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Taking It All(3)

By:Maya Banks


Part of her recognized that they had a right to be frustrated with her.   They listened to her whine about a problem she herself wasn't willing  to  address, much less try to fix. Chessy knew she had her head firmly  in  the sand and was in denial over the state of her marriage, but to  even  contemplate any other alternative meant she had to admit that her   marriage was in trouble. And she wasn't prepared to do that. Yet.

"Our anniversary is this Friday," Chessy said, purposely brightening her   tone in an effort to relieve the somber turn of the conversation.  "Tate  has promised me an intimate dinner at the restaurant where we  always  have our anniversary dinner. No cell phones. No business. He  plans to  take off early and he said the entire weekend is ours. And,"  she said,  drawing out the word, "he says he has very distinct plans for  after  dinner, so I can hardly wait. I think having this, one weekend  where  it's just us, will do wonders for my insecurities and silliness. I  never  should have let it get to this point. I recognize that I'm at  fault for  not communicating better with Tate, for not telling him of my   unhappiness. But this weekend, when it's just the two of us and our   focus is solely on us, I absolutely plan to talk to him about  …    everything."

Kylie and Joss both wore identical looks of relief.

"That's wonderful, sweetie," Joss said.

"I'm so glad you're taking this step," Kylie said. "I agree with you. A   weekend with just the two of you is probably exactly what you need to   feel better about everything. And talking to him and opening up about   the way you've been feeling is a huge step in the right direction. I   can't imagine Tate not moving heaven and earth to make you happy again.   But as you said yourself, he has to know about the problem if he's  going  to be able to fix it."

Chessy smiled, her heart lightening and some of the ache slipping away   as she soaked in the healing balm of her girlfriends' unfettered,   unconditional love. God only knew Chessy was usually the one freely   dispensing advice and threatening to kick Joss and Kylie's asses over   certain matters when it came to their happiness. It made her a flaming   hypocrite that she wasn't taking a dose of the same medicine she dished   out to her friends. And that she was quick to tell them what they  should  do but then shrugged off their advice. Sound advice to boot.                       
       
           



       

Ah well, no more. She was resolving to have the best anniversary weekend   ever. She and Tate would rediscover the love she knew they still   shared. They'd spend a wonderful weekend together loving and laughing   and she would talk to him about her growing unhappiness. It was time for   her to stop being a spineless guppy and take a stand when it came to   her own life and relationship with a man she loved with all her heart   and soul.





Two


THAT Friday, Chessy sat at the table Tate had reserved at the restaurant   for their anniversary dinner, resisting the urge to look at her watch.   There were a million reasons Tate could be late. Traffic. Difficulty  in  breaking free from work. She didn't mind any of it as long as he  showed  up and their weekend began, just as he'd promised her.

In the beginning of their five-year marriage, Tate had always gone the   extra mile to make it a special day for her. One year, they'd eaten here   and then he'd taken her home, told her to pack a bag, that they were   going to the Bora Bora for an entire week.

She still smiled over the memory of that. Her bubbly excitement over   Tate arranging such a wonderful surprise for her. He'd taken her on a   reenactment of their honeymoon. Same bungalow set out over the water.   Same honeymoon bed. They'd spent most of that entire week in bed, only   venturing out to eat or to play in the water.

But in the last two years there'd been no time for such frivolities.   They still ate at the same restaurant, but on Monday morning it had been   off to work for him as usual.

She glanced at her watch again, breathing a small sigh of relief. He   wasn't late. She was merely a few minutes early. Deciding she'd take a   quick trip to the ladies room to double check her appearance, she rose   and hurried to the bathroom.

She'd paid extra attention to her makeup and hair and had donned a sexy,   slinky dress she knew would get a rise out of Tate. With any luck he   wouldn't be able to take his eyes off her during the entire meal and his   gaze would smolder with all the things he'd do to her once they  arrived  home.

She shivered in delight as she retouched her lip gloss and patted her   upswept hair. Little curly tendrils floated carelessly down her neck and   against her cheek. She knew without false modesty that she looked her   absolute best.

Hoping that Tate would be at the table when she returned, she closed her   clutch and rushed back, her heart sinking when she saw his chair still   unoccupied. She slowly retook her seat, scanning the interior to see  if  he was arriving.

She'd just let out a heavy sigh when her cell phone vibrated. Hoping it   was Tate, she opened her clutch and lunged for it. As she glanced at  the  incoming name she saw it was indeed Tate.

"Tate? Where are you?" she asked breathlessly, trying to keep an accusing note from her voice.

"I'm sorry, my girl." His deep-timbered voice slid like silk over her   ears and she got a delicious thrill every time he called her "my girl."   "I just got caught up in a last-minute client call but I'm on my way  out  the door. Give me twenty depending on traffic and I'll meet you  there.  If you like go ahead and order for us. You know my preference.  By the  time the food is served, I'll be there."

Chessy couldn't help the frown that curved her lips downward. That   wasn't the way things worked in their relationship. Not at all. Tate was   her Dominant. Not just her Dominant but her lover, her husband, the  man  she adored-and trusted-with all her heart.

He always made the decisions. He always ordered her food. Her heart gave   a guilty twinge. She was acting like a petulant, pouty two-year-old.  He  merely didn't want to hold up their dinner, but still, there was a   small part of her that registered that lately, with recurring frequency,   he'd drifted away from the dominance he'd always held over her. More   and more she was forced to act on her own. Make the decisions that Tate   always made.

It sounded silly to anyone looking in from the outside. Like she wasn't   capable of making her own decisions and was some helpless twit, lost   without her husband. But she willingly ceded power to Tate in their   relationship. He made her feel safe. Cherished. Utterly adored because   he took care of her every need. Or at least he used to.

Their relationship-their lifestyle-was her choice. Perhaps the biggest   choice of her life. She was an intelligent, smart woman. She had no   reservations when it came to knowing what she was capable of. But she   chose to give up power to her Dominant, and submissiveness wasn't for   the weak. Not at all. She knew she wielded every bit as much power in   her marriage to Tate as he did. Just in a different way.                       
       
           



       

"I'll take care of it," she said softly. "Drive safe. I can't wait to   see you so we can kick off our anniversary and have an entire weekend to   ourselves. It's been so long, Tate. I can't tell you how much I need   this. How much I need you."

There was a lengthy pause and she cursed herself for already putting a   damper on the evening before it ever began. It was as if he had no idea   what to say in response to what amounted to a plea.

"I love you. See you in a minute," she said brightly, to cover up the   awkwardness caused by her passionate, needy sounding outburst. And,   well, the words were truth. She did need him. She needed her husband   back, even if it was only for one weekend before things went back to the   same day-to-day routine.

"I love my girl too," he said gruffly. "Be there as quick as I can."

When she ended the call, her stomach felt as though it had lead in it.   And she didn't understand why. He was only going to be twenty minutes   late. Thank God he was making it at all. When the phone had vibrated,   she'd fully expected him to tell her he couldn't make it. That something   had come up and he was cancelling. On their anniversary of all nights.