The Red Wife

by Tyffani Clark Kemp

  “Yeah.” She couldn't help but laugh. “I guess I do.”

  “In that case.” Jose stretched out on the bed, arms tucked behind his head. “I want a raise.”

  “I'll see what I can do if I don't get you fired first.”

  “Have you slept with him?” His shameless look was as impressive as Sebastian's.

  Mariss frowned. “You're getting into private territory for someone I've only just met.”

  Jose shrugged. “That's a yes. I've never seen a woman successfully say no to him, though they try. He's mostly sex appeal.”

  “Wow. Thanks a lot. Maybe you should go.”

  He arched his eyebrows. “Oh, I wasn't talking about you. He told me about you.” Jose's charming, dimpled smile reappeared. “I'm impressed you hung on so long. So is he. It's part of your appeal for him. Or it was. I think it's grown into something much more.”

  Mariss shook her head. “I don't want to talk about this anymore.”

  “Alright. Have you found anything to watch yet?”

  “There's nothing on but dumb shit.”

  Jose chuckled. “Here, let me see.”

  “My husband liked to hog the remote,” she told him. “I know how this game works.”

  “If I fix you a couple more drinks you won't even care.”

  “My glass is still empty.”

  Jose motioned for her to hand the glass over.

  Mariss groaned and rolled over. The feeling that someone was watching her made her skin tingle and she opened her eyes. At first, what she saw didn't make any sense. Her eyes took in the blue denim where she should have been looking at glossy wood finish. She blinked and tried to focus. Was she dreaming?

  The denim shifted and she looked up, over a pinstriped dress shirt, and into Sebastian's furious face. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, released, and clenched again.

  “Good morning, Bassy,” she said cheerfully. “To what do I owe the pleasure of a wake up call?”

  “I couldn't find you or Jose this morning,” was all he said.

  “Jose?” Mariss looked to her right where Jose was stretched out on the other side of the bed facing her. She snorted in laughter as she realized what was going through Sebastian's head.

  “What's up?” Jose asked, his voice thick with sleep. Mariss couldn't answer for her laughter. When he looked up at saw Sebastian leering over them, his face was priceless. “Oh. Hey boss.”

  Sebastian was ready to kill. Jose would either lose his life or his job, but Mariss was laughing so hard her sides hurt. She gasped, trying to breathe. She just couldn't seem to compose herself.

  Sebastian left without another word, his back rigid. He walked like he was forcing his legs to move.

  “Oh, he's mad,” Mariss giggled when she could breathe again. “I've never seen him so angry.”

  “I have. It's not pretty.” Jose rolled off the bed and straightened his shirt. “I'll see you in a little bit if he doesn't throw me overboard. Try to stay out of his way, yeah?”

  “You think he's dangerous?”

  Jose shook his head. “I think he's mean.”

  Mariss scoffed. “I am too.”

  “You know,” Jose stopped in the door, “I believe you can be.” He winked before he pulled the door closed.

  Mariss scrubbed her hands over her face. She got a sick high from getting Sebastian all riled up. It was far more fun than it should have been. Giggling to herself, she gathered a pair of shorts, a tank top, underwear, and her toiletries to take into the bathroom.

  “Mariss,” Sebastian growled from the other side of the boat. His anger was set in a stoney face, the corner of his mouth curled up in a snarl.

  Trying to supress a grin, Mariss slammed the bathroom door and locked it. Sebastian banged on the door hard while she waited fro the water to get warm.

  “Mariss, don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you.”

  She could almost see his anger in bursts of frothy red smoke, swirling through the cracks of the door. It whispered along her skin, heating where it touched, infecting her with its vehemence.

  “Or fucking what?” she shouted back. Jose was right. Sebastian was cracked when he was this angry.

  “Come out here, now.”

  “I'm going to take a shower,” Mariss replied. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before she continued. “I'm going to get dressed and brush my teeth. Then we can talk.” The cruel side of her peeked out and she added, “Give me a moment to calm down so I don't feel so threatened.”

  Silence greeted her.

  The whole yacht smelled of Sebastian's cinnamon bodywash when Mariss stepped out of the bathroom. Her tank top was thin, so her black bra with bright red cherries could be seen through the fabric.

  Sebastian stepped out of his cabin at the same time as Mariss. He looked somewhat subdued as his gaze caught hers. His eyes went straight to her breasts, lingering exactly where she'd wanted them to. Before he closed the door, she caught a glimpse of Brenda's wrinkled bare leg.

  Mariss smirked and it wasn't nice.

  “How dare you.” She shook her head and balanced her weight on one foot. “You have no right to be angry.”

  Sebastian prowled across the sitting area. His body, always so lythe, demanded that he be noticed even though the two of them were alone at the moment. He pinned her in place with his 'cat and mouse' stare. Mariss shuddered under his scrutiny, but stood her ground.

  “I told you how I felt about seeing other men touch you.” He purred. He rolled his neck from side to side. The motion was more alien than anything. It made Mariss wonder just how angry he was and how angry he'd been before he nailed Brenda.

  Mariss' eyes widened involuntarily. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? You're all cuddled up with Nineteenth Century Barbie in there and you want to get mad at me because Jose slept in my bed? We're on a yacht, Sebastian. For Christ's sake!”

  “Nineteenth Century Barbie?” Sebastian stood directly in front of her so she had to crane her neck to see him. He was trying to intimidate her. It was effective, but Mariss was used to fighting for herself.

  “If that's all you got from what I said, then this conversation is over.” Mariss turned like she was going back to her room. Sebastian grabbed her arm and pulled her back to face him. It said so much about how angry he was that he didn't pull her body against his. Mariss found that she both expected and wanted it. She blinked up at him, shocked, and the triumphant gleam in his eyes said he knew what he was keeping from her.

  “Jose works for me.”

  “Are you trying to tell me that he's never been with one of your women? Never? Come on, Bash. All he has to do is wink and the women will fawn. So go ahead. Lie to me and tell me he's never been with one of the women you had on this boat.”

  Mariss crossed her arms and waited. Sebastian couldn't answer. Rather, he wouldn't answer. She watched his eyes shut down and his face emptied so she couldn't see what he was thinking.

  “So, what's the problem? You expect me to lay around while you fuck your 'consort', but get pissed off when I entertain myself?”

  “You slept with one of my employees on my yacht with me in the other cabin.”

  “While you slept with Brenda.” She would let him think that she and Jose had done something more than sleep. She didn't imagine he'd believe anything else any way. “You don't get to sleep with women and tell me what I can and cannot do. I'm not your woman. We're not together, so don't get it in your head that you own me.” Mariss shoved him in the chest. He rocked back on his heels a little, but wasn't effected otherwise.

  Brenda came out of the bedroom. Even in a sundress that showed off her fake breasts and fake tan, she looked her age. Her fake lips twitched in a self-satisfied smirk that didn't look good on her thin, fake face.

  “What's going on?” she asked, her eyes hopeful.

  “It's none of your concern,” Sebastian said without looking at her. He went into the kitchen and poured himself a drink.

>   “What did you do?” Brenda asked, turning her aging gaze on her.

  Mariss blinked at her. “I didn't do a damn thing, and if I had, why would I tell you about it?” Animosity made her chest tight. She knew this feeling and it led nowhere good. Mariss looked to Sebastian, but the moment she looked up, he looked away. He would be no help to her, so she looked back to Brenda. “I'm going to need you to move, before I move you myself.”

  “You're like a ragged suitcase that no one uses,” Brenda spat. “Why are you even here?”

  “Because my husband is dead,” Mariss said, her tone icy. “Unlike some, I actually honor the vows I make.” As she said the words, a sick feeling snaked its way through her stomach and she wanted to vomit.

  “My husband is cheating on me with a woman younger than you,” Brenda snapped.

  “And how does being with Sebastian make you any better?” Mariss shoved Brenda out of the way. She climbed the stairs two at a time. Jose tried to speak to her, but she ignored him, pushing through the sliding glass door onto the cockpit deck.

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  EXPLODING ENGINES

  Mariss opened her eyes to Sebastian standing at the railing with his camera to his eye. She heard the shutter click, but there was nothing but sea and sky to been seen. She'd spent the morning laying in the sun portside ignoring anyone who called her name. Sebastian had been there for a long while taking pictures, but it was getting harder to ignore him.

  “What are you taking pictures of?” she asked. He took so long to answer that she thought he might not, so she went back to her lazy tanning, flipping over onto her stomach to even it out. “I needed you this morning,” she mumbled. “When I was yelling at Brenda.”

  “For what?”

  “I thought I might lose it for a moment. I looked to you for help, but you looked away.”

  “I didn't know,” he said after a moment, his voice soft and chagrinned.

  “You didn't give me a chance to tell you.”

  Sebastian's shadow fell across her face. Mariss opened her eyes to look at him as he lowered himself onto the sunning mat next to hers. He was still in those tattered jeans, but he'd shed his shirt. With the sun beating down on his bare skin, his cinnamon scent had combined with the musk of sweat and heat. His skin called to her and her body reacted in a way that could only be referred to as a cat in heat.

  “Godammit, Sebastian!” she exclaimed. He turned to her, his eyes widened in surprise.

  “What have I done?” he asked, his tone suggesting that he was still massively irritated with her.

  “Do they put pheromones in your body wash?” She wanted to touch him, caress him, lick his dampened skin.

  His eyebrows went up and he cocked his head to the side. “Why?” He dragged the word out, taunting her.

  “Don't get all self-assured with me. You know how much I hate it.” Mariss huffed, hating how much she loved it when he looked at her like that. “I want to jump on you.”

  “By all means. Do what comes natural.”

  “You do this on purpose, I swear.”

  “Sometimes,” he admitted, “but not today.” He laid his long, lean body back against the mat so she could see the way his muscles moved beneath the skin. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him.

  Mariss pushed herself up and straddled his hips, bracing herself on his chest with her hands, fingers spread wide. He smiled deviously up at her. With his hands tucked behind his head he was far too relaxed.

  “You enjoy flustering me.”

  “I do.”

  “And you have no remorse for how it makes Brenda feel?”

  “Brenda was well aware of the way I opperate when she came to me.”

  “But she thinks she ought to have you all to herself, so clearly, she's not too aware or she wouldn't feel so threatened by me.”

  “You're just as threatened by her as she is of you or you wouldn't be acting like a spoiled child.”

  “I am not threatened.” Mariss noted a distinct whine in her tone. “Don't change the subject. You had sex with her because you were mad at me.”

  He frowned at her, his eyes shining in the sunlight. “That bothered you.”

  “Deduce that all by yourself, did you? I'm so proud of you.”

  Sebastian smirked, looking especially shameless.

  “I know how you are,” she said. “After this much time, I know what to expect from you and I don't let it bother me. But I'm telling you, that woman in there has caught feelings for you.”

  “Why is it that you're always advising me about the women in my life having feelings for me? Hm?”

  Mariss blinked. “Maybe I'm jealous,” she shrugged. “Maybe I don't want to end up with another situation like Hellena. I don't need more crazy bitches trying to kill me.”

  He chuckled as if that was funny. “I won't let anyone kill you and you don't need to worry about Hellena anymore.”

  Sebastian sat up. With a firm arm around her back, he kept Mariss in place so she was sitting on his lap. The change in position made her lady parts throb and she knew he could tell because a seductive smile played across his lips.

  “Alright?” he asked.

  Mariss only nodded.

  “I want to take you right here, May.” His voice whispered across her skin and his alcoholic breath was intoxicating.

  “No,” she said as firmly as she could.

  “No?” he questioned playfully. His lips pressed against the vein in her neck. He knew what he was doing to her. “Are you sure?”

  “You fucked her because you were mad at me.” Why did that hurt so much?

  “Ah, so your feelings are hurt. I wasn't mad at you.” He rubbed his nose against her jaw. “I know you better than that. I'm mad at Jose. And myself. I know you're going through a rough time.” He shrugged. “You needed someone to keep you company. It should have been me. I wish it had been me.”

  With a deep breath, she tipped her head to the side and let him get at the spot just behind her ear. His lips brushed against it so light it felt as if he was simply breathing on her. Even in the heat of the sun, her skin prickled and a shiver snaked down her spine. Sebastian's tongue teased her skin.

  “Sebastian, you don't play fair,” she moaned.

  “What's that?” His breath cooled her wet skin. “You mistook me for someone who cares?”

  Mariss chuckled. If he kissed her right now she wouldn't be able to stop him from going any further. Fortunately, frantic rapping on the window above them called a halt to their little exhibitionist routine.

  “He's fired when we get to the mainland.”

  “Why? Because now he's doing his job? You have no right to be mad at him and you know it.” Mariss looked up. Jose was madly trying to get their attention. “Sebastian, I think something is wrong.”

  Sebastian looked up as Brenda screamed from somewhere down below. Sebastian lifted Mariss to her feet as he stood and pulled her around to the cockpit deck.

  “What's the problem?” he shouted as black smoke billowed from below deck.

  “Motores se incendiaron! Engines caught fire!” Jose shouted from the engine room. “I don't know what the fuck happened!”

  “Did you radio the mainland?”

  “Yeah. I have boats coming to get us. Fuck!” Jose shouted off another string of Spanish words.

  “Mariss, go out to the stern. Please. I'm going to send Brenda out. Please, be nice.”

  Mariss rolled her eyes, but did as Sebastian requested, taking a seat in one of the loungers on the stern of the boat. It made sense though. If the yacht blew up, she was closest to the water here.

  Brenda joined her a few moments later. She sat in the lounge next to Mariss and twisted around so she could see what was going on. The smell that black smoke carried was horrific. Brenda coughed like she'd inhaled some of it.

  “What do you think happened?”

  Mariss eyed the older woman. She really did act like a child sometimes, and not necessarily because she acted im
mature. She could be very grown up when she wanted to be. Mariss bit back a sarcastic reply.

  “No idea. Kind of suspect if you ask me.”

  Brenda whirled on her. “You think I did it?”

  “Did you?” she certainly looked guilty. Wouldn't it just take the cake if Mariss had another woman trying to kill her to get her away from Sebastian?

  “No, of course not!”

  Mariss scoffed like she didn't believe her.

  “Women like me don't have to resort to such theatrics to get younger men to notice them.”

  Mariss blinked. “Are you trying to tell me that you think you're a cougar because you're sleeping with Sebastian?” She laughed so hard it hurt. “Cougar isn't the word I'd use.”

  “What else is there? I'm an older woman dating a younger man.”

  “No. You're an old woman who is sleeping with Sebastian. He's thirty-five” She chuckled. “And you most certainly are not dating. Sebastian doesn't date.”

  “He dated you.”

  “No, he chased me. He wanted me, he couldn't have me, and he wouldn't take no for an answer, so he spent a year trying to get in my pants.”

  “He took you to the awards ceremony as his date,” Brenda said. Her eyes were smug.

  “He took me as his friend.”

  Brenda snorted. She turned back to the mayhem. “No one can compete with you.”

  “I'm not trying to compete with anyone,” Mariss tried to assure her. “If I had my way I'd have my Holden back and I wouldn't be here.”

  There was silence for a long time. Mariss settled back into her seat and closed her eyes. That was the truth. Despite her growing and changing feelings for Sebastian, if Holden were here right now she'd run straight into his arms and never look back.

  “I am sorry about your husband.”

  “Thank you.”

  A while later, Sebastian, Jose, and Al started bringing their bags up and dropping them on the deck. The smoke slowly thinned and disappeared.

  Sometime later, boats pulled up alongside the yacht. Mariss and Brenda and their luggage were loaded onto one while the other stayed behind for Sebastian, Jose, and Al.