I went over to the air conditioning duct and put my ear against the metal. Faintly, I could hear the pulsing beat of music from below. "He's downstairs, Mr. Williamson. A very iron clad rule of Julian's is, never interrupt his workouts unless someone is seriously injured or dying."
"Hmph," Williamson replied. "I should make him pay for a new uniform, the way he's been adding size recently. He's put on ten pounds since you two arrived. Is he planning on trying to become Mr. America or something?"
I shook my head and chuckled. "No, it's just his way of meditating. He takes all the pressure, all the stress of everything, the mentor program, his studies, his work, our family life, and he lets it loose down there. With the total amount of stress, you can understand why he's gaining muscle."
"Well, in any case, I look forward to the next few days." Williamson left, and I turned back to my pile of resumes. I kept at it for a bit, and set the ones aside that I wanted to review more closely for later. Finally, I had it down to my last three, but could get no further until I actually talked with the candidates. I glanced up at the clock, and decided to take a break.
I headed downstairs to the gym, where I could hear Julian's music long before I entered the room. It was still raw, looking more like a dungeon or someone's basement than a high quality gym, but it was beautiful to me. Of course, seeing Julian lifting weights, his muscles rippling under the lights made it look even more beautiful. "How much longer do you have?" I asked after he set down the thirty pound dumbbells he was using for lateral raises. "You look mostly finished."
"One more set, then stretching," he said, taking a drink. "How's it going upstairs?"
"Good. I've got my final three, and I'll make calls after I take a break. By the way, Williamson came by, saying he had a letter for you. Said he had to sign for it. Any ideas?"
"Most likely from my lawyers," Julian replied. "But who knows?"
I watched while he finished his workout and pulled his t-shirt back on, then his warm-up jacket. Thankfully, Erica, Dwayne's wife and fashion consultant for Forrester Hotels, had designed a uniform for Julian to wear that was exercise oriented. I kind of regretted him covering up, he was great eye candy. "Might as well see what Williamson signed for," Julian said. "Although I don't expect much. They'd have called me if it was anything important."
Williamson was in his office, reading his computer screen when Julian knocked. "Hey boss," Julian said, "Krystal said you had something for me?"
"Yes, here you are," Williamson said. "By the way Mr. Castelbon, I'd appreciate it if you could leave your phone on when you are on the grounds."
"No offense Mr. Williamson, but it's a safety rule that I plan on enforcing for all of the employees. When you have five hundred pounds on your back, losing your balance because your cell phone goes off is a disaster."
Williamson pursed his lips, but nodded. "I understand. Can I at least have you promise to do your personal workouts at times that have the least amount of potential problems?"
"I plan on it. After our honeymoon, I'm lifting at midnight. The only people I'll disturb will be the dishwashers upstairs in the kitchen. Once the baby is born and Krystal goes back to work, I'll lift after she gets off shift in the restaurant."
"So be it," Williamson said. He handed Julian an envelope, and went back to his screen. "By the way, thank you for the invitation to the ceremony. Also, Mr. and Mrs. Forrester are due to arrive late this evening. They asked if you would be willing to have a late dinner with them. And if I may ask, where are you going on your honeymoon?"
"We're taking a week in New York City," I told him. "Julian's giving me the gift of going to every three star Michelin restaurant for dinner, and lunch at most of the two star places. As for dinner with Dwayne and Erica, I'd love to. Maybe I can give that kitchen a good test run tonight."
Williamson nodded, a slight smile on his face. "Very impressive honeymoon, Chef. And anything for you in New York, Mr. Castelbon?"
Julian nodded. "Just some nice quiet time with the most beautiful woman in the world." He smiled at me, then tore open the envelope, his eyes flickering over the letter. I could see something grow in his eyes, but I couldn't tell what until he held the letter out for me. "I need to call my lawyers about this, they should have called me."
I took it from his hands and read the paper. It was a form, printed out on a regular printer, and hadn't come from his lawyers at all. It was from DNA Technologies, the laboratory that was handling the genetic test of Gina's baby. There was one line that stood out to me, the only one I cared about.
Adult Male Subject 1: 0% Match
I handed the letter back to him, shaking my head. "Who cares? The information is what's important. Call your lawyers later. Let's go."
That evening, after dinner and a long, wonderful lovemaking session, Julian and I lay in bed, the last night we'd do so as single people. "Hey, I had a question," I asked him after my heart finally stopped racing.
"No, I don't regret not going out for a bachelor party, dinner with Dwayne and Erica was perfect as it was," Julian replied. "Anything else?"
I laughed. "Actually, I think Yuki is more disappointed that she didn't get to give me a bachelorette party. Boy is she going to be surprised when we ask her to be the baby's godmother. Then she can throw me a shower."
"There is that," Julian conceded. "But you were going to ask me a question."
"Yeah," I said, rubbing his chest. "When did you know?"
"Know what?"
"Know that you were interested in me not as a sex conquest or some pawn in a stupid, malicious game, but in me?"
Julian lay there quietly for a moment, and I wasn't sure he was going to answer. "This is going to sound bad," he said, so soft I could barely hear it.
"I promise Julian, no matter what you say, I'm not going to get angry. You don't even have to tell me if you don't want to."
Julian shook his head. "No, it's just that it's embarrassing in a way. Obviously, you know when Gina and I had sex."
"At our parents' reception. Why?"
"Well, what you may not have noticed is that she and I disappeared from the reception just after the two of us danced. About twenty minutes later, we were naked and in the library, when I looked up as a song hit that struck a nerve in me."
"Oh?" I said, turning on my side to look at him, curious. "What?"
"A beautiful angel took the stage away from Meat Loaf and sang the one song I actually loved. I lost myself in her words, and in the fantasy that she could rescue me from the monster I was becoming. It was then, even as my body was with Gina, that my heart and mind started to change."
I grinned and kissed his cheek. "That's not embarrassing at all."
"Why not?" Julian said with a half grin. "Don't tell me you were imagining me when you were singing, were you?"
I grinned, kissed him, and turned over. "Okay, I won't tell you. Besides, we need to get some sleep. We're getting married tomorrow, remember?"
"Then why sleep now?" Julian asked, nuzzling my neck. "We can sleep in, get married, enjoy the family reception, and then go on our honeymoon. We can sleep on the train ride down."
I thought about it, then turned and kissed him. "Maybe a little bit of both? I've never made love on a train before."
Julian kissed me back, his hand caressing my hair, before breaking our kiss to look me in the eyes. "You saved my life, Krystal. You brought me back from the edge of self destruction, and you showed me love. Regardless of what the future may hold, I love you."
There was nothing else that needed to be said.
The End…
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