Romance: The Bad Boy Affair: A Second Chance Romance

by Veronica Cross

  “Don’t worry. I didn’t choose you either.” She said before he spoke.

  “You didn’t?”

  “Why does it surprise you? Did you think I was a gold digger come to marry a rich westerner? Or does it simply deflate your ego to know that you were actually not chosen by a girl.”

  “A little of both I guess. So what’s your story?” Jim asked

  “I worked at the convent as a librarian and school teacher. Recently it was declared that the convent would be shifted to Jacksonville. I was not chosen to go. I was a liability. So I got the boot.”

  “They threw you out? Just like that?”

  “Not really. The Mother Superior gave me a bunch of ads that she thought were suitable for me. They were all ads for young teachers or governess. I was not interested in them. While I was looking through the ads Mother Bernardine had given me, I found yours on the back of another add.”

  “And I became your ticket to freedom?

  “You are not my ticket to anywhere. You are my destination. At first, I applied just to spite Mother Bernardine. To challenge her notions of propriety. When I actually got selected I realized the magnanimity of what I had done. But by then it was too late. Once I had applied it implied I was interested. I could not go back on a promise.”

  Jim looked at her then, his eyes full of knowledge. How much of what her promise entailed did she actually understand, he wondered. Suddenly he covered her hands with his over the reins and brought the carriage to an abrupt stop.

  “Alexandra if you are not sure about this, I will turn the carriage and take you back to the station, buy your passage to wherever you would want to go or find you a suitable position here in town. As far as the marriage by proxy is concerned we can get an annulment.”

  “I am not a coward Jim Sullivan. I refuse to run away. Besides, I simply have nowhere else to go.” Alexandra said sitting ramrod straight, looking him straight in the eye and facing him with a daring look.

  Jim nodded then got down from the carriage. He came around to her side and offered his hand. Puzzled, she took his hand and got down.

  That fence you see over there marks the boundary of the Sullivan estate. If you agree to cross that boundary with me today and become a Sullivan, you will be bound to certain responsibilities. I am by nature not a vicious man and I believe in a woman having an opinion. But first and foremost I expect from my wife compliance. You will as a part of your duties, obey my command, look after my household and a part of the estate workings, manage the household staff and abide by your wifely duties.”

  For a second there was a sparkle in her eyes, like the lighting of a match that Jim associated with rebellion and fury. Then it died down and was replaced by cold resolve as she declared.

  “I agree.”

  Chapter 4

  As the carriage came to a stop in front of the Villa Sullivan, Alexandra looked out at the huge mansion and her heart sank down to her toes. After she had agreed to take up the position as Jim’s wife, they had ridden in the carriage for the rest of the way.

  “You will ride in the carriage and not drive it, like any Sullivan woman ought to do” he had said.

  “And you are allowed to drive the carriage if you so desire?” She had asked taking his hand and getting in.

  “Yes,” he had said getting in behind her as James started the carriage.

  “Because you are a man?”

  “Yes.” He had said with arrogance. Alex had nodded looking out of the window. She had understood that she would have to take her orders from her husband henceforth, only because he was a man. Looking out and not having to look at the audacious man who was her husband helped her to calm down and come to terms with the unfairness of the situation. So she had enjoyed the scenery for the rest of the way home.

  Now as they prepared to get down, an old man, short and stout, bald with gray hair circling the base of his skull and over his ears, came running down the stairs huffing and puffing, waving his hat at the new arrivals.

  “Welcome home, Jim.” He said as Jim helped his bride out of the carriage.

  “Welcome, home Miss Alexandra.” He said smiling amiably at the young girl.

  “This is our physician and a very good friend of the family, Dr. Murphy. Scot, meet my wife Alexandra.”

  Scot Murphy had a moony face and he wore, round, wire-rimmed glasses. He was the sweetest most agreeable man Alex had ever seen in her life and she returned his big reassuring smile.

  “How do you do Dr. Murphy? Jim showed me your clinic while we were passing through the village. Most of the sisters at the convent where I grew up were trained as nurses. I have very high regard for the medical profession.” Scot Murphy beamed like a seventeen-year-old getting his first compliment from the schoolmistress whom he had a crush on and Jim laughed out loud.

  “Doc, don’t get a crush on my wife. I will have to kill you.” Then turning to his wife he continued “Doc is known to have a crush on all the Sullivan brides.” Scot turned beet red as he offered his arm to Alexandra.

  “Our Jim is a gem, obviously he has the sensitivity of a rock. Having said that I would be a fool if I say I am immune to the charms of this lovely lady. Come my dear the entire family is here. They are all waiting to meet you”

  “You are very kind sir,” Alexandra said taking his arm and walking up the short flight of steps with her husband on her other side.

  “Speaking of the Sullivan brides, Jim, your mother is here.” There was a warning in his tone and Alexandra felt Jim stiffen next to her. But before anyone could say anything a Tall thin blond with eyes the same shade of blue as Jim’s came out of the porch door and threw her hands around his neck. Jim caught her, the collision hardly moving him from his place, kissed her on both her cheeks, then turning to Alex he said.

  “Alex meet Ara. She is actually my Aunt Ara. But we were born in the same year.”

  “Hello, Alexandra. Welcome to the family. And you can call me and Archie, that’s my twin, by our names, just like your husband does.”

  “Thank you.” Alex took the offered hand smilingly and in the next second Ara was hugging her and kissing her on the cheek.

  “Now that feels more like family.” She said walking between Alex and Jim and looping her arms with theirs. As the trio entered the drawing room Ara helped Alex out of her traveling cloak and handed it to the doc who had already taken Jim’s hat and coat and was on his way to the closet to hang them.

  “Everyone is in the kitchen,” Ara said her huge smile still in place as she took Alex’s hand and pulled her along like a little girl. Her happiness and sunny behavior were contagious and it was hard to keep a straight face when Ara was so obviously delighted at showing her around. But Alex did manage to keep a mild serene smile on her face, lest, she thought with ire, Jim might find anything more expressive as unsuitable for his wife.

  “Yoohoo, everyone. The new bride is here. Come say your hellos.”

  All eyes turned to them at once. The doc had walked in behind them and Ara was moving around unable to contain her excitement. The moment seemed too overwhelming and Instinctively Alex turned back to look for Jim. He was standing there in the doorway of the huge kitchen. Resting his hips against the door frame, his legs crossed at the ankles and his hands folded over his chest, his face devoid of expression. When he saw Alex turn back with wide eyes, he slightly nodded his head to reassure.

  “Alexandra.” An old lady with soft gray eyes who had been sitting at the kitchen table got to her feet. There were another woman and a young man of Jim’s age sitting at the table. Two women were working at the kitchen counters busy making supper. A wonderful aroma of fresh bread and herbs added to the warmth of the room.

  “At last you are here. I am so happy to see you. I am Andreadora Sullivan. Jim’s grandmother. And this is my eldest daughter Morgan.” she said indicating one of the two women making supper.

  “And these are my younger twins, Archelaus and Samara, she said pointing out the man sitting at the
table and Ara.”

  “And this is my daughter in law Eileen. She is my eldest son Andrew’s widow and Jim’s mother,” she said turning to the lady sitting next to Archie. And you have already met Scot who is as much a member of the family. And there is Rosa our Housekeeper and our lifeline.” Alex dropped a perfect curtsy as Morgan, Eileen, and Archi each, in turn, gave her a peck on the cheek.

  Then it was Jim’s turn. He first enfolded Morgan into a bear hug and the love between them was obvious as he asked about her husband and children. Then he gave a quick but affectionate peck on the cheek to Rosa as the woman beamed and congratulated him. Then he shook hands with Archi and they had a quick hug and slapping of the back and there again the love was apparent. He then kissed his grandmother. Then completely ignored his mother.

  “Eileen, why don’t you help Alex get settled? While Morgan and Rose take care of the supper.” Andreadora said into the awkward silence that ensued. Eileen smiled and said to Alex.

  “Come I will show you to our room. We are to share a room…”

  “No. Ara take Alex’s things to my bedroom. She is my wife, not a guest to share the guest room. Besides, we are on a deadline here. Come Alex.” And saying that he took his wife by the wrist and pulled her out of there leaving the entire family looking stunned.

  Chapter 5

  “Jim, is there a reason you were so disrespectful to your mother?” she asked as Jim pushed open the door of his first-floor bedroom and stepped in.

  “Yes,” he said as he let go of her hand at last. But he did not look at her. He closed the bedroom door shut then went straight to the window and made a big ado out of closing the shutters and drawing the curtains.

  She felt that he rested his head on the window sill for a second. But it was just for a moment before he turned to her. A few tendrils of soft brown hair curled on his forehead and at the nape of his neck over the collar of his shirt. His eyes brimmed with hurt that he was trying to hide behind vehemence. Alex had an overpowering desire to pull his head down to her bosom and stroke it tenderly. She felt a strange tightness in her womb and the novelty of that sensation surprised her.

  “Would you tell me why?” Alex asked kindly and that kindness riled at his nerves.

  “She left me, and my father, when I was three. He took to drinking. He drank so much his heart gave in a couple of years later, and he died. They say it’s not possible to die of heartbreak. My father did.”

  She wanted to go to him then. Fling herself at him. Sooth away the old wound. But his stance told her any sympathy would not be welcome. She was still a stranger and was not allowed to get too near to him.

  “Why did she do that?”

  “She came from the east.” He said now looking into her eyes daringly as if that explained everything. It was like a slap in her face, but Alex said nothing. She waited him out.

  “She was raised with certain notions of propriety, urban education, and grace. My father was a westerner. He believed more in a day of hard labor, leaving the day to day working of the household to his wife.”

  “But your family has money. I am sure she would not have had to toil like a ranch hand’s wife.”

  “No. Rosa and her two nieces have been with us for years. And my father handled the family business really well and earned good profits. But it was not so much about the work or the money. For her, it was about the outlook. She had no say in anything in the house, the major decisions were taken by her husband, and though he loved her very much the only entertainment in their life was a harvest party or a country dance. He expected her to obey his every command. There was no refined lifestyle like she was used to in her father’s house. There was no adventure.” He said once again giving her that daring look and she knew he was thinking about her wanting to drive the carriage earlier. Slowly she turned her eyes to look at her toes.

  “You must be tired Alex,” he said with a sudden gentleness and went to her. He rubbed the back of his knuckles over her face and she had to make a herculean effort to draw a breath. It shuddered out of her nostrils and her shoulders shook slightly.

  “There’s a hot bath ready for you. I will help you,” he said absently.

  He wound one long wayward curl of her hair around his finger and gave it a soft tug before he drew out his finger and let the spring fall. She looked up at him sharply then and there was something akin to fear in her eyes.

  “Oh…oh no…I I…can manage that myself.” she said stammering and faltering, drawing heavy breaths, her fingers cruelly crushing a lacy white handkerchief in a frenzy and her face alternating between a false smile and an expression of abject fear.

  “Relax Alex. Don’t be silly. Besides, I am just going to help you undress and get you to your bath. I am not going to do anything you don’t want me to. Ok?” he said with utmost patience as he held her by her shoulder and turned her around.

  The room spun as he turned her and Alex felt a momentary giddiness. It passed quickly but she caught hold of the newel post of the huge four poster bed they were standing next to. She was not so much worried about him doing things she did not want as she was of wanting him to do them.

  The close inspection he had given her back on the carriage bench while she drove it had left her filled with a strange thrill she had never experienced before. The unguarded appreciation and desire she had seen in his eyes had pleased her immensely, though she had tried to hide it with a sharp reprimand.

  Then again when he had suddenly put his hands over hers to stop the carriage, sensations of delightful excitement had coursed through her entire body. And now, in the solitary intimacy of this room, his nearness and his touch had been too overpowering for her senses to endure. And though she reprimanded herself, telling herself that obeying her husband’s wishes was her duty, the pleasure she derived from it scared her.

  Jim was tugging lightly at the strings of her dress wondering how she had endured staying so tied up day and night, for a month and a half, on a train.

  Alex winced as he pulled at the strings that had tightened against her bony shoulder blades. And when he slowly pushed the dress down her shoulders she rested her head against the post in abandon. Slowly Jim pushed the gown down the rest of the way. Then bent at her feet to help her out of her shoes. He deftly rescued her of her corset and her stockings then stood back to contemplate his work. He smiled endearingly as he realized he had forgotten the bonnet and it was now the only piece of clothing on her body.

  Quickly he slid his fingers under her neck, pressing himself against her soft naked body and trapping her between the bedpost and himself. He pulled the string of the bonnet gently and it fell to their feet. He then pulled out the pins that secured her hair in a bun at the nape of her neck. When he was done a mass of thick wavy auburn curls fell over her bare back and around her shoulders.

  Jim sucked in a breath suddenly, threading his fingers lightly through her hair while Alexandra held on to the bed post with both her hands and her head resting on them weak and wanting, confused and lost.

  No woman had ever had that effect on him and the power that this stranger who was his wife seemed to be having on him terrified Jim. He reminded himself that she was here just so that he could fulfill his grandmother’s wish and give her, her payback. But the tightness in his chest and between his thighs was telling a different story.

  Chapter 6

  The family dining room looked magnificent when Alex walked in with Ara. It looked like a painting called The Royal Supper, Alex had seen at the museum in New York. Except there were electric lights that hung from the walls. Alex had heard about electric lights, read about them in the newspapers but never seen them and she felt as if she had walked into a magical land. There were the old fashioned candles and gas lamps as well, spread around the room giving it an enchanting ambiance.

  As they entered, Alex noticed that the Persian carpets under their feet were thick and soft. The table was laid with the finest china, crystal, and silverware. The curtains were thick and m
ade up of yards and yards of never ending velvety fabric. An aroma of rich perfume hung in the air.

  When they entered, Rosa was setting the table. Andreadora and Morgan sat on the plush divan, deep in discussion. Jim and Archi were nowhere to be seen. Eileen and Dr. Scot were playing a game of chess and something the Doctor said had made Eileen laugh. How could she be so gleeful and content under the same roof with a son she had so cruelly deceived, Alex wondered.

  As Ara went to fetch them some wine, Eileen turned to the French window. One side of the room opened onto the back porch that descended into the famous Sullivan gardens. The long doors that ran the entire length of the wall on that side of the room were open and a cool breeze blew in. Alex was wearing a peach colored silk gown and a string of pearls, a parting gift from Mother Bernardine.

  As she looked out she thought of Jim and the time she had spent with him earlier. After having undressed her, he had carried her to the plush water closet in his bedroom. A huge tub stood at one end of the room, and steam rose out of it. Jim walked into the closet and closed the door behind them with a push of his boot.

  He then lowered Alex into the bath and she sighed with relief and gratification. The weariness and exhaustion of the long journey slipped away as the hot water engulfed her. She had expected Jim to leave her and go away once he had deposited her in the tub. Instead, he kicked away his boots, pulled off his tie, folded the sleeves of his shirt, pulled a low stool next to the tub and settled down.

  He rubbed the fragrant salts and the fruity soap onto her shoulders and her back and massaged gently. All her sense of shame and propriety had given way to the sighs of relief of an over-fatigued body. He repeated the same magical message with her hair and scalp then handed her the soap.

  Abandoning his place on the low stool he then relocated to the foot of the tub. Sitting on its edge he gently pulled one small foot out of the water at a time and made circular rubbing motions on the arcs of her feet and around her toes and Alex cried out in pain and pleasure.