“What are you going to do?” I asked him in panic.
“We are going to make a statement to the press this afternoon. You will be by my side, your hand in mine, while I answer their questions. I will not hide, and I refuse to shy away.”
With that in our future, Jase called the office to let Allison know he wouldn’t be in and called my boss and let her know I would be out for a couple of days. If she knew anything, she wisely didn’t say a word. I wondered how long this would last—I couldn’t continue working there with the amount of time I was missing and the issues we faced. It wasn’t fair to other employees and would ultimately cause problems, but I hadn’t addressed that with my husband yet.
Jase took the kids to school and Emmy to daycare while I soaked in a hot bath, trying to relieve some of the tension the morning had already coated me in. I knew I needed to get out, but I couldn’t help wanting to stay. I kept turning the hot water back on to bring the temperature back up.
He startled me coming into the bathroom when he got home. My eyes were closed, and he snuck in like a ninja. When his hand cupped my breast, I about jumped out of the water. “Holy crap, that scared me.”
“I couldn’t resist. Look how gorgeous you are in the water. Damn.” Lust was evident in his eyes as the lids became heavy.
“Join me?” I didn’t have to ask twice. He turned on the jets after he removed his clothes and motioned for me to scoot up so he could nestle in behind me.
I leaned back between his legs and relaxed on his chest. His arms cocooned me as the jets turned my bath into a bubble frenzy. With my head on his shoulder, his hands began to roam, starting at my navel, up my sides, and around my breasts. He held the weight of them as he tweaked each peak with a gentle tug. Just enough to make me tingle. I loved the way he handled my body as though he was touching it for the first and last time, memorizing every curve, enjoying the sensation of skin on skin. He never hurried. No matter how badly I wanted him to, he always took his time like I was a gourmet meal he was savoring. Part of me wondered if he would always be this tender, or if it was just because sex was new between us. Whatever it was, I appreciated it at the moment.
His hands slid back down my sides, over my pelvic bones, and between my legs. The tips of his fingers grazed my folds, teasing them as he pulled back up and down my thighs. He enjoyed teasing me, edging me and cutting back, getting me right to the ledge so I’d beg him to give me release. It was a game he loved to play, and I loved being his pawn. Lost in the sensation his touch left on my skin, I gasped and arched my back when he dipped his fingers into my center and used the heel of his hand to rub my clit. The bite of his teeth into my shoulder sent waves of ecstasy down my spine and chills up in return. He was taunting me, knowing he was in control. I was captive in his embrace and no desire to escape, but I needed more of him. I was desperate for the union, him inside me, us connected.
He finally rewarded my patience, encouraging me to scoot forward, away from his chest. He turned my body around in the tub so I faced him, and then one leg at a time, he moved each foot to the outside of his body, effectively spreading my legs for him. The water aiding gravity allowed him to lift my bottom easily on top of his thighs and left his raging hard-on tucked neatly against his stomach. My mouth watered as I stared. Regardless of how many times I’d seen it, I was always impressed and a little scared that something that thick could give me so much pleasure. The smirk on his face told me he enjoyed watching me admire him. He never shied away from my stare.
While I watched, he lathered his hand in soap and began stroking his length before my eyes. Everything about this man made me want more from him, but this was at the top of my list of favorite things he did for my pleasure…right under him actually taking me. The water sloshed with his movements, and when he was free of the lubricating soap, he encouraged me up, lined up his head with my center, and pulled me down at the waist. As I took him in, his eyes began to roll back, and the lids closed. The moan that came from this beautiful beast set my hips in motion. Nothing gave me greater pleasure than providing his release.
Jase sat up, pressing his chest against mine. His tongue captivated my mouth, mimicking every thrust of his thick erection. Rolling in sync with the man I loved, he sent me over the peak and followed behind me, spilling his love into me while his fingers dug into my butt. He was calculated but tender, manly but gentle. Making love to him sent my endorphins into orbit.
As he stilled, his grasp relaxed, and I collapsed onto his chest with my arms around his lower back. He pushed warm water up my spine to eliminate the chills forming.
“I love you, Jase,” I cooed into his ear as I nuzzled his neck.
“I love you too, babe.”
I didn’t move but randomly started babbling. “Has it occurred to you that we’ve never used a condom?” I clutched his rod still lodged firmly inside me.
“I’m not using a condom with my wife.” His words were uttered lackadaisically, but the sentiment was firm.
“Don’t you think we should use some form of birth control?” The warmth of his skin kept me from caring about much as I relished his embrace. We could be talking about the weather or the color of grass if our tone was indicative of our topic.
“I assumed you were on birth control.” He didn’t pull back to make eye contact with me or push me to sit up. He didn’t even sound concerned that I wasn’t.
“No. I haven’t had a need to be, nor could I have afforded it.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Mmm. We’ll make beautiful babies. Then I’ll have a reason you can’t deny for you not to go back to work.” I felt his cheek rise in a smile against my head.
I sat up and swatted playfully at his arm. “So your intention is to keep me barefoot and pregnant?”
“As long as you’ll let me.” The gleam in his eyes and the grin on his face melted my heart.
“We have four already.”
“I’ll take four more if you’ll give them to me. And we seriously need to talk about your desire to work.”
“You can’t be serious about that many more kids, and what do you want to talk about regarding work?”
“I’m absolutely serious, any excuse to stay buried inside you. And I love kids. I want a house full of them. Plus, if you’re pregnant, we can keep having sex and not have to worry about another baby until that one comes. It’s win-win really. And in regards to whether you work or not, I don’t want you to. I want you home for the kids. I want you home for me. I want you to be able to enjoy your days doing whatever you want. If that’s volunteering or shopping, I don’t care; I just want to take care of you. I want the rest of your life to make up for the past. I can certainly afford it. We can certainly afford it. And yes, I want children of my own as well as the ones we already have. I always wanted a big family, but at my age, I didn’t think I’d have it.”
“I agree. I don’t think I should continue to work at Faston, but not for the same reasons. I think it’s a huge conflict and dread the gossip I’ll face when people find out we got married.”
“Good, that’s settled. I’ll let Ben in HR know you won’t be back and to replace you in Marketing. After we get this press situation under control, we can start working on giving you another job here at home.” He wagged his brows at me, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes in return.
“I still want to work, Jase. Just not at Faston.”
“No.” He shook his head. I was waiting for him to stick his tongue out, too.
“Are you five?” I laughed.
“Some days, yes. I’m not giving in on this, Gianna. I want you home.”
Part of me wanted to argue, part of me felt obligated to do so, but the truth was, I’d much rather be a stay at home mom. I’d love being able to care for the kids and Jase in a way that benefited them, not like they came second to a job I didn’t need.
Jase and I had a blowout in Vegas, not about the rings—that was rather trivial—but it spurred t
he conversation, or explosion rather, that took place back in the hotel afterward. I wanted to marry Jase because I loved him, not because of the wealth he brought to the table. But I felt like that was being challenged every step I made. Jase had Hart adding my name to everything he owned, all his bank accounts, his assets. He was making me his sole beneficiary and his net worth had a lot of zeros behind it. I didn’t want it. I never wanted anyone to believe his money had anything to do with my fast decision, because that’s what it looked like to an outsider. They didn’t see the time we’d spent together or the phone calls or the texts. The months and months we’d spent cultivating a friendship when neither of us realized the other was falling in love. When he told me he wouldn’t marry me if we couldn’t share everything, it nearly broke me. His insistence at paying off all my debt, Emmy’s medical bills, adding my name to everything he owned…it would look like I was exactly what all his friends ran from—a gold digger.
“Gianna, let me make one thing painfully clear to you. I do not give a rip-roaring rat’s ass what anyone else thinks about my wife or me. We will live life our way, and I will not answer to anyone other than you. Either you let me do this my way, fully embracing you and all you bring to the table, or we can get on a plane and go home now. I waited over thirty-five years to do this. Thirty-four to find you. Money isn’t going to fucking challenge my feelings for you. If we walk down that aisle, if we say I do, everything about you belongs to me and vice versa. So make your decision now because I won’t discuss it any further.”
I’d sobbed uncontrollably but knew in my heart if he’d been an average guy with an equally average bank account, I wouldn’t have even batted an eyelash. I was hurting us by arguing this point, and he was right. He knew I loved him, and it had nothing to do with dollar signs. If it had, I could have taken it months ago when he offered. But now the option to have the lifestyle Jase and I both wanted was available…so instead of arguing with him, I’d agreed.
“Okay.” His mouth called to me. I needed to kiss him as much as I needed my next breath.
His arms surrounded me, catching me in a tight hug. “Thank you.”
We lingered a little while longer before getting out and braving the press.
Chapter Fifteen
Just before we left the house to meet Hart at his office, he called to tell Jase the wait for adoption approval was over, and he would have the papers ready when he got there for him to sign. “Great, we can do it all at once.” The smile on his face almost overshadowed the annihilation we were about to face.
He was on cloud nine, and I hated to think what the afternoon would do to his mood. When we pulled into the parking lot, he came around and opened my door. Taking my hand in his, we walked into Hart Linland’s office. We were shown back to a conference room where there were four sets of papers laid out down the length of the table. Jase pulled out a chair for me to sit and then took a seat next to me. He was more excited than a kid at Christmas.
Hart walked in shortly after and explained to Jase what each page meant, showed him the yellow tags indicating where he needed to sign, and said it was the same for all of them. Once they were signed, he’d submit them to the court and schedule a hearing. He winked at Jase and left the room with a promise to return in a bit. The gesture was odd, but I figured he was as excited for Jase as I was.
I watched as Jase read the first set of papers, signing where indicated as he went. Then the second. And the third and fourth followed after. When he was done, he turned to me and spun my chair to face his. With my hands in his, he started to speak.
“Gianna, you know we’re here for me to complete the paperwork for Derrick, but I’m hoping you’ll consent to the other three as well. I don’t want there to be any difference in any of us. Those are my kids, and you’re my wife. I want you all to have my last name. If you sign the paperwork,”—he motioned to the extra three sets—“we can make that happen legally.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, wanting nothing more than to give him a wholehearted yes, but I struggled with whether the choice was mine to make. I never wanted my kids to feel like they weren’t a part of our family, but I didn’t want to rob them of what little Ryan left them. Tears pricked my eyes at the sentiment, but the only fair thing I could think of was a compromise.
“Jase, I’m honored you want my children to have your last name, and if it were me making the decision, I’d say yes, right this second. But I want the kids to be included in the decision. Can we sign them, talk to the kids tonight, and have Hart file them in the morning? I just want to make sure they want this, too.” I felt horrible ruining his surprise, but in the long run, it needed to be a family decision.
The smile never left his face, and the glimmer in his eyes was just as bright. “Absolutely.” He kissed me on the mouth before rising to take the papers to Hart. They returned together, and the atmosphere in the room changed. The happy business was over, and it was time to move on to the press who would be standing outside Hart’s office in less than an hour.
“I’ve prepared statements for both of you,” he stated as he handed us copies of what he’d written. “But, I think it would serve you both better to speak from the heart…together. The public is a sucker for a Cinderella story, and I think people will see your intentions and character if they see you unified.”
Jase looked for my approval. I was terrified, but knew I had to do this for him. With him. I nodded my agreement and kept listening.
“How much do you want us to tell?” I questioned Hart.
“Everything you’re willing to share.” He raised his eyebrows and turned his attention to each of us individually. “The more honest you are, the more forgiving the public will be. That doesn’t mean Holland will drop the charges or the lawsuit, but it will be far less painful in the long run if you’re open about how you got where you are today.”
“So you’re saying if we openly admit everything, you don’t guarantee that will make him back down?” My lip quivered at the thought of being so vulnerable in front of cameras that would broadcast every word we uttered.
“I can’t guarantee anything, but I’m hoping if you share your story then it doesn’t leave anything for him to fight with.”
The conversation continued until it was time for us to step outside.
Together.
As husband and wife to face this demon.
Jase held my hand firmly in his and kept me half a step behind him as though he were protecting me from a physical threat. Hart thought it would be best for Jase to speak first and me to follow, then both of us answer questions together. Part of me wished I was going first just to get it over with, but the agony of standing there, listening to Jase talk, wouldn’t have been any easier.
Hart stepped up to the podium that had been placed on his steps. He welcomed the journalists and thanked them for coming before introducing, “Jase and Gianna Lane.” I took in all the shocked faces as the crowd murmured, obviously unaware we’d gotten married. I felt like I should smile, but nothing about this was a happy occasion, and I couldn’t force one to my lips.
“We’ve spent hours talking about how we wanted to address the situation we find ourselves in, but in the end, my wife and I agreed it would be best to simply be honest and tell you our story.” His hand squeezed mine as he looked down at me and gave me a tiny smile before turning his attention back to the flashing lights and rolling cameras. “Gianna and I met in the lobby of the Faston Corporation. She was there applying for a job in the mailroom—although, I didn’t know that at the time. When she came off the elevator after having landed the job, she danced for just a moment, thinking no one was watching. In those thirty seconds, my fate was sealed. I loved the idea of a woman who could be so happy she needed to dance to express it—regardless of who might be watching.”
The crowd was quiet as they listened to him, totally enraptured. He had this ability to captivate an audience, and he was doing it with this group. Still holding his hand, I watched his mouth mo
ve and listened to the words as he spoke them, hearing his side of events for the first time along with the hundred other people standing in the parking lot.
“I held the door open for her as she exited our lobby, and when she made eye contact with me, for just a fraction of a second, there was an unearthly magnetic pull. Her gorgeous green eyes were laced with sadness, and her gaze hung on mine just a touch longer than necessary. Once I knew who she was, and where she’d be, I made a point to seek her out. To get to know her. I’ve never dated much, and certainly haven’t had relationships, so all of this was new to me.
“Foolishly, I sought advice from my friends. Most of who had no more real world knowledge about women than I did. They all encouraged me to take things slowly, spend time getting to know her, make sure she was legitimate and not another woman looking to get her name on my bank accounts. And that’s what I did.
“Gianna and I started to talk some at work, but the more I pushed, the more timid she seemed to be. I caused her to miss her bus one day, and she was forced to let me drive her home. I learned first-hand where the sadness in her eyes came from and why she was dancing in my lobby. As we drove into The Village, she directed me to the one-bedroom apartment she shared with her three children, who were under the age of four at the time. I realized her joy in landing an entry-level job was because it meant she was able to put food on her table.”
He glanced down at me, seeking my continued approval. With a slight nod, he kept going.
“I later learned, Gianna LeBron was none other the widow of Ryan LeBron—the man murdered in prison for trying to rat out the mob in an attempt to get out of jail to be with his wife and babies. By the time the courts were done with her husband, and the families were done with her, she had nothing left—a victim on all accounts who had no clue what her husband was doing. And before you cast judgment on how a woman wouldn’t know her husband was laundering money—imagine having three children under a year old you were solely responsible for as a stay-at-home mom.”
Fallen Woman Page 23
