B*****d in a Business Suit

Brandon Wilson seems like the perfect husband, father, and businessman, but what kind of secret is he hiding from everyone who loves him?

     Shawna gave her husband's tie a final tug, then smoothed the lapels of his jacket. “That should do it,” she said, stepping back to admire him. He struck several GQ poses for her, turning this way and that with a cocked eyebrow, saucy smirk. Shawna clapped her hands and laughed. “You'd better get moving if you want to get there early.” She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Mmn, so smooth,” she purred.

     He held up a finger and shook his head. “Ah, ah, ah... behave,” he teased.

     She giggled and gave him a playful smack. “How late do you think you'll be?” She followed him down the stairs, watched him slip into an overcoat.

     “It depends on whether Jerry and the boys want to go out for drinks afterward.” He grabbed his car keys. “It won't be an early night, regardless. This conference could go on for hours. Lots of guest speakers.”

     A fleeting look of disappointment masked Shawna's smile. “Oh. Okay.”

     “Aw, babe. Don't be that way. You know it's all for you and the kids.” He gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. “I'll be home all weekend.”

     “I know.”

     He opened the door, turned to look at her, and smiled. “Love you!”

     “Love you more.” She watched him walk down the sidewalk, climb into his sports car, and pull out of the driveway. She glanced at the clock. It was just after six. Alec and Sarah needed to eat dinner and take baths. She sighed as she walked through the house to the playroom where the kids were coloring in front of a Veggie Tales movie. She paused in the doorway, heart warmed as she observed the two children taking turns with the crayons, laughing sporadically at the dialogue between Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato. This is what made her life worthwhile �" these two little blessings. “Kids, you need to wash up for dinner. Be at the table in five minutes, okay?”

     “Okay, Mom,” they chimed together.

     Shawna headed back to the kitchen while a digital timer started counting down the minutes inside her head. She pulled the casserole out of the oven and took the green beans off the stove. She set the warm food on the table, then poured a bag of salad into a serving bowl. As she went through the motions, her mind wandered. What did Brandon do at the office? He never wanted to talk about work. Were Alec and Sarah really happy, well-adjusted individuals? Their teachers sent home glowing reports, but did that mean her kids were healthy, or were they just undiagnosed people-pleasers? What would have happened if she hadn't met Brandon? Would she have taken that job in California and gone straight to the top of the cooperate ladder?

     She slammed the milk jug down on the counter and made a guttural noise. Automatically she heard Brandon's voice chastising her: “Stop over-thinking things. You know what my grandma always used to say �" 'Don't borrow trouble.'” It was one of his favorite phrases. She did think too much. But was that such a bad thing? Her ability to problem-solve, manage time and money, defuse high-stress situations, and present ideas with fresh insight were exactly what had earned her such a flawless reputation at the firm. Her “over-thinking” had given her an edge that none of her co-workers had possessed.

     When she'd met Brandon at a business seminar, she'd automatically been drawn to him. His smile was infectious, his laugh was melodic, and his silver-blue eyes were hypnotizing. The confidence he exuded was unshakable. Even when he'd tripped over some speaker wires near the stage, he'd made a joke about it instead of getting flustered or embarrassed. He'd effortlessly captured her heart before he'd even introduced himself.

     “Ten years,” she whispered as she set the cups of milk on the table. It would be ten years in April that they'd been together. Life had changed drastically for Shawna since that seminar. She had been ready to move to California, but Brandon had insisted that they stay in Chicago because he didn't want to relocate. He liked the company he worked for and had a good social network in Chicago. When Shawna found out she was pregnant, Brandon insisted that she quit working to stay home with the baby. She had argued that she could not quit her job �" she'd invested too much of her life in it. Eventually, Brandon compromised, saying she could work from home and go into the office for a few hours a week. The arrangement was nice while Alec and Sarah were babies, but now that they were in school, Shawna wanted to go back to work full-time.

     “Your job is to be a mother,” Brandon had proclaimed when Shawna first brought the topic up.

     “I will still be a mother if I go back to work full time. That won't change. I need to be back in the office. I'm going crazy staying at home all day!”

     “You're the one who wanted kids, not me,” Brandon said with a sarcastic smile.

     “What do you mean? I thought you were happy when you found out I was pregnant!”

     “I was. But I didn't ask you to get pregnant. I would have been perfectly happy just having you all to myself.”

     That was the first time a little red flag had gone up in Shawna's mind. What kind of man said something like that to his wife? “You can't hold me hostage in my own home, Brandon. I need to get back out there! I had a life, a career, before I married you,” she pleaded.

     “I'm not holding you hostage. You made the choice to have children. You sacrificed your career to be a mother. If you're going to be angry at anyone, be angry at Alec and Sarah, not me,” he said in a smooth, neutral tone.

     She gaped at him in shock. “Are you serious?” Her eyes darted over to the dresser where a framed photograph of the kids sat. “There is no way I will ever resent my children! How dare you suggest such a thing?”

     “See? I knew you'd come to your senses.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She remained stiff and unyielding as he unzipped his pants and gently pushed her towards the bed.

     “I'm not sure if the kids are asleep yet,” she whispered, making a feeble attempt to escape from his grasp.

     Brandon walked over to the bedroom door, closed it, and locked it. “Problem solved,” he stated.

     Five minutes were up. Dinner was on the table. Shawna closed her eyes and blinked back hot tears. She didn't understand her husband's aloof attitude, the way he dodged her questions and turned conversations around on her. She was certain he loved her. He said the words all the time, and yet, more often than not, he chose to stay at the office instead of spending time with his family. Alec and Sarah barely knew him. The more she thought about her husband, the more she realized that Brandon was as much a stranger to her as he was to their children.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

     The applause was intoxicating. Brandon basked in the euphoria as he dazzled the audience with his polished smile. He thanked the crowd, gave a well-rehearsed wave of his hand, and stepped off the stage. After the conference was over, he graciously answered the questions of co-workers and peers, accepting compliments and criticism as he would hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.

     “How 'bout a couple of drinks before we head home?” someone suggested. Brandon wasn't a big drinker, but he enjoyed the lively conversation that inevitably occurred when they all got together outside the office.

     “Sure. Let's meet at Carlisle's.”

     Eight men in suits and ties gathered at the restaurant. The waitress serving them knew how rowdy they could get and intentionally sat them in a far corner of the room. Brandon appreciated her sensitivity towards the other patrons and told her as much. She blushed and assured him that it was no problem. Brandon could tell she was attracted to him. The fact that he was in his mid-forties and could still catch the eye of women under the age of thirty stroked his ego like nothing else could. He could pick up any woman he wanted, if he were so inclined. But he was proud of the fact that he had never cheated on Shawna in the ten years they had been together. Oh, he may have thought about it, may have fooled around here and there, but he had never indulged in a full-blown affair. He was in total control of his emotions and desires, which is one reason he did not drink. He would not let alcohol steal control away from him.

     “Mr. Wilson?”

     Brandon looked up from his ice water in surprise. A young woman, probably in her twenties, was standing beside him. She was dressed in a black dress suit that hugged her curves and accentuated her shapely calves. He gave her an appreciative smile. “Yes? I'm Brandon Wilson.”

     The woman returned his smile and held out her hand to him. “I'm Emma Jones. I heard you speak tonight and wondered if I could ask you a few questions.”

     Brandon took her hand and gave it a firm shake. He turned to the guys at the table. “Do you mind if I give Ms. Jones a few moments of my time?”

     “Not at all! Go for it!” the guys hollered jubilantly.

     Brandon stood up and pointed at them like a scolding father. “You guys be good. I'll be right back.”

     Emma Jones lead Brandon to a table for two. She sat down and waited for him to do the same. Once he had settled in his chair, Emma leaned forward, cocking her head to one side, and shamelessly studied his face. Brandon blinked in obvious discomfort under her bold scrutiny. “You really are one arrogant b*****d, you know that?”

     Brandon sat up straight in his chair, tugged on his tie awkwardly, and forced a laugh. “I'm sorry, but...do I know you?”

     Emma licked her lips, her mouth twisting upward like the Cheshire Cat. She played with the straw in her iced tea, taking her time answering him. “You did. A long time ago.” Her eyes held his, wordlessly challenging him to look into her soul, to seek out her hidden memories.

     Brandon stared at her, his cheeks flushing. He shook his head, puzzled by this stranger. “I don't... I don't remember you, Emma Jones. Is that your real name?”

     “Oh. Oh, yes. That's right. You wouldn't remember me as Emma Jones. How about Emma Hevel?” She let the name sink in. “Recognize me now?”

     Brandon's breath left his lungs. He slammed back against his chair as if she'd just kicked him in the groin. His eyes widened as every ounce of color drained out of his face. “It can't be...,” he whispered.

     The woman nodded and laughed. “Oh, it can be, and it is.” She took a long drink of her tea, sucking on the straw with full, sensual lips. “I've grown up since you last saw me, huh?”

     Brandon's mind was exploding, his heart racing. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead and under his arms. He struggled to reign in his panic and bring his emotions under submission. He took deep breaths, slowly let them out. He was okay. He'd be alright.

     “Let me refresh your memory,” Emma stated coolly. “I was ten years old the last time you saw me.”

     Brandon was focusing all his energy on slowing his heart rate, regulating his breathing. “Ten, huh? Wow. How old are you now?”

     “Do the math, genius.”

     “Twenty three? Twenty four?” he guessed.

     Emma pursed her lips and folded her arms across her breasts. “Do you know how old my three younger brothers and sister are now?”

     Brandon swallowed several times, then yanked the tie from his neck. “I...uh...um...”

     “You haven't given them a single thought since the day you walked out, have you?” A genuine look of disgust crossed her face. “It was bad enough that you walked out on me. I was just your inconvenient step-daughter. You had no obligation to me. Still, you were the closest thing to a dad I had. My brothers and sister, though.... They were your children, your flesh and blood. The fact that you could leave Mom with five mouths to feed �" just pack up and leave us �" and never look back...?” She gazed at him with unveiled contempt. “Mom may have been able to forgive you, but not me. Not them.”

     The accusations seared Brandon's conscience, igniting an immediate pain reflex. “What the hell do you want, Emma? You can't just walk up to me fourteen years later and talk to me this way! That's in the past. It's over! I've moved on. I'm a different person now. I have a whole new life.”

     “You have four children who never received a dime of child support from you, whose most unforgettable memory of their father is of him walking out the front door. You never kept in touch, you never tried to see us. You just...disappeared.”

     “Your mother wanted me to leave! She told me to go. Don't you dare blame me for leaving!”

     “She loved you! She never wanted you to leave. She wanted you to love her enough to become the husband and father she needed you to be! But you were too selfish, too bullheaded to see that.” Emma glared at Brandon as she added, “All Mom ever wanted was for you to love her, to love us.”

     Brandon unbuttoned his jacket and the top two buttons of his dress shirt. It was stuffy in the restaurant. He needed some fresh air. “She wouldn't let me love her, certainly wouldn't let me love you kids. All you ever heard was her side of the story. You never got to hear mine.”

     “I'm all ears.”

     Brandon guffawed and flagged down a waitress for a glass of water. Then he turned back to Emma and said, “I was young when I met your mother. We were both just kids ourselves! We didn't know the first thing about marriage or raising a family. She wanted me to be like her father and I couldn't measure up to that standard. The more I disappointed her, the more she pulled away from me. The more she pulled away, the more I tried to hold on.”

     “So why didn't you get some help? Mom said you refused to go to counseling with her.”

     “I was too proud.”

     “Why didn't you send Mom money after you left? Do you realize how hard it was for her to be the sole provider for five children?”

     Brandon opened and closed his fists several times. “She wanted me out of the house, so I left. I gave her what she wanted. If she needed my money, she should have let me stay. It was her choice to kick me out, to do without the money.”

     “You despicable son of a b***h. I can't believe you cared so little about your children,” Emma said. “You know, I've been following you in the news. You've made quite a name for yourself. Weren't you the least bit concerned that your past might catch up with you one day, that your secrets might be discovered?” She toyed with her straw again. “What would your wife �" Shawna, isn't that her name �" think? Does she know about your previous life?”

     Brandon's nostrils flared as he slammed his elbows on the table and stared at Emma with naked fury. “You wouldn't dare....”

     Emma reflected his anger with equal measure. “Oh, I so would.”

     “I never hurt you, Emma! Why would you want to destroy me?”

     “Because, Brandon, you destroyed my mother. You ruined her life. She never recovered from the void you left in her heart. She spent the rest of her life raising us kids, working her fingers to the bone to provide for us. She sacrificed and deprived herself of everything she deserved so that we would have what we needed. She believed that God would take care of us, that God would see justice served where it was needed. She died believing that.”

     “She...died?”

     “Three months ago. And I vowed that I would set things right. I've waited my whole life for God to come after you and make you pay for what you did to our family, but I'm done waiting. Apparently God needs a little help doling out justice, so here I am.”

     “Why you? You aren't even my daughter.”

     “I volunteered.” Emma fingered the diamond ring she was wearing. “My husband is a highly regarded attorney. You might have heard of him �" Mike Jones? And he is ready to take your a*s to court and expose you for the fraud that you are. How's that make you feel?”

     Brandon stopped breathing. The floor seemed to fall out from beneath his feet. “You can't do this to me, Emma. I have a wife, two kids, a good job. I've worked hard to get where I am. Think about what this will do to the people who depend on me!”

     “You should have thought about that when you left your first family behind fourteen years ago, Brandon.”

     “Aren't you afraid of what will happen to you, trying to force the hand of God?”

     “Aren't you afraid of what will happen to you, trying to dodge the hand of God? You had a God-given responsibility to take care of your family and you turned your back on it.” She pointed at him as she added, “What you did was wrong. You've gotten away with it for fourteen years. Now it's time to face the consequences. I just wish Mom could be around to see you fall.”

     “Emma, I'm begging you. Don't do this. I'll �" I'll pay you! I'll pay whatever amount you want, just don't do this to me.”

     “You can't bribe justice.” Emma stood up, shrugged into a trench coat, and slung her purse over her shoulder. “There's my darling husband,” she gave a little wave to a man who had just walked through the door. She looked down at Brandon and said, “See you in court.”

     Brandon scrambled to his feet and watched Emma walk confidently towards the impeccably dressed attorney. They kissed, and then he put an arm around her waist and walked her out the door. Brandon stood beside the empty table, tie in his hand, jacket unbuttoned, face pale. He had no idea what he was going to tell Shawna when he got home. He'd never told her that he'd been married before, that he had walked out on four small children, that he had dodged the system and never paid child support or alimony. She would probably leave him, take the kids and sue him for whatever he had left after Emma's husband annihilated him. His boss would certainly fire him. Then he'd be left with nothing. Absolutely nothing.

     “Hey, Wilson! Get back over here!” the guys hollered from the corner.

     Brandon wasn't a big drinker. He never drank more than a beer or two because he didn't want to lose control. But as he sat down at the table with his co-workers, he summoned the waitress and ordered a double. What did it matter if drank tonight? Emma Jones had just walked up to him and stripped him of everything �" his identity, his reputation, his control. No, that wasn't true. He'd never really been in control of anything. He'd just mastered the art of appearances. Emma had pulled the mask off, exposed him for who he truly was: just a b*****d in a business suit.