Innocent Wife, Baby of Shame

by MELANIE MILBURNE

  ‘I hope this time around you are going to be a good wife to him, Keira,’ her mother said, filling the small silence. ‘And I also hope you are not going to see Garth again. His mother told me he’s seeing a nice girl who is visiting from Canada. She hasn’t met her yet but I would hate to think—’

  ‘Mum, I haven’t seen Garth for weeks,’ she said. ‘I’m happy for him if he’s found someone. He deserves to be happy.’

  Her mother gave another heartfelt sigh of relief. ‘Well, then,’ she said, ‘I’d better go. I have to attend a pre-selection function with your father this evening. I must say your reconciliation with Patrizio came at a very good time. Your father’s chance of re-election to the Senate for another term will be boosted by the news of his family life being back on track.’

  Keira felt like rolling her eyes. Appearances were everything to her parents; their whole lives revolved around doing the right thing at the right time, speaking to the right people, wearing the right clothes, eating at the right restaurants, reading the right books and newspapers, even listening to the right television and radio stations. She hated it all. It all seemed so shallow and false. She would much rather speak to some of the homeless people she walked past on her way to art school every day. At least their smiles when she bought them a sandwich or a coffee were genuine.

  The boutique Keira chose was not a particularly up-market one but it had a magnolia-white satin dress that appealed to her instantly. It skimmed her curves in all the right places, the cutaway back showing off the pale skin of her spine almost to her buttocks. The front was equally daring, the plunging neckline requiring tape to keep her breasts from spilling out. Patrizio had wanted sexy and glamorous and he was going to get it, she thought as she waited for the cashier to wrap it in tissue paper.

  Next was a trip to the cosmetic section of one of the larger department stores, where an attendant expertly applied a natural-looking foundation to Keira’s face, before highlighting the unusual blue of her eyes with smoky eye-shadow and eyeliner.

  Her hair was soon dealt with at a plush salon in the Southgate section of the Southbank complex that ran along the Yarra River.

  An hour later Keira couldn’t believe how different she looked. Her curly dark hair was scooped on top of her head, one loose tendril falling over her right eye, giving her a come-and-get-me look.

  Even the cab driver kept looking at her in the rear-view mirror. ‘Going somewhere special this evening?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes, to a function with my husband.’

  ‘Lucky man,’ he said and, glancing at her again, commented, ‘You look kind of familiar. Weren’t you in the paper this morning?’

  ‘Er…yes,’ she said, smiling stiffly. She hadn’t intended to look at the article but, while she had been waiting for her hairdresser to finish with another client, she had flicked through the paper lying on the counter next to her. It hadn’t been too bad a photo all things considered. She looked like a woman very much in love with her husband and Patrizio had looked as devastatingly handsome as usual, his adoring smile giving no clue to the animosity he felt for her.

  ‘You’re Patrizio Trelini’s wife, aren’t you?’ the cab driver said. ‘My brother-in-law works in the building industry. Trelini Luxury Homes, right?’

  ‘Yes…’

  ‘He’s close to being a billionaire now, huh?’ he went on. ‘Gotta admire him, starting out with virtually nothing and building up an empire like that. That’s what this country needs, more men like that. Not afraid of a bit of hard work.’

  ‘Yes…’

  ‘So you’re back together again, huh?’ he said, his eyes holding hers a little too long.

  ‘Yes, that’s right.’

  ‘He’s a better man than me, then,’ he said as he pulled up in front of Patrizio’s house. ‘I wouldn’t take back my wife if she slept around. No way.’

  Keira tightened her mouth. ‘How much do I owe you?’ she asked.

  He told her and she handed him a fifty-dollar bill. ‘Keep the change,’ she said, and scooping up her bags, left with the colour of her shame flooding her cheeks.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  KEIRA was bending towards the mirror in the en suite bathroom reapplying her lipstick when Patrizio came home. He stepped into the room behind her, stopping in his tracks momentarily as his gaze swept over her.

  She turned around to look at him, her chin tilted at a defiant angle. ‘How do I look?’ she asked.

  Patrizio could barely breathe with her delectable body so close. The delicate but intoxicating fragrance of her perfume made his nostrils instantly flare, the tempting shadow of her cleavage in her low-cut gown making his hands ache to reach out and free her breasts from the silky fabric that was defying all odds to keep them covered. She surely couldn’t be wearing any underwear beneath that dress; there wasn’t a line in sight, just smooth uninterrupted alluring curves. The thought of her, totally naked beneath that length of silk, made his groin spring to life, hot surging blood filling him with a need so strong he wondered if she could smell the musky male scent of arousal coming off him. He could lift that dress right this minute and sink inside her; the temptation to do so was almost unbearable.

  ‘You look very beautiful,’ he said, stripping his voice of all emotion. ‘Give me ten minutes to shower and shave and change into my tuxedo and we will get going. I have organised for someone to drive us. I don’t want to be bothered with parking in the city.’

  ‘I’ll wait for you in the lounge,’ she said, brushing past him.

  He clenched his fists once she had gone, his teeth grinding together as he faced his reflection in the mirror. ‘Only a fool makes the same mistake twice,’ he reminded himself harshly. ‘Do not forget that.’

  The stretch limousine arrived just as Patrizio joined Keira in the lounge and he ushered her outside with a hand cupping her elbow, reminding her in a low tone that they had a role to play.

  ‘I haven’t forgotten,’ she said, flashing him a little glance of annoyance.

  His fingers tightened around her elbow. ‘Drivers have ears and eyes, cara,’ he cautioned her.

  Keira got in the car with a forced smile on her face, her breath sucking in sharply when Patrizio slid along the seat to reach for her hand, placing it on the long muscular length of his thigh.

  She swallowed as he moved her hand to rest between his thighs where his body was already stirring. She felt the rise of his flesh beneath the pads of her fingertips, her stomach stumbling over the trip-wire of instantaneous desire that raged through her like a flash flood of fire.

  His eyes met hers, the glitter of rampant desire in his coal-black gaze making her spine feel as if it had been unhinged, vertebrae by vertebrae. Her mouth went dry as one of his fingers traced a scorching pathway from the base of her neck, past her breasts, skating over each ripe curve that peeped out tantalisingly.

  ‘You are not wearing anything under that dress, are you, Keira?’ he asked in a husky low voice.

  ‘Two bits of tape,’ she said, running her tongue over her lips. ‘That’s all.’

  His mouth curved upwards in a smile that didn’t seem to her to be entirely genuine. ‘Did you do it deliberately to tempt me?’ he asked.

  Keira glanced towards the driver’s compartment but the glass partition was shut, and she hoped, totally soundproof. ‘No, of course not. You told me to dress sexily and glamorously and I followed your orders. That’s what I’m supposed to do, isn’t it? Follow your orders to a T.’

  ‘That is correct,’ he said, removing her hand to place it back on his thigh. ‘As long as you do as you are told we will get through this with ease.’

  The function centre was packed with guests when they arrived, every head turning as they entered the room. Keira knew what everyone was thinking. She could see it in their eyes each time they met hers.

  Harlot.

  Jezebel.

  Tramp.

  Whore.

  The double standard sickened her. She knew a conside
rable proportion of the married men in the room would have cheated on their wives at one time or another. Sociological research statistics proved it, but it was an entirely different story when a woman was unfaithful.

  The press had hounded her relentlessly in the last two months; their large black lenses of accusation aimed at her at every opportunity. And as they surged towards her now she felt herself shrinking inside, as if someone were stitching her belly button to her backbone.

  Cameras flashed almost constantly and her face started to ache within minutes from smiling and being polite to everyone who came over to speak to her.

  Just when she thought she could stand it no longer, she caught sight of a familiar face. Melissa was married to Leon Garrison, one of Patrizio’s chief architects. Melissa worked as an interior designer and had often stopped to chat to Keira in the past, although recently she had been away on maternity leave.

  ‘Wow, how nice to see you again, Keira,’ she said. ‘I was so thrilled to hear you and Patrizio are back together.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Keira answered, hoping she wasn’t looking as hot on the outside as she felt on the inside.

  ‘I heard about what happened,’ Melissa said, edging her over to a quiet corner. ‘I mean about that incident with Rita Favore.’

  Keira bit her lip. ‘Oh…’

  ‘She’s a total man-eating cow,’ Melissa said. ‘She made a play for my husband as well. She sent a saucy message to his phone but luckily I saw through it.’

  ‘I should have realised…’

  ‘Don’t be too hard on yourself,’ Melissa said. ‘Patrizio’s obviously forgiven you now and that’s all that matters. I really felt for you when the press were making all those horrible comments about you all the time. They just don’t let up, do they? It’s totally unfair. Boys will be boys but, for some reason, women are still supposed to be pure as the driven snow.’

  ‘I would give anything to change what happened,’ Keira said. ‘The worst part is I don’t even remember doing it.’

  Melissa’s eyes went wide. ‘What do you mean?’

  Keira rolled her lips together for a moment as she tried as she had done so many times before to piece together that night. ‘I had the most appalling scene with Patrizio,’ she said. ‘I didn’t listen to his explanations of what the Favore woman had done; instead I demanded a divorce, I think more to make him stand up and take notice. I was feeling a bit neglected as he’d been away such a lot but it sort of backfired. I left in tears and ended up driving around for hours until I came to a friend’s house. He gave me a glass of wine to calm me down. I was sure I only had half a glass but I can’t really remember anything so maybe I had more than I realised…’

  ‘Yeah, well, drinking too much alcohol can certainly do that,’ Melissa said. ‘A friend of mine got so drunk after a night on the town she didn’t remember where she’d been for over four hours. She woke up in bed at home and couldn’t even recall how she got there. Scary, huh?’

  ‘Tell me about it,’ Keira said with a rueful grimace. ‘If I hadn’t seen the evidence for myself I would never have believed I had slept with Garth. He’s been like a brother to me ever since we were little toddlers playing in the sandpit at pre-school.’

  ‘You mean there was absolutely no doubt you had slept with him?’ Melissa asked.

  Keira looked at her for a stretching moment, wondering if Garth had lied to her. But why would he? What possible motivation could he have had? He had been her closest friend since childhood, their mothers were best friends and their fathers were in the same family-focused conservative political party. Garth would never have lied about something that would have such devastating consequences for her. Her life had been in ruins ever since that night; there was no way he would allow that to continue if they hadn’t actually done what he had said they had done.

  ‘There’s no doubt,’ she said with a sigh. ‘No doubt at all.’

  ‘Well, as I said, it’s in the past so forget about it and enjoy this second chance with Patrizio,’ Melissa said and, swinging her gaze to take in the hubbub of the room, added, ‘God, I hate these functions, don’t you? My feet are killing me in these heels.’

  ‘Mine too.’ Keira smiled, warming to the young woman’s open friendliness. She had missed female companionship over the last two months. Her few friends had shunned her as the news of her betrayal had spread, and the constant press attention certainly hadn’t helped the situation. No one wanted to be seen with her in case they were documented as socialising with a slut. She had become a bit of hermit as a result, concentrating on completing her studies and doing her level best to survive each gruelling day.

  But it had taken its toll. Even now she was feeling the lead weights of weariness begin to drag at her legs, her stomach grumbling with the faint queasiness that lately never seemed to go away.

  ‘I’d better get back to Leon,’ Melissa said. ‘How about we meet up for lunch some time? I’d love to show you little Samuel. He’s six weeks old. My mum’s minding him tonight. It’s the first time I’ve left him. My breasts are threatening to burst and I’ve only been here thirty minutes.’

  ‘I’d love to see him,’ Keira said, suppressing the deep pang of longing that assailed her at the thought of a tiny baby nuzzling her own breasts. She had dreamed of starting a family with Patrizio; she had even discussed names with him before they had parted so acrimoniously.

  ‘I’ll give you a call in the next week,’ Melissa said. ‘It was wonderful to chat with you. I’ve missed seeing you around.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said shyly. ‘I’ve missed seeing you too.’

  Patrizio came back over just after Melissa rejoined her husband. ‘Sorry to leave you for so long,’ he said, his hand settling on the curve of her hip in a possessive manner. ‘I got cornered by one of the advertising executives.’

  ‘That’s OK,’ she said, her skin lifting at the feel of his touch, with just a thin layer of silk separating his hand from her body. ‘I enjoyed seeing Melissa again. I didn’t visit her when she had the baby.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘I was worried I might run into you…’

  ‘So you put your feelings ahead of your friend’s?’ he asked. ‘Not very loyal of you, was it?’

  Keira couldn’t hold his gaze. She bit her lip and looked down at her purse, her knuckles going white as pain ripped through her. She felt him watching her, the heat of his gaze burning through the thin layer of her clothes. Tears stung her eyes but she forced them back. She had a role to play and she was going to play it.

  ‘Would you like a fresh drink?’ Patrizio asked as a waiter drifted towards them.

  She shook her head and handed him her barely touched glass of orange juice. ‘No, I’m just going to the ladies’ room. Excuse me.’

  He watched her walk away; every eye turned to look as she left the room, the speculative glances enough to unsettle the strongest of personalities.

  He let out a sigh and turned to face one of the sales staff who had called out to him.

  Six weeks, he reminded himself as the man began speaking, not a word of which he could recall less than ten minutes later.

  Six weeks.

  Keira locked herself in one of the cubicles and took some deep calming breaths. She heard other women come and go, their idle chatter barely registering as she tried to concentrate on keeping a lid on her emotions.

  ‘Gosh, Patrizio Trelini’s wife is gorgeous, don’t you think?’ A woman’s voice suddenly broke through Keira’s consciousness.

  ‘Sure is,’ another woman replied. ‘No wonder he’s decided to take her back. Mind you, I don’t know what all the fuss was about in the first place. It’s not as if he hasn’t had the odd fling. I wonder what his current mistress thinks of him going back to his wife, or maybe he’s going to have his bit on the side as a sort of payback.’

  ‘Wouldn’t surprise me,’ the first woman said with a touch of cynicism. ‘Besides, Gisela Hunter doesn’t strike me as the type to mo
ve aside without a fuss.’

  ‘Is she here tonight?’

  ‘I saw her arrive just before we came in here,’ the other woman said. ‘She was making a beeline for Patrizio. I wonder what the papers will make of that.’

  ‘I wonder what his wife will make of that,’ the first woman said wryly as they left.

  Keira got to her feet and steeled her resolve with a gargantuan effort. She touched up her make-up and, taking another deep breath, went back out to the ballroom. She scanned the crowd for Patrizio’s glossy black head that was usually at least three or four inches above everyone else’s, but there was no sign of him.

  ‘Are you looking for your husband?’ the waiter who had served them earlier said on his way past with a tray of drinks.

  ‘Yes…’

  ‘I just saw him go through to the lounge area out there,’ he said, pointing to the right.

  Keira thanked him and made her way out to where he had directed, but it wasn’t until she had moved past the lounge area to a small alcove behind a large arrangement of flowers that she saw him.

  He was standing close to a tall blonde woman in her late twenties, her close-fitting black dress showcasing her stunning figure in all the right places.

  They were talking in hushed whispers. Keira couldn’t make out what was being said but the body language between them was all she needed to see to know that his relationship with the woman was an intimate one.

  She turned away, her heart contracting so suddenly that she thought she was going to faint. She stumbled back towards the ballroom and, weaving her way to the table they had been assigned, sat down and reached for her glass of water.

  Gradually the rest of the tables filled and after about fifteen minutes Patrizio came and sat down beside her, his expression giving no hint of what Keira had witnessed.

  ‘Cornered by another executive?’ she asked with a pointed look.