Zadal reluctantly glanced away from Lindsey’s animated face as she unwrapped the thin green paper. At the center rested a blue partially bloomed bud, its roots intact in a clump of dirt.
“Carinthia,” she explained. “They can grow anywhere supposedly. Plus Baruk doesn’t have one in his garden outside or inside. I checked with Mala. Do you think he’ll like it?”
Their wife from Earth had managed to find the perfect gift for both of them. Zadal had not a moments doubt his spouse partner would drool over this rare plant.
Zadal swallowed twice to speak past the knot in his throat. “I think Baruk will like it.”
“Great.” She jumped to her feet. “His office door is locked but can I leave it here until he comes out?”
Which explained how Zadal received her visit first. “Yes.”
Lindsey came around his desk and leaned over his chair, her hands braced on the arms. “Happy Birthday.”
Then she brushed her mouth against his. Zadal could only absorb the soft touch, hoping she never regretted including him in the Triad. She strode out of his office no closer to knowing how deep her actions hit him.
As soon as she left, Zadal flipped through his holo screens and pulled up one record in particular. What he found sent his ire soaring. He grabbed the Carinthia and sought out Baruk. He banged on the closed door until a flustered Mala answered. Baruk’s first assistant held all the qualities Zadal wanted in Zumei’s replacement. If he found someone half as professional and experienced as her, he’d let Zumei go in an instant.
“Yes, Senate Leader?”
“I need Baruk for a moment, Mala.”
She flinched from his brusque tone. “Sure. I’ll…uh grab a snack.”
After she exited, Zadal braced his back against the closed door. Baruk stood next to a large window watering one of the numerous plants placed throughout the cavernous space. He glanced up when Zadal interrupted. “I assume this is important?”
Considering they rarely ventured into each other’s work space at home, the answer was obvious. Baruk sighed and crossed the room to sit on the messy surface of his desk.
“Is it work?”
“No.” Zadal’s fist clenched on the wrapped package behind his back.
Baruk stirred with his first look of concern. “Lindsey?”
“Yes.”
“Is she alright?” Baruk came to his feet, blue eyes darkening.
Zadal moved from the door and handed over the present. Baruk’s brow creased as he held the green tissue and peeled back the layers. “A Carinthia? What are you doing with this?”
Without waiting for a reply, Baruk opened several drawers of his desk, pulling out a set of clippers, a container and a half-filled bag of soil.
“Happy birthday, Senate Leader.” Zadal dropped into one of the comfortable chairs about the office, sinking into the fine cushions.
Baruk lifted his stunned gaze to him. “What?”
Zadal could afford to be amused since he felt the same way. “Today’s your birthday, isn’t it?”
Finished with planting the Carinthia, Baruk slid the glazed pot to the side of his desk. “Why are we talking about my birthday?”
“Because our wife bought both of us presents.” Zadal nodded at the plant.
A slow smile replaced the confusion on Baruk’s face. “Both of us? Today’s your birthday as well?”
“Yes.”
Baruk took the seat behind his desk and steepled his fingers as he rocked. “What did you get?”
“An intact Garulaxan war blade.”
Baruk whistled. “Very nice. This probably explains the secret meetings she’s been having with Mala. I thought she’d hesitate to touch the funds I set aside for her. ”
“I’m glad you’re pleased. Did you by any chance note Lindsey’s birthday?”
Baruk froze but quickly accessed the electronic file on their marriage contract as Zadal had.
Humor fled.
“Did you know?” Baruk asked, seething as he stared at the marriage contract.
Zadal didn’t blame him. “No, she made no mention.”
Thought and kindness went into Lindsey’s gift selection for their joint birthday yet both of them had neglected to notice her birthing day just weeks prior.
“Tonight,” Baruk said, “We will reward our wife.”
Zadal grinned. For once they were in total agreement. Lindsey wouldn’t know what hit her when they got her into bed.
***
Lindsey removed her dress and hung it inside her massive closet as she prepared for bed. When she re-entered the room, she jumped. Fright caused her to gasp at the sight of her husbands standing beside the bed.
“Did you know spouse partners have the right to punish a Triad wife?”
Lindsey shivered at the dark tones in Zadal’s question. “Um… what exactly are we talking in the punished deal? Beatings?”
Both of them drew back. “No!”
Her breath escaped in a soft sigh. “Well that’s good to know.”
Lindsey made her way to the bed wearing her underclothes only to have Baruk block her path. Zadal came up behind her, his hands caressing her waist in slow teasing strokes as he drew her bra straps down and undid the clasp.
Lindsey swallowed. “What brings you here then?”
Not that she wanted to complain. Any time spent with the two men in her life was time well spent.
“This is a sensual punishment, wife.” Baruk removed the last bit of lace from her and the lavender thong drifted to the floor.
“What I’d do?”
Zadal smoothed her hair back. “You let us forget your birthday.”
Baruk dropped to his knees before her.
“Oh. Well, in that case.” She cried out as Baruk’s tongue teased her slit. “Punish away.”
Chapter 22
The door to Zadal’s office burst open. He knew who it would be before looking up. After weeks of casual hints, he gave up. Some things his wife would never grasp—like closed doors. He didn’t have the heart to lock them against her.
“I’m a success,” Lindsey cheered, dancing her way in as she used her hip to close the door behind her.
As usual he couldn’t fathom what she was talking about. “You’re a success?”
“Yes.” When she plopped into a chair and kicked her feet up on the corner of his desk he hid his wince.
The move caused her skirt to slide up to her hips, revealing a toned thigh and if he looked closer, red underwear. Zadal pretended to focus on his holo screen not wanting her to sense his pleasure during these office invasions as he called them when her chaotic presence disrupted his orderly day. “Tell me about your success.”
Lindsey leaned forward a bit and the cut of her dress pressed her breasts against the material. “You have to put on the gossip vids. Did you know Caris has a show like that Qual guy?”
She had his full attention. Zadal stopped feigning interest in work and focused on her face. He tried to read beyond her smile but no tears gleamed in her blue eyes. “Caris did a report on you?”
Lindsey nodded and fiddled with the gold bracelet Baruk had given her as a belated birthday present. “We talked at the last party. But it’s not just her. I’m everywhere.”
Unlike the day she discovered Qual Commes negative campaign, Lindsey didn’t seem upset. Zadal engaged his holo and pulled up a channel he never used. He watched for a few seconds as a highlight reel flashed images of Lindsey in various dresses from past parties. Stolen shots no doubt. Each one showed his wife laughing or smiling.
Zadal leaned closer and flicked his finger to scroll through the feed at the bottom. Lindsey’s feet hit the floor and she came around his desk, bumping him with her hip. He leaned back in his chair and Lindsey plopped onto his lap without hesitation. This too was familiar when she interrupted his work. There was no resisting Lindsey’s brand of affection and Zadal didn’t want to.
“It’s all about me.” Her voice crackled with excitement.
>
It was more than that, Zadal noted. Caris extolled Lindsey’s virtue and how pleasant the Senate Leaders’ Triad wife was. She cited small snippets of conversation and based on the slant of the articles, the anecdotes made Lindsey shine.
Lindsey tipped her chin up as she faced him over her shoulder. “What do you think?”
Her happiness spilled over. “I think this is good.”
It was very good since he and Baruk believed Qual’s smear campaign had fostered a lot of the negativity Lindsey had received at their parties.
An image of Zadal from the party with Baruk’s family appeared on the screen next. Smiling. Lindsey chuckled. “She made you look good, too.”
Zadal didn’t care how the public viewed him. He cared about the fact this made Lindsey happy. Giving in to temptation, he buried his face in the loose hair about her shoulders and nuzzled his way to the bare skin of her neck.
She squealed and twisted on his lap. “Zadal! Pay attention. This is huge.”
“Mmmm.” The news lost its importance with Lindsey squirming on his lap. He kissed the erratic pulse at the side of her throat and the door to his office burst open.
Zadal wrapped his arms around Lindsey, spinning his back to the door in order to protect her. Mala came in followed by Baruk.
“Please don’t knock,” Zadal said sardonically, loosening his hold on Lindsey as his heart settled.
“I’ve received non-stop invitations for Lindsey to attend parties from every major head of importance on Garulax.” Mala’s excitement pulsed around her as she made the announcement.
Lindsey stiffened in his arms and wailed, “Nooo! No more parties.”
Zadal’s laughter caught him off guard and Baruk joined in. Only Mala frowned at the three of them. “This is what you wanted, Lindsey.”
Lindsey looped her arms around Zadal’s neck. “No. I didn’t want to ruin anything for my husbands, which is what Qual was doing with his negative lies. I’m not interested in going to any functions unless absolutely necessary.”
Zadal checked Mala’s disappointed expression and snorted. “Baruk promised her.”
Mala turned her glare on Baruk.
He shrugged. “I did promise.”
She huffed. “Fine. I’ll go to my office and refuse all seventeen invites and who knows how many more.”
They all stared as Mala stomped out of the office.
Baruk sighed. “I better go and smooth her ruffled feathers.”
He followed her out, leaving Zadal alone with Lindsey. She eased her hold about his neck. “This makes going to all the parties worth it. Even after you ignored me at the first one when I got sick.”
Zadal hated remembering Lindsey’s illness but her words made no sense. She slid from his lap. He missed her slight weight immediately but what she said required he push back his constant attraction for her.
“I’ve never ignored you.”
“Yes, you did.”
Despite his need to stay calm, his voice hardened slightly. “When? Tell me when I’ve ignored you, Lindsey.”
Lindsey shook her head. “Are you serious?”
“I’m very serious.”
“Fine.” She pushed at his thighs and made herself comfortable on the center of his desk right in the middle of his work. Zadal winced at the crumpled papers and ignored the pang of emptiness from having her move from his arms. “The night of the first party.”
Zadal searched his thoughts. He’d been very attentive aside from missing how ill she was during the beginning of their marriage. Did she still blame him? His next words came out stiff. “I’m sorry Baruk and I didn’t notice you were sick that night.”
“That’s not possible, Zadal. When the translator started to really burn before I came downstairs I asked Zumei if he could send you to me but he said you told him no.”
His brow lifted. This was news to him. “You told Zumei that you were ill?”
“Yes.”
Zadal gripped her thighs and leaned forward. “You’re sure, Lindsey. Think carefully.”
“I’m sure, Z. I was annoyed with you.” She chewed her bottom lip.
He released her legs and shoved to his feet. “I’ll kill him.”
“You can’t!” Lindsey jumped up and tried to block him.
Zadal gripped her by the shoulders and moved her to the side. His long strides took him to the door. He whipped it open, thinking with pleasure how he planned to tear Zumei apart with his bare hands. This was it. The one thing he would not let go.
“Zadal! Please!”
The desperation in Lindsey plea stopped him in the hall. Zadal froze, his hands opening and closing as frustration snapped at his heels.
“Don’t ask me not to talk with Zumei, Lindsey.”
He was close to doing anything his wife asked of him. She had him wrapped about her finger without trying.
Lindsey came around to the front of him, nibbling the corner of her bottom lip. “I don’t need more trouble. Things are finally starting to settle. Can’t we leave this be?”
“No,” Zadal snapped. He wanted to put his hands around his first assistant’s throat and squeeze the life from him slowly.
Lindsey’s jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you!”
With one last look of hurt, she ran from the room but not before he caught the glimmer of tears in her eyes.
Zadal cursed long and low then slammed his palm on the open door to his office.
“I can’t imagine what you possibly could have done that fast.”
Zadal turned to find Baruk watching him. This was Baruk’s fault. Zadal wasn’t sure how but it felt good to blame him.
“What did you do?” Baruk asked.
Zadal tipped his head back and breathed out roughly. “I hate you, Baruk.”
The other man only laughed “You’ll get over it.”
“Where?” Zadal didn’t bother saying more.
“She ran upstairs seconds after you both finished yelling.”
Zadal glared at his spouse partner, the urge to punch his face almost winning.
“Why don’t you just admit it?”
Zadal stiffened, wariness replacing his concern for Lindsey. “Admit what?”
Baruk cocked his head to the side. “That you care about her.”
Chapter 23
Lindsey slammed the door to her room and closed the doors to her balcony with a brisk snap. The resounding smacks resounded throughout the room. She kicked at a pair of heels she’d forgotten to put away and called Zadal every name she could think of. Some more than once.
He was being ridiculous. Stubborn. She didn’t care about whether Zumei lied or not. What she cared about was making an enemy of the man.
“Hard-headed oaf,” she muttered for good measure.
The click of the latch behind her had her spinning around and the reason for her annoyance walked in as calm as you please.
“We should talk,” Zadal said.
It was an order cloaked in a quiet façade of pleasantry. Like the man himself. He came off controlled and sweet but another side of him lurked beneath the civilized veneer.
“I don’t think we have anything to talk about, Zadal.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot.
His gaze dropped to her feet before rising back to her face, only this time he smirked. Lindsey growled, dropping her hands to her side. “What do you want?”
He slid his hands into the pockets of his grey colored pants, the shift drawing attention to the bulge between his masculine thighs. “If Zumei lied about me, it’s a serious transgression. Especially in light of how ill you were, Lindsey. Baruk and I could have lost you.”
She understood that. If anything, it made her want to smack the man herself but Zadal’s actions wouldn’t be so simple. “What are you going to do?”
“Fire him,” came his instant response.
Lindsey stilled. “You can’t. He’ll blame me.”
Zadal’s gaze darkened and all humor fled. “This isn�
��t like the situation with Pollan. I won’t keep him on and if he dares touch you, I won’t show the restraint I’m managing now.”
She shivered, hearing the underlying threat in his words. Things would not go well for Zumei.
“Can’t he have a second chance?” Why she cared, Lindsey didn’t know. Perhaps it stemmed from her desire to avoid more confrontation in their household. Why couldn’t she catch a break? The day had started out wonderful with the positive shows from Caris.
“Lindsey, Zumei’s treatment of you, his lie when you were deathly ill are the last chances I would ever give someone.”
Frustrated yet knowing he wouldn’t bend on this, Lindsey fled her room intent on being alone to handle the myriad emotions bubbling to the surface. This was one more strike against her and her inability to make her new life a success.
Lindsey only made it to the hall, before Zadal gripped her wrist and stopped her manic flight. She blinked back tears and gazed back at him in defiance. Expecting him to argue or to blow her off with more of his reasons, Zadal caught her off guard when his free hand caressed her cheek.
“I know you’re angry right now and I’m sorry for that but I hope you’ll eventually accept it’s the right thing to do.”
His gaze smoldered. Lindsey gulped. “I don’t want to be the catalyst for his leaving.”
“This was a long time coming. You aren’t to blame.” Zadal looped his other hand through the end of her pony tail, tightening his grip until her neck arched back.
Lindsey licked her lips as he leaned into her and both of them fell into the wall behind her. It didn’t stop Zadal. He brushed his mouth against her lips. “I can’t resist you. I don’t want to.”
His hand slid up her thigh, pushing her dress along the way until he bared her to his gaze. Today’s underwear selection consisted of a red thong held together with black bows on the sides. Zadal released her hair and ripped them from her.
Lindsey gasped as he hefted her leg around his waist and loosened the clasp of his pants. They dropped around his hips and he pulled out his erect shaft. She swallowed and said, “If this is your way of ending a conversation, I like it.”
Lindsey's Rescue: A World Beyond Book 3 Page 14
