Eve
Your position at Grace Law Group has been terminated...
I couldn't continue reading the email. Tears welled in my eyes, I didn't understand what to do. I'd been at my job as a solicitor for five years now, previous to that I was a legal secretary in the same place. Now... now, they don't want me because I made one little mistake.
"Scott, can you get in here," I found myself hollering through the house. My husband's footsteps calmed my beating heart as he came barreling into my office.
"What's wrong?"
Tears were streaming down my face as I stared at the doorway where Scott appeared. He crossed the room to me and took my face in his hands.
"I lost my job," I blubbered. I was in hysterics now, crying into my husband's hands. I couldn't control myself any longer. He had always been the immovable object in my life. Whenever the wind would change I always knew I could take shelter against him.
Scott began to chuckle. As if this was some kind of laughing matter.
"Why're you laughing at me?" I cried out.
His thumb began to rub soothing circles over my skin. I looked up at his masculine face. His rugged jawline covered up by his beard, his piercing hazel eyes, his heavy brow bone that made him look so manly. He was a software engineer but sometimes I liked to imagine he was a lumberjack, didn't take much either, he looked and sometimes dressed like one.
"I'm laughing because I thought something actually bad happened."
I frowned at that. "Something bad did happen."
"No, that job made you miserable."
"But, I need to have a job, Scott. We need the money," I half sobbed, half spoke. My speech was still ravaged by crying even as I tried to steady it.
"No honey, we haven't needed the money for three years. I got a promotion and then another. You can relax."
I shook my head as best I could while he was holding my face. I had no idea how to relax. I had been so dedicated to my career, that was the sole focus of my life. When it wasn't my career though I was focusing on the gym. If it wasn't the gym I was planning something. There wasn't really a time I wasn't doing anything. In fact if there was my whole body would feel jittery like there was something seriously wrong.
"I dedicated almost a decade to that company, Scott. I thought they would promote me soon. I thought I was going to make partner."
Scott let go of my face but his eyes still held mine. He smoothed my hair back out of my eyes. My face became hot and the tears burst again. I buried my face in my own hands whilst Scott stood above me. I couldn't stop crying no matter how hard I tried. My body shook. Sobs raked through me, making me shudder like corrugated iron in a storm.
This went on for several endless minutes as Scott did his best to shush me and console me. I didn't need him to take my demons away, I just needed him to stand there while I worked it out. He knew that and he stood in place as he always did.
"I want you to take some time off. I don't want you looking for a new job."
His words cut through the clouded air of my mental breakdown. Something about how final they were shocked me through and through. I let my hands peel from my face as I looked up at him. Scott wiped the tears from under my eyes and nodded as if he was confirming what he just said to me.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He was cupping my face again and this time he lowered his head a little. I was encapsulated by him even now even in these moments. He always had me.
"I'm telling you as your husband, you're taking time off. At least six months before you start looking again," he told me.
This wasn't the Scott I knew. He could be firm at times, he was even known to put his foot down, there were things I deferred to him but not anything this big. Nothing huge and important and life changing.
"I don't understand?"
He eyed me carefully. "What is there not to understand?"
"I just...I um--"
"Yes?"
"Are you telling me what to do, like we're in the 1950s?" My crying had dried up completely as shock took over my body.
"You worked yourself into the ground for those people. You're stressed, anxious, and you're not yourself. I'm your husband and I promised to take care of you, this is me taking care of you."
I wasn't sure I hated the sounds of it, even though I should have.
"But money..." I argued, but even I could hear the weakness of it in my own voice.
"If you accuse me of not being able to support you one more time, I'm going to take you over my knee."
Another shock zipped through me.
"Do I have this straight? You tell me what to do with my own career. You want me to be a stay at home wife. Now, if I don't do as you say, I get spankings?" I wasn't trying to yell but my voice raised into a shriek.
A darkness flashed over Scott's face and a small groan slipped out of his mouth. My eyes flickered down to his pants for a moment and he grew right there and then. Arousal stirred in my core as well but this wasn't right. He couldn't do this. I should have known he had the potential to but I never thought he would follow through. I've always been independent and career oriented and Scott never seemed to mind. He always assured me he loved me for everything else that I was and those aspects of myself were just the cherry on top. I think that's what drew me to him. Because I knew he would still want me even if I toppled over in my career, even if I changed my mind later on.
"Yes, I think I have let you go on too many things and now you think you run the show," his voice dropped an octave. I frowned at him.
"We're partners, perfect equals," I countered.
Scott gripped my jaw with one large hand.
"You always say yes to every social occasion for both of us and never even consider if I want to go. You buy all the groceries and don't even consider if I want a say--"
"I always get your favourite stuff," I cut him off.
Scott flashed me a look that made my lips press together. Oh he means business.
"As I was saying, you don't ask if I ever want to join you, you don't ask me when you make changes to the house which my name is also on. You never seem to have a free weekend, which means I never have a free weekend... even when I want to do nothing but sit down sometimes. Most of the time you just do what you want and I let you go because I love you and I usually don't give a shit. But, you've run yourself ragged. Look at you, sweetheart, you're crying making yourself sick over some job. I can't have that."
I let his words rush over me. I thought them through, one statement at a time. He told no lies, not even a small one. Those were all things I was guilty of. I was about to cry again.
"I need you to tell me what's happening because I'm about to cry again. I didn't mean to not consider you... I feel terrible."
"Don't feel terrible. What is happening is that I am in charge until further notice because your brain needs a little break," he chuckled. "Your only job is to relax."
"So what now? I don't get a job, I just sit around the house? Or what am I going to be like your little 1950s housewife? You want me to get dolled up every morning as well?" I burst. My emotions were getting the better of me.
Scott laughed, a deep dark chuckle. "You know I was just trying to give you a little break from being an overachiever but I like the sound of that."
"Scott," I cried.
"Yes sweetheart?"
I didn't know what to say to him. I just leaned forward into his hand, he let go of me and soon my face was pressed against his stomach. Scott's arms came around me, hugging me to him.
"I don't know how to live like this. This whole thing confuses me. Everything about what you're saying confuses me," I grumbled against his body.
"You don't need to know anything, I'm in charge, that's the whole point."
I sighed and held him closer.
Scott leaned down and pushed his hands under my half raised ass before scooping me up. On instinct I wrapped my legs around his waist and he began carrying me through the house. Before I knew it we were in the bathroom and he was setting me down on the toilet lid. I sat with my legs curled up to my chest as I watched him. He turned the water on for the bath and started pouring salts and bubble bath into it. It made me chuckle to see my manly man do something like this.
Once he was satisfied with himself he turned around and gave me a pointed look. "You're going to strip off, get into the tub, and enjoy yourself. I'll go get you a magazine or a book to occupy your mind. I'm going to cook dinner. I expect you to relax then slip into something comfortable, I'll let you know when I'm almost done with dinner so you can get yourself organised."
Scott didn't even let me respond, he just said what he had to say and walked out of the bathroom. He left the door swinging wide open. I stood up on shaky legs and began to strip. I wasn't sure why I listened, I guess because a bath did sound really good. By the time I was naked and placing my clothes on the wrack so I could take them to the laundry later, Scott was back with a couple of my books from the shelf.
"What if I drop it in the water?" I asked.
"I'll buy you a new one."
He was so sure about everything he had no worries and in a way it made my mind fall silent. I nodded even though a part of me was unconvinced. I picked one of the books he presented to me then placed it on a little stool we kept by the bath in case we had a drink or something with us. But, it had been years since I took a bath like this.
"The water is getting full, I'm going to go cook," he said before bending down and pressing a kiss to my lips. I grabbed his waist and pulled him to me, sinking into him. Scott's hands found my ass, palming it and kneading into it. I couldn't help but moan. He nipped at my lip and I pulled back, blinking up at him. He chuckled at me and pulled away.
