Her Bosses Baby
By: Kimmy Love“What did you say to me?” I thought he was calming down but in the bright light of the living room I can see how wild his eyes have become. Again, he has grabbed me by the front of my blouse. This time he pulls so hard I think it will rip. It unravels from the back of my skirt as Drew practically has me off my feet.
“You’re hurting me.” Soft, pathetic words but what else can I say? I need to get out of this place. I don’t know what’s coming next.
The next thing I know, he has slammed me onto the floor and up against the television. It topples over but the sound and vision still continue.
“Get out!” His voice is like a volcano erupting from a boiling inferno inside him. “Get out before I kill you.” He’s not looking at me. “And don’t come back.”
I scramble to my feet and race out of the living room. My shoes are in the bedroom but luckily my purse is by the front door. I grab it and run. I run for several blocks until I realize the cold of the sidewalk on my feet. My hose are probably ripped and I might even be bleeding. As my head begins to clear I notice the looks I’m getting. I try to walk calmly, wiping tears from my face and trying to control my breathing. Every now and again I look over my shoulder.
Get out, Drew said. But where do I go? Not back home to mama. My family made it very clear I could never return there. Besides, I don’t have enough money to get me back to Borderton. The only person I know on a remotely friendly basis in New York is Amy from the office. Then it occurs to me I have no idea where she lives. I have her number, but I’m too ashamed to show up at her place like this. I’d never hear the end of it. Knowing Amy, she’ll want to call the police and that’s the last thing I want. It’d make Drew even more angry.
Then a name and a place come to mind. Adam Wainwright. The Waldorf Hotel. He told me he was staying there to be away from his wife, Sherry.
Can I really do that? Go to Adam?
Before I can even begin to reason this one out, I lift my hand in the air and hail the next taxi that comes my way.
“Where to miss?”
“The Waldorf. Manhattan.”
The doorman looks me up and down like I don’t know what. He sees my stockinged feet but pulls the door open for me anyway.
“Ma’am,” he says as he tips his fingers to his cap. I can feel his eyes on me as I walk to reception.
“May I help you?” The girl on the desk is sweet. A mix between a young Dakota Fanning and a grown up Scarlett Johansen, if that’s even possible. She isn’t rude and she doesn’t look at me as if I’m crazy. Maybe she didn’t notice I wasn’t wearing any shoes.
“I wonder if you could ring up to Adam Wainwright’s room. Tell him Macey Green Hardcastle is here?”
“No problem.”
She dials a few digits and Adam answers almost straight away.
“He’ll be right down. Would you like to take a seat?” She gestures to a pair of sofas, next to a fireplace that are facing each other over a glass coffee table. I look over at them, nod, and do as I’m told. I sit on the edge of the sofa with my hands in my lap trying to blend in and become unnoticeable. But the receptionist is looking at me. I think she has noticed the lack of shoes and, damn, my blouse is still hanging out of my skirt. I ignore it. I don’t want to draw any more attention to myself.
On the coffee table are a few magazines. I spot Sherry Lancaster, Adam’s celebrity wife straight away. The article is about the show she presents and how fame affects her life. I desperately want to read it to see if it’s true what Adam said, that the two of them are all but divorced. Then he appears.
“Macey! Macey, my God what happened?”
I stand and start smoothing my clothes down. “I had nowhere else to go.” As soon as I say that the tears well in my eyes.
“Come on. Come with me,” he says. As I pass the reception desk my lip is quivering. I have to contain my emotion until I’m out of the lobby. I can’t cause a scene and have Adam’s reputation ruined in any way.
As we stand at the elevator, Adam’s hand comes to my back. I tense up. I am bruised, but not in a lot of pain. The doors open and Adam holds out a hand for me to enter. He presses a button and the elevator takes us all the way up to the seventh floor.
