A Promise of Forever

by M. E. Brady

  “It’s ok, I’m here. I’ll always be here,” he whispered softly. Their eyes met but neither of them spoke. Katelyn was afraid to free herself from his embrace. She was being selfish, she knew, but tonight she needed him. Nothing else mattered at this point except that he was holding her in his arms, sating the lingering need that grew between them.

  Gianfranco joined her on her bed and, as he did, he brushed his lips over hers. Feeling his half-naked body next to hers was enough to ignite the flames that burned heavily between them. She knew he was fighting the same demons and tonight the demon would win. He kissed the hollow of her neck and as he raised his head a voice that was losing all control pleaded with her to ask him to stay.

  “I promised you, I wouldn’t do this. Please tell me to go and God help me, I’ll find the strength,” he drawled huskily as his eyes pleaded something very different.

  She didn’t reply as his scent made its way to her nose. She couldn’t ask him to leave; it was too late. She let her fingers roam his bare chest and find the comfort she needed there. He was with her and that was all that mattered. The other problems would be there for them to deal with in the morning and they would deal with them then.

  His hands searched out all the secret places of her body, the places he knew where she loved to be touched. He wanted more than anything to hear her cry out his name in sensual pain he created. The fire between them rose and, for the life of him, he couldn’t understand how a woman whose body was so in sync with his own could not be in love with him. He dragged his lips back from her belly as he heard her whisper something to him; he couldn’t make out what it was she said.

  “Say my name, Katelyn. Call out to me when I’m inside you,” he pleaded.

  “Gianfranco, don’t stop now; make love to me.” Her voice cried out the mating song and his eyes searched deeply into her own for the answers. He would gladly give up everything he had for the chance to convince her to love him.

  Her body came alive in his arms and a slave to his touch. This was the one place where she knew she had the upper hand. The one place she felt control over her life with him. She knew, come morning, this would all end but for tonight she wasn’t going to let anything stop what they were sharing from moving to its completion. He was kissing every part of her body and when he was finished he focused on her most prized appendage; he tasted her sweet nectar until he was sure her body was aching so badly with desire that anything short of burying himself inside of her wouldn’t do.

  He moved slowly up her belly until his tongue reached the scars left over from their child, the scars that marked her perfect body. The scars caused by him. She was still as beautiful to him as the very first time he made love to her. No other woman would ever matter to him or would ever complete him as she did. She was up on a pedestal so high that no one other woman was able to reach her, in his eyes. He made vying for his love unattainable for other women. Tonight he would love her and go to a purgatory of his own making tomorrow. She had given him permission to make love to her and he was going to make damn sure she didn’t forget this night.

  After so many empty years of being apart from him, in spite of all his faults, she loved him still. She wasn’t sure if that was enough to make this marriage-to-be last but for tonight she wasn’t going to think about it. Gianfranco took her into his arms and watched as her body squirmed with shameless abandonment beneath his skilled hands.

  He lifted her from the prone position on the bed so that he was kneeling in front of her as he wrapped her legs around him and entered her. He kissed her again and again as he made love to her. In this position, he could watch her as she rode him into another realm with her legs wrapped tightly around his hips. Tonight he would take her in every position he knew because, after tonight, he wanted her to believe in their future. He thought, rather selfishly, that if she did decide otherwise, he would ruin any thoughts she had of a sex life that didn’t include him. She would never find anyone equal to his prowess.

  After a short nap, she felt his growing erection at her back. He couldn’t want her again in such a short time, could he? With uncontrolled disregard, their bodies moved once again savagely, one against the other, their hearts and souls crying out to one another to tame the flame that each saw echoed in the other.

  “It was never Brody…” she cried out in a faint whisper, as he brought her to surrender once again.

  Gianfranco held on to her tightly as his brain tried to make sense out of what he had just heard. She called out another man’s name in her moment of surrender to him. He let go of her and reached for the boxer shorts carelessly thrown on the floor. If he stayed one minute longer, he was afraid of what he might say or do to her. He loved her even though he couldn’t bare the humiliation of hearing another man’s name on her lips as he made love to her.

  “I can take just about anything from you but I can’t be a replacement, for someone else in your bed. I love you, Katelyn, I always have but what you’re asking is more than even I can give you. I thought, for Jenny’s sake, I could but it’s impossible. My pride won’t allow me to be second in your life. I can’t be your conciliatory accolade. I wanted to wipe his name from your memory so he’d never come between us again but I know now that’s impossible. So, you win, until you can get past your feelings for him our marriage will be in name only,” he stated shortly.

  “I didn’t…I didn’t,” she repeated as he made his way to the door.

  He turned in the hall and stood there bare-chested, in his shorts; she was totally naked as she begged him to come back to her so she could explain.

  “Whether you realize what you said or not, it makes no difference to me. You said his name in my bed!” he barked.

  “But I wasn’t dreaming or even thinking about Brody. I wasn’t calling out his name. I was awake and fully aware as I tried to explain all the misunderstandings to you,” she reiterated.

  “Right now, I’m finding it very hard not to ring your beautiful neck. As mad as I am, I still find it impossible to keep my body from becoming aroused simply at the sight of you. What does that make me, Katelyn? A pathetic fool is what I am,” he added completely beaten.

  She glanced down at her own nudity and tried to reach over and grab a sheet to cover her nakedness.

  “Don’t bother; even with a sheet you would drive me insane. That’s the part of myself I find so repulsive. I want you so badly that even though you want these hands that touched you, this body that buried itself inside of you to belong to someone else, I will still come back to you,” he said disgusted with himself.

  “You don’t understand. Please Gianfranco…That’s the problem, you’re not listening. I do lo…” Before she could finish what she started to say, he retreated to his own room. It was hours before she gave up on sleep. She could hear him pacing in the room next to hers and knew he was dealing with the same issues. She spent hours going over and over what he had said. He was hurting that much was obvious even to her. He said he was hurting because he believed she loved Brody and that was something she didn’t understand.

  For better or worse, he made sure she understood that, although they would not share the same bed any longer, none of the plans he had made were going to change. Somehow, she would have to convince him that she loved him and perhaps in time he could grow to love her back. Whether he chose to believe it or not, they were good together and meant for each other. Fate couldn’t be this cruel to bring them together after all these years only to split them apart again.

  More to the point, she thought to herself, not only did they share a child but she was pretty sure they had conceived their second child. Each and every time they made love, neither of them was remotely interested or worried about the outcome of not using protection. The idea that they had created another child together during any of those encounters was very real. She dressed and went in search of him to talk.

  “Good morning, I didn’t think you were going to be up this early,” he said, with arrogant pride as his e
yes bore down into hers. “Jenny is outside playing. She ate breakfast and I helped her do her hair before she went out to play. I spoke to her this morning and explained to her that we’d be leaving this evening. I trust you will be ready?” he asked.

  “Where are we going? Or do I not have the right to ask? I’m a little confused about where I stand in this relationship,” she asked as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

  His mood, despite his lack of sleep, was seemingly under control as he smiled at her. “I expected this much from you, Katelyn. I didn’t think it was possible for you not to put up a fight of some kind. I wouldn’t worry your pretty head though; we’ll deal with our future one day at a time. Although, I must admit though having a compliant wife for even a little while would be a dream come true. I’ve already taken the opportunity to warn Kevin and Sylvia that we’ll be getting married this afternoon.” He paused for a brief second to allow the shock to set in before continuing. “Before you say one word, I spoke to Eleanor Mulaney and she said your dress will be delivered this morning. That is actually what gave me the idea in the first place. Why wait for you to prepare for a wedding I mean?”

  “Why the rush?” she asked, too shocked at the bizarre planning he had done while she slept.

  “I have my reasons. Kevin and Sylvia are out handling some of the minor details. It seems everyone wants you to have the proper wedding you’ve always dreamed of. I also told Jenny about our plans and she’s pretty excited about the idea; I’d like to keep it that way. She’s happy, Katelyn, don’t ruin that for her.”

  She couldn’t believe all the planning that had gone on without her. It wasn’t as if she slept for a week. It was 9:30 for goodness sake. Jenny suddenly burst into the kitchen dragging along a bucket filled with fresh cut flowers from Sylvia’s greenhouse. “Momma!” she screamed jubilantly. “Did you hear? We’re getting married today. Daddy took me out this morning and got me a new dress and shoes. He said we’re going to honeymoon in his country. Is that right, Daddy?”

  Gianfranco picked his child up into his arms and dared Katelyn to oppose him. She couldn’t believe her eyes; he had won their child over in a matter of days. It was clear to her that Jenny adored him. “Honey, I was about to tell your Mom about our plans when you came in. Why don’t you go and see if Mrs. Footy needs any help packing up your things?” Jenny was too excited to put up a fight. Before she walked away, she ran to both her parents and kissed them then skipped down the hall.

  “I see you’ve already won her over. What is this about our going to Italy? How did you arrange all this? I mean the marriage license, our passports? ” she asked as she saw him reach into his pocket and withdraw a long velvet black box. He opened it and handed it to her. “This is for giving me such a beautiful child. I thought, since it was our wedding day, that you would wear it for me?”

  She stared down at the box and couldn’t believe her eyes. It was exquisite. The necklace was a beautiful platinum chain with a starfish dangling from it. She wondered if he knew how significant the starfish was to her. She could tell when she looked up at him that he did. “I thought that if Jenny believed in wishes then so could I,” he added.

  Jenny must have told him what her grandfather had always told her. Wish on a starfish and you might find that wish coming true, providing of course that you let the starfish go first. With tears in her eyes, she accepted the necklace and she cried even more as he placed it around her neck. He fastened the clasp and whispered softly in her ear. “We can give life to this starfish by letting go of the past.” He turned her to face him and was mesmerized by the necklace and how it looked on her neck. “It comes alive around your neck just as I hoped it would.”

  He held her in his arms and licked away the salty tears that fell from her emerald eyes…and then he kissed her. When his lips made contact with her mouth, he let his tongue explore and taste, ever so slightly, before gaining entry and deepening the kiss. “Gianfranco, please don’t pretend that you have feelings for me. I want to be everything you want me to be for you but I can’t handle the lies.”

  He couldn’t understand her. Why did she always have to make problems for them? “If you’re going to have another one of your tantrums and think that I’ll change my mind, forget it. Nothing short of a nuclear war will stop this marriage from taking place today. Jake is flying in this afternoon to be here for us. I have to fly to New York tomorrow with him to wrap up the deal with Glitz but shortly thereafter the three of us will be on our way to Italy,” he stated, waiting for a nod of understanding.

  She glanced over at the flowers Jenny had left behind in the bucket and picked one up to smell it. She was still reeling from the shock of getting married today. She bit her bottom lip nervously as she placed the flower back in the bucket. It was obvious that he had taken care of everything and she just had to ride the wave with him. “What about my job? How can you afford to go away yourself so soon after the takeover?”

  Gianfranco leaned against the kitchen countertop and, in a monotone voice said, “You’re fired! Does that answer your question? You’ll be my wife in a couple of hours; there’s no need for you to work. You can spend all your time taking care of Jenny. As for the magazine, I appreciate your concern but as you know Jake ran Intrigue for some time. He worked for me then and he’s agreed to do the same favor once again until we get Glitz up to the same standards.”

  Katelyn was speechless. What they said about Gianfranco was true, though she didn’t believe it until this very moment. He could move mountains in the middle of the night if he needed to and no one would be the wiser. He was a big bruit and, as far as she was concerned, she was not going to make this any easier for him. She was sick and tired of his highhandedness. It was time someone taught him a lesson and, if she had to be that person, then she would.

  “I’ve worked all of my adult life, how can I stop now?” she asked.

  There she goes again. She would fight him every step of the way; it was in her nature to disobey him regardless of whether she agreed with him or not. Katelyn would always take the opposite side of the issue in spite of herself. He stood erect as he warned her again that this conversation was moot. He watched her closely with amusement as she ranted on and on. “It’s very simple, Katelyn, you just will. I can afford any lifestyle I choose to live and I choose the one where you raise our children yourself. You will have my help, of course.”

  “Why are we going to Italy?” she asked.

  “I’ve decided I didn’t want to watch as men keep popping in and out of your life. I want this marriage on solid ground. I know that you don’t have feelings for Taylor, I also know that the idiot reporter from last night meant nothing to you either. But Brody is another story all together. I admit knowing he’s reconciled with his wife makes it easier for me to deal with the situation but I want to wipe him permanently from your heart. When I’m convinced that I’ve done that, we’ll come back, not one minute before.”

  There was no way he could see into her heart because if he could he would know that Brody wasn’t there. She had grown tired of his stubborn jealousy and even if it killed her, she would find a way to make him listen to reason. His jealousy had closed his mind but she knew she had to undo the damage if she hoped to open his heart to her again. Until now, she hadn’t realized how much her relationship with Brody had come between them, through no fault of Brody’s. She needed to make it clear to him that Brody was not a threat to their marriage. If they were ever going to be able to keep their friendship with Brody and Eleanor she had to convince him how she felt about him.

  “This isn’t necessary; I don’t have feelings for Brody and I have never had feelings for him,” she stated, knowing he would never believe her.

  “I wish I could believe you, Katelyn. If I hadn’t heard his name pass your lips myself, I might think that there was hope for us but I’m not a fool. I don’t want his name mentioned in my presence. It’s unfortunate that he and his wife will be attending the ceremonies this aftern
oon but I couldn’t very well ask Kevin not to invite them. I must warn you though, other than having me right next to you when it happens, I don’t want you within ten feet of him alone,” he added, waiting for another fight he knew would come.

  “What will happen if I disobey this order?” she taunted deliberately. “Will you send me off to another country? Oh wait, you’re already doing that. This is ridiculous and you know it,” she said stubbornly.

  “I don’t think you want to find out right here what else I might do at the risk of someone walking in but I think you know what I’ll do. It’s the only way I seem to be able to communicate with you. I will promise you this… my son will be growing inside you before our trip is over, if he isn’t already. I want a family with you.”

  Voices, from the hall startled her. She jumped, unknowingly, into the arms of the man she wanted to hate. Before she could say a word of apology, he covered her mouth with his. She was sure it was for Kevin’s benefit. She had heard him coming too. What other way is there to convince my brother that this marriage is for the best?

  “I can’t get over the two of you. If I had known about Jenny, believe me, I would have pushed for this wedding a long time ago. Then, maybe I wouldn’t have to walk in on you mauling my sister every other minute,” Kevin teased. “It’s obvious to me that you two can’t keep your hands off each other. How I never saw that teakwood ring all these years I’ll never know. I would have figured it out right away if I had seen it.”

  Katelyn blinked, “Are you angry with us?” she asked with concern.

  Kevin came over and hugged her tightly. Nothing would ever come between them and all that they shared. “I’m not angry, how could I be? Gianfranco is one of my closest friends. I couldn’t trust anyone more for you and Jenny. I know he’ll take care of both of you,” he reiterated before being interrupted from behind.