Confrontation and Acceptance

Gregory Hendricks sat at his desk reviewing the payroll for the previous week. Fridays were quiet days. He liked Fridays. He was only working until noon since Emily asked him to come home early.

Emily was still going forward with the party and it amazed him just how much power she had over him and she knew how to weld it. He knew fighting with her was useless. Emily was extremely high strung and sometimes he thought she was down right crazy, but she did love him unconditionally. Somehow she always got around him and got her way. There was never a time that he could remember when she didn't get what she wanted one way or the other, even when it came to him.

He was younger than Emily by five years. He was only eighteen when he met her and nineteen when he married her. She was twenty three and looked like she was fourteen at the time. She wore her long red hair in a ponytail. He always thought she was cute, in a childish sort of way but he didn't think of her as a woman. Most of the time she wore jeans and a simple blouse whenever he saw her.

Somehow without his knowledge, she had wormed her way into his family's good graces. His father absolutely adored her. His mother thought that she was the best thing since sliced bread! While he was out chasing Daria Jenkins, she was busy incorporating herself into his life by getting into his family's good graces. He hadn't had a clue what was going on until the deed was done.

He found that Emily was very perceptive and crafty. She always had a plan when it came to getting what she wanted. He realized later that he had been set up and by the time he found out, it was too late. He smiled now to himself remembering how she seemed satisfied with just being his friend and concentrated on her relationship with his parents. She would be invited to dinner and would talk shop with his father totally ignoring Gregory at the dinner table. He didn't have a clue then that she wanted him, but that was all a part of her plan. She had even been there once when he had invited Daria over and she didn't bat an eye.

When his father was strapped for cash, she immediately bought into the business and talked about expansion which was his father's pipe dream. Oh she was good, that was for sure. Later, he found out about Daria cheating and he was feeling sorry for himself moping around. Emily had been to dinner the night before when he'd found out from his father about Daria.

He still remembered the night that Emily approached him. Emily showed up at the downtown bakery as he was closing and Gregory thought that she was looking for his father. She informed him that she was looking for him and promptly told him that he was the finest looking piece of man flesh she'd ever laid eyes on and that just looking at him made her sweat. Before he could recover from that, she told him that she wanted him to take her out!

The next week his parents were singing her praises and urging him to take her out. It was then that he realized what she had done and confronted her. She denied nothing and grinned at him impishly. "When you want something, you go out and get it! That's what my grandfather always said!" she told him boldly.

Gregory had to admit, the girl had spunk. He took her out, but his friends commented that she looked like his little sister instead of girlfriend and that bothered him. He related as much to her and therefore on their next date she had on a mini skirt and red high heels. She had on a white blouse with no bra and he couldn't stop staring at her small perky breasts and her pink nipples. She then told him that she may not be a 36DD but that she was still a woman. After that night watching her breasts jiggle as she walked in those heels, he had no doubt about it. He never looked at her as a little girl again.

Even with the pressure from his parents and Emily's perky breasts and high heels, he had to admit to her that he didn't feel that he was in love with her. He felt he should at least tell her the truth and he expected her to become angry and break it off with him, giving him relief from the pressure his parents were applying for him to move forward in their relationship.

Emily surprised him yet again and told him that she knew that he was still pining over Daria, but that she loved him and had always loved him. She then told him that she was still a virgin because she had fallen in love with him when he made a delivery to her house for a party when he was fifteen and she was twenty. She told him that she made up in her mind that day that she wanted him and that she saved herself for him. She had patiently waited for him to come of age and then she had to wait for him to find out about Daria. She then told him that she had been studying on ways to pleasure a man and if he'd marry her, she'd fulfill his every sexual fantasy.

Gregory was totally shocked at the time and didn't know what to say. She then asked him if any woman he knew would do what she did for his family and he had to admit that there wasn't. His own father took him aside later after he related to him all Emily had told him hoping he would tell him to break it off with her.

"Gregory" he said. "I knew Emily had a thing for you from the beginning. She's a nice girl and comes from a nice family. She has money and has invested in your future. She's a giver not a taker. What more could you want in a wife?"

"But Dad, I'm still hoping that Daria-"

"Forget Daria, son" his father said wisely. "She'll never make you happy. She needs too much attention and when you don't give it to her, she'll cheat again, I'll guarantee it! Let me give you a word of wisdom boy. You can pick a woman with your mind, your dick or your heart. Right now your dick is talking telling you to get back with Daria because of her body and her looks. Your mind will tell you that I'm right about her character and that she really doesn't love you and she'll cheat again. Now Emily may not have your heart right now, but she's a good mind choice and if I know that girl, she won't be satisfied until she has your heart right in the palm of her little hand. So think about that!"

His father had been right. Emily had made him a good wife in and out of bed. There was nothing that she wouldn't try in bed within reason and then after she left him totally spent, she'd get up and feed him breakfast in bed. She spoiled him rotten, did whatever he asked her to do and treated him like a king. Then she'd keep his head from becoming too inflated by handcuffing him to the bed and dominating him and performing some of the things she learned from her pleasure book until he cried for mercy. She knew how to make him scream and beg for mercy and he ended up giving her whatever she asked; which was rarely something for herself. God, he loved that woman!

His secretary stuck her head into his office interrupting his daydreaming session.

"Mr. Hendricks a Miss Chamberlayne is here to see you. She say's it's about your son and it's urgent!

Gregory stared at her. Who the devil was Miss Chamberlayne?

"What? I don't know her Greta!" he snapped. Maybe it was someone from the downtown store.

"She says it's urgent." Greta said again.

"Oh alright! Send her in" Gregory replied irritated.

He was surprised when he looked up and saw VaLysia.

"Mr. Hendricks, we need to talk." she said shutting the door and walking over to his desk.

"What could we possibly have to talk about? I haven't changed my mind" Gregory replied.

His eyes roamed over her trying to determine what about her Matheson was so infatuated with. He had to admit that now as he took a good look at her, she wasn't a bad looking girl. Her little curls on her head accentuated her facial features even if she did have thick lips. She had a sort of pear shaped figure, her hips were full and her breasts were small.

"I didn't come to you about the party or about me and Matheson's relationship" Val replied coolly. "I'm coming to you about your son's health."

Gregory scoffed. "His health? He's healthy as a horse. What are you talking about?"

"Look" she replied patiently. "He is not alright. He is overworking himself and I can tell something is wrong. He needs to go to the doctor, but he says that he doesn't have time. You are the only one that can order him to go."

Gregory looked at her skeptically. "How do you know something's wrong?"

"I know" she said not wanting to elaborate.

Gregory looked at her running his eyes over her. "Maybe if he's having problems getting it up for you, you're the problem and not him. Have you ever thought about that?"

For a moment VaLysia was speechless not believing what he had said to her. Before she knew what she was doing she leaned across the desk and grabbed him by his tie, yanking it hard.

"Look asshole" she spat "I don't give a flying fuck what you think about me, but your son is not well. He needs to go to the doctor. Now if you are any kind of a father, you will pick up that phone right now and call the store and demand that he does just that, not later but today!"

She yanked him by the tie again and then dropped it.

Before Gregory could recover from her outburst he was flabbergasted as he watched the tears run from her eyes.

"I love him, OK" she sniffed. "I don't expect you to accept that, but I do."

Gregory jumped up. He couldn't stand to see a woman cry. "Look, I believe you love him."

He paused a minute thinking about the devil he would catch if Emily found out about this. He had received enough grief from her already. He handed Val a tissue from the box on his desk.

"Alright. I'll call him right now."

He picked up the phone and called the store. He looked at Val wiping her eyes as he waited for Gary to get Matheson to the phone. He pointed to a chair for her to sit down and she complied.

"Son, I understand that you're putting your health at risk. Now we can't have that." his father said once he came to the phone.

"VaLysia's here and she has made an appointment for you to go at..."

He looked at Val.

"3:30 PM" Val replied.

"3.30 this afternoon" Gregory continued. "I expect you to be there and she's going with you to make sure you keep your appointment."

"I know you're not a child, Matheson" he said continuing to look at Val. "However, you know your mother is high strung. Do you want her to come down there and make a scene in the bakery? "

He paused a minute. "Alright, I'll tell her"

He hung up the phone. "Pick him up from the bakery at 3:00"

Matheson was not too happy about VaLysia going to his father and she could tell when he got in the car with her.

She didn't say anything but drove straight to the office. She was lucky that she was able to get an appointment at the Family Practice Center, but the doctors rotated and she explained that Matheson needed to see someone as early as possible.

They arrived and she sat next to him in the waiting room as he filled out the paperwork. He didn't have to wait that long before the called his name and she waited in the waiting room hoping that he would be in a better mood when he returned.

She waited for over an hour and she began to worry as she had to pick up her grandmother in a couple more hours. He finally came out and walked straight out the door and she jumped up and followed him.

"Matheson!" she said catching up to him.

He stopped and turned to her.

"What did the doctor say?' she asked opening the car door.

He leaned over and kissed her. "I'm sorry I've been so moody, babe." he said pulling out several prescriptions. "It seems I have high blood pressure. I felt fine, but I could tell from the look on the doctor's face it wasn't good. He says that was most likely part of my other problem. It's called premature ejaculation. He gave me some things to read and I have to come back in a month."

Val breathed a sigh of relief. "What does he want you to do? Do I have to do anything?"

"He told me that most likely it was a combination of things including stress and insufficient rest. He gave me some exercises to perform...and some cream that I have to apply that's supposed to help."

She pulled up into the parking lot of the bakery and cut off the engine.

"Matheson, I didn't mean to pull rank on you, but you had me worried especially when you seemed to be in no hurry to go to the doctor. I hope you're not mad at me." she said. "I just wanted you to get checked out."

"I was a little at first" he replied. "But I'm glad you made me go. The doctor told me that high blood pressure is nothing to play with. "He handed her the prescriptions and his card. "Can you get these filled for me?"

"Of course" she said smiling.

"I can't believe you went to my father after the way he acted. I would have thought you'd go to my mother." he said laughing getting out of the car.

"I just took my chances with your father" she said snickering. "I figured I could deal with his anger easier than I could deal with your Mom's pacing.

She made Matheson promise to get off on time tonight and she would meet him at his apartment to give him his medicine when he got off. She quickly kissed him goodbye and pulled off.

Her grandmother was waiting for her and she took her to her dentist appointment. She related everything that had happened when Matheson told his parents and when she went to lunch with Emily.

"Miss Emily got a lot of her father's ways" Mavis said. "But she's sweet like her mother. She can be a little strange sometimes on account that we almost lost her when she was born. I helped deliver her, in fact."

"She told me that" Val replied.

Mavis shook her head. "She had some strange ways for sure. On her eighteenth birthday we had a big party for her. Legally she was a ward of her Uncle Albert. He was Ms. Trudy's brother whose house Mama and I would stay sometimes at Christmas. He handled all her money until she was twenty one. He gave me an allowance and I raised her. He really didn't want to be bothered with her because he had his own family to deal with."

Mavis stopped talking a minute and stared out the window.

"I love her like my own flesh and blood, but sometimes I wonder if she needs to see one of them head doctors. Anyway when she turned eighteen and we were going to throw her an eighteenth birthday party, and we had it catered. Mr. Gregory's father ran the bakery then and Mr. Gregory was just a child. He came to the house with what I had ordered for the party and Miss Emily was in the kitchen. Mr. Gregory was helping his father with the food and Ms. Emily told me after they dropped off the food that she was going to marry him! He was only thirteen years old!"

"I didn't realize that they were that young!" Val exclaimed.

"Yes, and she had her mind made up! She made friends with Gregory's family and everything. She told me that she was a patient woman and she would wait for him to mature. She wouldn't even go out with fellows her age. I told her that it wasn't decent for her to try to date that child. She told me that she wasn't even going to talk to him before he turned eighteen and by then he had a girl. Did that change her mind?"

"I gather it didn't" Val said giggling.

"Nope and she ended up with him just like she wanted." Mavis shook her head. "When Miss Emily gets something in her head, look out! Nothing is going to stop her!"

Val laughed as she pulled up in the dentist's parking lot. "I guess then I shouldn't worry about your birthday dinner party, huh?"

"Nope. I'm not worried one bit." Mavis replied.