by Pamela Ann
Appalled, his eyes bugged out for a moment before coloring at my obscene question. “Why are you so curious, Gisele?”
“It’s in my nature. I like to know these things.”
“What if I choose not to answer?”
All right. “Then you don’t. But if you need me to be truthful to you someday, maybe I’ll plead the fifth. Would that suit you?” It was manipulative of me to taunt him, but I had a hopeless case of lovesickness, so what the hell?
“Bloody hell!” he gritted out before shaking his head with contempt. “I don’t know how many times, and I’m being truthful. What I do know…Well, it went on for about two hours.”
He lost count? Well, damn him. “That good? Wow, she must be one hell of a woman.”
Fuck him. Seriously. I’m so furious I’m almost shaking with rage.
“Is there anything else you want to know?” he pressed on, almost taunting.
“Not at the moment.” I shrugged, loathing how much he affected me. “So, I guess we’re always going to be forward with each other, right?” This was the best I could do to appear as though his words hadn’t pierced me and gutted me from the inside out.
He nodded before taking a lungful of air. “I’d greatly appreciate that, Gisele.”
“All right.” Pressing my lips together, I mustered a strained smile. “Well, I’ll go and thank our parents for sharing this day, and then I’m going for a nap.”
He nodded. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
After exiting the library, it took everything in me to seek Abigail and Papa, thanking them for being there, but I had to excuse myself due to a headache. Abigail reassured me that she’d be staying for a while, so I might catch her later this evening.
My tears only fell once I was safe in my closet.
Unbuckling the ankle straps one at a time, I shakily wiped each tear that fell, hating myself for being such a masochist. What prompted me to ask in the first place? I had an idea how Jared was in bed, so I didn’t need confirmation. But my feelings couldn’t be helped. I simply had to know, and the moment I did, I wished I could unhear it. Two hours. Two whole fucking hours?
Christ, that hurt more than anything.
My phone shrilled from the vanity, breaking my painful reflection. Abandoning my shoes on the black wooden floor, I strode to check my caller.
Wyatt Rinaldi.
Why would he call me? Did something happen to Blair? My stomach dropped. If something awful happened, I was going to scream the house down.
“Wyatt?” I rasped out. “Is Blair okay?”
“Blair’s been incessantly calling me. She wants me to make sure you’re fine. My little sister can literally terrorize anyone from a different continent, myself included. So here I am, calling on her behalf, and well, out of my concern for you, too. She also pointed out that I’m not going to breathe a word to anyone about Peter’s condition, so your secret is safe with me.” He chuckled before it died out. Then he reverted to a more serious tone. “I’m sorry about your father, Gi. You must be very devastated. You’ve barely recovered after your mother’s…and now this. I’m sorry life can’t be perfect for you, beautiful.”
His concerned touched me. Wyatt was always messing around, never serious. So, for him to sympathize with my ill-gotten luck, I was moved. He wasn’t one to go delving into emotions; it made him uncomfortable. Therefore, for him to reach out, even if Blair had demanded he did, it meant the world to me.
“Thank you, Wyatt,” I croaked out, somewhat uplifted. “I never thought you had it in you to be sincere, but here you are, proving me wrong.”
“I joke around because it’s the easiest way to deal with people. It doesn’t mean I don’t get affected when the people I care about are suffering.” His words enlightened me.
“Good to know you have a heart, after all.”
That earned a laugh from him. “Only for you, Gi…only for you,” he said in a teasing manner, but his voice held something more. “Well, I promised my sister I’d take you out for dinner to cheer you up. What do you say, Gi?”
Papa and Abigail would be expecting me to dine with them. But maybe if I could eat lightly, then that wouldn’t be a problem. “Is nine too late?” It was the best I could do given the circumstances. “I have this thing with my father, and I can’t get out until then.”
“Nine sounds perfect,” he said smoothly, “I’ll pick you up then?”
Uh, that’d be a massive negative. “No, I’ll drive to you, and then we can ride from your place.”
“Sounds great! Don’t flake on me, Gi.”
Wyatt had just offered a reprieve, so flaking on him was out of the question. “I won’t.” I snickered. “See you.”
“Can’t wait.”
That was nice of Blair to pester her brother to take me out. She knew how devastated I’d been, most especially after the two-hour fuck marathon Jared confirmed earlier. I could do with a night out with harmless Wyatt.
Jared was most likely going to see his Rose, so going out would save me from crying myself to sleep while imagining him having sex with his girlfriend. Somehow, I knew she was a brunette. He simply couldn’t resist them.
Like I said earlier, fuck him. He could have all the brunettes in the world. Someday, I’d get over him, and I would laugh for being such a stupid fool.
And since I already had my phone, why not call Jack and get it over with? Might as well.
Biting my bottom lip, I dialed his number. It took a good bit until the call connected. The ringing sound even seemed different.
“Gisele!” Jack’s familiar voice echoed from the other end of the line. “God, I’ve been trying to reach you, pretty sweets. I’ve missed you.”
I knew my friends wouldn’t dump him in Croatia; they weren’t cruel people. So, it made me wonder what he had been up to. “Where were you, anyway?”
“I had to clear my head…and to also break things off with them. I want to see where you and I could lead to, you know? You’re so amazing, and I’ve missed you. I’ve missed your body sleeping next to me at night.”
I’m sure he did, I sarcastically thought with pure disdain. “You got caught. Had I not, you’d have carried on with your affairs. You’ve already played me for a fool. What makes you think I’ll give you a second try to lie to me again?”
“I’m crazy about you, Gisele. I know you feel the same way. I’m even willing to move out there to be with you because I know it’ll please you so.”
This man took creepy to the next dimension. “Well, I’m not so crazy about you, Jack! Things ended, and it’ll stay that way. I have no intentions of seeing you ever again. Do you get my drift?”
“Not crazy about me? That’s not what you were saying when I was fucking you.” His voice had an undercurrent of rage to it, and he was trying his damnedest to conceal it. But he failed immensely.
He really had to go low. But then again, why wasn’t I surprised? Jack had a spiteful attitude. “Yeah, do take care not to flatter yourself too much with your potent prowess.”
“You’re going to regret not taking me back,” he shot back, threatening.
“Somehow, I doubt that!” I giggled before adding, “Good luck, Jack Yates. I really wish you the very best.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t. Your rejection has a nasty taste on my tongue. I wonder what a man can do to ease such insult to my bruised ego? Got any suggestions?”
“Go jack it off,” I hotly retorted, disgusted. “Bye.” Immediately cutting the call, I shivered, quite repelled at the idea of seeing him again. Ugh, what an egotistical self-serving tool!
If I thought my headache was bad before, after speaking to Jack, it amplified a hundred times worse.
Dinner with Wyatt was at nine. I still had seven hours to kill.
Without bothering to take off my dress, I scoured the medicine cabinet for a pain reliever. I swallowed two with a sip of water. The throbbing made me feel as though there was a massive ball growing in my head. Trudging back to the bedr
oom, I fell onto the bed face down and dozed off.
Chapter 12
Gisele
“You look well rested,” my father remarked the moment I entered the formal dining room. He sat at the head of the table. I took the seat to my father’s right. Jared took the left, and Abigail sat next to her son.
We hadn’t used this in years, and I was quite ecstatic we were using it again. It was a beautiful room. It would be a waste if we didn’t use it as often.
“Thank you. I slept really well.” Brightly beaming at my father, I greeted Abigail and her son. I could feel Jared’s gaze on me, carefully measuring as though studying my calm demeanor.
But it was all a façade. Come on, who would forget about his two-hour session with Rose? What was he, a jackhammer energizer bunny? Bitterness filled me, and I loathed feeling like such a jealous nutcase.
Needing to distract myself, I greeted our butler with a warm smile. “I’ll skip the main entrée and dessert, Thomas. Thank you.”
“Still not hungry?” Jared curiously voiced out from across the table. “You skipped lunch, too.”
Before I could respond to him, his mother, Abigail, did the honors.
“She’s a new bride. Maybe she desires to look the very best for you, son.”
I almost choked on my wine. For the first time today, I had a genuine smile on my face. Abigail, bless her, was the sweetest. “You’re right. Your son is quite the catch. I want to please him as often as possible.”
Jared looked flustered.
I coyly fanned my lashes at him, entertained. “I’m so lucky to have such a perfect husband. Don’t you think so, my love?”
My father laughed. “She’s going to give you a run for your money, Jared. Don’t underestimate those sweet smiles. Her mother was the same. It used to drive me crazy.”
“I look forward to it,” he uttered while his eyes never left my face. It held something…menacing.
Nevertheless, Jared would stay in his lane as well as I. Separate lives but under the same roof. Was that even possible? I reeled at the thought of him seeking his girlfriend. He would never want me. He never had, and he never would. Married or not, that much hadn’t changed. The truth was a hard pill to swallow.
While they enjoyed the rest of the courses, I casually sipped on my wine, joining in the conversation when necessary. Silently dejected, I gathered enough courage to carry on discussions without showing how distraught I was. However, Jared’s scrutinizing gaze still unsettled me from time to time.
My eyes flickered towards the mantelpiece in search of the clock, which indicated it was time to change. So, without fuss, I calmly excused myself, bidding them all a great evening.
I didn’t let out a shaky breath until I reached the safe confines of my bedroom. Upon reaching my vast walk-in closet, my nerves began to settle down as I sorted out what look would be best for tonight.
I chose to wear a delicate fine thong before sliding my feet into my favorite three-inch black stilettos. I then strode towards the black dresses section, browsing through each designer piece. Should I do long or short? Since it was still summer, might as well go for short because once it started getting chilly, I wouldn’t be able to don these sexy dresses any longer. The semi-sheer black slip minidress caught my eye. It was a form-fitting one. The back had two thin lace straps that ran all the way down to almost at the base of my neck.
Strolling over to the lengthy mirror, I did a sweeping once-over with the dress over my bare figure. It’d look absolutely gorgeous on my five-foot-ten frame, I conceded with a pleased grin. After today’s madness, I badly needed an ego-boost, and this dress would surely help me achieve that.
“Going somewhere?”
I whipped my head around, only to find Jared leaning against the closet’s doorframe. Pensive as he severely scrutinized the piece of cloth in my possession.
With nothing but a slinky thong and stilettos on, I wasn’t even an ounce uncomfortable baring my almost naked state. In fact, I proudly arched my back, emphasizing my jutting breasts in total defiance. Jared had been blatant about not being attracted to me whatsoever. Witnessing my starkness shouldn’t faze him. I felt as though I had to prove a point—that his non-attraction to me hadn’t dented my confidence.
“Yeah, I have this thing…” I trailed off, not sure where Wyatt was taking me tonight.
“With whom?” he pressed. The weight of his stare troubled me. His displeasure was palpable. The deep frown etched on his face stated as much. Instead of focusing on his foul mood, I noted how his unbuttoned dress shirt gave me a glimpse of his sculpted physique. My mouth watered at the sight of his chest.
What did they call shameless women who kept pursuing even though the men had rejected them? A hopeless case. This was me…all these years…I held onto false hopes. Desperation made one a fool.
Everything in life was about choice. Right or wrong, it was a choice. If you were overweight, daydreaming about being skinny, but you chose not to do something about it? That was a choice. If you decided to cheat on your significant other, that was not temptation addling your mind. You made that choice. If you hurt someone because they hurt you, that was a choice. Life was an obstacle. Good or bad, we got to choose which path to take. There wouldn’t be changes if the choices you made were the same ones that got you there in the first place. You could only be defeated if you remained insouciant. Like a sick never-ending cycle that slowly drained you dry until all hope had left you. But instead of cowering, it was my choice not to hunt down a tub of coffee ice cream, plop onto the couch, and watch reruns of Sex and The City while I bawled tears, seeing Carrie’s never-ending heartbreak over Mister Big. So tonight, I chose me. It was always going to be me from now on until the very end. If being selfish would get me to where I needed to be, then so be it.
The only thing hindering such esteemed progression was Jared, who chose to linger in the background. Appearing not ready to leave until he had all the information he needed.
Dragging my eyes away from his inquisitive cerulean blues, I mindlessly caressed the soft texture of the silk in my hand with my thumb. “I’m going out with Blair’s brother, Wyatt.” I’m sure he knew who Wyatt was. There was no need for explanation. So why did it seem as though he still wasn’t ready to drop the subject?
Jared shifted his feet, hands in his pockets, unreadable as ever. “You’re going to see him dressed in that?”
Not all men found me revolting. Was that news to him? It sure seemed so. “Yes. Definitely dressed in this.” Wyatt was a major flirt and a little pervy when drunk. However, I found that I wasn’t bothered by it. I had grown up with the man. He wouldn’t do anything inappropriate…unless I let him. “Why do you ask? Do you find it ugly or something? I kind of like it…”
“The notorious Wyatt Rinaldi won’t be looking anywhere else but your cleavage.”
“Huh.” The idea didn’t bother me. We were going to dinner, not a strip club. Jared was being unreasonable. He was twenty-seven years old and acted like he was in his fifties. God, remind me again why I’m obsessed with him? Apart from my physical attraction to him, we didn’t really have anything in common. Again, why him? Maybe I’d isolated myself too much. Declined almost every date and invitation that came my way from men closer to my age. Also, it didn’t help that I had this uncanny knack for comparing each man to Jared as if he was a demigod of some sort. He closely resembled one, but the man didn’t need to know that. His ego was inflated as it was.
“You’re still planning to wear that offensive dress?”
Offensive? To whom? He made it sound as though I’d announced I was to become a hooker for the night. “I am. Why do you keep nagging like an old lady? Getting gawked at shouldn’t stop me from wearing something I like. If I did that, I’d end up wearing sweats.”
“You like drawing attention from men who look at you as if you’re the type to have sex in a bathroom stall?”
I innocently blinked at him. “I don’t mind it at all—the atten
tion or the bathroom stall sex.” Sexually, I was still inexperienced. Jack Yates wasn’t gifted in the sack, nor did his four-incher shed any enlightenment on the matter. Maybe it was the shock of having experienced Jared then Jack, but the comparison was nonexistent.
After the chaos with Jack, I’d prefer to be single for a long time. I wouldn’t shy away from dating anymore, but it’d take quite a man to convince me that he was worth my time and effort.
I shrugged before giving him my back. Carefully, I leisurely slid the soft silky material over my body. My breasts were in such good shape that I rarely needed a bra. It hugged my figure like a glove. Glancing down at my cleavage, I saw my nipples were safe from anyone’s viewing pleasure.
“Did you need something, Jared?” I asked.
He looked like a formidable statue lazily leaning against the doorframe as though seeing me dress entertained him. “Everyone with eyes knows you have a marvelous figure. I don’t see the need to flaunt it, Gisele.”
“Lectures from you? Really, Jared?” I already had a father. He didn’t need to act the part. He was one to talk when he had paraded women who dressed in less clothing than this slip dress I was wearing. As a result, he could kindly shove his opinions back to where they came from. If he aimed to irritate me so my night would be ruined, he could think again.
When I strutted towards him so I could pass, the man had the nerve to remain unmoving. “Move!” I harshly grated when he continued to block my way. “I have to fix my hair.” He was over six-foot-four, and even at my tall height, I still had to lift my chin to meet his gaze. The moment our eyes connected, the intensity I found there left me breathless. Stormy, like the color of a murky ocean when a hurricane was on the horizon. Or the color of the sky before a snowstorm. Dark. Embattled. And chilling.
“Don’t go…this might cause your father to doubt us,” he delivered in a monotonous tone, but the mayhem in his eyes persisted.