Page 55 of Hale Damage
“Okay, baby. We will.” My heart soars. “Tomorrow night when Mom is gone.” My heart plummets.
I feel my jaw begin to tremble as I realize how stupid I look kneeling on the ground for a man who doesn’t want me. Managing to stand without rolling an ankle in these ridiculous heels, I face off with my husband. “So, let me get this straight. I want sex, and you’re saying no?”
“I’m sayingtomorrow, sweetheart. I’ll give you all the anniversary sex you want.”
“Whatever, Roger,” I mutter, slipping off the shoes and storming to the bathroom. I’m equal parts hurt and angry, and the tears begin to fall as soon as I close the door behind me. Facing the mirror, I stare at the picture of humiliation. My makeup drips and smears down my face, but I don’t even wipe it away as a small part of me breaks inside.
I’ve never felt so unwanted and unloved in my life. I can’t evenremember the last time Roger told me he loved me without me saying it first. Taking a washcloth from the cabinet, I remove all my carefully applied makeup and then blow my nose.
When I finally return to our bedroom, Roger is turned toward the wall, already asleep. I lay down, curl into a ball, and cry myself to sleep.
I’m dragging at work on Friday. At least three of my coworkers ask if I’m sick. I am, but not physically. My pain is on the inside. It’s not only the lack of sex. It’s my husband’s unconcerned attitude that bothers me. The minimal affection. The lack of any authority in my own home. Hell, Roger asked Rose to redecorate the living room without even consulting me. I hate that fucking green-and-pink floral couch.
It all congeals into a big ball ofsomethingin my gut. Unhappiness? That’s a new one for me so it takes me a while to realize it. Other than my grief over my mother and father, I’m generally a happy person. Always have been. My father called me Smiley Sue as a child because there was a constant smile etched on my face. He’d loved telling the story of when I had my tonsils removed and woke up with a big grin on my face, despite the discomfort.
But now? Now I don’t feel like smiling at all.
A hand on my shoulder startles me, and I swivel my chair to find my husband. “Hey, babe. I’m headed out a little early today. The guys want to grab a drink.”
Glancing at the clock reading four-thirty over his head, I feel an ache deep in my stomach.Did he forget about tonight?As hurt as I am by his rejection last night, I still want him. Want to be kissed. Want to connect with him while he’s inside me. I need some intimacy with my husband.
“Oh. Okay.”
“I’ll be back in plenty of time, babe,” he says quietly, reading my thoughts as clearly as if they’re imprinted on my forehead.
Rose’s friend group meets for dinner and then drinks afterward from six to about nine every Friday, so Roger and I will still have time to make love if he only has one drink.
Plastering a smile I don’t feel onto my face, I nod. “Okay, hon. Have fun.”
His handsome face crinkles into a grimace. “Not sure how fun it will be. Gabriel’s girlfriend broke up with him, and he said he needed some time with the guys.”
I try not to sigh out my frustration.
I need you too, Roger.
Almost four hours later, I’m sitting on the couch—alone—when Roger stumbles through the front door. “Heeeey, baby! There’s my beautiful wife.”
He’s drunk. Standing from the couch, I plop my hands on my hips and glare at him. “What happened toone drink, Roger?”
He ambles over to me and grabs me roughly by the hips, pulling me into him. “Don’t be mad, sweetie. I thought about you the whole time. In that sexy black dress and those heels last night. Fucking irresistible.”
I roll my eyes. “Though you somehow managed to resist me.”
“Shhh.” He places a finger over my lips before pulling it away and replacing it with his mouth. The kiss is hard, demanding, and exactly what I’ve been craving. I let it go on for a while, our tongues twisting together as he seizes the back of my neck and holds me to him.
Finally breaking away, I frown. “I’m mad at you, Rog.”
He wraps an arm around me and leads me down the hallway. “I know, babe, and I’m sorry. Time got away from me. All I want to do is lose myself between your legs.” God, I want that. As pissed as I was, I still need this. “Let me make it up to you, sweetheart.”
“Roger…” I can feel my resolve weakening as he pushes me onto the bed.
“I love you, Mindy, and I want to fuck my wife.”
My emotions war with my neglected vagina. The vagina wins. “Close the door.”
He has us both undressed and beneath the covers in no time. “Jesus, you feel good,” he murmurs, his hands roaming over my body. I’ve missed being touched. I’m starved for it. “Get on your hands and knees. I want to see that pretty ass.”
Roger isn’t much of a dirty talker, but once he’s had a couple drinks, his words loosen up a bit. I roll over and get into position, earning me a deep groan from my husband. “Fuck yeah. That’s what I like.” He gives me a sharp smack on the butt, and I giggle.
