“What do I tell him?”
“Tell him how you feel. Keep it simple.”
With a sigh, I took the phone. ‘I miss you.’ I typed and hit send. My heart thumped louder anxiously anticipating how he would respond. 'I miss you' was safer compared to 'I love you', but my mind worried and imagined every negative outcome.
“Don't think too much,” Miriam said again. “I'll be in the kitchen if you need me. I have to keep an eye on the young lad.” Orlando had hired a new chef a few days before his journey. A groan left her mouth when she stood with a supporting hand on her back.
“Did your pain get worse?”
“Nah.” She waved her hand. “When you grow older these things become your constant companion.” She moved, taking slow steps.
Orlando had staff for cooking and cleaning, they came every morning and left in the evening. Only Miriam stayed at night.
I leaned on the couch once again surrendering to my thoughts. I hadn't visited Ricardo and Grandpapa Cortez in a while. The sudden thought popped and I was on my feet. It was a Sunday. I'll take Boxer with me. Yes. It was a perfect getaway. Enrique and Chiara should’ve been back from their honeymoon.
Dressing swiftly, I went to the kitchen. “Miriam, I'm going to the Cortez mansion. I'm taking Boxer with me.”
“Sure. Drive safe,” she called as I bounded to the door with an excited Boxer in tow.
Twenty minutes later, I pulled into the Cortez mansion driveway, Chiara bounced down the stairs with a huge smile. “Hey girl, what a surprise!” Chiara threw her hands around me as I entered the foyer. “I missed you.”
“Ah, I missed you too.” I hugged her back, my grin growing wider. “You look good,” I said, holding her at one arm’s length.
“Thanks.” She winked and turned to Boxer. “Hey boy, how have you been?”
Boxer whined, putting a paw for her to shake. He started to trust people again and this time, he won’t be let down.
“Come on in.” She dragged us inside.
“Arianna!” Grandpapa Cortez beamed when he saw us and opened his arms wide. “You forgot about this old man.”
“I’m sorry, grandpapa.” I sank into his embrace. “Work kept me busy.”
“Don’t work too much,” he chastised. “Dark hair suits you better.”
“Thanks.” I caressed my dark hair with purple and blue highlights. This time when I changed my appearance, I went for something I thought Alana wouldn’t dare to copy. My current look didn’t fit her rich, sophisticated style. That filled me with a sense of satisfaction.
“Hey, I love your new piercing.” Chiara inspected my ears that now spotted two more additions. “Oh, look you even have a new tattoo… You’ve been busy.” She nudged at my ribs with a wink.
I chuckled. “I wanted to try something different.”
“It suits you better,” she said.
“Arianna?”
I whipped around. “Enrique!”
He pulled me into his tight embrace. “Wow! You look… just wow.” He gave me a once over and beamed. “Did he see your new look?”
“No.” I shook my head, pursing my lips at the mention of Orlando. How will he react? I ran a hand through my dyed hair.
“He’s in for a surprise then.” Enrique released me. “You look…” he paused as if searching for words, “Wild.” His gaze swept over me again. “You’re different.”
“I feel different.” There were many changes in me during the past few weeks. “In a good way, of course,” I added.
Enrique nodded.
“I bet you do. Dinner is ready.” Chiara threw her hand around my shoulders and led us to the dining room.
“Where’s your dad?” I asked Enrique as we took a seat at the table.
“He’s busy with Isabela’s case,” he said, grabbing a plate. “So, how have you been?”
“Good.” The delicious aroma of steak stirred my appetite. “I like my new job and an apartment. It’s keeping me busy.”
Enrique nodded. He looked far more mature than I last met him and Chiara was glowing with happiness. The steak was heaven and soon we eased into the conversation. Suddenly the day had gone from boring to lively and my cheeks ached from laughing too much.
Chiara asked me to stay for the night and showed me to Orlando’s room. It was bigger than the one in his apartment and I could see he never used it in a while.
While getting relaxed in his bed with Boxer, my thoughts suddenly ran to my sister and her husband. What were they doing now? Did she have a baby bump yet? As uneasy the thought made me, it also reminded me how I’d never get to be the aunt for her child. A sigh slipped past my lips and I hesitated, opening the Instagram. It had been a while.
After contemplating for a moment and unable to come up with something better, I unblocked her in a swift motion, my heart thudding as I browsed through her profile. She hasn’t updated in a while. I went to Brian’s profile and it was the same.
With a shrug, I blocked them again and placed it on the table beside the bed. Their life isn’t my business. Though I cut ties with everyone, I often wondered what they were up to in their lives. Life would have been so much different if they were different.
Taking the phone again, I checked the messages finding the usual good night message from him. Foreboding churned my insides.
Arianna: I miss you.
He hadn’t responded to my message. My heart dropped. I told him I expected nothing from this. Then, why do I feel this way? I shouldn’t have sent it.
I held Boxer closer, burying my face into his fur. The dog gave a whine, nuzzling my neck with his face. Closing my eyes tight, I tried to shove the nagging thoughts and fall asleep, only it wasn’t working.
Chapter – 18
Orlando Cortez
When I left Linnesse for the Europe trip, she was the last person I thought about to stumble upon. Last night, she was at the party. Sheila told me about the business gathering when I got back from a meeting with Colossal Inc. It was the last moment invitation. Who’d have invited me to the party? I got my answer when I reached the venue. When Sheila stressed that most of the people I’m visiting during this trip would be there and it would help to build a rapport, I agreed.
The evening started off well, meeting and greeting business prospects until my eyes fell on her. Dressed in a shimmery outfit that bared her midrib and revealed the long tan legs, Kenzie stood there, gaze fixated on me.
What is she doing here? My gaze scanned the room, finding Desmond not too far from her, perched on a barstool, sipping a fancy drink. I turned around, not wanting to meet her gaze. But not less than a minute later, I felt her arm snake through the gap between my elbow and body.
“You look good.” Her seductive tone that once made me ache all over had no effect. I moved away, dislodging her hand from mine. Someone chuckled beside me.
“I’d love to take on that offer,” Damian, an Italian businessman I met a while said. His lust-filled gaze shamelessly drank in her features.
Kenzie ignored him. “We need to talk.” She ran a hand over my chest, tracing the lapel. “I’d like a drink.”
“That’s his job.” I gestured to Desmond, who I knew, was watching us from his peripheral vision. She stopped me before I could move away. I knew firsthand how persuasive she can be when she wanted something. She always got what she wanted. Only it wasn’t working on me.
I didn’t like the way it drew other’s attention on us. The bored businessmen around us were now watching us with a newfound interest. Why wouldn’t they? They might think I was a fool to ignore a fine piece of ass like her. Only I knew how smelly that ass was.
With no choice, I turned and walked to the bar. Desmond greeted me with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He tipped the glass toward me before emptying the contents and ordered another round of whiskey. Trouble in paradise.
“Why do I feel like you followed me here?” I asked as he nursed his glass of whiskey.
“It’s a coincidence
.” He shrugged. It sounded as if he tried to convince himself.
“I’ll be upfront regarding our business,” I said, ordering a glass of water. “Kenzie and I, we have a sour past. One I don’t like to reminisce. I’m not interested in the deal anymore, Mr. Waylon.”
I didn’t wait for his response. Leaving the party soon after, I felt her heated gaze on my back. To my surprise, half an hour later when I stepped out of the bathroom from a shower, Kenzie was sitting on my bed.
What the—
“The hotel thought we’re together and I thought I’d surprise you.” She pointed out the held champagne and fresh flowers. There was an array of drinks in the trolley.
“What are you doing here?” Clad only in a towel, I hurried to the closet to get dressed.
She beat me to it. How she moved so fast with that stiletto was beyond my knowledge. Kenzie hugged me, pressing her bosom on my back as she traced the plains of my chest with a raw hunger I knew so much.
“I missed you,” she said, pressing open-mouthed kisses on my back.
Unhooking her vicious arms from around me, I pushed her away with the anger that bubbled within me and turned. She staggered, balancing herself and her face turned red.
Without another word, I pulled a pair of clothes and hurried to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. Getting caught in a compromising position with her was the last thing I wanted. She wouldn’t hesitate to follow through something like that to get what she wanted.
When I emerged again, she was getting drunk. “You never resisted my advances before.”
“Get out of my room.” I ground my jaw. My patience tethered to a thin chain.
“I get it, you don’t want me.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’m here with a business proposal.” She continued to explain her plan, despite my lack of interest. My head reeled with her words when she finished.
“What do you say about my proposal?”
Lounged on the couch of my lavish suite, Kenzie stared at me. I stood rooted to my spot. Her snake eyes bored into mine. A venomous tongue darted out, wetting her sinful lips before taking a sip of her martini. I had nothing to say to her then. Never.
Our eyes locked and didn’t waver. When she finished her drink, she placed the glass on the table and uncrossed her leg, flashing me the lacy underwear she had underneath her silver dress.
“I take that silence as a yes?”
Disgust filled me. To think I loved this woman once. She had me wrapped around her pinkie and I had dreamt of building a family with her. My scrutinizing gaze accessed her from head to toe.
Nothing had changed much about her. She’d grown bolder with her dressing. Her generous breast spilled out of her tight tops and the short skirt hugged her firm ass. The crystals attached to her dress created a shimmery effect. Kenzie stood, making her way toward me, her steps confident.
The smirk on her face told me her intentions. She was here to seduce me. To make me putty in her hands. With tales of our old love and promises of a future, she invaded my personal space. A shudder of disgust ran through my body when she ran her long fingers along my chest. It was proof she had no shame even after being rejected repeatedly.
“I know you have always loved me.” Her voice drawled as she circled me. Strangely, it didn’t feel seductive enough. Her posture was that of a predator stalking its prey. “I’m sorry I was a fool before.”
She hugged me from behind, her hands this time taking a confident detour to my pelvic region. I stopped her before she could go down.
“You’re a fool even now, Vivienne.”
Her hands left my body as if it burned her. I used her first name, knowing how much she despised it.
“You forgot. I’m no longer an eighteen-year-old naïve man to fall for your charms.” Laughter bubbled in my chest. “How could you even think I’d want to be with you after all you’ve done to me?”
“That was a mistake.” Kenzie tried harder to mask her fury. She wasn’t used to be at the receiving end of the rejection. “I was young, addicted to drugs. I didn’t know what I was doing.”
Kenzie appeared vulnerable with her shoulders hunched. Tears glistened in her eyes. She wrapped her hands around her body.
I scoffed. Hell be damned if I ever bought her story ever again. She came here because she thought I’d be an easy target for her plans. She was really a fool if she thought, I’ll buy her words.
When she realized who I was after our breakup, she tried everything in her capacity to rekindle our relationship. Her last straw being the pregnancy card.
“I’m pregnant.” Her lips trembled with tears filling her eyes. She hunched her shoulders and wrapped her hands around her stomach.
“Who’s the father?”
“Of course, it’s you. I’m four weeks along and I’ve been with Jeremy for only a week.” More tears followed. She wasn’t the crying type. “I understand if you don’t want me or our baby. But I thought you should know.” She slipped a beige cover in my hand and left without another look.
The reports stated she was pregnant. And, it could be mine. Despite what she did, I had felt a flicker of hope within. It was barely a week since our breakup. A situation that tested my restraints from going back to her. Joy bubbled in my heart and I wanted to hug her saying I still loved her. A part of me wanted to forgive everything she did and do just that.
Unknown to her, she’d scarred me far too deep. Even if I went running to her, how good can I be? She wouldn’t be happier. And she said she cheated on me because I couldn’t satisfy her needs.
Fortunately, instead of falling for her trap, I had gone to my Papa. To date, it was the best decision I ever made. He taught me to pick the pieces of my broken heart and encouraged me to stay strong.
When I wordlessly dropped the reports on his table, he lifted his gaze and I relaxed, leaving it to him. “If this child is a Cortez, then, he or she will be cared for. That woman, however, is not welcome in our household.” Those were his words.
Papa had supported her discreetly until childbirth. He’d transferred her to another University with a warning if she ever told anyone about the father he’d stop the funding. He’d kept me away during the ordeal. The paternity tests followed the aftermath proved I wasn’t the father which came as a relief since at the point I was done with her.
Someone hugged me, jerking me out of my thoughts. Kenzie sobbed. Her tears soaked the front of my shirt. Pushing her away—a hard shove with all my hatred poured into it—I glared at her.
“I’m sorry. It was a mistake. When will you understand? I loved you with all my heart, but didn’t see it until it was too late. Then you thought I was a gold digger. It isn’t true.”
“Is that why you went after my brother?” My gaze hardened. Kenzie’s face screwed up, the vulnerable mask faltering.
“How did it feel to be rejected?” It was my turn to laugh. I felt no remorse. Enrique found the truth when she had told him, he fucked her better than me. That was how he found who broke my heart. Little did she know about my brother. He had laughed in her face, saying she failed to hold his attention for over two minutes.
She is sick as fuck, brother. I can’t imagine you even fell for her. Don’t fret about these jealous bitches, eh?
I’d laughed out loud and smacked him that day.
I ignored her and headed to the door, opening it wide for her to exit. “Leave, Vivienne. I’m not fond of mud baths.”
Kenzie glowered. “You’ll pay for that Orlando.”
I shook my head and gestured her to the exit again. She stomped out just as Sheila rushed inside. “I’m sorry, sir. I asked her to sit at the reception and stepped aside to make a phone call. I don’t know how she found her way to your room. I’ll instruct the hotel management to change the suite.”
“It’s okay, Sheila.” I walked to the couch, she occupied earlier, disheartened. That was my favorite place to work. “Yeah, do that. I’m going for a walk.” Removing my shirt she touched, I thrust it toward She
ila. “Throw this in the bin and get Desmond’s son on the phone.”
“Sure, sir.”
My phone pinged with a message as I changed into another shirt.
Arianna: I miss you.
Warmth rushed to my chest and my shoulders relaxed. I pocketed the phone and stepped out. The cold air engulfed me. I read her message again. Her memories flood my mind.
Arianna: I miss you.
“Come on, Orlando. Don’t you know anxiety causes men to ejaculate earlier?” She’d asked me while we were in the shower. “You just have to trust yourself and let your emotions free.” She had turned, facing me. “And I think it’s sexy when you come for me.”
“Arianna.”
She didn’t realize what she was saying. That was—
“What? It is.” Her eyes were sincere, the smile on her lips never faltered when she cupped my limb cock for the second time that morning. “It’s hot when you grow hard just by looking at me.” My cock hardened, then as her husky voice drifted around me. Her soft hands caressed my semi-hard erection. “It feels good to know I have this effect on you.”
“You don’t realize what you’re saying.”
“There’s more to life than just sex, Orlando.”
She kissed me when I opened my mouth to object. That day she took her time, playing and teasing. When we made love, it was tender and lasted long.
One didn’t have to fuck for long to satisfy their partner. I realize this now. I was healthy and fit. I learned stress and fear can do that to a person—affect their sexual life. The first time with Kenzie, I got too excited and then; it was her insults on how incompetent I was.
The men in my group boasted how long they could fuck a woman. My wounded ego believed there was something wrong with me. Kenzie’s constant complaints convinced me I was sexually inadequate when I couldn’t match her appetite for further encounters.
Sex had become a chore rather than a part of life. I remembered how stressful I’d grown on the nights she’d stay at my place. Too afraid to speak anything and resorting to pills just to satisfy her. But Arianna changed it all.
Hesitant fingers hovered over the keypad. She missed me. That brought a smile and lifted my spirits, but what do I tell her?
Resisting Her (Moving On Duology Book 2) Page 15
