A Gift of Matrimony (Lover's Gift Book 2)

by Adom Sample

  “Say you’ll be mine forever,” he commanded.

  “Yes! I’m yours, Dante, I’m yours!” I screamed.

  “Say you’ll be with me no matter what. No matter what obstacles get in our way. Say you will love me forever.” He voice was forceful and dominant. I wanted to come again.

  “I’ll love you forever!”

  “And I will love you . . . always!” he shouted before releasing his seed deep inside of me.

  “Just lie here on top of me. Don’t move, just lie here,” I whispered. The heat from the sauna had us both dripping. Nonetheless, that heat couldn’t overcome the warmth of his body on top of mine. I didn’t ever want to leave this sauna. I could not survive without this . . . Without him. How did I ever live before this? This was real life, where I, Isabella, would start anew with him in my life always.

  Chapter 14

  Dante

  Isabella . . . my life. She was and always would be everything I had hoped for. She’d put everything on the line to find me, and I would never forget her sacrifice. Instead of relaxing in our new home and eating all the strawberries and chocolate I’d prepared, Isabella had planned a dinner date for us.

  I was under the impression that the restaurant would be somewhere in the local area of LA, but instead, we traveled to Las Vegas. This was such a surprise to me. She took me to Le Cirque at the Bellagio. I guessed she remembered the French cuisine we’d missed in Seoul, and now she wanted to make up for it. While I didn’t usually eat fine cuisine, as I preferred home-cooked meals, I was familiar with this place, though I had never actually eaten here.

  I wasn’t concerned with what food we ate. The only thing I hungered for was her. After that first taste of her on the jet, I was addicted. The first time we made love was something out of a dream. My mouth wanted to savor the flavor. It watered for it.

  The host escorted us to our table. The scenery was lavishing and the ambience set the mood perfectly. As we took our seats, I couldn’t help but stare at the beauty before me.

  My Isabella wore a black dress made of satin that hugged her curves beautifully. The off-the-shoulder neckline and thigh-high slit had me throbbing with desire. I wanted to take her the second she crossed her legs in her chair.

  “Dante, are you okay?” she asked with a smile. I hadn’t noticed I was gaping. She giggled and handed me a napkin. “For the drool,” she joked. I threw her a smirk and took the napkin.

  “You’re just as I imagined. I’ve waited decades for this,” I whispered. She blew me a kiss before hiding her face with the menu. I caught it and put it in my pocket. I’d save it for later.

  “May we start the evening off with a bottle of wine?” said our server. “We have over nine hundred international selections for your choosing. Or would you prefer a few appetizers? The tuna tartare is exquisite.”

  “A bottle of the Margaux du Château, Margaux would be fine. I’d also like to try the foie gras terrine for starters.”

  “Excellent choices, Mr. Alonso. And for you, Ms. Kam?” Isabella and I looked at each other, a bit nervous. If our server knew us by name, then there was no doubt everyone else would.

  “I’ll have the soupe du jour for now,” she said.

  “Of course. I’ll be right back with your Château Margaux, Mr. Alonso.” He wrote in his pad and excused himself. We couldn’t help but notice everyone stealing subtle glances at us. I tried to ignore them as best as I could. Isabella took a sip of water from her glass and looked up at me.

  “What?” she asked, smiling.

  “I’m just amazed, that’s all.”

  “Amazed by what?”

  “By the fact that my dream has finally come true.”

  “Stop it, Dante,” she said as a blush filled her face.

  The waiter brought us our appetizers and wine, but I couldn’t bring myself to take my eyes off her. How could I love someone this much? In the beginning, it’d been only a one-way attraction, but now it was reciprocated and she proved to love me the same way I did her. My feelings had intensified so much more. I couldn’t imagine my life without her now. She was my life support, my crutch, my breath.

  Now that our feelings were out in the open, I could finally talk to her without holding back. All secrets had been revealed and truths unmasked. The only thing left was the love between us.

  “How’s the foie gras terrine?” she asked. I had yet to touch my dish. I guessed that was her way of politely telling me to stop staring and eat something. The last thing I’d eaten was a single part of a strawberry she had already taken a bite of at home. I just couldn’t bring myself to the realization that she was with me now, after all these years. I finally had her by my side.

  “Promise me you will never go anywhere,” I said. I tried to mask the desperation in my voice with assertiveness.

  She smiled, placed her hand over mine, and promised me three times.

  “You promise me that you will never leave me again. I can’t lose you, not like last time, understand? My heart can’t take that kind of loss again,” she said. I took her hand and placed it on my chest.

  “This heart beats only for you. That is my promise to you.” The people around us were staring despite the dark lighting and cordial atmosphere.

  “Hey. You’re that lost billionaire, aren’t you?” someone asked a table over from us.

  “I knew I should have gotten us the VIP suite,” whispered Isabella.

  “It’s fine. People are just curious.” I turned in my chair. “Yes, I’m the lost billionaire. Yes, I was lost in the Amazon for almost a year. Yes, it was utter torture. And yes, if it weren’t for this woman right here, I never would have made it out of there alive,” I said openly.

  A crowd formed around us. “So much for this being a private dinner,” said Isabella. I kissed her hand and smiled. The manager and a few hosts who weren’t busy stood next to us. It seemed as if everyone wanted to know about my journey. I gazed at Isabella as the server poured us more wine.

  “Is it all right with you if I continue?” I asked.

  “Of course, babe.” She took a spoon to her soup and began to eat. The server filled both of our glasses as I laid out the entire story of our journey together.

  With everyone around us eager to hear how I got lost, I guessed I could do them the favor of giving them a quick rundown of what happened to me. I took a sip of my wine and sat back in my chair. Isabella rubbed my hand. Her touch gave me comfort.

  “I began my journey making my rounds through the Amazon rainforest, surveying floods in various tribal regions caused by all the deforestation. We had completed the run in parts of the Northeast Region of Brazil and were about to fly to Peru. I wanted to do one last survey before we headed off, but by that time everyone had already packed for the trip to Peru. So I decided to make the survey myself. It’s something I’ve done many times over the years. It helps me to ease my thoughts, not to mention the scenery is beautiful from the aerial view.

  “What I didn’t anticipate was the oncoming storm. It had diverted entirely from the area where they said it was going to hit and came directly to the place I was surveying. I saw it all—the wind, the lightning, the rain all rushed toward me like death on a cloud. I thought I was going to die. In all seriousness, I thought those were going to be my last moments. A cloud of lightning and rain engulfed me. There was no way out. The storm had kicked up trees and logs and everything aboard my helicopter started to malfunction.

  “One of my rotors came loose and I was spinning out of control. The rain blinded me and I could barely breathe from the force of the wind. I saw no choice but to unstrap myself and jump out. If one of my survey staff hadn’t forgotten their parachute, I would have jumped to my death. It was sitting in the back next to one of the seats as if fate had put it there for me.

  “I put it on and jumped. I could only hope I would survive. Her beautiful face was what kept me from losing all hope. I had to get back to her. The winds from the storm carried me away before I even pulled my
parachute. When it did deploy, I was off on my way. The wind shear turned and twisted me in every direction. It was so dark I didn’t know which way was up until I saw my helicopter explode in the distance. A small ball of fire that went poof in the air was all I saw. After riding the wind for what seemed like forever, I hit a river. My parachute acted as an anchor, pulling me down the stream. My death was waiting by a nearby waterfall. I couldn’t breathe in or above the water.

  “The raindrops were so heavy each time I came up for air; one would land in my mouth. My calls for help were futile as there was no one around. As I was rushing down the river, my parachute hooked on a tree limb. It pulled me under the water. I was able to unlatch myself from that death trap when I cut the straps of my chute with a knife I carry on me when I’m out surveying.

  “With the waterfall in view, I tried everything in my power to swim, to grab anything that would keep me from going into the abyss. I yanked off my belt and used it as a hook to latch onto a branch. I was feet away from the fall, and the only thing I could think about was making it home to Isabella alive.

  “That’s when it happened; a fish or a piece of wood or something, I’m not sure what it was, but something smacked me right in the face, breaking the branch I was holding on to, and down I went. I was so afraid and caught up in the moment that I didn’t realize the waterfall was only a couple of feet high. The last thing I remembered was hitting my head on a rock when I went over. I woke up hours later on land, broken and bleeding from my head, with a Black squirrel monkey or some other sort of monkey picking at my hair. When I stood up, the thing ran off into the woods. Despite the hell I went through, when I woke up, I was surrounded by beauty. I could see a rainbow in the distance. I took it as a sign that maybe I was meant to live.

  “There were so many times when I didn’t think I would make it. The second-most terrifying part of the whole ordeal was when I was flying through the air in all that mist, rain, thunder, and lightning. I was convinced a lightning bolt was going to strike me in midair. And if that didn’t get me, I was either going to land inside of a volcano or in the mouth of a crocodile. I envisioned it, the crocodile just waiting there with its mouth wide open, licking its teeth. All sorts of crazy ideas entered my head. So when I woke up the next day alive, not inside of a volcano or eaten by a crocodile, I was relieved beyond belief. I thought I was going to be rescued in the coming weeks, but no one ever came.

  “I had to learn how to survive out there on my own. With no map or compass, I had no idea where I was. After weeks of traveling up and down the trees and muddy terrain, I realized I was on a patch of land surrounded by a vast river. After months of waiting, and hunting, and being hunted, I finally decided enough was enough. I had migrated from that patch of land to a larger landmass, thinking all I had to do was walk my way back to civilization. That was a mistake. I ran into local tribes who tried to kill me, snakes that tried to kill me, and spiders that tried to kill me. It seemed as if everything there wanted me dead.

  “In the weeks leading up to her finding me, I hadn’t eaten in days, and this anaconda was hell-bent on making me a meal. I decided to take my raft and make my way out to sea. The rest is history. With so many people who like to travel into the Amazonian rainforest, I’m surprised no one found me.”

  Everyone was wide-eyed. The looks on their faces told me they couldn’t believe I survived all that. Isabella interjected and gave her input on how she found me. She filled the gaps where I was unable to after we were reunited.

  “That is unbelievable,” said a young woman among the group listening in. Some of the ladies had become teary-eyed when they heard what Isabella went through trying to find me.

  “You two were meant to be together. I wish you the best of luck,” said the manager. The rest of the crowd dispersed. The night descended, and both Isabella and I were a little tipsy from all the wine. I supposed there would be no main course tonight.

  We decided to stay in Vegas for the evening and check into a loft at the Bellagio since we were already there. I anticipated another night of sensual lovemaking just as long as she was up to it. We went upstairs toward the elevator. Before we made it to the door, Isabella had already slipped her hand into my shirt and kissed my neck. I smiled and kissed her forehead. Just as I had anticipated.

  Chapter 15

  Isabella

  This pathetic human being didn’t want to give up. He kept sending me emails and letters asking for my help. Words couldn’t even begin to describe how disgusted I was by his relentless badgering. I hadn’t told Dante about Nathan’s constant, perturbing annoyances.

  I instructed the mailroom to stop all mail coming from him, but that was no help. He sent all his correspondence in unmarked letters, so I couldn’t tell whom they were from. It was maddening.

  Dante and I had been living together happily for the last five months, and the last thing I wanted to do was interrupt our lives with this nonsense. Maybe I should lure him back to the US and have him arrested. The FBI still wanted him for his part in the Zinghai Ma Corp scandal. Then again, in all honesty, I didn’t want to get involved with that buffoon’s antics, nor did I want to correspond with him at all, even if it meant he got what he deserved.

  Dante had said he had a surprise for me tonight, and I should have been focusing on that. I would just do what I had been doing with each of his letters: in the shredder they went.

  “Isabella, don’t forget about the meeting with Johnston next week. We have to go over the finances for the Euro-week ad campaign,” said Julianna just as I was about to head out. I’d completely forgotten about that. I’d better call Dante and tell him I was going to be a little late tonight. I had to prepare my notes for Monday and look over the balance sheets Julianna sent me two weeks ago that I had yet to go over.

  Since I’d made Maya COO, I hadn’t thought I would need another assistant, but expanding into the European market had more than doubled my workload. I was definitely going to need some help. I would have HR conjure up some names for me sometime next week. Right now, I was going to have to make this dreadful call to Dante and apologize profusely for being late. I was already late as it was, and he was probably on his way to the restaurant. I picked up the phone and dialed his number, but after a couple of rings, it went to his voicemail.

  “Hello, Dante. I’m sorry, babe. I’m going to be a little late. I have to go over some things here at the office before I leave tonight. I’ll be there soon. Please don’t be upset. Love you.”

  In a way, I was glad it went to his voicemail—that way I didn’t have to hear the disappointment in his voice. He was probably driving and wouldn’t check his messages until he got home. I was so upset with myself.

  “Do you need help?” asked a young man standing by my door.

  “I thought everyone else had left for the evening,” I whispered to Julianna.

  “That’s Liam, one of our junior accountants,” said she.

  “You gone for the night?” I asked her.

  “Yes. Gotta get home to the husband. Don’t work too late,” she said, leaving me there with Liam.

  “Would you like my help?” he asked again. I had to find time to get to know each one of my employees better. I didn’t want to be a distant CEO who didn’t know the names of the people working for her.

  “Yes, please. Could you go over the Johnston account? That would make my work go so much faster,” I said. He nodded and took a seat next to me. I handed him the material he would need. It was six in the evening, and I hadn’t even begun to go over the operational planning and budget to buy ad space.

  After two hours of crunching the numbers for the budget approval, I looked over at Liam. It looked as if he was finished with his work.

  “Liam’s your name, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said. I asked him for the budget for the ad space so I could input it into the overall budget. Tedious work, but I had to get it done.

  “You know, Ms. Kam, I love working for you. You’re
such a good leader,” he said. He flattered me, but right now, I was more concerned with getting out of here so I could meet Dante.

  “Thanks. Now, the numbers please.” I wasn’t trying to sound harsh, but I was in a hurry.

  “You’re also very gorgeous and sweet.” He moved closer and smiled.

  I stopped typing and slid down my work glasses to the tip of my nose. “Excuse me?”

  “I said you are a gorgeous woman, and I love working for you.” I scrunched my face. Was he flirting with me?

  “Thank you. Now please read off the numbers for me so we can get out of here. I’d like to head home before midnight” I said as a joke.

  “I’m just going to throw this out there and see where it leads,” he said, inching himself closer to me. I backed away but he advanced. He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled my face closer to his. His lips were puckered and his eyes were closed. What the hell did he think he was doing? I pushed him away immediately before he could go any further.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I shouted. He backed away and gave me an expression as if I were in the wrong.

  “I’ve been watching you for the last three months. You are a beautiful and brilliant woman. Don’t you find me attractive?” I shook my head. This couldn’t be happening, not now.

  “Listen, Liam. One—I’m your boss. Two—I’m ten years older than you are. Three—I’m already spoken for. And four—what you tried to do just now was extremely unprofessional, and you’re lucky I don’t fire you right here and now.”

  He gasped. I supposed he wasn’t expecting my reaction. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to . . .”