His Paradise Wife

by Tina Martin

  Emily felt it too, while panting and moaning, fully intoxicated by him.

  “I don’t want this to end,” he told her. Kissing her, parting her lips with his tongue again, he devoured more of her, feeling her legs wrap around him, sending him deeper into her abyss. Instantly, he began thrusting again. They were more firm, more defined than before, rocking the bed so much that the headboard was banging against the wall as he gave her all he had. All she could stand.

  For the third time, Emily belted his name, her body seemingly coming apart underneath him and he exploded too, more reckless than before, trying his hardest to regain control over his own body.

  Completely drained and satisfied, he slowly withdrew from her body and laid next to her, holding her in his arms.

  They quietly took a few breaths, recovering from rigorous lovemaking before Dante asked, “Are you okay, Emily?”

  Still trying to get her breathing back to normal, she said, “Yes, I’m okay.”

  “Good. I know we’re missing group therapy, but I’d much rather stay here with you...holding you.”

  “I’d rather stay here, too.”

  She smiled, completely spent. Dante had given her body the workout of a lifetime.

  He kissed the back of her neck, feeling her body jerk. No woman had ever made him feel this way, so turned on that he had to have more of her, so much so that his body ached for her. Even with her lying in his arms now, he could only think about the next time he would make love to her. Emily was his obsession, and he’d become thoroughly addicted.

  Chapter 26

  Emily crawled out of bed, feeling sore and tired after making love. Dante wasn’t in the room, she noticed, and that didn’t sit well with her. Where had he gone?

  Melvin had never done that to her. They would make love and when she was awake, he’d be right there, asking her if she needed anything. She wanted to believe that Dante could care about her as much as Melvin had, but could he really? The truth, her truth, was that there would never be another man like Melvin. Dante had rocked her world, true enough, but look at all the things he did to ensure that they’d wind up in bed together.

  And now regret was starting to creep into her mind. Why had she let Dante break down the barriers she’d built around her heart only for a few hours of temporary pleasure? He couldn’t even tell her that he loved her afterwards, which probably meant that he didn’t.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone. It was Sherita calling again. Since she didn’t get the chance to call her back yesterday, she made sure to get the call.

  “Hello?” she answered, disguising her melancholy mood.

  “Hey, girl. I was trying to call you yesterday.”

  “Is everything okay at the store?”

  “No...got a notice from your landlord that the rent is going up eight hundred dollars effective next month.”

  Emily frowned. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah...it says eight-hundred.”

  Emily sighed. The rent had already increased at the beginning of the year, putting her monthly lease payments to twenty-two hundred dollars. Now she would have to pay three-thousand.

  “Okay, thanks for letting me know, Sherita. I’m going to call the landlord shortly. How’s everything else?”

  “Fine...it was pretty busy in here today.”

  “Okay, well if something else comes up, don’t hesitate to call.”

  “Alrighty. Bye.”

  Emily hung up the phone. She couldn’t bring herself to tell Sherita that she couldn’t afford the new rent, but maybe if she spoke to Luke Taylor, the owner of the building that housed her store, he would consider not raising her rent. Maybe if she told him how her sales had been slacking, he’d give her some time to come up with a marketing plan to boost sales to her store. Then she’d be able to afford the rent.

  That’s just what she did after a long, warm shower. She called Mr. Taylor’s office and asked to speak with him.

  “I understand your concern,” he said, “But I have to raise rates due to property tax hikes.”

  “But you just raised the rent at my store back in January.”

  “Yes, I’m aware of that. I also just received a property tax notification from the city.”

  “Mr. Taylor, I understand having a set amount of rent and making adjustments based upon taxes, but eight-hundred dollars is extreme and I simply cannot afford it right now. If you will give me time to get my sales up, I’m sure I’ll be able to come up with the money.”

  Mr. Taylor blew an agitated breath. “While I’ve enjoyed having your store in my building, I have a backlist of businesses who would love to lease your space for a lot more rent than I’m charging you.”

  “So that’s what this is really about. You want to give my space away to someone else and in order to make that happen, you drive up the lease to run me out. Well, you know what? I’ll have all of my stuff out by the end of the month.” Emily hung up the phone afterwards and held her head in her hands. Giving up her store would be difficult to do, but it had to be done. She had spent close to a year trying to find that location based on its convenient access and reasonable lease price of fifteen-hundred dollars, but now that the landlord was getting greedy, she had to abandon ship.

  Maybe it was time to give it up. It had been more of a burden to maintain anyway. Still it kept her busy, kept her mind from being consumed with thoughts of Melvin.

  She sighed and looked around the bedroom, thinking about the passionate love her and Dante had made – how he made her feel things that she’d never felt before and now, how he was gone. He wasn’t even there to listen to her problems, to be of support to her. Feeling like her head was about to explode from forcing herself to hold in tears, she slid off the ring that he’d given her and placed it back on the nightstand.

  For the second time this morning, her phone rang. She looked at the display and saw a number she rarely ever saw but knew by heart – her father’s. He’d always been distant, a man of very few words, so whenever he called, she was sure to answer.

  “Hey, Dad. How are—”

  Before she could say another word, he blurted out, “The ambulance is here. They’re taking your mother to the hospital.”

  “Why? What happened?” Emily asked nervously, feeling her heart rate quicken.

  “Not sure. The paramedics are checking her out now.”

  “Is she breathing? What happened that lead up to this?”

  “She was sitting out on the patio reading one of her magazines and eating lunch. I go out there to take her some water and the next thing I know, she has a hand over her chest and was slumped over.”

  After a brief pause, he continued, “They’re taking her on the stretcher now, so I’m going to follow them to the hospital.”

  “Dad, call me as soon as you get there and let me know if she ends up staying overnight. If so, I’m going to need her room number.”

  “Okay, sweetie.”

  “I’m taking the next flight out of here.”

  “Okay.”

  “And tell mom that I love her,” she told him, withholding tears. When they hung up the phone, one lonely tear escaped her eye, but now wasn’t the time to cry, to think about things she could’ve done better as a daughter instead of ignoring her parents. Now, she had to get to Jacksonville as fast as she could. She needed to be there for them.

  Chapter 27

  Dante, holding a restaurant take-out bag opened the door to the suite, ready to lay his eyes on her, his sleeping beauty. He’d gone to get lunch for the two of them since it hadn’t seemed that neither one of them wanted to leave the suite today to participate in any activities. They found their own way to keep busy.

  While getting their lunch, he ran into Steven Harris, the man he hired years ago to oversee the daily operations at the GHC resort. They chatted for a few about the testimonials the place had been getting, as well as the interest from the general public who weren’t necessarily coping with loss, but wanted to stay at GH
C because it was an exceptional, luxury resort. Dante had been against the idea, because he had a vision for the place and that wasn’t it. However, he told Steven that once he was back at the office, he would set up a meeting so that they could discuss it further.

  Dante opened the door to the bedroom where he’d left Emily sleeping and was surprised to find that she wasn’t there, lying in the center of the bed where he’d left her. He checked the bathroom and she wasn’t there either. Where had she gone so quickly?

  He took his cell from his shirt pocket and dialed her number, then waited, anxiously listening to the rings and wondering when she would pick up. After five rings, though, it went to voicemail. He hung up and called right back, hoping that she’d answer, but again – voicemail.

  He sighed and sat on the bed perplexed. That’s when he noticed that her suitcase was gone.

  He dialed her cell phone a third time, and when the voicemail picked up, he left a message:

  Hey, Emily. It’s Dante. Where are you? Please call me when you get this.

  He slid his phone back into his pocket and just sat there on the bed without knowing what to do next. He didn’t want to eat. As a matter of fact, he’d lost his appetite that quickly. Why would Emily wake up and just leave after the morning they’d shared? After they’d made love? He was careful not to hurt her, so why? Did she regret what happened between them? Even after her breakthrough in therapy and after making love to him this morning, it hadn’t been enough to sway her emotions and feelings for Melvin.

  Dante stood up from the bed and in a bout of anger and frustration, he grabbed the bag of food and slung it across the room, its contents spilling out onto the floor. Just when he thought he’d had her where he wanted her, she up and do this. To make matters worse, he looked over at the nightstand and saw the ring.

  Chapter 28

  After a layover in Atlanta, she finally arrived to Jacksonville where she’d took a taxi to the hospital. If something happened to her mother and she hadn’t had the chance to apologize, she would never forgive herself for being intentionally distant.

  At the hospital, she raced to her mother’s second floor room, pushing the door open, seeing her lying on the bed. Her eyes were closed.

  Her father had been sitting next to the bed and rose up from his seat when Emily burst into the room.

  “Dear, please don’t wake her,” he said. “She just came out of surgery a few hours ago and the doctors just want her to rest.”

  “Oh my gosh, Dad,” Emily said, rushing around the bed and finding herself in her father’s embrace.

  “It’s okay, honey.”

  “No, it’s not,” she cried. “I’m an awful daughter. I should’ve been here.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for this, Emily.”

  “Yes I can, because I should know about mom’s health problems. I just became so consumed by Melvin’s death that I forgot about the people who are still alive – people who love and need me.”

  “Well, you’re here now aren’t you honey? And guess what?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Today is a good day to begin again.”

  Emily smiled through her sadness. Her father had always told her that as a child. Begin again. How true that was. She couldn’t go back and change the years she’d wasted avoiding her parents. All she could do was start over.

  “What did the doctor say about her recovery?” Emily asked, staring at her sleeping mother.

  Her father walked up next to her and said, “He said she’ll make a full recovery, but it’s going to take quite a while before she’s back to one-hundred percent.”

  Emily pondered how she might be able to help her parents, especially since they were in Florida and she was in North Carolina. Then again, she was closing the store. What else would she be sticking around for if she stayed in Asheville?

  Chapter 29

  The next day, Dante walked around the resort dumbfounded, trying to figure out what had happened between himself and Emily. He tried to call her several more times this morning, but still, she hadn’t answered. Then he got an idea – call Emily’s boutique. She had mentioned to him that her friend Sherita was running the store in her absence. Maybe she knew where Emily had run off to.

  He Googled the store number on his phone, then dialed it.

  “Emily’s Boutique, may I help you?”

  “Hi. Is this Sherita?”

  “This is she? Who’s speaking?”

  “This is Dante Champion. I’m a friend of—”

  “Oh, hi, Dante.”

  He frowned. “You know me?”

  “Yeah. Emily told me about you.”

  That made him feel good, but didn’t do anything to give him any sort of indication where Emily was. He told her, “Emily left the resort yesterday afternoon and I haven’t been able to reach her. Would you by any chance know where she might be?”

  Sherita thought for a moment and said, “No. I don’t. I did speak to her yesterday about the store.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah.”

  “About what time?”

  “Um...must’ve been around one.”

  “Did she seem upset at all?”

  “No. Well, I take that back...she was a little upset about the rent increase.”

  “Rent increase?”

  “Yeah. I got the notice from the landlord about a rent increase and I told her about it.”

  “Oh...”

  “You said she left yesterday afternoon?” Sherita inquired.

  “Yes, and I have not been able to get in contact with her and have no idea where she might be.”

  “Hmm...” Sherita said, brainstorming a moment. If Emily left, it must’ve been for a good reason. Then she thought of a perfect solution. “I’ll call her and tell her that you’re looking for her because I honestly don’t know where she is either.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “I can call you back at this number?” she asked.

  “Yes. This is my cell.”

  “All right. I’m going to get off the phone and call her now. If I get her on the phone, I’ll call you back and let you know. If she doesn’t answer, then I won’t bother calling you back.”

  “Okay. Thanks again.”

  “You’re welcome.

  While Dante appreciated Sherita’s efforts, he wanted to be the one in control of the situation, not sitting on the sidelines waiting for a phone call. So he did the next best thing he knew to do – he called the hotel where her friend Melanie worked. Since he used the site for several business functions, he’d already had the number programmed into his phone.

  “Guest services. Melanie Summers speaking.”

  “Hi Melanie. This is Dante Champion.”

  “Hi, Mr. Champion. Looking to book another meeting here?”

  “Not at the moment. The reason for my call is a personal one.”

  “Personal how?”

  “I’m looking for Emily. She’s a friend of yours if I’m not mistaken.”

  “Yes she is, and what do you mean you’re looking for her?”

  “I don’t know if she told you about the mass wedding at the resort this weekend—”

  “Yes, she told me all about it.”

  “Well, yesterday afternoon, she left and I have no idea where she is. Would you by any chance know where she is?”

  Melanie hadn’t responded. She had spoken with Emily this morning and had known where Emily was – in Jacksonville with her sick mother. And Emily had also told her how she thought the time she’d spent with Dante had been a mistake. Melanie didn’t want to hear that from her because she knew Dante was the perfect man for Emily. Still, Emily wasn’t convinced. Melvin had her heart.

  After a relatively long period of silence, Dante said, “Melanie, if you know where she is, please tell me. I’m worried about her.”

  Melanie sighed. “I don’t know if it’s my place to get in the middle of you two, Mr. Champion, so—”

  “Me
lanie, please. I need to know where she is.”

  Melanie still hadn’t responded. She knew Dante had deep feelings for Emily. She could hear it in his voice. The only problem was, Emily wasn’t convinced. If she was, she had a good way of pretending she wasn’t falling for him. “She’s in Jacksonville, Florida. Her mother had a heart attack and she left the resort to be with her and her father.”

  Dante’s heart sank. He was relieved that she was okay, but felt sorry for her mother and for Emily to have to go through that.

  “Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it.”

  “Oh, and Dante...” she said, foregoing the formality of calling him Mr. Champion.

  “Yes?”

  “If you love her, you really need to be patient because she’s still not over Melvin’s death. I know you know that, and I also know that trying to love someone who won’t love you back is tiring, but Emily really needs you.”

  “I know. Thank you, Melanie. I owe you.” As soon as Dante ended the call, he made plans to be picked up by the company jet. He’d see Emily today. He wanted nothing other than to be there for her through this distressing time in her life.

  Chapter 30

  Later in the evening, Emily was walking from the cafeteria with two cups of coffee – one for her and her father – when she saw Dante walking towards her.

  Dang-it, Melanie! She wanted to scream, regretting the fact that she told Melanie where she had gone. How else would Dante know because she surely hadn’t told anyone else.

  Emily was so nervous, she almost dropped the coffee when she saw him walking towards her, wearing a pair of dark jeans and a camel colored jacket that matched his leather shoes and plaid shirt.

  “Hi,” he told her when he’d gotten a little closer.

  “What are you doing here, Dante?”

  Her question took him aback. “What do you mean? My wife is here and I wanted to be here with you, to help you, Emily.”