Joseph Fallen (The Estate Series) (4 page)

The ride home was quiet for the most part; and Joseph
uncharacteristically stared out his window for the majority of the trip.
 
Given her exhaustion, Arianna didn’t
attempt to engage him in conversation.
 
She was happy to avoid asking him the questions that plucked at her
mind, at least until a time when she could process what she’d seen.

When they returned home and undressed from the evening,
Joseph approached her as he had almost every night before, waiting and anxious
to take his wife to their bed.

Picking her up in his arms, his warm mouth came down on
hers, his tongue forceful in its demand for entry.
 
She opened her mouth, allowing him to
fill her with his scent and his taste, the remnants of the champagne he’d
consumed earlier still noticeable on his tongue.
 
She lost herself in that moment,
suddenly reminded of why she’d fallen for the man who carried her.
 
Laying her down on the bed, he pulled at
the belt of her silken robe, baring her to his watchful eyes.
 
Her body hummed in anticipation of his
touch.
 
He lifted her body to remove
the robe from beneath her, but instead of idly tossing it aside as was his
usual practice, he pulled the belt from the loops of the robe before he dropped
the robe to the floor and turned back to her with an odd expression across his
face.

“Would you like to play a game, beautiful?”
 
Heat filled his eyes as he rubbed his
hands up along the sides of her torso, her body quivering in response to his
touch.
 
His voice dripped with
seduction as he goaded her into a response to his question.

“What kind of game?”
 
Her responsive question was hesitant and unsure, but she trusted Joseph,
and would go along with whatever he asked.
 
She’d never denied him in the time that they’d been married and he’d
never taken from her what she hadn’t willingly given.

“Do you trust me?”
 
His breath rolled along her neck as he spoke into her sensitive skin.

After Arianna nodded her consent, Joseph grabbed her arms,
lifting them above her head, before he secured one end of the belt over her
wrists and the other to the posts of the headboard.
  
She attempted to wriggle free, but
he’d tied the cloth too tightly to her wrists and her movement only caused the
material to bind her even more.

Nervous laughter bubbled from her throat when she asked,
“Joseph?
 
What’s gotten into you
tonight?”

His eyes darkened as he ran his nose along her jawline, down
further until his faced was nestled just above her breasts.
 
His voice slid across her skin, cold as
ice, when he answered, “I thought it wouldn’t bother me to see other men
staring at you hungrily while you flounced around tonight in that room.
 
I thought it would bring me pride to
know that my wife is desired above all other women…”
 
He looked up, his eyes covered over by a
sheen of what looked like anger, but the look was so foreign, Arianna couldn’t
be sure.
 

“…But instead of pride, I felt resentment; I felt a need to
stab out the eyes of every man who glanced in your direction.”
 
He moved his face to softly nip at her
breast and she jumped at the sudden sensation.
 
“I never realized how possessive I’ve
become of you, Arianna, and tonight, I intend to show you just how thoroughly
you belong to me.”

Arianna sat on the bench in front of the piano, her fingers
splayed motionlessly over the keys.
 
As usual, she’d spent her day cleaning her home and preparing a meal for
when Joseph returned from work before finally sitting down to absorb herself in
her instrument.
 
What began as a
light song, one filled with the staccato sounds of airy and harmonious notes,
had gradually shifted to a slower song made up of darker notes, discordant
harmonies and a flat tone that spoke of despondency and despair.
 
When she recognized the dreadful tone of
the song her fingers elicited from the keys, she stopped suddenly, pulling her
hands away from the instrument while tears fell down the pale skin of her face
to the ivory below. Examining her wrists, she allowed her eyes to brush over
the slight bruises that circled her skin where the belt had been fastened too
tightly the night before.

When they’d awakened that morning, Joseph had been the first
to notice the bruises.
 
He
apologized profusely and blamed the alcohol he’d consumed as the reason for his
roughness when they’d made love. Arianna had stayed in bed while he’d dressed
and she’d failed to escort him to the door as was their usual routine.
 
When she’d finally managed the strength
to pull herself from beneath the covers, she stopped suddenly while walking
into the restroom, the mirror reflecting back to her eyes the reddened and
bruised marks on her breasts and body where Joseph had bitten her.
 

And now, under the light of the lamp that sat above her
music, those bruises and marks were made more visible; angry purples and reds
violently twisting around themselves, the hint of a green discoloration dotted
within.
  
She was unsure how
long she stayed there silently observing the evidence of Joseph’s loss of
control, but when she heard the front door open and then close, she wrenched
herself from her thoughts and attempted to paste a fake smile on her face when
she stood to greet her husband.

His steps were heavy as he crossed the room swiftly to take
her hands into his.
 
Like light
bouncing off steel, a glint came into his eye, alerting Arianna to his rush of
excitement.
 
She smiled shyly, not
yet understanding why he appeared elated.

“You’ll never guess what happened today.
 
I have to tell you everything, but baby,
this news will change our lives.
 
I
met with two men at the office, they offered a deal to me that I would have
been stupid to refuse.”
 
His words
were difficult to understand due to the quickened pace of his speech.

He picked her up, not noticing in his haste that she’d
winced from where he pressed on one of the many bruises on her body.
 
Spinning her around, he laughed and
gazed up into her face before placing her back on the floor and steadying her
from falling.
 
“Is dinner
ready?
 
I’m starving and I want to
tell you about it.”

Straightening her skirt, she looked up at him warily,
concerned that he seemed to have forgotten what had occurred the evening
before.
 
Pushing past her
hesitation, she nodded ‘yes’ and grasped his hand to lead him into the kitchen
so that she could prepare their plates.
 
When they finally settled at the dining room table, Arianna toyed with
her food while listening to Joseph tell her about his day and his new business
venture.

“And were these the same men that I saw approach you at the
ball last night?”

Joseph eyed her across the short expanse of the table.
 
Anger flitted across his brow briefly
before he settled his shoulders back into a relaxed posture.

“Yes.
 
I gave
them my card and they called me in the morning to set up our conference this
afternoon.
 
Arianna, this could make
us the wealthiest family in town.”

“But, they’re criminals, Joseph.
 
What they are asking you to do…”

“I WON’T BE COMMITTING ANY CRIMES!!”
 
He stood up from the table, jostling the
table settings when his fists came down on top of the wood.
 
“Why are you questioning my decision?
I’m doing this for us – for you!”
 
His anger was immediate and
unexpected.
 
Arianna jumped back in
her seat, shrinking down in response to the anger in his tone.
 
Too afraid to speak, she sat silently in
her chair watching as he moved from his seat and paced the floor.
 
This wasn’t her husband, Joseph had
never acted this way before.

Seemingly calmed down, he stopped pacing, but she noticed
how his hands continued to clench.
 
Her voice was soft, mouse-like, as she spoke.
 
“Joseph, I didn’t mean to question you,
I just don’t understand how dealing with common criminals will help your
career.
 
You’re doing well enough on
your own, why take a risk?”

“These men are not
common
street trash, Arianna.
 
They are
educated men.
 
I’m doing fine, yes,
but what they are offering is easy money, LOTS of easy money.
 
Wealth beyond anything you or I have
ever known.
 
It will propel me
forward ten times as fast as I’m moving now.”

“But Joseph, you’ll be supporting common criminals.
 
People who are spreading death and chaos
over society.
 
I don’t care if the
men you spoke with are wealthy or educated, the men they support are the ones
on the streets feeding drugs to children, taking the lives of innocent people,
why would you even consider their offer?”
 
She knew she should shut up, knew that he’d been acting strange since
the ball, but she had to say something to introduce reason back into the mind
of her husband.

His expression blank, he moved to the wall, leaning up
against it while running his hand through his hair.
 
She knew that motion, knew he was
struggling with his decision.
 
When
his hand came to his face and he squeezed his temples, she realized silence was
a better decision than continuing the argument.
 
He pulled his hand away from his face
and a cruel look swirled in his eyes, the shadowed grey twisting over itself
like molten steel.

His voice was flat, the baritone quality deepening as he
slowly stalked over to where she sat.
 
“Do you know how sweet you are Arianna?
 
Like an seraphim, one who exudes beauty
through her innocence and music.”

The words he used were nothing unusual for how he normally
referred to her, but the quality to his tone frightened her.

“But, you are so naïve.
 
You have no idea what it takes to make it in this world, to become
something more than what your father had become.”
 
He turned her chair so that she faced
away from the table and placed his palms down, effectively caging her against
her chair.
 
His behavior was
offsetting and she was unsure what she could do.
 
“From here on out, Arianna, I’ll make
the business decisions and YOU will support me in those decisions.
 
Save your concerns for the things that
you know something about…music, cooking, cleaning…”
 
His face twisted again.
 
“The
child
you have yet to give me.”

Tears burned at the back of her eyes, but she refused to let
them spring forth.
 
His words were a
hit to the stomach, the slice of steel across her heart.
 
“Why are you acting so cruel towards me?
 
Last night, and today?
 
It’s like you are someone else
entirely.
 
I don’t understand.”
 
The sobs caught in her throat causing
her voice to waiver, each syllable cracking as she spoke.

He laughed.
 
A
small chuckle at first, nothing more than the shaking of his shoulders; but
that chuckle grew louder, until finally bursting forth, scaring her even more
than before.

He quieted.
 
Finally gaining his composure, he looked deep into her eyes, and guilt
skittered across his expression when he recognized the fear in hers.
 
He pulled away from her and crossed the
room, his shoulders sagging when he recognized how he’d behaved.

After a few moments, he finally spoke. “Forgive me.”
 
Falling to his knees he crawled towards
her, resting his head in her lap when he stopped at the base of her chair.
 
“Forgive me.
 
Oh God. I’m so sorry, Arianna.
 
I didn’t mean…”
 
His words cut off and Arianna placed her
hand on his head, still frightened but also concerned for the man she
loved.
 
He looked up at her before
he rose to his knees, taking her face between his hands.
 
“I’ve been under so much stress
lately.
 
I want to give you
everything and it frustrates me that I can’t provide you with everything I want
as quickly as I feel I should.”

Her hand reached up to brush along his cheek, the stubble
scratching across her palm in her attempt to soothe his rage.
 
“I don’t need the things you insist on
giving me, Joseph.
 
I need you; my
loving husband.
 
Nothing more.
 
Please tell me you’ll reconsider having
anything to do with those men.
 
You’re better than that – than them.”
 
The tears finally fell from her eyes and
she could see his expression soften.
 
Reaching up he grabbed her hand and pulled it down so that he could look
over the bruises on her wrist.
 
He
flinched at the sight of the angry marks that tore across her skin.
 
His eyes watered when he looked back up
at her, confusion furrowing his brow, remorse darkening his gaze.

“Forgive me.”
 
His words were breathless and strained.
 
“I don’t know what’s come over me these
past couple of days.
 
I’ll reconsider,
Arianna, I’ll reconsider for you.”