Satisfaction (The Temptation Series #2)

by K. M. Golland

  He slowly walked over to where I was standing, cupped my face, and kissed me. I really do love it when he does that. I gently flapped my hands in the air, as they were covered in egg mixture and cheese, and I didn’t want to get him dirty.

  “You, my love, are an angel. Have I ever told you that?”

  “Yes, right after I sucked your cock for the first time.” We both started laughing.

  “Where would you like to eat, Bryce?” He rose his sexy eyebrow. “I’m serious, you insatiable man.” He kissed me again and then pointed to the dining table. He went to the fridge to grab a bottle of wine while I placed the plates down on the table. When he returned, he noticed my plate of stars and smiled. He picked one up and admired it. I cued my student voice again. “So, Mr Astrology Teacher Clark, what is that star called?”

  “This, my dear, is the most precious star of them all, and is known as ‘the Alexis’.”

  I beamed at him. He put it down next to his plate and grabbed another one.

  “Are you not going to eat ‘the Alexis’?”

  “No, she is too precious to eat.”

  “She will go mouldy then.”

  “I won’t let her.” I shook my head as I began to eat. My cooking was nothing in comparison to what he usually conjured up, but I was confident he wouldn’t spit it out, or at least I hoped he wouldn’t. I screwed up my face as he popped in his first mouthful, and then raised my eyebrows in anticipation of his evaluation. “What, Hunny? It’s lovely, thank you.” I let out a huge sigh of relief.

  “So, did you get your work done?” I asked, with the intention of finding out why he had yelled at Gareth.

  “No, not really. I was interrupted.”

  “By Gareth?” He looked up confused by my knowledge of his interruption. “I’m sorry, but I heard you yelling at him. You really are quite lethal and loud when you are angry. Who is Scott?”

  He put his fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Alexis, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to tell you, but I now realise I will. Not only because I don’t want to keep it from you, but because it’s for your own good.”

  All of a sudden my stomach dropped, and I felt as nervous as hell.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The atmosphere had changed dramatically.

  “Gareth has DID with positive symptoms of Schizophrenia.” Oh, shit, not what I had expected at all. “Scott is one of his ‘alters’.”

  “Alters?”

  “DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder, was once known as Multiple Personality Disorder, so his ‘alters’ are also known as his ‘identities’.”

  “Oh my God, how long has he had DID?”

  Bryce put his head in his hands and looked down at the table. “Gareth was also in the car with Mum, Dad and Lauchie when it crashed. He suffered head injuries and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which they think led to his DID.” I was stunned. I reached over and grabbed Bryce’s hand. He looked up at me, misery plastered across his face. It broke my heart.

  “I’m so sorry, I had no idea.” This all makes a lot more sense now.

  “You didn’t know, Hunny, like I said, I’m telling you because Gareth’s ‘alter’ Scott, can be dangerous. You see...How can I put this? Scott is very protective of me, he loves me and in a sense he feels I belong to him.”

  “Oh, he loves you?” That is really scary.

  “Yes, his ‘alters’ are very different from him. On a mental level, they are completely separate from him. Scott is obviously gay, and has deep feelings for me, so he can be very possessive.”

  “Bryce, has he ever hurt you, or anyone for that matter?”

  “No, but Scott can get quite desperate. Look, when Gareth is taking his anti-depressants, his anti-psychotic medications and he goes to see Jessica weekly, he does quite well. I’ll need to speak to her, but I think maybe you might be triggering Scott’s latest reappearance.”

  “Me? Oh no.” I feel sick.

  “Alexis, this is not your fault. Gareth has been skipping his meds lately and that has a lot to do with it.” I sat there shocked. The revelation really was a lot to take in.

  “If Scott is obsessed and protective of you, then why is he in such close proximity to you? I don’t know anything about DID, but wouldn’t it be better if you spent less time together?” He started to eat again, so I followed.

  “It’s not that simple, Hunny. Gareth and I have always been close, and the day the accident occurred I was meant to pick him up from a friend’s house because he’d had a couple of drinks. I completely forgot about him. Mum and Dad were not too far from where Gareth was, so they picked him up for me. He should never have been in that car.” Bryce put his head in his hands again. I got up, walked over to him and knelt by his chair.

  “Bryce, this isn’t your fault, you can’t blame yourself.”

  “I don’t, I blame the arsehole that ran the red light.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “He was found guilty of Culpable Driving Causing Death and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.” I could see that this conviction angered him, it would anger anybody who lost three people they loved dearly. I shook my head.

  “What do you need me to do? Obviously you are worried about Scott, Gareth or both of them?”

  He looked down at me. “I just need you to be aware that Gareth is not always Gareth, and when Scott is around he can be quite aggressive where I am concerned. Scott is not stupid, he is actually quite smart and cunning. He can see my feelings for you are very different, and he is jealous.”

  “That explains the Tel V Awards.” I felt terrible, I’d stood on Gareth’s foot when it had been Scott who was hassling me, but they were one in the same person, or were they? Oh this is so complicated, I really need to do some research.

  “What happened at the Tel V Awards?”

  “Nothing, it was nothing.” Crap.

  “Alexis, what happened?” Oh shit, I’m just making it worse. I walked back to my seat and sat down.

  “Gareth, or Scott—I don’t know which one—I’m assuming Scott, approached me outside the toilet. He grabbed hold of me, so I stood on his foot with my heel in self-defence and got free.” Bryce was fuming and stabbed an innocent piece of pancetta. “Bryce, I can handle Scott, but Gareth, it’s not really his fault is it?” I had finished eating, my appetite was now gone.

  “In a sense, no, but he needs to take his meds. That is his fault, he knows better. Gareth cannot control Scott, and most of the time he has no recollection after Scott has appeared. You see, Gareth is what they call ‘the primary identity’ and is passive by nature. Scott is an aggressive ‘identity’ and is somewhat domineering over Gareth and the others.”

  “The others?”

  “His other ‘alters’, although, I have not seen one in a very long time. The meds together with the psychotherapy have been really good for Gareth. In recent years we have only seen Gareth, apart from anniversaries and birthdays, etc, when his memories of the trauma come back. Deirdre seems to make an appearance on these dates, she is a caring ‘alter’, sort of like a mother hen. Deidre helps keep the peace most of the time.”

  I sat there amazed listening to the complexity of Gareth’s condition. “So, there is no cure?”

  “No. From what Jessica has explained the best thing is keeping him on the meds and making sure he visits with her frequently for psychotherapy. The therapy concentrates on helping the ‘alters’ live in harmony together. This enables the primary to have a sense of control which can help Gareth lead a normal life, not a punished life. This assists him in the long run.” He got up and cleared the table.

  “Wow, that’s a lot to try and keep in control of.” I thought about his situation a bit further while helping him stack the dishes next to the sink. “You said helping him lead a normal life. Is that why he is still Vice President of Clark Incorporated?”

  He took my hands. “Come with me, Hunny, I need a stiff a drink and a more comfortable seat, then I‘ll tell you everything
you want to know.”

  ***

  We left the kitchen and went to the lounge. Bryce fixed us both a drink from the bar then sat down. He took hold of my legs and placed them over his lap.

  “You asked if helping him lead a normal life is why he is still VP? Well, yes, in a sense. He is closely monitored by the board, little does he know all of his executive decisions are almost always run by me or Arthur.”

  “Arthur?”

  “You’ve met him, Arthur Gordon.” Oh yes, Santa from the Tel V Awards. “Like I said, when Gareth takes his medications and attends his sessions with Jessica, he does quite well and believe it or not, he does a decent job as Vice President.” I caught a slight sense of uncertainty in his tone.

  “Isn’t that a huge gamble, though?”

  “Yes and no. It would be if he was not monitored properly.”

  “It seems like a lot of work on your part. Bryce, tell me to shut up if I’m over stepping the line, but are you taking on this burden of having him as VP because you feel slightly guilty about the accident?” Oh I hope I didn’t offend him. Alexis, keep your mouth shut.

  “Maybe a little, Hunny, but it has more to do with the fact he saved Lauchie’s life. Even if it was only for a few days, those few days meant everything to Lucy and me.”

  “How did he save Lauchie’s life?”

  He took a deep breath in. “Mum and Dad died instantly, but Lauchie was still breathing and somewhat conscious. Gareth pulled him free of the wreckage only seconds before it blew up.” Oh, fuck. I put my hands to my mouth in surprise, then moved them to onto his arm to comfort him.

  “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry.” Sadness engulfed me entirely. Just the thought of losing your parents like that was horrific. What a terrible thing to have to endure at such a young age.

  “Don’t be sorry, my love, it is what it is and it can’t be undone. I’ve learned to accept that over the years with Jessica’s help.” He reassuringly touched my hands. “As I was saying, Lauchie fell into a coma in hospital and was pronounced brain-dead shortly after. Gareth was devastated, he adored Lauchie. Gareth is an only child so Lauchie was just as much a little brother to him as he was to Lucy and me.” My heart was breaking. This was such a horrible story.

  “Should I speak to Gareth or Scott and tell him I’m not a threat to him?”

  “No, Alexis, definitely not. You are a threat to Scott. Scott wants me all to himself and he thinks with you around that cannot happen.”

  “So, what do we do?”

  “I’m not sure. As I said, I need to speak to Jessica about it. Gareth knows he needs to take his meds, and I’ve asked him to take them in front of me daily from now on, which he has agreed to do.”

  “That’s a good thing, you know, the fact he is co-operating. Maybe you need to ease up on him?”

  “I know, it’s just I don’t want to have to commit him, it’s the last thing I want but I will not put you or, Lucy, or Alexander at risk because of Scott. He should not be underestimated.” Bryce had me worried about Scott, there was something in his demeanour and tone that made me think that Scott was a major problem, and that Bryce knew a little more about Scott’s capabilities than he lead on. Oh, fuck, Samantha!

  “Does Samantha know about Gareth?”

  He took a long drink from his glass. “Not unless Gareth has told her.”

  “But, she could get hurt, she has a right to know.” I was genuinely concerned for her safety.

  “Maybe she does, but that’s none of my business. I can’t involve myself in all of his personal affairs. How is that helping him lead a ‘normal life’?”

  “Well, it’s not, but she has a right to know. Anyway, you would have a responsibility as her employer to warn her, wouldn’t you?” I was starting to get anxious. How could he not tell her, warn her? He placed his middle finger and thumb on either side of the bridge of his nose as if he was feeling the onset of a headache.

  “Alexis, what do you want me to do?” Suddenly I realised that Gareth’s illness and the problem it imposed was a massive stress and strain on Bryce, and my anxiety about Samantha was only adding to it. I climbed onto his lap and placed my hands on each side of his face.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to add to the stress you already have. I want you to tell me what I can do to help you; you shouldn’t have the burden of Gareth solely on your shoulders alone. What can I do?” He placed his hands on my backside. Mmmm, they feel good there.

  “Just stay away from him as much as possible. I don’t need to worry about you as well. Listen, I’ll keep my eye on Samantha, and if I feel something is wrong, I will get involved.”

  I ran my fingers through his hair. “Thank you, my love, and thank you for telling me all of this. It could not have been easy for you.”

  “Sharing things with you, Hunny, is the easiest thing I have ever done in my life.” Funny thing that. Me too. Bryce stood up and extended his hand. “Now enough of all this Gareth stuff. I vaguely recall you throwing me a challenge earlier today.” I looked at him sceptically. Oh yes, my beating him on four wheels.

  “Yes, Mr. Clark, I did.”

  “Well, how about we have a practice run? A little warm-up?” He clenched his fingers, burying them into my arse as he got up. I was becoming accustomed to not using my legs much anymore, so I did not always put up a fight when he carried me. This was one of those times.

  ***

  He walked me into his man cave.

  “What are you doing, there are no wheels in here.”

  “Practice my love, I said practice.” He put me down on the sofa in front of the TV and booted up the Wii, handing me a controller clipped into a white plastic steering wheel. “Mario Kart,” he explained with a smile, “you won’t find a better way to practice.” He jumped onto the sofa next to me, displaying a similar boyish grin to Nate’s when he sits in front of a gaming console.

  “Fine, but I’m Mario.” I shot him a ‘don’t argue with me look’, which he didn’t. He chose to be Luigi, and before I knew it, we were lined up on track with lots of other characters in Go-Kart looking racers. There was a blonde princess in a pink dress—a turtle, I think it was a turtle or a dinosaur maybe?—and a really nasty looking turtle, too. Little did he know that Nate actually had this game at home, and I had played it before. I was guessing not as often as Bryce had though.

  I remembered Nate showing me a trick once, after I had gotten shitty at him. Nate always managed to speed off at the start of every race leaving me, lagging behind. I didn’t know how he did it every time, so I refused to give him canteen money until he spilled the beans as to how he did it. As the countdown came up on the screen, I got ready, holding down the accelerator button as the number 2 faded. This was the trick Nate taught me, giving me an acceleration boost when the game began. Bryce, was aware of this trick too, because Luigi flew alongside Mario leaving the rest of the pack behind them. He glanced over at me and smirked with the knowledge that I was not a Mario Kart virgin.

  We raced past these cute looking cows. I had seen Nate race this track before, so I knew the cows would step onto the track at some point. Oh, a colourful cube, those things are good! I could see the spinning rainbow box ahead and drove straight into it. These thingies gave you special items. I remembered banana skins were handy, and that’s exactly what I got. Luigi shot out ahead; he must’ve got a power boost thing. Damn It. Lucky for me, one of the other karts launched a green turtle shell at him, spinning him off the track.

  “Ha ha,” I laughed. I could see the finish line ahead and still had my banana skin, so I dropped it and claimed my victory. “Winner! I told you.” I was laughing but also secretly relieved and proud of myself. Empty threats are just that Alexis; empty, and they make you look like a fool. I was no fool now, though. Bryce was smirking, but it appeared to be an annoyed smirk.

  “Beginners luck, my love. Best out of 3?”

  “You’re on.” I wiggled and sat cross-legged on the couch. He clicked his neck to both sid
es, and as per usual, eye fucked me at the same time. Fuck he’s sexy when he does that. Alexis, stop it. It’s a ploy. He’s trying to distract you with his sexiness. The countdown started once more and again we both hurtled past the other karts using our boost trick. He obviously knew something I didn’t, because he always went off the track at a particular spot which made him go faster. I didn’t get it, but it was annoying because it took me a long time to catch back up, and when I tried it on the following lap it didn’t work. We both crashed into the coloured boxes again and he started glowing and speeding away from me. I launched my red turtle shell at him, but it just bounced off. He crossed the finish line first. Ah, crap.

  “Ah, Ms. Summers, it seems we are now even.”

  “You cheated, Mr Clark!”

  “How? I did not.” He seemed offended, but I could see past his charade.

  “That’s okay. If dirty is how you want to play, then dirty it is.” I turned my head to him and slowly ran my tongue across the top of my teeth, then leaned over and hit start on his remote. The countdown started for the final time, and our carts took off again. As he went over the grassy bit, I watched what buttons he pressed. You sneaky bugger, you release your mushrooms as you do it, right. On the second lap, I had collected mushrooms too, so I followed him across the grass, releasing them in the same way he did. He laughed and shook his head as I kept up with him. An indication of the final lap flashed across the screen, and he drove off quickly flashing again. How does he do that? I had a strange looking mushroom bonus so thought, what the heck. Suddenly, Mario doubled in size and ploughed through everyone that was in his way. Unfortunately, it didn’t work on Luigi, but it allowed me to catch up, making us dead even. Now Alexis, use your secret weapon. I moved slowly across the carpet, continuing to drive, and got on all fours on the rug in front of us. I hitched my dress up over my bare arse, giving him a perfectly good view. Ripping my underwear is now going to come back and bite you, Mr. Clark, because now I have the ultimate weapon at my disposal and it is being waved in front of your face. I heard him groan and noticed his cart veer off the track a little. Ha! It’s working! I continued to move forward until I was lying on my stomach with my dress still hitched high above my waist, and my legs bent with my feet up in the air. We only had half a lap left, so it was now or never. I drove my cart right up next to his and bumped it ever so slightly, at the exact same moment I opened my legs revealing my ultimate weapon. His cart hit a cow, so I was able to drive across the finish line and claim the final victory.