Keeping Her

by Allie Everhart

  I reach around and unzip her skirt, another purchase I made. Before we left for Vegas, I bought Rachel a suitcase and filled it with new clothes. All designer. All very expensive. And worth every penny. She looks gorgeous in them. Then again, she looks gorgeous in anything.

  "Pearce," she breathes out, her eyes closed, her head tipped back as I kiss the delicate skin over her throat. I tug on her skirt until it falls to the floor. I'm left with her standing there in the lingerie I bought her; a champagne-colored silk and lace bra with matching panties.

  Looking at her like this has me so aroused that it's straining the fabric of my pants. Rachel reaches down and unzips them, relieving some of the pressure, but then she touches me and I ache to be inside her.

  I scoop her up into my arms and take her to the bedroom, setting her down on the bed. I shove my pants and boxers down and rip my shirt over my head. I told her I wasn't going to hurry, but now I can't slow down. And she can't either. She already has her bra off, so I quickly slip off her panties and put myself inside her. And then I slow down, kissing her cheek and then her lips.

  "I love you," I whisper.

  "I love you too," she says.

  I open my eyes and see her looking at me. Her face always conveys so much emotion. She never tries to hide it. And right now, it conveys an overwhelming love. For me. I don't understand why she loves me, and maybe I never will, but I know she does. I can feel it.

  Our eyes remain on each other as I move in and out in a slow, steady rhythm. I'd never looked at a woman while having sex until I did so with Rachel. She asked me to open my eyes, so I did. At first, it was too intimate for me and I had to close them. But the next time we did it, as uncomfortable as it was, I kept them open. I felt exposed, because I know my eyes express what I'm feeling. I can mask the emotion on my face, but my eyes can't hide it. And Rachel always knows what my eyes are saying. So I let her see them, and we reached a level of closeness I've never had with anyone else. She saw me at my most vulnerable. It was the most intimate experience I've ever shared with someone. And now, I crave that intimacy with her. I crave the closeness and the emotions shared between us when we're together like this. Sex is no longer just physical for me. It's so much more. More than I ever thought sex could be.

  Rachel's hands go down my back, holding onto me as I thrust harder and quicken my pace. She's signaling me to keep going, so I do, and she matches my movements and we continue until we both go over the edge, her first and then me.

  I lie on my back and she hugs my chest, her head on my shoulder, a blissful smile on her face. I kiss her forehead and take a moment to gaze at her.

  She's so incredibly beautiful. Her body is perfect. All those years of competitive swimming have given her lean shapely muscles, but she still has womanly curves and soft, full breasts. As I look at her, I can't believe she's my wife. How is it possible I convinced the most beautiful woman on earth to marry me? And to marry me for me? And not my money?

  Truthfully, she didn't marry the real me. She only married the man she knows. I've hidden my dark side and only allowed her to see the good. If she knew all of me, she wouldn't be here right now. Even though she's someone who always sees the good in people, if she really knew me, I don't think she could look past what I've done. Or what I'll have to do in the future.

  The thought of that makes my muscles tense and Rachel notices.

  She lifts her head up slightly. "Pearce, is everything okay?"

  "It's more than okay." I kiss her forehead. "It'd been far too long since we'd done that."

  She laughs. "We did it this morning before we left."

  "That was hours ago." I check the clock. "I suppose we should get going."

  She moves off me and sits up. "I'll start packing my clothes. I'm just going to leave all my other stuff here for now since I'll be here between classes."

  "Rachel. I told you, I don't want you coming back here."

  "It's just during the day. I'll be at your place at night."

  I sit up, leaning against the wall. "It's OUR place now. This isn't your place anymore. You don't need to come back here. Go to a coffee shop between classes. Or go to the library."

  She turns to me. "Why are you being like this? I lived here just last week and you were fine with it."

  "I was never fine with it. And I told you that, several times. But now you're my wife and I can't have you staying at a place like this. Not even during the day."

  "Why?"

  I didn't want to get into this now, but I guess I can't put it off any longer.

  "What is it, Pearce?"

  "Now that our relationship is public, things will need to change. Even though people think we're only engaged, and not married, it still changes things."

  "Like what?"

  "Where you live. How you dress. What car you drive."

  "What are you saying? I can't drive my car? You just had it repaired. It's completely safe to drive. It's like brand new."

  "It's not brand new. It's twelve years old. And although it's safe, it's not the type of car Pearce Kensington's fiancé should be driving. You need to be seen in something new. Something expensive."

  "That's ridiculous. Who's going to notice or care what car I'm driving?"

  "The people I associate with, for one. But also people in the media. Reporters. Magazine editors. Now that the media has been told about us, they'll want to find out as much as they can about you. And if they see you staying in a place like this and driving an old car, they'll start making up stories to explain why someone with my kind of money would let his fiancé live in such a dangerous neighborhood or drive an old car."

  "It's none of their business where I live or what car I drive."

  "I agree, but unfortunately my private life isn't always private. And with this announcement of our engagement, we've just made our relationship very public." I see the worry in her face. She's all new to this and it's going to be a huge change for her. "Rachel, as I've told you before, this isn't going to be easy. Being in my life means people will always be talking about you. Making assumptions. Making up lies about you, and about us. Judging your clothes. Your hair. The way you speak. The words you use. And they'll twist those words to have whatever meaning they want them to have. Up until now, I've lived a fairly private life. Aside from the publicity surrounding my previous marriage, I've tried to be very discreet in my personal life so people will leave me alone. But now that we've put ourselves out there for the world to see, things are going to change."

  "I think you're exaggerating. Nobody cares that much about us. It's not like we're celebrities."

  "Let's get dressed. I need to show you something."

  Rachel hasn't watched TV since before we left for Vegas. I turned the TV on at the hotel when she was in the bathroom, but I didn't let her see it. She hasn't seen the papers either, but I bought one at the airport. Actually, I bought several so I could see how they spun the story.

  I didn't show them to Rachel because I wanted her to remain calm and relaxed until we got home. But now we're back. And it's time for Rachel to see what she's in for.

  CHAPTER TWO

  2

  RACHEL

  Pearce went out to the car and returned with a stack of folded-up newspapers. He hands them to me.

  "Why are you giving me these?" I ask.

  "Look at the front page." He points to it.

  It's a Los Angeles newspaper, and on the front page of the lifestyle section is a photo of Pearce with the headline, 'Billionaire Pearce Kensington Off the Market.' There's a short story underneath it, saying how Pearce and I are engaged.

  I skim the article again. "Why would people in LA care about this?"

  "My last wedding received a lot of media attention. People are interested in the lives of billionaires, especially younger ones, so I knew when I sent out that announcement that it would make the papers."

  He shows me the next newspaper, this time a financial one. There's a photo of Pearce along with news of his
engagement. Again, it's just a few lines, but it's still there in a national newspaper.

  There's another newspaper under it, also a financial one. It's folded back to the third page and reads, 'Holton Kensington's Son Engaged Again.'

  I set the papers down on the table. "When you told me you were sending out an announcement, I never thought it would get national attention. It's just news of our engagement. It's not actual news."

  Pearce takes my hand. "Rachel, I told you that announcement would get the media's attention. I'm from a well-known family. People know my name. They know who I am. Something like this will make the news. Even if I hadn't sent out that announcement, eventually the news would've got back to the press. But I'd rather have it come from us than someone else, which is why I alerted the media."

  "I guess I just didn't believe you. I thought maybe the papers on the East Coast would mention it but not a newspaper in LA."

  "It was also on TV."

  "It was on the news?" I start to panic, my heart racing.

  "Yes, but the financial news, not the regular news. It was announced on one of the financial news channels. My father and our company are regularly talked about on those channels, so it's not surprising they would mention this."

  "Do you think it was on any other channels?"

  "I don't know. The announcement was sent to all the major news outlets so it's possible it was mentioned elsewhere."

  "What if my parents saw it? I wanted to tell them myself." I race over to my answering machine and see five new messages. On Friday, I called my mom and told her that Pearce and I were spending the weekend together and that I couldn't call her until today. But seeing all those messages, I'm certain she heard the news. She's probably crying in every message, saying how she can't believe I told the media before I told my own mother.

  "Pearce, we shouldn't have done this." I see the sadness in his eyes and quickly correct myself. "Not the wedding. I meant we shouldn't have sent out that announcement."

  Pearce comes over to me. "We had to. If we hadn't, my parents would've done everything in their power to stop us from getting married."

  "We're already married. That's why we eloped. So your parents wouldn't interfere. But we could've waited to send out the announcement."

  "We couldn't wait. If we had, my parents would still try to interfere. They'd try to force me to get an annulment."

  "They can't force you to do that. You're an adult."

  "You don't understand my family. My father is obsessed with appearances. Making sure our family always presents itself the way he sees fit. That includes being seen with the right people, and marrying the right person. And as far as my parents are concerned, that person is not you. I don't like admitting that to you, but it's the truth."

  "Pearce, you can't let this continue. You need to stop letting your father have all the control."

  He nods. "I did. When I sent out that announcement, I took away his control. Now that our engagement is public, he'll have to accept our marriage."

  "Why would that make a difference?"

  "Because he doesn't want me being seen as irresponsible. I'm next in line to take over the company. I need to appear to be stable and mature. Someone who can be trusted. If people think I'm not, then we risk losing our clients, and my father would never allow that to happen. Right now, we're trying to grow the company, and as much as he tries to deny it, my father knows I'm key to the company's future growth and success. I'm his only son and everyone in the business world knows I'll be taking over the company, which is why they're closely watching me and have a vested interest in my personal life."

  "And breaking off an engagement makes people think you're irresponsible," I confirm.

  "Yes. Especially since I was married for such a short time before. Back then, people blamed me for the divorce, saying I wasn't mature enough to be married. So if I break off my engagement, it'll appear that I'm still immature. That I'm unable to make a decision and stick with it. This wouldn't have been an issue if we'd only told a few people about our engagement, but making it public changes everything. I can't back out of this now. It would reflect poorly on me, which would in turn reflect poorly on my family and the company, and that's the last thing my father wants."

  "Isn't marrying someone like me going to reflect poorly on you?" I ask, annoyed that his family follows these ridiculous, antiquated societal rules.

  He holds my shoulders, his eyes on mine. "To my father, and people like him, yes. But their opinions don't matter to me. They can say what they like, and I know that they will, but we don't have to listen to them, and we're not going to." He sighs. "Rachel, I know I've told you this before, but I need to say it again. The next few months are going to be very difficult for us. Once I bring you into the side of my world that I've kept you out of until now, you'll see what I mean. People will treat you poorly. They'll say horrible things. They'll make up lies. They'll gossip about you, and us. Or they'll pretend to be nice, only so that you'll tell them information that they can later use against you."

  "Everyone can't be that bad, Pearce. There must be some decent people you know."

  "There are very few. But even those few, I wouldn't trust."

  He waits for me to respond but I don't know what to say. He told me some of this last Friday, but I was on such a high from the proposal that I wasn't really taking it all in. But now, the reality of that part of his life is finally hitting me and making me uneasy and a little scared of what's to come.

  Pearce must sense my worry because he brings me into his arms. "I'm sorry things have to be this way. I wish I could somehow make this easier on you. I promise you I'll try, but there's only so much I can do."

  "It's fine. Let them say what they want about me. Like you said, I don't have to listen to them." I pull back to see his face. "Pearce, I know your life is complicated and I know it's going to be an adjustment for me. For both of us. But we'll get through it."

  He smiles. "I don't know how you stay so positive."

  I smile back. "Being in love helps." I give him a quick kiss. "Now are you going to let me pack? It's getting late."

  "Yes. Go ahead." He lets me go and I return to the bedroom. I hear him in the kitchen. "I'm going to order us some dinner. What would you like?"

  "Anything's fine. I don't care."

  As I'm taking some clothes from my closet, the phone rings. I freeze, then drop the clothes on the floor and run to the kitchen where the phone is. Pearce is standing in front of the fridge.

  "I bet it's my mom," I say to him. "Should I answer it?"

  "Yes." He closes the fridge and kisses my cheek. "You need to talk to her. I'll go get us some dinner so you can have privacy."

  I nod nervously. "Okay, bye."

  I answer the phone as he goes out the door. "Hello?"

  "Rachel, it's Dad."

  My body relaxes just slightly. I can handle my dad better than my mom. "Hi, Dad. Is Mom there too?"

  "No. She had to run to the store. She'll be back in a few minutes."

  That's strange. My dad never calls without my mom around.

  "Is something wrong?" I ask.

  "I'm not sure. That's why I'm calling. Your mother and I heard some news today about you and Pearce." He pauses. "Your mother was watching one of those financial news shows and they said you and Pearce were engaged. Is that true?"

  I hesitate. "Yes."

  "I see. That's very, um, sudden."

  "I know. And I'm really sorry I didn't call and tell you guys about the engagement. Pearce and I were out of town last weekend. I told Mom I'd call when I got back but we just got back like an hour ago." I pause and squeeze my eyes shut. "Is she mad? Or…are you mad?"

  "No, honey. We're not mad."

  I open my eyes. "Really?"

  "You're an adult now and you have to do what you think is right. And if this man makes you happy, then we're happy for you."

  I breathe out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Dad. And again, I'm really sorry you had to find
out that way."

  "So why was it on the news?"

  "It's complicated." I can't tell him all the reasons Pearce gave me for why we had to announce our engagement. Doing so would only worry my dad, especially the part about Pearce's parents disapproving of me. But I can at least tell my dad part of the truth. "When you're rich and somewhat well-known, like Pearce is, it's a common practice to announce your engagement to the world. I don't really get it, but Pearce said it's done all the time with people like him."

  "This is going to be a big change for you, being married to him."

  "I know, but I'm ready for it. We've talked about it."

  "Rachel, before your mother gets home, I need to tell you that she was upset when she heard the news, but only because you didn't call and tell her yourself."

  "I know." I feel tears forming. I feel terrible hurting my mom. "I should've called her."

  "She's fine now, but I did want to ask you to include her in the wedding plans. I know you like being independent and doing things on your own, but being her only daughter, it would mean a lot to your mother if you'd let her be part of it, even if it's just helping you pick out your dress."

  Now I really feel bad. I was just about to tell my dad that Pearce and I were already married and that the wedding is just for show, but now I can't. My mom would be crushed if she found out she wasn't there for her only daughter's wedding. I need to keep it a secret and let her think the wedding isn't until this spring.

  "Yes. I'll definitely ask Mom for help. I'm going to need it. I've never planned a wedding."

  "Your mother hasn't either." He chuckles. "We got married in her parents' back yard and had the reception in the barn. She didn't plan anything. She didn't have time to."

  I laugh. "Is that why you married her ten days after you proposed? Because you didn't want her planning a big fancy wedding?"

  "Actually, I offered her a big fancy wedding." He pauses, like he's remembering it. "But she didn't want it. She didn't care about the wedding. She just wanted to be married to me. She didn't want to wait. I didn't either. I loved her too much to wait. I loved her from the first moment I saw her."