The Arrangement 1

Chapter 6

After the night at the restaurant, and in the back of the car, April couldn’t bring herself to complain to Walter about the firm making so many decisions on their behalf. So what if they were taking the initiative, she thought. Someone had to, and from what she had seen, every decision was being made in her family’s absolute best interests. She had no business whatsoever in questioning them.

On Saturday morning a black town car pulled up outside the house and she climbed into the back seat with the two girls. Walter had been called in to the office but she really had no need for him. Everything had been taken care of. The house was practically empty. Their beds and a few essentials were still there but the packers had been directed on what to do with those things and they would all be moved to the new house before the end of the day. Their other belongings would be waiting for her to be unpacked. She was glad she’d taken such care with the packing, keeping everything organized and labelled. Unpacking would be a breeze.

She sat in the back between the two girls and tried to get them excited about the move. It was a pretty easy task. They had seen the photos of the new house and had heard April’s description of their rooms and were already dying to see the place for themselves. They couldn’t believe it when she told them they would have their own swimming pool and hot tub.

She’d hardly given the driver a second thought but now she looked up and saw him looking directly at her in his rearview mirror. It was the same driver they’d had on Thursday night. She couldn’t believe it. She was mortified. She looked away from him but she felt his eyes on her and knew he was looking at her. He’d seen her ass bobbing in the air like a prostitute just a couple of days ago, of course he would look.

–Can I help you? she said.

Immediately, the driver looked away.

–No, maam.

–Keep your eyes on the road then.

Where did that come from? It felt good to be so assertive. She’d never been like that before. It seemed both her and Walter were finding new confidence in life. She looked at the driver now. He was older than she was, maybe forty-five, and foreign. She felt powerful. His job depended on her husband. She knew what it was like to worry about her family’s security and she was sure this driver did too.

–How long have you driven for this company? she said.

–Maam?

–The car service?

The driver sighed. He was in trouble now and he knew it.

–Eight years, maam.

–Eight years. And what’s your name.

The driver was crestfallen.

–Akbar, he said. He was really scared now.

–Well keep your eyes forward, Akbar, and you won’t have any trouble.

–Yes, maam.

She looked out the window at the trees passing by. She was pleased with herself. It was the first taste of power she’d had in her life and she liked it. They passed some kids getting on a school bus and she wondered about the school arrangements she’d have to make for the girls now that they were in a new neighborhood. She was certain Walter would want to put them somewhere new. There would be no point driving across town to keep them in the schools they were in. The other partners probably knew of great schools in this area that their own kids had attended. The firm had taken such good care of everything she was certain that schools would be no different. She’d speak about it with the other wives when she got a chance. 

She thought about the other wives and realized she didn’t know them at all, she didn’t even know what they looked like. She’d probably met them at various functions over the years but she’d met so many people at those things she’d never been able to keep track of who was who.

She looked at Akbar again. He was handsome enough, for his age at least. He looked mediterranean. It gave her a flush to think of what he’d seen. She wondered if he’d thought of her cute little ass later that night when he got home. She wondered how much cuter her ass was than his wife’s, assuming he had a wife. She didn’t know what it was but during the last few days, ever since the night at the restaurant, she felt incredibly desirable, as if every man that saw her could sense how rich and important she was becoming and wanted nothing more than to get inside her.

She wondered then if Walter had arranged for Akbar to be the driver to embarrass her. It was too much of a coincidence that he was her driver again, especially so soon after what had happened on the way home from the restaurant. And Walter had been so insistent that she get a car to drive her and the girls to the new house for their grand arrival. He said it was the only way to make an entrance to a place like that. She liked the idea, and in any case no one had picked up her car from the restaurant yet so she had no choice.

He also said he was planning another surprise for her and she was fairly certain he was trading in both of their cars. She’d seen the brochures on his desk and she wouldn’t be sad to say goodbye to her Studebaker. He hadn’t even let her go to the restaurant to pick it up. He said he’d take care of it. That must mean something.

When they arrived at the security gate the guard waved them through and nodded at her. She nodded back. It seemed he had been told who she was. Given that there were only four families living in the complex that seemed reasonable enough. When they got to the end of the road the driver brought them up their driveway and stopped in the porch. 

Then he came around and opened the door for her and the girls. April brushed against him as she got out of the car. She didn’t know what had gotten into her but she was certain it would be a thrill for Akbar. She was certain he’d never had a woman as desirable as her in his entire life. She but a swing in her butt as she walked up the steps, knowing that Akbar would be following with their bags. She’d show him what he was missing. 

She was surprised when she got to the top of the steps and the doors opened for her. She was greeted by an Asian man in his thirties.

–You must be Mrs. Masterson, he said. Welcome to your new home.

He sounded like he was from California.

–And you are?

–I’m sorry. I’m Mark Lou, your interior designer. Didn’t they tell you I’d be here.

–No one told me anything.

Mark led her into the hall and she was dismayed to see that none of her belongings were there.

–Don’t worry, Mark assured her. –They can be brought at any time. It’s just that Mr. Kingsley thought that with such a large house, you might appreciate doing a little furniture shopping.

A big smile spread across April’s face and she couldn’t hide it.

–He’s a generous man, Mark said.

April was embarrassed. A few days ago she would have panicked if she’d arrived at her new home and found that none of her belongings had made it. They’d been a comforting anchor to her. Now all she could think about was the shopping spree that Herb would be paying for.

–He’s too generous, she said.