Broken Obsession - Part Two (5 page)

And Amber had to accept it. She accepted it because
this was how it was for a while; this was how her life would be for
the next few months until Peyton would be comfortable enough with
her. She would have to be patient for a while and wait for that day
to come, after all, like Eduardo said; they had all the time in the
world now.

“She’s here,” Jackie Medina, Eduardo’s Legal
Assistant stated, closing the door behind her. She looked across at
her boss. He had been going over a brief with his feet up on his
desk when she popped in unannounced and he immediately placed them
down within hearing her voice.

Eduardo laid down the brief first before saying, “Let
her sit with the commoner’s for a few more moments in the reception
area. Let her reflect on what might have been.”

Jackie smiled and agreed, “Yah, that’ll teach her a
lesson,” she quipped, rolling her eyes disagreeing with him for
now, “Sitting with the little people always makes me wanna
reflect.”

Eduardo gave her a condescending look of disapproval
and Jackie simply raised her eyebrows and headed out the same way
she came in. She could do that you know Jackie had been his
assistant for nearly ten years. She had been assigned to him when
he was initially hired and not once had she ever felt like pouncing
on him. For the past five years, Jackie has had an unrequited love
with Gordon Daggert, the other fine-looking attorney in the law
firm. She was puttied around Gordon but with Eduardo, she felt more
like his little sister and loved to tease him.

Eduardo gazed over at his digital clock then rolled
his eyes.
The woman was early
, he thought. She could sit
there for a few more minutes, he could make her wait. The last time
she came in for an appointment, he was discussing her options on
what to do about her agent of two years, who just happened to be
her husband…and who just happened to have an affair with
her
assistant. She wanted to divorce him first, but then was arrested
after her assistant found him dead at the foot of their bed. The
spouse was always the first to suspect, and Eduardo was called in
immediately by her publicist.

Imelda Yasmina Venezuela de Gómez aka “Yazmine” was a
phenomenal pop singer imported from South America with a
triple-platinum CD and five number one debut hits. She was at the
peak of her popularity when the scandal hit. She didn’t do it, she
always claimed, and now Eduardo had to prove it. Oh, and there was
one other little minor thing…she was a huge flirt. It had been
rumored through the tabloids that she has had numerous lovers
throughout her career and even some during her short two-year
marriage to her agent. Yazmine didn’t like hearing the word “no”
and the day since she’s been his client, Yazmine has also had the
‘hots’ for her Latin defense attorney. This is the reason why
Eduardo made her cool down in the reception area, he didn’t feel
like being chased around his desk today—he just bought a new Armani
suit.

She walked into his office in a low-cut dress and
Eduardo’s eyes immediately dropped to that region. He was, after
all, a red-blooded American male—it was just in his nature.

“How’s my favorite boy-toy?” Yazmine asked, making
herself at home across from him on his sofa he had in his
office.

Eduardo was about to go and sit back around his desk
after greeting her when he noticed that she preferred to sit a
little cozier and took her lead on a convenient chair across from
her. “He’s doing well,” he confessed, thinking about Amber and
their love-making just the night before. “He’s doing
very
well.”

Yazmine ate him up and down then crossed her legs to
give him a view of her recent Miami tan through her slit on her
leather mini skirt. Yazmine misread his stare and didn’t skip a
beat and commented on that sensual look of his, “In no doubt you
are...”

Later that afternoon, Amber felt uneasy at home
knowing her husband was having a meeting with that she-devil. Just
the other day at the hair salon, Amber had picked up a magazine
with an entire section on
‘Yazmine’
and how famous she was
and how the paparazzi constantly stalked her to the point where she
had to hire a few bodyguards and entourage. She was with them, she
claimed, when her husband was killed and she was blaming her
assistant for his death. Amber didn’t like her…of course, she was a
blond
…and, of course, she was
beautiful
…and, of
course, she had a
nice rack
and Eduardo loved to look at
blonds who were beautiful with nice racks. Those used to be his
preferred women of choice and had Amber really tamed the once
promiscuous tiger? Had he really changed? Had a tiger really
maintained his stripes?

Amber hadn’t been jealous of other women in his life
since the day they were married, but with this one, she felt
apprehension and couldn’t understand why.

Amber was just about to call Eduardo at the office to
see how his meeting went with Yazmine when Amber browsed by the
kitchen and found Mrs. Lopez making food for her son. “Mrs. Lopez,
I can make lunch for Peyton, you don’t have to do that.”

“I insist, Mrs. Sanchez, I’ve been making sure Peyton
has had a good meal since the day he was born.”

Amber felt her blood beginning to boil, “But I’m his
mother Mrs. Lopez, and I am quite capable of making a peanut butter
and jelly sandwich.”

“Peanut butter and jelly?” Mrs. Lopez nodded her
head, “No—no, little Peyton must eat chopped chicken like his
father.”

Amber fumed, “No, he doesn’t. I’m taking over now and
Peyton is going to grow up normal—unlike his spoiled father.”

“Are you insulting your own husband?”

“No one knows Eduardo Sanchez more than I do, he’s
arrogant, he’s difficult, he’s brilliant, but he’s spoiled.”

Mrs. Lopez nodded her head again, “You will take full
responsibility if Mr. Sanchez is unhappy with Peyton’s nutrition
then?”

Amber rolled her eyes. The woman was insulting her
again! “Yes, full responsibility.”

“Very well then, I will see to the other house
duties.”

What other house duties? Amber had already walked all
over the Goddamn house and found that there was not one inch of
dust or grime, dirty clothes, dishes, an unmade bed or a bathroom
unclean throughout the whole entire area! The whole house was
military dirt free and it was making her crazy from the sheer
boredom of having nothing to do! “Very well,” Amber mocked,
watching Mrs. Lopez exit out of the kitchen.

Amber then began opening up the cupboards trying to
figure out where the hell the peanut butter went when she came
across a cabinet full of liquor and closed it up immediately;
didn’t give a second glance until she hesitated for a second and
then reopened it. Amber after that took out the Vodka bottle
directly in front of her and poured herself a small glass.

Wow, how comforting it was to relax her nerves. Amber
began to recall all the endless nights when she couldn’t sleep, or
tried to find a reason to avoid sleeping with Victor. She was
involved with Eduardo back then and she didn’t want Victor to touch
her so she found out by drinking, she discovered the escape and
finally an answer. Amber was one of the drinkers who, if drank the
right amount, would transform physically into another person all
together. She was suddenly unsure about her husband’s roving eye
and that housekeeper slash nanny was nothing but difficult lately,
and Amber continued to pour herself drinks until she realized she
had drank half the bottle.

Later, Eduardo came home to find Mrs. Lopez at the
dining-room table rearranging the flowers. “Where’s Mrs.
Sanchez?”

“She’s been up in her room for half the day.”

“Where’s Peyton?”

“Your mother-in-law was by here earlier and asked if
he could attend her to the park.”

“Oh,” Eduardo let go, ascending the staircase and
noticing that the door to their room had been closed.

He opened it up to find Amber asleep in their bed.
But it was only six-thirty! Amber usually greeted him at the door
with her arms wide open, kissing him excitedly. He was not used to
her halting their routine. “Amber?”

Amber moaned.

Eduardo walked over to her lying there. She
looked...drunk. Her face was smashed against the mattress; her lips
were spread out in a funny widened fish mouth expression. Eduardo
shook his head, lifted her feet up and took off her shoes.
“Amber...I’m home.”

Amber moaned another time.

She
had
been drinking. What the hell for?
Eduardo slapped his wife’s bottom with one quick stroke.

Amber flinched and sprung to attention. “Ouch! What
the fuck?”

“Have you been drinking?”

Amber tried to open her inebriated eyes and squinted
at her husband. Her senses come back to her in full force. “Just a
little bit,” she explained, pinching her fingers to show him just
how much.

“Why? You don’t drink, what’s wrong?”

“I had a rough day,” she said, wiping her plastered
hair away from her face.

Eduardo had never seen her like this before. Her eyes
had suddenly changed. The alteration in her was almost immediate.
Her hazel eyes transformed from light brown to a dingy black. Her
face went pale, she was almost white. Her usual pink hue was gone,
vanished, erased over by the intoxication. He was so turned off by
her appearance he couldn’t believe the mutation in her.

Amber went for her husband and started to kiss him,
but Eduardo held her back. He was suddenly disgusted with what he
saw and conveyed, “Stop it Amber, I’m tired, I’m going to take a
shower.”

Amber let go of him instantly and watched wide-eyed
as he walked away from her. Eduardo had
never-ever
rejected
her touch before! Was it the singer? Was it really work? Was he
really tired? What was it?

Amber suddenly was in disbelief, and then without
warning, she had a craving for another drink.

In the middle of the night, Amber had a sudden burst
of mother’s intuition. Her child was hurting. She sat up and
listened to the various sounds across the hushed night. Eduardo was
whizzing in his sleep, his nose snoring away. So much for being
faultless, another flaw she could use as ammunition for a rainy
day. Amber closed her eyes again, maybe she was imagining it; the
wind, rustling through the leaves on the trees outside, the ocean
beyond, the waves pushing up against the current, splashing and
tumbling over and over...then a small faint sound...the cry of
child...
Peyton?

Amber darted out of bed and ran toward her son’s
room. The light from the moon streamed through his windowpane. She
focused on him instantly; Peyton was rolling on top of his bed,
whimpering and crying and Amber ran over to him directly and
grabbed him into her arms.

Peyton immediately stopped crying when he felt
secured by an adult’s warm arms around him. He was safe now, the
nightmare could end and he wrapped his little arms around that
other person; unaware that it was his mother.

Still holding him within her arms, Amber walked over
to the nearby rocking chair and sat down and carefully rocked her
child within her arms. She caressed his head, his back and then
rubbed him over and over until he felt completely safe.

“Mommy’s here baby,” she whispered to him, rocking
and swaying her child until she felt his body loosen from her
comforting words. “Mommy won’t let anything happen to you, the
monsters are all gone now, mommy’s here baby...You’re safe now
Peyton, you’re safe with mommy.”

Amber’s heart swarmed with love at this point. It was
the second time she ever got to hold her child. The first day was
when Eduardo presented him to Amber when she had awakened from her
unconscious state back at the Palm Desert Treatment Center. Peyton
had been asleep and hadn’t noticed the exchange of arms that had
taken place.

Amber continued to rock her son as the moonlight
shifted around in the windowsill from the wind outside. She
continued kissing him in his sleepy dreamy state and was so
grateful for this little time alone with him where he allowed her
to fully hold him without any interruption, hesitation or Mrs.
Lopez. She kissed Peyton on the top of his head and caressed and
held him near. She didn’t realize how much she truly loved this
little boy until that moment; he was her miracle, an additional
benefit to hers and Eduardo’s already full love and she was so
grateful to have him.

Peyton instantly fell back to sleep, feeling secure,
feeling the love and warmth from his mother; and Amber closed her
eyes and thanked God for him. She never asked for him in the first
place, never thought she was allowed to have such a special gift,
but here he was and she was so indebted that he was now with her
and thanked the Lord again for creating him for her to love and
share with the man she would forever care for.

Amber reopened her eyes and fathomed in the
darkness—her husband? He doesn’t interrupt them and watched her
silently as she rocked the chair back and forth in the middle of
the night with their child in her arms.