"No." Matthew shook his head emphatically. "Do not call Holly. Do not call a marriage counselor. I fully agree that you've got problems - not the least of which is a condition known as nymphomania. But I have no intention of seeing a counselor, and no interest in saving this farce of a marriage. It's over, Lindsey, and probably should have been four or five years ago. Now, please leave so I can get some rest before I collapse right here. And if I have to sleep in this room - where I'm guessing you've brought more than a few of your fuck buddies - I'm really, really going to be sick. I'll have all your things packed up and sent to you at the house, though considering how much crap you've managed to accumulate here that might take a couple of days. Now, get out before I have you escorted out."
She glared at him as she picked up her Hermes satchel. "If you think for one minute that this is even close to being over," she hissed, "then you're stupider and more naïve than I've ever imagined. There's not going to be a divorce, Matt. Not now and not ever. And as soon as you get over this little hissy fit you're having, you'll apologize for all the horrible things you've just said and beg me to forgive you. Just like old times."
Lindsey stormed out of the condo, slamming the front door behind her for emphasis. Matthew wearily made his way to one of the guest rooms, toeing off his shoes and pulling back the covers. But just before he collapsed onto the mattress and let sleep take him over, he had just enough presence of mind left to pick up the telephone and press the number for the building's concierge.
"Xavier? Hey, sorry to bother you, man, but I really need a couple of urgent favors. Yeah, I've got the flu, feel like three day old crap right now. No, no. I don't need a doctor or anything from the pharmacy, just some sleep. Listen, this is what I need you to do, okay? First is to change my access codes to the building, including the one for the garage. And don't let anyone else know what the new codes are, got it? Especially Mrs. Bennett. Next, I need a locksmith up here ASAP to change the front door lock. Yep, that's it for now. Thanks, buddy, you're the best."
As his head hit the pillow and he found some much needed solace in slumber, Matthew sleepily figured he could deal with replacing the bed in the master bedroom tomorrow.
Chapter Two
Two weeks later
Ian Gregson arched a brow observantly from where he sat across the table. "Perhaps you should have ordered a second entrée, Matthew. It looks like you haven't had a square meal in awhile."
Matthew gave his friend a sheepish grin as he popped another French fry in his mouth. "You may be right. Ever since Lindsey and I separated I've been subsisting on takeout food most nights. Fortunately, Elena has always been a bossy little thing, and she makes sure I have something for breakfast and lunch so I don't waste away to nothing, as she's so fond of saying. I keep insisting that she's got a Jewish mother somewhere in her background, even though she swears she's a hundred percent Latina, going back several generations."
Ian chuckled, taking a modest bite of his grilled halibut. "You're lucky to have an assistant like her to look after you. As exemplary as Andrew has always been at his job, I can't recall a single incident where he ever actually fussed over me."
Matthew gave a small shudder, not able to imagine Ian's stuffy, by-the-book PA ever fussing over anything. In fact, he couldn't recall ever seeing the serious, bespectacled young man even cracking a smile during the few times they had met. "No, that's for sure," he agreed readily. "Elena is more than happy to look out for me, though, especially since both of her boys are doing out-of-state internships this summer and she can only boss them so much from long distance."
Matthew's PA was a single mother who'd raised her two sons practically single-handedly, and bullied, pushed, and guided them into getting accepted to highly rated universities. Her eldest – Jaime - would be a senior at Duke this fall, while her younger son – Diego - would be starting his second year at Purdue. Seeing her boys excelling in school, and being presented with the sort of opportunities that Elena herself had never known growing up as one of six children born to poor Mexican immigrants, was by far her proudest achievement. Keeping Matthew organized at the office was a close second. And in the weeks since he'd separated from Lindsey, Elena had been fussing over him and keeping him in line more than ever.
This time it was Ian's turn to shudder at the mention of Matthew's ferociously protective PA. "Your Elena is more like a mama shark than a mama bear, I'm afraid," he pointed out. "But you need someone like her in your life, Matthew. Especially since - well, you know."