The Suspicious Proposal (13 page)

Chapter Five

“So did that breakfast make up for my failed attempt at feeding you earlier?” David finally decided to ask when they were getting close to home.

“Yes, it was delicious,” Andrea said while looking out the window.

She hadn’t looked at him much during breakfast or at all during the limo ride. He hoped he hadn’t upset her or that she hadn’t heard too much from Tom and Ken. Something about her changed though, and he wasn’t sure why he was bothered by her distance.

This was what he needed, since he was having his own problem distancing himself from her and his feelings for her.  He tried to look out of his own window but he couldn’t take his eyes away from her. Her long neck looked perfect and her toned legs were shining in the sunlight from the window. He wanted to reach for her and bury his hand between her legs once more. His hands yearned to caress her breast and run his fingers down her smooth thighs.

The car stopped and he pulled his eyes from her. Shaking his head, he told himself to pull it together and focus. He may be married to this woman, but she was not his. She was as free as any other single women, and after the three years, she would be gone.

“I have some work to do,” he told her after they stepped out of the limo and walked towards the front door. “I’m heading up to my study. Thank you for joining me at breakfast.”

“Oh, okay. Well, thank you for inviting me.” Andrea smiled at him and he fought the urge to taste her full lips.

“You’re welcome.” He opened the door and disappeared as quickly as he could to his study and away from his wife.

He was getting caught up in her good looks; he reasoned that that was it. She was extremely beautiful and he had been caught in her striking appearance. No feelings; only sexual desires. David sat down in his leather office chair and stared at the paperwork on his desk. This was the life he knew, his work was his comfort zone. He began working and pushed his thoughts of Andrea from his mind.

A soft knock on his door interrupted his attempt at work.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you,” Andrea said as she peeked her head into his study.

“No, you aren’t interrupting at all. Come on in.” He lied; she was interrupting his attempt to ignore her.

She stepped into his office, her pink dress a perfect shade of lovely as she looked around his office.

“Why don’t you have photographs in your house?” she asked him. “I haven’t seen any.”

“I’ve never really thought about it.” He told her. He supposed that he never had anything worth framing. There weren’t many memories he cherished.

“Maybe if we have a baby, you’ll put a picture up.” Andrea looked at him.

“If?” He raised his eyebrow.

“Well, we have to get pregnant first.” She ran her finger along his mahogany desk as she got closer to him.

“Maybe we should start working on that.” He watched as she walked inches away from him and stopped between his parted legs.

“When would you like to start?” Her eyes locked onto his, saying more than her words could ever say.

David reached for her waist and pulled her close to him. She straddled him in his chair and took his face in her hands. Their lips met, soft but powerful, and he tasted every word she had not spoken. His hands were in a frenzy as he rushed to feel every inch of her under his palms. Her breast were warm and fit perfectly in his grip. He massaged and caressed them as he continued to kiss her passionately. Andrea unbuttoned his pants and held him in her hand. Her soft hands were like fine silk around his erection.

Pulling her dress up and her panties aside, David rubbed between her slit with his fingers and felt her slick sweetness. He inserted one finger and pushed it in and out of her as she stroked him simultaneously. Feeling her ready to take him fully, he removed his finger. Andrea rubbed him across her opening before taking him inside of her.

The gasp that came from her lips was remarkable. David threw his head back and looked at the ceiling as she rode him slowly and delightfully. Grinding into him harder and deeper, Andrea took all of him. He brought his head back down and looked at her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and being inside of her was magical. It was as though she could enchant him with her powers of seduction; he was under some spell since he’d met her. Her body was a potion, the taste enough to seduce him for life.

“You are beautiful,” he found himself whispering in her ear. “My beautiful wife.”

She stopped moving her hips for a moment, her hazel eyes haunted by his words, but when he feared she might be scared by his words, she began to move again, empowered by his words. Her hips dug into him, enrapturing him even more. He leaned forward as she pressed into him, uniting his lips with her smooth neck. Kissing and licking her long neck, he felt himself on the edge of his climax. She thrust onto him one last time before he lost himself inside of her. Andrea followed with her own orgasm, and as she shook in his arms he knew the terrifying truth, he had more with his wife than just a contract.

*

It had been a month since Andrea married David. The first two weeks they had barely seen each other, but the weeks after that couldn’t have been more opposite. They’d been having sex non-stop, in every room of the house, in the limo, even outside in the pool. David wanted to have a baby right away and Andrea was happy to try. It was more than just sex too, they were having dinner together every night and David had come home from work during the day a few times to surprise her with roses. Something was happening between them.

Andrea finally had an opportunity to invite her friend Nikki to the house.

“This is where you live?” Nikki walked through the living room and into the extra-large kitchen.

“Yep.” Andrea could still hardly believe it herself. It was like living in paradise.

“Seriously? This is ridiculous.” Nikki ran her hand over the granite counter and walked over to the French doors that led to the patio. “Is that a pool?”

“And a hot tub.” Andrea smiled.

“Who is your husband?” Nikki asked sarcastically.

“That would be me.” David came in from behind them unexpectedly.

Andrea turned to see him shirtless, wearing only his work pants and shoes. He looked incredible with his chiseled chest and rock hard abs.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be home yet.” Andrea welcomed his soft kiss on her lips.

“Yeah, sorry to interrupt you two. I spilt my coffee all over my shirt so I figured I would just come here and get a new one before my next meeting.” David smiled at the two women.

“Nikki, this is my husband, David.” Andrea introduced her best friend to him.

“Hi.” Nikki, never at a loss for words, actually stood speechless.

“Nice to meet you Nikki. Andrea has told me a lot about you. I hope you don’t mind but I have to run and get a shirt and get back to work. You two have fun.” David kissed Andrea’s cheek before leaving the kitchen.

“That’s your husband?” Nikki asked as she shook her head. “No wonder you kept him to yourself. He is hot!”

Andrea grinned and looked at her friend. “Come on, let’s go.” She pulled Nikki out of the kitchen and out of the house. “We have places to be, remember?”

“We could cancel. I would be perfectly fine with staying here all day. This place is like a resort,” Nikki told her as they walked down the concrete steps.

“Just get in the car.” Andrea pointed to her new SUV.

“Whose car is this? Is this your car?”  Nikki asked as she opened the door and looked inside.

“Yes, David bought it for me,” Andrea said as she went around and got into the driver’s seat.

“This is awesome. Look at the black leather seats.” Nikki sat beside Andrea in the car and shut the door. “You really hit the jackpot when you married that man.”

Andrea turned quickly to see her friend. She wanted to say that it wasn’t about the money, she wanted to argue there was more to David than money but everything about their marriage was just that – about money.

“Wait here,” she told Nikki. “I forgot something.”

Leaving her friend to wait in her car, Andrea rushed back into the house and up the stairs to David’s bedroom. She opened the door without knocking. He stood there, shirtless and gorgeous, his eyes glaring into hers. She had so many things to say, so many words to describe the feelings inside of her, but when she opened her lips to speak, nothing came out but a heavy breath of air.

“Did you forget something?” he asked.

Without words, she hurried to his mouth, her tongue tasting the passion from his. Desire consumed her and she needed to have him right then. She didn’t care who waited. His work could wait. Her friend could wait. But she would not wait.

He turned her around and rubbed himself against her. She exhaled a deep growl. Her back arched as he sucked along her neck. David pulled her skirt up and slipped her underwear down her legs to the floor. His hands turned her back around and laid her flat onto his bed. Spreading her legs, he took his mouth to her opening and slid his tongue into her. Flickering and twirling, he ravaged her with his mouth like a hurricane. She held onto the bed and braced herself for her own storm to come undone. Her orgasm came fast and hard, sending ripples of pleasure through her body.

As her legs trembled in bliss, David came between them and entered with his hardness. It was sweet ecstasy. She needed everything he gave, she wanted every inch of his passion and she found herself attached to him. As David held her in his arms and looked into her eyes, he plunged deep into her, bringing another orgasm to the surface. Andrea bit her lips and gripped his thighs as he pumped and exploded inside of her. Their orgasm together was intense and exhilarating. Their eyes never left each other’s until they had finished. It was intimate and personal, nothing you could find in a contract. And as Andrea left his arms, she knew things had become more than either had anticipated. There was something there they hadn’t planned, but where it would take them, neither knew.

Chapter Six

David sat in the conference room and stared out the window to the city below. He wasn’t looking at anything though, the only image he could see was what was in his head, Andrea’s eyes. The haunting hazel eyes were stalking his heart, a truth that he couldn’t run from.

“The court date should be set soon,” Greg announced to the room. “Our lawyers have said that things are on track and as long as everything goes as planned, the outcome should be good.”

Andrea’s eyes came across David’s mind again. She deserved so much more than contracts and terms. She was more than a secret, yet his hands were tied and the papers signed.

“Sir, did you hear what I said?” Greg snapped him out of his vision.

“I hear you, Greg.” David turned his chair away from the glass window and faced his business team.

“How are things with Ms. Grant?” Greg asked.

“Mrs. Lewis, she’s Mrs. Lewis now,” David corrected him.

The men laughed and nodded.

“I’ve set up an appointment with a fertility specialist for the artificial insemination process to begin,” Greg informed him.

David stood up from his chair and paced the room.

“That’s no longer necessary,” David told him.

“Sir, with all due respect, the baby was part of the plan. It’s in your best interest.” Greg looked worried.

“The doctor is no longer necessary.” David walked away from the team and out of conference room.

He no longer liked to talk about Andrea like she was a client or a business partner. Talking about her as a contract was disgusting him and making him want to reach across the table and choke Greg. The last thing he needed was to lose it again. David walked past his office and straight to the elevator. He needed a break to clear his head. He pushed the button and waited to reach the lobby but the elevator stopped on the third floor. Kara, an old acquaintance, stepped in. Her eyes grew wide when she saw him.

“Davey!” She hugged him and lingered too long as the elevator doors closed behind her.

“Hello, Kara.” David separated himself from her.

“I haven’t seen you in forever. You look so good, Davey,” she said with painted red lips.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. What are you doing here?” Last time he talked to her, she had accepted a job across the country.

“I actually just got hired here last week. I guess I work for you now, sir.” Her lips began to speak seductively. “I might have to come visit you upstairs, boss.”

The elevator door opened to the lobby and a group of people waited for them to exit so they could enter. Kara walked out, her hips swaying just for him each step of the way.

“I’ll see you soon, Davey.”

He hated being called Davey but she was gone anyway and he was alone in the lobby. David walked out of the front doors and past his limo. He continued down the street, taking in the fresh air and freeing his mind from the reminders of what the future may hold. The thought of Andrea’s naked body hours before flashed before his eyes. She was perfection. Each part of her body was a wonder needing to be explored. Fascinated by her passion, he wanted to taste every dream she ever had and give her new dreams to be lived each day.

The moments from hours before were so clear in his mind. Something about it had affected him since. It was an authenticity he couldn’t deny. He had seen it in her haunting eyes, he felt it in her lingering embrace, and he tasted it on her scorching hot skin. It had been more than sex, it had been more than what he had intended it to ever be. He had made love to Andrea. That was the truth he knew was genuine. It was more than sex, it was more than anything he’d felt before and when she looked into his eyes, she knew the truth, too.

*

“I’ve got your measurements,” Andrea told Kellie Hollander. “The color is going to look great on you.”

“Thank you so much!” Kellie hugged Andrea with tears in her eyes before leaving the room and disappearing down a hallway.

“Andrea, you’re an angel,” Kellie’s mother, Jennifer told her. “This is a real blessing. If it weren’t for you, Kellie wouldn’t be able to go to prom. Her father lost his job and I can barely pay the rent this month. You’re a true angel.”

“It’s nothing, really.” Andrea smiled as she collected her things. “I love making dresses and your daughter deserves to wear a great one for her senior prom.”

“No, it means a lot to me and my family. We’ve struggled lately and something like this gives me hope that tomorrow will be a better day.” The woman put her hand on Andrea’s shoulder. “I knew your mother and she would be so proud of the woman you’ve become.”

Thinking about her mother and how much she believed in Andrea while she was alive, brought a tear to her eyes, but she quickly wiped it and pretended it never happened. Andrea couldn’t help but feel like her mother might be disappointed in her marrying a man under contract. Shaking the thoughts away, Andrea focused back on the dress she was going to make for Kellie.

Jennifer and Kellie were from the same neighborhood as Andrea and they had always been friendly and even helped her carry in groceries before. She’d talked to them often and had watched the girl grow from a bouncing child to a pretty young woman. When Nikki told her about their predicament, Andrea decided to make Kellie a beautiful dress for free. It was the least she could do for the sweet seventeen year old. It was a situation not too unfamiliar to Andrea. Andrea’s mother had struggled paying the bills growing up and Andrea had made her own prom dress from materials she got on sale from the thrift store. Andrea had a gift at making beauty from scratch and she would give when she could. Now that she was living rent free with David, and had money coming her way from their contract, she wanted to give back to the community and this was one way she knew how.

“I’ll call you as soon as it’s ready,” Andrea told Jennifer. “She’ll need to try it on and I may have to do some alterations, but she’ll have it in time for her prom.”

“Thank you so much, again. You have no idea how much this means to us all.” The woman hugged her once more.

Andrea and Nikki left Jennifer Hollander’s house and got in the car. “That’s a nice thing you did for that girl,” Nikki said. “She’ll be so happy when she gets to go to prom.”

“I wish I could do more for girls like her.” Andrea drove past her old apartment and looked up at it in disbelief of how much can change in one month.

“Maybe you can,” Nikki told her. “Maybe you can start some kind of organization or program for people like her.”

“Maybe,” Andrea agreed.

“I’m serious. You’re talented. You can sew a dress up like magic and you might as well play fairy godmother to those who need a helping hand. Besides, you don’t need the money anymore, so you’ll have the time to do it.”

Yes, it’s true Andrea couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. She would need to use these next three years wisely, preparing for the day her contract would end, and like a lease, she would be out on the curb.

“I’m going to talk to David about it. He has a lot of connections. Maybe he can help me with something like that.” Andrea thought about his promise to help her build a business after the contract was up.

“So now that I saw your castle and met your prince charming, can you tell me more about him, besides the fact that he looks like a GQ model?” Nikki asked her as they got stuck in traffic.

“Well, he’s really smart, he can’t cook worth a damn, and he loves chick flicks.” Andrea grinned proudly as she talked about David. “He loves to go to Indian restaurants, he hates orange juice, and he likes dogs but is more of a cat person.”

“Wow, you really are in love,” Nikki said.

Andrea turned quickly to her friend ready to argue with her before she realized that as far as Nikki knew, she was in love with her husband. “What makes you say that?” Andrea asked her friend as she turned out of her old neighborhood and made her way to her new home.

“The look in your eyes when you talk about him and the way you looked at each other in the kitchen earlier, there’s something special between you two, I can feel it.” Nikki smiled.

It was hard deceiving her friend. Andrea had dreamt of her wedding a thousand times. She imagined her best friend beside her; they would share the moment together, she would design her own dress and get a cake made from the bakery she grew up visiting with her mom, have a honeymoon on a warm beach somewhere where they put those colorful umbrellas in your drinks. That was all irrelevant now. Now, she was already married and working on a child.

“Do you believe in fate?” Andrea asked Nikki.

“I believe that what’s meant to be will be,” Nikki said.

Andrea stared ahead and wondered if all this was meant to be. She wondered if her destiny would be revealed in time. It was something only time could answer, and she feared finding out.

*

Another month went by quickly. David found himself acting out of character. He never missed work and always spent his off days working in his study at home. Now, he was staying in bed past noon, leaving work early, not showing up at all on some days, and he hadn’t been in his home office in weeks. All of this could be blamed on his fascination with his new wife. Something else odd had happened, she was now sleeping in his bed each and every night with him. Of course, he asked her to do so, he needed to have his arms around her. He wanted to smell her skin and hear her breath in the dark. This was not part of their contract. This was not how someone like him acted; this was for fools.

Each morning he woke up longing to touch her, and each night he went to sleep satisfied that she was in his arms. Sometimes, he would find himself imagining where they would be one year, five years, even ten years from now. Then it would hit him that she would not be around. She would not be his, she may have never truly even been his to claim.

“What are you thinking about?” Andrea asked him as they ate while sitting on a park bench near a pond.

“I was thinking about you,” David admitted.

“Good or bad?” The question was unknown to him as well.

He threw a piece of bread out into the water and watched a group of ducks race to get it. He pictured his colleagues, all so eager to cut throats in the race to bring home the bread. “How could anything about you be bad?” David smiled at Andrea and threw another piece of bread to the eager ducks.

“You’d be surprised,” Andrea teased as she winked his way.

“I guess everyone has their secrets, huh?” He reached for her leg and tickled it above the knee.

Andrea laughed and squirmed, getting away from his playful grip. “You know, I’ve been wondering. Well, you’re rich and successful, why do you care what people think about your life. Why get married to please other people?”

“It’s not that easy.” He stood up from the bench and walked closer to the pond with his bread.

“It’s just, what benefit do you gain from marrying me?” Andrea stayed seated on the bench but he could hear every word. “You’re already wealthy and your company is very successful. Sorry to pry, I just don’t get it.”

David broke another piece of the bread off and threw it out into the pond. As the ducks fought to get to it, he imagined his own fight ahead of him and wished it were as simple. “Andrea, there are things about business you don’t understand. Things that you don’t need to worry yourself about. I know the marriage contract’s odd, but it makes sense in my world.”

“Fine. If you don’t want to tell me, I understand. But I know that there’s more to this than what you’re saying.” She crossed her arms like a toddler having a tantrum.

“Don’t be mad, beautiful.” He threw the last of the bread to the ducks and the same greedy duck stole it. The other ones never stood a chance, as this duck was bigger, faster and stronger. Turning back to Andrea he sat down next beside her on the bench. “Just trust me Andrea, you know everything you need to know.”

“I know everything you need me to know.” She stared out over the lake and ignored his hand on her leg.

“Come on, don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad, trust me.” Andrea’s face was solid as she refused to smile.

It was her spunk and feistiness that made her so appealing. Her passion was sexy, whether it was determination, lust, rage or kindness. She was all of it rolled up into one and it was impossible to resist.

“I have a surprise for you,” he told her, hoping to see the dimples in her cheeks as a smile came to her face.

“Last time you tried to surprise me, you ended up almost burning down the house.” She held her emotions back, still refusing a smile, but the humor in her tone was obvious.

“Well, hopefully this one is less dangerous.” He handed her gift.

It was a box wrapped in gold paper and tied with a black bow. She untied the pretty bow and tore the paper open. The box inside was not very big, but not small like jewelry. David watched her as she lifted it open.

“It’s tickets,” she said as she held them in her hand and read the words. “Plane tickets.”

“To Paris.”

“Paris?” Her eyes grew wide with delight. “We’re going to Paris?”

“Not only are we going to Paris,” he said, “but we are going there for fashion week. I thought you’d enjoy the shows.”