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Authors: Emily Frankel
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you haven't even told me what happened with the California club ladies?"
"How could I?" Marian said, and they both started laughing. Only when the buzzer on the service door signaled, did the telephone conference adjourn.
"Have a gorgeous evening with that beautiful man of yours, Mari."
Her assistant made it sound slightly wicked, but that was Elena — teasing, but never overstepping the boundaries. "I will," Marian replied crisply, but she was smiling softly to herself.
By four o'clock the table was set — candlesticks, silver, linen napkins, even a bit of incense in a dish that would give the dining room a special fragrance.
The television had been muttering all afternoon. Marian started to turn it off just as the soap opera husband was embracing a young girl. She waited for them to finish their kiss before she pushed the Off button.
It was as if time had stopped and Marian was somewhere between west coast and east. She had not yet completely returned to being either Mrs. Ferris Cooper or Mari, the New York executive.
She picked out her slinkiest at-home pajamas, Ferris liked them, they were suitable for wearing out in the world as well as at home — lavender silk jersey, full-length billowing pants with matching Russian style over-blouse that was slit rather low in front but tied with a braided cord — all quite discreet yet providing an occasional flicker of skin, a modest but tantalizing peek.
"Ferris?" Marian called out, as she heard a sound from the outside hallway. It wasn't Ferris but the clock said "soon it would be." How tremulous and excited she was, waiting for husband and lover, for food and love and conversation. She could hardly wait to tell him about what she'd accomplished in California. And there were so many things Marian wanted to know, about what had been happening to Ferris while she'd been away.
++++++++++
Chapter 8
Ferris brought flowers and his partner Charles.
"Dear heart, aren't you the one!" Charles gave Marian a kiss on the lips. "I never expected to see you in anything so trendy! Let me see the back!"
Marian whirled around, needing a quick second to revise her initial reaction of dismay.
"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Ferris brushed Marian's cheek with a kiss.
"So slinky and sexy!" Charles lightly flicked the cord on her blouse. "Maybe she'll get you into leather jeans one of these days, Ferris!"
"Not very likely!" Ferris sniffed appreciatively. "And smell what she's fixed for our dinner!"
"I don't think your wife was planning on dinner for three," Charles said with a sly grin.
"Marian doesn't mind. We're not newlyweds, after all." Ferris put his arm around Marian's waist as the three of them walked to the kitchen to get ice for their drinks and a vase for the flowers.
Ferris and Charles were in a jovial mood. As they were finishing the first martini, Marian realized the conversation was a continuation of a discussion they'd been having at the office, about a soup commercial, on which they were preparing a bid.
During the appetizer and casserole, although the men took time to cast compliments in the direction of the Cook, they continued solving their Soup problems.
"Soup is so dull — I can't identify with soup," Charles said.
"But Charles, I'm in the middle of editing the Florida Oranges footage. Soup is going to have to be your baby."
"If I'm in charge, why can't I do it my way?"
"You will, but let's plan it together, the way we always do."
Marian tried to participate but there wasn't much place for her in one of their planning sessions and as the dinner progressed, it became very clear, a planning session was what the two men were having.
The men were politely disagreeing more and more and noticing her less and less, so she ate every drop on her plate and felt guilty. Guilt always sat at the table with Marian — all through girlhood she'd been told "finish everything on your plate, dear!" and now, leaving something on the plate was one of her cardinal
"How could I?" Marian said, and they both started laughing. Only when the buzzer on the service door signaled, did the telephone conference adjourn.
"Have a gorgeous evening with that beautiful man of yours, Mari."
Her assistant made it sound slightly wicked, but that was Elena — teasing, but never overstepping the boundaries. "I will," Marian replied crisply, but she was smiling softly to herself.
By four o'clock the table was set — candlesticks, silver, linen napkins, even a bit of incense in a dish that would give the dining room a special fragrance.
The television had been muttering all afternoon. Marian started to turn it off just as the soap opera husband was embracing a young girl. She waited for them to finish their kiss before she pushed the Off button.
It was as if time had stopped and Marian was somewhere between west coast and east. She had not yet completely returned to being either Mrs. Ferris Cooper or Mari, the New York executive.
She picked out her slinkiest at-home pajamas, Ferris liked them, they were suitable for wearing out in the world as well as at home — lavender silk jersey, full-length billowing pants with matching Russian style over-blouse that was slit rather low in front but tied with a braided cord — all quite discreet yet providing an occasional flicker of skin, a modest but tantalizing peek.
"Ferris?" Marian called out, as she heard a sound from the outside hallway. It wasn't Ferris but the clock said "soon it would be." How tremulous and excited she was, waiting for husband and lover, for food and love and conversation. She could hardly wait to tell him about what she'd accomplished in California. And there were so many things Marian wanted to know, about what had been happening to Ferris while she'd been away.
++++++++++
Chapter 8
Ferris brought flowers and his partner Charles.
"Dear heart, aren't you the one!" Charles gave Marian a kiss on the lips. "I never expected to see you in anything so trendy! Let me see the back!"
Marian whirled around, needing a quick second to revise her initial reaction of dismay.
"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Ferris brushed Marian's cheek with a kiss.
"So slinky and sexy!" Charles lightly flicked the cord on her blouse. "Maybe she'll get you into leather jeans one of these days, Ferris!"
"Not very likely!" Ferris sniffed appreciatively. "And smell what she's fixed for our dinner!"
"I don't think your wife was planning on dinner for three," Charles said with a sly grin.
"Marian doesn't mind. We're not newlyweds, after all." Ferris put his arm around Marian's waist as the three of them walked to the kitchen to get ice for their drinks and a vase for the flowers.
Ferris and Charles were in a jovial mood. As they were finishing the first martini, Marian realized the conversation was a continuation of a discussion they'd been having at the office, about a soup commercial, on which they were preparing a bid.
During the appetizer and casserole, although the men took time to cast compliments in the direction of the Cook, they continued solving their Soup problems.
"Soup is so dull — I can't identify with soup," Charles said.
"But Charles, I'm in the middle of editing the Florida Oranges footage. Soup is going to have to be your baby."
"If I'm in charge, why can't I do it my way?"
"You will, but let's plan it together, the way we always do."
Marian tried to participate but there wasn't much place for her in one of their planning sessions and as the dinner progressed, it became very clear, a planning session was what the two men were having.
The men were politely disagreeing more and more and noticing her less and less, so she ate every drop on her plate and felt guilty. Guilt always sat at the table with Marian — all through girlhood she'd been told "finish everything on your plate, dear!" and now, leaving something on the plate was one of her cardinal
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