The Red Wife

by Tyffani Clark Kemp

  “What?” Sebastian frowned. “No.”

  “Cougarita?”

  “No, Mariss,” he said without patience.

  “Kept Woman?”

  “Consort!” Sebastian snapped a little too loud.

  Mariss pursed her lips together so she wouldn't laugh, but it came out as a snort instead. “Who even says that anymore?”

  Sebastian closed his eyes and she imagined him counting to ten so he could deal with her. When he opened them again, Mariss was still smiling. His eyes dilated, before they hardened and he said, “Mariss, I understand you need to get your entertainment where you can, however, I won't have it at the expensive of-”

  “Your aging biscuit?”

  “That's enough,” he said, his eyes wide with fury.

  Mariss chuckled. “Get out so I can dress.”

  Sebastian turned and left the room without another word. Mariss slipped into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved top. She only had one pair of shoes with her appropriate for a casual dinner with her mother, so she slipped her tennis shoes on her feet. Mariss pulled her hair out of its ponytail and fluffed it.

  “Sebastian!” she called as she checked her purse to make sure she had everything she needed.

  “Yes?” he asked from the doorway. His mood hadn't improved and she decided he was angrier than she'd realized. He'd be fine by the time she got back though.

  “May I use your car to pick my mother up?”

  “You don't have to ask for that,” he insisted. Sebastian took his cell out of his pocket. He punched a button and waited with it to his ear. “Yes. Bring the car around. Mrs. Red is going to be using it this evening. Thank you.” He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. “Done.”

  “Thank you. How long do you need?”

  Sebastian's eyebrow went up, his eyes dancing like sun on the blue ocean. “You have fun with your mother. Come back when you're ready. I promise that Brenda will be well satisfied and gone by the time that you return.”

  Mariss smirked. “Oh, dear. You're really going to give her the treatment aren't you? Can I ask you a question?”

  Sebastian crossed his arms. “I don't know. Do I need to close the door for this?”

  “Probably.”

  Sebastian sighed and pushed the door until it clicked.

  “Why do you keep her around?” Mariss asked, keeping her voice just low enough that it wouldn't carry. “You don't even like her.”

  “That's not true. She's good company.”

  “Really?”

  “When you aren't around,” he smirked. “But I'm not kicking you out for her. Likewise, I'm not kicking her out for you.”

  “I wouldn't ask you to. I know you better than that, but she doesn't seem to understand who you are. How do you deal with that?”

  “The same way I deal with you.” Sebastian pulled her close and planted a chaste kiss on her lips before she could stop him. “The car should be waiting for you by now. Don't keep your mother waiting.”

  Mariss rolled her eyes and pushed him away. “I'll see you later.”

  Brenda was outside the door, one foot tapping on the marble floor.

  “I said I'd be right there, Brenda.” Sebastian's voice held a warning that few would argue with. But Brenda didn't seem to catch on.

  “You closed the door.” Brenda eyed Mariss as if she could make her disappear with a twitch of her nose.

  Mariss took a light jacket out of the closet and stepped out of the room, around Sebastian and his 'consort'. She was out the front door a moment later.

  The driver was waiting for her downstairs. Mariss slid across the leather bench seat and dialed Juliet.

  “Juliet, personal assistant to Mariss Red, the most beautiful and badass bitch in the world. How can I help you?” she said sweetly after two rings.

  “Hey,” Mariss chuckled. “I'm picking my mother up for dinner. You want to come?”

  “Maybe. Are the two of you going to be speaking German around me all night?”

  “Probably. But if you're there she might not grill me about Sebastian and how I cheated on my husband and blah blah blah. Please.”

  “Yeah, I'll come. Where do you want me to meet you?”

  “I'm headed to my mother's hotel room now. I'll swing by and pick you up.”

  “Mare, I'm all the way out of the way. I'll just meet you there.”

  “I have Sebastian's car.”

  “Right. I'll be ready when you get here.”

  Mariss hung up and laughed. She wasn't sure if Juliet and Sebastian would ever mend their friendship, but being in the middle was very entertaining.

  Mariss kept dinner casual and tried to avoid any restaurants that she and Holden might have frequented. It was easier said than done. In the end, they found a pizza joint near Juliet's house, far outside their normal dinner radius.

  “So, tell me about this Sebastian,” Katrina said once they were settled.

  “Oh, here we go,” Juliet complained. “I can't understand a word you two say when you speak German, Mare! This is so uncomfortable.”

  “I met Sebastian on a shoot,” Mariss said in English, giving Juliet a glare. “He got hung up on me and he chased me until I gave in.”

  “She understands English?” Juliet asked, appalled. “Why didn't you tell me that? Mrs. Red-”

  “Mrs. Luft,” Mariss corrected. “And no, that's not my maiden name.”

  “Do you mind being called Mrs. Red?” Juliet asked.

  “Nein.” Katrina shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

  “Mrs. Red, Mariss fought Sebastian as hard as she could, but that man has sex rammed so far up his ass there's no way she could have won.”

  “Yes, he is very sexual,” Katrina said. Her tone suggested she didn't mind as much as she wanted Mariss to believe.

  “Mom, don't start. He'd do you and me together if you asked.”

  Her mother's eyes widened in disbelief.

  “It's true, Mrs. Red. You should see the leather dick holster he's playing with right now.”

  Katrina choked. Soda sprayed over the table, just missing Mariss. Her pizza didn't fare quite as well, though. Mariss looked at her soggy pizza with distaste.

  “I'm sorry!” Juliet laughed as she helped mop up the mess with napkins from the dispencer.

  “What is she talking about?” Katrina asked.

  Mariss huffed. “Sebastian isn't a one woman kind of man, Mama,” she answered, still speaking English for Juliet's benefit. “Juliet means that he's with his Cougar of the Month right now.”

  “So, he did kick you out.” Her mother nodded as if she understood. “And this is the kind of man you like?”

  “Mama,” Mariss warned. She switched back to German and said, “I'm not going to discuss this with you right now. Leave it alone.”

  Her mother sniffed. “We will discuss this.”

  “You ruined my pizza.” Mariss pushed the damp piece of pizza across her plate. She was hungry, but she had no appetite. It had been like this since Holden died. Nothing was appealing, nothing tasted good.

  “He loves you.”

  Mariss looked up at her mother. She wasn't sure what her face looked like, but her mother's expression softened some.

  “Mama, Sebastian doesn't know how to love. He doesn't believe in it.”

  “Eh.” Katrina shrugged. “I don't think you give him enough credit. I saw the way he was looking at you. Do you love him?”

  Mariss shook her head. “He's all body and blue eyes to me.” That was a lie if she'd ever told one and her mother knew it.

  “He smells good,” Juliet chimed in, saving Mariss from her mother's incredulity.

  Katrina laughed. “Ja.”

  Mariss' tone was flat when she said, “Mama agrees with you.”

  “It's like sex in a bottle,” Juliet defended. “Of course she agrees with me. Tell me the way he smells doesn't make you want to rip your clothes off.”

  “Does it make you want to rip
your clothes off?” Mariss asked, amused.

  Juliet shrugged and sipped her drink. “It makes me want to do something.” She shot Mariss a heated glance.

  “Juliet likes women,” Mariss told her mother. “She has a crush on me.”

  “Well, she has good taste,” her mother answered.

  “No need for a translation there,” Juliet laughed. “Her face said it all.”

  Mariss smirked. She was glad she'd been kicked out and forced to spend some time with her mother and Juliet. There was only one thing that could have made the evening better.

  Sadness flooded Mariss, weighing on her shoulders like a building crashing around her. She struggled to lift her head, to keep breathing, to make it through the next hour or so, but all she wanted to do in that moment was sleep through the depression.

  “I think we've lost her.”

  Mariss looked up at her mother's voice. The two women were staring at her like she was the one who'd died.

  Mariss shook her head. “I'm fine.”

  “Tell me about this…woman, Sebastian is seeing.”

  Mariss smirked. “Jules, tell mama about Botox Barbie.”

  Juliet laughed. “Let's just put it this way. Her Golden Girls,” Juliet cupped her own small chest, “aren't so golden anymore.”

  Mariss' mother laughed.

  “They took the wrinkles out of her face, but I want to know what they did about her swamp cunt.”

  “Juliet!” Mariss exclaimed, but her mother was in stitches, laughing so hard that she rocked back in her chair.

  “I'm serious! Even the cougars are offended.”

  Mariss laughed and knew her friend was trying hard to keep her from falling into a depression she might not be able to come out of.

  “When do you see your therapist again?” Katrina was asking.

  “In the morning,” she said. “Did you want to come talk to him?”

  Her mother nodded. “If you're okay with that.”

  Mariss shrugged. “He won't tell you anything you don't already know.”

  “I want to see how he thinks you're coping.”

  Mariss nodded. “I figured.”

  “What are we doing in the morning?” Juliet asked.

  “I have to see my shrink and make sure I'm not going to freak out like I did after Holden died.” Just saying his name brought fresh heartache.

  “Will you be late to the office?”

  “Depends on how it all goes,” Mariss said with a deep breath. “If Mama comes with me, then yes. I'll be late because she'll want to talk a lot.”

  “Well, that's not fair,” her mother said. “I just want to make sure you're okay.”

  “I know, and I'm dealing. Speaking of dealing, I need to go to the apartment and get some clothes.”

  “I can do that for you,” Juliet offered.

  “No, I need to do it. Get it overwith.”

  Juliet and her mother seemed to understand. They left the restaurant a half hour later and took the car back to Mariss' apartment. She stared up at the building, wishing she could make the ache in her chest disappear. Instead of going away, however, it only grew deeper as they rode the elevator up.

  Mariss stuck her key in the lock, her heart racing behind her ribcage. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to relive this, but she had to get it overwith. Shadows danced across the open living room, cast by the moon shining in through the picture window. Her mother whistled low as the lights came on, activated by their movement.

  “Very nice,” Katrina said in awe.

  “I'm going to run up and pack a bag or two. You guys can stay here. I'll just be a minute.”

  Mariss jogged up the stairs and closed herself in the bedroom. She dropped to her knees on the carpet, dragging as much oxygen into her lungs as she could. The room smelled like him, even though he hadn't been in it in weeks. She could still smell his cologne hanging in the air. Tears pooled in her eyes as she forced herself up and into action. Maybe she should have waited a little longer to come here.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

  The lights were low in the apartment when Mariss arrived back at Sebastian's. She closed the door and locked it and hefted her bag higher on her shoulder.

  Sebastian's wet, messy head peeked around the kitchen corner, just before he strode into the front room. In his left hand, he balanced a teacup and saucer. His right hand stirred.

  “How was dinner?” he asked, his voice lighter than it had been when she left.

  “Good,” she replied. “I went home and got some more clothes. They all smell like him.” She didn't know what else to say.

  Sebastian nodded his understanding. “I haven't been to the club since…”

  Mariss nodded. Hellena had worked at The Tea Room, Sebastian's fetish club.

  Sebastian set his teacup on the piano. Strangely, it was closed tonight. Normally, he kept it open.

  “Please tell me you didn't fuck her on the piano,” Mariss said as he took her bag from her.

  Sebastian grinned, and it lightened her heart just a little. “Why? Did you want to be the one?”

  Mariss shook her head. “How was your evening with the boner sniper?”

  Sebastian frowned. “Why do you have to be so crass? Leave Brenda alone. She's going through a lot too.” He gave her a pointed look.

  “Unless her husband was murdered by a psychotic German bitch looking for revenge, I have no sympathy for her old ass. Not today.”

  “I'll put your bag in your room, Mariss.” Sebastian walked away from her. She watched his ass as he did. Even in the baggy sweat pants he exuded sex appeal. She liked the way his hips moved and the way he walked with such confidence.

  “Are you sleeping with me again?” she asked, almost begging.

  “Yes. If you'll have me,” he shot over his shoulder.

  “I think I'm going to go ahead a lie down. It's been a long day.”

  “Agreed. I'm not quite ready to join you. I'll be in a little later.”

  Sebastian set her bag on the bed and left. Mariss didn't bother to close the door as she changed into one of Holden's old shirts she'd found on the floor in their bedroom. She climbed into bed, sure she wouldn't be able to sleep, but she didn't even notice when Sebastian joined her.

  Mariss woke from watching Holden die for the one hundredth time that night. In her dreams, it was like a game to see how many times she could watch the horror show. How many times could she try to save him only to have him die in her arms?

  She swatted at the tears on her cheeks. A warm body curled against hers and she turned, hoping to see Holden's dark, peaceful face. What she found was altogether disappointing and pleasing. Sebastian's chest rose and fell gently. He looked like a different man when he didn't have to worry about keeping up appearances.

  Carefully, so she wouldn't wake him, she slid from under his arm and off the bed. She checked her phone for the time. It was a little past midnight. Mariss padded her way to Sebastian's office. He hadn't closed the blinds that covered the picture window. The view of New York was always breathtaking.

  Mariss stared out the window over the city that never sleeps. It was hard to reconcile her pleasure at seeing Sebastian in her bed alongside her despair of missing Holden.

  The city was enchanting at this time of night. She couldn't see any people, but she watched the evidence of their existance. Mariss blew on the glass, creating condensation. With her finger, she scrawled her initials against the cold glass, and below it, a heart with a broken squiggle through it. She wished she had a cup of tea or coffee to warm her hands. It was cool in the apartment tonight.

  “Mariss? Are you in here?”

  Sebastian came around the corner, his body cast in shadows. He scrubbed his hand through his sleep-mussed hair, but even in this condition - eyes slanted and tired, chest bare, body hunched against the cold - there was something regal about him. In her tank, Artemis, his Brazilian Rainbow Boa Constrictor scuffled, probably awakened by
his voice. She was strangely tuned to him, but then, most females were. Sebastian stepped into the light, concern written across the creases in his forehead.

  “What's wrong?” she asked, even though she wasn't ready to hear the answer.

  “I woke up and you weren't there,” he admitted. He looked sheepish, as if he wasn't ready to admit the truth either. “I thought… It scared me for a moment, but then, you were always stronger than Hellena.”

  She shook her head. “Don't say that. Hellena survived a horrible thing. Something that I barely escaped myself. And I'm not strong. I'm fractured. I could shatter into a million pieces at any moment. Or just two pieces,” she added. “Two very frightening pieces. You've never seen Cassandra's extreem opposite, and pray you never do.”

  “Cassandra?” Sebastian stood behind her and leaned over her shoulder, breathing on the glass where her initials were fading. He chuckled when they reappeared. “Is that what you call it when you leave me?”

  Mariss nodded. His long finger added to her condensation art, putting an s next to the heart and adding his initials below. They both laughed.

  “Yes. What would you do if I broke under the pressure?” She tried to make it sound like a joke, but inside, she honestly needed to know. Holden had never handled her personality shifts well.

  “I'll hold you together,” he promised, the words ringing a truth that scared and comforted her. She was so tired of the contradictions warring within her.

  “How do you propose to do that?” she wanted to know.

  Sebastian wrapped his arms around her without saying a word and she knew he meant to hold onto her until neither of them was sane enough to remember the other.

  “Would you come back to bed?” he asked. “I'm exhausted, but I can't sleep when you're not there.” He rested his chin on top of her head.

  “Yeah.” Mariss crossed her arms over his.

  Despite their need for sleep, the two of them stood there for a few more moments, watching the city below as if detached from its hustle and bustle. In a few months, the craziness of the holidays would takeover, making the city even more hectic than it normally was.

  Mariss leaned her head back against Sebastian's shoulder. She turned with his hand in hers and took him back to bed.