The contract stared up at me, smug and clinical. But it was the odd list of rules I read, with each line flaring more anger.
*The wife shall have dinner prepared and ready by 7 p.m. sharp.*
*Maintain appropriate physical presentation at all times.*
*Intimacy shall be initiated at the husband’s discretion.*
“Are you kidding me?” I cried out loud to the empty penthouse.
No, I wasn’t going to just walk away and let him think this was acceptable, that any woman would be grateful for the opportunity to be purchased like a piece of furniture to fit into a corner of his life.
For a second, my hands shook. I’d wanted proof he cared; instead I got proof he never could. The tears rushed down my face. I wiped them away before they could dry on his fancy desk.
“Two can play this game,” I whispered.
I grabbed Griffin’s gold pen. The words Mont Blanc appeared prominently on one end of it, like I should care, which probably meant the thing held some value. But it scribbled my words just as well as a plastic Bic.
**Griffin’s Original Rules** (scratched out and replaced by “Real World Rules”)
1. The wife shall have dinner prepared and ready by 7 p.m. sharp.
**Jessa’s Edit:** Dinner is whenever it’s ready. Eat what I put in front of you and don’t whine about it. You’re cleaning up the mess.
2. Maintain appropriate physical presentation at all times.
**Jessa’s Edit:** If you don’t like what I wear, don’t look.
3. Public displays of affection shall be limited to appearances that benefit the company image.
**Jessa’s Edit:** Public affection allowed anytime, especially if I feel hot and you’re in a mood.
4. The husband’s business shall take precedence over all social matters.
**Jessa’s Edit:** Your business might be important, but so is showing up for the people you love, like at every single one of Theo’s games. Balance, honey.
5. Intimacy shall be initiated at the husband’s discretion.
**Jessa’s Edit:** WTF? Intimacy shall be MUTUAL, FREQUENT, and preferably against a wall. Or the couch. Or the shower. Or your office. Any damn place I allow you to take me.
6. Emotional displays or dramatics are discouraged.
**Jessa’s Edit:** Emotional dramatics? That’s called COMMUNICATION, asshole.*
I skipped down a few…
9. Confidentiality regarding personal or professional matters is mandatory.
**Jessa’s Edit:** Confidentiality? Sure. Except my mom and aunt. We don’t keep secrets from each other.
~10. Failure to comply will result in termination of the agreement and reduction in pay.~
**Jessa’s Edit:** Termination clause: If you break my heart, YOU’RE terminated.
I sat back, admiring my work. The contract looked like a battlefield—inked out everywhere, my handwriting looping and defiant across Griffin’s pristine legal document.
Then, because I couldn’t help myself, I doodled a tiny middle finger in the margin.
I closed the folder and left it there for him to find—impossible to miss. I grabbed the permission slip, and headed to Theo’s school.
