There was silence from her head for a couple of minutes. “That Self-Absorbed commercial. We own the ad agency….”
“Yes. I know.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know yet. I have asked Mike to dig up some more stuff on her before I make my decision.”
“And he is in love with her.”
“It appears to be the case.”
“If he is in love with her, there is nothing we can do.”
“I can get her fired.”
“And alienate him.” His wife said sadly. “There must be another way.”
“You spoil him Deidre.”
“He is my only child!” she cried.
“And mine as well.” He rubbed his forehead wearily. “This has never happened inside our family before. Not my side or yours.”
“We now live in different times.”
“That’s no excuse.” He bit out. “Go on back to your meeting. We will discuss this further when I get home.”
“What are you going to say to him?”
“Nothing yet. I will wait and see if he says anything to me.”
“I will see you later.” She said softly and hung up the phone. He looked at the photos again. She had put on shades just before she opened the car door and got in. Mike had taken one when she was just coming out of the loft and she was captured and framed against the glass doors, one hand touching her face. She truly was exquisite, he thought objectively. Pity she was not suitable!
*****
“You even look the part!” Jeff exclaimed as he looked her over before allowing her to sit.
“What part is that?” She asked him mildly as she took her seat. It had been confirmed! She was two weeks pregnant and could not wait to tell her husband the news. Next August, the middle of the month was the approximate date of her delivery and she was so excited that she had stopped on her way to the restaurant to pick up several baby books. She was going to do research into names. Her baby was going to be individual and have his own name. She was African and her husband’s ancestors were Irish and Italian so they would have their pick of names. She was certainly going to have fun doing the research. Nothing, not his parent’s prejudices or anything else was going to prick the bubble she had going on inside her. And starting now, she would be very conscious of what she put inside her mouth. With that in mind, she beckoned the starry-eyed waiter over to their table.
“Ms. Athena, I must say that I am a great admirer of yours.” He gushed, barely glancing at Jeff. “My sister raves about the product you advertise and says it works wonders.”
“I don’t know about that ….” She glanced at his name tag. “Billy. But I am happy that you are a fan.” She scanned the menu quickly. “The garden salad and wheat bread for me and a glass of Perrier.” She looked at Jeff. “What are you having?”
“I was beginning to think that I was invisible.” He said dryly as he glanced at his menu. “The soup du jour for me plus the Italian bread, and a glass of white wine.”
He waited until the waiter had left. “The annoying waiter is right to be staring. Girl you have this glow going on.”
“I am married to a wonderful man.” She stretched her left hand and Jeff grabbed it, staring at the stones in fascination.
“Did you look up the cost for this rock?”
“Why on earth would I do that?” She asked mildly as she pulled her hand away.
“I am betting it is in the region of several hundred thousand dollars.” He said in admiration. “Honey you hit the jackpot.”
“I don’t look at it like that. I love him and that is all that matters.”
“Not to mention that he is built like a golden god and looks like one.”
“That helps a hell of a lot.” Both of them laughed, calling attention to their table.
“Details please…..” Jeff demanded as he sipped his water.
“I am not going to discuss my very active and completely amazing sex life with you.”
“You are a bitch,” he complained. “But seriously darling, what are you going to do about the parents?”
She shrugged, unwilling to go into that. “I don’t know, and I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Aren’t you afraid that they will disinherit him?”
Athena shook her head firmly. “Not in the least. I know that he is accustomed to all this wealth, but he loves me enough to choose me if it comes to that.”
“Do you think it will come to that?” he persisted.
“I don’t know and frankly at the moment I don’t care.” She told him honestly. “We have this amazing connection that I cannot explain to you fully.”
“I hate to burst your bubble but all that is going to change as soon as everyone else finds out. Alan McGregor and his parents are very high-profile darling.” He paused and waited for the waiter to put their order before them and left. “I don’t know if you have been paying attention to the internet but everything they do makes news. Just yesterday I was reading about the Thanksgiving Ball at the mansion they live in and today, I caught a glimpse of Deidre McGregor and the First Lady of the United States of America at a hospital function. Whenever it is revealed that you are married to Alan McGregor, the reporters are going to be on you like white on rice!”
*****
Deidre Antoinette McGregor dismissed the maid as soon as she had taken her jacket and gloves off and made her way upstairs to her own private sanctuary. She had barely been able to concentrate on the meeting and afterwards, the luncheon with the board members. Her mind had been on the news, her husband had imparted. She stepped out of her leather pumps and massaged her insoles wearily. She had always declared that charity work was harder than actual work. With all the standing and the meeting and trying to drum up enough support to get things going was really hard work. Usually she enjoyed it and was in her element, but her mind had not been on the children’s playground that they were trying to put in place, nor had it been on the renovation of the doctors’ quarters that she had introduced a few months ago. She commanded the TV to come on and coincidentally it was showing the self-Absorbed ad. Sitting on the edge of the silk sofa, she watched carefully as the woman smoothed the cream into her flawless dark skin and smiled at the camera. She had a very good speaking voice, one that was husky and reminded one of sex and the bedroom. Deidre guessed that was one of the reasons the line was so popular. It had everything to do with her because it was certainly not miracle in a jar! The red robe was slipping off her shoulder and showing just a tiny hint of cleavage to be PG-13 but she was sure that the men who watched it were using their very active imagination. She came from a genteel background – so much so that she should be living in another era. She had been brought up in a household where there had never been a swear word uttered. She had been taught how to treat her husband and how to sit gracefully and host a successful dinner party. She had never seen her parents hold hands or argue in public. She had lived in the same stately house with them along with her brother who was now a state senator and had never heard them say a harsh word to each other. Their union had been passionless, and she had secretly vowed that she would have something much more than they had. Their marriage had been arranged like hers, but she had been fortunate to fall in love with her husband and luckily, he with her. She touched him whenever they went out together and she argued when she did not like something he did, but they would always make it up before their heads touched the pillows. Her greatest regret was that Alan was an only child and she could still feel the loss of the child she had miscarried all those years ago. More so because her only sibling and his wife had never managed to produce an offspring and her husband had been an only child as well. She muted the TV when the ad finished and sat back against the plump cushions. Her son was involved with a woman they did not approve of and Daniel had said that by all indications, it looked like he was in love with her. That was what she had desired ever since he turned twenty; that he would find a woman he loved and settled down with. She wanted grandchildren, yearned for them but this was different. Taking a deep breath she continued to stare at the screen. She had told her husband that she would call him as soon as she was finished but she was not in the mood. Biting her lip in indecision, she reached for her phone and dialed Alan’s number.