by Marian Tee
In one corner of the room, her stepson Nathan was busy packing his things, something he could have assigned one of the staff to do but didn’t. He had always been that way, self-reliant almost to a fault, and she remembered how when she had first moved in with Aetes as his fiancée, a solitary and studious 18-year-old Nathan had sought to ignore her, thinking she was a gold-digger. But then he had seen her clumsy but dedicated efforts at housekeeping, had seen the way she loved to fuss over his darling father every time he came home late from work---
And that was that, Rima reminisced fondly. Exasperated at her numerous mishaps in the kitchen, Nathan had slowly and grudgingly taken Rima under his wing, and when he had learned from his father that Rima was even wealthier than their family, the remaining doubts about her gold-digging ways had been effectively dispelled.
If only Nathan would live with them again, Rima thought with a sigh, then maybe she wouldn’t be so bored.
When his stepmother sighed for the third time in the last five minutes, Nathan was forced to set aside his packing. Straightening, he asked bluntly, “What is it?”
“You know what I want.”
“Out of the question.”
“Please!” Rushing towards him, she tugged on his sleeve, saying in an imploring voice, “Just stay another night.”
“Stop being a baby.” Nathan was exasperated. “Being alone for a few hours won’t kill you.”
His stepmother pouted. “But it’s so boring.” She took a seat on the edge of his bed, her gaze following Nathan’s movements as he resumed packing and folded his last suit back into his suitcase.
“Only because you chose not to do anything but wait for my father. There’s the committee meeting between doctors’ wives next door to the conference, isn’t there? Why don’t you join that?”
Rima made a face. “Those women are horrible to me, and you know it.”
“But you can win them over if you want to, and you know that, too.”
“Hmph.” Rima uncrossed and crossed her long legs, laid bare by the short dress that she wore.
And she wondered why those women were horrible to her, Nathan thought. She was young, beautiful, and sexy, more so than most doctors’ wives, and to make it worse, none of those other women could even make themselves feel better that Rima had only married his father for money.
“You know what it meant to be a doctor’s wife.” Nathan’s tone was pragmatic. “You can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Rima sighed. “I thought I could change him.”
“I also told you my mother thought the same thing.”
“I know.” Her tone was wry. “I know you did your very best to make sure my eyes were wide open when I married your father, and they were. I knew what to expect, but it didn’t stop me from hoping things could be different.”
His jaw clenched at the look on Rima’s face.
“Anyway…” Rima gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “At least let me drive you to the airport.”
Nathan was stunned. “He lets you drive abroad?”
Rima laughed. “I can see that shocks you.” Shaking her head, she said chidingly, “You should give me more credit, you know. Not counting your own mother, I’ve lasted longer than his other wives.”
And so she had, Nathan thought. And he realized then that she was also right, and that he should give her more credit. He had neglected to for all the usual reasons, such as the fact that she had always appeared a fragile little thing to him, someone he had thought wouldn’t be a good match for his father’s icy temperament.
Walking towards the door, she said over her shoulder, “Let’s leave in half an hour.”
“You don’t need to drive me.”
“Relax, sugar. I’m not going to kill you.” Rima’s laugh trailed after her, and as it often turned out, his stepmother ended up getting her way. Exactly thirty minutes later, Nathan found himself in the unusual position of taking the passenger seat while a woman slid behind the wheel.
“Seatbelt, please.”
“Don’t treat me like a kid,” Nathan snapped.
“But you are my kid in some ways,” she teased.
Nathan sighed, unwilling to be provoked by Rima when she was in this impish mood of hers. “Just drive.” A large part of him expected the ride would be rather bumpy and speedy, reflecting Rima’s tendency to make snap decisions, but it was surprisingly smooth instead and he gradually allowed himself to relax.
When the light turned red, she glanced at him with twinkling blue eyes. “It’s okay, Nates.” She was the only one who had ever called him that. “You don’t have to say it.”
“Say what?”
“Because I already know.”
“Know what?” Nathan was exasperated and amused. This was one thing that hadn’t changed about Rima, with her love for turning conversations into guessing games.
She turned her attention back to the road, saying cheerfully, “That you think I’m a good driver.” And then she suddenly stepped on the gas, causing the car to rocket past the other cars, and Nathan cursed.
Rima’s laughter filled the car.
“Dammit, Rima.”
“You were begging for it,” she told him laughingly. “Quit looking so serious.”
“When I get out of this death trap, I will,” he retorted.
“So talk to me. You never tell Aetes or me anything about your life in Miami.”
“Because there’s nothing to say that hasn’t been reported on the Internet.”
“Oooooh.” She threw him a curious look. “So does that mean you’re really going out with that reporter?”
“Ex-reporter, and she’s more of a journalist. A news writer, to be specific.”
“Right. Right. The smart type, huh?”
“I suppose.” Nathan’s voice was curt. It didn’t feel right talking about Alyx to Rima.
Unfortunately, Rima wasn’t exactly known to pay attention to undercurrents, and throughout the ride she forced Nathan to affirm or deny all the rumors she had read about him and Alyx. By the time they reached the airport, Nathan was both mentally and physically exhausted, the former because of Rima’s ceaseless questions and the latter because Rima had kept him at the edge of his seat with the way she’d impulsively step on either the gas or the brakes, just to see him sweat.
Rima stepped out of the car when he did, watching from the sidelines as he took his luggage out of the trunk.
When he turned to her, he wasn’t too surprised to find her looking suddenly tearful. She had always been moody as hell, so this, too, hadn’t changed about her.
“So this is it, huh? You’re going to ignore us again.”
“I’ve not done any such thing,” Nathan countered mildly. “There’s not one invitation from you or Father that I’ve turned down.”
It was true, but Rima didn’t seem to be in the mood to hear the truth. “Your father and I miss you so much, Nates.”
And then she did something she hadn’t done in years---
Nathan stiffened as Rima suddenly threw herself at him, her slim arms going around his neck in a tight embrace. “I miss you, Nates,” she whispered. “I really miss you---”
He jerked away from her. “What the hell, Rima?” Nathan’s tone was harsh. “Why the fuck would you say something like that?”
Rima’s arms fell to her sides, a vulnerable look on her face even as she mumbled defensively, “Why shouldn’t I?” Gray eyes blazed at her in answer, and she took an involuntary step back.
“Because you chose him over me.”
Nathan
Nathan Callis was still in a foul mood when his private jet landed in Miami, a fact that didn’t escape the paparazzi loitering in the airport. They surged towards the former model, snapping photos and shouting offensive questions in hopes of provoking a reaction from the grim-faced Greek.
“Have you and Alyx Marshall broken up yet?”
“Does Alyx ever treat you as the dumber one in the relationship?”
>
“What does your girlfriend say about your modeling career?”
“Do you think you’ll last?”
Yes, Nathan thought savagely to the last question even as he remained tight-lipped in the presence of the swarming paparazzi. She might not know it, but she and Nathan were kindred souls, with the way they had been cursed to fall for people who were in love with someone else.
Alyx’s mobile remained out of reach throughout the ride back to her apartment. It was empty when he arrived, Nathan having exchanged keys with Alyx before leaving for Hong Kong. She had protested a bit at first, but when he had pretended to take his apartment key away from her, she had clutched it to her chest like a lifeline.
He paced back and forth for over half an hour, swiftly and furiously at first, mostly to work out a rage that had no real target. He worked hard to keep his mind from dwelling on the past, but it was no use.
Faded images of a younger Rima drifted into his vision, carefree and gay, unlike anyone he had ever known. There was no darkness in her, and she had been like a butterfly that seemed too colorful, too vibrant and vivacious for his father.
For a few months, he had done his best to bury his attraction for her. He had thought that by denying its existence, it would go away. But he was wrong. The attraction festered like an angry deep wound that in the end, it had completely taken over him.
On one of the many days they had been alone at the house, with his father away at work, Nathan had forced Rima into his arms and kissed her. The more she struggled, the harder he kissed her, the more he did everything to seduce her---
Even now, he could still remember the triumph that swept over him when he finally felt Rima respond, her body molding against his and her mouth slowly softening, her tongue moving in to mate with his.
So many damn kisses had been exchanged that day, he had lost count of them. It was only out of respect for his father that he hadn’t attempted to make love to Rima, but when they heard his father’s car coming up the driveway and she had panicked, trying to get away from him, he had instead held on to her tightly.
Do you want me to speak to him?
No! She had whirled around, a frightened look on her beautiful face. Let me speak to him. Please.
When? And his arms had tightened around her even more, Nathan unwilling to release her until she gave him a promise.
Tonight. I’ll speak with him tonight, I promise.
And he had believed her.
At first, he had done his best not to fall asleep, believing that Rima would come knocking on his door any moment. But the hours went by, and there was still no sign of Rima. When he could no longer bear to wait, Nathan had gone straight to his father’s bedroom, not bothering to knock as he turned the knob.
But the room was empty, and later on, he found out that the couple had taken a cab to the airport at Rima’s insistence. They had flown straight to Nevada and got hitched in Las Vegas.
He had packed his bags and moved in with his godfather, and the next time he met Rima, she had become Mrs. Callis, his stepmother. They had never spoken of that day ever again, never talked about anything related to it---
Until tonight.
Nathan raked a hand through his hair. Why the fuck had he even brought it up? What the hell was he thinking---
“Nathan?”
Whirling around, Nathan was stunned to find Alyx frozen by the doorway, gaping at his presence. She was in another one of her provocative LBDs again, and this one was even more provocative than usual, with the way it scooped daringly over her breasts and was completely backless.
“What are you doing here? Have you been here for long?”
Shoving all thoughts of the past out of the way, he strode towards her with a smile, murmuring, “Welcome back.” Alyx was in the process of taking her heels off when he reached her, and he murmured, “Let me.”
“You don’t have---” But with Nathan already going down on one knee, she could only finish in a slightly perplexed voice, “Umm, okay.”
She balanced herself with one hand clutching her shoulder as he carefully took her heels off one at a time. He could feel her staring down at him all the while, her bewilderment palpable, and he heard himself say, “I missed you.”
And he had.
In the week he had spent in Hong Kong, he had thought about her a lot, and even with Alyx half a world away, she had still managed to make him smile with her little quips over the phone, her adorably argumentative text messages that had one too many swear words in it.
There hadn’t been a night that he had gone to bed without talking to her, and in his last night in Hong Kong, he had even persuaded Alyx to share with him the ways she pleasured herself while he was away.
“But it’s not the same,” she had admitted reluctantly in the end, her voice muffled by the pillow he had imagined Alyx hugging tightly to her. “It’s different when you’re the one…” Her voice trailed off, but the aching note in her voice was more than enough to fill the rest and Nathan had to swallow back a groan of hunger.
“When I come back,” he had promised thickly, “I’ll fuck you.”
Silence.
“I don’t give a damn if you’ve changed your mind. I’ll change it back for you because the moment I step back in Miami – you’re mine. I’ll make you fucking mine.”
And just when he thought she would let their call end without her saying a thing, Nathan had heard her say very softly, “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Nathan.” Alyx’s soft voice brought him back to the present, and when he slowly looked up at her, she asked quietly, “Is anything wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong.” And that was the thing, wasn’t it? Nothing was wrong between them. He wanted her more than ever, needed her more than ever, so why the hell had he even said such a thing to Rima?
As he set her heels aside, he heard her say, “You may look like your usual Mr. Posh self---”
Nathan choked as he straightened. “What the hell does that even mean?”
She smirked. “It’s the new thing they’ve been calling you. Because you don’t usually like to smile in photos.”
“Ah.” Nathan shrugged dismissively, saying, “Since Victoria Beckham already has a husband, I’d rather not be called that.” His gaze turned contemplative, and he suggested, “Maybe you should stop smiling, too.”
“Huh?”
“So you can be known as Mrs. Nathan.”
She choked in response, and the look of surprise on her face was so comical he couldn’t help it. He hauled her into his arms, and she tumbled against him with a gasp, his arms banded around her in a tight embrace.
“I really did miss you, sweetheart.”
“Me, too.” But her voice was gloomy, and when she felt his shoulders rock in ill-suppressed mirth, she said defensively, “You don’t understand. It’s been really horrible.”
“Missing me?”
She nodded against his chest. “I hear voices in my head.” This time, he couldn’t help it, his laughter coming out even as he bent down to scoop her up, and she threw her arms around him, gasping, “Nathan!”
“Is that your roundabout way of saying I drove you crazy?” he asked mildly as he strode towards the room.
“You think I’m joking, but I’m not.” As he laid her on the bed, Nathan was surprised when she immediately pushed herself up and reached for –
A pillbox?
“What do you see?” she asked abruptly.
“A pillbox.”
“Exactly!” She set the pillbox back on the bedside table with a glare, muttering, “When I see it, I don’t just see a pillbox.”
“You don’t?” He slipped the straps of her dress down her shoulders as he spoke.
“A pillbox is a lot like love---”
Nathan choked in the middle of pulling her dress down her thighs.
“It’s what gives you the strength and energy to see each day through, but most of the time we take it for granted.” H
er tone became dark.
He tossed her dress away and reached for her panties, his lips compressing all the while to suppress his grin.
“We misplace it. We forget where it is.”
His fingers stilled on her lace panties, Nathan doing his best not to laugh out loud. How surprisingly romantic of Alyx to think of such things, Nathan thought, and the realization had him working harder to suppress his mirth.
She looked up at him. “Crazy, right?”
“Just a bit,” he said politely.
“It gets even crazier,” she told him dourly. “Because that pillbox?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “I look at it, and I think it all depends on what’s inside. On how much you need it, on how much you want to keep on living.” Her voice became small. “And I keep thinking if it’s you inside it, I would never forget where it is. I’d never take my daily doses for granted---” She broke off.
A moment later, Nathan started laughing just as Alyx started gagging at the same time.
“I hate this,” Alyx wailed.
She tried crawling away from him, but he hauled her back. “Not so fast.” He flipped her on her back and ripped her panties away.
Her eyes flashed. “No!”
“Yes.”
He smirked, and she went wild, struggling as hard as she could this time, kicking and shoving him off her but Nathan’s strength easily overpowered hers, and he managed to trap her underneath him while locking her arms over her head.
When Alyx tried kneeing him in the groin, he retaliated by pushing her legs wide apart and forcing his body between them. “I’m going to fuck you, sweetheart.”
“Not now, you won’t,” Alyx snarled.
Nathan laughed. “I will, and…” His head started to lower. “You’ll enjoy it.” And then he crushed her mouth under his. She tried to keep her lips pursed, but she was still no match for Nathan, his mouth moving so expertly over hers that in the end, she couldn’t help moaning in despair---
His tongue stroked in the moment her lips parted, and she fell deeper in the web of his seduction as Nathan began to rub his engorged cock over her pussy, which was already silky wet and throbbing powerfully against his groin.
