Apologies
***Chris and David's Apartment***
It is day 1 of their mutual retirement. Chris has been lazy this morning, and has just gotten up and made breakfast for her and David.
She is sitting on the couch reading the paper and she has the news on.
She is debating on whether or not to have a retirement party, big and flashy, and full of people, kind of like she did when Samuels retired, or whether or not she should just fade off into the sunset. She decided to talk it over with David and see what he had to say.
She hears his phone go off several times in a row, and then she hears him get out of bed and head to the bathroom.
She puts the paper down, and goes to get another cup of coffee, and is in the kitchen when he comes up and puts his arms around her.
"Morning, babe".
"Morning honey". She turns to kiss him, and then grabs a mug to make him some coffee.
"I made crepes, honey. They are in the fridge, and have fruit, just the way you like them".
"Babe, I have some good news, and also some weird news".
"Shoot".
"Well the good news is, I have been approached by a couple of law firms to come interview and maybe join them- they are all offering me extremely part time positions, and insurance for both of us. I would still be semi-retired, but semi-working. That's the good news."
"And the weird news?"
"Stephanie texted this morning, and asked if we could let her see the apartment with the realtor before we officially list it".
"She wants to buy our place?"
"Apparently so. She says it would be the perfect location for Miranda, since she's already comfortable here, and would be close to her school, and her cousins, and she already has a room here, so we can sell her the place with at least that room in tact like it is, which will be easier on Stephanie and Miranda".
"Can she afford this place if we were to sell it at market value?"
"I asked her that, and she assured me that she could. She stated that she and her parents received a very generous settlement for that accident that Miranda and the grandparents were in, and that she had put it aside and hadn't touched it. She feels that if she sells her house, which is paid for, and uses that money to pay for this one, and uses the settlement for the down payment, she will be able to mortgage the rest. She said her realtor is estimating that her home is worth $6.5 million, simply based on location and size, and it's in a very lucrative school district. No guarantees, babe, but all we have to do is let her look at it first".
She nodded.
"Fine with me".
She went and sat back down on the couch, and grabbed her laptop. She was looking at bath things. She had decided she wanted to take one of the other bathrooms and redo it completely, and she had found a hammock tub that she was in love with.
She was contemplating over whether to have that in the bathroom, or out on the terrace next to the hot tub.
"Honey, have you ever seen a tub like this? It's shaped like a hammock. I was thinking we could put it in one of the bathrooms in the new place, or we could put it on the terrace next to the hot tub".
"It doesn't look big enough for both of us, babe".
He was right, it didn't look big enough. But she pulled up the description and showed him where it said it was.
"Well, we can always order it and try it out, and see how we like it, and then return it for something else if it's not right."
They looked over all of the things that she had wanted to add, and decided on them together.
"Honey, do you think we should have a retirement party?"
"I don't know, babe. If I take this position at Jackson, Watson, and Price, it won't seem appropriate for me. And if we throw one for you, it will be a lot of work for you to do".
"That's true. I guess you are right".
He got up and showered and got dressed, and after he was done, she did the same.
She changed the sheets on their bed, and started laundry, and went to start some meat marinating for dinner.
"Babe, I have some errands to run, want to go with me? We can swing by the new place and take some more measurements while we are out, and we can go by the hot tub place and talk to them about what we want".
"Sure, honey. Let me change real fast".
She went and took off her yoga pants and tank top, and put on distressed skinny jeans, and a long-sleeved blouse, and a pair of TOMS. She grabbed her baseball jacket and was ready to go.
They headed to the parking garage.
David's phone rang just as they were walking into the parking garage. He answered it, and spoke for a few moments, and then hung up.
***In the car***
"That was the insurance, Chris. The Explorer has officially been totaled, and they are sending us a check for $20,000, to cover the loss".
"That's extremely generous of them, honey".
"I agree. What do you say to putting at least half of it into a fund for Miranda when she turns 16?"
"We can, but we can more than afford to buy her a car when she turns 16 without it, honey".
"Yes, I know. I just don't' want her to think we are just automatically going to buy her an overly expensive car when she turns 16, just because we can"
"I am not saying that we will. I am just saying, we can more than afford it, so I don't know why we would need to earmark it, unless you want Stephanie to be in control of the account".
"That's not a bad idea, because that way, she can contribute if she wants to. I will talk to her about it".
They ran their errands, and David got a text about a "going away party" from some of the lawyers from his last firm.
"Babe, next Saturday, we have been invited to come to a going away party for Glassman, Waters, & Peterman. It's at 7, and it's semi-formal. It's at the New York Public Library. Wanna go?"
"Sure, honey".
She put it in her calendar. She didn't even notice David texting Mary Beth to tell her "It's done. We will be there. She doesn't suspect a thing".
***Chris and David's apartment***
Chris and David ran their errands, and then stopped and had a nice lunch.
They came back to the apartment after stopping at the hot tub place. They had started to ask the guy about removing their hot tub, and taking it to the new place, but in the end, they chose to leave that one with this place and buy a new one for the penthouse.
David placed a call to the contractor, and he met them at the penthouse and assured them that he could make the bedrooms into a terrace, with a wrought iron fence for safety.
Chris took pics of Miranda's bedroom and bathroom, and also of the kitchen, and the master bedroom, and the master bath. The contractor assured them he could build the step in their bedroom, as well as remodeling the bathroom and spare bedroom like they wanted.
They came in and Chris headed to the fridge to stir up the marinade and flip the meat.
David got their gift cards out of the drawer and started going through them.
"Babe, we still have that trip from your brother that we haven't used. Why don't we start planning it?"
"Sounds good to me".
She made herself a club soda with lime, and then went and sat by him on the couch.
They grabbed the laptop and started looking at destinations.
"Honey, do you want to go somewhere new, or somewhere we have been?"
"Somewhere new, babe. Wanna go with me?"
"Hmm…sure". She kissed him, and they kept looking.
She pulled up all of the Ritz Carlton properties, and found one in the Cayman Islands, at the Grand Cayman.
She added that to the list.
David suggested St. Thomas, and they checked it out as well. They looked at the list again, and looked at the Ritz Carlton resort in Aruba. As soon as they looked at it, they knew. They were going to Aruba.
She started looking at plane tickets first, and David said he wanted first class all the way.
"Honey, we could take a flight to Boston, and spend the night in a hotel, and then leave again for Aruba the very next morning".
"Sounds great to me, babe".
She booked them a week at the resort in late January, and booked their flights.
"Honey, we really need to see about taking a family trip either over spring break or in the summer. We should take Lisa, and Bridgit, and Charli, and Miranda, and Stephanie, too, if she wants to come".
"That's a great idea. Why don't we text them all and see when they want or can go?"
"Sounds great, can you do that?"
"Sure, babe".
After about an hour, they put the laptop down, and snuggled up and took a nap on the couch together.
They slept till about 7, and when they woke up, it was storming outside, bad.
"What do you want to do for dinner, babe?"
"Well, we were going to grill out but…"
"We can save that for tomorrow and use a gift card to somewhere".
"Ok".
They selected Mama Gratzi's, a local Italian place.
Chris went and freshened up her makeup, and changed into her rain boots, and then she was ready.
David was barely awake to move.
He got up and they headed to the parking garage, and then to the restaurant.
***Mama Gratzi's***
Chris and David got a table and placed their drink order while they looked over the menu.
She decided on veal marsala and mussels marinara, and a wedge blt salad.
He ordered the steak marsala and sausage lasagna, with a Caesar salad.
David told her that everyone had texted, and said that spring break would be an awesome time to go on vacation, and they were all so happy.
"Stephanie said yes, Miranda said yes, and asked if she could bring a friend, and Lisa, and Bridgit all said yes as well, babe. So, where do we want to go?"
"What about Bermuda? We haven't been there yet".
"Ooooh that sounds good. I will look up places in a few days".
After they are done eating, they head out and head back home. It is still raining.
***Chris and David's apartment***
Chris and David came in, and Chris headed for the bedroom to change clothes.
David started them a fire in the fireplace, and turned on a movie for them to watch, and got out her favorite blankets and grabbed their pillows from the bed.
He went and made her a club soda with lime, and grabbed himself a beer.
He went and changed into his pajamas as well, and found her washing her face.
"Babe, I have the couch all ready for us".
"Ok, honey".
She came out and saw that he had thought of everything. He was so good to her.
He came out, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
"You are the best, honey".
They snuggled up and got under the blanket, and watched their movie. After about an hour, David was struggling to stay awake.
Chris wrapped her arms around him and rubbed his chest and played with his hair. She rubbed his temples and his ears, and he was like putty in her hands.
They stayed like that through another movie and she rubbed his shoulders and his neck and then his chest again. She turned the TV to the news, and they cuddled all through the news and the weather.
Just before the sports came on, the anchor had a breaking news alert.
"This just in: We are being told that Glassman, Waters & Peterman has rehired their old CEO, Dennis Moton, to continue to lead the firm. The board voted tonight, after their choice, David Keeler, turned down the role".
Chris was shocked. Absolutely shocked. She couldn't believe that David had lied to her, and deliberately misled her. He had told her that the firm was shutting down because Moton was threatening to sue, and they couldn't cover it. What's worse, is he made it seem like it was all about her not being put on the insurance, but she was wondering if that was even true.
She got up and left him on the couch. She grabbed the remote, and rewound it to the news story, and paused it.
She grabbed her pillow and went to the bedroom, after getting herself a glass of water, and then headed to bed, alone.
He woke up around 1:15, and saw that she had gone to bed. He saw the headline on the TV, and knew she had seen it. His heart sank.
He sat there, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn't tell her the truth, she would never want to be near him again. He didn't know what to do.
He got up, and turned the TV off, and headed for the bedroom. Surprisingly, she hadn't locked him out.
He came in and slipped into bed next to her, and wrapped his arms around her, and tried to fall asleep. He would figure out what to do in the morning.
***The next morning***
Chris got up, and quietly got out of bed. She took her things into Miranda's room to shower and get ready. She had decided she was going to go somewhere and spend as much time away from the house as she could, so that she could think, and avoid arguing with David.
She got out of the shower, and got dressed. She texted Bridgit and Lisa to see if they were busy, and if they wanted to grab coffee.
"We can meet you at Ugly Mug's Coffee shop in 45 minutes. Corner of 18th and Lexington".
"See you then".
She did her makeup and then quietly tiptoed out to the kitchen, and grabbed her purse.
She decided to leave David a note, but she didn't know what to say.
Finally, she wrote, "I'm gone", and left it on the counter.
She headed out the door, locking it behind her.
David woke up about 20 minutes later, and frantically looked for her, and finally saw her note.
***Ugly Mug's***
Chris got in the car, and called Glassman, Waters & Petermen, and asked to speak with Lindsay. Lindsay had been David's secretary.
"Hello, this is Lindsay, how can I help you?"
"Hello, this is Christine, David's wife. I was hoping you can tell me what is going on, because David isn't. I promise he won't know you told me. Please just tell me what happened".
"Ok, but you cannot tell him it was me".
"I promise, Lindsay".
"Well, the truth is, he and I have been flirting for about 4 months. And I know that he wants me. I want him just as much, if not more, and I know that we are going to be good together. It's just a matter of time before he leaves you, for me. He's a great kisser. Three guesses as to how I figured that out".
"I don't believe you for one second, Lindsay. And if you truly think that he is leaving me for you, then you are delusional. Thank you for your time, Lindsay". Chris hung up the phone.
She had been here before, in this place. She had felt this way that day she walked in and discovered Jimmy in bed with that woman in D.C. She hated this feeling. There wasn't any way to prepare for it.
She drove to the Ugly Mug, and parked. Bridgit and Lisa were all ready there. They could tell by looking at her that she was upset.
They hugged her and sat down. Bridgit had ordered her a black coffee, and there was cream and sugar on the table.
"Thanks for meeting me girls. This is a nice place".
"Anytime, Aunt Chris. We love to hang out with you". They were being so sweet. Charli was sitting in a high chair, just smiling.
Lisa broached the subject first.
"Aunt Chris, we saw the news last night, about David. Is that the same job we had celebrated him for?"
She nodded. "I don't know what to tell you girls, everything is so messed up".
"Does he have a reason for just leaving?"
"I am sure he does. I haven't asked him about it. I haven't spoken to him since last night. I did however, just speak to his secretary".
"What did she say?"
"That they are in love, and that he's going to leave me for her, and that he's a good kisser, and then she mocked me by saying 'three guesses as to how I know that'. She makes me sick".
"You want us to go beat her up? We will". Lisa had a very stone-straight look on her face.
"No, honey, I cannot allow you to do that. But thank you for the offer".
They finished drinking their coffee, and Bridgit and Lisa tried to cheer her up. Charli managed to make her smile a little bit.
"Aunt Chris, just because that whore says that she kissed David, that doesn't mean they really kissed. And just because the whore said he is planning on leaving you for her, that doesn't mean he is".
"I agree. However, she said it had been going on 4 months. He hasn't said a word to me about it, and then he lied to me about why he quit".
"Well, I can't defend him on that part. But don't you think you owe it to him to get the whole story first?"
She hesitated, and then nodded. "I guess. I just wish I knew whether or not I could trust what he has to say".
Bridgit and Lisa were quiet.
And then, Bridgit looked at her. "Has he ever given you a reason not to?"
"Good point. No, I guess he hasn't."
She decided to go talk to him. And if she had to, she would go talk to Lindsay and put her in her place.
"Thanks for meeting me girls, and helping me see things clearly. Love you girls". She hugged them, and kissed Charli, and then headed home.
***Chris and David's apartment***
Chris pulled in and parked, and then made her way to their apartment.
She walked in and put her stuff down. She kept her phone in her hand.
David was sitting on the couch.
"Babe, can we talk?"
She nodded. She went and sat on the couch across from him.
"I am sorry I didn't tell you that I quit. I am sorry that you found out on the news and not from me. I didn't want you to think less of me, babe. I should have told you the truth, and I am sorry."
Just before Chris could say anything, his phone signaled a text from Lindsay.
'Did you tell the bitch yet? I am tired of waiting'.
Chris looked at his phone, and then looked at him.
"Babe, that's not what it seems."
"I talked to her this morning. She told me what's been going on. Is it true?"
"Is what true?"
"That you have been flirting with her for 4 months? That she knows how you kiss?"
"That happened once, babe. Once".
She got up to leave.
"This conversation is over". As she headed towards the bedroom, David ran after and grabbed her.
"One time, babe. I swear it".
She turned around and slapped him across the face, and with tears in her eyes, headed to the bedroom and shut the door.
David sighed.
***Later that afternoon***
Chris stayed in her room all day. David heard her run the bath, and wanted to go in after her, but didn't. He texted Lindsay to stop texting him and to leave him and Chris alone, and Lindsay replied that she wasn't going to stop, that she wanted him and she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.
He called HR and reported that she had been harassing him for the last 4 months. They had him email his account of everything, and he did. They promised to investigate and then let him know what the findings are.
He went in to tell Chris, but she was asleep.
He covered her with a blanket, and then kissed her forehead, and left the room.
***A few hours later***
Chris woke up, and wanted a drink. She didn't want to see David though. She went out on the balcony, and peeked around to see if he was in the den. He wasn't. She went back into her room, and came out into the den. She peeked into the office, and saw he wasn't there either.
She made herself a drink, and found a note from him on the counter.
"I'm sorry, and I love you, and I went to make things right. Love YOU- and nobody else- David".
She wondered where he went, and then made herself something to eat.
She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to stay mad at him, but she didn't want to trust him when he was lying to her and Lindsay was telling the truth.
She was trying to have faith that it would all work out, but it was hard, because her faith had been tested so many times before.
She finished eating, and put her dish in the sink. She heard his key turn in the lock, and she grabbed her phone and her drink and headed for the bedroom.
He was quicker than she was though, and he grabbed her.
"Can we just talk for a minute, babe, please? Come on, you at least owe me that".
She shrugged his arm off her and went and sat on the couch.
He came over to her, and sat down beside her.
"I went and talked to the three firms that she had worked at before she came to ours. I managed to talk to ¾ of the lawyers that she had worked for in person, and I talked to the 4th on the phone. They all told me the same thing- I got their written statements. She came on to each of them, and harassed them until they either fired her or quit themselves. Here, you can read their statements".
She looked over their statements and saw that they mostly all said the same thing.
She looked back at David. "That doesn't say anything, David, about why you didn't tell me. About why you kissed her. About why you lied to me".
He hung his head.
"I thought I could trust you, David. Clearly, I was wrong". She got up and headed to the bedroom.
He went after her, but she shut the door. Just then, there was a knock on the door.
He went to get it and opened it, and found Bridgit, Lindsay, and Lisa on the other side.
"Come in, please".
They all came in, and David could clearly see that Lindsay wasn't there on her own.
Bridgit let go of Lindsay's arm, and looked at David.
"Where's Aunt Chris?"
"In the bedroom".
She left Lindsay with Lisa, who had a firm hold on her, and could be quite scary, and went to get Chris.
She found her in the bedroom, crying.
"Aunt Chris, we have someone out here in the den who wants to set the record straight. Can you come with me?"
Chris dried her eyes, and followed Bridgit to the den.
As soon as she saw Lindsay, she erupted.
"Get out of my house! I am not looking at her! Get out!"
"Aunt Chris, just let her say what she came here to say, and then she will leave, I promise."
Bridgit looked at Lindsay, who wasn't saying anything. Lisa punched Lindsay in the back.
"Spit it out, whore".
"David didn't flirt with me, or kiss me. I kissed him, and flirted with him. It was all me, he rejected all of my advances, and was a perfect gentleman always. I made up the part about him leaving you for me, that was never discussed or anything. That's just what I want to happen. I am sorry, Christine".
"Thank you, now get out".
Lisa took her outside and escorted her down to the lobby and put her in a cab.
David called the front desk and asked them to not let her back in.
Chris and Bridgit had retreated to the bedroom. David decided to give them time to talk.
Lisa came back in and joined them in the bedroom.
Chris was crying, partly because she was relieved that it was over, and partly because she upset that she hadn't believed David, and that she had slapped him. She couldn't believe she had slapped him.
Bridgit was talking to her when Lisa walked into the bathroom.
"David loves you, Aunt Chris. This was a misunderstanding, is all. Just talk to him, you'll see."
Chris looked at Lisa. "When did you get to be a tough NYC girl? You manhandled her quite nicely".
"Nobody messes with my family, Aunt Chris. Nobody. After you left the coffee house, Bridgit and I took Charli to the sitters, and then went to confront Lindsay. She admitted everything and got a little smug about it. So, we waited for her in the parking lot and informed her that she was going to be coming with us to tell you the truth or we were going to go with her to her parents and tell her daddy how she had been acting. Turns out little miss daddy's girl didn't want him to find out about her slutty ass ways, so she readily agreed to come with us".
"Thank you girls, I can't believe you did that for me. As a member of the force, still officially, I have to warn you about forcing people to go with you places. It can be misinterpreted. However, as your aunt, it thrills me to death that you would do that for me."
She hugged them, and then wiped her eyes again with a tissue.
"Do you want to talk to David?"
"Yeah, in a minute. I just gotta get my thoughts together".
They stayed and chatted with her and got her smiling again. Lisa showed her how to put her moisturizer on underneath her eyes after she had been crying, to prevent deep set wrinkles. She also told her about the trick of deep-moisturizing her face, by putting a thick layer of moisturizer on her face and not rubbing it in.
Chris promised she would try both of those.
"Ok, I guess I gotta go face my husband now. Thanks for helping us sort this out, girls".
"We love you, Aunt Chris. And we love David too".
All of a sudden, the girls grabbed her arms and led her to the den. David was sitting on the couch.
"We aren't leaving here, till you two kiss and make up".
David sheepishly looked at them. "Girls, I don't think-"
"Do it!"
"We are serious, David".
"Girls, you don't have to do this". Chris didn't know what to say.
"You too, Aunt Chris. Do it!"
"You two love each other, and you will remember that, if you could just kiss and let yourselves get past this".
Chris and David looked at each other.
They kissed once, and then again, a little nicer.
"Thank you! Now we will leave you guys to fix this yourselves".
They hugged David and then hugged Chris and she showed them out. David went and sat on the balcony on their bench swing.
Chris thought a minute and then got some house shoes on, and a jacket and joined him.
"Honey, I am sorry I slapped you. That wasn't fair, and you didn't deserve it. I promise to be better than that, from now on".
He nodded.
She waited. They sat there in silence for a few minutes.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you Chris. I just didn't want you to go crazy. I figured if I ignored her, she would stop, and when she didn't, I just tried to get through it the best I knew how. I would assign her jobs that took her to the basement so she wasn't around me. I sent her home if I was the only one in the office. I tried to send the message that I only wanted you, and I guess I failed. But for what it's worth, I do only want you. And then they offered me the job, and I said yes, and was hopeful about hiring someone else as my secretary. However, the board said I had to bring her with me to the new office, and I realized that if I did, it would never end. So I turned the job down, but I didn't want you to think less of me. I am sorry, babe".
"I believe you, David. I am sorry that I doubted you, and I hope that you can forgive me".
She got up and walked into the house.
David came after her a few minutes later, and found her in the bathroom.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind, and kissed her head.
"I forgive you, babe. I hope that you can forgive me".
She turned around and kissed him, and nodded.
"How is your face?"
"I'm fine, babe. You didn't slap me any harder than I have ever been slapped before".
She kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He gave her a night of romance that showed her how much he really loved her, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.
***The next morning***
Chris got up around 8, and headed for the shower. She had made herself a massage appointment for later that day, and she was planning on going to talk to HR at David's old firm, to see about Lindsay being fired.
David woke up as she was getting out of the shower, and she made them breakfast.
"Where are you going today, honey?"
"I have an interview at Norris, Jones, and Withers, and then another one at Allan, Avery, and Grace. I should be home by 3, I would say".
"Well, good luck, honey, I hope you get it". She kissed him, and then stood up and started cleaning up the kitchen.
He left first, and she kissed him goodbye a few times.
"I have a facial today, so I will be home at 4".
"Ok, love you babe. I truly do".
She kissed him again. "I love you too".
She shut the door behind him, and went to get dressed.
She put on a black pencil skirt, a sparkly cream long-sleeved blouse, and some black stilettos. She put on jewelry that David had given her, like the earrings he gave her for her birthday, and the bracelet he gave her last Christmas, and the pendant and chain he gave her as a wedding gift.
She grabbed her purse, and a black coat, and headed out. She had a score to settle.
***Glassman, Waters, and Peterman***
Chris came in and asked the receptionist how to get to HR.
"Down the hall and to the right".
Chris headed straight to HR and asked to speak to the person in charge.
"Hi, I am Kelly Andrews, how can I help you?"
"I am Christine Keeler, David Keeler's wife. It came to my attention yesterday that his secretary Lindsay, has been sexually harassing my husband. She kissed him, she came on to him several times, and she admitted to me yesterday that it has been going on for 4 months. Now, I am no Rhodes scholar, but I am quite confident that seeing as how my husband had to quit his job to get it to stop, I seriously doubt that is how the fine folks here at Glassman, Waters, and Peterman would want one of their employees to behave. So, my question is, what are you going to do about it?"
"Mrs. Keeler, I am so sorry. I wish your husband had reported this to us."
"I do too. He said that he chose to handle it himself, by having her work in the basement for much of the time, and by sending her home when he was going to stay late. She amped up the game recently though, and kissed him a couple days ago. So, he quit".
"As it turns out, your husband sent us an email yesterday about this, and we spoke with Lindsay this morning. She has been terminated, and is cleaning out her desk as we speak. Consider it handled, Mrs. Keeler".
"Thank you so much! Well, I guess I can go now. Have a good day".
She headed back down the hall, to the elevators.
She hit the button, and stepped on when the doors opened.
She selected the first floor, and just before the doors closed, someone jumped on, carrying a box. It was Lindsay.
"Oh, shit, it's you".
"Hello, dear. Having a good day?"
Lindsay rolled her eyes, and looked away.
Chris mashed the 'stop elevator' button.
She turned to look at her.
"Someone needs to teach you some class, missy. Against my better judgement, I am going to give you some advice. You will get a lot farther in life if you move up the ladder by showing people what you can do and what's in your head instead of what's under your clothes. You have the same assets as every other woman in the world, and you aren't special. Neither are they. You have nobody to blame for your current situation, but yourself. And by the way, David isn't leaving me, ever. We even made love last night, after you left. 3 times. I hope that one day you find someone as wonderful as David, but you aren't going to if you go about it trying to take what everyone else has instead of earning it for yourself. And, they might not have a wife as forgiving and understanding as I am, which would mean horrible, awful things for you, my dear. I suggest you learn about Karma and to reap what you sew".
She turned around and pushed the start elevator button, and they rode in silence the rest of the way.
Lindsay got off the elevator first, and promptly made a beeline for her car.
Chris headed for the Range Rover and got in and drove away.
***Chris and David's apartment***
Chris came in and changed clothes, and put on some lounging pants. It felt good to be a badass, and that's exactly what she had been.
She set about cleaning the apartment. She did laundry, she vacuumed, she dusted, and she mopped the floors. She cleaned out the fridge, and she grilled chicken for them to eat for dinner. She went online and made a grocery order, and had it delivered.
She went out on the terrace and cleaned the hot tub, and added the chemicals, and then she went and scrubbed the bathroom.
She finally finished by 1 p.m., and she decided to break for lunch.
She headed to the kitchen and made herself a caprese salad, and a club soda with lime. She drizzled the salad with lime dressing, and loved it! On a whim, she grabbed two more chicken breasts out of the fridge and marinated them in the lime dressing as well, and then put it back in the fridge.
After she ate, she went and got ready for her appointment, and scrubbed her face really well. She pulled her hair back, and put on some yoga pants and a long-sleeved tee shirt, and her sanuks, and then she was ready.
She left David a note that she would be home by 5, and that dinner was already made, and that she loved him.
She grabbed her things and headed out.
She got to the parking garage, and gasped. Her Range Rover had been totally keyed. On the passenger side, there was a "D" followed by a heart's and then an "L", in bright red spray paint.
Chris took several pics of the damage, and turned around and headed to the lobby, where she called the police. She asked for the manager, and waited while they went to get her.
"Hello, Mrs. Keeler, how can I help you?"
"Samantha, did my husband call yesterday afternoon and ask you guys to not let Lindsay Davenport back into this building?"
"I was off yesterday, let me check".
She pulled up the call log, and saw that he had in fact called, and requested that.
"Yes ma'am, it's right here."
"Is the parking garage considered part of the property?"
"Yes".
"Then how in the hell did this happen?"
Samantha looked at the pictures, and then pulled up the cameras, and saw that Lindsay had hidden in someone else's car and got out of the car after they parked.
The person then left to let Lindsay do her vandalism, and Lindsay took the stairs down to the street and left.
Chris was livid. "We are so sorry, Mrs. Keeler. We will have your car towed and repaired, right away."
"Thank you! I also want to press charges against her".
"We will take care of filing that report for you, and we will update you as soon as we know something. Again, our deepest apologies".
She headed out and took a cab to her facial appointment. She arrived with 5 minutes to spare.
***Metamorphosis Day Spa***
Chris signed in, and changed into her robe, and waited in the quiet room.
She was trying to be calm, but she wanted to strangle Lindsay and punch her lights out. It's a good thing Lisa didn't know about the Range Rover incident, lord only knows what she would do to her.
She got her massage first, and while she enjoyed it, she knew that David's massages were better.
Next was her body scrub, which felt amazing, and made her look so good.
Last, was her facial, and she definitely enjoyed that, and was so relaxed when it was over.
She got dressed, grabbed some water, and headed to pay.
She ended up buying some new night cream, and then headed home.
***Chris and David's apartment***
Chris walked in to the building and found the police still there, taking the report from the cameras.
She spoke to them for a minute, and then signed the police report and the page that stated that she wanted to press charges. The police told her that they had Lindsay's name and address in the system and that she had done this to at least 4 other people in the past 2 years. She made a mental note to text Feldberg and ask him to throw the book at her.
She headed upstairs.
She walked into their apartment, and found candles lit everywhere, and soft music playing, and fresh flowers on every table. David was in the kitchen, stirring something, and came and helped her with her things.
"Hi babe, come on in".
He kissed the side of her face, and set her purse down.
"Babe, you will find your attire for the evening on our bed. Please go put it on, and when you are done, we will start".
She kissed him, and then headed to the bedroom.
On their bed, she found the most beautiful sparkly gold lace gown. She put it on, and put the black strappy heels that he had picked out with it, and then she went and touched up her makeup really quickly, and fixed her hair. She put on his favorite perfume, and the jewelry he had given her, and then she went back to the den. He had been in the office, putting on his tux, and was standing by the bedroom door.
"Right this way, madam".
He led her to her seat at the table, and headed to the kitchen, and served her.
He had made them fresh noodles with fresh mushrooms in a mushroom cream sauce, and he had heated up the chicken she had grilled, plus grilled the other two pieces she had been marinating.
He brought it all to the table, and poured her some of her favorite San Pellegrino, and then sat down.
She saw the card in the flowers and pulled it out, and read it.
"To my beautiful wife, who I don't treasure as much as I should. I love you, I love you, I love you"-David.
They started eating, and then David looked at her.
"I contacted HR today, and retroactively reported Lindsay. I should have done it sooner".
"Honey, I went to the firm, and spoke with HR directly this morning. They fired Lindsay. She and I ended up sharing an elevator together, and I gave her a piece of my mind".
He looked shocked. "You did that? Babe, what did she say?"
"She wasn't thrilled. But I was hopeful that she listened".
"What did you say, babe?"
"I told her that she needed to learn some class, and that she won't get where she wants to go unless she does so by showing what she is capable of, instead of what's under her clothes. I told her that she wasn't special, and that she had the same assets as everyone else, and that I sincerely hoped that she found someone one day as good as you, but that it wouldn't happen if she was trying to steal him from someone else. And I might have gloated a little that she didn't break us, and that she should try being honest and acting like a lady instead of acting like a slut".
"Wow, babe. I hope she listened to yoU".
"Well, honey, there's more. I came home and cleaned the apartment from top to bottom, and then when I got ready to leave, I saw this".
She got up and grabbed her phone. She opened the pictures and scrolled to the first one.
"There are 8 more. The Front desk is taking care of it, because honestly, it's their mistake".
David's lips were pursed, and Chris could tell he was mad.
"How was this their mistake?"
"I went to the front desk, and asked the manager if you had called and requested they not let her in. They confirmed that. Then I asked them if the parking garage was considered part of the building, and they confirmed that it was. Then I showed them the pictures, and asked them how the hell it happened, if she was banned. They pulled up the cameras and apparently, she had a friend drive her in, and she laid down in the car, and then sat up when they got inside, and then after she was done, she took the stairs to the street. So, they towed the car and are having it fixed, and they filed a police report. I signed a piece of paper for the cops that indicated that I want to press charges against her for this. I want her to know that I mean business when I tell her to leave us alone. I am going to text Feldberg and ask him to throw the book at her, as well".
David was speechless. He just couldn't believe that all this had happened.
"I thought she was a kind, good hearted, sweet girl, Chris. She always was at the office, and that was before she started flirting. I just can't believe I was fooled by her. I hope they take the car to someone reputable, that car was $120,000".
"Well, we can always call them and ask them who they took it to".
"Later, I don't want to ruin our evening. Back to the romance".
They finished eating, and he told her about his interviews. He was 90% sure that he would be offered a job with Allan, Avery, and Grace. They promised him that he would hear from them within 48 hours.
She was so happy for him.
"Did you get to see around the firm, honey?"
"Yes, they showed me my office, and I met my secretary. She is very nice, and at least 40 years old".
"Very good".
After they were done eating the pasta, he brought over the chicken.
"Babe, I grilled these pieces that you had in the fridge, but it didn't seem like it would be enough, so I heated up the others, I hope that's ok".
She giggled. "It's fine, that's what I had planned, honey. 2 different marinades, one we know we like, and one we are trying".
He gave her a piece of both, and then brought over the steamed veggies that he made also.
They both loved the lime chicken, as much as they loved the other one. Chris made a mental note to add it into their routine.
She got up and started doing the dishes, and he stopped her.
He led her to the center of the den, and they danced for a few songs. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he twirled her around and around, ever so slowly. After they were done, she headed to the kitchen to start cleaning up. He stopped her and led her to the couch.
"Wait right here, and don't touch a thing".
He put a blindfold on her, and sat her on the couch.
After a few minutes, he came back and picked her up and carried her someplace.
He set her down, and carefully took off her jewelry and her watch, and her rings. Then he knelt down and slowly slipped her feet out of her shoes, and then stood up and unzipped her dress and slipped her out of it, and, then in one swift move, he picked her up and carried her again. She felt it first with her toes, and realized he was putting her into a hot bath. After she was settled, he took the blindfold off, and started the music, and lit some candles.
"Enjoy".
He went and took his tux off, and then did the dishes, and put the leftovers away.
He brought her flowers into the bedroom and put them by the bed.
She had been soaking for about 20 minutes. He plugged in the heat stick and put it in the bath at the end, and hooked it over the side of the bath.
She slid forward and he moved in behind her and joined her in the bath. He put her hair up in a bun, and scrubbed her back and shoulders and gave her a back and shoulder massage, and kissed the back of her head. They soaked for a long time, and then he got out and got them towels, and helped her out and dried them off. He got her robe and helped her put it on, and then went and turned on the heated mattress pad. She followed him to the bedroom, and found that he was locking the door, and setting the alarm, and getting her a glass of water, and their phones.
She was standing by the bed smelling her flowers. David had gotten her a gorgeous bouquet of lilac, bells of Ireland, pink gladiolus, and purple snapdragon, with white roses and purple heather.
"Honey, can you put these up on the dresser, or out on the coffee table? I am afraid I am going to knock them off in the night".
"Right away, babe".
She climbed into bed, and he came back into the room. He dimmed the lights, and came and joined her in bed.
"Babe, I want you to see me do this. I should have done this a long time ago. I am blocking Lindsay's number".
"Great idea".
"I am sorry that things got this far, and that I didn't handle them properly, babe. I am sorry I didn't tell you, and I am sorry that you had to have the day you had yesterday and I hope that I made it up to you tonight, at least a little bit".
She kissed him. "We are fine, honey. You have more than apologized, and I realize now, as I should have from the very beginning, that one thing you won't ever do is cheat on me".
"That's true, babe. You mean more to me than you will ever know, or that I could ever show you".
She snuggled up to him, and he slipped the robe off her shoulders and put the cooling stuff on, and rubbed her shoulders nice and deep.
Chris' phone went off and it was a text from Feldberg.
"Christine, I just got an email that you filed a police report today. I hope that everything is ok".
"I am fine, Todd. My car was vandalized, and the person who did it has done this 4 times to 4 other people in the past 2 years, and each time the judge gives her probation. So, this time, please throw the book at her. She needs anger management classes, as well as intensive therapy and lessons on how to be a lady. So, if you have a treatment facility where she can learn how to be a contributing member of society, and you can get the judge to give her community service there, like a ton of hours, at least 800, that would be great. My husband bought me a car worth over $120,000 and she keyed every inch of it, as well as spray painted it and broke the side mirrors. She is deranged. Thanks for checking on me".
"Will do, and you're welcome. Trust me, she isn't getting away this time. She will be arrested within 24 hours."
"thank you".
She put her phone down, and David told her to lay on her stomach, and then he gave her a deep tissue massage with the jasmine scented massage oils. He got her totally and completely relaxed, and then covered her with the warm blankets, and gave her a head and scalp massage. He kissed her neck when he was done, and then she rolled over and wrapped her arms around his neck. They had several long, slow kisses, and then made romantic, tender love, and fell asleep.
One thing was for sure, David Keeler sure knew how to apologize.