Deadbeat Mother

Loving Husband I

TRIGGER WARNING: ABUSE, SA, VIOLENCE -PLEASE READ CAREFULLY (THIS AND THE NEXT CHAPTER)

I stand back, watching the flashing lights and listening to the clicking. I know my wife is the most beautiful woman in any and every room she stands in. It isn’t the fact that she’s one of the top models in the industry, either. She was the most beautiful before she started in this business.

As the flashing starts to die down, I walk up to her and gently kiss her on the neck, causing a new flood of flashes. I stand up straight and pose behind her, knowing this is the other picture everyone wants: Steven Paxton, son of Paxton Industries, husband to top model Neela. Yeah, magazines kill for this shot.

I walk Neela into the building and grab a glass of champagne as they move past me. This is some charity for animals or children or some stupid s**t like that. To be honest, I don’t really care about the charity of the event. As Paxton Industries's CFO, I always have to attend these crappy events.

We walk through the crowd, mingling as we go. We are each well-known among the guests, so the side conversations come in waves. We are never too far from each other while speaking with others, and I like it that way. “So….your wife is making moves, isn’t she?” I can’t even tell you who I’m talking to; I never really try to remember names.

“Well, she is at the top of her career.” The older man chuckles.

“I mean with Nokio. The industry has been in an uproar since we got the news. Of course, we are extremely jealous, but we will be in San Francisco also, so we won’t be totally on the outside.” I can feel the grip on my glass getting tighter. I don’t want to talk about f**king Nokio or s***ty San Francisco. I lift the glass to my lips and drain it. I give a tight smile and turn to look for a server. One comes close, a cute redhead. I give her a wink and grab my wife’s arm to lead her to the dance floor.

“You’re hurting me, is everything okay?” I look into her big brown eyes. My wife is flawless with big brown eyes, caramel skin, full cheeks, and thick, plump lips. She keeps her natural hair in an asymmetrical bob, curled for this event. Her makeup is minimal, and she stands at about 5’7. She has on a baby blue, floor-length dress. There’s a slit in the front that goes between her legs and as high as her upper thigh. The straps are set low, so they stay below her shoulders, making her cleavage stand out. She has big breasts and a fat ass. I knew when I saw her that she had to be mine.

I tighten my grip on her waist and continue to spin us around the dance floor. “Fix your face; people are watching.” Neela whimpers, but her face remains pleasant. “I needed to get away. I can’t stand hearing about f**king Nokio and this San Francisco trip.” We continue to move around the floor. “I find it funny that my father called me today regarding just that topic.”

“You can’t possibly think I had something to do with that.” I pull tighter and look at her. “I… I’m sorry.” I lean in close so my mouth is close to her ear.

“I don’t like your tone or the fact that you have all of this happening right now.” I straighten up and swear I can smell her fear; I love it.

“Uh, excuse me, I was hoping I can get a dance.” I turn my head to see a geeky-looking man standing next to us.

“We are bus-”

“Sure, I don’t mind at all.” I stare at Neela while she looks at the man. She looks at me out of the corner of her eye. I dig my fingers into her side and watch her face scrunch up just slightly. I turn to the man and smile at him while letting her go. If that’s how she wants to play, we can do that. I will win that game, though.

~Neela~

I smile at the intruder, silently thanking him for his timing. We start to dance, and I’m turned, so my eyes land on Steven. His face is stoic, but I notice the tick in his jaw. I notice the slight waver of his eyelid. F**k me! I know when I get home, I’m in so much trouble.

I can feel my heart beating faster and so hard that it feels like it’s going to come out of my chest. My breathing starts to change, and I try to focus on keeping it even. I don’t want to go home; it won’t work out well for me. After all of these years, I still forget myself. I say things that I shouldn’t say.

The night continues with more dancing, food and socializing. I keep my head in the game as much as possible, but I’m acutely aware of the time passing. I know that once that hour strikes, it will be time to leave. Leaving means going home with an irate man, and I really don’t want that.

Before I could stop it, that time comes. I’m standing, speaking to a group of people. We are talking about my career and the fashion world in general. I feel a tap on my shoulder, and I shudder. I can smell his cologne, so I know who it is. I slowly turn around and plaster a smile on my face. “It’s time to go, my love.” He leans in and gently kisses me on my cheek. I can hear murmurs around me, people fangirling over his gesture. Steven pulls back and smiles at me, but I notice his jaw again and then his eye.

I turn to the group and thank them for their time, saying my goodbyes. Steven grabs my hand and guides me out of the building. The closer we get to the door, the tighter his hold becomes. I want to scream out, pull away from him. I know that if I do that, it would make everything that’s to come so much worse.

The limo is waiting for us out front. My hand is burning, and I swear it feels like I have bones breaking. The driver holds the door open for us, and I get in first, with Steven right after me. The door closes, and the driver gets into the front seat. I scoot as far over as I can, trying to push myself against the door. Steven reaches over and puts his hand on my knee. Immediately, I feel a crushing pain, and it takes everything for me to hold in my scream. “Donald, the partition, please.” The driver nods, and the partition slowly starts to climb up.

This back seat area is soundproof. I found out the hard way when we were first married. I let out a small whimper, the pain becoming too much for me to hold in. “You misbehaved tonight. You’re causing problems with my dad, and you embarrassed me in front of that nobody.”

“I….I….”

“Did I give you permission to speak?” I quickly shake my head. I hate this so much. I hate what I’ve become, but I have to keep in mind why I endure all of this. “When we get home, you will go directly to the room and assume the position. You will not open your mouth, nor will you take your time. If you stray in any way, tonight will get worse for you. Is that understood?” I nod my head.

“N.E.E.L.A!” When Steven says my name like this and under his breath, I know I’m treading on very thin ice.

“Y..yyeessss…..yes sir.” Steven removes his hand, and the rest of the car ride is quiet. My anxiousness grows with each minute because I know what’s coming. I risk glancing out of the corner of my eye and see that jaw twitch again.