The Arrangement [Box Set] (2 page)

On Thursday morning after she dropped the girls at school she returned home to find a realtor parked in the driveway. She appreciated all that the firm was doing for them but she wished they would let her be part of the decision making process, or at the very least, notify her when important decisions were being made that affected her. The blonde woman in the car was pleasant enough, in her mid-forties, and introduced herself as Betty Miller. She said she was going to show April the new house.

Despite her misgivings, April had to admit that she was impressed on the drive out along the GW Parkway towards The Oaks. She had never been out that way before and hadn’t realized how picturesque the countryside was. As soon as they were out of the city they entered beautiful dense woodland and Betty Miller explained how desirable the new neighborhood was. She said The Oaks was one of the most well situated developments in the metro area and that they’d be sharing a postal code with some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country.

When they pulled off the main road, April was surprised to see that there was a security gate at the entrance.

—Is that really necessary? she said to Betty.

Betty told her she didn’t strictly think so but it was an increasingly common sight in neighborhoods like this one. There was a lot April didn’t know. They pulled up to the gate and a guard in a gray uniform waved them through.

—We’re expected, Betty said.

The development was cut into the forest and formed an enclave among the trees. They must have been climbing while they were on the highway because there was an opening in the trees onto a wide vista and April saw that they were looking down on the valley below. The view of the Potomac and the skyline of the capital in the distance was breathtaking.

—That’s something, she said.

Betty took in the view with a quick scan and nodded. —I know, she said. You should see it at night. The lights are stunning.

—I’m really going to live here? April said.

Betty just smiled. They got to the end of the road and there was a small circle for cars to turn around. Off of the circle were four driveways, each marked with two pillars and a row of lights leading into the trees.

—Wait a minute, April said.

—Yes?

—There are just four houses here?

—That’s right, Betty said.

April felt a creeping sensation running down her back. If there were only four houses, that meant the only other residents were the other partners. She’d imagined more houses, more of a community.

—Who else lives here? she said.

—The other members of the firm, Betty said. Herb Kingsley, Frank Prentiss and Pete Wellington. With their wives, of course.

Suddenly the place began to feel very claustrophobic. April was already struggling with the move, and the fact that the firm seemed to be controlling everything so tightly gave her a strange sense of foreboding. Now it was getting to be too much. She knew she would have to talk to Walter about it and she dreaded that prospect almost as much as she did living here in this secluded forest with only his business partners as neighbors.

She was ashamed of herself for thinking it, but what might happen if she had a fight with her husband? Walter was not a violent man but he could be controlling, and at times manipulating. If her only neighbors were the people he did business with she doubted whether she’d be able to turn to them in times of need.

—Are you ready to go up to the house? Betty said.

April was not ready at all but she nodded. If it were not for the strange circumstances, she would have actually been amazed by the house. It was truly fabulous. She tried to enjoy the viewing, a task that became easier the more she saw.

Betty pulled her car up to a covered porch in front of the house. It was wide enough for two cars and lit by ornate iron lamps. There were stone steps leading to the main entrance.

Betty was smiling. —You think this is grand, you should see the other houses.

They climbed the steps and Betty pushed open the wide double doors. April found herself standing before what had to be the grandest entrance hall she had ever seen in her life. It was two stories high with a staircase curling around to the second level. The floor was of white marble polished to a sheen and above her was a chandelier that seemed to be made entirely of diamonds.

When Betty saw her staring at it she said, —The chandelier was custom made by the Gemini Glass Company in Englewood. They made the chandeliers for the Plaza Hotel in New York.

—I can’t believe it, April said, struggling to take it all in. Before her was a large archway leading to the main living area of the house and she could already see across it to the wide windows overlooking the view she had seen of the valley earlier. Up on the second level she could see the solid doors that led to the various sleeping quarters. Each door led to a separate suite with its own bedroom, bathroom and sitting area. April had never seen anything like it in her entire life. What she didn’t see however, were any of her belongings.

—Where are our things? she said.

—Oh they’ll be here before you move in. I think the moving company still has them at the depot. Betty looked over the stack of papers she had with her. —They’re unloading tomorrow. You and your husband are moving in on Saturday.

—It’s all news to me, April said. They hardly tell me a thing.

Betty gave her a slightly questioning look. —Everything’s taken care of, Mrs. Masterson. One thing you can say about the firm, they sure do know how to take care of their own.

—I guess they do, April said.

IV

T
HAT NIGHT APRIL FOUND HERSELF
driving alone into the city. Luckily the babysitter had been available. The girls were crying when she left the house and she felt guilty for doing it but she had no choice.

Walter had called from the office to say the partners wanted to meet her. It was another idea she had only been made privy to at the final minute but as was usual, she rushed to accommodate it. She just wished she’d had more time to get ready. The restaurant was an intimidating place where they served hundred dollar bottles of wine and the waitresses all wore the skimpiest little dresses they could get away with. She rubbed her hand over her own little black dress as if doing so would make it blacker, tighter, sexier. She was an attractive woman at thirty-four, in great shape, well taken care of. Walter was forty and not nearly as trim, but she knew him well enough to know he liked them young and the fact that she was younger and fitter than him didn’t stop his eye from wandering.

She had hardly seen Walter since Monday when he’d told her of the promotion. Now her house was on the market, her belongings boxed up and shipped off to a depot somewhere, and she’d be in a new house by Saturday. She thought, if things would just slow down for a second her mind would have a chance to catch up and get to grips with all the changes that were occurring. Then again, she might break down and have a panic attack if she thought about all that was going on. She’d never found change easy and this was more than she was used to by far. Luckily she didn’t have time to think. She was being kept too busy with surprises.

She pulled up outside the restaurant and a valet took her keys from her. The boy couldn’t have been much older than eighteen and he was beautiful with his suntan and messy blonde hair. Usually April would have gotten a kick out of that, maybe even said something flirty, but tonight she was just too nervous. All it did was remind her of how attractive the waitresses were going to be when she got inside.

She prayed that she would at least be better looking than some of the partners’ wives. It wasn’t that she was vain or competitive. That wasn’t it at all, and usually she would take pleasure in the beauty of other women she was in the company of. It was just that with all the upheaval of the last few days she was feeling vulnerable and insecure. She couldn’t help it. If there was one fault she had it was her insecurity and she knew it, but it was something she just couldn’t change and so would be struggling with it for the foreseeable future.

She entered the glitzy restaurant and the maître d’ welcomed her. He nodded knowingly when she told him her name. It was the kind of place where they acquainted themselves with the guest list at the start of each evening. He took her coat from her and then brought her to a round table at the back of the restaurant. She walked past men and women who probably ran the country when they weren’t dining. When she got to the table she was surprised to see that none of the other wives were there. It was just Walter and the three other partners sitting there smoking cigars like it was boy’s night and they were about to have a poker game.

They were laughing at something that must have been very funny when the maître d’ announced her and pulled out her seat. The four men stopped laughing and rose courteously in their seats while she sat. Then they sat back down.

—Gentlemen, you know my wife, April. April, this is Herb, Frank and Pete.

She’d met them all at various functions down through the years of course but Walter hadn’t been a partner then and so she had never really been introduced to any of them on equal terms. She had to admit, sitting here with them all, being given their full attention like this did make her feel a little special.

She smiled as graciously as she knew how and bowed her head a little. They were all older than Walter, in their fifties, Herb in his sixties, and she knew she could charm the pants off them now that she had them to herself. She was also pleased to see that their waiter was a man. The evening was looking up.

They ate a delicious meal, accompanied by even more delicious wine, and throughout the evening all four men were exceedingly attentive to her. They ordered for her of course, but she found this to be a pleasure as the waiter brought out plate after plate of the finest and most expensive delicacies on the menu. Then at the end of the meal, while she was sipping coffee and the men were drinking cognac, Herb raised his glass.

—Well my dear, he said, addressing April, you’ve been an absolute darling.

The other men, including Walter, all agreed and rose their glasses.

Herb continued. —We just wanted to take this night to welcome you to the Shepherd & Wedderburn family. And I don’t say that lightly, my dear. To me this firm, these men sitting around the table and their wives, are my family. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

Herb was a bit flushed from the alcohol he’d been enjoying. April was too, but she gave him the most gracious smile she could and mouthed silently, thank you.

—I’m honored to be included in the family, she said to the table and she meant it.

V

T
HERE WAS NO WAY ANY
of them was fit to drive home that night. Herb had the firm’s car service send two cars to take them home, one for April and Walter, one for the other three who were all going back to The Oaks. They could pick up their own cars from the restaurant’s valet in the morning.

April felt tipsy as they waited by the bar for the cars to arrive. At one point she noticed that all four men were flirting with her and she liked it. She felt like she was being given a new position of power and belonging in her life, like she really was joining a family. They were all saying how adorable she looked standing there, like a girl waiting to be picked up from school, and she looked at Walter and he looked as if he’d never been happier.

Their marriage hadn’t always been easy, Walter could be very controlling and jealous, but tonight he was so different. She felt as though he was proud of her and proud to be her husband. Right in front of the other three men she grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him in to her and kissed him.

Then she felt a hand grab her bum. It felt right, she was kissing Walter after all, but suddenly it dawned on her that it wasn’t Walter’s hand. And what was really surprising was that the hand was beneath the skirt of her dress. Walter was holding her head with both of his hands as he kissed her, and someone else was squeezing her bum. Someone else’s hand was right on the skin of her buttock, and was showing no intention of leaving any time soon. She felt a throb of lust and desire in her thighs and she kissed Walter with renewed passion. She didn’t know whose hand it was holding her bottom but whoever it was, they were being extremely bold. They were still holding her bum and squeezing the cheeks, fondling her bum and pulling at the elastic on her thong.

And of all the things that could have been going through April’s head at that moment, the thing she was most concerned with was that her bum be pleasant and attractive to whoever was holding it. She was glad now of all the hours she’d spent exercising and toning it in the gym. She was certain it felt firm and pert. She wished briefly that all of the partners would give it a squeeze and see how hard she’d worked on it.

She imagined being naked in front of all four of them. Her, April Masterson, standing in front of four of the wealthiest and most powerful lawyers in Washington, and doing whatever they wanted. The thought thrilled her and she squirmed with pleasure as the hand slipped a finger inside her underpants.

It was completely unlike her to be so reckless. She didn’t know what Walter would do if he ever found out she’d let that happen. She was relieved when the hand left her bum. Walter let her go at the same time and she looked at him with an embarrassed smile. He knew nothing of what had been going on under her skirt. She was thrilled and terrified at the same time.

The night had been fun but she wanted the car to arrive now and take her home. She loved her husband after all, and she would die if anything happened tonight to upset him.

Luckily the cars arrived within the next minute or two and she was saying goodnight to everyone. They each kissed her on the cheek as she left the restaurant with Walter and for the life of her she couldn’t tell who it had been who’d held her bottom so boldly.

Walter held the car door open for her and she climbed in. The car service the firm used was one of the best in the city. The cars looked like they carried someone important. The windows were tinted and the interior was of black leather. The drivers wore black uniforms with caps that made them looked faintly militaristic.