Husband By Request
CHAPTER ONE
“MOM? How do I look in this?” Dominique emerged from the bathroom of their hotel room in New York wearing a new yellow bikini.
Her mother gazed at her with loving, tear-filled eyes. “Absolutely beautiful.”
“You know what I mean.”
“The implant reconstruction is perfect. No one would ever know you had a breast removed.”
“Andreas will notice the difference.”
“Only in the privacy of your bedroom.”
Dominique stared at her mother. “You mean only if he lets me get that close to him again.”
“He will, because you’ll find a way.”
“Now that I’ve seen the doctor, there’s no time to lose.”
“You’ve stayed away from Andreas far too long as it is. Just remember that you were desirable to your husband before the reconstructive surgery. He married you after you had your mastectomy, and since you left him has patently refused to grant you a divorce. I don’t see a problem.”
Dominique saw a huge one. “It’s been a horribly desolate year away from him, Mom. After the way I left him, he’s not going to welcome me back with open arms.”
“No. I’m sure he won’t. But what he doesn’t know is that you’ve been working hard at your marriage behind the scenes. Once he understands all you’ve gone through, and why, he’ll love you that much more.”
“Spoken like a mother, but it still might not be enough,” Dominique whispered, her heart aching to see him again. Their separation might as well have been a lifetime.
“That’s over now. Dr. Canfield gave you a clean bill of health this morning.”
Dominique nodded. “It’s the news I’ve been waiting for. In high school I used to wish I were well endowed, but she told me being smaller breasted had made me the best candidate for this kind of surgery. I pray that’s true. If anything does go wrong, and it leaks or encapsulates, I’ll have to have another operation.”
“Darling—before the surgery I heard her tell you that those problems only happen in about ten percent of women. Don’t look for trouble where there isn’t any.”
“I won’t. My whole concern is finding the best way to approach Andreas. I’d like to surprise him, but it’s very difficult when he’s so well protected.”
“Why not just phone him?”
“No. I want him to see me first. You know—catch him off guard. After we’re back in Bosnia I’ll do some detective work, so he’ll never suspect I’m making inquiries.”
“Under the circumstances you’d better hurry and get changed, so we won’t be late for the airport.”
Dominique dashed back to the bathroom. She had no intention of missing their flight.
Her hands trembled as she packed her new bikini. The next time she wore it she would be standing in front of her husband. By the look in his eye she would know if he’d lost all desire for her or not. That would tell her if their marriage still had a chance.
Twelve hours later she entered her dad’s office at the US consulate in Sarajevo, where she worked for him. The time had come to put her plan into action. Fear and excitement gripped her in spasms.
On the flight from New York she’d come up with the idea to call Andreas’s headquarters in Athens from a payphone. She would pretend to be the secretary of a Bosnian importer who wanted to discuss a business venture with him. That way she would find out if he was even in the city.
After opening the morning mail, she decided to slip out while it wasn’t busy and make that phone call from the post office, a few buildings down the street.
As she started to get up from the chair, the receptionist buzzed her. “Yes, Walter?”
“There’s a Paul Christopoulos here to see you.”
The news set her heart tripping like a jackhammer. Andreas’s best friend and personal assistant was out in front?
Dominique had heard of coincidences, but this one almost caused her to faint. She sank back down in the chair until the lightheaded feeling passed and her skin didn’t feel as clammy.
If Paul had come to the consulate in Sarajevo it was for one reason only. Andreas wanted the divorce now, and had sent Paul to negotiate the terms of the settlement.