Discontented

1

 "How do I look?" I asked, gently running my hands over the front of the dress, eyeing my stomach that threatened to protrude.

 "Umm, good", he shrugged, fixing his tie. I sighed. "I can't look 'good' I have to look like your 'perfect wife', or did you forget that verbal assault you gave me last month?" I rolled my eyes, walking to the closet.

"Yeah, you genuinely looked bad, and I didn't want you embarrassing me", he replied bluntly. I bit my lip, trying to refrain from going off. I knew how much this dinner meant to him, and I didn't want to upset him. I slowly shut the door and walked deeper into my closet.

I ran my hands over a pair of white satin pants. Do I dare? I mean, I'm known for my impeccable fashion sense and my cooking, why not? I grabbed a black satin halter top that'll drive him crazy, but what doesn't? I redressed myself, loving this look more, at least for this particular event.

I slipped on my black heels and checked the time. Thank god we're not late, couldn't deal with that argument too. I took a breath and said a prayer before leaving the closet. "You're wearing that?" He asked, scanning my outfit for any imperfections. I know how much he despised me wearing halter tops to his formal business meetings, but this is dinner.

Slutty? No. Do I look delicious? Hell yes!

Tonight, I do not care.

"I'm wearing it, no?" I put in some small, studded earrings, opting not to wear a chain as the halter top was already eye-catching enough, no need to draw more attention to my significant assets. I toyed with my wedding ring for a bit before scoffing and grabbing my clutch, ensuring the contents were correct.

I turned to walk out of the room, knowing he was looking at me full well. I stopped atop the staircase, grasping the railing. I felt his hands grab my waist, suddenly making me jolt forward a bit out of surprise. "Not thinking about jumping again, are we?" He whispered in my ear.

I stuck my tongue out, barely grazing my bottom lip before turning my head up to look at him. "You wish." He smirked and started laughing. "Now, why would I ever want that? You're important to me," he kissed my cheek. God, I hated this man, yet at the same time, I wanted to go on my knees for him and make him beg for me.

"You say that now", I accentuated the last word, making a face. He turned to me, "What's wrong?" He asked, looking into my eyes doing the usual soul searching shit. "Nothing", I stated, merely staring him in the eyes. I chose to marry a narcissist; sometimes I can deal with it, sometimes I shut him out. It's simple.

He wrapped his hand around my neck, gently squeezing, making my knees weak as he leaned in and roughly kissed me. I kissed back, giving him the attention he craved so I could be left alone. He pulled away. "Now I want you", he kissed my neck. "Well, the car is waiting", I pushed him back. "Always a tease, Rose."

He wrapped his arm around my waist and guided me down the winding staircase.

Arriving at the restaurant, I was a tad bit excited. I've wanted to visit it for a while, but couldn't make time.

VINO DI LUSSO

"Good evening", the receptionist greeted us.

"Good evening", we replied in unison. "We're under Jordan," he said, his hand resting right above my butt. "Party of four? Yes, right this way, please," he walked in front of us.

As we walked deeper into the restaurant, the smell of fresh garlic, an earthy, rich scent, wafted into my nose. A glass of chilled Sauvignon blanc would be great. The decor was elegant; the brownish-gold with splashes of greenery made the environment comfortable yet maintained its class.

We had to take an elevator. "I thought you were trying to impress him...at this point, you should forget it because he already bought you," I said softly, just enough so that he heard, followed by a scoff. He squeezed my side tightly, making me gasp. The receptionist turned around. "Everything okay?"

I politely nodded my head. As soon as he turned around, I quickly jabbed him in his abdomen hard. He bent over slightly, letting out a gasp of air. There was a bing followed by the doors opening; the decor upstairs was similar to downstairs, with a much better view of the city.

"This is your table." The receptionist went to pull out my chair for me, but Jonathan, my husband, quickly stopped him. Never make him look less chivalrous. He pulled out the chair for me, I sat, and he pushed me in before taking his seat. "Would you like some water while you wait?" He asked. "No, a glass of Sauvignon Blanc would be great, thanks," I replied, and the receptionist nodded.  "And for you sir?" he asked Jonathan. "An old fashioned." 

Once we were alone, he turned to me, slightly annoyed. "Why did you do that?"

I shrugged. "Felt like it."

He grabbed my hand. "Listen, tonight is important to me. Please be on your best behaviour," he hissed. "Me? People love me. You have an attitude problem mixed with a superiority complex. You need to be on your best behaviour," I chastised him. "Let's not get into this right now, please? I want to get through the meeting; then you can complain in the car the whole way home" I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to respond.

A waiter returned with two glasses and placed them in front of us. I thanked him before drinking, gazing out at the city and the lights.

"Sorry, we're late. We got a bit caught up!" I heard a boisterous voice exclaim in the silence. I saw a man of average height and build, bald, wearing a dark red suit that he rocked oh so well. A woman next to him was slightly taller than he was, but she wore heels. She was generously endowed in the lower department, her upper body slimmer and trim.

We got up and exchanged formalities. As we sat down, Mr Jordan started talking. "It's a pleasure to meet you, at last, Rose. My wife has only told me good things about you, so to your husband," he said, smiling. "Thank you..." I trailed off a bit, hoping he would catch on. "Anthony, call me Anthony."

"Yes," I smiled.

"Tell me, Jonathan, why do you not bring your wife out more. Why do you have her locked up in that mansion?" Anthony watched my husband. "She doesn't mind. Besides, she goes out alot" he looked at me, and I gave a coy smile. "Shall we order now? I'm quite famished, and I'm sure you guys are too, having waited for us," Emerald, his wife, said, picking up the menu.

I quietly looked it over. I was pretty hungry, so everything sounded good to me at this point, to be honest, but that lingering garlic scent stuck with me, and I just had to have garlic bread. "Are you ready to place your order?" The waiter asked.

Everyone ordered. I ordered last. The rest of the dinner was quite good, and even though Jonathan and Anthony tried to hide it, they were still networking.

"It was a pleasure to meet you again, Rose," Anthony said, hugging me.

"Same here." I hugged Emerald.

"Don't forget to call me," she said kindly. "Jonathan, we must dine again, and the office will be in touch with you tomorrow," Anthony told him. Jonathan shook Anthony's hand and Emerald's; he doesn't hug people as freely as I do.

"I agree, and thanks for dinner," he responded. He's a master with words. However, you wouldn't know he barely speaks and prefers not to tell many lies.

The ride home was quiet, although what was there to say, I didn't care, and I wasn't about to pretend. If he wanted to talk or gloat, he could, but he isn't, so I'll also stay quiet. I glanced over at him.

I fell in love with this man, but now I second-guess it.

Does he even love me still?