He did not answer. Perhaps his father was right about coming to him for help. He’d been so angry with them all that he perhaps would have turned him away, but to barter his wife for money was beyond his scope of understanding.
“How much was it?” he asked, curious about the sum collected for giving his wife to another man.
“Does the amount matter?”
“Yes, it does, and how long did she … you know what with this man?”
“It’s not what you think,” David replied.
“What do you mean it’s not what I think? You just told me she sold herself to the highest bidder, and you took her back to your bed!”
David’s face hardened. “Be careful what you say about Marla. I said it’s not what you think.”
“Then what is it? It sounds like high-class prostitution to me,” he replied.
“Stop it this instant!”
“Why, because you were too weak to say no to a few dollars you sold your wife to another man?”
“He was gay!”
“Oh, come on Dad, you expect me to believe that?”
“Are you going to listen to what I have to say or will you continue your disrespect of my wife?”
“Okay, I’m listening,” he muttered, returning to his seat.
In a calmer voice, his father began, “I can’t tell you who the man is due to our agreement, but he’s from Dubai, one of the oil princes. If he came out as being gay, he could be put to death. His parents needed him to marry and arranged a girl, but he told them he met and fell in love with a woman from the Americas. He needed to produce this woman to his family, and that’s where Marla came in.”
“So you’re telling me that this gay prince needed to fool his parents and chose another man’s wife?”
“Well, when we got into debt she decided to get back into acting and signed up with an agency. At the time, he was looking for someone who could play the role well, and he liked my Marla.”
“Are you sure this wasn’t some story they made up to fool you, Dad?”
“I met the man, and he was legit. At first, I didn’t believe, but she convinced me it was just another acting gig.”
Gael shook his head slowly. “I’ve never heard anything so ludicrous. How much was it?”
“Two million dollars. She told him she would not consider less and that his secret would be safe with her. To prove it, she never took her cell phone or a camera the entire time she was in Dubai.”
“This is one hard story to believe.”
“I know,” David said in a quiet tone. “So you see why I took her back. She never left me. What your mother …”
Gael cut in mid-sentence, “I don’t want to discuss mother.”
“You’ve got to let go of the bitterness, Scooch. She is sorry for what she did to us.”
“How do you figure she’s sorry when she cheated on her second husband?”
David’s eyes widened. ”What?”
“You heard me, Dad. She cheated on him, and when he kicked her to the curb, she came running to me for money.”
“I didn’t know that. When did that happen?”
“Three years ago.”
“Oh,” his father mumbled. “I had no idea what was going on. She called last summer to tell me how sorry she was about hurting our family. We talked for a while, and she seemed happy.”
“The idiot took her back.”
“Have you considered this man loves your mother?”
Love? What was love anyway. Didn’t his parents claim to love each other until death? He remembered them together as a child. They were loving, always affectionate toward each other. His father would go work with his grandfather, Aaron, and his mother would do her gardening.
They weren’t wealthy. In fact, they were a normal middle-class family with a struggling shipping business. His grandfather was old school, fearing the new technologies that could help his business grow. The company needed money, and the bank turned down numerous applications for a loan.
It was so bad that some Christmases there were no presents as his family couldn’t afford it. He remembered not having birthday parties or going on camping trips with his school because of low funds. However, his grandfather always told him that one day the business would belong to him and it would be a success.
As he grew older, he began to notice the rift between his parents. His grandfather passed away when he was seven, and his parents started arguing a lot.
He had no idea that his father had drinking and gambling problems, and that his mother was seeing another man. He wasn’t certain if her infidelity was as a result of the failure of the business or not. All he knew was that she left him to marry another man and never looked back until she needed something.
A part of him blamed the man sitting before him. If only he had been a better husband, perhaps she’d have stayed. He should have tried to save the business, provide a better livelihood. Instead, he drank and gambled away their savings. Of course, he was aggrieved with the past.
As if the man was reading his thoughts, David’s voice brought him back to the present. “I know you blame me for your mother leaving, but what could I have done?”
“I don’t know,” he growled, getting to his feet. “I don’t really want to talk about this. Let’s just drop it.”
He started walking to the door when his father’s voice stopped him. “It’s not because we didn’t love you.”
“I’m going to bed,” he replied, feeling his body tingle from the emotions coursing through him.
“Okay, we’ll finish our talk some other time.”
As Gael took the stairs, his mind on the conversation with his father and the bizarre deal Marla made with some oil prince, he paused in the passage facing the bedroom where Zoe was either sleeping or planning her next attack. He decided to let her be. Maybe by morning, she’d be rational enough to have a decent conversation and perhaps tell him the truth.
Still, he just could not remember where they met. He didn’t bother switching on the light as he removed the sweater and jeans he donned earlier. He removed his boxers as well and crawled under the thick blanket.
The house was very warm. He figured that with the kind of money they got from the contract, they could afford central heating along with heating the walls and floor.
His last thought before he closed his eyes was, what do her lips taste like? Were they as soft as they appeared? The thought faded as he succumbed to slumber.
Encased in a warm cocoon, she relished the feel of the heated blanket at her back. She sighed contentedly as the blanket sent light electric waves through her, energizing her. Loving the feel of it, she snuggled closer, feeling something hard sticking into her backside.
Thinking she’d somehow lost her cell phone under the covers, she reached behind her to retrieve the offending object. Her eyes flashed open, widening as her hand gripped something cylindrical, hard and warm.
A growl sounded behind her, and she snatched her hand away, her heart galloping like a car without its brakes. Her body froze as fear made her hairs stand on end. For a moment, she was confused as to where she was. Had the fever made her do something crazy? Was she dreaming?
She inhaled a quavering breath and closed her eyes. Then she tried to remember what transpired the night before. She’d left downstairs after arguing with Gael. Feeling woozy from the drink David had given her, she made her way to the bedroom, undressed, and got under the covers. She fell asleep not long after.
That means someone was in the wrong bed! Realizing she was not in bed alone, she started hyperventilating. She wanted to scream, but nothing came. Swallowing hard, she tried to regain some control of the situation while wondering what the hell happened? Was what she remembered correct? Did she get drunk and do something crazy after that liquor flu shot?
Someone’s arm was embracing her, a piece of information she’d failed to register. The arm pulled her closer, resulting in the back of her head hitting his chin. She could hear his lig
ht snore and feel his warm breath brush the top of her head. His heat was electrifying, scaring the hell out of her.
She stiffened and tried to think clearly. They were under the covers; therefore, she was unable to determine whom her bed buddy was, but she had a fair idea from the strength of his hold that it was Gael. There was no one else in the house other than the four of them … right? Of that, she wasn’t a hundred percent clear either.
Slowly, her heart rate began to tame; at the same time, the realization that Gael was in the bed with her, in his birthday suit! Her heart skipped a few beats and started its erratic pace once more as her body flushed from her crown to the sole of her feet.
No matter how good his body felt against hers or the sensations assailing her from the skin to skin contact, there was no way in hell that she would allow him to get away with it. Twisting her right arm free, she sent her elbow flying backward.
“Ooomph!” came back to her. “What the fuck?”
She wrangled free from his arm, threw the covers off and twisted around to face him in a sitting position. The morning light filtered in through the lace curtains at the window allowing her to see him clearly.
“Get out!” she shrieked, staring down at defined pecs which flashed before her eyes.
It was a bad idea yanking the covers. His eyes widened upon seeing her, and he partially raised himself. Then he narrowed his eyes and leaned back against the pillow, watching her. Her eyes unwittingly drew to his washboards, traveled lower to his erect member sticking upwards and lingered there.
She swallowed hard and closed her eyes before she remembered that she was only dressed in her panties. Her hands flew to her breasts, covering them while her face and neck turned crimson.
“I said to get out of this bed,” she said, her voice brittle.
“I think you have it wrong, my dear; you are in my bed,” he replied casually. “Look, if you think I’m lying.”
She didn’t believe him, so she cracked her eyes, but the first thing she saw was his still erect penis.
“Cover yourself, first,” she replied.
“Why, are you shy? Didn’t you just get an eyeful?”
“Argh,” she groaned. “You shameless prick!”
She opened her eyes, grabbed the covers and yanked them over him. Her eyes darted around the room, seeing that it was all white walls with midnight blue curtains and bed linen.
Embarrassed and completely frazzled, she jumped from the bed and rushed to the door, only to realize she had no clothes on. She stopped as she reached the door and turned. Gael had also sprung from the bed. He came up behind her and handed her jeans and T-shirt with his cock still standing at attention. She grabbed them from his hands, trying to avoid looking at his naked stature.
With a mad dash, she rushed through the door, across the hall, and into the room she was supposed to occupy. Her breaths came in shallow gasps as she leaned back against the door. She closed her eyes as her shoulders slumped shamefully.
“How did I get in that bed?” she asked the empty room. “I will never live this down. He’s going to remind me every hour we spend together.”
With a spring, she flung herself on the bed, beating at the pillow and flailing her legs. She ignored the slight pain still in her joints and the weakness of the flu. What was more important was her shame and disgrace for letting Gael, of all the men in the world, see her naked.
“Oh, God, he saw me naked!” she shrieked, the pillow muffling her voice. “I saw his dick, his huge dick … Oh, God, I saw it. I am now a soiled woman!” She stopped her flailing and rolled over. “I know, I’m never leaving this room. Ugh!”
Chapter 10
Gael chuckled as Zoe left the room. He’d woken in the middle of the night and realized she was in the bed, and for some unfathomable reason, he could not wake her, so he went back to sleep.
The sensations coursing through him as her body snuggled into him were puzzling. He thought he was dreaming about a sexy body next to him, and his member had responded rather violently. The heat curled deep within his belly as he dreamed that he was about to make love. The woman’s silken skin was the smoothest he’d ever felt. He groaned at the memory.
He turned over on his stomach, trying to suppress his still ignited body. How could someone who annoyed him so much evoke such sensations? Was he starving of sex? No, he didn’t think so. Then her breasts flashed before him.
They weren’t large nor were they small, but they were real … very real. And she had been right about that flight attendant’s boobs; he could feel the hardness of them as he squeezed. They were definitely silicone. But the Unicorn’s breasts were firm, taut, and natural. He imagined that they were just the right fit for his large hands.
Gael had no clue what was going on. Why was she so evasive about her identity and what was this between them? He could feel the force-field open up between them. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps this chemistry was what made them go at each other.
Maybe she was fighting it as much as he’d been fighting the pull she had on him. He wondered what lay beneath that tough exterior of hers. Perhaps he should take another approach. Rather than battling her head to head, he’d tame her.
Raising himself from the bed, he smiled. Now he had her exactly where he wanted her and knew exactly how to break down her walls. Maybe he’d see if perhaps there was something else beneath, other than her rainbow hair and foul mouth.
After calming himself and regaining some control of his tension, he showered and dressed. As he left the room and peered across the hall at the closed door of her room, his heart somersaulted at the anticipation of seeing her. He shook his head and moved along.
Maybe he should check on her. “Naw,” he said to himself. Let her come out when she was ready.
David and Marla were up and about the kitchen making breakfast in their Christmas sweaters and hats. Gael had completely forgotten about the holiday. He was also hoping that the weather had cleared enough for them to travel.
He heard his father and stepmother chatting animatedly in the kitchen. He passed through the living room and opened the front door. Apparently, the snow had fallen severely during the few hours he’d arrived. The SUV was buried under several inches of whiteness. It would take him all day to get the ice off short of pouring on hot water.
“Merry Christmas son,” his father announced, coming up behind him. “I knew I heard the front door.”
He turned and grunted, “Merry Christmas.”
“There’s another snowstorm on the way. You can’t be thinking of going out.”
“I need to call the office,” he said.
“It’s Christmas; will anyone be at the office today?”
His father was right. Beth would certainly be home with family, and the office would be closed for the holidays. He had no one to call. If he were back home, he’d be alone in the office or his penthouse apartment. Christmas would be spent either working or watching a football game on his own.
“Come, son; breakfast is ready. Is your friend okay? How is she?”
“She’s fine the last I saw of her. The fever is gone, and she isn’t sniffling much,” he told David.
His father eyed the stairs. “Why isn’t she coming down? Should you go check on her?”
“Let Marla do it. She might not want to see me.”
“Did you have another argument?”
Gael nodded. “You could say that.” How could he tell his father that they’d spent the night in the same bed, alone, and she was freaked out?
“Why can’t you admit that you like her?”
“I don’t know her, Dad.”
The man smiled and patted his shoulder. “I bet you know enough. Come, let’s have breakfast.”
What did he mean he knew enough? He wasn’t in the mood for any advice from a man who couldn’t do anything to save his own family. He wanted to ask, but knew it would lead to an argument or at least a lecture.
They went to the kitchen where Marl
a set the breakfast table. Breakfast was usually served in the kitchen and dinner in the dining room. That was the routine when he was a child. He was surprised to see Marla doing the same thing.
He watched how his father and wife interacted with each other. When his father had brought her home twenty years ago, all he saw was how young she was. He remembered the anger and the pain of seeing his father with another woman who could be his daughter.
Now he was seeing his father’s wife with new eyes. What she’d done still baffled him, and he was just trying to understand it. But if what they said was true, he had a newfound respect for her. At least she didn’t actually run off with the man like his mother did.
“Merry Christmas, Gael,” Marla greeted, looking up from her task.
“Merry Christmas.” He managed a smile.
“Where’s your friend?” she asked, peering behind him. “Not to worry, I’ll go fetch her. I hope she’s better.”
* * *
The knock at the door startled her, and she almost jumped out of her skin. Her heart started racing, and her cheeks burned as she thought that Gael had come to check in on her. Zoe could not get his nakedness out of her mind. She could picture him knocking the door without clothes on.
“That’s silly,” she whispered. “Ugh!” She shook the images of his muscles from her mind, but his deep blue eyes kept looming before her. “Go away,” she whispered.
“Hello?” Marla’s voice came through the door. “Are you awake? Breakfast is ready.”
Her stomach had been complaining for the past half hour as she hadn’t eaten since the previous morning. Tentatively, she opened the door and peered over Marla’s shoulder. He wasn’t there.
“Hi,” she said.
“Merry Christmas. How are you today?”
She smiled. “Much better, thank you.”
“You still sound a bit stuffy, so you’d better put a sweater on,” Marla advised.
She’d dressed in the usual jeans and T-shirt, but the house was so warm she’d forgotten how cold it was outside. Even the floors were heated so much she wore only one pair of her thick socks.
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