had nearly as much as J.R., the thought of numbing himself just a little more appealed to him.
He took the elevator to his floor and, after fumbling with his keys, unlocked his door.
'I'm home,' he said, making his voice sound as tired as he felt. If there was anything he didn't want at the moment, it was a recurrence of the argument he had had with Kate in the morning.
